ANALYSIS OF RIZALS 3 ESSAYS

Submitted by:

SARIP, JOHANA
Hist5

Submitted to:

Prof. KIMBERLY F. APATAN-LUSAY

TO THE YOUNG WOMEN OF MALOLOS

Rizal starts his letter by pondering on the lack of courage of young women in the Philippines. He
stated that he only knew a few women of our country who fits his ideals. He praised and honored these
brave Filipinas for they arise victorious in their demand for education and for they are no longer blinded
by the fraud religious beliefs brought by the friars.
The parts that struck me most is that They seemed faded plants sown and reared in darkness,
having flowers without perfume and fruits without the sap, the women were very passive to what the
church teaches them but he had been proven wrong when the news of what had happened in Malolos
reached him and God, the primal source of all wisdom, does not demand that man, created in his image
and likeness, allow himself to be deceived and hoodwinked, but wants us to use and let shine the light of
reason with which He has so mercifully endowed us. God gave us free action and the wisdom to pursue
our task to search for the truth, to speak the truth, and to act and live it in our daily lives. Let us not
allow ourselves to be stuck by the darkness of dishonesty nor mischief. Though how tougher and
difficult the path in our times may seem, we can still attain the roundness of our life when we act out of
love. We have to be brave, be prepared and pray all the time to overcome the deceiving power, worry
and fear that clothed us..
The confidence in Rizal that the country would achieve victory was restored. He was confident
that the Filipino woman would no longer bow her head to every unjust order, to smile at an insult, to
seek solace in humble tears. He questioned the teachings of priests including prolonged kneeling, long
prayers, large rosaries, soiled scapulars. Believed that God created all men equal with his own mind,
conscience and will unchain and free. He wrote an example for the young women to reflect on a father
who gave each his sons a lamp to light their way in the darkness. Dont depend on the light of others but
help one another, seek others guidance in the search for the way. Rizal said that no one should depend
on his self alone. One should seek advice, listen to others but in the end, should be able to comprehend
and follow what is most reasonable.
Rizal had already placed great value and high respect for women in our country especially on
their vital roles as mothers and wives. As a wife, she must support her husband in every endeavor and
problem he may be facing, inspire him, encourage him, love him and be always with him through his ups
and downs. He also believes that women should have equal rights with men. He clearly believes that
race or even gender is not a limitation for every individual to prosper less. He also mentioned in the
letter that mothers should set as good role models to their children. Unfortunately, many mothers today
arent acting as mothers in a way they should be or ought to do.

THE INDOLENCE OF THE FILIPINOS

Rizal wrote this essay to make us realize that we deserve to be treated equally and that we have
to be aware of our rights. He specifically pointed out the lack of cooperation and awareness of the
Filipinos to the current situation of the country and how the government took away the eyes and ears of
its people through its deceiving and countless assurance that resulted to the masses' remorse and
destruction. In my own perception indolence does exist among the Filipinos. This is self-defense against
the hatred and slanders of the oppressors who condemn the Filipinos as inert, unresponsive and useless.
I disagree on what those people say that Filipino workers are unskilled, untrained, misguided,
irresponsibly arrogant, intoxicated with show, romp and glory, and unconcerned with the intrinsic value
of work. Its not a concrete reasons or basis for them to conclude that Filipinos are indolent.
Filipinos were in fact hardworking people who are very dedicated with their works.
Even before the Spaniards arrived, Rizal argues, the early Filipinos were already carrying out
trade within provinces and with other neighboring countries; they were also engaged in agriculture and
mining; some natives even spoke Spanish. All these disprove the notion that Filipinos are by nature
indolent. Rizal ends by asking what then would have caused Filipinos to forget their past. Indolence
therefore has more deeply rooted causes such as abuse and discrimination, inaction of the government,
rampant corruption and red tape, wrong principles of the church and wrong examples from some
Spaniards who lead lives of indolence which ultimately led to the deterioration of Filipino values.
Before the Spaniards came, we were active and honest in trading, use our abilities and resources
for our countrys benefits, never corrupt, industrious and passionate, independent, value nature, and
protective and defensive of our territory. When the Spaniards came, we became gamblers, dependent,
powerless, corrupt, disloyal to our identity, and indolent. Rizals Purposes of this essay are, to serve the
country by telling the truth, to show how we were discriminated, to illustrate how we inherited some of
our negative traits from the Spaniards, to let us know how we could rise from oppression, to show us
that we have been deceived, to remind us what we were, are, and could be.

THE PHILIPPINES A CENTURY HENCE

Jose Rizal wrote this letter to project the future of the country within a hundred years.
This essay also helped the Filipino people to predict and hope for what to expect in the future.
Though not 100% accurate, but at least it revealed something about what to expect in the years
or even centuries to come. This letter analyzed the various causes of the melancholies suffered
by the Filipino people. Because of the laws implemented by the Spanish empire, the population
of the Philippines had decreased vividly and there was widespread of poverty. The family as a
unit of society was neglected, and overall, every aspect of the life of the Filipino was retarded.
When Spain came colonize the country, it began the steady destruction of the indigenous
Philippine culture. Because of this, the Filipinos started losing confidence in their past and their
tradition, became doubtful of their present lifestyle, and eventually lost hope in the future and
the preservation of their race. Spain, therefore, had no means to stop the progress of the
Philippines. What it needs to do is to change its colonial policies so that they are in keeping with
the needs of the country society and to the rising nationalism of the people.