THE LIFE, WORKS AND

WRITINGS OF JOSE RIZAL

RIZAL’S FAMILY
AND EARLY
CHILDHOOD
RIZAL’S FAMILY BACKGROUND
 Name: Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso
Realonda
Alternate Name: Jose Rizal
Nicknames: Pepe, Pepito, Ute, Moy
Birthdate: June 19, 1861
Place of Birth: Calamba, Laguna
Date of Death: December 30, 1896 (aged 35)
Place of Death: Bagumbayan (now Rizal
Park)
 Parents:
Father: Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y
Alejandra II (1818-1898)
Mother: Teodora Morales Alonso Realonda y
Quintos (1827-1911)
SIBLINGS:
 Saturnina (1850-1930), later married to Manuel T. Hidalgo of Tanuan,
Batangas
 Paciano (1851-1930), during the Philippine Revolution, Paciano become a
revolutionary general and retired and go to farming after the conflict.
Though he was thought to be a bachelor during his life, but he actually
had his own family
 Narcisa (1852-1939), married to Antonio Lopez, a teacher from Morong,
Rizal
 Olimpia (1855-1887), married to Silvestre Ubaldo, a telegraph operator
from Manila
 Lucia (1857-1919), married to Mariano Herbosa of Calamba
 Maria (1859-1945), married to Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan, Laguna
 Jose Rizal (1861-1896), married to Josephine Bracken of Hongkong
 Concepcion (1862-1865), died at the age of 3
 Josefa (1865-1945), head of the women chapter of the Katipunan, died
unmarried
 Trinidad (1868-1951), a member of the Katipunan, unmarried
 Soledad (1870-1929), married to Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba
STATUS:
 Middle class family, well-educated family
 Leased farmland from Dominican owners
 House is made of stone located at the plaza of
the town
 Belong to principalia eligible for office
 Inquilino or primary tenant (grew corn,
dyestuff, rice, sugarcane, operated sugar mill,
flour mill, ham press)
 Trade sugar and dye
 Doña Teodora has a store at the ground floor
of their house
 Has collection of books composed of 1,000
titles
 Devoted catholics
RIZAL’S DESCRIPTION OF HIS PARENTS:
On his mother, “My mother is not a woman of culture
She knows literature and speaks Spanish better than I.” She
even corrected my poems and gave me wise advice when I was
studying rhetoric. She is a mathematician and has read many
books.
Without her what would have become of my education
and what would have been my fate?” Mother is everything to
man, next to our Heavenly Father who made man and everything.”
On his Father, “My father…. Had given us an education
commensurate with our small fortune. The education that I
received from my earliest infancy was perhaps what has shaped
my habits, like a jar that retains the odor of the liquid that it
first held.”
RIZAL’S INTEREST AND PRE-OCCUPATION
 Sculpture
 Drawing, Painting

 Poetry

 Sports

 Language

Significant Anecdotes:
 Death of Conception, younger siter

 Story of the Moth – “It is worth to sacrifice one’s

life in search for truth and reason”
 He has a pony and dog named Usman
RIZAL’S EDUCATION
 Education in Biñan, Laguna
During the time of Rizal, education was characterized by the 4R’s: Reading, Writing,
Arithmetic, and Religion
Rizal, although he was born a physical weakling , became an intellectual giant
His first teacher was his mother
At the age of 3, Rizal learned to recite the alphabet and prayers
At the age of 5, he started to draw and mold
At the age of 8, he has written his first poem “Sa Aking mga Kababata”
He has a private tutors to teach him lessons at home: Maestro Celestino and Maestro
Lucas Padua
Leon Monroy, who was a former classmate of Jose’s father, taught Rizal Spanish and
Latin
When Leon Monroy died, Rizal’s parents decided to send him to a private school in Biñan
When Jose left for Biñan, he was accompanied by his brother Paciano
Rizal lodged at his aunt’s house in Biñan
Rizal’s school in Biñan was in the house of his teacher, Maestro Justiniano Aquino
Cruz
Process used in Teaching: He was quick to discipline his students for any
infraction using a short, thin thick
Pedro, the teacher’s son, was not very fond of Rizal. He bullied Rizal and this led to his
first school brawl
At the age of 10, Rizal tasted his first injustice when his mother was imprisoned due to an
allegation
He took painting lessons in Biñan and was taught by an old painter named Juancho, his
school teacher’s father-in-law
He was the best student in school, beating all the Biñan boys
His schooling in Biñan lasted for a year and a half
INJUSTICE TO THE RIZAL FAMILY
1. Doña Teodora was accused
as an accomplice of Jose
Alberto of trying to poison
his wife
2. Doña Teodora tried to
mediate between the spouses
but she was accused of trying
to poison the wife
3. Doña Teodora was thrown
to jail
Jose Rizal’s Educational Background
Rizal’s First Teachers:
1. His mother, Doña Teodora
- Reader used: El Amigo de los
Niños (The Children’s Friend)
- was his mother, she was
patient, conscientious and
understanding
- prominent lesson learned as a
young boy was from “The Story of the
Moth”
- she discovered that her son
had a talent for poetry
- she encouraged him to write
poems
2. Private Tutors (hired by his father)
- Maestro Celestino
- Maestro Lucas Padua
- Leon Monroy
INFLUENCES FROM OTHER
MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY
 1. Uncle Gregorio taught him the value of hard
work to think for himself, and to observe his
surroundings keenly
 2. Uncle Jose encouraged him to sketch, paint,
and make sculptures
 3. Uncle Manuel encouraged him to pursue his
physical development. He taught the young boy
swimming, fencing, wrestling, and other sports
 4. His yaya (nanny) told stories of duwendes
(dwarves), ghosts, and aswangs (evil spirits), of
the beautiful Mariang Makiling, and other tales
on the beautiful surroundings of his hometown,
Calamba. Stories that awakened the imagination
and creativity of the young boy.
ARTISTIC ENDEAVORS
1. POEMS WRITTEN
A. “Sa Aking Mga Kababata”
B. “Un Recuerdo de Mi Pueblo” (A Memory of
My Town) – a poem about Calamba
2. He made sculptures out of mud
3. He drew things surrounding their house like
trees, flowers, birds, butterflies, and anything he
saw around him. He used charcoal and juices of
leaves and flowers for colors.
EDUCATION IN THE ATENEO DE MANILA
 Rizal entered Ateneo Municipal as an eleven-year-old. His close friendship with Fr. Francisco de Paula
Sanchez, S.J. inspired the young student
 Some poems written under the guidance of Fr. Sanchez:
 “The Tragedy of St. Eustace”
 “In the Memory of my Town”
 “Intimate Alliance between Religion and Good Education”
 “Through Education Motherland Receives Enlightenment”
 Rizal was sent to Manila four (4) months after the friars Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora (GOMBURZA) were
martyred
 He studied in the Ateneo Municipal, which was under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuit priests
 The Ateneo Municipal was later named Ateneo de Manila
 Rizal’s father has intended him to study at Letran, but changed his mind and sent him to Ateneo instead
 At first, the college registrar, Fr. Magin Ferrando, refused Rizal’s admission because the boy had registered
late and he was sickly and small for his age
 Rizal was nonetheless admitted to the Ateneo with the help and intercession of Manuel Xeres Burgos, a
nephew of the martyred priest
 Rizal adopted the Rizal to escape suspicion. His brother Paciano had used the name Mercado, and was now
known to the authorities as Jose Burgos’ favourite student
 The quality of education in the Ateneo was more advanced
 Students were divided into two groups: the” Roman Empire “(borders)and the Carthaginian Empire (Non-
borders)
 The best student in each empire was the emperor, followed by the tribune, then the Decurion, the centurion,
and the fifth best was the standard-bearer
 The Romans had red banners, and the Carthaginians had blue
 Rizal’s first professor at the Ateneo was Fr. Jose Bech
 To improve his Spanish, Rizal took private lessons in Santa Isabel College at noon breaks
 Rizal’s first favourite novel was “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexander Dumas
 He won a medal in Latin
 Rizal considered Fr. Sanchez as his best professor in the Ateneo
 He obtained the highest grades in all subjects and graduated with the highest honors
 He wrote his first poem in Ateneo “My First Inspiration” which he dedicated to his mother on her birthday.
 He had excellent achievements and graduated
highest in his class
 Other activities while in Ateneo:
 He studied painting under Agustin Saez
 He studied sculpture under Teodoro Romualdo de
Jesus
 He carved the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary on a
batikuling wood
 He carved the image of the Sacred Heart
 He joined the organization Marian Organization, His
mentor was Fr. Pablo Pastells, S.J.
 He was a member of the Academy of Spanish
Literature
 He was a member of the Academy of Natural
Sciences
 Fr. Jose Villaclara, S.J. encouraged him to pay
attention also to the Sciences and Philosophy
RIZAL’S ROMANTIC EPISODE WITH
SEGUNDA KATIGBAK

When Rizal was 16 years old he

had his first romance with
Segunda Katigbak.
Unfortunately, the lady was
already engaged to be married.
Rizal, as a shy and timid lover,
he failed to propose despite her
encouragement.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR INVOLVEMENT
 An emperor inside the classroom
 Campus leader
 Active member and became a secretary of the
Marian Congregation Religious Society
 Member of the Academy of Spanish Literature
and the Academy of Natural Sciences
 A poet
 Studied painting under the famous Spanish
Painter, Agustin Saez
 Improved his sculpture talents under the
supervision of Romualdo de Jesus
 Engaged in gymnastics and fencing and
continued the physical training under his sports-
minded Tiyo Manuel
MEDICAL STUDIES IN UNIVERSITY
OF STO. THOMAS (1877-1882)
 After graduation, he continue his education at
UST
 He finished a year In Philosophy and Letters
 He decided to shift to a medical course
 UST was under the Dominicans, rival of the
Jesuits in education
 He remained loyal to Ateneo, participated in
extra-curricular activities in Ateneo and
completed a course in surveying
 As a Thomasian, he won more literary laurels
 During his first term in 1877-1878 in UST, he
studied Cosmology, Metaphysics, Theodicy and
History of Philisophy
 1878-1879, Rizal pursued his studies in Medicine
REASON WHY RIZAL WANTED TO STUDY MEDICINE
 He wanted to be a physician so that he could cure his
mother’s failing eye sight
 Fr. Pablo Ramon, the Father Rector of Ateneo whom he
consulted for a choice of career, finally answered his letter
and recommended him to took medicine
PRE-MED COURSE
 Curso de Ampiacion or Advanced Course in Physics,
Chemistry, and Natural History
 Out of the 28 young men taking Ampliacion only four
including Rizal were granted the privilege of taking
simultaneously the preparatory course and the first
year of medicine
 Rizal also received his four year practical training in
medicine at the Hospital de San Juan de Dios in
Intramuros
 During his last year at the University, Rizal had
obtained the global grade of Notable (outstanding) in
all of his subjects, and he was the second best student
in a decimated class of seven who passed the medicine
course. After which, Rizal decided to study in Spain
ACADEMIC JOURNEY TO
SPAIN (1882-1885)
His departure for Spain was
kept secret from Spanish
Authorities, friars and even to
his parents especially his mother
because she would not allow him
to go