MIDTERMS

Indolence, Myths, Women, Early life

Sobre la Indolencia de los Filipinos

An essay in La Solidaridad from July 15 to September 15, 1890

The indolent FIlipino

• Foreigners visiting the Philippines from the 17^th to the 19 century would describe the Filipinos as lazy

• The Filipinos lacking abilities

• Rizal’s Sobre la Indolencia de los Filipinos was an attempt to rectify this view

Rizal’s arguments

•   The predisposition exists because the warm climate demands of the individual quietness and rest, just as cold climate stirs up men to work and to be active

• Evil does not lie in the existence of indolence, but in the way it is perpetuated

• Indolence in the Philippines is an exaggerated indolence

• The Pre-colonial Filipinos were not lazy

  Constant wars and the abuses committed by the Spaniards became the seedbed of the predisposition

Flaws of Filipinos

Lack of education and national sentiment contributed to maintaining a predisposition towards indolence

Filipinas Dentro De Cien Años

• Article/essay (also) supplemented the novels of Rizal

• It was serialized in La Solidaridad on September 30, October 31, December 15, 1889, and February 15, 1890

Filipinas Dentro De Cien Años

• It talks about the glorious past of the Philippines, the abuses of Spanish rule, and her imminent downfall

•   It is also to awaken the Filipinos concerning the Spanish oppression

Causes of the local’s sufferings

•   Spain’s implementation of the military policies

• Deterioration and disappearance of Filipino indigenous culture

• Passivity and submissiveness to the Spanish colonizers

Improvement of the Philippines is inevitable

•   Great Filipino minds still emerged from the rubble

• A life of eternal destitution in a blessing in disguise for the Filipinos

  • They began to explore some other horizons through which they could move toward progress

• The Filipino race was able to survive amidst wars and famine

The prophecies of Rizal

• The Filipino people’s revolution against Spain

• The Americans as the new colonizer

  • A reign of liberty and democracy

• History does not record in its annals any lasting domination by one people over another of different races, of diverse usages and customs, of opposite and divergent ideas

  • One of the two had to yield and succumb

Feodor Jagor

• Rizal’s reference to America as a probable factor in the Philippine’s future

• Proper knowledge of history and keen acquaintance with its situation had enabled Jagor and Rizal to somewhat, foretell the future

Contemporary relevance

• Focus on our views and outlooks that have shaped our national identity

• Filipinos are historically resolute and determined

• National discipline, exercising full control of our national sovereignty, citizen-community connections, empowering people in the marginalized communities

September 1896

Jose Rizal scribbled an entry in his journal reacting to “fanciful stories about me”

Rizal was father of Hitler arguments

•   Rizal has a German connection

• Hitler was Austrian not a German

Rizal was father of Hitler reply

Hitler was born in 1889, but Rizal left Germany for good in 1887

Rizal is Jack the Ripper

According to history textbooks, Rizal was in the British library in London from May 1888 to January 1889

Rizal is Jack the Ripper argument

• When Rizal left London, the Ripper murders stopped

• Based on the surgical method used to dispatch the victims, Jack the Ripper must have had some medical training

• Jack the Ripper liked women

• Sometime in January 1986, the present owners of the London apartment where Rizal stayed in discovered a trunk in their attic that contained a diary where Rizal confesses to the murders and a glass jar with half a human kidney preserved in alcohol

Rizal is Jack the Ripper reply

Jose Rizal was very busy copying and annotating the work of Antonio Morga (Sucesos de las islas Filipinas) in the British Museum

Rizal and “Sa aking mga kabata”

• Rizal spoke and wrote Tagalog fluently, but he was unable to write a whole novel in his mother tongue

• No original manuscript, in Rizal’s own hands, exists for Sa aking mga Kabata traditionally believed to be his first poem

• It is an appendix to the work by Herminigildo Cruz “Kung sino ang kumatha ng Florante: Kasaysayan ng Buhay ni Francisco Baltazar at pag-uulat nang kanyang karununga’t kadakilaan.”

Rizal and “Sa aking mga kabata” argument

Herminigildo Cruz – Gabriel Beato Francisco – Saturnino Raselis – Jose Rizal

Rizal and “Sa aking mga kabata” reply

• 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

  • In Rizal’s childhood, they spelled words with a “c” rather than a “k”

• The usage of “Kalayaan”

• The poets Herminigildo Cruz and Gabriel Beato Francisco

Rizal is conscious hero

• Rizal could have lived beyond December 30, 1896, if he had simply stayed out of the Philippines and its politics

• In June 1892, Rizal left two sealed letters with a Portuguese friend “to be opened and published after my death”

Rizal is an American-sponsored hero argument

It is true that the Americans had overemphasized Rizal and pushed other heroes like Andres Bonifacio, Apolinario Mabini and Emilio Aguinaldo to relative obscurity as second-class heroes

Rizal is an American-sponsored hero reply

It is evident that although the Americans encouraged the hero-worship of Rizal, the man was already considered a hero to the Filipinos long before the Americans sponsored him as such

Qualifications to be a national hero

• Must be already dead

• Has a pacifist characteristic

• Has genuine love for the country

• Must die as a martyr

• Must practice patriotism

Patriotism

Love for country no matter what without putting down other nations

Nationalism

•  Love for country when everything is good

• Viewing the country as superior form other nations

Jose

St. Joseph

Protacio

From a calendar; Gervacio

Mercado

Don Francisco’s surname; means market

Rizal

Means ricefield

Alonzo

Surname of Dona Teodora

Realonda

Dona Teodora’s godmother

Mother

Teodora Alonzo

Father

Francisco Mercado

First teacher

Dona Teodora, his mother

Private tutors

• Maestro Celestine

• Maestro Lucas

• Leon Monroy

Binan

• Rizal went to Biñan on June 1869

  • He was accompanied by his older brother Paciano, and taught by Maestro Justiano

• In academic studies, Rizal beat all Biñan boys

  • He surpassed them in Spanish, Latin, and other subjects

Ateneo

• Rizal entered in 1872

  • He belonged to the class composed of Spaniards, mestizos, and Filipinos

    • However, he was considered as an inferior and was placed at the bottom of the class

• By the end of the month, he became the emperor and received a prize

  • A religious picture

• Rizal graduated on March 23, 1877

  • Attaining Sobresaliente or excellent with 5 medals

  • He received the degree of Bachelor of Arts

Segunda Katigbak

• Who she was: A 14-year-old Batangueña whom Rizal met when he was 16 during his time at Ateneo.

• Their story: Rizal’s first love. She was intelligent and graceful, but already engaged to a man named Manuel Luz.

• Impact: Their short-lived acquaintance awakened romantic feelings in young Rizal and inspired early literary work.

• Why she mattered: She represents Rizal’s youthful innocence and the pain of unrequited love.

Leonor Valenzuela

• Who she was: A tall and elegant lady from Paseo de Azcárraga, daughter of a professor at the University of Santo Tomas. She was one of Rizal’s neighbors when he boarded at the house of the Rizal relatives in Intramuros.

• Their story: Rizal courted her during his early years in Manila, even sending her love letters written in invisible ink, which could only be read by heating the paper.

• Impact: Though the romance was short-lived, it showcased Rizal’s creativity and gentleness in courtship.

• Why she mattered: Leonor V. was part of Rizal’s early attempts at romance—an example of his idealistic approach to love during his student years.

Leonor Rivera

• Who she was: Rizal’s true love, and cousin. They met when she was 13 and maintained a long-distance relationship for over a decade.

• Their story: She became the muse for Maria Clara, the heroine in Noli Me Tangere. Their relationship endured through letters, but her mother disapproved and hid Rizal’s letters.

• Tragic end: She was tricked into marrying the Englishman Henry Kipping. She died shortly after childbirth.

• Why she mattered: Leonor was Rizal’s deepest emotional attachment. Her loss was one of his most painful heartbreaks.

Consuelo Ortiga y Rey

• Who she was: The daughter of Don Pablo Ortiga y Rey, a liberal Spaniard and former mayor of Manila. Consuelo lived in Madrid, where she became popular among Filipino expatriates.

• Their story: Rizal met her during tertulias (gatherings) at her home and grew fond of her. He even wrote her a poem, “A La Señorita C.O. y R.” expressing admiration.

• Impact: Rizal withdrew from pursuing her out of respect for his friend Eduardo de Lete, who also loved her

• Why she mattered: Consuelo highlights Rizal’s principled character—his ability to set aside personal feelings for the sake of friendship and loyalty.

Seiko Usui

• Who she was: A refined and educated Japanese woman from Tokyo, daughter of a samurai and English-speaking. Rizal met her during his stay in Japan in 1888.

• Their story: Rizal and Seiko formed a deep emotional connection, sharing walks, conversations, and a brief, genuine affection. Rizal considered settling in Japan to be with her.

• Impact: Their romance revealed Rizal’s longing for peace and companionship amid his travels and struggles.

• Why she mattered: O-Sei-San was one of Rizal’s most serious and sincere relationships, and her memory stayed with him for life—he even wrote of her fondly in his diary.

Gertrude Beckett

• Who she was: A British woman Rizal met while boarding in London with her family.

• Their story: She assisted him in his work with historical research and seemed to fall in love with him. Rizal, however, didn’t pursue the relationship seriously.

• Why she mattered: Though affectionate, Rizal left her to focus on his work and his return to the Philippines. She reflects his emotional discipline and loyalty to his greater mission.

Suzanne Jacoby

• Who she was: A Belgian woman Rizal met in Brussels while boarding with her family.

• Their story: She had feelings for Rizal, which he appreciated but didn’t fully return. He left her a touching goodbye letter.

• Why she mattered: Their brief connection reflected Rizal’s charm and sensitivity but also his distance from personal attachments in pursuit of higher goals.

Nelly Boustead

• Who she was: A wealthy Filipina of Spanish descent whom Rizal met in France.

• Their story: Rizal fell in love with her and even considered marrying her. However, religious differences and misunderstandings with her family led to their breakup.

• Notable event: Antonio Luna allegedly also courted Nelly, leading to a near duel with Rizal.

• Why she mattered: Nelly showed Rizal’s openness to intercultural romance and hinted at his evolving political views.

Josephine Braken

• Who she was: An Irish woman who came to Dapitan to consult Rizal about her foster father’s eye condition.

• Their story: She and Rizal lived together and were considered common-law spouses. The church did not permit them to marry without Rizal recanting his beliefs.

• She bore: A stillborn child with Rizal. She was with him until his execution.

• Why she mattered: She was Rizal’s final and most controversial partner, embodying his personal rebellion against social norms.