Jose Rizal

Life, Works, and Writings of a Genius, Writer, Scientist, and National Hero

LIFE OF
JOSE PROTASIO RIZAL MERCADO Y ALONSO
REALONDA
FAMILY BACKGROUND
PARENTS
 Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandro (1818-1898)
 Teodora Morales Alonso Realonda y Quintos
SIBLINGS
 Saturnina (1850-1913)
 Paciano (1851-1931)
 Narcisa (1852-1913)
 Olympia (1855-1887)
 Lucia (1857-1919)
 Maria (1859-1945)
 Jose (1861-1896)
 Concepcion (1862-1865)
 Josefa (1865-1945)
 Trinidad (1868-1945)
 Soledad (1970-1929)
FRANCISCO MERCADO RIZAL TEODORA ALONSO

 Studied Latin & Philosophy at the  Born in Meisik, Sta. Cruz Manila
College of San Jose Manila  Talented and remarkable woman
 Describe by Jose Rizal as
“model of fathers”  Temperament of the Poet and
 A successful farmer dreamer and bravery for sacrifice
 He loved books  His first teacher
 An excellent model for José Rizal  Inculcated the value of
that molded him up into a man of knowledge and education to the
honor young Jose
 Understood the world of  A good Mathematician and
humanity which furnished him Manager of business of the Rizal
with greater respect for other family
people, and greater respect to
the dignity of labor

IMMEDIATE FAMILY
EARLY INFLUENCES
 His mother encourage him to express his ideas
and sentiments in verse.
 “The Story of the Moth” about the mother
moth warning its offspring of the danger of
fluttering to close to flame. The little moth did
not heed the advice, thus it was burned by the
flame. Gave him the moral lesson that if one
must succeed, he must take risks and prepare
for the worst consequences. Without
courage, there will be no glory.
JOSÉ POTASIO RIZAL MERCADO Y ALONSO REALONDA
Born: June 19, 1861 in Calamba
Died: Dec. 30, 1896 in Manila
BIRTH AND EARLY CHILDHOOD

In Calamba, Laguna
 1869 – “Sa Aking Mga Kababata”
 June 19, 1861 - birth
 June 22, 1861 - baptized
 1864 – learned the alphabet from his mother
 1865 – his sister Conception (8th child) died at the age of
three
 1865-1867 his mother taught him how to read and write
 Leon Monroy - taught Rizal the rudiments of Latin
 Uncle Manuel Alberto – taught the latter love for the
nature
 Uncle Gregorio – instilled love for education
 Usman – Rizal’s dog

IN BIÑAN, LAGUNA

 1870 – his brother Paciano brought Rizal to

Biñan, Laguna
 Justiano Aquino Cruz – taught Rizal Latin
and Spanish
 Juancho Carrera – taught him the art of
painting
 December 17, 1870 – Rizal returned to
Calamba after he finished his studies in
Biñan
BACK IN CALAMBA

 1871 - his mother was imprisoned in Sta.

Cruz, Laguna for allegedly poisoning the wife
of Jose Alberto
 1872 – Cavite Mutiny on January 20, 1872;
his father forbid the words:
 Cavite

 Burgos

 Cavite
In Calamba and Laguna

EARLY EDUCATION
IN BIÑAN
 At he age of 3, Rizal learned  Rizal’s parents employed
the alphabet from his mother private tutors to give him
 At the age of 5, while lessons at home. The first was
learning to read and Maestro Celestino and the
write, Rizal already showed second. Maestro Lucas
inclinations to be an artist. Padua.
He astounded his family and  Later on a man named Leon
relatives by his pencil Monroy, a former classmate of
drawings and sketches and Rizal’s father became his
by his moldings of clay. tutor. This teacher lived at the
 At the age of 8, Rizal wrote a Rizal home and instructed
Tagalog poem, “Sa Aking Rizal in Spanish and Latin.
Mga Kababata”, the theme of Unfortunately. He did not live
which revolves on the love of long. He died five months
one’s language. later.
FIRST DAY IN BIÑAN SCHOOL
 Rizal met the bully, Pedro.  Best student in School
Rizal, who was angry at this bully  In academic studies, Rizal beat all
for making fun of him during his Binan boys. He surpassed them all in
conversation with the Spanish, Latin, and other subjects.
teacher, challenged Pedro to a fight.  They were all jealous of his
Rizal having learned the art of intellectual superiority that they
wrestling from his athletic Tio wickedly squealed to the teacher
Manuel, defeated the bigger boy. whenever Rizal had a fight outside
 After class, a classmate named the school, and even told lies to
Andres Salandanan challenged discredit him before the teacher’s
him to an arm – wrestling match. eyes. Consequently the teacher had
Rizal having the weaker arm, lost to punish Rizal.
and nearly cracked his head on the  He received many whippings and
sidewalk. strokes from ferule. Rare was the day
when he was not stretched on the
bench for a whipping or punished
with five or six blows on the open
palm.
STUDIES IN THE PHILIPPINES IN UST
 Got low grades
 Studied Philosophy and Letters
 Study medicine (ophthalmology) - did not complete

Rizal was unhappy at this Dominican

Institution of higher learning because;
1) The Dominican professors were hostile to him
2) The Filipino students were racially discriminated
against by the Spaniards
3) The method of instruction was obsolete and
repressive
IN ATENEO
 Got excellent grades
 Studied bachelor of arts in 1877
 Graduated as one of sobresaliente
 First professor was Fr. Jose Bech
 Rizal was a member of the academy of Spanish Literature
and the Academy of Natural Sciences.
 Wrote his first poem Mi Primera Inspiracion
(My First Inspiration) which was dedicated to his
mother on her birthday.
 He also wrote Through Education our Motherland
Receives Light and The Intimate Alliance
Between Religion and Good Education which
showed the importance of religion in education.
EDUCATION IN EUROPE
 Traveled alone to Europe
 Madrid in May 1882
 Continued his studies in Medicine at the Universidad de
Madrid
 Degree of Licentiate in Medicine in 1884
 Degree of Philosophy and Letters in 1885
 University of Paris (France)
 University of Heidelberg (Germany)
 Earned a second doctorate
 Inducted as a member of the Berlin Ethnological Society
and the Berlin Anthropological Society under the
patronage of the famous pathologist Rodulf Virchow
UNIVERSITY OF HEIDELBERG

 25 year old Rizal completed in 1887 his eye

specialization under the renowned Prof. Otto
Becker in Heidelberg
 Left Heidelberg a poem, “A La Flores del
Heidelberg”, both an evocation and a
prayer for the welfare of his native land and
the unification of common values between
East and West
RIZAL’S LIFE IN EUROPE

 Jose Rizal lived in Europe for 10 years

 He could converse in ore than 10 different
tongues
 Excelled at martial
arts, fencing, sculpture, painting
teaching, anthropology, and journalism, among
other things
 During his European sojoum, he also began to
write novels. Rizal finished his first book, Noli
Me Tangere, while living in Wilhemsfeld with
the Reverend Karl Ullmer
(1887-1888)
FIRST HOMECOMING
DECISION TO RETURN HOME

 To operate on his mother’s eye

 To serve his people who had long been
oppressed by Spanish tyrants
 To find out for himself how the Noli and
other writings were affecting Filipinos
and Spaniards in the Philippines
 To inquire why Leonora Rivera remained
silent
ARRIVAL IN MANILA

 August 5- the Haipong arrived in Manila.

Rizal went ashore with a happy heart for he
once more trod his beloved native soil. He
stayed in the city for a short time to visit his
friends. He found Manila the same as when
he left it five years ago.
HAPPY HOMECOMING

 August 8- 1887 he returned to Calamba. His family welcomed him

affectionately, with plentiful tears of joy.
In Calamba, Rizal established a medical clinic. His first patient
was his mother, who was almost blind. He treated her eyes, but
not performed any surgical operation because her eyes cataracts
were not yet ripe. News of the arrival of a great doctor from
Germany spread far and wide. Patients from Manila and the
provinces flocked to Calamba. Rizal, who came to be called
"Doctor Uliman" because he came from Germany, treated their
ailments and soon he acquired a lucrative medical practice. His
professional fees were reasonable, even gratis to the poor. Within
a few months, he was able to earn P900 as a physician. By
February, 1888, he earned a total of P5 000 as medical Fees.
STORM OVER THE NOLI

 A few weeks after his arrival, a storm broke

over his novel. One day Rizal received a
letter from Governor General Emilio Terrero
requesting him to come to Malacañan
Palace. Somebody has whispered to the
Governor's ear that the Noli contained
subversive ideas.
RIZAL AND TAVIEL DE ANDRADE

 While the storm over the Noli was raging in

Fury, Rizal was not molested in Calamba. This is due
to Governor General Terrero's generosity in assigning
a bodyguard to him. Between this Spanish
bodyguard, Lt. Jose Taviel De Andrade, and Rizal, a
beautiful friendship bloomed.
What marred Rizal's happy days in Calamba with Lt.
Andrade were:
The death of his older sister, Olimpia
The groundless tales circulated by his enemies that
he was "a German Spy, an agent of Bismarck, a
Protestant, a Mason, a witch, a soul beyond
salvation, etc."
CALAMBA'S AGRARIAN TROUBLE

 Governor General Terrero, influenced by certain facts

in Noli Me Tangere, ordered a government
investigation of the friar estates to remedy whatever
iniquities might have been present in connection with
land taxes and with tenant relations. One of the friar
estates affected was the Calamba Hacienda which
the Dominican Order owed since 1883. In compliance
with the Governor General's orders, dated December
30, 1887.The Civil Governor of Laguna. Province
directed the municipal authorities of Calamba to
investigate the agrarian conditions of their locality.
A POEM TO LIPA

 In the few stanzas Rizal extols man's labor and industry,

singing, "Praise to labor / of the country wealth and vigor."
He exhorts the youth to follow in the footsteps of their
industrious elders and thus be worthy of them, for
"Incense does not honor the dear / As does a son with
glory and valor."
A close reading of the poem will reveal to us that Hymn to
Labor was Rizal's way of commending man's labor and
industry and extolling the country's wealth and vigor. For
him labor plays a vital role in keeping up the dignity of a
man for it is work that sustains a man, the motherland,
family and the home. Thus, he considered labor as the
country's blood, health and life.
FAREWELL TO CALAMBA

 Rizal's exposure of the deplorable conditions of

tenancy in Calamba infuriated further his
enemies. The friars exerted pressure on
Malacañan Palace to eliminate him. They asked
Governor General Terrero to deport him, but the
latter refused because there was no valid
charge against Rizal in the court. Anonymous
threats against Rizal's life were received by his
parents. The alarmed parents, relatives and
friends (including lt. Taviel de Andrade) advised
him to go away, for his life was in danger.
Rizal living the Philippines for the second time

JOSE RIZAL’S TRIP TO HONG KONG AND

MACAU
 Hounded by powerful enemies, Rizal was
forced lo leave his country for the second
time in 1888
 He was 27 years old, a practicing
physician, a recognized man of letters
 After six months of staying in the Philippines
Rizal left via streamer Zapiro bound for
Hong Kong
RIZAL STAYED AT VICTORIA HOTEL

He met
 Jose Maria Basa
 Balbino Mauricio

 Manuel Yriarte
(son of alcalde mayor in calamba)
HONG KONG
 According to Rizal in his letter to Bluemenritt, is a
small, but very clean city
 Many Portuguese, Hindus, English, Chinese and
Jews
 There are some Filipinos exiled in Marianas Islands
since 1872, they were former financiers and rich
but now poor, gentle and timid
 A Spaniard, Jose Sainz de Varanda, shadowed
Rizal's movement in Hong Kong. It is believed that
he was commissioned by the Spanish authoroties
to spy on Rizal
MACAU

 A Portuguese colony near in Hong Kong

 Rizal together with Basa boarded a ferry
named Kiu-Kang going to macau
 he was surprised to see among the
passengers a familiar figure- Jose Sainz de
Varanda
 Don Juan Francisco Lecaros- a Filipino
gentleman who is married to a Portuguese
lady. He was rich and spent his days
cultivating plants and flowers
 Rizal and Basa stayed in his house for two
days while they were in Macau
DEPARTURE FROM HONG KONG
 February 22, 1888- Rizal left Hong Kong
 oceanic - an American steamer, his
destination was Japan
 he did not like the meals on board, but he
liked the ship because it was clean and
efficiently managed
 his cabin mate was a British Protestant
missionary who had lives in china for 27
years. Rizal called "a good man"
RIZAL’S LOVELIFE

 Segunda Katigbak
 Leonor Valenzuela
 Leonor Rivera
 Consuelo Ortiga
 O-Sei San
 Gertrude Beckette
 Nelly Boustead
 Suzanne Jacoby
 Josephine Bracken
POEMS OF JOSÉ RIZAL
 Sa Aking mga Kabata (written by Rizal at the age of 8, dealing with the theme of love for one’s
language)
 To the Virgin Mary
 Education Gives Luster to the Motherland
 To Josephine
 To the Philippines Youth
 Song of Maria Clara
 A Poem that has No Title
 Kundiman
 Hymn to Labor
 Memories of my Town
 Our Mother Tongue
 To the Philippines
 Mi Ultimo Adios (My Last Goodbye – last poem written by Rizal)
 “Farewell, my adored Land, region of the sun
caressed,
 Pearl of the Orient Sea, our Eden lost,
 With gladness I give you my Life, sad and
repressed;
 And were it more brilliant, more fresh and at
its best,
 I would still give it to you for your welfare at
most.” – from Mi Ultimo Adios by José Rizal
JOSE RIZAL: PERSECUTION AND EXILE IN
DAPITAN
 Jose Rizal's arrival in Manila on June 26, 1892
had become very sensational among the
Filipinos
 July 3, 1892 he founded the La Liga Filipina in
the house of Doroteo Ongjunco in Tondo, Manila
 July 31, 1896, Dapitan became the bare witness
to one of the most fruitful periods in Rizal's life
 His skill was put into test in August 1893 when
his mother, Doña Teodora Alonzo, was placed
under ophthalmic surgery for the third time