Rizal's Life and Work

1. TRIUMPHS IN ATENEO, 1872-1877

2. “Hold high the brow serene, O youth, where
now you stand; Let the bright sheen of your
grace be seen, fair hope of my fatherland!”
- Jose Rizal

3. Brief Background
 Four months after the martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za and with Doña Teodroa still in prison, Jose
who had not yet celebrated his eleventh birthday, was sent to Manila
 He studied in Ateneo Municipal (a college under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits
 This college is a bitter rival of the Dominican-owned College of San Juan de Letran
 It was formerly the Escuela Pia (Charity School), a school for poor boys in Manila which was
established by the city government in 1817
 Escuela Pia was changed to Ateneo Municipal and later became the Ateneo de Manila

4. Rizal Enters the Ateneo
 June 10, 1872 – Jose, accompanied by Paciano went to Manila
 He took the entrance examinations on Christian doctrine, arithmetic, and reading at the College of
San Juan de Letran, and passed them all
 His father changed his mind decided to send him to the Ateneo instead
 Upon his return to Manila, Jose with Paciano, matriculated at the Ateneo Municipal
 At first, Father Magin Ferrando, who was the college registrar, refused to admit him for two reasons:
1) he was late for registration and 2) he was sickly and undersized for his age
 However, upon the intercession of Manuel Xerez Burgos, nephew of Father Burgos, he was
reluctantly admitted at the Ateneo
 He used the surname “Rizal” because the surname “Mercado” was known to the authorities as
Father Burgos’ favorite student and helper (Paciano)
 Ateneo was then located at Intramuros and Jose boarded at a boarding house nearby to partly
collect the debt of the owner of the boarding house

5. Jesuit System of Education
 The system of education given by the Jesuits in the Ateneo was advanced from that of
other colleges in that period
 Trained the character of the student by rigid discipline and religious instruction
 Promoted physical culture, fine arts and scientific studies
 It offered vocational courses in agriculture, commerce and mechanics aside from academic
courses leading to the degree of A.B.
 Students heard Mass in the morning before the beginning of the daily class and class in
every subject begins and ends with a prayer
 The Ateneo students in Rizal’s time wore a uniform which consisted of “hemp-fabric
trousers” and “striped cotton coat” which is called rayadillo (later became famous for it was
adopted as uniform for the Filipino troops during the days of the First Philippine Republic

6. Jesuit System of Education
 Students were divided into two groups, namely:
 Roman empire – internos (boarders)
 Carthaginian empire – externos (non-boarders)
 Each empire had its ranks
 Emperor - The best student in each empire
 Tribune - The second best
 Decurion - The third best
 Centurion - The fourth best
 Standard-bearer - The fifth best
 Any student could challenge any officer in his empire to answer questions on the day’s
lesson. His opponent could lose his position if he committed three mistakes
 The two empires were in perpetual warfare for supremacy in the class

7. Rizal’s First Year in Ateneo (1872-1873)
 Fr. Jose Bech – Rizal’s first professor in Ateneo
 Rizal described him as “tall, thin man, with a body slightly bent forward, a hurried walk, an ascetic
face, severe and inspired, small deep-sunken eyes, a sharp nose that was almost Greek, and thin lips
forming an arc whose ends fell toward the chin”
 Being a newcomer and knowing little Spanish, Rizal was placed at the bottom of the class. He was
an externo whereas he was assigned to the Carthaginians, occupying the end of the line
 After the first week, he progressed rapidly until the end of the month he became “emperor”
 He was the brightest in the whole, and was awarded the first prize (religious picture) he won in
Ateneo

8. Rizal’s First Year in Ateneo (1872-1873)
 To improve his Spanish, Rizal took private lessons in Santa Isabel College during noon recesses. He
paid three pesos for those extra Spanish lessons, but it was money well spent
 In the second half of his year in the Ateneo, Rizal did not try hard enough to retain his scholarship
supremacy which he held during the first half of the term.
 He resented more remarks of his professor
 He placed second at the end of the year, although all his grades were still marked “excellent”

9. Summer Vacation (1873)
 Rizal returned to Calamba for summer vacation on March 1873
 His mother was still in prison so he did not enjoy his vacation
 To cheer him up, his sister Neneng brought him to Tanawan with her
 Without telling his father, he went to Santa Cruz and visited his mother. He told her of his brilliant
grades in the Ateneo and tearfully embraced each other
 When the summer vacation ended, he went back to Manila and boarded inside Intramuros

10. Second Year in Ateneo (1873-1874)
 He repented having neglected his studies the previous year simply because he was offended by the
teacher’s remarks.
 To regain his lost class leadership, he studied harder and became the “emperor” once more
 At the end of the school year, Rizal received excellent grades in all subjects and a gold meal
 He triumphantly returned to Calamba in March 1874

11. Prophecy of Mother’s Release
 On summer vacation, he again visited his mother at Santa Cruz.
 He gladdened Doña Teodora’s lonely heart with his scholastic triumphs in Ateneo and with funny
tales about his professors and fellow students
 Doña Teodora told her son of her dream the previous night
 Rizal, interpreting such dream, said to her that she would be released from prison in three month’s
time. Barely three months passed, and suddenly Doña Teodora was set free.
 Doña Teodora, happily back in Calamba, was more proud of her son Jose who was like the youthful
Joseph in the Bible

12. Teenage Interest in Reading
 In summer vacation, Rizal began to take interest in reading romantic novels
 As a normal teen-ager, he became interested in love stories and romantic tales
 The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas – first favorite novel of Rizal, this thrilling novel made a
deep impression on him
 He read not only fiction, but also non-fiction
 He persuaded his father to buy him a costly set of Cesar Cantu’s historical work entitled Universal History
 According to Rizal, this valuable work was of great aid in his studies and enabled him to win more prizes
in Ateneo
 Later, Rizal read Travels in the Philippines by Dr. Feodor Jagor, German scientist-traveler who had visited
the Philippines.
 What impressed him on this book are: 1)Jagor’s keen observations of the defects of Spanish colonization
and 2) his prophecy that someday Spain would lose the Philippines and that America would come to
succeed her as colonizer

13. Third Year in Ateneo (1874-1875)
 Shortly after the opening of classes, his mother arrived and joyously told him that she was released
from prison, just as he predicted during his last visit to her prison cell in Santa Cruz
 Rizal did not make an excellent showing in his studies as in the previous year.
 His grades remained excellent in all subjects, but he won only one medal – in Latin
 He failed to win the medal in Spanish because his spoken Spanish was not fluently sonorous
 He was beaten by a Spaniard who, naturally, could speak Spanish with fluency and with right
accentuation

14. Fourth Year in Ateneo (1875-1876)
 June 14, 1875 – he became an internee in the Ateneo
 One of his professors was Fr. Francisco Sanchez, a great educator and scholar. He inspired young
Rizal to study harder and write poetry. He became an admirer and friend of Rizal, whose God-given
genius he saw and recognized since their first meeting
 On his part, Rizal had the highest affection and respect for Father Sanchez, whom he considered his
most beloved professor in the Ateneo. He described this Jesuit professor as “a model of rectitude,
solicitude, and devotion to his pupils’ progress”
 Inspired by Father Sanchez, Rizal resumed his studies with vigor and zest
 He topped all his classmates in all subjects and won five medals at the end of the school term

15. Last Year in Ateneo (1876-1877)
 He excelled in all subjects
 The most brilliant Atenean of his time, he was truly “the pride of the Jesuits”
 He obtained the highest grades in all subjects – philosophy, physics, biology, chemistry, languages,
mineralogy, etc

16. Graduation with Highest Honors
 Rizal graduated at the head of his class
 On Commencement Day, March 23, 1877, Rizal, who was 16 years old, received from his Alma
Mater, Ateneo Municipal, the degree of Bachelor of Arts, with highest honors
 On the day of graduation, he prayed fervently at the college chapel and “commended by life,” as he
said, “to the Virgin so that she might protect me when I set foot in that world which inspired me
with such dread.”

17. Extra-Curricular Activities at Ateneo
 He was also active in extra-curricular activities
 An “emperor” inside classroom, he was a campus leader outside
 He was an active member, later secretary, of a religious society, the Marian Congregation
 Rizal was also a member of the Academy of Spanish Literature and the Academy of Natural
Sciences
 He also devoted his spare time in fine arts
 He studied painting under the famous Spanish painter, Agustin Saez, and sculpture under
Romualdo de Jesus, noted Filipino sculptor
 Furthermore, to develop his weak body, Rizal engaged in gymnastics and fencing

18. Sculptural Works in Ateneo
 Rizal impressed his Jesuit professors in the Ateneo with his artistic skill
 One day, he carved an image of Our Virgin Mary on a piece of batikuling (Philippine hardwood)
with his pocket-knife. The Jesuit Fathers were amazed at the beauty and grace of the image
 Father Leonart, impressed by Rizal’s sculptural talent, requested him to carve for him an image of
the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Jesuit intend to bring this sculpture with him to Spain but forgot it.
The sculpture was displayed by the students for nearly 20 years at the door of their dormitory. This
image played a significant part in Rizal’s last hours at Fort Santiago.

19. Anecdote on Rizal the Atenean
 Felix M. Roxas narrated an incident of Rizal’s schooldays which reveals the hero’s resignation to pain
and forgiveness
 Manuel Xeres Burgos, in whose house Rizal boarded shortly before he became an internee in the
Ateneo. He illustrates Rizal predilection to help the helpless at the risk of his own life.

20. Poems Written in Ateneo
 It was Doña Teodora who first discovered the poetical genius of her son, and it was also she who
first encouraged him to write poems
 However, it was Father Sanchez who inspired Rizal to make full use of his God-given genius in
poetry and improved the latter’s poetical arts by opening his mind to the enriching influences of
world’s influences
 Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration) – first poem Rizal wrote during his days in the Ateneo,
dedicated to his mother on his birthday

21. Rizal’s Poems on Education
 Although Rizal was merely a teenager, he had a very high regard for education
 He believed in the significant role which education plays in the progress and welfare of a nation
 In another poem, he also showed the importance of religion and education

22. Rizal’s Religious Poems
 During his student days Rizal expressed his devotion to his Catholic Faith in melodious poetry.

23. First Romance of Rizal
 Shortly after his graduation from the Ateneo, Rizal, who was then sixteen years old, experienced his
first romance – “that painful experience which comes to nearly all adolescents.”
 The girl was Segunda Katigbak, a pretty fourteen-year old Batangueña from Lipa
 “She was rather short, with eyes that were eloquent and ardent at times and languid at others, rosy-
cheeked, with an enchanting and provocative smile that revealed very beautiful teeth, and the air of
a sylph; her entire self diffused a mysterious charm.”

24. First Romance of Rizal
 Segunda is the sister of his friend Mariano Katigbak
 His grandmother’s guests, who were mostly college students, knew of his skill in painting, so that
they urged him to draw Segunda’s portrait
 “From time to time… she looked at me, and I blushed.”
 Rizal came to know Segunda more intimately during his weekly visits to La Concordia College,
where his sister Olimpia was a boarding student
 It was apparent that Rizal and Segunda loved each other. Theirs was indeed “a love at first sight.”
 However, Segunda was already engaged to be married to her townmate, Manuel Luz
 Rizal, for all his artistic and intellectual prowess, was a shy and timid lover. Segunda had
manifested, by insinuation and deeds, her affection for him but he timidly failed to propose

25. First Romance of Rizal
 The last time they talked to each other was one Thursday in December, 1877 when Christmas
vacation was about to begin
 He visited Segunda at La Concordia College to say good-bye because he was going home to
Calamba the following day while Segunda also told him that she was also going home one day
later. She kept quiet after her brief reply, waiting for him to say something her heart was clamoring
to hear. But Rizal failed to come up to her expectation
 “Well, good-bye. Anyway – I’ll see you when you pass Calamba on your way to Lipa.”
 When he arrived home, his mother did not easily recognized him due to her failing eyesight and his
sisters teased him about Segunda

26. First Romance of Rizal
 He waited for the carriage wherein Segunda was riding but he had not said anything.
 He returned home, dazed and desolate, with his first romance “ruined by his own shyness and
reserve.”
 The first girl, whom he loved with ardent fervor, was lost to him forever. She returned to Lipa and
married Manuel Luz.
 He remained in Calamba, a frustrated lover, cherishing nostalgic memories of a lost love
 Three years later, Rizal, recording his first and tragic romance said: “Ended, at an early hour, my first
love! My virgin heart will always mourn the reckless step it took on the flower-decked abyss. My
illusions will return, yes, but indifferent, uncertain, ready for the first betrayal on the path of love.”

27. References:
 Jose Rizal Life, Works and Writings by Gregorio F. Zaide