17.17.17

A Revolution That Failed

Rizal in Ghent

from Brussels Rizal left for Ghent on July 5, 1891

GHENT

the famous university city of Belgium

Reasons for moving to Ghent:

cost of printing in Ghent is cheaper than in Brussels

to escape from the enticing attraction of Petite

Suzanne

Filipinos in Ghent:

Jose Alejandrino (Pampanga)

Edilberto Evangelista (Manila)

both studying engineering in the world-famed University

of Ghent

Owing to his limited funds, Rizal lived in a

cheap boarding house, with Jose Alejandrino as

room-mate. Theirs was a very frugal life, subsisting

of the barest necessities. To economize further,

they prepared their own daily breakfast in their

room.

Years later Alejandrino who became a

general during the Filipino-American War of 1899-

1902 and an engineer recounted in his memoirs

their hard life in Ghent.

Rizal’s Unfinished Third NovelEven before Lopez Jaena suggested the writing

of another novel, Rizal had already in mind to pen a third novel.

September 22, 1891 – four days after the Fili came off the press, he wrote to Blumentritt:

“I am thinking of writing a third novel, a novel in the modern sense of the word, but this time politics will not find much space in it, but ethics will play the principal role. I shall deal mainly with the habits and customs of Filipinos, and only two Spaniards, the friar curate and the lieutenant of the Guardia Civil will be there. I wish to be there. I wish to be humorous, satirical and witty, to weep and to laugh, to laugh amidst the tears, that is to cry bitterly.”

October 18, 1891 – boarded the steamer

Melbourne in Marseilles bound for Hong Kong.

During the voyage he began writing the third novel

in Tagalog which he intended for Tagalog readers.

In Hong Kong he continued it, but for some reason

or another he did not finish it.

Unfinished third novel – no title

- consists of 44 pages in his

handwriting, still in manuscript form

The story of the unfinished novel begins with the solemn burial of Prince Tagulima, son of Sultan Zaide of Ternate, on Mapalad-na-Bato, a big rock on the bank of Pasig river. Sultan Zaide, with his royal family and retainers, was taken prisoner by the Spaniards during the wars in the Moluccas and brought to Manila. The old sultan, his children, and followers were promised good treatment, but the Spaniards forgot their promise and let them die one by one in misery.

The hero of the novel was Kamandagan, a descendant of Lakan-Dula, last king of Tondo. He plotted to regain the lost freedom of his fathers. One day he saved his 2 beautiful granddaughters, Maligaya and Sinagtala, from the lustful Spaniards – the cura and the encomendero of Bay, Laguna.

Unfinished Third Novel

It is said that Rizal was fortunate not to have

finished this novel because it would have

caused greater scandal and more Spanish

vengeance on him

He was not afraid to show the evils that took

part in the Philippines

Rizal’s Other Unfinished NovelsMakamisa

Novel in Tagalog

Written in the light of sarcastic style and is

incomplete for only 2 chapters finished

Dapitan

Written in ironic Spanish

Wrote during his exile in Dapitan to depict the

town life and customs

Untitled

Novel in Spanish

About the life in Pili, a town in Laguna

Untitled

About Cristobal, a youthful Filipino student

who has returned from Europe

Rizal based his novels in his own experiences

and in what he witnessed in the Philippines

The Publication of El Filibusterismo

Rizal had to define the word filibustero to his German friend Ferdinand Blumentritt

Searched for printing house with lowest quotation

F. Meyer-Van Loo Press- *66 Viaanderen St. Installment basis Pawned jewels Expected funds from friends didn’t arrived


to do so. For the past three months I have not received a single centavo, so I have pawned all that I have in order to publish this book. I will continue publishing it as long as I can; and when there is nothing to pawn I will stop and return to be at your side."

•Jose Maria Basa in Hongkong•"I am not sailing at once, because I am now printing the second part of the Noli here, as you may see from the enclosed pages. I prefer to publish it in some other way before leaving Europe, for it seemed to me a pity not


Valentin Ventura – Paris Publication is completed on

September 1891 *1 for Jose Basa and 1 for Sixto

Lopez Shipped all Ghent edition copies

to Hongkong *Original copy – Valentin Ventura Smuggled into Philippines *El Nuevo Regimen – serialized

in its issues

EL FILIBUSTERISMO

“The Reign of Greed” “Paghahari ng Kasakiman” October, 1887 practicing medicine in Calamba London (1888) - made some changes in the plot and corrected some chapters already written - told Mariano Ponce - heard the news about his family being penalized

by the friars in the hacienda in Calamba - Leonor Rivera married Henry Kipping

EL FILIBUSTERISMO

He wrote more chapters in Paris and Madrid

March 29, 1891 - finished the manuscript in Biarritz,

France Rodriguez Arias – P200 – bought Los Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas(revised)

THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT

Filipiana Division – Bureau of Public Libraries, Mla.

Bought from Valentin Ventura for P10000 Consists of 279 pages FOREWORD and WARNING – not put into

printing to save printing cost

Dedication

Rizal’s historical inaccuracies

"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."

Comparison of Noli and Fili

NOLI FILI


NOLI FILI

•Romantic Novel•Work of heart•Book of feeling•Dedicated to motherland•64 chapters•Peaceful reforms•Crisostomo Ibarra

•Political Novel•Work of head•A book of thought•Dedicated in memory of GOMBURZA•38 chapters•Revolution•Simoun


Noli and Fili

•Awakening of Filipinos to the idea that they belong to one nation

•To make them realize that they have a motherland to love

•Welfare is their paramount concern

•Seeking of reforms in society

•Depicted the actual conditions of Philippines

•Awakened Filipino nationalism

THE SYNOPSIS OF THE EL FILIBUSTERISMO

SYMBOLICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE EL FILIBUSTERISMOSIMOUN - represents the portion of Filipino society which,

tired of the oppressor’s rule wanted that rule to be overthrown at all cost, but had no systematic plan for the new society, if the old is overthrown.

MARIA CLARA – suffered untold physical and spiritual abuse for at least 13 years, at last dies, can still be made to symbolize in the Fili, the friar dominated culture, which is now ripe for revolution. That there is no eventual union between Simoun and Maria Clara, not even meeting between the two since they parted 13 years ago is significant. Although Simoun wanted very much to see and possess her, he was not permitted to do so. This is indicative, symbolically speaking, of Rizal’s refusal to recognize that the friar-dominated Filipino culture could still be reinvigorated through the infusion of new elements into its anemic bloodstream.

SEÑOR PASTA – the idealist turned mercenary, could be made to represent that portion of the Filipino society who have abandoned their noble social ideals and have become thoroughly self-seeking opportunist, serving only the interest of those who have hired them.

ISAGANI – a young student who is inspired by high ideals for his country but at critical moment apparently and unwittingly forgets those ideals for selfish reasons, could be made to symbolize the untested and unreliable idealism of a segment of the educated Filipino youths of the time.

PAULITA GOMEZ – the hapless object of Isagani’s affection, a girl who is more free from the fetters of convention than Maria Clara, can be made to represent that portion of Filipino womanhood – still half breed like Maria Clara- which is relatively enlightened but which is itself almost thoroughly bereft of love of our country and of a desire for the social good.

BASILIO – the medical student who, despite the extreme sufferings undergone by his family as a result of clerical perfidy and cruelty, refuses to entertain any revolution though even in the face of rampant social injustices, could be made to symbolize that segment of the educated Filipino society which has been so brutalized that it has become insensible to the social welfare.

PLACIDO PENITENTE – a young man who has been so disillusioned by the state of affairs he finds himself in as a student, entertains the desire to go abroad. When shown by Simoun some signs of a possible uprising, he becomes so frightened that he could not make up his mind whether to join or not. He persuasively could be made to symbolize those elements of Philippine society, which had not yet been infused with a national sentiment or social conscience.

DON CUSTODIO – a typical Spanish official in the country, who occupies several positions despite the absence of qualification, believes that any idea that does not come from him deserves no consideration. Rizal portrayed in the novel as someone who finds pleasure in developing a feeling of inferiority among the people.

The pattern of suffering in the El filibusterismo is depicted in the story of Cabesang Tales, Juli, and the school master

CABESANG TALES – a victim of land grabbing by the friars, became desperate and joined the outlaws for personal revenge. He died of fever and found no justice in the courts.

JULI – innocent looking and unaffected daughter of Cabesang Tales and sweetheart of BASILIO, took her own life because of her love for honor and chastity rather than surrender her womanhood to the mundane desire of Fr. Camorra.

THE SCHOOL MASTER – rusticated as a rebel for having experimented teaching the Spanish language to young children against the wishes of the Spanish friars was pardoned due to the influence wielded by Simoun. Later on, he became Simoun’s gunpowder expert.

Message of the FiliRizal’s message in El Filibusterismo is very clear; that the

present system of government in the Philippines through corrupt officials, dominated by the friars can lead to the downfall of Spain. This point was stressed by Simoun in the novel, when he said, “what is a man to do when he is denied justice? Take the law into his own hands or wait for Spain to give him rights…” From the foregoing, Rizal was very certain that because of the nature and operation of the government, those who are intelligent, generous, hard-working, courageous and loyal citizens were driven into opposition, crime and subversion.

The Spanish colonial government for Rizal was arbitrary, cruel, lacking in a sense of justice and responsibility, without interest in the people under its tutelage. While Rizal described the government in a very negaticve way, his picture of the friars in the Fili was harsher. In this novel, Rizal painted them as abusing their power for the following reasons; to satisfy their evil desires; to preserve their control of education; to rob men of their land; and to seek their own interests.

Rizal did not spare his fellow Filipinos from his criticism of the regime. He condemned them for their greed, corruption, hypocrisy and cowardice, which contributed so much to the abuses of the civil officials and friars

Another message communicated by Rizal was on the course of action Filipinos should take if Spain would not listen to his warning. As Filipinos had desired assimilation for a long time, Spain should grant it. Should Spain not accede to the clamor for assimilation, the people may eventually prefer to die rather than endure the miseries any longer. Violent means to effect change would thus become inevitable to achieve their goal.

THE RELUCTANT REVOLUTIONARY AND HIS CONCEPT OF INDEPENDENCE

*El Filibusterismo is about a revolution that failed, which was orchestrated by Simoun. Rizal made the revolution of Simoun fail at the very moment it was supposed to start.

*Rizal, through Simoun, had come to realize that independence was the solution to the miseries of people under Spanish rule.

"Instead of aspiring to be a mere province, aspire to be a nation, develop an independent, not colonial mentality. There are no tyrants where there are no slaves."

*Simoun asked Fr. Florentino why God denied him His help.


"Because you have chosen a means that He could not approve… The glory of saving a country shall not be attributed to him who has contributed to its ruin… Hate does not create anything but monsters; crimes, criminals; only love produces marvelous works; only virtue can save. No, if our country has to be free someday, it will not be freed by means of vice and crime; not by corrupting her sons, deceiving some, buying others. Redemption presupposes virtue and sacrifice, and sacrifice presupposes love."


"We must win our freedom by deserving it, by improving the mind and enhancing the dignity of the individual loving what is just, what is good, what is great to the point of dying for it. When a people reach these heights, God provides the weapon... Our misfortunes are our own fault, let us blame nobody for them… With or without Spain, they would be the same and perhaps worse. What is the use of independence if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow? And no doubt, they will, because whoever submits to tyranny loves it!"


*Rizal was a reluctant revolutionary because while he was on the belief that assimilation is not possible and that independence was the remedy to alleviate the sufferings of the Filipinos under Spanish rule, Rizal heistates and backs down.

Rizal After the FiliAfter the publication of El Filibusterismo, Rizal

gave up the idea of gradual and peaceful emancipation of the country which he clearly communicated to Blumentritt:

“...peaceful struggle will just remain a dream, considering that Spain had not learned the lesson of her former colonies in South America”

Rizal became a separatist (one who advocates political or religious separation). He was quite unique considering that he left to God the attainment of independence.

After the publication of the Fili, Rizal was

bitterly attacked and mocked by his fellow reformers

in Madrid. This can be accounted for by the very

radical and subversive tone of the novel, which

renounced the propaganda campaign for peaceful

reforms and assimilation. This made him decide to

severe his connection with the propagandists in

Madrid to avert possible split in their unity. Totally

free and detached from the propagandists in Europe,

Rizal opted to return to the Philippines to share the

misfortune of his family.

Documents

17.17.17