CHAPTER 2: Childhood Years in

Calamba
Calamba
- natal town of Rizal
- named after a big native jar
- the happiest period of Rizals life was spent
in this
lakeshore town, a worthy prelude to his
Hamlet-like tragic manhood
CALAMBA, THE HEROES TOWN
Calamba
- a hacienda town which belonged to the
Dominican Order who also owned all the
lands around it
- picturesque town nestling on a verdant
plain
covered with irrigated ricefields and
sugar-lands
- a few kilometers to the south looms the
legendary Mount Makiling and beyond
this mountain is the province of
Batangas
- east of the town is the Laguna de Bay
which is an
inland lake of songs and emerald waters
beneath the canopy of azure skies
- in the middle of the lake towers the
storied island
of Talim and beyond it towards the north
is the distant Antipolo which is famous
mountain shrine of the miraculous Lady
of Peace and Good Voyage
Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of
My Town)
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CHAPTER 2: Childhood Years in

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- a poem written by Rizal in 1876, age
15, while he
was a student in Ateneo de Manila,
when he rememberes his hometown
(see p. 9 for the poem)

EARLIEST CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

- the first memory of Rizal in his infancy
was his
happy days in the family garden when
he was 3 years old
- Rizal as a child was frail, sickly, and
undersized
that is why he was given the tenderest
care by his parents
- Rizals father built a nipa cottage in the
garden
for him to play in the daytime
- An aya (nurse maid) was employed to
look after
him, that aya was a kind old woman
- twilight songs of the birds ( culiauan,
maya, maria
capra, martin) as he listened to them
with wonder and joy
- daily Angelus prayer
- the happy moonlit nights at the azotea
after the
nightly Rosary
- the imaginary tales told by the aya
aroused Rizals
interest in legends and folklore
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CHAPTER 2: Childhood Years in

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- the aya would threaten Rizal with
asuang, nuno,
tigbalang, or a terrible bearded and
turbaned Bombay would come to take
him away if he would not eat his supper
- nocturnal walk in the town esp. when
the was a
moon with his aya by the river, where
the trees cast grotesque shadows on the
banks

THE HEROS FIRST SORROW

- death of Little Concha
Concha (Concepcion)
- Jose loved the most of his sisters
- Rizal was a year older than her
- Rizal played with her and upon whom
Rizal
learned the sweetness of sisterly love
- Rizal was very fond of her and cried
bitterly at
losing her
- died of sickness in 1865, age 3, Rizal
was 4 years
old then
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CHAPTER 2: Childhood Years in

Calamba
- and then for the first time I shed
tears caused
by love and grief
Others:
- Rizal children were bound by ties of
love and
companionship, they were well-bred as
their parents taught them to love and
help one another

DEVOTED SON OF THE CHURCH

- Rizal grew of a good Catholic
- age 3 when he started to take part in
the family
prayers
- age 5 when he was able to read
haltingly the
Spanish family Bible
- he seriously devout that he was
laughingly called
Manong Jose by the Hermanos and
Hermanas Terceras
- his mother was a devout Catholic
- town priest Fr. Leoncio Lopez was one
of the men
Rizal esteemed and respected in
Calamba, visiting the priest and
listening to his stimulating opinions on
current events and sound philosophy of
life
PILGRIMAGE TO ANTIPOLO
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CHAPTER 2: Childhood Years in

Calamba
- June 6, 1868 with his father, to fulfill his
mothers
vow which was made when Jose was
born, his mother could not accompany
them as she has given birth to Trinidad
- first trip of Jose across Laguna de Bay
and his first
pilgrimage to Antipolo riding a casco
(barge), his first lake voyage, and did
not sleep the whole night as the casco
sailed towards the Pasig River for he
was awed by the magnificence of the
watery expanse and the silence of the
night
- Jose and his father went to Manila
afterwards
(which was also his first time) after
praying at the shrine of the Virgin of
Antipolo to visit Saturnina, who was
then a boarding student at La Concordia
College in Santa Ana
THE STORY OF THE MOTH (see p.13)
- story told by Doa Teodora to her
favorite son
Jose that made the most profound
impression on him
- the tragic fate of the young moth which
died a
martyr to its illusions, such noble
death, to sacrifice ones life for it,
which
means
for
an
ideal,
is
worthwhile
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CHAPTER 2: Childhood Years in

Calamba
- like the young moth, he was fated to
die as a
martyr for a noble ideal
-The Childrens Friend (El Amigo de los
Nios), a
Spanish reader
ARTISTIC TALENTS
- age 5, started making sketches with his
pencil,
mold in clay and wax objects which
attracted his fancy (sketching and
sculpturing talent)
- it is said that a religious banner always
used
during fiesta was ruined; at the request
of the town mayor, he painted in oil
colors a new banner that delighted the
town folks at it was better that the
original one
- he found great joy in nature; riding the
pony
bought by his father; take long walks in
the meadows and lakeshore with his
black dog named Usman
- anecdote of Rizal on his clay and wax
images,
age 6, laughed at by his sisters for
spending time in those images than
participating in their games; he kept
silent but as they were departing, he
told them: All right laugh at me now!
Someday when I die, people will make
monuments and images of me!
Summary on Life and Works of Rizal
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CHAPTER 2: Childhood Years in

Calamba
FIRST POEM BY RIZAL
- gift in literature
- his mother, being a lover of literature
noticed his
poetic inclination and encouraged him to
write poetry
- age 8, he wrote his first poem in the native
language
entitled Sa Aking Mga Kababata (To My
Fellow Children) (see p.16) that revealed
his earliest nationalist sentiment
- in poetic verses he proudly proclaimed that
a people
who truly love their native language will
surely strive for liberty and that Tagalog is
the equal of Latin, English, Spanish, and any
other language
FIRST DRAMA BY RIZAL
- after writing his first poem, Rizal, age 8,
wrote his first
dramatic work, a Tagalog comedy
- said to be staged in a Calamba festival and
was
delightfully applauded by the audience
- a gobernadorcillo from Paete (town in
Laguna famous
for lanzones and woodcarvings) witnessed
the comedy and like it so he purchased the
manuscript for P2.00 and brought to his
home town and was staged in Paete during
its town fiesta
RIZAL AS BOY MAGICIAN
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CHAPTER 2: Childhood Years in

Calamba
-his interest in magic started since early
manhood with
him owning a dexterous hands
- tricks such as making coin appear or
disappear in his
fingers and making a handkerchief vanish in
thin air
- magic-lantern exhibitions (ordinary lamp
casting its
shadows on a white screen; enlarged
shadows on the screen resembling certain
animals and persons)
-manipulating marionettes (puppet shows)
-El Filibusterismo (Treason), his second novel,
Chapter 17 and 18 showed his wide
knowledge in magic
- read many books on magic and attended
the
performances of the famous magicians of
the world
LAKESHORE REVERIES
-during twilight hours of summer time, Rizal
and
Usman, shore of Laguna de Bay, meditate
on the sad conditions of his oppressed
people
-as he became a man, he write to Mariano
Ponce, his
friend, that fact that young as he was, he is
already awakened to the unhappy situation
of his fatherland and was determined to
fight this injustices, to avenge the many
victims of these misdeeds, this being the
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CHAPTER 2: Childhood Years in

Calamba
idea in his mind, he studied and it can be
seen in all his writings, that someday, God
will give him the opportunity to fulfill his
promise
INFLUENCES ON THE HEROS BOYHOOD
A. Hereditary Influence
- according to biological science,
there are
inherent qualities which a person
inherits from his ancestors and
parents
A.1. Malayan Ancestors
- love for freedom
- desire to travel
- indomitable courage
A.2. Chinese Ancestors
- serious nature
- frugality
- patience
- love for children
A.3. Spanish Ancestors
- elegance of bearing
- sensitivity to insult
- gallantry to ladies
A.4. Father
- sense of self-respect
- love for work
- habit of independent
thinking
A.5. Mother
- religious nature
- spirit of self-sacrifice
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CHAPTER 2: Childhood Years in

Calamba
- passion for arts and
literature
B. Environmental Influence
- according to psychologists,
environment,
as well as heredity, affects the
nature of a person; includes
places, associates, events
B.1. Scenic beauties of
Calamba and
beautiful garden of the
Rizal family
- literary talents of Rizal
B.2. Religious
atmosphere at his home
-religious nature
B.3. Paciano
-love of freedom and
justice:
B.4. Rizals sisters
-courteous and kind to
women
B.5. Fairy tales told by his aya
during his
early childhood
-interest in folklore and
legends
B.6.Tio Jose Alberto
-artistic ability
-studied 11 years in a
British
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CHAPTER 2: Childhood Years in

Calamba
school in Calcutta, India;
travelled Europe
B.7. Tio Manuel
-develop his frail body by
means
of physical exercises,
including horse riding,
walking, and wrestling
- a husky and athletic man
B.8.Tio Gregorio
- Rizals voracious reading
of
good books
- a book lover
(Note: Tio Jose, Manuel, & Gregorio are Rizals uncle;
brothers of his mother, who exerted a good influence
on him)

B.9. Father Leoncio Lopez

Rizals
love
for
scholarship and
intellectual honesty
- old and learned parish
priest of
Calamba
B.10. Death of Concha in 1865
and
imprisonment of Rizals
mother in 1871-74
- contributed for Rizal to
strengthen his character,
enabling him to resist
blows of adversity in later
years
B.11. The Spanish abuses and
cruelties he
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CHAPTER 2: Childhood Years in

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witnessed in his boyhood,
e.g. brutal acts of the
lieutenant of the Guardia
Civil
and
the
alcalde,
unjust tortures inflicted on
innocent
Filipinos,
execution
of
the
GOMBURZA in 1872
- awakened Rizals spirit of
patriotism and inspired
him to consecrate his life
and talents to redeem his
oppressed people

C. Aid of Divine Providence

- greater than heredity and
environment in the fate of man
- a person cannot attain
greatness in
the annals of the nation
despite having everything life
(brains, wealth, and power)
without this
Rizal
was
providentially
destined to be
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CHAPTER 2: Childhood Years in

Calamba
the pride and glory of his
nation; endowed by God with
versatile gifts of a genius,
vibrant spirit of a nationalist,
and the valiant heart to
sacrifice for a noble cause

Summary on Life and Works of Rizal

(2013)

Ron Cabz