Bookreport:

I. Introduction: * Noli Me Tángere is a novel written by José Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, during the colonization of the country by Spain to expose the inequities of the Spanish Catholic priests and the ruling government. The title, in Latin meaning Touch me not, refers to John 20:17 in the Bible as Mary Magdalene tried to touch the newly risen Jesus, He said "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father.Early English translations of the novel used titles like An Eagle Flight (1900) and The Social Cancer (1912), disregarding the symbolism of the title, but the more recent translations were published using the original Latin title.

II. Characters: * The Noli Me Tangere unlike many works of fictional literature was a true story of Philippine conditions during the last decades of Spanish rule. The places and the characters, and the situation really existed. The characters Ibarra; Maria Clara; Elias; Tasio; Capitan Tiago; Padre Damaso; Padre Salvi etc. were drawn by Rizal from persons who actually existed during his times. For example, Maria Clara was Leonor Rivera and Ibarra and Elias represented Rizal himself. Some of the characters and their description on the novel is as follows:

1.Juan Crisostomo Ibarra y Magsalin – The only son of Don Rafael Ibarra. He is a young and rich Filipino who has studied in Europe for 7 years. He is the fiancé of Maria Clara.

2.Captain Tiago (Santiago de los Santos)- Friend of Don Rafael Ibarra and the supposed father of Maria Clara. He was a genial host and general patron of the church.

3. Padre Damaso- a Franciscan friar who had been parish priest of San Diego for 20 years. A typical of a domineering friar who was arrogant, supercilious and anti- Filipino.

4. Maria Clara – Childhood sweetheart of Crisostomo Ibarra. The daughter of Dona Pia Alba and Padre Damaso.

5. Elias – Ibarra 's mysterious friend, also a fugitive

III. Settings: * The novel Noli Me Tangere begins with a reception in calle anloague(now Juan Luna Street), The story mostly happens in Manila and also on the town of San Diego, the hometown of Crisostomo Ibarra.

IV. CONFLICT OF THE STORY: * The conflict of this novel, Noli Me Tangere, could be the the incident where Ibarra was the one who blamed for the catastrophe happen on the barracks of the guardia civil, because after that incident, Ibarra was imprison, struggles on what happened in his life and had to fight hard just to escape from the people hunting him.

V. Synopsis of the story: * The novel Noli Me Tangere contains 63 chapters and an epilogue. It begins with a reception given by Capitan Tiago to honor Crisostomo Ibarra. Crisostomo Ibarra is the heir of a wealthy clan. He returns to the Philippines after studying for seven years abroad. He hears news or gossip about the death of his father, Don Rafael Ibarra. Don Rafael was sent to prison in connection with the death of a tax collector. Since Don Rafael stopped receiving Holy Communion for a long time, he was refused a Catholic/Christian burial by Padre Damaso, the parish priest of their town.
Crisostomo (let 's just call him Ibarra from hereon) sees the lack of progress in his town and decides to build a school to teach and prepare his townspeople. Tandang Tacio (the old philosopher) notes that there have been many attempts to build a school in the past, but all these had failed. Padre Salvi opposes the plan because he is secretly worried that the school project will threaten the power he wields over their town.
Ibarra almost gets killed while he is laying the cornerstone of the school, but Elias saved him. Elias is the mysterious fellow who also saved Ibarra previously.
With so many powerful enemies, Ibarra eventually gets implicated in a staged revolution, and is hunted down by the guardia civil. Maria Clara, Ibarra 's sweetheart, unwittingly adds to Ibarra 's woes when she switches Ibarra 's letter with another letter that reveals her true nature.
The guardia civil catch up with Ibarra, and drizzle him and Elias with bullets near the lake. Ibarra survives and buries Elias in the forest owned by the clan of Ibarra. The guardia civil think Ibarra drowned and died in the lake and promptly leave the scene.
Maria Clara thinks Ibarra really died, gets depressed, and enters the nunnery. She does not follow the advice of Padre Damaso to marry Linares.
VI. Theme: * Noli Me Tangere, a novel dedicated to for our fatherland, reveals that human suffering is a malignant character compared to a cancer because even though of its least touch it awakens the sharpest pains in the heart and mind of humanity. This novel tries to strives the interest of Filipino’s for them to realize the truth and to help them to be conscious enough on the defects and inequities of the colonist of our fatherland.

VII. About the Author: * JOSE RIZAL, the national hero of the Philippines and pride of the Malayan race, was born on June 19, 1861, in the town of Calamba, Laguna. He was the seventh child in a family of 11. Both his parents were educated and belonged to distinguished families. Jose Rizal Mercado attended the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, graduating at the age of 16 with highest honors. He took a post-graduate course there in land surveying.In 1878, the young man also enrolled in the University of Santo Tomas as a medical student. He later quit the school, alleging discrimination against Filipino students by the Dominican professors. In May of 1882, Jose Rizal got on a ship to Spain without informing his parents of his intentions. He enrolled at the Universidad Central de Madrid. Jose Rizal lived in Europe for 10 years. During that time,Rizal wrote Noli Me Tangere in Spanish; it was published in 1887 in Berlin. The novel is all about the Catholic Church and Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. In 1891, Rizal published a sequel, titled El Filibusterismo. In 1892, Rizal returned to the Philippines. He was almost immediately accused of being involved in the brewing rebellion, and was exiled to Dapitan, on the island of Mindanao. The Philippine Revolution broke out in 1896. Rizal denounced the violence, and received permission to travel to Cuba, but he was arrested by the Spanish on the way, taken to Barcelona, and then extradited to Manila for trial. Jose Rizal was tried by court martial, charged with conspiracy, sedition and rebellion. In the cold morning of December 30, 1896, Rizal, a man whose 35 years of life had been packed with varied activities which proved that the Filipino has capacity to equal if not excel even those who treat him as a slave, was shot at Bagumbayan Field.
VIII. Bibliography: * Gregorio F. Zaide, Sonia M. Zaide: Jose Rizal, Life, Works and Writings of a Genius writer, Scientists and National hero – 1984

I. Introduction: * El Filibusterismo, also known by its English alternate title The Reign of Greed,is the second novel written by our Philippine national hero José Rizal. It is the sequel to the Noli Me Tangere and like the first book was written in Spanish. It was first published in 1891 in Ghent, Belgium. This novel coveys the idea that a rebel(filibustero) would secretly bewitched the league of friars and retrogrades just to follow his incitements to pursue one sole end and to spread ideas of rebellion throughout the length and breadth of land, just like the hero of this novel did just to cherish his terrible revenge.

II. Characters: * Some of the characters of this novel are also the characters of the first novel of Jose Rizal, just like Simoun, he was Crisostomo Ibarra in Noli Me Tangere, because just like we all know, this was the sequel of that book. Other characters have also been portrayed here in the novel,some of the characters and their desciptions in this novel is as follows:

1. Simoun - Crisostomo Ibarra in disguise, left for dead at the end of Noli Me Tangere, has resurfaced as the wealthy jeweler, Simoun, sporting a beard, blue-tinted glasses, and a revolver. Fueled by his mistreatment at the hands of the Spaniards and his fury at Maria Clara 's fate. 2. Basilio - Son of Sisa. A graduating Medical Student who befriended Simoun. This is the same Basilio introduced in Noli Me Tangere. 3. Isagani Villamor - Basilio 's friend, ex-beau of Paulita Gomez and the man who removed the explosive lamp from the Captain Tiago 's house, thus sabotaging Simoun 's plans. 4. Father Florentino - Isagani 's godfather, and a secular priest; was engaged to be married, but chose to be a priest after being pressured by his mother, the story hinting at the ambivalence of his decision as he chooses an assignment to a remote place, living in solitude near the sea.

III. Settings: * The story of El Filibusterismo begins in board on the clumsy round ship shaped steamer tabo, so appropriately named. This steamer is sailing upstream the Pasig from Manila to Laguna de bay, and like the first novel most of the story in this novel happens in Manila.

IV. Conflict of the story: * The conflict of this novel, is the incident where Simoun hears the sad news that Maria Clara died in the nunnery, and because of this he suffers in agonizing moment of bereavement that really pursues him to perfects his plan to overthrow the Spanish government, but still in the end he just end up losing and hurting himself.

V. SYNOPSIS: * The hero of El Filibusterismo is a rich jeweler named Simoun. He was Crisostomo Ibarra of the Noli, who, with Elias’ help, escaped from the pursuing soldiers at Laguna de Bay, dug up his buried treasure, and fled to Cuba where he became rich and befriended many Spanish officials. After many years he returned to the Philippines, where he freely moved around. He is a powerful figure not only because he is a rich jeweler but also because he is a good friend and adviser of the governor general.The story of El Filibusterismo begins on board the clumsy, roundish shaped steamer Tabo, so appropriately named. This steamer is sailing upstream the Pasig from Manila to Laguna de Bay. Simoun, a man of wealth and mystery, is a very close friend and confidante of the Spanish governor general. By using his wealth and political influence, he encourages corruption in the government, promotes the oppression of the masses, and hastens the moral degradation of the country so that the people may become desperate and fight. 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. But the revolutionary plot was thus discovered, because of Isagani, who removed the lamp from Capitan’s Tiago’s house, thus sabotaging the plan.Simoun was cornered by the soldiers, but he escaped. Mortally wounded, and carrying his treasure chest, he sought refuge in the home of Padre Florentino by the sea.The Spanish authorities, however, learns of his presence in the house of Padre Florentino.Simoun eluded arrest by taking poison. As he is dying, he confesses to Padre Florentino, revealing 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 painful.Watching Simoun die peacefully with a clear conscience and at peace with God. Padre Florentino falls upon his knees and prays for the dead jeweler. He takes the treasure chest and throws it into the sea; as the waves close over the sinking chest. VI. THEME: * El Filibusterismo, a sequel of the Noli Me Tangere is a novel dedicated for the martyrdom of the Gom-Bur-Za. This novel contains bitterness, hatred, pain, and sorrow. A political novel with a revolutionary plot yet a tragic ending for this book of thought, but definitely this novel is indeed excellent to show to the Filipino’s that a revolution by force or violence could give them satisfaction but still in the end they might just lose hurting themselves.
VII. About the Author: * JOSE RIZAL, the national hero of the Philippines and pride of the Malayan race, was born on June 19, 1861, in the town of Calamba, Laguna. He was the seventh child in a family of 11. Both his parents were educated and belonged to distinguished families. Jose Rizal Mercado attended the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, graduating at the age of 16 with highest honors. He took a post-graduate course there in land surveying.In 1878, the young man also enrolled in the University of Santo Tomas as a medical student. He later quit the school, alleging discrimination against Filipino students by the Dominican professors. In May of 1882, Jose Rizal got on a ship to Spain without informing his parents of his intentions. He enrolled at the Universidad Central de Madrid. Jose Rizal lived in Europe for 10 years. During that time,Rizal wrote Noli Me Tangere in Spanish; it was published in 1887 in Berlin. The novel is all about the Catholic Church and Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. In 1891, Rizal published a sequel, titled El Filibusterismo. In 1892, Rizal returned to the Philippines. He was almost immediately accused of being involved in the brewing rebellion, and was exiled to Dapitan, on the island of Mindanao. The Philippine Revolution broke out in 1896. Rizal denounced the violence, and received permission to travel to Cuba, but he was arrested by the Spanish on the way, taken to Barcelona, and then extradited to Manila for trial. Jose Rizal was tried by court martial, charged with conspiracy, sedition and rebellion. In the cold morning of December 30, 1896, Rizal, a man whose 35 years of life had been packed with varied activities which proved that the Filipino has capacity to equal if not excel even those who treat him as a slave, was shot at Bagumbayan Field.
VIII. Bibliography: * Gregorio F. Zaide, Sonia M. Zaide: Jose Rizal, Life, Works and Writings of a Genius writer, Scientists and National hero – 1984

Bibliography: * Gregorio F. Zaide, Sonia M. Zaide: Jose Rizal, Life, Works and Writings of a Genius writer, Scientists and National hero – 1984