Noli Me Tangere

Reflection by: Gemelen Allyssa Olana

Reflection: Having the chance to read Jose Rizals novel Noli Me Tangere, I can feel
that Rizal wrote the novel to open the eyes of our fellow countrymen in the past, to let
them truly see all the oppression our country was going through at that time and that it
was time to fight back. And he did such act smoothly. The novel was not heavy or
dreading nor was it sugar coated. It was raw and real, and this novel was for the people.
However, the Spaniards was the one that got affected of the novel. It showcased abuse of
power, sorrow and greed. More importantly it shows the tyranny of the Spaniards. It
showed us how the Spaniards twisted and turned the truth into something that would
benefit them, it really shows how inferior we are to them. It showed the inner clockworks
of their selfishness and abuse. But despite the dark themes, it described love, not entirely
romantic love, but more importantly love of country and family. Despite all the hardships
and pain the protagonist of the story went through, he kept on knocking down doors, he
kept on trying to help. And in the sense of family love, we can all point to the infamous
mongha Sisa. She did everything in her power to find her children, and despite all the
fact that she did not live to see the day where she finds her boys, she loved them until the
last inch of her heart. Senior Ibarra also had a deep love for his father. This is supported
by the fact that he let Padre Damasos insults pass but when the priest tried to pick on his
father, it took less than a heartbeat for Ibarra to rise to his fathers aid. The story also
presented forgiveness. Ibarra was a very forgiving man. He then even forgave the man
who tried to kill him at the placing of the cornerstone of the school he wanted to build.
And since the man who attempted to murder him died in the placing of the cornerstone,
Ibarra even mercily offered to pay for the burial of the man who tried to kill him.
Sacrifice also was an important theme in the novel. If Elias did not sacrifice himself, then
Ibarra would not have lived and the uprisings in the sequel of Noli Me Tangere the El
Filibustirismo would most likely not take place.

Having the chance to read Jose Rizals novel Noli Me Tangere, looking back to all
those years of oppression that the country had suffered enough, Rizal wrote this piece to
let his fellow countrymen that this time, its our time to stand

El Filibustirismo
Reflection by: Gemelen Allyssa Olana

Reflection: I know for the fact that everyone agrees on the fact that El Filibusterismo is
far the most darkest and brutal than Noli Me Tangere.With many harsh events like
murder, sexual abuse and suicide, Truly El Filibusterismo is a massive turning point of
the sequel of the story not only for the plot but also for the characters. The protagonist
really did grow as a character in this book.He is obviously not the idealistic,typical and
open man he was once before. He morph into a vengeful, angry and in somewhat way,
cunning. And in my opinion, this transformation of his is very much human and realistic.
After everything he went through in Noli Me Tangere, it seems only fitting that he
becomes the man who is Simoun, his alter ego. I believe that when Ibarra went under
alias Simoun, he did not just strip himself of his birth name but he stripped himself of all
of what was left of Juan Crisostomo Ibarra. The way I see it, is that Ibarra is not Simoun
and Simoun is not Ibarra. They may share the same face, but Ibarra was really
unrecognizable for hatred has taken over him but if we are not speaking about physical
attributes, then the only thing they truly did have in common was love for the dear Maria
Clara. But besides that, they do not share the same mind, the same plans, the same soul,
the same heart. In terms of moral lesson, El Filibusterismo is what Id choose over Noli
Me Tangere. El Filibusterismo showed us how anger and vengeance can take over a
persons being. But like what Father Florentino said, all punishments for all people will
come when the time is right. Being a good person is rewarding. Not entirely in the sense
of blessings but in the sense that you know that you did what is good and your heart just
feels ever so light. This is the stage that Ibarra underwent in the first book. But in the
second book, he was just so tired that he ended up being a person who he most likely,
never wanted to be. At the end of the book, I believe he ended up being the man we
started with. He seemed to have no anger, he seemed to be in a state of peace. I believe
that doing your best to never tire in doing good is one of the central themes of the book.
El Filibusterismo also shares the theme that violence is not always the answer with Noli
Me Tangere.

Indolence Of The Filipino

Reflection by: Gemelen Allyssa Olana

Reflection: I believe that indolence really does exist among us the Filipinos, but
indolence is not just exclusive to us the Filipinos but it exists among the nations of the
world but it cannot be attributed to the troubles and backwardness of the Philippines;
rather it is the effect of the backwardness and troubles experienced by the country. Past
writings on indolence revolve only on either denying or affirming, and never studying its
causes in depth. One must study the causes of indolence, Rizal says, before curing it. He
therefore enumerates the causes of indolence and elaborates on the circumstances that
have led to it. The hot climate, he points out, is a reasonable predisposition for indolence.
Filipinos cannot be compared to Europeans, who live in cold countries and who must
exert much more effort at work. An hour ' s work under the Philippine sun, he says, is
equivalent to a day ' s work in temperate regions. Rizal says that an illness will worsen if
the wrong treatment is given. The same applies to indolence. People, however, should not
lose hope in fighting indolence. 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 this disproves the notion that Filipinos are by nature indolent. Rizal ends by
asking what then would have caused Filipinos to forget their past.

To The Filipino Youth

Reflection by: Gemelen Allyssa Olana
Reflection: According to Rizal, not just Rizal but most of the elders the youth are back
bone to the nation. They can change the future of the society with their well being, plucky
and courageous behavior. Unfortunately, today we find most of the youth are more
interested in other things which are not beneficial to them as well as to our motherland.
They choose to spend their days doing drugs and alcohols, playing video games namely
DOTA, spending their nights partying and living it up and worst involving their young
playful mind into a thing called premarital sex engaging them to having a chance of
being a parent at a very young age with the high probability of acquiring HIV. Some
instances of this age group are sitting at home in front of their televisions/computers
playing games all day instead of bettering themselves or going to work with something
which is very useful and productive. They have no vision and if they do they do not have
the drive to make any attempt nor intent of having them achieved. I must admit, the youth
of today are out of control, they follow the wrong path/crowd just for their pleasure,
leisure and popularity. What is worse with the situation is the youth that are the most out
of control are the individuals living in poverty, majority of these individual rob and kill
people, most of them living in the wrong path of drugs and liquors and most of them
involving themselves into parenting at a very young age. Maybe because they feel they
dont have anything, downing them to thinking when you dont have anything there is
nothing to lose.

Education Gives Luster To the Motherland

Reflection by: Gemelen Allyssa Olana
Reflection: From what I have read yes, Education could really be beneficial to the
motherland but from what I have observed education nowadays have been treated to be a
business but nevertheless i still have hope of the education system of the Philippines,
thanks to the K to 12 system that has been implemented, im sure the employment rate of
the Philippines will surely increase. Education is truly the key to development in any
country. Those that are educated can solve a country's problems. Those with increased
education can improve the country's infrastructure, economy, etc. and so forth. Education
can also improve health. Because if many people are left uneducated in the country then
they would just become like Juan Tamad. Also from what I have observed many of the
educated Filipinos are going abroad due to the fact that the Philippines is a 3 rd world
country but who can blame them. Jobs arent much offered here in the Philippines anyway
each one of us dreams of having a stable, successful life.

I think there is nothing more to react really, its better putting Rizal in a one peso because
if Rizal was placed in a one thousand peso bill then Rizal would not be known to the
young ones today. It was a great move for the government putting our national hero in a
one peso because a thousand would never be completely be full if there is a single peso
missing. Rizal is a very important figure in our country he deserves being placed in a one
peso coin because a peso coin is very important to the young ones, learning Rizal begins
in a one peso coin.