comparative analysis

Etheljen Galiste
BS Psychology IV-2
Mr. Albert Caoile
Lifes and Works of Jose Rizal

Comparative Analysis of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo One of the great books written by our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, is Noli Me Tangere. It is a Latin word meaning "Touch Me Not". He started writing it in Madrid, Spain on 1884 and continued in Paris, France. He was finished it in Berlin, Germany on February 1887 and had printed at Berlin Buchdrukrei Action Gesselschaft. His first novel was dedicated to his Inang Bayan, the Philippines or it called the motherland. The history stated in the book "Uncle Tom's Cabin" of Hariet Beecher Stowe, that tells the suffering of Negro slaves under the cruelty of the Americans, gave our hero the idea. In writing this book, he saw the similarities of this to the cruelty experienced by the Filipinos under the Spanish rule. This was published at Imprenta Lette in Berlin, Germany on March 1887 by the help of Dr. Maximo Viola who saved Noli Me Tangere by lending Rizal 300,000 for the printing of 2,000 copies of the novel. As thanks, Dr. Rizal gave the original manuscript and the PLUMA he used in writing the novel to Dr. Maximo Viola. Another important writing of our hero, his second novel, El Filibusterismo, a more profound and perfect than Noli Me Tangere. It comes from the word "filibustero" which means a person who is against the Roman Catholic. This book is a political novel. He started writing it on 1890 in London, England and was finished in Brussels, Belgium on 1891. This was dedicated to the "Three Martyrs", GOMBURZA (Fr. Mariano Gomez, Fr. Jose Burgos, and Fr. Jacinto Zamora). Dr. Rizal believed that the three martyrs were only a victim of cruelty and loss of justice. They was blamed, with a Sgt. Lamadrid, to be the leader of Cavite Mutiny on January 1872 and sentenced by garrote on February that year. El Filibusterismo was first published in a publication company in Ghent, Belgium. The publication of the book was stopped because of financial problem. By the help of Dr. Valentin Ventura, the publication resumed and was finished on September 18, 1891. As a favor, Dr. Rizal gave the original manuscript of the novel with an autographed copy of the book.
Noli Me Tangere is a romantic novel. It is a “work of the heart”-a book of feeling”. It has freshness, color, humor, lightness and wit and it contains 64 chapters compared to El Filibusterismo, it is a political novel. It is a “work of the head”-a book of the thought. It contains bitterness, hatred, pain, violence and sorrow and it contains 38 chapters. Rizal himself considered the Noli Me Tangere as superior to the El Filibusterismo, thereby agreeing with M.H. del Pilar who had the same opinion. The two novels were both written in Spanish. Noli Me Tangere describes revival in thought long dead meanwhile the El Filibusterismo describes the inconvenience oneself of society. Both of his 2 novels have similarities in terms of aim and purpose. Both are aim to enlighten the Filipinos on what is happening in the country. The 2 novels want the people to fight for their country and have the total freedom. They were both talk about how the Spaniards abused the Filipinos, the abuse of the church of their power, the discrimination on Filipinos. They are written by Rizal as a sequel. They convey one story and same characters but with great changes in their personality and a good novels from the point of view of history. They are both depicted with realistic colors the actual condition or setting -instrumental in awakening the spirit of nationalism. They are responsible in paving ground for the Philippine Revolution and show strong Anti-Clerical and Anti-Catholic color. In the 2 novels wrote by Dr. Jose Rizal, the main character of Noli Me Tangere is Crisostomo Ibarra who represents the indio (pure Filipino) who was fortunate enough to be educated abroad, he was known as the and became Simoun in El Filibusterismo after he came back to the Philippines after 13 years of absence to destroyed the Philippines. In the Noli Me Tangere is known as the courageous, civic-minded, liberty-loving and patriotic son of a wealthy landlordand a liberty European- educated Filipino but then in the novel El Filibusterismo, his personality changes. He returns to the Philippines to avenge the wrongs that were done to him and his lady love, Maria Clara. There are two characters become classic in Filipino culture: Maria Clara who has become of the ideal Filipina woman, loving and loyal to her spouse; and the priest Father Damaso, who reflects the covert fathering of illegitimate children by members of the Spanish clergy. Noli Me Tangere is being taught to third year secondary school students, while its sequel El Filibusterismo is being taught for fourth year secondary school students. Upon his return, Ibarra requested the local government of San Diego to construct a public school to promote education in the town.
Rizal depicted nationality by emphasizing the positive qualities of Filipinos: the devotion of a Filipina and her influence on a man's life, the deep sense of gratitude, and the solid common sense of the Filipinos under the Spanish regime. The work was instrumental in creating a unified Filipino nationality identity and consciousness, as many natives previously identified with their respective regions.
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo are one of the best book I have read because it inspires me and see how important our country is to our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.