SY : 2019-2020

PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

Biography of Dr. Jose Rizal

The Literary Works of Rizal

DIUCO, LARIZZA V

BSBA III

SUBMITTED TO :

MS. LIZA SORIA

Biography Of Dr. Jose Rizal

José Rizal called for peaceful reform of Spain's colonial rule in the
Philippines. After his 1896 execution, he became an icon for the nationalist
movement.

Synopsis

José 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.

The Literary Works of Rizal

The works of Jose Rizal were quite frequently charged by religion, history,
philosophy and theory; therefore, if you are interested in those types of disciplines,
you may want to undertake a study of his works.
Jose Rizal: Lifetime Literary Accomplishments
Here is a list of the literary works which Jose Rizal produced during his lifetime.
 The Social Cancer (Noli Me Tangere)
 The Reign of Greed (El Filibusterismo)
 Rizal's Annotations to Morga's 1609 Phillipine History
 Sa Mga Kababaihang Taga Malolos
 To The Young Women of Malolos
 The Indolence of the Filipino
 Filipinas dentro de cien anos
 The Phillipines A Century Hence
 Le Filippine entro cento anni
 Como se gobiernan las Filipinas
 Como si governano le Fillipine
 El Consejo de los Dioses
 The Council of the Gods
 Junta Al Pasig
 Along the Pasig
 Saint Eustache, Martyr
 Unfortunate Phillipines
 Farewell to 1883
 Reflections of a Filipino
 Rizal's speech honoring Luna/Hidalgo
 Note on the Maremagnum
 Tribute to Blumentritt
 Rizal's speech delivered at Cafe Habanero
 Petition of the town of Calamba
 Order of the Marquis of Malinta
 MA-YI
 Tawalisi of Ibn Batuta
 Filipino Farmers
 To "La Defensa"
 How to Deceive the Native Later
 The Truth for All
 Vicente Barrantes' Teatro Tagala
 A Profanation
 New Truths
 Cruelty
 Differences
 To our Dear Mother Country
 To "La Patria"
 Inconsequences
 Tears and Laughter
 Ingratitude
 Reply to Barrantes' Criticism of the Noli me tangere
 Nameless
 The Philippines at the Spanish Congress
 Let us be Just
 Philippine Affairs
 More on the Negros Affair
 The Indolence of the Filipinos
 Cowardly Revenge
 A Reply to Mr. Isabelo de los Reyes
 F. Pi y Margall: The Struggles of Our Times
 How the Philippines is Governed
 On the Calamba Incidents
 The Rights of Man
 Executives of the town of Calamba
 Constitution of the Liga Filipina
 Justice in the Philippines
 Proposed Agreement between the British North Borneo Company and the
Filipino Colony
 Poor Friars!
 To the Filipinos
 By-laws of the Association of Dapitan Farmers
 Date for my Defense
 Manifesto to some Filipinos
 Additions to My Defense
 The Philippines as a Spanish Colony
 The Parents of Rizal
 Manila in the Month of December 1872
 The People of the Indian Archipelago
 Notes on Melanesia, Malaysia, and Polynesia
 Mi Ultimo Adios
 Sa Aking mga Kabata
 A Fragment
 Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo
 Felicitation
 Flower Among Flowers
 Goodby to Leonor
 Hymn to Labor
 Dalit sa Paggawa
 Hymn to Talisay
 Kundiman
 Mi Retiro
 Canto del Viajero
 To the Child Jesus
 To the Virgin Mary
 Water and Fire
 Constitution of the Liga Filipina
 The Vision of Fr. Rodriguez
 By Telephone by Dimas Alang
 Additions to my Defense
 To Barrantes on the Tagalog Theater
 The Religiosity of the Filipino People

Who Was Jose Rizal?
Jose Rizal was a writer. He composed all of these pieces in addition to
letters, diary entries, and some other speeches. He was a major advocate for
reforms in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. His works and his words
made him a major target during the revolution, and he was put on trial
and executed for his beliefs, making him a martyr of the revolution. When he was
put to death, he was only 35 years ago. He had achieved so much as a young
man, that we can only imagine that he would have accomplished had he been
given the opportunity.