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LEARNING OBJECTIVES: At the end of the chapter the students will be able to:
ENGAGE! When you were schoolchildren you may have been asked
many times “What do you want to be when you grow
up?” What did you answer? Over the years, is your dream
still the same or has it changed?
Despite the pain of the imprisonment of Rizal’s mother before he turned eleven, he
continued his studies in Manila. He was accompanied by his brother Paciano to take the
entrance examinations at the College of San Juan de Letran but his father changed his mind
and decided to enroll him at the rival school of the latter even after passing all the
examinations. He was again accompanied by Paciano to enroll at Ateneo de Manila but was
turned down for two reasons: (1) he was late for registration, and (2) he was so frail, sickly
and short for his age. However, Father Manuel Burgos, a nephew of Father Burgos, the
martyred priest mediated in his case. Jose was eventually admitted with the surname Rizal
upon the advice of his brother Paciano, to get away from the scrutiny of suspicious Spaniards.
Jesuit System of Education. Ateneo de Manila was run by Jesuit priests. Its
education system was advanced compared to other colleges at that time. It trained the
character of the student by rigid discipline and religious instruction. It promoted physical
culture, humanities, and scientific studies. The academic courses lead to the degree of
Bachelor of Arts and it offered vocational courses in agriculture, commerce, mechanics and
surveying.
Rizal’s First Year in Ateneo. The students heard Mass in the morning before the start
of the daily class and classes in every subject were opened and closed with prayers. He prayed
fervently to God for guidance and success and went to his class after the first Mass of the
school year. He saw Spaniards, mestizo and Filipino boys in his class. Being a newcomer and
knowing little Spanish, Rizal was placed at the bottom of the class, occupying the end of the
line among the Carthaginians. He progressed rapidly and became the Emperor at the end of
the month. He was the brightest in the class and was awarded a religious picture. To improve
his Spanish, Rizal took private lessons and paid three pesos in Santa Isabel College during the
noon recess while other students were playing. Rizal placed second at the end of the year,
although all his grades were marked “excellent" (Sobresaliente).
Rizal went back to Calamba for summer vacation but he did not enjoy his stay in his
home for his mother was still in prison. Without telling his father, he visited his mother in
prison. She was very happy upon hearing that his son had excellent grades in all his subjects
and received a gold medal for winning first prize in painting.
Rizal’s Second Year in Ateneo. Rizal returned to Manila for his second year term.
He repented of his attitude for neglecting his studies the previous year because he was
offended by the teacher’s remark. He was able to regain his lost leadership “emperor” by
studying harder. He also had three new classmates from Biñan. At the end of the school year,
Rizal received excellent grades in all subjects and a gold medal. He triumphantly returned
back to Calamba for summer vacation. He lost no time in visiting his mother in prison. He
cheered her with the news of his scholastic triumphs and funny tales about his professors and
fellow students. He also predicted that his mother would be released in three months’ time
which came to pass but he was already back in Manila.
Interest in Reading.
Rizal began to take interest in
reading in the summer of 1874.
His first favorite novel was “The
Count of Monte Cristo” written
by Alexander Dumas. This novel
stirred his imagination and left
deep impression about the
injustice and triumph of Edmond
Dantès, the hero of the novel. His
reading habit helped to enrich his mind. He also persuaded his father to buy him the
“Universal History” a costly set of historical work by Cesar Cantu. This book enabled Rizal to
win more prizes in Ateneo. He also got an interest on a book “Travels in the Philippines” by
Dr. Feodor Jagor, a German Scientist-traveler who visited the Philippines. In this book, the
author wrote about his observation on (1) the defects of Spanish colonization, and (2) his
prophecy that Spain would lose the Philippines and America would succeed her as colonizer.
Third Year in Ateneo. Shortly after the opening of classes his mother visited him for
she was released as he prophesied. He was happy to see his mother a free woman again. At
the end of the year, he failed to win a medal in Spanish but got one for Latin, although, his
grades remained excellent but were not as good the previous year.
Fourth Year in Ateneo. After a refreshing summer vacation, Rizal returned to Ateneo
and became an “interno.” His professor Father Francisco de Paula Sanchez, a great educator
and scholar, inspired him to study harder and to write poetry. He considered Father Sanchez
as his best professor in Ateneo while the priest became his admirer and friend as he realized
the God-given genius in Rizal’s life. Inspired by Father Sanchez, Rizal resumed his studies
with vigor and zest. At the end of the year, he got the highest recognition in class and won
five medals. He offered his success to his parents when he went home for vacation.
Last Year in Ateneo. Rizal, who was 16 years old, finished his last year in Ateneo in
a blaze of glory. He successfully graduated and received the degree of Bachelor of Arts, with
highest honors. He was truly the pride of the Jesuit priests. Extra –curricular activities.
Rizal was active in extra- curricular activities during his school years. He was an emperor
inside the classroom and a campus leader outside. Rizal was a member of the Academy of
Spanish Literature and the Academy of Natural Sciences. These “academies” were exclusive
for the gifted students of Ateneo only. He also continued to write poetry and devoted his spare
time to fine arts and studied painting under Agustin Saez, a famous Spanish painter and
sculpture under Romualdo de Jesus, a noted Filipino sculptor. Both masters honored him with
their affection for his unusual talent. He also developed his weak body by engaging in
gymnastics and fencing.
Rizal’s Emotional Experiences
ENGAGE
Within ten years from now you will become a parent so make some plans
about building your family- number of children. Write five most important values and
disciplines you like to instill to them.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
ELABORATE! Ang Aking Unang Salamisim
(My First Inspiration)
Bakit kaya ngayo’y totoong Masaya O! mahal kung ina, bilang pagkadakila
Ang bulaklak sa naglundong sanga Sa kaarawan mong lubhang masanghaya,
Humahalimuyak yaong bango nila Bango ng bulaklak ay nanagana,
Yaman ng talutot na pagkagaganda At ang ibo’y may awit ng tuwa,
1. What was the reason that the young Jose Rizal wrote this poem?
_____________________________________________________________________
2. To whom you can compare the emotions of Rizal in this poem? ______________________
3. Have you shown gratefulness to your mother and father lately? ___ __________________
5. List five reasons to show gratefulness to your parents and the means/ ways you can
express your gratefulness.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5.
ELABORATE! Chapter 3
Task 1
Rizal’s tragic first romance and the strong objection and tears of his mother did not
affect his studies. She thought that he had enough knowledge and the Spaniards might cut his
head if he pursues higher education. Jose went back to Manila with his father and brother’s
approval. He enrolled at the University of Santo Tomas taking the course Philosophy and
Letters because (1) his father liked it and (2) he was uncertain on what career to pursue. He
wrote to Father Pablo Ramon, the Rector of Ateneo, soliciting for advice on the choice of a
career but he was in Mindanao so he was not able to advise Rizal. At the same time, he also
enrolled a vocational course Agrimensor (expert surveyor) in Ateneo. In his second term, he
shifted after receiving the advice of Father Ramon that he should study medicine. He also
wanted the course medicine because of his desire to cure his mother’s growing blindness due
to cataract.
Although he was a Thomasian, Rizal remained loyal to Ateneo because of the many
beautiful memories he had and his Jesuit professors loved him and encouraged him to pursue
greater heights of knowledge which the Dominican priest neglected to do. He hated the
Dominican Friars who were cruel and biased to his Filipino classmates who just kept quiet in
spite of humiliation. He founded a secret society called “Compañerismo” in 1880, whose
members were called “Companions of Jehu,” to defend themselves from the Spanish Students
of Santo Tomas. His cousin Galicano Apacible became the secretary and Rizal as chief. He
became a champion among them because he defended and joined street rumbles as Filipinos
were called “Indio, chongo” and the Spanish were “Kastila or bangus.”
Rizal had other extra-curricular activities while studying in both schools. In Ateneo,
he became the president of the Academy of Spanish Literature, secretary of the Academy of
Natural Science and remained member of the Marian Congregation. When Rizal finished his
surveying course, he got excellent grades in all subjects, obtaining gold medals in agriculture
and topography. He also passed the final examination for surveyor at 17 but he was not able
to receive his license until he turned 20 years old.
Romances with Girls. Rizal’s eyes never failed him when it comes to girls.
Regardless of his tedious academic pursuit and demanding extra -curricular activities, he
found ample time for love. Shortly after losing his first love Segunda Katigbak, he had his
eyes on “Miss L” but he stopped wooing her because his father did not approve of her family
and the memory of Segunda lingers afresh in his heart. Several months later, while in the
University of Santo Tomas, he courted Leonor Valenzuela, a tall girl with regal bearing and
the daughter of an affluent family from Pagsanjan, Laguna. She was a next-door neighbor he
called Orang when he boarded in the house of Dona Concha in Intramuros. He taught her to
read his love notes written in invisible ink for he knew his chemistry well. This ink consisted
of common table salt and water and can be read by heating it over a candle or lamp so that the
words may appear. Like with Segunda, he stopped and never pursued her again. Rizal’s next
romance was with another Leonor – Leonor Rivera, his cousin from Camiling. She was born
on April 11, 1867, a frail, pretty girl “tender as a budding flower with kindly wistful eyes.”
She was the daughter of his landlord-uncle in “Casa Tomasina” at no 6 Calle Santo Tomas. A
beautiful romance sprang between them. Leonor Rivera signed her name “Taimis” in her
letters to Rizal to conceal their intimate relationship.
Spanish brutality. In his first year as a medical student, Rizal experienced
maltreatment from a lieutenant of the Guardia Civil in Calamba. With a sword, the lieutenant
severely whipped him on his back for neglecting to greet him for it was dusk. He tried to
appeal his complaint to General Primo de Rivera but he failed to get justice. His wounds were
not serious but they lasted two weeks.
Laurels at eighteen. When Rizal was eighteen years old, he wrote award winning
pieces in literature. The Liceo Artistico-Literario (Artistic- Literary Lyceum of Manila), a
society of literary men and artist held a literary contest for native or mestizo. Rizal submitted
his poem, “A La Juventud Filipina” (To the Filipino Youth). He won the first prize which
consisted of a silver pen, feather –shaped and decorated with a gold ribbon. The Board of
Judges, composed of Spaniards was impressed for it was the first great poem in Spanish
written by a Filipino and secondly, it expressed the nationalistic concept that the Filipinos and
not the foreigners, were the “Fair hope of the Fatherland.”
The following year, a national contest was held in commemoration of the death of
Cervantes- Spain’s glorified author of Don Quixote. Rizal submitted an allegorical drama
entitled “El Consejo de Los Dioses” (The Council of the Gods.) The contest was joined by
many writers in different walks of life and the judges were all Spaniards. After a long
deliberation and amidst the great indignation of the Spanish community in Manila for the
winning author was an Indio, they finally awarded the first prize to Rizal. He received a gold
ring with the bust of Cervantes engraved on it. Rizal was particularly happy because for the
first time in history, an Indio proved that Filipinos could fare well in competitions against all
races. He was grateful to the kind Father Rector of Ateneo who aided him in securing the
necessary references. In addition to his two prize-winning works and being a medical student,
Rizal produced other poems and a zarzuela, “Junto al Pasig” which was staged by the
Atheneans when he was the president of the Academy of Spanish Literature in Ateneo.
The wonder boy of Ateneo found the atmosphere of the Dominican-run University of
Santo Tomas suffocating. He was unhappy because (1) the Dominican professors were hostile
to him, (2) the Filipino students were racially discriminated against by the Spaniards, and (3)
the method of instruction was obsolete and repressive. Because of the unfriendly attitude of
his professors, Rizal, the most brilliant graduate of Ateneo failed to win high scholastic
honors having grades of five excellent, three very good, nine good, and two fair.
After finishing the fourth year of his medical school, Rizal could no longer tolerate the
Dominicans’ discrimination and hostility towards the Filipinos. He decided to study in Spain
with the approval of his brother Paciano and two older sisters, Neneng and Lucia, Uncle
Antonio Rivera and the Valenzuela family. He left the Philippines without his parents’ or
Leonor’s knowledge. His uncle Antonio managed to secure his passport using the family
name Mercado to evade from authorities’ investigation and questions.
Chapter 3
Task 2
Name: _______________________________ Date: _______________
Section & Time: _______________________ Score: ______________
Instructions: Read the following statements carefully. Write your answers briefly
on the blanks.
a. Biñan
b. Ateneo
c. Santo Tomas
2. Why did Jose Rizal write the poem “Ang Aking Unang Salamisim” and to whom did he
dedicate it?
Topic 3: Intimate Alliance between Education and Religion
SELF- CHECK 1. Which has more weight to you, education or religion? Why?
How do you balance education and religion in your personal life?
Chapter 3
Task 3
Name: _______________________________ Date: _______________
Section & Time: _______________________ Score: ______________
Directions: Carefully read the poem ‘The Intimate Alliance of Between Education and
Religion’ and answer the following questions.
1.Based on Rizal’s point of view, what will happen to education without religion? How can
education and religion help each other?
3. Based on the “Intimate Alliance Between Education and Religion”, explain what the
words refer to and how these words are used in the poem.
a. Ivy
b. Lofty Elm
c. Fresh’ning water
ENGAGE! What is your most memorable
childhood experience?
EXPLAIN!
In Topic 4, it was discussed about Rizal’s childhood, and the poem to My Fellow
Youth was introduced. For a long time, it has been taught in schools that when Rizal was
eight years old, he wrote the poem “To the Filipino Youth.” Though in recent studies, this has
been refuted.
No original manuscript exists that the poem was written by Rizal. It was even
published a decade after his execution, as an appendix to “Kun sino ang kumatha ng Florante:
Kasaysayan ng Buhay ni Francisco Baltazar at pag-uulat nang kanyang karununga’t
kadakilaan” (Manila Librería Manila-Filatelico, 1906) by the poet Herminigildo Cruz.
Tracing the poem to its source, he claims to have received the poem from his friend, the poet
Gabriel Beato Francisco, who got it from a certain Saturnino Raselis of Lukban, a friend of
Rizal and teacher in Majayjay, Laguna in 1884. Raseli is alleged to have received a copy of
this poem from Rizal himself. Unfortunately, Raseli’s name does not appear in Rizal’s
voluminous correspondence, diaries, nor writings.
When Jaime C. de Veyra established the definitive canon of Rizal’s poetry in 1946
with a compilation published in the series Documentos de la Biblioteca Nacional de Filipinas
(Documents from the National Library of the Philippines). Sa Aking Mga Kababata was not
published in the original Tagalog but in a free Spanish translation of the Tagalog by Epifanio
de los Santos as “A mis compañeros de niñez.”
Tagalog, according to the eight-year-old Rizal, has its own alphabet and letters going
back to Pre-Spanish. The poem could not have been written in 1869, when Rizal was eight
based on the use of the letter “k” which was a reform in Tagalog orthography proposed by the
mature Rizal. In Rizal’s childhood, they spelled words with a “c” rather than a “k.”
Furthermore, the word kalayaan (freedom) is used twice. First, in the third verse of the first
stanza, there is mention of sanlang kalayaan (pawned freedom). Was Rizal aware of the
colonial condition at his young age? Kalayaan appears the second time in the last verse of the
second stanza. These two references ring a bell because kalayaan as we know it today was not
widely used in the 19th century. As a matter of fact, Rizal encountered the word first in the
summer of 1882 when he was 21 years old! (Ocampo, 2011).
The question still remains, if Rizal did not compose “Sa Aking Mga Kabata”, then
who did? The common suspects are Herminigildo Cruz or Gabriel Beato Francisco. Though
nothing concrete was proven yet if any of these two wrote it.
ELABORATE! Chapter 3
Task 4
Based on what was discussed about the lost origin of the poem, “Sa aking mga kababata,”
write a short essay if you think it is important / not important to identify the true author?
Points to consider:
□ It has been taught in grade school that Rizal wrote “Sa aking
mga kababata”.
□ The famous line from the poem, “Ang hindi magmahal sa
kanyang salita, mahigit sa hayop at malansang isda” has been
misquoted many times, especially during Buwan ng Wika.
Topic 4: To the Filipino Youth
Here is a poem that Rizal write in 1879, about the Filipino youth, entitle “To the Philippine
Youth” when he was 18 years old and was still studying in Manila.
Compare and contrast the two poems, “Sa aking mga kababata/To my childhood companion”
and “To the Philippine Youth.” Write the differences on either sides and the similarities in
the middle.