Doll Harish

Kyle Ignacio
Gabriel Herrera, RIZAL 110 - B6
Maria Nicole Santos
Jhazmine Mae Sarmiento

“Considering the different analytical perspectives on the Noli me

Tangere, whatare the implications for the teaching of this novel?”
In what ways did Noli Me Tangere contribute to the formation of Filipino
National consciousness?

“Touch me not”
People recognize Noli Me Tangere as Rizal’s first novel which played a vital role
in the political history of the Philippines. In English, it is rendered as “Touch me not”, a
biblical line in a gospel of St. John. The meaning of this utterance has been the subject of
much dispute, Jesus desires that we not should simply cling to his physical presence; he
will leave us not for the reason of letting us go but in order to embrace us more. Was it
something a hidden message Rizal’s novel try to comprehend for us or was is it something
else other than “do not touch me”?
The title itself helps the readers to understand or comprehend the novel more. Rizal
offered up a devastating critique of a society under Spanish colonial rule and it also
critiques our own depiction as Filipinos which aggravated by Spanish colonization period.
Precisely how to accomplish this is the novel’s central question, and one which Ibarra
debates with the mysterious Elias, with whose life his is intertwined. The privileged Ibarra
favors peaceful means, while Elias, who has suffered injustice at the hands of the
authorities, believes violence is the only option. The characters of this novel depicted what
is under Spanish colonization Period. Simply, Filipinos lacked the sense of national
consciousness just as the idea came from foreign countries. In 1869, the opening of Suez
Canal happened paved away an opportunity for Filipinos to study in Europe and to be
further educated; the Illustrados became very fond of writing and in art that it paved a way
for them to unify the Filipinos; and consequently, gave birth to the “propaganda
movement” by Rizal and other great Filipino writers. As what our professor in Rizal110
told us, the Spaniard did not expect that the Suez Canal event will backfire at them. The
Suez Canal’s use is intended to be open to ships of all countries, be it for purposes of
commerce or war.
Noli me tangere, as “touch me not” was also translated into English: which is
entitled “The social cancer” Rizal explains that there was once a type of cancer so terrible
that the sufferer could not bear to be touched, and the disease was thus called noli me
tangere. The implications of Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere is to open the eyes of those who’s
blindfolded; letting the deaf ones hear screams of cruelty and letting Filipinos form their
nationalistic personalities in order to use their dignity to fight for the country. The national
hero was not merely dissecting the malignant state of Philippine society under Spanish rule.
He was also heralding the emergence of a new nation from the depravity of colonial society.
He was not calling upon a god who would offer a cure but upon a people that, he hoped,
would redeem it from its miserable state which could be the novel’s title itself state. That
is one of the reasons why he is considered a national hero; he unified the Filipinos.
The mandatory of studying Rizal’s life and work is to dedicate the lives of youth to
the ideals of freedom and nationalism, and to recognize the teachings in relation to present
conditions and situations in the society. And also, to develop an appreciation and deeper
understanding of all that Rizal fought and died for. It is Rizal who awaken the revolutionary
hearts of Filipinos and attained the freedom we have today. Furthermore, as observed
today, youth is engaging in social reforms by voicing out and through writing but what’s
in history can also be in the present. Filipinos are still divided and has opposing sides.
There are still bloodshed and muted youth. It is the countrymen against the government,
and the countrymen against its own fellow countrymen. Education has laid down to those
who are capable of but not all Filipinos was given. As what Dr. Jose Rizal said, “Ang
kabataan ay ang pag asa ng bayan” ; This is one of the most challenging period in one’s
life since not everyone would consider a young adult’s opinion since they are still
transformations and confusing changes that might occur that especially for the reason that
their time is different from many adults. This is why Rizal’s novels are important to study
since it forms the nationalistic view of people that thus eventually shape the love for the
country and to justify the means. It teaches Filipino students to discern a breaking of moral
or legal code and act upon it. The national consciousness could be a keen to strategize that
could be related to the title of the novel itself: “Touch me not”. It made the youth more
fruitful and had a sense of leadership.

One of the factors that keeps Noli Me Tangere alive in the hearts of Filipinos is its
moving story of love in its many different forms: may it be for a lover, for a family member,
and – most importantly- for one’s country. The characters are made up of sufferings and
their experiences during the Spanish colonization. Thus, it made our minds on who is the
true enemy of our own country. "Noli Me Tangere" made the Filipinos as a component of
national identity. Rizal made the Philippines known. The novel encourages people to
remember the events which made the Philippines what it is today; to make them realize
that, although they’re no longer in the 19th century, the “social cancer” people experience
then is still something that the Filipinos today are still not able to cure. It is not the enemies
we should be fighting first; it is ourselves.
 References:
Bauer, P. (2018, April 17). The Social Cancer. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Social-Cancer
De Guzman, S.S. (2014, September 15). Touch me not. Retrieved from
https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2014/09/15/1369191/touch-me-not
Grade Saver. (nd). Noli Me Tangere by Rizal. Retrieved from https://www.gradesaver.com/noli-
me-tangere/study-guide/essay-questions
Philippine Daily Inquirer. (2016, November 17). Did you know: Suez Canal. Retrieved from
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/844957/did-you-know-suez-canal