COMPARISON OF NOLI ME TANGERE

and EL FILIBUSTERISMO
POINT OF COMPARISON OF THE TWO NOVELS
1. The Title
2. The Cover
3. The Dedication
4. The Preface
5. The Introduction
6. The Theme
7. The Characters
8. The Plot
 DIFFERENCE

Romantic novel Political Novel

A work of the heart A work of the head
A book of feeling A book of the thought
Consist of 64 chapters Consist of 38 chapters
 The Title

Noli Me Tangere literally means > El Filibusterismo literally means

Touch Me Not
An urgent call for the Filipinos to
see for themselves the social ills
and do something for the country
The Revolution
> It signify a movement severely
punished by the government
> It explains the reasons why
revolution takes place
 The Cover
In the Noli, each figure on
the cover signifies
something. Viewed
holistically, the cover it
itself may serve as the
synopsis of the whole
story of the novel.
The cover of El Fili depicts the
three martyred priests
GOMBURZA. They were
executed in their campaign for
secularization of the parishes
and were implicated in the
Cavity mutiny. They were
garroted at Bagumbayan on
February 17, 1872.
The style of prints of the title as if written in blood symbolizes pain
and suffering.
The woman may also represent the motherland whom Rizal gave
his life.
The cross, whip and helmet symbolize the governing authorities
the church
the civil authorities
the military
The Preface

Preface is the authors message to his readers. It tells

the readers what the book is all about; what was the
prevailing situation when he wrote it; the reason why
he wrote it; what he wanted to convey and what are
his expectations.
Nolis preface echoes the thematic
passage running through the
novel. Rizal reveals his peoples
agony and vices in the open that
their miseries may attract
attention, even at the cost of his
life. The preface shows that Rizal
anticipated the price he has to pay
for his expose.

With my pen I will strive hard to

record thy condition as I actually
see it, without reservations,
without giving any allowance to
distinction. I will lift partly the veil
that hides thy ills and expose the
truth even though in so doing I
sacrifice myself.
El Fili preface was devoted to
the three priests who were
executed at the Bagumbayan.
The dedication exonerates the
three priest (martyrs) from their
crime. It also condemns their
conviction without due process
of law. The preface serves as the
dedication as well as it was
addressed to GOMBURZA
(whose execution gave birth to
Philippine nationalism.
The three priests were
addressed in the preface as
Dons instead of Fathers. The
term Don may imply high
social status but it could be
deduced also that they were
defrocked and
excommunicated.
 The Theme

Leon Ma. Guerrero El Fili theme, like the

claimed that the theme of Noli revolves in the
Noli could be the use and greed for power
abuse of power.
 The Characters

In the novels, Rizal spoke through the characters he created. His

personification range from models of the good and the wicked.

The round characters or the protagonist in the story possess depth

and complexity.

The flat characters or the antagonists are employed to contrast

with or compliment the main characters, exaggerate their traits
and introduce conflicts.
 The Characters

The round characters in the The round characters in El

Noli include Ibarra, Tasio, Sisa
and Ma. Clara. Flat
characters are Fr. Damaso, Fr.
Salvi, the Alferea, Dona
Consolacion and Dona
Victorina.
Fili consist of Simoun,
Isagani, Tales and Fr.
Florentino. The flat
characters include Fr. Salvi,
Camorra, Sibyla and Irene.
 The Plot

Noli Me Tangere is a novel filled with controversies. The

first five chapter deals with conspiracy, murder and coded
communication. It started with a party that present the
different sectors of Hispanic-Philippine society. A
lieutenant intrigues those around him in a party with his
clues on the mystery surrounding the death of Don Rafael
Ibarra, the father of Crisostomo and the hero of the novel.
 The Plot

Later events invite curiosity on Maria Claras paternity. Ma. Clara

had to make a choice between creating a scandal regarding the
identity of her biological father or to surrender the letter of Ibarra
to the church. She wanted to protect her foster father Tiago, the
good name of her mother, and his biological father. The same was
later affirmed when Capitan Tiago was ordered by Fr. Damaso to
break off the relationship between Ibarra nad Ma. Clara. This too is
related to the blocking of Ibarras construction of a schoolhouse.
 The Plot

The story heightened in the

wedding reception of Paulita
The climax of the Noli
and Juanito Pelaez as the
was the chase by the
beautiful lamp (Simoun gift to
lake
the couple planted with a
bomb) was about to explode. It
was intended to blow up to
elite, the hypocrites, the social
climbers and the boot-lickers of
society.
 The Plot
The denouement was
the death of Maria
Clara and Ibarras
slipping out of the
country.
The denouement was
a scene where Isagani
snatched the lamp and
threw it out into the
river. Commotion
followed, Simoun
spends his last hours
with Fr Florentino.
According to Dr. Daguila, the twin novels of Rizal affirm Lord
Actons Statement: Power tend to corrupt and absolute power
corrupts absolutely .

There is nothing wrong with power. Power is creative: it can

inflict wound, power can heal, as it can build, it can likewise
destroy.
On the other hand, ancient Greek Philosopher,
Socrates reminds us of his advocacy on
moderation.

Christian doctrines likewise, underscores

temperance in whatever we do.

Thus, obsession for power is evil.

 How did Noli and El Fili contribute to
National Consciousness and Revolution?
The messages expressed by
Rizal through the
characters that he created
in the two novels provided
the Filipinos with his
blueprint of nation-
building. These concepts
include the following:
1. Importance of Education.

Rizal clearly acknowledge the

importance of education in his
novels. In his novel Noli Me
Tangere, Ibarra stressed the
contribution of education to the
country when he said:

I want my countrys good

that is why I am building the
school house, through
education there is progress, we
cannot find our way without the
light of knowledge.
Likewise, the El Filibusterismo contains
more messages to show the importance
of education. In the chapter The Friars
and the Filipinos, Isagani in his
conversation with Senor Pasta said:

that even if the sole wish of the

Spaniards is to make the country a
country of farmers and laborers, I do not
see any evil in enlightening these same
farmers and laborers in giving them at
least an education that will aid them in
perfecting themselves and in perfecting
their work and in placing them in a
condition to understand many things of
which they are at present ignorant.
2. Willingness to Sacrifice

The novels also contain

messages that pertain to the
willingness to sacrifice as a
necessary component in nation-
building. Near the end of the
Noli, when Ibarra invited Elias to
leave the country, the latter who
had accepted the reality of the
disunity and misfortunes of the
people says:
Impossible! It is true that I
cannot live or be happy in my
country but I can suffer and die in
it and perhaps, for it, and that is
always something . Let the
misfortunes of my country be my
own, and since our people are not
all united by a noble ideal, since
our hearts do not beat . At least
our common unhappiness may
unite me with them. I shall weep
with them over our sorrows, and
let the same misfortunes oppress
all our hearts.
3. Reorientation of Values and Attitudes.

Padre Florentino, in the

chapter Conclusion
said it all. Nearing the
end , Simoun expressed
all its regrets and
bitterness about what
happened to him and to
his plans. Padre
Florentino went on to
explain his formula for
nation-building. He
says:
I do not mean to say that our
liberty will be secured at the
swords point for the sword plays
but a little part in modern affairs,
but we must secure it by making
ourselves worthy of it, by exalting
the intelligence and the dignity of
the individual, by loving justice,
right and greatness, even to the
extent of dying for them, and
when the people reaches that
height, God will provide a
weapon, the idols will be
shattered, the tyranny will
crumble like a house of cards, and
liberty will shine out like the first
dawn.
The two novels were written over a hundred years ago, yet, they
are still relevant in todays social setting.
While Noli and El Fili are fictions, they are undeniably exposes of
the real condition of the Philippines during that time. Rizal linked
the countrys history, its economic, politics, sociology, science and
culture. The novels were effective tools of propaganda.

Blatant exposes and written criticism constitute the crime of libel,

and for a society conditioned to be submissive and passive, a
subtle but effective tools for awakening are necessary.
A learned man in
Philosophy and Letters,
Rizal used these tools
effectively to put across the
sentiments and aspirations
of the Filipinos in an
oppressive society during
his time.
 The two novels together with the other forms of
Propaganda greatly contributed in planting the seeds of
REVOLUTION
Thank You