Rizal

Chapter 8

Topic: El Filibusterismo

Guide Questions:
1. Why is El Fili is dedicated to Gomburza according to Rizal?
On January 20, 1872, two hundred Filipinos employed at the Cavite arsenal staged a revolt against the
Spanish government’s voiding of their exemption from the payment of tributes. The Cavite Mutiny led
to the persecution of prominent Filipinos; secular priests Mariano Gómez, José Burgos, and Jacinto
Zamora—who would then be collectively named GomBurZa—were tagged as the masterminds of the
uprising. The priests were charged with treason and sedition by the Spanish military tribunal—a ruling
believed to be part of a conspiracy to stifle the growing popularity of Filipino secular priests and the
threat they posed to the Spanish clergy. The GomBurZa were publicly executed, by garrote, on the early
morning of February 17, 1872 at Bagumbayan.

The Archbishop of Manila refused to defrock them, and ordered the bells of every church to toll in
honor of their deaths; the Sword, in this instance, denied the moral justification of the Cross. The
martyrdom of the three secular priests would resonate among Filipinos; grief and outrage over their
execution would make way for the first stirrings of the Filipino revolution, thus making the first secular
martyrs of a nascent national identity. Jose Rizal would dedicate his second novel, El Filibusterismo, to
the memory of GomBurZa, to what they stood for, and to the symbolic weight their deaths would
henceforth hold:

2. Explain the differences between Noli & El Fili?

Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo have similarities in terms of aim and purpose. Both aim to
enlighten the Filipinos on what is happening in the country. They want the people to fight for their
country and have the total freedom.
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". This book is a societal novel. He started writing it in Madrid, Spain
on 1884, continued in Paris, France and was finished in Berlin, Germany on February 1887. Noli Me
Tangere was dedicated to his Inang Bayan, the Philippines. 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 similarity 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. As a thanks, Dr. Rizal gave the original
manuscript and the PLUMA he used in writing the novel to Dr. Viola.
Another important writing of our hero is the El Filibusterismo. 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, Fr. Jacinto Zamora).
Dr. Rizal believed that the three martyrs was 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 garote on February that year. El Filibusterismo was first published in a publication company in Ghent,
Belgium. The publication of the book were stopped because of financial problem. By the help of Dr.
Valentin Ventura, the publication resumed and was finished on September 1891. As a favor, Dr. Rizal
gave the original manuscript of the novel with an autographed copy of the book.

3. Explain the SImilarities between Noli & El Fili?

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN "NOLI ME TANGERE" AND "EL FILIBUSTERISMO"

 Both are satirical novels written by Dr. Jose Rizal when he was in Spain.
 Both were written in Spanish.
 Both depict the abuses of Spanish officials and friars.
 Both novels incited Filipinos to rise up in arms against the Spanish oppressors.
 Both are required readings for high school and college students in the Philippines

4. Describe the symbolical meaning of Rizal’s two novels.

Noli Me Tángere (Latin for Touch me not) is a novel written by José Rizal, one of the national heroes of
the Philippines, during the colonization of the country by Spain to describe perceived inequities of
the Spanish Catholic priests and the ruling government.
Originally written in Spanish, the book is more commonly published and read in the Philippines in
either Tagalog or English. Together with its sequel, El Filibusterismo, the reading of Noli is obligatory
for high school students throughout the country. The two novels are widely considered the national
epic of the Philippines and are adapted in many forms, such as operas, musicals, plays, and other forms
of art.