SOCIAL SCIENCE 3

P R E PA R E D B Y: D AV I D & M E L A N I E

JOSE RIZAL HAD MANY BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES OF

CHILDHOOD IN HIS NATIVE TOWN. HE GREW UP IN A HAPPY HOME,

RULED BY GOOD PARENTS, BUBBLING WITH JOY , AND SANCTIFIED BY

GOD’S BLESSINGS.

CALAMBA THE HERO’S TOWN• Calamba, was an hacienda town which belonged to the Dominican Order, which also owned all the land around it. It is a picturesque town nestling on a verdant plain covered with irrigated rice fields and sugar-lands.

• Rizal loved calamba with all his heart and soul. He wrote a poem entitled Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of my Town) in 1876 when he was 15 and a student in Ateneo de Manila.

When early childhood’s happy days In memory I see once more Along the lovely verdant shoreThat meets a gently murmuring sea;When I recall the whisper softOf zephyrs dancing on my browWith cooling sweetness, even nowNew luscious life is born on me.

When I behold the lily whiteThat sways to do the wind’s command, While gently sleeping on the sandThe stormy water rests awhile;When from the flowers there softly breathes A bouquet ravishingly sweet,Out-poured the newborn dawn to meet, As on us she begins to smile.

With sadness I recall…recall Thy face, in precious infancyOh mother, friend most dear to me,Who gave to life a wondrous charm.I yet recall a village plain,My joy, my family, my boon,Besides the freshly cool lagoon,The spot for which my heart beats warm.

Ah yes! My footsteps insecureIn your dark forests deeply sank; And there by every river’s bank I found refreshment and delight;Within that rustic temple prayedWith childhood’s simple faith unfeigned While cooling breezes, pure, unstained,Would send my heart on rapturous flight.

I saw the Maker in the grandeur Of your ancient hoary wood, Ah, never in your refuge could A mortal by regret by smitten; And while upon your sky of blueI gaze, no love or tendernessCould fail, for here on nature’s dress My happiness itself was written.

Ah, tender childhood, lovely town, Rich fount of my felicities, Oh those harmonious melodiesWhich put to fight all dismal hours,Come back to my heart once more!Come back, gentle hours, I yearn!Come back as the birds return, At the budding of the flowers!

Alas, farewell! Eternal vigil I keepFor thy peace, thy bliss, and tranquility,O Genius of good, so kind!Give me these

gifts, with charity.To thee are my fervent vows,-To thee I cease not to sighThese to learn, and I call to the

skyTo have thy sincerity.

EARLIEST CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

• The First memory of Rizal, in his infancy, was his happy days in the family garden when he was 3 years old. He was given the tenderness care by his parents.

• His father built a little cottage for him to play in the daytime.

• Another childhood memory was the daily angelus prayer. His mother gathered all the children to pray the angelus.

• The nocturnal walk in the town, especially when there was a moon, is another memory of his infancy.

THE HERO’S FIRST SORROW

• They loved each other.

• Jose loves most the little concha (Concepcion). He was a year older than Concha. He played with her and from her and from her he learned the sweetness of sisterly love.

• Concha died of sickness in 1865 when she was 3 years old. Jose was so sad that time and cried bitterly at losing her. “When I was four years old,” he said, “I lost my little sister Concha, and then for the first time I shed tears caused by love and grief… The death of little Concha brought him his first sorrow.

DEVOTED SON OF THE CHURCH

• Rizal grew up a good catholic.

• at three he began to take part in the family prayers.

• at five, he was able to read haltingly the Spanish family Bible.

• he was called Manong Jose by Hermanos and Hermanas Terceras.

• Father Leoncio Lopez – one of the men he esteemed and respected in Calamba during his boyhood.

PILGRIMAGE TO ANTIPOLO

• June 6, 1868 – Jose and his father left calamba to go on pilgrimage to antipolo, in order to fulfill his mother’s vow which was made when Jose was born.

• “With that pleasure I saw the sunrise; for the first timei saw how the luminous rays shone, producing brilliant effect on the ruffled surface of the wide lake.”

• On their way back, Saturnina who was then a boarding student at La Concordia College in Sta. Ana.

THE STORY OF THE MOTH

• Favorite story of Rizal tol his mother Dona Teodora.

• The young moth did not heed the repeated warning of the old moth not to get soclose to the light which to the young moth was so beautiful and attractive, and so the young moth met its death by burning itself by reason of curiosity and attraction to the luminous light.

ARTISTIC TALENT

• At age 5, made sketches with his pencil. Mould clay and wax objects.

• He painted in oil colors a banner that delighted the crown – its better than the original.

FIRST POEM BY RIZAL

• His mother – lover of literature encourage Rizal to wrote poetry.

• At age of 8, he wrote his poem in the native language entitled “Sa Aking Mga Kababata”. This poem reveals Rizal’s earliest nationalist sentiment and proclaimed that people who love the native language will strive for liberty.

Kapagka ang baya'y sadyang umiibig Sa kanyang salitang kaloob ng langit, Sanglang kalayaan nasa ring masapit Katulad ng ibong nasa himpapawid.

Pagka’t ang salita'y isang kahatulan Sa bayan, sa nayo’t mga kaharian,

At ang isang tao'y katulad, kabagay Ng alin mang likha noong kalayaan.

Ang hindi magmahal sa kanyang salita Mahigit sa hayop at malansang isda,

Kaya ang marapat pagyamaning kusa

Na tulad sa inang tunay na nagpala.

Ang wikang Tagalog tulad din sa Latin Sa Ingles, Kastila at salitang anghel,

Sapagka’t ang Poong maalam tumingin Ang siyang naggawad, nagbigay sa atin.

Ang salita nati'y huwad din sa iba Na may alfabeto at sariling letra,

Na kaya nawala'y dinatnan ng sigwa Ang lunday sa lawa noong dakong una.

Whenever people of a country truly loveThe language which by heav'n they were taught to use,

That country also surely liberty pursues.As does the bird which soars to freer space above.

For language is the final judge and refereeUpon the people in the land where it holds sway;

In truth our human race resembles in this wayThe other living beings born in liberty.

Whoever knows not how to live his native tongueIs worse than any beast or evil smelling fish.

To make our language richer ought to be our wishThe same as any mother loves to feed her young.

Tagalog and the Latin language are the sameAnd English and Castilian and the angels’ tongue,

And God, whose watchful care o'er all is flung,Has given us His blessing in the speech we claim.

Our mother tongue, like all the highest that we knowHad alphabet and letters of its very own;

But these were lost – by furious waves were overthrownLike bancas in the stormy sea, long years ago.

FIRST DRAMA BY RIZAL

• Tagalog comedy applauded in Calamba festival the manuscript of which was bought by gobernadorcillo from paete, Laguna for 2 pesos. It was shown also during Paete’s fiesta.

RIZAL AS BOY MAGICIAN

• Making coin appear and disappear in his finger.

• Handkerchief vanishing in the air.

• Magic-lantern exhibition-lamp casting its shadow on a white screen.

• Twisted his fingers into shapes, making their enlarged shadows on the screen resemble certain animals/persons.

• Puppet shows.

• Read books on magic and attended performance of great magicians.

LAKESHORE REVERIES• with his pet dog (Usman) used to meditate at Laguna de Bay asking what might be over on the other side of the waves.

• Thinking of the Guardia Civil caning and enduring unarmed and peace loving villagers whose only act was not having taken off their hats and vowed while passing in front of the former.

• No restraint put upon Spanish brutality committed daily.

• “In view of these injustice and cruelties, although yet a child, my imagination was awakened and I made a vow dedicating myself someday to avenge that many victims.”… (Letter to Mariano Ponce)

INFLUENCES ON THE HERO’S BOYHOOD

1.) HEREDITARY INFLUENCE:

• MALAYAN ANCESTORS - love for freedom; innate desire to travel and his indomitable courage.

• CHINESE ANCESTORS - serious nature, frugality, patience and love for children.

• SPANISH ANCESTORS - elegance of bearing, sensitivity to insult and gallanty to ladies.

• according to biological science, there are inherent traits or qualities which a person inherits form his ancestors and parents. Therefore, Rizal inherited lot of a good qualities from his ancestors, father and mother.

INFLUENCES ON THE HERO’S BOYHOOD

2.) ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCE: 

• Scenic beauties of Calamba and the beautiful garden of the Rizal family stimulated Rizal’s inborn artistic and literary talents. Religious atmosphere at home- fortified his religious nature Paciano- instilled in his mind the love for freedom and justice.

• environment, as well as hereditary, affects the nature of a person. Which includes places, associates, and events. Like Rizal was affected in what his family and the environment influence and teach him to be good son and develop his talent and ability.

• From his sisters- he learned courtesy and kindness to women. Fairytales told by his Aya- awakened his interest in folklore and legends.Tio Jose Albeto who studied for 11 years in British School in Culcutta, India travelled to Europe- inspired him to develop his artistic ability.Tio Manuel- husky and athlethic- encouraged him to develop his body through exercise, walking, wrestling.Tio Gregorio- book lover- uintensified Rizal’s voracious reading of good books.Fr. Leoncio Lopez- fostered Rizal’s love for scholarship and intellectual honesty.Death of Concha (1865), imprisonment of his mother in 1871-1874- strengthened his character.Spanish abuses, cruelties, brutal acts of guardia civil and the alcalde, tortures on innocent Filipinos and execution of GOMBURZA (1872) awakened his patriotism.

INFLUENCES ON THE HERO’S BOYHOOD

3.) Aid of Divine Providence:

• God endowed him with versatile gifts of a genius, vibrant spirit of nationalistic and valiant heart for a noble cause.

• Rizal was providentially destined to be the pride and glory of our people. God had endowed him with venatile talents of a rare genius.

RIZAL AND HIS CHILDHOOD YEARS IN CALAMBA (VIDEO)

END OF CHAPTER TWO