Jose Rizal: The Life and Times of the the First Filipino Jose Rizal, the Philippines' celebrated

national hero was born on June 19, 1 !1 in "alamba, La#una$ %is parents were Francisco and Teodoro &lonzo$ &n intelli#ent child, he was tau#ht b' his mother basic arithmetic and the (ible at a 'oun# a#e$ &t the tender a#e of ei#ht, Rizal wrote the poem )*a &+in# ,abata), which has become one of the most important poems in pa'in# homa#e to the lo-e of one's own lan#ua#e$ %e finished his primar' education in (in'an, and went on to .anila to pursue further studies at the &teneo .unicipal, a school operated b' the Jesuit #roup of friars$ %e en/o'ed the arts, bein# hailed as one of the Philippines' few true Renaissance .en, and del-ed into petr', mathematics, rhetoric, paintin# and e-en sculpture$ &s a Renaissance .an, he e0hibited the -ital dri-e to educate one's self in man' disciplines, as e-idenced b' his -oracious consumption of boo+s on a -ariet' of sub/ects$ &s 1io-anni (occaccio had said in his treatise on the )1enealo#' of the 1entile 1ods), to be a true Renaissance .an, one had to be well read in man' disciplines, to be able to accumulate a wide -ocabular'$ 2t was Rizal's enthusiasm for his personal education that helped his writin# of the re-olutionar' no-els 3oli .e Tan#ere and 4l Filibusterismo$ 2n his childhood, Rizal was alread' aware of the sufferin# of his fellow Filipinos$ &s a 'oun# one #rowin# up in "alamba, he +new how the *paniards could inflict such torment to his helpless countr'men$ %e +new for a fact that there was hea-' ta0ation and land5#rabbin# #oin# on dail'$ 2t was this that inspired Rizal to e-entuall' lobb' for reforms in the Philippines$ 6hen he was ei#hteen 'ears old, he won the first prize in a competition with his piece, & la Ju-entud Filipina$ &t a separate competition his wor+ 4l "onse/o de los 7ioses was /ud#ed best amon# his peers and 'et he was not awarded simpl' for bein# a Filipino$ For a while he studied at the 8ni-ersit' of *anto Tomas and at the a#e of twent'5one left for *pain$ 2n *pain, he studied medicine and started readin# man' boo+s outside his curriculum$ %e also mana#ed to stud' se-eral lan#ua#es, and turned into a pol'#lot$ &t the a#e of twent'5si0 he had finished his landmar+ no-el 3oli .e Tan#ere$ & complete 4n#lish translation of the 3oli was published in the 'ear 1919, with the title The *ocial "ancer$ 2t was translated b' "harles 4$ 7erb'shire$ &ccordin# to (enedict &nderson, noted author of 2ma#ined "ommunities and *pectre of "omparisons, Rizal had the best education then a-ailable in the colon', pro-ided e0clusi-el' b' the reli#ious :rders, notabl' the 7omicans and Jesuits$ 2t was an education that he later satirized mercilessl', but it #a-e him a command of Latin ;and some %ebrew<, a solid +nowled#e of classical anti=uit', and an introduction to western philosoph' and e-en to medical science$ 2t is a#ain -erti#inous to compare what beni#hted *pain offered with what the enli#htened, ad-anced imperial powers pro-ided in the same *outheast &sian re#ion: no real uni-ersities in French 2ndochina, the 7utch 4ast 2ndies or (ritish .ala'a and *in#apore till after 6orld 6ar 22$ &nderson continues: 4urope affected him ;Rizal< decisi-el', in two related wa's$ .ost immediatel', he came =uic+l' to understand the bac+wardness of *pain itself, somethin# which his liberal *panish friends fre=uentl' bemoaned$ This put him in a position not #enerall' a-ailable to colonial 2ndians and >ietnamese, or, after the &mericans arri-ed in .anila, to his 'oun#er countr'men: that of bein# able to ridicule the metropolis from the same hi#h #round from which, for #enerations, the metropolis had ridiculed the nati-es$ .ore profoundl', he encountered what he later described as )el demonio de las comparaciones) a memorable phrase that could be translated as )spectre of comparisons)$ 6hat he meant b' this was a new, restless double5consciousness which made it impossible e-er after to e0perience (erlin without once thin+in# of .anila, or .anila without thin+in# of (erlin$ %ere indeed is the ori#in of nationalism, which li-es b' ma+in# comparisons$ & limited number of copies filitered itself throu#h *pain and found itself transported to the Philippines$ (' -irtue of the d'namic and re-olutionar' content of 3oli .e Tan#ere, it #ained popularit' with both the middle class and re-olutioar' peasantr' of the Philippines$ The boo+ was attac+ed b' the friars in the Philippines and b' the *panish authorities because of the ideals presented in the boo+$ These ideals were of a re-olutionar' nature? it was in the contention of Rizal as intellectual and cultured reformist to educate, illuminate and enli#hten those who ha-e read his boo+ to the basic truths of colonialism and the conse=uences of an ultimatel' corrupt and e-il #o-ernment in a formerl' free countr'$ Fr$ Jose Rodri#uez, a *panish friar, published the pamphlet "ain#at "a'o to warn people of the e-ils of readin# such a boo+$ Rizal answered this pamphlet in 1 9 with La >ision de Fr$ Rodri#uez, a brilliant counter5attac+ to the distorted -iews that the aforementioned friar had stated$ Rizal had a sin#le5minded de-otion to the betterment of the social conditions in his sufferin# homeland? it was his sin#ular purpose as a reformist and his ideals answered to this callin#$ The 4l Filibusterismo, on the other hand, was Rizal's political no-el that anticipated the comin# of a Re-olution? a feat that was to be e0pected b' the collecti-e political action of the peasantr' and middle5class #roups to finall' tear

assunder the pro-erbial 6alls of Jericho and emancipate themsel-es from the colonial power that was holdin# them as sla-es in their own countr'$ @et, bein# a normall' peaceful man, Rizal's conception of a re-olution in the Philippines was that of a peaceful, unarmed re-olution$ 6hen Rizal returned to the Philippines in 1 99 he was promptl' thrown into prison in Fort *antia#o$ 2n Jul' A, 1 99, he was e0iled to 7apitan so as to isolate his so5called )destructi-e #enius)$ For four 'ears he remained in 7apitan helpin# his need' countr'men, plantin# fruit trees, teachin# and writin# to his #ood friend Ferdinand (lumentritt in &ustria$ Rizal was then tried on char#es of treason and complicit' with the re-olution$ Rizal denied an' direct hand in the re-olution? a statement that di-ided the historians on the account of whether Rizal or (onifacio should be called a )national hero)$ %e was sentenced to die, and was shot b' a mus+etr' #roup on 7ecember BC, 1 9! in (a#umba'an$ The united force of the Filipino reformers in *pain created an atmosphere of a char#ed political fe-er, rall'in# for social chan#e$ 2n Februar' 1D,1 9, the first number of copies of La *olidaridad came out$The *ol was the political newspaper published b' Filipino reformists de-ote to the e0position of the true condition of the Philippines and to defend Filipinos a#ainst the malicious and slanderous attac+s of the hired writers of the friars and the publications of studies about the Philippines and the Filipinos$ Parallel to the introduction of Freemasonr' in the Philippines, La Propa#anda was created$ La Propa#anda was a ci-ic societ' that aimed at obtainin# political concessions from the .other "ountr'$ (ut in time, due to mal-ersation of funds, the #roup passed out of e0istence$ &t this point in time, Rizal decided to form another ci-ic societ'$ :n Jul' B, 1 99, at a house in Tondo, Rizal inau#urated La Li#a Filipina$ The main ob/ecti-es of the ci-ic societ' was to unite the whole archipela#o into one compact, -i#orous and homo#enous bod', mutual protection in e-er' want and necessit', defense a#ainst all -iolense and in/ustice, encoura#ement of instruction, a#riculture and commerce, and finall' the stud' and application of reforms$ "ontemporaril', the no-els of the late Rizal ha-e been -iewed b' critics with much importance, since it was written at a time of such personal difficult' for the author and in such an atmosphere of political ferment and instabilit'$ &ccordin# to Resil ($ .o/ares, author of the:ri#ins and Rise of the Filipino 3o-el, Rizal wrote in *panish because it was the lan#ua#e he +new best and because he must ha-e felt at that time that it was the medium throu#h which reform had to be carried out, moti-ated as he was then b' the desire to address *panish liberals and officialdom$ %e was not completel' happ' with his choice of lan#ua#e$ 2n fact, he had written to >iola that if 3oli .e Tan#ere pro-ed a failire, he would thenceforth write his wor+s in French, as in this lan#ua#e he would ha-e a more pro#ressi-e, wider public$ The writin# of a no-el was a trial, brin#in# Rizal to the brin+ of ph'sical and financial e0haustion$ 6ith the aid of .a0imo >iola the boo+ was finall' printed in berlin and was out in 1 A$ %e faced problems with shipments held up b' the customs and censors both in *pain and in the Philippines and 1uerrero estimates that of the 9,CCC copies printed, possible not more than 1,CCC reached Filipino readers in Rizal's lifetime$ 4$ *an Juan, literar' critic and author of Towards a People's Literature writes: :n the e-e of his e0ecution, Rizal wrote in 1erman to the now immortalized Ferdinand (luemetritt: )6hen 'ou ha-e recei-ed this letter 2 am alread' dead$ Tomorrow at A o'cloc+ 2 shall ha-e been shot$ 2 am howe-er, innocent of the crime of rebellion$ 2 die with a clear conscience$) From the place of the :ther, the site of the alien and of hopes, Rizal is addressin# himself, the present, 8s, the reader positioned to decipher his messa#e$ "ompared to the spea+er, our conscience is cloud', and we dare not claim e=ui-ocal innocence$ 6as Rizal a hero, or notE 2t is for us, the most recent of #enerations, a sub/ect to internalize, and e-entuall', resol-e$ For Rizal, the First Filipino, and us, the Filipinos of toda'$ (iblio#raph': 1$ *an Juan, 4pifanio$ Toward a People's Literature$ 8ni-ersit' of the Philippines Press$ 7iliman: 9CCD 9$ .o/ares, Resil ($ :ri#ins and Rise of the Filipino 3o-el$ 8ni-ersit' of the Philippines Press$ 7iliman: 199 B$ &#oncillo, Teodoro &$ %istor' of the Filipino People$ 1arotech Publishin#$ Fuezon "it': 9CC!$ G$ &nderson, (endict$ *pectre of "omparisons: 3ationalism, *outheast &sia and the 6orld &teneo de .anila Press Fuezon "it': 9CCG