Jose Rizal, The Life And Death Of A Reluctant Revolutionary
Jose Rizal is the National Hero of the Philippines. In 1896, he was executed for rebellion, sedition, and conspiracy. His death changed things. It is a turning point in Philippine history in the way that it acted as a catalyst for an impending revolution.
Although unexpected and uncharacteristic, Rizal declined this revolution. A couple years prior to his execution, a group of revolutionaries asked him for his advice, and he disapproved. He stressed that his goal was assimilation and not independence. He wanted democratic freedoms and representation in the Spanish Cortes. He wanted reforms, not separation.
A little world history as a background
In the 1500’s, Europe sent out expeditions to look for resources and as a byproduct, to spread the word of Christianity. In 1521, Magellan would reach the islands that is now called The Philippines, and he would die on the beach after battling with the native tribes. The next Spanish expeditions would wear down the natives and convert most of the tribes into Catholicism. The islands then became a Spanish colony for next three hundred years.
By the 1800’s, there was still no separation of the State and the Church in the Philippines. As Leon Ma. Guerrero puts it “Governments might rise and fall in Madrid. Governors might come and go in Manila, the friars remained.” In this case, the friars held a lot of power: economic and political influence. To question them spelled doom even for the highest-ranking appointed officials. This meant that the abuses caused by friars were left unquestioned.
The 1800’s also gave rise to the age of Enlightenment in Europe. Jose Rizal and many other wealthy Filipinos that studied in Europe would become influenced of the age. They would be encouraged to use their faculties of reason and rationality, not just religion and faith. The combination of this new way of thinking, and the search for justice against the abuses of the friars would give rise to the groups of people that share Rizal’s sentiments.
Rizal’s Upbringing
The Rizal’s were a wealthy family. While still indebted to the friars, they owned and managed lands. Growing up, Jose Rizal had supportive parents and siblings. He was a sensitive boy. He couldn’t take a joke. At school, he wasn’t a genius, but he also wasn’t a slacker. He was an above-average kid who worked hard on his studies. He was a good poet at a young age. When he moved up to a university, his grades became lower. Around this time, he became infatuated with different women, but one stood out: Leonor Rivera. Some months later he decided with his brother, Paciano, that he should study abroad. Paciano would support his younger brother with the finances, and they would keep it a secret until Jose had left. The family members, and Leonor Rivera, would be left distraught.
Journey, Ideas and Consequences
His letters show that he felt alone and depressed the first time he went out. In Madrid, he found like-minded people. He found his crew. He became an active student again. At one banquet, he made a famous speech that would make reverberations all the way back to Manila. He was now a rationalist, mixing thought and reason with religion and faith.
He started writing his first novel, Noli Me Tangere, “to expose the abuses of the friars, and to arouse the feelings of the Filipinos.” He ran into financial issues with the publishing and printing of the novel, but he would have it successfully published. The book would put a target behind his back.
He returned to the Philippines for the first time, and he found plenty of friends and enemies, including the Governor General and the friars. Rizal’s family were put under pressure, and they would lose their hold on their lands. The situation became more tense, and the family advised that it would be wise for Jose to move out of the country for the mean time. And he did.
Jose Rizal left the country again. He traveled through Hongkong, Japan, USA, UK, and he lived in a couple of countries in Europe. Rizal formed a friendship with the Austrian professor, Ferdinand Blumentritt. All throughout his travel, he exchanged correspondence with the professor. Rizal also joined other Filipino liberals and they started an organization called “La Solidaridad”, seeking to give light to the needs of the Filipinos. They published a newspaper of the same name. Around this time, Rizal learns that Leonor Rivera was to be married. He courts other women in Europe, and he almost gets married to Nellie Boustead.
After some time, infighting started to brew within their organization. A division in principles started to take form. On one occasion, Jose Rizal felt set up, and chose to be alone. He became unwilling to write for the newspaper. Instead, he started writing his second novel, El Filibusterismo. As a sequel to the Noli, his protagonist is angry, manipulative, and disillusioned. His protagonist no longer sees assimilation as a viable goal but sees separation and independence even through violence. Rizal may have been debating these ideas because by the end of that story, he realizes that independence must be earned not through violence, but through Education. The people to gain independence must first be worthy of that independence, otherwise they would just become the tyrants of tomorrow.
His second novel created more controversy. Nevertheless, he returned to the Philippines for a second time. He met with the Governor General and requested pardons for his family. At a separate event, Rizal got arrested after a surprise inspection said that they discovered pamphlets that had anti-clerical and anti-Catholic literature. He was then exiled to Dapitan, an island in the southern part of the Philippines.
In Exile, and in Love
In Dapitan, he would have a semi-retirement for four years. His letters describe that he had a peaceful and productive time. He did a lot of work. He helped build the local community. He spent his time cultivating a garden, cataloging flora and fauna, and taking in patients. He would also meet Josephine Bracken and her adoptive father. They had traveled to see Dr. Jose Rizal upon learning that he was an expert in ophthalmology. Rizal operated on Josephine’s adoptive father and asked for her hand in marriage. Josephine Bracken would stay in Dapitan, and her adoptive father would get back home.
Elsewhere, people were setting up plans to get Rizal out of exile. His colleagues from Europe and other countries reached out. Revolutionaries, The Katipunan, sent messengers to him to relay their plans of a revolution and to ask his approval. Andres Bonifacio, the leader of The Katipunan, wanted Rizal to lead them into battle. Rizal declined. Bonifacio would invoke Rizal’s name as a symbol regardless. One suggestion from his colleagues from Europe was that Rizal could volunteer as a doctor for the war in Cuba. Rizal agreed and asked permission from the Governor General.
Last Days
On his way to Cuba, Rizal was held. Charges of rebellion, sedition and conspiracy were thrown at him, and he was taken back to Manila and was tried. After a couple of days, his death sentence was given. A series of priests and friars visited Rizal in his death cell, and tried to get a retraction from Rizal’s arguments and to give him his sacraments. The day before his execution, his mother and sister visited him. Rizal gave them letters and parting gifts. Rizal requested that he be married with Josephine Bracken. And so, they did. They were married at five in the morning. Jose Rizal was shot two hours later.
Rizal would then become a symbol, and his ideas would become stronger.
This was an enlightening and moving read. It’s hard to not get emotional at Leon Ma. Guerrero’s retelling of Rizal’s last days. For most of the book, he references Rizal’s letters and correspondence to and from other people. He presents Rizal as someone more relatable and reachable, not some mythic figure from the history books; but an actual person who felt emotions, and who knew the stakes and consequences of what he was doing.
Why read The First Filipino?
You learn about the life and death of Jose Rizal. You learn about his motivations and aims for the country. You learn about his goals for writing his novels: Noli Me Tangere, and El Filibusterismo. You get an understanding of the ideals that led to the Philippine Independence.
How can you use this information?
We are lucky. We are the beneficiaries of those that came before us. People like Jose Rizal died for their ideas. We are free because of their work. Live free, and don’t take it for granted.
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