Laurent Chavez History 3

BS PSYCH 1 – YB August 23, 2018

Assessment on Rizal’s ‘To the Young Women of Malolos’
Words, trivial they may seem, but when they are combined creatively it can
create a masterpiece. What makes a literary piece a masterpiece? Let your mind
ponder on that question and evaluate the books and pieces that you have read before.
Did that young-adult novel came across your mind or nothing that you have read so far
came close to be referred to as a masterpiece. Subjectively speaking, literary
masterpieces are the ones which can make a subtle impact on how you perceive things
to be, it can make you question about society, people and even history. Seldom have I
read literary pieces that are striking. This time, a simple letter addressed to young
women proved to be up to par to be called a masterpiece.

Jose Rizal wrote a letter entitled ‘To the Young Women of Malolos’. The letter
tackled about servitude, equality, empowerment and all things in between. What makes
this piece special is its ability to give out an impact. Even though this letter was written
during the 19th century, this piece is still timely and it also made me understand about
the unjust and atrocious way of life before. The following are the ideas and concepts
that made a huge impression on me.

First, let me talk about servitude. The denotation of the word servitude is the
condition of being a slave or having to obey another person. In the first part of the letter,
Rizal questioned whether bravery was a common thing in Filipino women. From what he
had observed, the Filipinas have this embedded trait of servitude and deference
especially towards the elderly and the priests. Rizal also criticized about what
religiousness is really about, sometimes people mistake it for praying on your knees for
several hours. Filipinas at that time are often caught kneeling in prayer. Well in fact,
religiousness consists of a good conduct, firm intention and upright judgement. In line
with this thought Rizal also mentioned “what offspring will be that of a woman whose
kindness of character is expressed by mumbled prayers”, this line makes you examine
about your own beliefs and religiousness. Rizal also delved on the flaws of the priests,
he emphasised on the priest’s greediness for money and material goods. He even
questioned as to why friars “refuse to stir a foot unless paid in advance”, that line clearly
encapsulates how the system is rooted in corruption. Even the ones who are supposed
to be looked upon are actually the ones who are not worth emulating. Rizal further
discussed that things such rosaries and scapularies are just schemes for money and
are detrimental to the soul. I don’t fully agree with that line, but I do believe that our faith
in God isn’t a matter of how many rosaries you own or how often you go to hear the
mass. The most important thing would be is the relationship that you have with our
Creator and the good deeds that you have done in this earth. Ignorance is servitude,
that is why we must always be critical of our society, our actions and even our religion.
We cannot just be blindly obeying on what the other people believe in.

Second, equality is something that we all aspire. God has given us free will and
intellect in order to recognise the right from the wrong and the just from the unjust. As
what Rizal have mentioned in his letter, “we are all born without shackles and free”. We
can infer that servitude and tyranny are rooted from the people, specifically on their
actions and twisted mentality. Another take to that situation is that blind obedience is
one of the partial reason why the country have experienced such happenings.
Sometimes people tend to follow the crowd, doing things just because other people are
doing it. People sometimes forget to question the situation and action of others and
even their own. I think that it is very important to embed to the minds of the youth to
have a stand or opinion of their own, given that their opinions are not immoral. As what
Rizal have said, “why should you submit to another your thoughts, seeing that your
thoughts are free”.

Lastly, empowerment is another important aspect that was tackled in Rizal’s

letter. He highlighted the strength of the Filipino women. The Filipinas play an important
role in the society. The mothers are the ones who hone the minds of their children, what
the mother teaches to her sons and daughters can be carried out to future generations.
If the mother only teaches her children to blindly follow the ones in authority without
trying to question them, then that would be a problem. Rizal wrote in his letter that
“…enslavers rest at ease, because so long as they can keep the Filipina mother a
slave, so long will they be able to make slaves of her children”. That line highlights the
power that the Filipino women have. The enslavers knew the women’s role and how it
can greatly affect the future, which is why they would rather put the women in shackles
to ensure that their reign would last long. One of the most important thing that I have
realized is that we should cherish and restore the honor of women. Rizal referred to
women as the “who is half of our heart, our companion in the joys and tribulations of
life”. Indeed, women plays a huge role not only to her family but also to her country.

In summation, this piece is something that I would recommend that everyone

should read, hopefully that the words that were written would be embedded on their
minds. This piece is truly an eye-opener to the injustices that our country has
experienced, from the twisted ways of the friars to slavery. Overall, Rizal’s letter tackled
about how we should be critical of what is happening in the society and how we should
empower the role of women in the society. The ideas that were creatively woven into
one letter is something that makes this piece a masterpiece.