El Filibusterismo Past Paper PDF

**BACKGROUND OF ELFILIBUSTERISMO** El Filibusterismo is a sequel to the Noli. It haslittle humor, less idealism and less romance than the Noli Me Tangere. It is more revolutionary, moretragic than the first novel. Also known as 'El Fili'or simply 'Fili',the word \"Filibustero\" contextually means s...

**BACKGROUND OF ELFILIBUSTERISMO** El Filibusterismo is a sequel to the Noli. It haslittle humor, less idealism and less romance than the Noli Me Tangere. It is more revolutionary, moretragic than the first novel. Also known as 'El Fili'or simply 'Fili',the word \"Filibustero\" contextually means subversive, revolutionary, seditious,insurrectionary,and treasonous,it was also written in Spanish. Its commonly known English alternative title is 'The Reign of Greed'. El Filibusterismo exposes the real picture of Filipino society at the hands of the Spanishauthorities. Socio-political issues mentioned in the Noli are also dealt with in its sequel: the abuses andhypocrisy of the members of the Spanish Catholicclergy, superstitions disguising as religious faith,the need for reform in educational system, theexploitation and corruption of government officials,and the pretenses of some social-climbing Filipinosand Spaniards.Rizal dedicated El Filibusterismo to the memoryof Gom-Bur-Za (Don Mariano Gomez, 73 yearsold; Don Jose Burgos, 35 years old; Jacinto Zamora,37 years old) **BRIEF BACKGROUND ON THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR** José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, born June 19, 1861 - December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist and polymath during the tail end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is tagged as the national hero (pambansang bayani) of the Filipino people. As an ophthalmologist, he turned into a writer and was a key member of the Filipino Propaganda Movement advocating for political reforms for the colony under Spain. He was executed by the Spanish colonial government for the crime of rebellion after the Philippine Revolution, inspired in part by his writings, broke out. Though he was not actively involved in its planning or conduct, he ultimately approved of its goals which eventually led to Philippine independence. **ELFILIBUSTERISMO** El Fibibusterismo\'s protagonist is a jeweler named Simoun. He is the new identity of Crisostomo Ibarra who, in the prequel Noli, escaped from pursuing soldiers. It is revealed that Crisostomo uncovered his hidden treasure and left for Cuba, getting richer, where he also befriended some of the Spanish officials. It has been a long time before the rechiselled Simoun went back to the Philippines, and there, with his great influence, because, aside from being rich, he\'s also a good friend and advisor of the governor general, he roamed anywhere he wanted.On the outside, Simoun appears as an ally of Spain; yet in private, he was preparing a horrific revenge against the authorities of Spain. Two were his passions: to liberate his beloved Maria Clara from the nunnery of Santa Clara and to spark a Philippine uprising against Spain. El Filibusterismo unfolds aboard a steamer chugging along the Pasig river out of Manila for Laguna de Bay. Among the passengers are Simoun; Doña Victorina, a proSpanish native woman who is going to Laguna in search of her henpecked husband, Tiburcio de Espadana, who has deserted her: Paulita Gomez, her beautiful niece; Ben-Zayb (anagram of Ibanez). a Spanish journalist who writes silly articles about the Filipinos; Padre Sibyla, vicerector of the University of Santo Tomas; Padre Camorra, the parish priest of the town of Tiani; Don Custodio, a pro-Spanish Filipino holding a position in the government; Padre Salvi, thin Franciscan friar and former cura of San Diego; Padre Irene, a kind friar who was a friend of the Filipino students; Padre Florentino, a retired scholarly and patriotic Filipino priest; Isagani, a poet-nephew of Padre Florentino and a lover of Paulita; and Basilio, son of Sisa and promising medical student, whose medical education is tinanced by his patron. Capitan Tiago. A man of wealth and mystery, Simoun is a very close friend and confidante of the Spanish governor general. Because of his great influence in Malacañang, he was called the \"Brown Cardinal\" or the \"Black Eminence\". By his wealth and political power, he encourages corruption in government, promotes the oppression of the masses, and hastens the moral degradation of the country so that the people become desperate and fight. With the aid of a rich Chinese merchant, Quiroga, who aims to be Chinese consul of Manila, he smuggled arms into the country. His first attempt to begin the armed uprising did not materialize because at the last hour he hears the sad news that Maria Clara died in the nunnery. In his agonizing moment of bereavement, he did not give the signal for the outbreak of hostilities. After a long time of illness brought about by the bitter loss of Maria Clara, Simoun perfects his plan to overthrow the government. On the occasion of the wedding of Paulita Gomez. and Juanito Pelaez, he gives a wedding gift to them a beautiful lamp Only he and his confidential associates, Basilio (Sisa\'s son who joined his revolutionary cause), know that when the wick of his lamp burns lower the nitroglycerine, hidden in its secret compartment, will explode, destroying the house where the wedding feast is going to be held killing all the guests, including the governor general, the friars, and the govemment officials. Simultaneously, all the government buildings in Manila will be blown by Simoun\'s followers. When the wedding feast is beginning, the poet Isagani, who has been rejected by Paulita because of his liberal ideas, stands outside the house, sorrowfully watching the merriment inside. His friend, Basilio, warns him to go away because the lightened lamp will soon explode. Upon hearing the abominable secret of the lamp, Isagani realized that his loved one Paulita is in deep danger. Rushing to the house to save her life, he took hold of the lightened lamp and hurled it into the river, which then exploded.The revolutionary plot is thus discovered. Simoun is cornered by the soldiers, but he escapes. Mortally wounded, and carrying his treasure chest, he seeks refuge in the home of Padre Florentino by the sea.The Spanish authorities, however, learn of his presence in the house of Padre Florentino. Lieutenant Perez of the Guardia Civil writes to the priest that he will come at eight o\'clock that night to arrest Simoun. Simoun escapes from arrest by poisoning himself. In his deathbed, he confesses to Padre Florentino his true identity, his dastardly plan to use his wealth to avenge himself, and his sinister aim to destroy his friends and enemies.The confession of the dying Simoun is long and agonizing. It is already night when Padre Florentino, wiping the sweat from his wrinkled brow, rises and begins to meditate. He comforts the dying man saying: \"God will forgive you Señor Simoun. He knows that we are fallible. He has seen that you have suffered, and in ordaining that the chastisement for your faults should come as death from the very ones you have instigated to crime, we can see His infinite mercy, He has frustrated your plans one by one, the best conceived, first by the death of Maria Clara, then by a lack of preparation, then in some mysterious way. Let us bow to His will and render Him thanks!\" When Simoun peacefully dies with a clear conscience and is at peace with God, Padre Florentino falls on his knees in prayer for the dead jeweler. Then, the priest takes the treasure chest and hurls it into the sea. **ANALYSIS OF THE STORY** -The message of the novel is clear: the present system of governing the Philippines through corrupt and self-seeking officials, dominated by the friars and being submissive to their interests in one fashion or another, can only lead to disaster for Spain. By its nature and operation the system without doubt drives all intelligent, generous, hard-working, courageous, and loyal citizens, even those most devoted to Spain, into opposition, crime, and subversion. The government is subjective, cruel, completely lacking in a sense of justice or of responsibility, and without interest or trust in the people it governs. The friars are painted in even harsher colors than in the Noli: they abuse their power to satisfy vile lusts; to rob men of their lands; to preserve their monopoly of education; always seeking their own interests rather than those of the country, or even of Spain. Yet in this stern picture are bright spots: the high official who opposes the governor-general over his subjective proceedings and sympathises with and defends the Filipino people; and the open-minded Dominican, Father Fernandez, who favors the petition of the students for a Spanish academy, and is willing to discuss with the student Isagani on equal terms what the students expect from the friars. Rizal has little hope that Spain will be ruled by the basis of justice rather than prestige and though he must report the rays of hope which still exists, he is essentially a pessimist. Along with his warning to Spain, Rizal informs his compatriots of what action would be taken if Spain ignores his warning. If Rizal is merciless in his condemnation of Spanish corruption, greed, exploitation, and injustice, he is not less severe in his criticism of Filipino corruption, greed, self-righteousness, hypocrisy, and cowardice, who participate in, or connive at, Spanish abuses. The Filipina, Doña Victorina, ashamed of her race; the cowardly, time-serving Filipino lawyer, Señor Pasta; the brutalized civil guard, cruelest of all of their own countrymen; the corrupt municipal officials \-- to name a few. Moreover, he condemned weak-willed students who lack the respect for themselves and the backbone to fight a dampening system of education; the silliness of Paulita, who chooses the cowardly but wealthy braggart Pelacz over Isagani whose bravery and patriotism have gotten him into trouble with the authorities: the superstition and fanaticism of the women of San Diego. He proclaims the unstable and presumably irreversible status of Spanish sovereignty in the Philippines. Yet he never urges revolution. Not only does he condemn independence won by immoral means, like that of Simoun; but he does not even want at once independence, which could come only to be a new bondage. The task for the Filipinos is to prepare themselves to make themselves worthy of freedom; then God will grant the means, be it revolution or quiet separation from Spain. Education, decent living, and willingness to die for one\'s convictions, to the point of martyrdom- this is the road to freedom that Rizal would have his countrymen travel. **THEMES PRESENTS IN THE NOVEL** ***Revenge and Retribution*** -The theme of revenge is central to \"El Filibusterismo.\" The lead character, Simoun, is the reverse of Crisostomo Ibarra of the novel, \"Noli Me Tangere. Disguised as a wealthy jeweler, Simoun returns to the Philippines with a plan to incite a revolution and seek vengeance against those who wronged him and his loved ones. His motive for vengeance emphasizes the unconstructive character of vengeance and, consequently, of vengeance on the part of the avenger and on society at large. ***Corruption and Abuse of Power*** -The novel exposes the ubiquitous corruption and abuse of authority of the Spanish colonial administration and the Catholic Church. Rizal, through a series of characters, plot, and situation, exposes the abuse of power in public service and religious authority by political leaders and religious authorities, for their personal gain, which results in great suffering and injustice for the Filipino masses. This theme highlights the necessity for systemic and accountable change. ***Social Injustice and Inequality*** -El Filibusterismo\" illustrates the pervasive social inequality and injustice suffered by the Filipinos under Spanish occupation. The novel depicts the lives of the poor and dispossessed, the powerless and manipulated by the rich and powerful. Rizal\'s oeuvre demands social transformation and the emancipation of the marginalized toward a fair and equal society, i.e. ***Education and Enlightenment*** -Education is portrayed as a tool for enlightenment/social reform. Characters such as Basilio, who take education in the face of many difficulties, represent the hope for a brighter tomorrow, through the power of knowledge and learning. Rizal emphasizes the educative value of the theatrical, and the ability to think critically (that can be the basis of social change). ***The Quest for Freedom*** -The urge for autonomy and independence is a recurring theme in \"El Filibusterismo\" (Hyman). Simoun\'s radical initiatives are a manifestation of the widespread desire in the Filipino population to escape colonial rule. The novel addresses the complexities and difficulties of the fight for freedom itself, raising the moral issues and compromises that come with freedom. MEMBERS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS SIMANGAN,ARA - She provided the answer in number 10 and 11. LOISE CANSTANTINO- She answered the question 1 and 2. BUSCAS,ROVELYN- She answered the given question in number 13,and 7. DURIAN,EMIL-He provided the answer in number 6. BAUTISTA,JHON CHRISTOPER-None TACDAG,CRISELDA- She answered the question given in number 5. JAVIER,JENELYN- Sh provided the answer in question number 4. GUTIERREZ,JAMAICA A. - She answered the question given in number 14 and 15, made the power point presentation and also with the write up. MASOCOL,JOY ANGELINE- She povided the answer in the question number 8,and 9 MILO,JOSEL-She answered the question in number 12.