04 Handout 1 - GE1804 PDF

GE1804 TAKEAWAYS FOR WEEKS 08-09 The Expatriates We all have our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who serve as our expatriates [Gk. ex- ("beyond, outside") + patros ("father"), "beyond the father's abode"], people...

GE1804 TAKEAWAYS FOR WEEKS 08-09 The Expatriates We all have our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who serve as our expatriates [Gk. ex- ("beyond, outside") + patros ("father"), "beyond the father's abode"], people who work outside the country. There are many reasons why people work abroad, with one most common reason being to support their families because of meager job opportunities in the country. Particularly in our country, we had been sending expatriates since the Spanish Occupation, which can be seen in the ilustrados. The ilustrados, during their tenure abroad, sought and campaigned for reforms in the colonial government. They studied abroad because of the following reasons: 1. The idea of the indios developing anticlerical thoughts was considered a crime. Thus, people who directly opposed the friars were tried and sentenced. This made some prominent people move out of the country to escape persecution, with a prime example being Jose Rizal. He was expatriated by his brother Paciano because Jose earned the wrath of the friars. 2. The advent of industrialization paved the way for more ideas to move from Europe to the other parts of the world, with the opening of the Suez Canal being one (1) of these. Since the Philippines was not educationally liberal, the number of opportunities for those willing to learn and "improve" their social status were slim -- making education in the country deplorable during Rizal's time. This was also the time when politics were being debated and discussed more in classrooms, which became a social taboo, as it "promoted sedition and anarchy" to the young students. Thus, studying outside the Philippines gave them better odds. 3. The governments were beginning to modernize because of the changing times. The ilustrados saw this as an opportunity to campaign their proposed reforms. The ilustrados came from all casta, save for outsiders such as Indians and Muslims. Prominent members include Trinidad Pardo de Tavera (insular), the Lunas (mestizo de Español), and Rizal himself (mestizo de Sangley). There were members who brought renown, such as Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo and Juan Luna, which served as an advantage for their campaign -- that Filipinos and Spaniards could live in harmony, that the common indio can do what the blancos do, as noted by Rizal and his famous phrase in his speech for Hidalgo: "… The Philippines' patriarchal era is passing. The illustrious deeds of its sons are not circumscribed by the home. The oriental chrysalis is [leaving] the cocoon". Deconstructing Noli Me Tangere One (1) of the famous works of Jose Rizal is Noli Me Tangere, where he told the story of Crisostomo Ibarra as he strode through the intrigue and suffering of his brethren and of himself in a society where the friars held absolute dominion over the colonized land -- evident during Rizal's time. The title is a Latin phrase which means, "Touch me not,", while internationally it is titled as, "The Social Cancer", as provided by Charles Derbyshire. Only a few know its origin. The Latin phrase was explained by Rizal as a response by Jesus after Mary Magdalene had touched him, as mentioned in the Bible (David, n.d.). Literally translated as "Don't touch me," it can also be translated as "Don't cling to me." Originally published in 1887 in Europe, it took all of Rizal's money, time, and effort to do this. It was supposed to be a collection of stories made by him and his ilustrado friends that would provide a window to the slice-of-life tales in the Philippines, as well as the social conditions and injustices that were happening back then. But, due to them procrastinating, Rizal was offended and took it upon himself to write the book. 04 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 1 of 3  GE1804 The novel has 63 known chapters, but some modern-day books used in junior high schools feature a copy of the novel with an extra hidden chapter explaining the origin of Elias (Rizal, 1887). This is in part of Rizal writing the chapter but left unmarked because he did not know where to place it in the established continuum of Noli Me Tangere. A story can be analyzed by breaking down its components, starting with its characters. Any story contains protagonists and antagonists that builds the narrative. A protagonist is a character that plays an important part in the story regardless of their role, but many interpret it as the "good guys" in the story. There are several protagonists in Noli Me Tangere, with the story centered on Crisostomo Ibarra, an ilustrado who studied abroad and went back home to live his life in the country. As the novel progresses, he was slowly learning of the twisted and horrible tragedies that befell his loved ones. An antagonist is a character that provides conflict to the story, usually assigned to the villains of the story. In Noli Me Tangere, there are various antagonists with varying degrees of villainy. The ones that stand out, however, are the corrupt friars -- mainly the Dominicans and the Franciscans -- and the members of the blancos, which are the top three (3) members of the Spanish casta system. A story's literary style, or genre, is the element that drives a story. It can be based on reality or in a completely made-up world. Noli Me Tangere, as a novel, is considered both as a fiction and satire. Fiction is a genre that describes a story that is not found or based on reality. Fictional stories are the ones that can be a completely made-up world, scenarios, and people, or it can be based on real ones with made-up elements mixed in between. Noli Me Tangere, a fictional novel with some real-life places in the country, is constructed by Rizal by adding a few fictional places and people to represent the small barrios and slice-of-life activities. A satire is a genre that uses exaggeration, humor, irony, or ridicule to expose human stupidity or vices. This is an excellent genre to use if the story revolves around politics or major issues. Noli Me Tangere satirizes the Roman Catholic church, the Colonial government, and the peninsulares. Of course, some stories contain morals and/or qualities that exemplify some aspects of the narrative, which calso be applied in real life. Noli Me Tangere primarily exhibits the following qualities (Schumacher, 1997e) (Panistante, 2014): The Filipina's devotion and influence over a man. This has been exemplified by several Filipinas in the novel, but it has been demonstrated the best by Maria Clara. As the true love of Crisostomo Ibarra, she has shown grace and simple elegance through her actions and words, leaving a strong impression over young men in their place. A deep sense of gratitude. Noli Me Tangere exemplified this trait through the eyes of several poor and indebted characters, particularly Basilio. As he was left orphaned, he was left in the care of Elias until the latter's death, leaving him with wealth that could afford him to study through college. Filipino Common Sense. The novel inadvertently has woken up the Filipinos' sleeping sense of nationalism and, as such, opened their eyes to the bitter reality happening around them. This led us to use our common sense more and be more aware of the current events in the country. So why did Rizal write the novels? Disprove accusations made by Spaniards to Filipinos. The novel depicted Filipinos as seen from the lenses of the freeman, living normal lives and experiencing problems similar to the affluent, if not worse. Express the true social conditions of the country. Since the Age of Exploration has limited forms of communication, many countries do not know what was happening outside their borders. Since the Philippines had been campaigning for recognition in the Cortes Generales and the Real Audiencia, the ilustrados used several means to express the true social conditions of the country, which also include the novels. 04 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 2 of 3  GE1804 Express the plight of the Filipinos. Since the majority of indios could not afford to speak out in public nor travel abroad to escape persecution, the Filipinos were living in conditions filled with strife, injustices, and hardships. Those that do either were executed in public or went abroad, as in the case of some ilustrados. Expose the wrongdoings of the friars. Some of the friars had been known to use their religious influences to manipulate things to go to their favor, such as using religious teachings to gain more resources. The ilustrados wanted to expose these villainous and heinous acts committed by some members of the church; thus, they also used the novels to expose them. Another thing a literary material can be used is to spread awareness and nationalism. Andres Bonifacio, as a bourgeois, was well-versed in Western thinking and literature because of his work in the British trade and in the books he read. When he scoured Noli Me Tangere, he was moved and stirred to do something about the injustices that were happening to his fellowmen (Mañebog, 2013). When he formed the Katipunan, he composed and published the very first Kartilya ng Katipunan. Emilio Jacinto later revised it, to Bonifacio's delight and approval. Marcelo del Pilar, upon learning that Noli Me Tangere was to be banned for publication in the Philippines, wrote a counter article to the one written by Fr. Jose Rodriguez. Rodriguez wrote "Caingat Cayo! (Beware)", an article that supposedly tried to denounce Noli Me Tangere's credibility as a novel. As retaliation, del Pilar wrote "Caiigat Cayo! (Be slippery as an eel)", which satirizes Rodriguez's article while adding a few insults to their practices in the church (Schumacher, 1997c). Lualhati Bautista wrote the novel Dekada '70, which retold the story of Martial Law through the eyes of a family who was caught up in the corruption and abuse of power during Marcos' regime. This and other similar stories and/or novels serve as a reminder to us of the darker times in Philippine history. REFERENCES: Anderson, B. (2008). Why Counting Counts: A Study of Forms of Consciousness and Problems of Language in Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press David, R. (n.d.). Noli Me Tangere. In Opinions, Philippine Daily Inquirer. Lifted and modified from https://opinion.inquirer.net/4582/noli- me-tangere Hau, C. (2000). The Fiction of a Knowable Community. In Necessary Fictions: Philippine Literature and the Nation. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press Joaquin, N. (2005). Why was the Rizal Hero a Creole? In A Question of Heroes. Mandaluyong City: Anvil La Solidaridad (1889). Our Aims. Barcelona: Author. Lamarque, P. (2006). The intentional fallacy. In Literary Theory and Criticism. Oxford: Oxford University Press Mañebog, J. D. G. (2013). The collaboration between Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio. Lifted and modified from https://ourhappyschool.com/ap-social-studies/collaboration-between-jose-rizal-and-andres-bonifacio Moises, A. (n.d.). Bonifacio and Rizal: Of oil and water and men of conviction. Retrieved from https://philippines-atbp.jimdo.com/about- alex-moises-andres-bonifacio-tribute-part-iii-1/ Panistante, C. (2014). Aims of Noli Me Tangere. Lifted and modified from https://prezi.com/hd_loag9lspj/aims-of-noli-me-tangere/ Paraiso, B. A. C. (2011). Jose Rizal, suspected spy, deciphered. Retrieved from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/7951/jose-rizal- suspected-spy-deciphered Rizal, J. P. (1887). Noli Me Tangere (P. H. Poblete, Trans.). Retrieved from https://www.gutenberg.org/files/20228/20228-h/20228- h.htm Rizal, J. P. (2011). Rizal's toast to Luna and Hidalgo. Retrieved from http://malacanang.gov.ph/4071-jose-rizals-homage-to-luna-and- hidalgo/ Rizal, J. P. (1890). To his excellency, Ms. Vicente Barrantes. In La Solidaridad. Barcelona: La Solidaridad Schumacher, J. N. (1997a). Del Pilar as delegate in Barcelona of "The Propaganda". In The Propaganda Movement: 1880-1895; The Creators of a Filipino Consciousness, the Makers of the Revolution. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press Schumacher, J. N. (1997b). Early student activities in Spain. In The Propaganda Movement: 1880-1895; The Creators of a Filipino Consciousness, the Makers of the Revolution. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press Schumacher, J. N. (1997c). Journalism and politics. In The Propaganda Movement: 1880-1895; The Creators of a Filipino Consciousness, the Makers of the Revolution. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press Schumacher, J. N. (1997d). The new Filipino newspaper in Barcelona. In The Propaganda Movement: 1880-1895; The Creators of a Filipino Consciousness, the Makers of the Revolution. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press Schumacher, J. N. (1997e). The "Noli Me Tangere," 1887. In The Propaganda Movement: 1880-1895; The Creators of a Filipino Consciousness, the Makers of the Revolution. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press Simban, A. (2014). Controversy of Noli Me Tangere. Lifted and modified from https://prezi.com/pc2yf7paq05d/controversy-of-noli-me- tangere/ 04 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 3 of 3