University of the Philippines

Diliman, Quezon City

College of Arts and Letters
Midyear Term 2014

Jos Rizal:The Life of the National Hero
A Factual and Critical Analysis

A Paper Presented to
the class of Prof. Wilfreda Legaspi




In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Subject
PI 100 The Life and Works of Rizal





Presented by
Ramon Paolo T. Quintero
BS Chemical Engineering
2011-11368






June 11, 2014


Most people acknowledge him as a hero, while others call him insurrectionary. Some are
convinced that he is indeed the rightful holder of the title National Hero of the Philippines,
while others reason out that revolutionary leaders such as the likes of Bonifacio and Aguinaldo
are more deserving of the title due to their hands-on approach in fighting for the nations
independence and sovereignty. Even certain people believe that Adolf Hitler, the infamous Nazi
Dictator, was the illegitimate son of Rizal. (Zaide, et al., 1999) Countless myths have shrouded
the Philippine National Hero due to his unfathomable popularity in the country and in other parts
of the world. This paper seeks to accomplish the following objectives:
a. To critically analyze the life of Jose Rizal divided into three parts: his family
life (familial aspect), life while pursuing his studies (educational aspect) and
his life as a reformist (political life).
b. To support the aforementioned analysis with facts and to clarify any
misleading and incorrect information about him.
c. To realize the significance of Rizals action in molding the nation as it is
today, by studying his views on nationalism and realizing the grounds on
which he was declared the National Hero of the Philippines.

I. The World and the Philippines of Rizals Time
During the 19
th
century, when Rizal was born, has been described as a century of
ferment caused by the blowing winds of history. (Zaide, et al., 1999) It was during this time that
Western imperialism started to bloom, as England developed as the worlds leading imperialist
force, due to accounts of its indestructible ships and army. Other imperialists, such as the French
and the Dutch, followed Englands footsteps and initiated the colonization of weaker countries,
such as those found in Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, Spain suffered a lot after losing its rich
colonies in Latin America, such as Paraguay (1811) and Chile (1817) due to successful uprisings.
(Zaide, et al., 1999). With the imminent threat posed by other imperialists, Spain continued
trying to maintain its presence and establish order in its remaining colonies under pressure.
The Philippines during the 19
th
century suffered misrule from its Spanish colonizers. The
Colonial Administration was fluctuating due to struggles between autocracy and liberalism.
(Zaide, et al., 1999) This instability was felt in the Philippines due to periodic shifts in policies
and frequent replacements of officials. As an example, between 1835 and 1897, 50 governor-
generals ruled the country, each having a term of about a year (LeRoy). Also, with a small
number of exclusions, the officials sent to the country were very far from those who ruled earlier
in the 16
th
and 17
th
century, because the 19
th
century officials are either corrupt, evil or
incompetent. Furthermore, racial discrimination, denying Filipinos of human rights and
maladministration of justice, often to favor people of their own race, were evident by the time of
Rizals birth. Justice was slow, partial and very expensive at that time (Zaide, et al., 1999). Also,
the Spanish started to segregate themselves from the natives, calling them degrading names, the
most popular of which is Indio (Indians). Mistreatment of people was severe that other
foreigners visiting the country actually witnessed and realized the injustice experienced by the
natives, such as Sinibaldo de Mas, a Spanish diplomat and economist, who stated: Why do we
deny to others the benefit which we desire for our fatherland? (Zaide, et al, 1999) Even at an
early age, Rizal was exposed to such a harsh environment, beholding the unreasonable cruelty he
would soon try to abolish.

II. The Family Life of Jose Rizal
Among the many people who became a part of Rizals life, the people most important to
him were arguably his family. This can be proven by the letters he would occasionally send
them, assuring that he had not forgotten them.
On both his fathers and mothers sides, his forbears had been people of influence and
substance above the average of their times. (Guerrero, 1998) Her mother, Teodora Alonso, came
from a prominent family, her father being a Philippine deputy in the Cortes, and her brother
being a knight of a Holy Order. Meanwhile, his father came from a family of merchants, as
signified by their surnames. They gradually changed their means of livelihood from mercantilism
to agriculture. Both the Alonsos and the Mercados were ilustrados (literates who could read
and write) and are a part of the principalia. Jose Rizal was born seventh of eleven children, the
youngest of two boys, on June 19, 1861 in their home in Calamba, Laguna. Although bearing the
same blood, Jose Rizal had different relationships with the members of his family.
a. Rizal and his mother
Teodora Alonso, like most of the native women in the Philippines during that
time, was highly pious and devoted. During her seventh pregnancy, she made an oath of
pilgrimage to the Holy Virgin of Antipolo for a safe delivery. Due to the infants
supposedly large head, the entire procedure was complicated, endangering her life during
delivery. Nevertheless, her second son was born. It is said that she established Rizals
pious attitude during his youth as he recounted: My mother had thought me to read and
stay haltingly the humble prayers that I raised fervently to God. (Guerrero, 1998)
She was most famous as Jose Rizals first teacher, teaching him to read and write
at a very tender age. Even though Rizal had an aya (nanny) had told a lot of stories to tell
to Pepe, as he was fondly called before, Teodora had her share of stories, arguably the
most well-known of which is the story of the moth. Being aware of her sons highly
inquisitive nature, she told him the story of the moth that flew too close to the flames that
attracted it, only to burn its wings, in order to impart to him the lesson of the fable on
obedience.
Jose Rizal was able to get a glimpse of the misrule of the Spanish colonizers when
Teodora, along with her brother, was wrongfully accused of trying to poison her sister-in-
law. She was forced to walk from Binan to Sta. Cruz and then imprisoned for 2 and a half
years.
Joses mother was against his studies in Manila. As Rizal noted in his journal:
My mother said that I knew enough already and that I should not go to Manila.
(Guerrero, 1998) His father, however, had no intention of stopping his education, much
to hir mothers dismay. His choice to study medicine and specialize in ophthalmology
was also due to her mother, who was having problems with her eyesight. She and Rizal
occasionally exchanged letters while Rizal was on Europe. She, along with her sister
Trinidad, also visited Rizal in Dapitan when he was exiled.
The love that Teodora Alonso had for her youngest son was very resilient;
however, she appeared to be very worried of Jose to the extent that she wouldnt allow
him to pursue his studies in Manila and in Europe. From Guerrero, Rizal was
unproductive for a short period of time and one of the reasons was the opposition of her
mother.




b. Rizal and his father
Francisco Mercado, Rizals father has been described by Rizal himself as
a model of fathers (Zaide et al., 1999) After moving to Calamba, he became a
tenant-farmer of the Dominican-owned hacienda. According to Zaide et al, he was a
hardy and independently-minded man, who talked less and worked more, a quality
which he imparted to the national hero. When Rizal was young, his father built a little
nipa cottage in the garden for Rizal to play in during daytime. (Zaide et al., 1999)
Rizal and his father would go on trips where Rizal would show appreciation to the
beauty of the surroundings. Rizal usually observed his father and older brother
Paciano at work in the fields, with peasants whose disability of race and lack of
rights would soon arouse Rizals notion on nationalism, rational, anti-racist and anti-
clerical-political. (Guerrero, 1998) He was supportive of his sons education in
Manila but was unaware of Rizals departure to study in Europe. There were only a
few letters Rizal had given to his father while on Europe, and most of them were
addressed to the entire family. He supports Rizals expenses by sending money
through Paciano. He was not able to visit Rizal in Dapitan, unlike his wife and
daughter. An hour before his exection, Rizal left a note to his father which
stated:Forgive me the sorrow with which I repay the anxieties and toil you
underwent to give me an education. I did not want this nor expected it. (Guerrero,
1998)
c. Rizal and his siblings
Although Rizal was born of a big family, due to his fathers work being
the land tenant for the Dominicans supported them. According to Zaide, sibling
relationship among the Rizal children was affectionately cordial. As a little boy, Rizal
used to play games with his sisters. Although he had boyish quarrels with them, he
respected them. Years later, he would have called them Doa or Seorita. Guerrero
mentioned that even though Rizal had his on aya (nanny), he had been watched by his
five elder sisters. His younger sister named Concepcion, nicknamed Concha, died
of a sickness at the age of 3 in 1865, just four years after Rizals birth. Being born
next to him, Rizal had seemed to have formed a special connection between the two
of them. Rizal stated: For the first time I wept tears of love and grief, for until then I
had only shed them out of stubbornness which my loving mother knew so well how to
correct. (Guerrero, 1999) Based from his statement, Rizal treated Conchas death
his first heartbreak, which might have opened the juvenile eyes of the national hero
for he, along with his family, experienced a tragedy at a very tender age. This helped
him strengthen his character, along with other tragedies in his family.
Rizals relationship with his older brother Paciano was more than that of
younger to older brother. Paciano was a second father to him. (Zaide, et al., 1999)
Throughout his life, Rizal respected him and his advice. He was very crucial in the
character formation of Rizal. At a young age, he exposed Rizal to the cruelty of the
Spanish colonizers through the execution of the three secular priests, GomBurZa,
whom he had connection with (especially Burgos). He was the one who suggested
Pepe to drop his real surname off (Mercado) and use Rizal instead to avoid suspicion.
He was the main orchestrator of Rizals departure to continue his studies in Europe as
he had seen the great potential in his younger brother; that he would be capable of
doing remarkable things that would not be possible with the quality of education
Rizal was receiving in the country. He also served as Rizals window back to his
family during his stay in Europe; they frequently wrote letters to each other, updating
each other of the state of his progress as well as the state of his family during the
worsening conditions in Calamba. Due to his high admiration for his elder brother,
Rizal immortalized him in his first novel, Noli Me Tangere, as the wise Pilosopo
Tasyo; he regarded him as the most noble of Filipinos to his letter to Blumentritt, a
friend he had met during his trips (Zaide, et al., 1999)
d. Rizal and Josephine Bracken
Rizal had nine relationships with other women, the last of which was
with Josephine Bracken. During his time in Dapitan, Rizal was sad because he missed
his family and relatives, as well as his acquaintances in Europe. The death of his great
love, Leonor Rivera, on August 28, 1893 must have contributed to his sadness.
Josephine arrived with her father in Dapitan to seek out Rizal, since no
ophthalmologist could heal him. Rizal fell in love with her at first sight, and started
courting her. He courted her right away partly due to his sadness; he needed
somebody to cheer him up while in exile. After one month, they agreed to married,
however, the priest of Dapitan, Fr. Obach, needed to get the permission of the Bishop
of Cebu. Since Rizal was excommunicated, they were not married until near his
death, when he declared his Catholicism and lifted his excommunication status. In
1896, Rizal was extremely happy since Josephine was expecting a baby,
Unfortunately, she gave birth to a premature baby, who only lived for three hours.
Rizal, informing his mother of this tragedy, did not specify the cause. It has been
speculated that they had a quarrel or he played a prank on her and frightening her.

III. The Studies of Rizal
a. Early Childhood and Binan
Three brothers of his mother were a good influence to him. Jose Alberto,
who studied in Calcutta, India for 11 years, inspired him to develop his artistic ability.
Manuel, an athletic man, encouraged him to develop his frail body. Gregorio, a book
lover like Rizals mother, helped him develop love for literature. Father Leoncio Lopez,
the parish priest of Calamba, fostered Rizals love for intellect. (Zaide, et al., 1999) As
stated before, his first teacher was Doa Teodora, who taught her prayers and reading at
the age of 3. As a tutor, Teodora was mainly responsible for his son being a poet, since
she was the one who encouraged him to write poems.
As Jose grew older, his parents employed private tutors to give him lessons
at home. The first tutor were Maestro Celestino and Maestro Lucas Padua. His father then
hired his former classmate, Leon Monroy, who lodged with the family and gave the
young Pepe lessons in reading, writing and Latin rudiments. (Guerrero, 1998) When
Monroy died 5 months after his employment, his parents decided to send their son to a
private school in Binan.
In Binan, he stayed with his aunts house. According to Guerrero, Rizal did
not like the town as he described it as large and rich but ugly and dismal He was not
fond of his teacher, Justiniano Aquino Cruz, a master of Spanish and Latin grammar who
used to terrify students with his stick. He had his first fight with Pedro, the teachers son,
because Rizal was angry at him for making fun of him. In the succeeding days, he had
other fights; he was not quarrelsome, but he never ran away from a fight (Zaide, et al.,
1999), exhibiting his courage at a tender age.
b. Ateneo de Manila
Four months after the martyrdom of the three priests and with Teodora
still in prison, Jose, was sent to Manila to study in the Ateneo Municipal, under the
supervision of the Jesuits. Rizal had since then admired the Jesuit education system,
which was more advanced than that of ether colleges in that period. It trained him and his
character by rigid discipline and religious instruction. It promoted physical culture,
humanities and science (Guerrero, 1998). Due to his innate ability, as well as hardwork,
he was able to excel in his classes, earning respect from his classmates and professors.
His favourite professor was Fr. Francisco Sanchez. He inspired Rizal to study harder and
to write poetry. Inspired by the professor, Rizal resumed his studies with vigor and zest.
In his student memoirs, he said: The Jesuit professor was a model of uprightness,
earnestness and the love for the advancement of his pupils. (Zaide, et al., 1999) He
ended up as the beholder of a degree of Bachelor of Arts, with highest honors.
c. University of Sto. Tomas
After graduating with honors, he, along with his father and older brother,
decided to pursue further studies at the University of Sto. Tomas, much to the dismay of
his mother. He first pursued a course in Philosophy and Letters, since his father liked the
course and he was still unsure of what to take. Following his first year in the university,
the hero took medical studies, as advised by the Rector of Ateneo Municipal. While
studying here, he experienced firsthand the brutality, as well as the discrimination of the
Spanish. When he was a freshman student of medicine, he was whipped out by a
lieutenant of the Guardia Civil for merely being unable to salute or say a courteous
greeting. The street was dark and Rizal was not able to determine the identity of the
figure. He, along with other Filipino students engaged in fights against the Spanish
students, who insultingly called their classmates Indio, chongo! to which the Filipino
students replied, Kastila, bangus! (Zaide et al., 1999) In 1880, he founded a secret
society of students called Compaerismo, hailing as their chief. This event was
significant since it showed that Rizal at the early stage of his life, was starting to go
against the norm by forming organizations. Unlike his studies in Ateneo, which was
described as consistently excellent, Rizal had lower marks in UST, having only four
grades of Excellent. He was unhappy in UST due to the hostility of his Dominican
professors, which can be rooted from his Atenean (Jesuit) heritage, the discrimination of
the Filipino students, and the obsolete, repressive education. After his fourth year in UST,
he and his brother agreed that Rizal must take further studies in Spain.
d. Studies Abroad
On 1882, Rizal enrolled in the Universidad Central de Madrid in two
courses, Philosophy and Medicine. Aside from the university, he took up painting and
sculpture in the University of Fine Arts in San Fernando. He enrolled in universities
around Europe, in places such as Paris and London to further broaden his knowledge. He
also took courses in European Languages from private tutors. At this stage of his life, his
thirst for knowledge was becoming more and more evident. Unlike his experience in
UST, he enjoyed the liberalism which was dominating Europe. He finished his courses at
the top of his class.

IV. Rizal as a Reformist
Rizal was a prominent figure in the Reformists Movement just before the Revolution of
1898. As stated by Guerrero, his anti-racist jealousy fuelled his nationalism and his political
career. The political aspect of his life started in Europe. While in London, he learned that
Filipinos in Barcelona were planning to form a patriotic society called the Asosacion La
Solidarida. Unanimously, Rizal was voted as the honorary president of the organization,
recognizing his leadership.
a. La Solidaridad
On 1889, Graciano Lopez-Jaena founded the newspaper La Solidaridad in
Barcelona. It served as the main force of the Reformist Movement which had the
following goals:
i. To work peacefully for social and political reforms
ii. To portray the deplorable conditions of the Philippines so that Spain
may remedy them
iii. To oppose medievalism
iv. To advocate liberal ideas and progress, and
v. To champion the legitimate aspirations of the Filipino people to life.

Rizal had since then became of prolific writer of the said newspaper. His
first article explored the deplorable situation of the farmers in the country. He entitled
this article Los Agricultores. He simultaneously worked on the two novels and the
newspaper. During an election, Rizal and Marcelo H. Del Pilar had a
misunderstanding which led Rizal to realize that they were going nowhere from there,
and that he must return to the country, where the real battle was.
b. La Liga Filipina
On July 1892, Rizal attended a meeting with Don Doroteo Ongjungco,
along with other people, such as Pedro Laktaw, Jose Ramos and Andres Bonifacio,
the founder of the Katipunan. Rizal planned to establish a civic league of Filipinos
called the La liga Filipina, which aims to form its role in the socio-economic life of
the people (Zaide, et al., 1999) He presented the constitution which he had partly
written in Hong Kong. Its objectives were the following:
i. To unite the whole archipelago into one homogeneous body.
ii. Mutual protection in every want and necessity
iii. Defense against all violence and unjustice
iv. Encouragement of education, agriculture and commerce
v. Study and application of Reforms
His action showed his great desire to push reforms for the betterment of
the lives of the Filipinos in a peaceful manner of the formation of such an
organization. However, the league was short-lived as days after its formation, Jose
Rizal was arrested and was exiled in Dapitan, much to the commotion of the newly-
formed league.

V. Rizal: The National Hero
Due to the publication of his novels, as well as accusations of being subversive and
helping the rebellion, he was executed by firing squad on December 30, 1898. His death was
mistakenly thought by the Spanish as a severe blow to the rebellion, since his execution marked
the cultivation of nationalism among Filipinos, a fuel that will spark the great revolution of 1898
which would free the nation from the colonizers. He is unquestionably the greatest hero and
martyr of our nation. That is why in, he was declared as the National Hero of the Philippines. But
some Filipinos today entertain the belief that Rizal is a made-to-order national hero, under the
influence of the Americans, and that the national hero must be someone from the 1898
Revolution. So the question lies: Why is Rizal our National Hero. First of all, he was the central
figure of the Propaganda Movement. This movement tried to seek reforms for the betterment of
the lives of the Filipinos. With his prolific writing at the La Solidaridad and his two controversial
novels, he became the greatest threat to the Spanish Regime. The leaders of the colonial
government, especially the friars who were attacked in his works, were more alarmed of his
writings than the local rebellions. It was because they saw the potential of a Revolution once
people have realized what his works were trying to do to them, to free the people from their blind
obedience to the colonizers, by acting as their eyes. According to Zaide, Rizal was the greatest
hero that ever lived because he was a man honoured after death by public worship, because of
exceptional service to mankind. But the most probable reason why he became the national hero
is that he was indeed the First Filipino. Leon Guerrero presents this reasoning in his book, The
First Filipino. Before him there were natives who fought against the Spanish. There was Lapu-
Lapu and Humabon, yet neither one declared himself as a Filipino. Even at the time of Rizal,
Marcelo H. Del Pilar ended his columns with patriotic cries Long Live Spain! Long Live the
Army! Down with the friars! Tagalogs, Bisayans, etc., were beginning to call themselves
Filipinos but the name was shared with the Spanish and Chinese.
It was Rizal who first saw the potential of the Filipino people united into one Filipino
Nation. He was the first to sought to unite the whole archipelago, as stated in the constitution of
La Liga Filipina. He envisioned a homogeneous society of all the tribal communities which is
based on common interests rather than on the Spanish friars theory of double allegiance. And he
decided to accomplish all of these without resorting to armed means. This is the main reason
why he was chosen to be the national hero, because looking into it, he was really the first
Filipino. After the execution, the Spaniards shouted Long Live Spain and death to the traitors!
Amongst the cheering crowd was a quiet group of Filipinos, who unbeknownst to the Spanish
people, have woken up from a long slumber of disillusioned and blind obedience. The spark of
Rizals death had ignited their inner fire of nationalism, as Leon Guerrero concluded his book,
If he had seen them, the first Filipino would have known that he was not the last.


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Agoncillo, Teodoro, A History of the Filipino People, 8
th
ed., 1975, Garotech
Publishing Inc.
Guerrero, Leon Ma., The First Filipino, 2
nd
ed., 1998, Guerrero Publishing, with the
permisiion from the National Historical Institute

Zaide, Gregorio F., Zaide, Sonia, M., Jose Rizal: The Life and Writing of a Genius,
Writer, Scientist and National Hero, 2
nd
ed., 1999, All-Nations Publishing Co. Inc.