NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO

N O L I ME T ANG E R E

The young and idealistic Juan Crisostomo Ibarra returns home after seven years in Europe.
The wealthy meztizo, like his father Don Rafael endeavors for reform primarily in the area
of education in order to eliminate poverty and improve the lives of his countrymen. Upon
learning about his father’s demise and the denial of a Catholic burial for his father Ibarra
was provoked to hit Padre Damaso which eventually lead to his excommunication. The
excommunication was later rescinded upon the intervention of the Governor General.Padre
Salvi, Ibarra’s mortal enemy accused Ibarra of insurrection. Ibarra’s letter to his beloved
Maria Clara was used against him. Later in the story, Maria Clara will tell Ibarra that she
did not conspire to indict him. She was compelled to give Ibarra’s letter in exchange for the
letters of her mother before she was born. Maria Clara found out that the letters of her
mother were addressed to Padre Damaso about their unborn child which means that she is
the biological daughter of the priest and not of her father, Capitan Tiago.Meanwhile, Ibarra
was able to escape the prison with Elias, who also experienced injustice with the authorities.
Ibarra was able to speak with Maria Clara about the letters and thereafter forgave her.
Ibarra and Elias flee to the lake and were chased by the Guardia Civil. One was shot and the
other survives. Upon hearing the news, Maria Clara believed that Ibarra was dead; she
entered the nunnery instead of marrying Alfonso Linares.The fatally wounded Elias found
the child Basilio and his dead mother Sisa. The latter was driven to insanity when she
learned that her children were implicated for theft by the sacristan mayor. Elias instructed
Basilio to dig for his and Sisa’s graves and there is a buried treasure which he can use for
his education.

Noli Me Tangere brilliantly described Philippine society with its memorable characters.
The melancholic fate of Maria Clara and the insanity of Sisa characterized the country’s
pitiful state, which was once beautiful, turned miserable. Reading Noli Me Tangere will
open one’s mind about oppression and tyranny.
EL FILIBUSTERISM O

This novel is a sequel to the Noli. It has a little humor, less idealism, and less romance
than the Noli Me Tangere. It is more revolutionary and more tragic than the first
novel.The hero of El Filibusterismo is a rich jeweler named Simoun. He was Crisostomo
Ibarra of the Noli, who, with Elias’ help, escaped from the pursuing soldiers at Laguna de
Bay, dug up his buried treasure, and fled to Cuba where he became rich and befriended
many Spanish officials. After many years he returned to the Philippines, where he freely
moved around. He is a powerful figure not only because he is a rich jeweler but also
because he is a good friend and adviser of the governor general.Outwardly, Simoun is a
friend of Spain. However deep in his heart, he is secretly cherishing a terrible revenge
against the Spanish authorities. His two magnificent obsessions are to rescue Maria Clara
from the nunnery of Santa Clara and to foment a revolution against the hated Spanish
masters.

The story of El Filibusterismo begins on board the clumsy, roundish shaped steamer Tabo,
so appropriately named. This steamer is sailing upstream the Pasig from Manila to
Laguna de Bay. Among the passengers are Simoun, the rich jeweler; Doña Victorina, the
ridiculously pro-Spanish native woman who is going to Laguna in search of her
henpecked husband, Tiburcio de Espadaña, who has deserted her; Paulita Gomez, her
beautiful niece; Ben-Zayb (anagram of Ibañez), a Spanish journalist who writes silly
articles about the Filipinos; Padre Sibyla, vice-rector of the University of Santo Tomas;
Padre Camorra, the parish priest of the town of Tiani; Don Custodio, a pro-spanish
Filipino holding a position in the government; Padre Salvi, thin Franciscan friar and
former cura of San Diego; Padre Irene, a kind friar who was a friend of the Filipino
students; Padre Florentino, a retired scholarly and patriotic Filipino priest; Isagani, a
poet-nephew of Padre Florentino and a lover of Paulita; and Basilio, son of Sisa and
promising medical student, whose medical education is financed by his patron, Capitan
Tiago. Simoun, a man of wealth and mystery, is a very close friend and confidante of the
Spanish governor general. Because of his great influence in Malacañang, he was called
the “Brown Cardinal” or the “Black Eminence”. By using his wealth and political
influence, he encourages corruption in the government, promotes the oppression of the
masses, and hastens the moral degradation of the country so that the people may become
desperate and fight. He smuggles arms into the country with the help of a rich Chinese
merchant, Quiroga, who wants very much to be Chinese consul of Manila. His first
attempt to begin the armed uprising did not materialize because at the last hour he hears
the sad news that Maria Clara died in the nunnery. In his agonizing moment of
bereavement, he did not give the signal for the outbreak of hostilities. After a long time of
illness brought about by the bitter loss of Maria Clara, Simoun perfects his plan to
overthrow the government. On the occasion of the wedding of Paulita Gomez and Juanito
Pelaez, he gives a wedding gift to them a beautiful lamp. Only he and his confidential
associates, Basilio (Sisa’s son who joined his revolutionary cause), know that when the
wick of his lamp burns lower the nitroglycerine, hidden in its secret compartment, will
explode, destroying the house where the wedding feast is going to be held killing all the
guests, including the governor general, the friars, and the government officials.
Simultaneously, all the government buildings in Manila will be blown by Simoun’s
followers. As the wedding feast begins, the poet Isagani, who has been rejected by
Paulita because of his liberal ideas, is standing outside the house, watching sorrowfully
the merriment inside. Basilio, his friend, warns him to go away because the lightened
lamp will soon explode. Upon hearing the horrible secret of the lamp, Isagani realizes
that his beloved Paulita was in grave danger. To save her life, he rushes into the house,
seizes the lightened lamp, and hurls it into the river, where it explodes. The revolutionary
plot was thus discovered. Simoun was cornered by the soldiers, but he escaped. Mortally
wounded, and carrying his treasure chest, he sought refuge in the home of Padre
Florentino by the sea. The Spanish authorities, however, learns of his presence in the
house of Padre Florentino. Lieutenant Perez of the Guardia Civil informs the priest by
letter that he would come at eight o’clock that night to arrest Simoun. Simoun eluded
arrest by taking poison. As he is dying, he confesses to Padre Florentino, revealing his
true identity, his dastardly plan to use his wealth to avenge himself, and his sinister aim to
destroy his friends and enemies. The confession of the dying Simoun is long and painful.
It is already night when Padre Florentino, wiping the sweat from his wrinkled brow, rises
and begins to meditate. He consoles the dying man saying: “God will forgive you Señor
Simoun. He knows that we are fallible. He has seen that you have suffered, and in
ordaining that the chastisement for your faults should come as death from the very ones
you have instigated to crime, we can see His infinite mercy. He has frustrated your plans
one by one, the best conceived, first by the death of Maria Clara, then by a lack of
preparation, then in some mysterious way. Let us bow to His will and render Him thanks!”
Watching Simoun die peacefully with a clear conscience and at peace with God. Padre
Florentino falls upon his knees and prays for the dead jeweler. He takes the treasure chest
and throws it into the sea; as the waves close over the sinking chest.
 NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO

Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo have similarities in terms of aim and purpose.
Both aim to enlighten the Filipinos on what is happening in the country. They want the
people to fight for their country and have the total freedom.
One of the great books written by our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal,
is Noli Me Tangere. It is a Latin word meaning "Touch Me Not". This book is a societal
novel. He started writing it in Madrid, Spain on 1884, continued in Paris, France and was
finished in Berlin, Germany on February 1887. Noli Me Tangere was dedicated to
his Inang Bayan, the Philippines. The history stated in the book "Uncle Tom's Cabin" of
Hariet Beecher Stowe, that tells the suffering of Negro slaves under the cruelty of the
Americans, gave our hero the idea. in writing this book. He saw the similarity of this to the
cruelty experienced by the Filipinos under the Spanish rule. This was published at
Imprenta Lette in Berlin, Germany on March 1887 by the help of Dr. Maximo Viola. As a
thanks, Dr. Rizal gave the original manuscript and the PLUMA he used in writing the novel
to Dr. Viola.
Another important writing of our hero is the El Filibusterismo. It comes from the
word "filibustero" which means a person who is against the Roman Catholic. This book is
a political novel. He started writing it on 1890 in London, England and was finished in
Brussels, Belgium on 1891. This was dedicated to the "Three Martyrs", GomBurZa (Fr.
Mariano Gomez, Fr. Jose Burgos, Fr. Jacinto Zamora). Dr. Rizal believed that the three
martyrs was only a victim of cruelty and loss of justice. They was blamed, with a Sgt.
Lamadrid, to be the leader of Cavite Mutiny on January 1872 and sentenced by garote on
February that year. El Filibusterismo was first published in a publication company in
Ghent, Belgium. The publication of the book were stopped because of financial problem.
By the help of Dr. Valentin Ventura, the publication resumed and was finished on
September 1891. As a favor, Dr. Rizal gave the original manuscript of the novel with an
autographed copy of the book.

The Filipino youths of today, have never possessed the intellectual pleasures of reading a
historically significant novel, like Jose Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere” For the young
generation, doing this fruitful activity is some sort of a compulsion rather than a
productive urge of their freewill or volition to do so. Like for instance, a Filipino high
school student was required to write about the novel’s summary in order to pass a
specific subject, without taking into consideration the beauty importance of the task that
he or she was assigned to do. This is a truly bitter reality of how modern our world, now
is. However, let this article revitalize your dormant cognitive faculties by reliving the past
and objectively correlating it with the present and the future in terms of the kinds of
governance, economic and political structures and most importantly, the bureaucratic
framework and system of government. With this write up, the Filipino youths are
somehow expected to learn from their ancient and colorful history as to what, how and
why they had existed and destined to make major differences, for the Malayan Race.
Therefore, let us explore the flawlessly enigmatic Noli Me Tangere of Jose Rizal.
 Comparative Report
of
Noli me tangere and El filibusterismo
In
Social science 16

Submitted to: Dr. Ruby Dimas

Submitted by: Rona C. Baccay

Submitted to: Dr. Ruby Dimas

Submitted by: Franklin Battung