Mga Taon ni Rizal sa Ateneo

Study Notes

Rizal arrived in Manila on June 20, 1872, to take exams in Christian doctrine, arithmetic, and reading at San Juan de Letran.
He returned to Calamba, but then later decided to attend Ateneo.
Padre Magin Ferrando initially rejected Rizal's application due to late enrollment and perceived frail health.
Padre Manuel Xerxes Burgos helped Rizal get into Ateneo.
Ateneo de Manila University began in 1859 with three Jesuit priests and a sibling.
It started as a small private school (Escuela Pia) for 33 children of Spanish residents.
The school became Ateneo Municipal de Manila in 1865 and a secondary education institution.
The American colonial government withdrew support in 1901.
Fr. Jose Clos removed "Municipal" from the name, making it Ateneo de Manila.

Strict discipline and religious instruction were employed.
Physical, humanistic, and scientific studies were promoted alongside academic courses.
Vocational courses existed in agriculture, commerce, mechanics, and surveying.

Rizal entered Ateneo at age 11.
He improved his Spanish by taking lessons at Colegio de Santa Isabel in the afternoons.
He received a religious artwork prize for excellent academic performance.
Rizal's mother's imprisonment affected him during the 1873 vacation.
Visited his mother in Santa Cruz and spoke about his studies.
Padre Jose Bech S.J. was Rizal's first-year teacher.
Rizal developed his literary skills in his free time, under Padre Sanchez' guidance.
Padre Francisco de Paula Sanchez inspired Rizal's writing and poetry.
Rizal composed "My First Inspiration" (Mi Primera Inspiracion) by age 14 (1874), presented to his mother on her birthday.
He did not write much before that, due to his mother's imprisonment.

Schoolmates from Biñan joined him at Ateneo.
Rizal developed a passion for reading, including "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas and "Universal History" by Cesar Cantu.
He also read "Travels in the Philippines" by Dr. Feodor Jagor.

Rizal's mother was freed.
Two skilled Manila-based lawyers defended her.
She was acquitted after two and a half years in prison.
Lawyers involved: Francisco de Marcaida and Manuel Marzan.
Rizal's mother's freedom was likely aided by the Governor-General's interest in her daughter's dance performance, given insufficient evidence for imprisonment.

Rizal's teacher in philosophy and science, Padre Jose Vilaclara, criticized Rizal's poetic pursuits, suggesting a misguided path.
Nonetheless, Rizal continued writing poems and sought Padre Sanchez's feedback.
Rizal studied painting under Agustin Saez and sculpture under Romualdo de Jesus.
Rizal graduated with the highest honors (Bachelor of Arts) at Ateneo on March 23, 1877.
He received five gold medals for his academic excellence.
The Bachelor of Arts degree, during that time, was equivalent to secondary school and some university-level first-year studies.