“YOUR PRESENCE I MISS, YOUR MEMORY I

TREASURE, LOVING YOU ALWAYS, FORGETTING

YOU NEVER.”

I. INTRODUCTION
A passionate love story set against the ugly political backdrop of repression, torture, and murder. “The
Noli,” as it is called in the Philippines, was the first major artistic manifestation of Asian resistance to European
colonialism, and Rizal became a guiding conscience—and martyr—for the revolution that would subsequently
rise up in the Spanish province.
José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at
the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is considered the national hero (pambansang
bayani) of the Philippines. He wrote Noli me Tangere (Touch Me Not) that is often considered the greatest
novel of the Philippines, along with its sequel, El Filibusterismo. It explores perceived inequities in law and
practice in terms of the treatment by the ruling government and the Spanish Catholic friars of the resident
peoples a hundred years ago.
The story of Noli Me Tangere is led by the protagonist- Crisóstomo Ibarra alongside by his lover, Maria
Clara. He was the son of Don Rafael Ibarra, one the wealthiest businessmen in San Diego. Crisostomo Ibarra's
great-grandfather was Don Pedro Eibarramendia, an old, sunken-eyed Basque, who spoke Tagalog well in his
deep, hollow voice. His grandfather was Don Saturnino, a Spanish mestizo who settled in San Diego and
devoted himself in planting and harvesting indigo. As the story goes by, Ibarra will meet the main antagonist of
the story. Dámaso Verdolagas, or Father Dámaso, is a Franciscan friar and the former parish curate of San
Diego. He is known for being harsh and greedy in the novel. He represents the greedy priests during the
Spanish Era. He was the real father of Maria Clara. He also meets Father Salvi or Father Bernardo Salvi- the
Franciscan friar who was the curate of San Diego and the rival of the alferez. He is said to be a hypocrite and a
miser. He schemes and did quite a job at blackmailing Maria Clara regarding her paternity. He falls in love on
Maria Clara’s beauty.
The story started by the main character Ibarra. Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin, commonly referred
to as Ibarra, has been studying in Europe for the past seven years, though he is a mestizo Filipino. As he arrives
back in the Philippines, his friend, a prominent man named Captain Tiago, hosts a reunion dinner. Ibarra had
been in Europe for such a long time that he doesn’t know what has been going on in the country. At dinner,
Father Dámaso, who Ibarra thought was friends with his father, treats him badly, which surprises Ibarra.
As Ibarra is walking home from the dinner, another family friend, Señor Guevara, follows him and tells
him that Ibarra’s father died in prison after a campaign of slander against him, and that Father Dámaso had a
hand in his death. Father Dámaso had accused the elder Ibarra of not going to confession, and after Rafael
Ibarra inadvertently killed a man who beat a young boy, he was imprisoned and attacked with accusations of
subversion and heresy. Guevara tried to clear his name, but he died in prison before he could be freed. The
younger Ibarra is shocked, but unsure of what to do. He goes to visit his old lover, Maria Clara, but as Maria
mentions Ibarra’s family, Ibarra is put off.
Instead of seeking revenge, Ibarra tries to follow his father’s footsteps of peace. After meeting with a
schoolmaster who knew his father, he plans on establishing a public school to help his hometown. Yet the
schoolmaster warns him that Father Dámaso meddles in the school system, preventing students from learning
Spanish and demanding that he beat the students. Ibarra pitches the idea of the school to town officials,
pretending that he wants to work with them on it, and they agree.
Meanwhile, two young boys, Crispín and Basilio, work as sextons to support their impoverished mother,
Sisa, who is abused by their father. When Crispín is falsely accused of theft, the brothers must work even more.
When he protests, Crispín is severely beaten, while Basilio escapes. He returns the next day to look for his
brother, but can't find him. Sisa looks for both her sons, losing her mind as she wanders the area in search of
them.
 Ibarra goes to his father’s grave, seeking peace. He is shocked to discover that his father’s corpse was
removed and supposedly put into a Chinese cemetery at the order of the town's curate—Father Dámaso.
During the town's festivities, Ibarra and the officials plan to celebrate the new school, hoping to bless it
after a sermon by Father Dámaso. During the sermon, a mysterious man named Elías approaches Ibarra,
warning him of a plot to kill him. Elías had been the boatman on an earlier excursion Ibarra took with friends,
but after the excursion, Ibarra discovered he was a wanted fugitive.
That night, Father Dámaso invites himself to a dinner Ibarra is hosting. He insults both indigenous
Filipinos and Ibarra’s father specifically. He punches Father Dámaso, but before he can kill him, he is stopped
by María Clara.
Ibarra is excommunicated, and María Clara falls ill, then is reengaged to a new man after her spineless
father calls off her wedding to Ibarra. Meanwhile, the Captain General, the highest Spanish official in the novel,
manages to lift Ibarra's excommunication, angering the clergy. Ibarra continues working on the school, and
Father Salvi, who is in love with María Clara, plots with Lucas, the brother of a man killed by the plot intended
to kill Ibarra at the festival, to frame Ibarra for a rebellion, organizing people with grievances against the
colonial government and telling them that Ibarra is leading the revolt. Right before the attack happens, Father
Salvi warns everyone, claiming someone told him about it in confession.
Ibarra is thrown into prison, having been found guilty based on a letter he wrote to María Clara before
leaving for Europe years ago. Again, Elías rescues him, breaking him out of prison and taking him to María
Clara. She explains that she gave Father Salvi the letter that led to Ibarra being found guilty because he
blackmailed her: he knew that her real father is Father Dámaso, and threatened to reveal this information. She
apologizes to Ibarra, profoundly sorry.
Elías and Ibarra row away, but they quickly realize they're being followed by another boat, which will
soon catch up. Elías jumps off the boat to confuse their pursuers, who think he is Ibarra and try to shoot him
while the real Ibarra escapes. They appear to kill him, but they never see his body.
María Clara tells Father Dámaso that she can't marry Linares, the man she is now engaged to, and
threatens to commit suicide if she is not allowed to enter a convent. Because a newspaper reported Ibarra is
dead, she cannot bear the thought of being married to another man. Father Dámaso reluctantly agrees.
On Christmas Eve, Basilio wanders away from the cabin where he's been staying with an adoptive
family and looks for Sisa, his mother. He finds her, but she doesn't recognize him and runs away. Finally, he
catches her and faints, and she dies of shock, having finally recognized him. Elías appears, telling Basilio that
he is about to die, and asks Basilio to put his body with Sisa's on a funeral pyre. "I die without seeing dawn’s
light shining on my country…You, who will see it, welcome it for me…don’t forget those who fell during the
nighttime," he says. And the story continues in the novel of El Filibusterismo, wrote by Dr. Jose Rizal.
In my conclusion, we learned some valuable lessons in the story. Our life doesn't always go according to
plan and all individuals were challenged by fate; therefore, it is up to us how we overcome these challenges.
We sometimes fight for our love ones even the world is against. We can be a hero in our own story.

II. FIRST BODY PARAGRAPH

A passionate love story set against the ugly political backdrop of repression, torture, and murder. Because
of the Spanish colonial, the Philippines were suffered. In the middle of the love story there are interfering
circumstances.

III. SECOND BODY PARAGRAPH

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the
end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is the author of the known novel, Noli Me Tangere
and El Filibusterismo. He is the one who fight the Spanish colonial with his writings.
 IV. THIRD BODY PARAGRAPH
The story of Noli Me Tangere is led by the protagonist- Crisóstomo Ibarra alongside by his lover, Maria
Clara. Every story has different protagonist. In Noli Me Tangere, Crisóstomo Ibarra is the protagonist. He will
counter difficulties/ problems that may the antagonist’s schemes. As the story goes by, Ibarra will meet the
main antagonist of the story. The story will not be interesting if there is no antagonist. In the story, Father
Damaso is one of character that will Ibarra suffers.

V. FOURTH BODY PARAGRAPH

The story started by the main character Ibarra. When Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin, commonly
referred to as Ibarra, returned home from studying in Europe for the past seven years. Without knowing nothing
what happen to his country, he will counter some unexpected event.

VI. FIFTH BODY PARAGRAPH

As Ibarra is walking home from the dinner, another family friend, Señor Guevara, follows him and tells him
that Ibarra’s father died in prison after a campaign of slander against him, and that Father Dámaso had a hand in
his death. As Father Damaso jealous from Ibarra’s father, Don Rafael Ibarra, he made a plan to make his father
be killed.

VII. SIXTH BODY PARAGRAPH

Instead of seeking revenge, Ibarra tries to follow his father’s footsteps of peace. He calmly made a decision
and helped his hometown.

VIII. SEVENTH BODY PARAGRAPH

Meanwhile, two young boys, Crispín and Basilio, work as sextons to support their impoverished mother,
Sisa, who is abused by their father. Their family is poor so the two brothers work for their everyday life.
Although they were honest to their work, Crispín is falsely accused and they work for their mistakes.
IX. EIGHTH BODY PARAGRAPH
Ibarra goes to his father’s grave, seeking peace. Beacause of Father Damaso’s jealousy and hatred from the
Ibarra’s family, he even moved Don Rafael’s grave to a Chinese cemetery.

X. NINTH BODY PARAGRAPH

During the town's festivities, Ibarra and the officials plan to celebrate the new school, hoping to bless it
after a sermon by Father Dámaso. With an unexpected turn of an event, Ibarra’s peaceful life helping others
were destroyed in an instant. After the plot of killing that wasn’t success, he was been became a wanted
fugitive.

XI. TENTH BODY PARAGRAPH

That night, Father Dámaso invites himself to a dinner Ibarra is hosting. He insults both indigenous Filipinos
and Ibarra’s father specifically. As Father Damaso is in high officials, he can go in wherever he wants, even his
not invited, he can come.

XII. ELEVENTH BODY PARAGRAPH

 Ibarra is excommunicated, and María Clara falls ill, then is reengaged to a new man after her spineless
father calls off her wedding to Ibarra. Because of what happened to the party of attempted killing, Father
Damaso mde a choice to cancel the engagement of Maria Clara and Ibarra.

XIII. TWELFTH BODY PARAGRAPH

Ibarra is thrown into prison, having been found guilty based on a letter he wrote to María Clara before
leaving for Europe years ago. Because of the blackmailing of Father Salvi, Ibarra is thrown into prison.

XIV. THIRTEENTH BODY PARAGRAPH

Elías and Ibarra row away, but they quickly realize they're being followed by another boat, which will soon
catch up. Elias become the hero to save Ibarra from death. He takes the bullets and lately, died.

XV. FOURTEENTH BODY PARAGRAPH

María Clara tells Father Dámaso that she can't marry Linares, the man she is now engaged to, and threatens
to commit suicide if she is not allowed to enter a convent. She made her own choice because she can no longer
be by her lover’s side.

XVI. FIFTEENTH BODY PARAGRAPH

On Christmas Eve, Basilio wanders away from the cabin where he's been staying with an adoptive family
and looks for Sisa, his mother. Because Sisa is not on herself, she wanders around and become loss.
"I die without seeing dawn’s light shining on my country…You, who will see it, welcome it for me…don’t
forget those who fell during the nighttime," said by Elias to Basilio. This is what Elias said before he died. He
can no longer continue to help his country.

XVII. SIXTEENTH BODY PARAGRAPH

In my conclusion, we learned some valuable lessons in the story. Every story has different moral and
valuable lessons. We have different perspective in our life, so, we have learned different lessons in one story.