The Life of
Dr. Jose P. Rizal
Jose Rizal was born on June 19, 1861, in Calamba, Philippines. While living in
Europe, Rizal wrote about the discrimination that accompanied Spain's colonial
rule of his country. He returned to the Philippines in 1892, but was exiled due
to his desire for reform. Although he supported peaceful change, Rizal was
convicted of sedition and executed on December 30, 1896, at age 35.
Early
Life
On
June 19, 1861, José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born in
Calamba in the Philippines' Laguna Province. A brilliant student who became
proficient in multiple languages, José Rizal studied medicine in Manila. In
1882, he traveled to Spain to complete his medical degree.
Writing
and Reform
While
in Europe, José Rizal became part of the Propaganda Movement, connecting with
other Filipinos who wanted reform. He also wrote his first novel, Noli Me
Tangere (Touch Me Not/The Social Cancer), a work that detailed the dark aspects
of Spain's colonial rule in the Philippines, with particular focus on the role
of Catholic friars. The book was banned in the Philippines, though copies were
smuggled in. Because of this novel, Rizal's return to the Philippines in 1887
was cut short when he was targeted by police.
Rizal returned to Europe and
continued to write, releasing his follow-up novel, El Filibusterismo (The Reign
of Greed) in 1891. He also published articles in La Solidaridad, a paper
aligned with the Propaganda Movement. The reforms Rizal advocated for did not
include independence—he called for equal treatment of Filipinos, limiting the
power of Spanish friars and representation for the Philippines in the Spanish
Cortes (Spain's parliament).
Exile
in the Philippines
Rizal
returned to the Philippines in 1892, feeling he needed to be in the country to
effect change. Although the reform society he founded, the Liga Filipino
(Philippine League), supported non-violent action, Rizal was still exiled to
Dapitan, on the island of Mindanao. During the four years Rizal was in exile,
he practiced medicine and took on students.
Execution
and Legacy
In
1895, Rizal asked for permission to travel to Cuba as an army doctor. His
request was approved, but in August 1896, Katipunan, a nationalist Filipino
society founded by Andres Bonifacio, revolted. Though he had no ties to the
group, and disapproved of its violent methods, Rizal was arrested shortly
thereafter.
After
a show trial, Rizal was convicted of sedition and sentenced to death by firing
squad. Rizal's public execution was carried out in Manila on December 30, 1896,
when he was 35 years old. His execution created more opposition to Spanish
rule.
Spain's
control of the Philippines ended in 1898, though the country did not gain
lasting independence until after World War II. Rizal remains a nationalist icon
in the Philippines for helping the country take its first steps toward
independence.
"THE WRITINGS OF RIZAL"
Novels and essays
Noli Me Tángere, novel,
1887 (literally Latin for 'touch me not', from John 20:17)
El Filibusterismo, (novel,
1891), sequel to Noli Me Tángere
Mi Último Adiós, poem,
1897 (literally "My Last Farewell" )
Alin Mang Lahi” (“Whate’er
the Race”), a Kundiman attributed to Dr. José Rizal
The Friars and the
Filipinos (Unfinished)
Toast to Juan Luna and
Felix Hidalgo (Speech, 1884), given at Restaurante Ingles, Madrid
The Diaries of José Rizal
Rizal's Letters is a
compendium of Dr. Jose Rizal's letters to his family members, Blumentritt, Fr.
Pablo Pastells and other reformers
"Come se gobiernan
las Filipinas" (Governing the Philippine islands)
Filipinas dentro de cien
años essay, 1889-90 (The Philippines a Century Hence)
La Indolencia de los
Filipinos, essay, 1890 (The indolence of Filipinos)
Makamisa unfinished novel
Sa Mga Kababaihang Taga
Malolos, essay, 1889, To the Young Women of Malolos
Annotations to Antonio de
Moragas, Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (essay, 1889, Events in the Philippine
Islands)
Poetry
A La Juventud Filipina
Awit ng Manlalakbay
Canto Del Viajero
Canto de María Clara
Dalit sa Paggawa
Felictación
Kundiman (Tagalog)
Me Piden Versos
Mi primera inspiracion
Mi Retiro
Mi Ultimo Adiós
Por La Educación (Recibe
Lustre La Patria)
Sa Sanggol na si Jesus
Sa Aking mga Kababata
To My Muse (A Mi Musa)
Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo
Annotations to Antonio de
Moragas, Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas (essay, 1889, Events in the Philippine
Islands)
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