COMPRISING 63 CHAPTERS and an epilogue, Jose Rizal’s first novel 'Noli Me Tangere' exposes the abuses and inequities of many Spanish Catholic friars and government officials during his time.

Rizal was a student of medicine in the Universidad Central de Madrid when he started writing it and was 26 years old at its publication.

The author fittingly dedicated the novel to the country of his people whose miseries and sorrows he brought to light in an attempt to awaken them to the truths concerning the ills of their society. Paradoxically though, the novel was originally written in Spanish, the language of the colonizers and the educated at that time.

Published in early 1887 in Europe, the novel is now commonly called by its shortened name 'Noli'; its English translation is usually titled 'Touch Me not' and 'The Social Cancer'. The Latin title which means 'Touch me not' was taken from Christ's words. In a letter to Felix Hidalgo, Rizal however made a mistake in attributing the quotation to the Gospel of Luke, for it was in fact recorded in John 20:17: "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father." (https://ourhappyschool.com/literature/noli-me-tangere)

Synopsis of Noli

The main character of Jose Rizal’s novel, Noli Me Tangere, is the young and wealthy Filipino Crisostomo Ibarra. He returned to his country after some years of study in Europe. In his honor, Capitan Tiago (Santiago de los Santos) threw a party at his house in Manila.

The gathering was attended by renowned local personalities like Padre Damaso, a fat Franciscan priest who had been assigned for many years in Ibarra’s native town (San Diego); Fray Sybila, the young Dominican curate of Binondo; Lieutenant Guevarra of the Guardia Civil; and Doña Victorina, wife of a fake Spanish physician Tiburcio de Espadaña. Crisostomo’s father, Don Rafael Ibarra, was Capitan Tiago’s friend. Capitan Tiago’s supposed daughter, Maria Clara, was Crisostomo’s fiancée.

During the party, Padre Damaso belittled Ibarra and rudely tried to harm his reputation. But the gentleman Ibarra simply ignored the friar’s affront. When Ibarra left Capitan Tiago’s house, Lieutenant Guevara talked to him and related the miserable fate of his deceased father in San Diego. Guevara explained that Don Rafael was unfairly accused by San Diego curate of being a heretic and filibuster because of his non-participation in mass and confession.

One day, Don Rafael saw a Spanish tax collector and a weak boy fighting. In an attempt to defend the powerless boy, he had accidentally pushed and killed the brutal Spaniard. Don Rafael was thus imprisoned and died in his cell miserably. Initially buried in consecrated ground, his body was removed from the Catholic cemetery under the order of his enemies.

The next day, Crisostomo visited his sweetheart, Maria Clara. After the lovely visit to his girlfriend, Ibarra went to San Diego to look for his father’s grave. He had known through the grave-digger that his father’s corpse was dug up by order of the curate to be transferred in the Chinese cemetery. But since it was raining and the corpse was heavy, the grave-digger just threw Don Rafael’s corpse into the river.

Angered by what he learned, Ibarra suddenly attacked Padre Salvi when he saw this San Diego parish priest. But Salvi explained to him that it was Damaso who was the town’s parish priest at the time of Don Rafael’s death. When Maria Clara and her family arrived in San Diego, Ibarra gave picnic at the lake. During the picnic, Ibarra had saved the life of Elias—the boatman who was almost killed by a crocodile trapped in the fish cage.

Later in the picnic, some members of the Guardia Civil also came, pursuing Elias who had previously assaulted Padre Damaso and the alferez. But Elias had escaped even before the Guardia Civil arrived. Later on, Ibarra received a notice that his donation of a school in San Diego had been approved by the Spanish government.

On the day of San Diego town fiesta, Ibarra and Maria Clara attended the morning mass officiated by Padre Salvi and Padre Damaso. During the mass, Elias silently went near Ibarra and notified him of the plot to kill him on the ceremony of the laying of the school’s cornerstone. So during the inauguration, when Ibarra was about to cement the foundation of the schoolhouse, the platform collapsed. Fortunately, the quick Elias had rescued Ibarra and the man who was paid to harm Ibarra was the one killed in the incident.

Ibarra hosted a banquet later that day. Padre Damaso who attended the feast publicly attacked the dignity of Ibarra’s dead father. The angered host lunged at the ill-mannered friar and had almost killed Damaso with a knife were it not for Maria Clara who interfered just in time. Ibarra was consequently excommunicated and his engagement with Maria Clara was broken as Damaso persuaded Capitan Tiago to prohibit the lady to marry Ibarra.

One day, Ibarra’s enemies engineered a helpless attack on the station of the Guardia Civil, making the attackers believe that Ibarra was the brain of the uprising. After the attack failed, Ibarra was incriminated and arrested.

Elias helped Ibarra escape from prison. Before leaving, they discreetly stopped at Capitan Tiago’s house. Maria Clara explained that she was blackmailed by Padre Salvi to surrender Ibarra’s letter (which was used to incriminate him) in exchange for the letters written by her dead mother. From these, she learned that her real father was Padre Damaso.

Ibarra and Elias then took off by boat. Instructing Ibarra to lie down, Elias covered him with grass to conceal his presence. As luck would have it, they were spotted by their enemies. Elias, thinking he could outsmart them, jumped into the water. The guards rained shots on him, all the while not knowing that they were aiming at the wrong man.

Badly injured, Elias reached the forest where he found the altar boy Basilio who was sobbing over the body of his dead mother, Sisa.

His mother had previously lost her mind upon learning that her two sons, altar boys Crispin and Basilio, were missing from the convent. Falsely accused of stealing from the convent, Crispin had been tortured and killed by the wicked and crooked sacristan mayor. Basilio had escaped and the death of his brother had been covered-up by Salvi.

Knowing that he would eventually die, Elias instructed Basilio to make a funeral pyre and burn his and Sisa’s bodies to ashes. In his dying breath, Elias mumbled the following hopeful patriotic words:“I shall die without seeing the dawn break upon my homeland. You, who shall see it, salute it! Do not forget those who have fallen during the night.”

The novel’s epilogue narrates that Capitan Tiago became addicted to opium. Padre Damaso was assigned to a far province and was found dead in his bedroom one morning. The sorrowful Maria Clara, believing that Ibarra had been shot dead in the river, entered the nunnery.

Padre Salvi left the San Diego parish and became a chaplain of the nunnery. Some infer that Salvi, who had been portrayed as having a hidden desire for Maria Clara, regularly molested her in the nunnery.

Consequently, a pretty crazy woman was seen one rainy night at the top of the convent bitterly weeping and cursing the heavens for the fate it has bestowed upon her. The woman was not named but it was assumed that she was none less than Maria Clara.

https://myinfobasket.com/the-synopsis-and-spirit-of-noli-me-tangere/

'El Filibusterismo’ is Jose Rizal's second novel written as the sequel of his 'Noli Me Tangere'. Commonly nicknamed 'El Fili' or simply 'Fili', the novel was written also in Spanish. Its commonly known English alternative title is 'The Reign of Greed'.

The 'Filibusterismo' in the novel's title is derived from the simpler term 'filibustero'. Rizal defined the word ('filibustero') to his friend Ferdinand Blumentritt who encountered but did not fully comprehend the word in the 'Noli'. Rizal thus explained in a letter:

"The word filibustero is little known in the Philippines ...I heard it for the first time in 1872 when the tragic executions [of the Gomburza] took place. I still remember the panic that this word created. Our father forbade us to utter it, as well as the words Cavite, Burgos (one of the executed priests), etc ...

"The Manila newspapers and the Spaniards apply this word to one whom they want to make a revolutionary suspect. The Filipinos belonging to the educated class fear the reach of the word. It ... means a dangerous patriot who will soon be hanged or well, a presumptuous man."

The word 'filibustero' thus contextually means subversive, dissident, revolutionary, seditious, insurrectionary, and treasonous. Fittingly, Rizal dedicated the book to the memory of the Gomburza, the three Filipino patriotic priests who were accused of being 'filibustero' and thus executed.

In his dedication, Rizal fearlessly declared his conviction that the Spanish officials' treatment of the priests' case was unjust "as [their] complicity in the Cavite Mutiny is not clearly proved".

The dedication partly reads: "To the memory of the priests, Don Mariano Gomez (85 years old), Don Jose Burgos (30 years old), and Don Jacinto Zamora (35 years old). Executed in the Bagumbayan Field on the 28th of February, 1872 ... I have the right to dedicate my work to you as victims of the evil which I undertake to combat..."

Rizal however made mistakes in indicating the ages of the priests and the date of their execution. During their martyrdom on the 17th (not 28th) of February, 1872, Gomez was then 73 (not 85), Burgos was 35 (not 30) and Zamora was 37 (not 35). Like many other students today (especially men), Rizal was perhaps not that good in memorizing historical details like dates and ages.

The foreword of the Fili was nonetheless addressed "To The Filipino People and Their Government". The original manuscript also includes a "warning" and an "inscription" on the title page written by the author’s friend, Ferdinand Blumentritt. (https://ourhappyschool.com/journalism/el-filibusterismo)

Synopsis of El Fili

The story in El Filibusterismo revolves around its main character Simoun who is an affluent jeweler. Simoun is actually Crisostomo Ibarra of the Noli whom everyone thought had been killed by the Guardia Civil at Laguna de Bay.

He had in fact escaped, fled to Cuba, become wealthy, and made connections with influential Spanish officials. Upon his return to the Philippines after many years, he becomes very influential as the governor general, who owes so much to him, consults him in making decisions.

In reality however, everything Simoun does is just part of his grand plan to take revenge against the Spanish officials and rescue Maria Clara from the convent. Planning to stage a revolution, he smuggles arms and looks for followers, mainly from the exploited and abused natives.

The story in El Filibusterismo revolves around its main character Simoun who is an affluent jeweler. Simoun is actually Crisostomo Ibarra of the Noli whom everyone thought had been killed by the Guardia Civil at Laguna de Bay.

He had in fact escaped, fled to Cuba, become wealthy, and made connections with influential Spanish officials. Upon his return to the Philippines after many years, he becomes very influential as the governor general, who owes so much to him, consults him in making decisions.

One of his recruits is Basilio, the son of Sisa, who with Capitan Tiago’s help was able to study in Manila.

Simoun also makes an alliance with the revolutionary group of Kabesang Tales, a former ‘cabeza de barangay’ who suffered maltreatments from the hands of the friars.

Using his influence, Simoun encourages corruption, decadence, and more oppressive government policies so that the citizens may become more infuriated.

However, the planned revolt one night was not carried out because Simoun, upon hearing that Maria Clara died in the nunnery, decided not to give the signal for the outbreak of the uprising.

Another plan was made some months later. At the venue of the wedding reception of Juanito Pelaez and Paulita Gomez, Simoun planted many explosives—enough to kill the invited guests, primarily the friars and government officials.

According to the plot, the big explosion shall be started by the gift he would give to the newlyweds at the reception—a kerosene lamp with an explosive. When the lamp flickers and someone turns the wick, it will result into a big explosion that will become a signal to the revolutionary troops to simultaneously attack all the government buildings in Manila.

During the reception, Simoun gives his gift to the newly-weds. Before hurriedly leaving the venue, he leaves a piece of mysterious paper bearing the message “You will die tonight” signed by Juan Crisostomo Ibarra.

Meanwhile, Isagani, the rejected lover of Paulita, is standing outside the reception. His friend Basilio tells him to leave the place because the lamp will soon blow up.

When Father Salvi identifies the handwriting in the note and confirms that it was indeed Ibarra’s, the guests begin to panic. When the lamp flickers, Father Irene tries to turn the wick up. But Isagani, wanting to save Paulita’s life, rushes into the house, grabs the lamp, and throws it into the river where it explodes.

Simoun’s revolutionary plot was thus known and he is thus hunted by the law enforcers. He managed to escape but was seriously wounded. Carrying his jewelry chest, he finds shelter in the home of Padre Florentino by the sea. Learning of his presence in the house of the priest, the lieutenant of the Guardia Civil informs Padre Florentino that he will come in the evening to arrest Simoun.

Simoun then takes poison that he would not be caught alive. As the poison’s effects start to take toll on his body, he confesses to Florentino his true identity and his plan of revenge through bloody revolution. After the emotional and agonizing confession of the dying man, the priest absolves the dying man from his sins, saying:

“God will forgive you Señor Simoun. He knows that we are fallible. He has seen that you have suffered … He has frustrated your plans one by one … first by the death of Maria Clara, then by a lack of preparation, then in some mysterious way. Let us bow to His will and render Him thanks!”

The story ends with the priest throwing Simoun’s treasures into the sea so that they would not be used by the greedy. The priest hopes that when the right time comes, they would be recovered and used only for the good.

https://myinfobasket.com/the-synopsis-and-theme-of-jose-rizals-el-filibusterismo/

Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (English: Events in the Philippine Islands) is a book written and published by Antonio de Morga considered one of the most important works on the early history of the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. It was published in 1609 after he was reassigned to Mexico in two volumes by Casa de Geronymo Balli, in Mexico City. The first English translation was published in London in 1868 and another English translation by Blair and Robertson was published in Cleveland in 1907.
The work greatly impressed the Philippine national hero José Rizal and decided to annotate it and publish a new edition and began working on it in London and completing it in Paris in 1890. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki /Sucesos_de_las_Islas_Filipinas)

This was serialized in La Solidaridad on September 30, October 31, December 15, 1889 and February 15, 1890. In the articles, Rizal estimated the future of the Philippines in the span of a hundred years and foretold the catastrophic end of Spanish rule in Asia. He 'prophesied' Filipinos' revolution against Spain, winning their independence, but later the Americans would come as the new colonizer

The essay also talked about the glorious past of the Philippines, recounted the deterioration of the economy, and exposed the causes of natives' sufferings under the cruel Spanish rule. In the essay, he cautioned the Spain as regards the imminent downfall of its domination. He awakened the minds and the hearts of the Filipinos concerning the oppression of the Spaniards and encouraged them to fight for their right.

Part of the essays reads, "History does not record in its annals any lasting domination by one people over another, of different races, of diverse usages and customs, of opposite and divergent ideas. One of the two had to yield and succumb." The Philippines had regained its long-awaited democracy and liberty some years after Rizal's death. This was the realization of what the hero envisioned in this essay.

This logical essay is a proof of the national hero's historical scholarship. The essay rationally countered the accusations by Spaniards that Filipinos were indolent (lazy) during the Spanish reign. It was published in La Solidaridad in five consecutive issues on July (15 and 31), August (1 and 31) and September 1, 1890.

Rizal argued that Filipinos are innately hardworking prior to the rule of the Spaniards. What brought the decrease in the productive activities of the natives was actually the Spanish colonization. Rizal explained the alleged Filipino indolence by pointing to these factors:

1) the Galleon Trade destroyed the previous links of the Philippines with other countries in Asia and the Middle East, thereby eradicating small local businesses and handicraft industries;
2) the Spanish forced labor compelled the Filipinos to work in shipyards, roads, and other public works, thus abandoning their agricultural farms and industries;
3) many Filipinos became landless and wanderers because Spain did not defend them against pirates and foreign invaders;
4) the system of education offered by the colonizers was impractical as it was mainly about repetitive prayers and had nothing to do with agricultural and industrial technology;
5) the Spaniards were a bad example as negligent officials would come in late and leave early in their offices and Spanish women were always followed by servants;
6) gambling like cockfights was established, promoted, and explicitly practiced by Spanish government officials and friars themselves especially during feast days;
7) the crooked system of religion discouraged the natives to work hard by teaching that it is easier for a poor man to enter heaven;
8) the very high taxes were discouraging as big part of natives’ earnings would only go to the officials and friars.

Moreover, Rizal explained that Filipinos were just wise in their level of work under topical climate. He explained, "violent work is not a good thing in tropical countries as it is would be parallel to death, destruction, annihilation. Rizal concluded that natives' supposed indolence was an end-product of the Spanish colonization.

Originally written in Tagalog, this famous essay directly addressed to the women of Malolos, Bulacan was written by Rizal as a response to Marcelo H. Del Pilar's request.

Rizal was greatly impressed by the bravery of the 20 young women of Malolos who planned to establish a school where they could learn Spanish despite the opposition of Felipe Garcia, Spanish parish priest of Malolos. The letter expressed Rizal's yearning that women be granted the same chances given to men in terms of education. In the olden days, young women were not educated because of the principle that they will soon be wives and their primary career would be to take care of the home and children. Rizal however advocated women's right to education.

Below are some of the points mentioned by Rizal in his letter to the young women of Malolos:

1) The priests in the country that time did not embody the true spirit of Christianity;
2) Private judgment should be used;
3) Mothers should be an epitome of an ideal woman who teaches her children to love God, country, and fellowmen;
4) Mothers should rear children in the service of the state and set standards of behavior for men around her;
5) Filipino women must be noble, decent, and dignified and they should be submissive, tender, and loving to their respective husband;
6) Young women must edify themselves, live the real Christian way with good morals and manners, and should be intelligent in their choice of a lifetime partner.

This untitled poem is considered as the most celebrated poem by the national hero. Rizal's friend, Mariano Ponce, was the one who titled the poem "Mi Ultimo Pensamiento"(My Last Thought). Later, the poem was referred to as "My Last Farewell" (Mi Ultimo Adios).

"Mi Ultimo Adios", a brilliant creation, was assumed to be written the night before Jose Rizal's execution on December 30, 1896. As the dear visitors were leaving, Jose handed over to his sister Trinidad an alcohol cooking stove, a gift from the Pardo de Taveras, whispering to her in a language which the guards could not comprehend, "There is something in it." That 'something' was Rizal's unsigned, undated, and untitled poem consisting of 14 five-line stanzas. The Rizal family reproduced and distributed copies of it and sent copies to the hero's friends in the country and abroad.

Widely regarded as the most patriotic poem in the world, it has been translated into at least 38 languages. The poem reflects the hero's adoration to and patriotism for his country. The poem requests Filipinos to pray for others who also have died and suffered for the country. It begged the Filipino people to never lose hope and faith in the Lord God. Forceful words were used to inspire them not to be the discouraged by the oppressions of the Spaniards.

At the last part of the poem, Jose Rizal mentioned of his "sweet stranger" as his friend and joy. This implied his farewell to his beloved "dulce estranjera", Josephine. Lately, a song based on the poem "Mi Ultimo Adios" was composed by contemporary artist Joey Ayala. (https://ourhappyschool.com/history/jose-rizal%E2%80%99s-poems)