The Birth of a Hero - Jose Rizal PDF

# THE Birth of a Hero On Wednesday, between eleven and midnight of June 19, 1861, born to the Rizal family of Calamba, Laguna, a son named Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda. The boy was born with a naturally big head which almost cost his mother’s life. Aged three days old, he was bapt...

# THE Birth of a Hero On Wednesday, between eleven and midnight of June 19, 1861, born to the Rizal family of Calamba, Laguna, a son named Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda. The boy was born with a naturally big head which almost cost his mother’s life. Aged three days old, he was baptized by Rev. Rufino Collantes in the Catholic Church of Calamba and was named Jose, in honor of St. Joseph, by his mother who was a devotee of the saint. Father Pedro Casanas, a close friend of the family, stood as his godfather. ## His baptismal certificate reads: "I, the undersigned parish priest of Calamba, certify that from the investigation made with proper authority, for replacing the parish books which were burned September 28, 1862, to be found in Docket No. 1 of Baptisms, p. 49, it appears by the sworn testimony of competent witnesses that Jose Rizal Mercado is the legitimate son, and of lawful wedlock, of Don Francisco Rizal Mercado and Dona Teodora Realonda, having been baptized in this parish on the 22nd day of June in the years 1861, by the parish priest Rev. Rufino Collantes, Rev. Pedro Casanas being his godfather. -- Witness my signature." (Signed): Leoncio Lopez ## MEANING OF THE NAME - **Doctor** - completed his medical course in Spain and was conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine by the Universidad Central de Madrid - **Jose** - was chosen by his mother who was a devotee of the Christian saint San Jose (St. Joseph) - **Protacio** - from Gervacio P., which come from a Christian calendar - **Mercado** - adopted in 1731 by Domigo Lamco (the paternal great-great-grandfather of Jose Rizal) which the Spanish term mercado means ‘market’ in English - **Rizal** - from the word ‘Ricial’ in Spanish means a field where wheat, cut while still green, sprouts again - **Alonzo** - old surname of his mother - **Y-and** - **Realonda** - it was used by Dona Teodora from the surname of her godmother based on the culture by that time - **June 19, 1861** - moonlit of Wednesday between eleven and midnight Jose Rizal was born in the lakeshore town of Calamba, Laguna - **June 22, 1861** - aged three days old, Rizal was baptized in the Catholic church - **Father Rufino Collantes** - a Batangueno, the parish priest who baptized Rizal - **Father Pedro Casanas** - Rizal's godfather, native of Calamba and close friend of the Rizal family - **Lieutenant-General Jose Lemery** - the governor general of the Philippines when Rizal was born ## THE PARENTS ### Don Francisco Mercado (1818-1898) Rizal’s father was born in Biñan, Laguna on May 11, 1818. He studied Latin and Philosophy at the College of San Jose in Manila. He, then, became a tenant-farmer of the Dominican-owned hacienda. Often described as an independent-minded man, who talked less and worked more, and was strong in body and valiant in spirit. Rizal would affectionately call him "a model of fathers". He died in Manila on January 5, 1898, at the age of 80. ### Doña Teodora Alonso Realonda (1826-1911) Rizal's mother was born in Manila on November 8, 1826. She was educated at the College of Santa Rosa, a known college for girls in the city. Jose Rizal would describe his mother as, "...a woman of more than ordinary culture; she knows literature and speaks Spanish better than I. She corrected my poems and gave me good advice when I was studying rhetoric. She is a mathematician and has read many books." She died in Manila on August 16, 1911, at the age of 85. Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso Realonda married on June 28, 1848, after which they settled down in Calamba. # THE SIBLINGS 1. Saturnina (1850-1913) - The oldest of the Rizal children. Neneng as she was fondly called, married Manuel T. Hidalgo of Tanauan, Batangas. 2. Paciano - An older brother and confidant of Jose Rizal. He was the second father to Rizal. Rizal immortalized him in his first novel, Noli Me Tangere, as the wise Pilosopong Tasio. Rizal regarded him as the most noble of Filipinos. He became a combat general in the Philippine Revolution. Records of his life mentioned that he had two children by his mistress, Severina Decena. He died an old bachelor on April 13, 1930. 3. Narcisa (1852-1939) – Sisa was married to Antonio Lopez (the nephew of Father Leoncio Lopez), who was a school teacher in Morong. 4. Olympia (1855-1887) - Ypia was married to Silvestre Ubaldo, a telegraph operator in Manila. 5. Lucia (1857-1979) – Lucia was married to Mariano Herbosa of Calamba, a nephew of Father Casanas. Herbosa died of cholera in 1889 and was denied Christian burial because he was a brother-in-law of Rizal. 6. Maria (1859-1945) - Biang was married to Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan, Laguna. 7. Jose (1861-1896) - the greatest Filipino hero and peerless genius. Pepe, his nickname, lived with Josephine Bracken, an Irish girl from Hong Kong. The couple had a son but the baby boy died a few hours after birth; Rizal named him "Francisco" after his father, and buried him in Dapitan. 8. Concepcion (1862-1865) - Concha died at age of three because of sickness. Her death was Rizal's first sorrow in life. 9. Josefa (1865-1945) – She had a unique nickname. She was called Panggoy and died an old maid at the age of 80. 10. Trinidad (1868-1951) - Trining was her pet name and like Josefa, she never married and died at the age of 83. 11. Soledad (1870-1929) - Choleng was married to Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba. - Rizal always referred his sisters as Doña or Señora (if married) and Señorita (if single). - Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso Realonda married on June 28, 1848, after which they settled down in Calamba. - The real surname of the Rizal family was Mercado, which was adopted in 1731 by Domingo Lamco (the paternal great-great grandfather of Jose Rizal), who was a full blooded Chinese) - Rizal's family acquired a second surname-Rizal-which was given by a Spanish alcalde mayor (provincial governor) of Laguna, who was a family friend # THE PHYSICAL HOME OF THE RIZAL FAMILY - was one of the distinguished stone houses in Calamba during the Spanish times - it was a two-storey building, rectangular in shape, built of adobe stones and hard-woods and roofed with red tiles - by day, it hummed with the noises of children at play and the songs of the birds in the garden; by night, it echoed with the dulcet notes of family prayers - The Rizal family belonged to the principalia, a town aristocracy in Spanish Philippines - The Rizal family had a simple, contented and happy life # GOOD AND MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILY The Rizal family belonged to the principalia, town aristocracy in Spanish Philippines. They harvested rice, corn, and sugarcane from the farm rented from the Dominican priest. They also raised pigs, chicken, and turkeys in the backyard. Doña Teodora managed a store of general goods and operated a small flour mill and a home-made ham press. They owned a large stone house and a carriage. They are the first to own a private library with more than 1,000 volumes of books. Don Francisco and Doña Teodora trained their children to love God, to behave well, to obey, and to respect people. They believed in the saying, "spare the rod and spoil the child". The family heard mass in town during Sundays and Christian holidays. They have prayed daily-angelus at nightfall and the rosary before going to bed. # CHILDHOOD YEARS OF RIZAL The first memory of Rizal with his infancy was his happy days in the family garden when he was three. At an even age, he began to take part in the family prayers, he began to recite the alphabet as well. Rizal loves the nocturnal walk in the town, especially when the moon is set in the sky. He also had fond memories of moonlight nights at the azotea. After the rosary, his aya would tell them stories about fairies, buried treasures, and trees blooming with diamonds. Aged four, Rizal, for the first time, shed tears caused by love and grief, when he lost his little sister Concha, whom he loved the most among all his sisters. During this time his mother taught him how to read and write. His father hired a classmate by the name of Leon Monroy who, for five months until his (Monroy) death, taught Rizal the rudiments of Latin. At about this time two of his mother's cousin frequented Calamba. Uncle Manuel Alberto, upon seeing Rizal frail in body, concerned himself with the physical development of his young nephew and taught the latter love for the open air and developed in him a great admiration for the beauty of nature, while Uncle Gregorio, a scholar, intensified his voracious reading of good books. Aged five, he was able to read haltingly the Spanish family bible. He made sketches with his pencil and moulded in clay and wax any objects that attracted his fancy. Aged seven, Jose and his father went on a pilgrimage to Antipolo on June 6, 1868 to fulfill his mother's vow, which she had made when Jose was born. Doña Teodora could not join them on this pilgrimage because she had given birth to Jose's sister Trinidad. # At the age of eight, Jose wrote his first poem entitled “Sa Aking Mga Kabata” (To My Fellow Children). On the same year, Rizal wrote his first dramatic work, a Tagalog comedy. It was staged in a festival in Calamba, and was later sold to a gobernadorcillo from Paete for two pesos. # On the Story of the Moth "One night, all the family, except my mother and myself, went to bed early. Why, I do not know, but we two remained sitting alone. The candles had already been put out. They had been blown out in their globes by means of a curved tube of tin. That tube seemed to me the finest and most wonderful plaything in the world. The room was dimly lighted by a single light of coconut oil. In all Filipino homes such a light burns through the night. It goes out just at day-break to awaken people by its spluttering. My mother was teaching me to read in a Spanish reader called "The Children's Friend" (El Amigo de los Ninos). This was quite a rare book and an old copy. It had lost its cover and my sister had cleverly made a new one. She had fastened a sheet of thick blue paper over the back and then covered it with a piece of cloth. This night my mother became impatient with hearing me read so poorly. I did not understand Spanish and so I could not read with expression. She took the book from me. First she scolded me for drawing funny pictures on its pages. Then she told me to listen and she began to read. When her sight was good, she read very well. She could recite well, and she understood verse-making, too. Many times during Christmas vacations, my mother corrected my poetical compositions, and she always made valuable criticisms. I listened to her, full of childish enthusiasm. I marvelled at the nice-sounding phrases which she read from those same pages. The phrases she read so easily stopped me at every breath. Perhaps I grew tired of listening to sounds that had no meaning for me. Perhaps I lacked self-control. Anyway, I paid little attention to the reading. I was watching the cheerful flame. About it, some little moths were circling in playful flights. By chance, too, I yawned. My mother soon noticed that I was not interested. She stopped reading. Then she said to me: "I am going to read you a very pretty story. Now pay attention." On hearing the word 'story' I at once opened my eyes wide. The word 'story' promised something new and wonderful. I watched my mother while she turned the leaves of the book, as if she were looking for something. Then I settled down to listen. I was full of curiosity and wonder. I had never even dreamed that there were stories in the old book which I read without understanding. My mother began to read me the fable of the young moth and the old one. She translated it into Tagalog a little at a time. My attention increased from the first sentence. I looked toward the light and fixed my gaze on the moths which were circling around it. The story could not have been better timed. My mother repeated the warning of the old moth. She dwelt upon it and directed it to me. I heard her, but it is a curious thing that the light seemed to me each time more beautiful, the flame more attractive. I really envied the fortune of the insects. They frolicked so joyously in its enchanting splendor that the ones which had fallen and been drowned in the oil did not cause me any dread. My mother kept on reading and I listened breathlessly. The fate of the two insects interested me greatly. The flame rolled its golden tongue to one side and a moth which this movement had singed fell into the oil, fluttered for a time and then became quiet. That became for me a great event. A curious change came over me which I have always noticed in myself whenever anything has stirred my feelings. The flame and the moth seemed to go further away and my mother's words sounded strange and uncanny. I did not notice when she ended the fable. All my attention was fixed on the face of the insect. I watched it with my whole soul... It had died a martyr to its illusions. As she put me to bed, my mother said: "See that you do not behave like the young moth. Don't be disobedient, or you may get burnt as it did." I do not know whether I answered or not... The story revealed to me things until then unknown. Moths no longer were, for me, insignificant insects. Moths talked; they know how to warn. They advised just like my mother. The light seemed to me more beautiful. It had grown more dazzling and more attractive. I knew why the moths circled the flame." # This isn't just a simple story for Rizal, through this he made his profoundest impressions, he thought that the creature's death was justified because he believed that to sacrifice one's life for one's ideals is worthwhile. # EARLY EDUCATION IN CALAMBA AND BIÑAN First Teachers of Rizal The very first teacher of Jose was his mother. As a tutor, Doña Teodora was patient, conscientious, and understanding. On her lap, he learned at the age of three the alphabet and the prayers. "My mother," wrote Rizal in his student memoirs, "taught me how to read and to say haltingly the humble prayers which I raised fervently to God." As Jose grew older, his parents employed private tutors to give him lessons at home. The first was Maestro Celestino and the second was Maestro Lucas Padua. Later, an old man named Leon Monroy, a former classmate of Rizal's father, became the boy's tutor. This old teacher lived at the Rizal's home and instructed Jose in Spanish and Latin. Unfortunately, he did not lived long. He died five months later. When Leon Monroy died, Rizal's parents decided to send him to a private school in Biñan. # The Study in Biñan One Sunday afternoon in June, 1869, Jose, after kissing the hands of his parents and a tearful parting from his sisters, left Calamba for Biñan. He was accompanied by Paciano, who acted as his second father. The two brothers rode in a carromata, reaching their destination after one and one-half hours' drive. They proceeded to their aunt's house, where Jose was to lodge. It was almost night when they arrived, and the moon was about to rise. That same night, Jose, with his cousin named Leandro, went sightseeing in the town. Instead of enjoying the sights, Jose became depressed because of homesickness. "In the moonlight," he recounted, "I remembered my home town, my idolized mother, and my solicitous sisters. Ah, how sweet to me was Calamba, my own town, in spite of the fact that was not as wealthy as Biñan." On December 17, 1870, he left Biñan after one year and a half of schooling. Arturo Camos, a friend of Rizal 's father, took care of him on board. # First Day in Biñan School The next morning (Monday) Paciano brought his younger brother to the school of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz. The school was in the house of the teacher, which was a small nipa hut about 30 meters from the home of Jose's aunt. Paciano knew the teacher quite well because he had been a pupil under him before. He introduced Jose to the teacher, after which he departed to return to Calamba. Immediately, Jose was assigned his seat in the class. The teacher asked him: "Do you know Spanish?" "A little, sir," replied the Calamba lad. "Do you know Latin?" "A little, sir." The boys in the class, especially Pedro, the teacher's son laughed at Jose's answers. The teacher sharply stopped all noises and begun the lessons of the day. Jose described his teacher in Biñan as follows: "He was tall, thin, long-necked, with sharp nose and a body slightly bent forward, and he used to wear a sinamay shirt, woven by the skilled hands of the women of Batangas. He knew by heart the grammars by Nebrija and Gainza. Add to this severity that in my judgement was exaggerated and you have a picture, perhaps vague, that I have made of him, but I remember only this." # First School Brawl In the afternoon of his first day of school, when the teacher was having his siesta, Jose met the bully, Pedro. He was angry at this bully for making fun of him during his conversation with the teacher in the morning. Jose challenged Pedro to a fight. The latter readily accepted, thinking that he could easily beat the Calamba boy who was smaller and younger. The two boys wrestled furiously in the classroom, much to the glee of their classmates. Jose, having learned the art of wrestling from his athletic Tio Manuel, defeated the bigger boy. For this feat, he became popular among his classmates. After his afternoon class, a classmate named Andres Salandanan challenged him to an arm-wrestling match. They went to a house sidewalk and wrestled with their arms. Jose, having the weaker arm, lost and nearly cracked his head on the sidewalk. In succeeding days, he had other fights with the boys of Biñan. He was not quarrelsome by nature, but he never ran away from a fight. # Best Student in School In academic studies, Jose defeated all the Biñan boys. He surpassed them all in Spanish, Latin, and other subjects. Some of his older classmates were jealous of his intellectual superiority. They wickedly squealed to the teacher whenever Jose had a fight outside the school, and even told lies to discredit him before the teacher's eyes. Consequently, the teacher had to punish Jose. In spite of his progress, he received many whippings and strokes from the ferule. Rare was the day when he was not stretched on the bench for a whipping or punished with five or six blows on the open palm. Jose's reaction to all these punishments was one of intense resentment in order to learn and thus carry out his father's will. Jose spent his leisure hours with Justiniano's father-in-law, a master painter. Rizal's way of life was methodical and well-regulated. He heard mass at four if there was one that early, or studied his lesson at that hour and went to mass afterwards. Returning home, he might look in the orchard for a mambolo fruit to eat, then he took his breakfast, consisting generally of a plate of rice and two dried sardines. After that he would attend his class, from which he was dismissed at ten, then home again. At half past two he returned to class and left at five. He might play for a short time with some cousins before returning home. He studied his lessons, drew for a while, and then prayed and if there was a moon, his friends would invite him to play in the street in company with other boys. While he was studying in Biñan, he returned to his hometown now and then. How long the road seemed to him in going and how short in coming! A single day back home more seemed to him like a day spent in heaven, and how he wept, though silently and secretly, when he saw the calesa that conveys him to Biñan. Then everything looked sad; a flower that he touched, a stone that attracted his attention, fearful that he might not see it again upon his return. It was a sad but delicate and quiet pain that possessed him. # Martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora were executed at sunrise of February 17, 1872, by the order of the Governor General Izquierdo. The martyrdom of the GomBurZa in 1872 truly inspired Rizal to fight the evils of Spanish tyranny and redeem his oppressed people. # Injustice to Rizal's Mother On June 1872, Doña Teodora was suddenly arrested on a malicious charge that she and her brother Jose Alberto, tried to poison the latter's perfidious wife. Antonio Vivencio del Rosario, Calamba's gobernadorcillo, assisted the arrest of Doña Teodora. After the arrest, the sadistic Spanish lieutenant forced her to take 50 km walk from Calamba to Santa Cruz, Laguna. Doña Teodora was incarcerated at the provincial prison, where she languished for two years. Francisco de Marcaida and Manuel Marzan, the famous lawyers of Manila, became Doña Teodora's defense lawyers. # Life and Studies at Ateneo The Jesuits were considered the best educators of Spain, and perhaps of Europe, and so, when they were permitted to return to the Philippines, although their power to administer parishes was restricted except in the remote regions of Mindanao, they exercised the privilege of founding colleges, they had applied to the City of Manila for subsidies and soon the Ateneo Municipal began to function in the year 1865. To be able to study in Ateneo, a candidate must be subjected to an entrance examination on Christian doctrine, reading, writing, grammar, and elementary arithmetic. Jose did not take his entrance examinations for he did not remain in Manila but returned first to his town to celebrate the fiesta of its patron saint; it was then that his father changed his mind and decided to continually send him to the Ateneo. On June 10, 1872, On June 10, 1872, Rizal was accompanied by Paciano on his way to to Manila to pursue his studies in Ateneo la to purse his studies in Ateneo. Father Magin Ferrano, the college registrar at that time, refused to admit Rizal in time, refused to admit Rizal in the said for two reasons: a) he already was late for registration; and b) he was sickly and undersized for his age. Fortunately, through the help of Manuel Xerez Burgos, the nephew of Father Burgos, Rizal was reluctantly accepted in Ateneo. Since Mercado, the first surname of the Mercado, the first surname of the family, had come family, had come under suspicion of the authorities under suspicion of the authorities for it was the name Paciano had used when he was studying and working with Father Burgos, Jose adopted the second surname, Rizal, instead. Paciano, who accompanied Jose, found him a house in Walled City, but Intramuros looked gloomy to Jose, and he later found lodging outside-in the house of a spinster situated on Calle Carballo, district of Santa Cruz. As if chance would furnish him data for his future campaigns, he became acquainted with various mestizos, begotten by friars in that house. The Jesuitical system of instruction was considered more advanced than that of other colleges in that epoch. Its discipline was rigid and its methods less mechanical. It introduced physical culture as part of its program as well as the cultivation of the arts, such as music, drawing, and painting. It also establishes vocational courses in agriculture, commerce, and mechanics as a religious institute, its principal purpose was to mold the character and the will of the boys to comply more easily with the percepts of the Church. The students heard mass before the beginning of the class, which was opened and closed with prayers. In the first two terms the classes were divided into groups of interns and externs: the first class constituted the Roman Empire and the second, the Carthaginian Empire. In each empire there were five dignitaries: Emperor, Tribune, Decurion, Centurion, and Standard-Bearer. These dignities were won by means of individual competitions in which it was necessary to catch one's adversary in error three times. The empires considered themselves in perpetual warfare, and when an individual of one empire was caught in error by one belonging to the enemy empire, a point was counted in favor of the latter. At the end of each week or two, the points in favor of each were added and the empire, which obtained more point, will be declared a winner. There was a fraternity of Mary and Saint Louis Gonzaga, to which only those who distinguished themselves in the class for their piety and diligence could belong. This fraternity met on Sundays and after mass, held public programs in which poems were recited or debates were held. With all these inducements it was only natural that the spirit of emulation, a striving to surpass one's colleagues, could be found in Ateneo. The first professor Jose had was Fr. Jose Bech, whom he described as a man of high stature; lean body, bent forward; quick gait; ascetic physiognomy, severe and inspired; small, sunken eyes; sharp Grecian nose; thin lips forming an arch with its sides directed toward the chin. He was somewhat of a lunatic and of an uneven humor; sometimes he was hard and little tolerant and at other times he was gay and playful as a child. Among Jose's classmates were Peninsulares and the sons of Peninsulares: Francisco G. Oliva, very talented but not very studious; Joaquin Garrido, endowed with a poor memory but with much talent and industry; and Gonzalo Marzano, who occupied the throne of Emperor. From the first days of school, Jose learned to systematize his work; he fixed a program of what he had to do in the twenty-four hours of the day and did not deviate from it. Thus, he disciplined his will and subjected it to the commands of his reason. As a newcomer, Jose was initially placed at Jose was initially placed at the tail of the class, c, but he was soon promoted so soon promoted so that at the end that at the end of one month he had attained to the rank of Emperor. At the end of the term he obtained marks of excellent in all the subjects and in examinations. He had reason to feel proud of his advancement; and so, when he went home on vacation that year, he ran alone to see his mother in prison and tell her the good er in prison and tell her the good news. He must have uttered this exclamation on learning from his mother that they had played her a mean trick. The judge, who was a blind partisan of the friar, told her that if she confessed her culpability, he would release her at once. With the desire to see her children again, she pleaded guilty; but the judge, instead of releasing her, convicted her. In a few months, the judge felt guilty and his conscience hit him, he asked for forgiveness from Doña Teodora for what he had done, but the case had no remedy because it was because it was already on appeal. During his second year as a student in Ateneo, Jose had the same professor as in the previous year. He, instead of lodging outside the City, resided at No. 6 Calle Magallanes. At the end of the term, he obtained a medal, returned to his hometown and visited his mother in jail once again. This was three months before her release. The rejoicing upon the news of his mother's release had much influence on the result of his studies in the third year, for he began to win prizes in the quarterly examinations. About that time, he devoted himself to reading novels, and one of those he enjoyed most was Father Dumas', "The Count of Monte Cristo” . He also asked his father to buy him a copy of “The Universal History” by Cesar Cantanu, and according to him, he profited much from its perusal. The Rizal family, who saw Jose's great aptitude for his studies, decided to place him as an intern the following year. In the corner of the dormitory facing the sea and the pier, Jose completed his two years of internship. In his fourth year in Ateneo, he had Fr. Francisco Sanchez as a professor. Jose described him as a model of rectitude, a solicitude, and a man rectitude, a solicitude, and a man full of love for full of love for his students. During this year, Jo his students. During this year, Jose studied mathematic se studied mathematics, rhetoric, s, rhetoric, and Greek. He must have been so diligent in his studies that he-obtained five medals at the end of the year. His aptitude for poetry revealed itself early, and from that time on he did not cease to cultivate it. Fr. Leoncio Lopez, the parish priest of the town, who was a great friend of his father, also liked Jose as a little friend. According to the priest, the boy was cultured, but at the same time timid and tender. One day Jose's mother showed Father Lopez a poem of his young friend and the priest mockingly said in awe that he must have copied it he must have copied it from a book. Jose, who happened to hear this comment, answered the priest violently, for which his mother reprimanded him. Afterwards, Father Lopez who came to know from the Jesuits that Jose was a pupil who excelled in poetry, made a trip to Manila inspite of his age, to express his apologies for Jose. Father Lopez's gesture won him Jose's esteem and they became good friends once again, lending each other the books they had. # Last Year in Ateneo (1876-1877) In the fifth year, his last year in Ateneo,, Jose had other professors: Fathers Vilaclara and Mineves. He studied studied philosophy, physics, chemistry, and natural history, but his devotion to poetry was much deeper. When his professor in philosophy advised him once to leave it, Jose cried. In his resting hours, he continued cultivating his talent under the direction of his old professor,, Father Sanchez. Jose had written a short story which was slightly corrected by his professor, and a dialogue enacted at the end of the course, alluding to the collegians' farewell. Philosophy also caught his interest, and valued it just as much as just as much as poetry. Jose was considered small of stature. He, who tried to correct this defect, had regularly enrolled himself to gymnastics in college. He also engaged himself in other physical exercises, such as fencing. After his baccalaureate, he surprised his family with his skill in handling the sword when he performed an exhibition with the best swordsman in town. He also devoted time to painting and sculpture. In drawing and painting, he was under the guidance and direction of the Ateneo professor, Don Augustin Saez. In sculpture, his instructor was a Filipino, Romualdo de Jesus, who felt proud in the last years of his life having such an excellent pupil. Rizal's studies went well as usual. As a matter-of-fact, he excelled in all subjects. He was the most brilliant Atenean of his time and was indeed the pride of the Jesuits. Consequently, Rizal who was just 15 years old then, received from his Alma Mater the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with the highest honor during the Commencement Day that transpired on the 23rd day of March 1877. # POEMS WRITTEN IN ATENEO It was Doña Teodora who has first discovered the poetic genius of her son, and it was also she who first encouraged him to write poems. Moreover, it was Father Sanchez who inspired Rizal to make full use of his God- given gift in poetry. - Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration), 1874 - the first poem Rizal probably wrote during his days in Ateneo. The literary piece literary piece was dedicated to dedicated to his mother on mother on her birthday; Rizal birthday; Rizal wrote it wrote it before he turned 14 years old. In 1875, inspired by Father Sanchez, Rizal wrote more poems, such as: - Felicitacion (Felicitationi) - El Embarque: Himno a la El Embarque: Himno a la Flota de Magallanes Flota de Magallanes (The Departure: Hymn to Magellan's Fleet) - Y Es Espanol; Elcano, Espanol; Elcano, el Primero en Primero en dar la Vuelta al Mundo (And He is Spanish: Elcano, the First to Circumnavigate the World) - El Combate: Urbiztondo, Terror de Jolo (The Battle: Urbiztondo, Terror of Jolo) In 1876, Rizal wrote poems on various topics such as religion, education, childhood memories, and war. They were as follows: - Un Recuerdo a Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town) - a tender poem in honor of Calamba, the hero's natal town - Alianza Intima Entre la Religion y la Buena Educacion (Intimate Alliance Between Religion and Good Education) - Rizal showed the importance of Education) - Rizal showed the importance of religion in education in education. - Por la Educacion Recibe Lustre la Patria (Through Education the Country (Through Education the Country Receives Light) - R Receives Light) - Rizal believed in the significant role that education plays in the progress and welfare of a nation. - El Cautiverio y el Triunfo: Batalla de Lucena y Prision de Boabdil (The Captivity and the Triumph: Battle of Lucena and the Imprisonment of Boabdil)- this martial poem describes the defeat and capture of Boabdil, last Moorish sultan of Granada. - La Entrada Triunfal de los Reyes Catolices en Granada (The Triumphal Entry of the Catholic Monarchs into Granada) - this poem relates the victorious entry of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel into Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain. A year later, in 1877, Rizal wrote more poems. It was his last year in Ateneo.. Among the poems written that year were: - America - El Heroismo de Colon (The Heroism of Columbus) - this poem praises Columbus, the discoverer of Colon y Juan II (Columbus and John II) - this poem relates how King John II of Portugal missed fame and riches by his failure to riches by his failure to finance the projected expedition of Columbus to the NewWorld. - Gran Consuelo en la Mayor Gran Consuelo en la Mayor Desdicha Desdicha (Great Solace in Great Misfortune) - this is a legend in verse of the tragic life of Columbus - Un Dialogo Aluviso a la Un Dialogo Aluviso a la Despedida de los Colegiales Despedida de los Colegiales (A Farewell Dialogue of the Students) - this was the last poem written by Rizal in last poem written by Rizal in Ateneo; it is a poign Ateneo; it is a poignant poem of farewell to his cl ant poem of farewell to his classmate. # Other Poems by Jose Rizal - Al Niño Jesus (To the Child Jesus) - this poem was written in 1875 when Rizal was 14 years old; it was a brief ode. - A La Virgen Maria (To the en Maria (To the Virgin Mary) in Mary) - a religious poem religious poem that doesn't have doesn't have an exact date when it was written. - San Eustacio, Martir (St. Eustace, the San Eustacio, Martir (St. Eustace, the Martyr) Martyr) - a drama based a drama based on the prose story of St. Eustace on the prose story of St. Eustace which he which he wrote in poetic verses during the summer vacation of 1876. # FIRST ROMANCE OF RIZAL Segunda Katigbak - a 14 yr. old Batangueña from Lipa whom Rizal first fell in love with, but Segunda was already engaged to Manuel Luz so the romance then and there ended # All the girls Rizal loved before It can only be with true passion that one can conquer and accomplish what Filipino hero Jose Rizal had in his thirty-five-year life. He stopped at nothing when it came to expressing his love not just for his country but also his women. His travels across the Philippines and the world swayed him into multifarious relationships that colored almost half his life. There are nine women on record. It's not to say that all those relationships were serious, but he did pursue when he wanted to pursue