Reaction Paper (About Rizal’s Life)

REACTION PAPER
(About Rizal’s Life)

As what I have seen in the film viewing last meeting, the Filipino’s life was full of misfortunes. The Filipinos were unfairly treated and even discriminated by the Spaniards. Filipino women were abused by the Spanish friars and other Spaniards. Others were judged without even having due process and even tortured to death for crimes they did not even commit, such that of the child in the film, who was Crispin in Rizal’s novel. Although the Spanish government conducts a court hearing to those who were accused of a crime (only in some cases), they only give Spanish lawyers to defend those accused and even manipulated the law in favor of themselves, leaving the Filipinos with no other choice but to accept and suffer from the crimes that they didn’t even committed. These events were shown and expressed by Rizal in his two novels entitled Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, which the Filipinos have read in spite of the banning of these said books to be read by the public. In spite of many hindrances in the publication of these books, it was still printed to make the Filipinos aware of what was really happening. Rizal almost put these books into fire because of his financial incapability due to the economic problem in Calamba, when the friars increased the tax that they’ve been collecting from the Calamba people which the people didn’t agreed to pay, thus they was forced by the friars to leave from their houses and kicking them out of the lands that they used to plant their crops with. Rizal’s purpose in writing these books was to show his fellow Filipinos of what was really happening in the country and to open their eyes to the unjust treatment and discrimination of the Spaniards to them. And so, as soon as they read Rizal’s novels, they have formed an organization which conducted the revolutions against the Spanish rule. They fought the Spanish tyranny with their weapons that shed blood on the ground, which Rizal didn’t want to happen. Rizal wanted to fight the Spaniards without killing anyone, without a massive blood shed, which didn’t went well. The organization, led by Andres Bonifacio, aimed at making the Spaniards pay for what they’ve done, no matter what it cost. They didn’t want silent revolution, they want force and action. What I liked most in this film is that although Rizal was exiled in Dapitan and lived there as a prisoner, he have stayed calm and have still accomplished many useful things for the country. He have organized and established a cooperative, helping the Mindanao people by teaching them to unite for trading to free themselves from the Chinese and be independent in trading their own products. While he was like a prisoner in Dapitan, he still continued to serve his country. When he was about to be executed, Rizal cited the verses of the Mi Ultimo Adios which he left a copy to his family. Rizal was truly a man with many accomplishments. He puts others before his own. He puts the sake of his country before his own and he is willing to sacrifice his own life for the sake of his countrymen, setting aside his romance and personal life. He was a very patriotic and nationalistic man; a person for his countrymen who didn’t wanted to see his countrymen suffering, being exploited, and mostly, being oppressed by others. He didn’t just look at people or even just tell them what they should do; he helped them in their work. Although he is intelligent enough, he didn’t boast and remained as humble as he could be.