ANALYSIS OF NOLI ME TANGERE and EL FILIBUSTERISMO 1 page

February 5, 2016
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cj yap

 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.
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Noli metangere and El filibusterismo are the two marked novels of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal
which are similar and different in some ways. The two novels are similar primarily in their author, Rizal.
Another, in a way that they both talk about how Spaniards abused the Filipinos, the abuse of the church
of their power and the discrimination on Filipinos. Both Noli and El Fili shows strong anti-Clerical and
even anti-Catholic color. They convey one story because the latter is published in sequel or continuation.

However, they are different in many cases. Firstly Noli Metangere, Latin title meaning “touch me not”
refers to the letter of John 20:17 in King James version of 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”. Meanwhile, El
filibusterismo is Spanish title which is known in english as The Reign of Greed. Noli is a love story or a
romantic novel, dedicated to our motherland while El fili is a political novel associated with revenge and
anger and is dedicated to GOMBURZA.
The first is more on action and motion, the latter is thoughtful, discursive and dialectal. Noli showed a
sofspoken, patient, compassionate and idealistic Crisostomo Ibarra while El Fili featured a different
Ibarra who portrayed the angry and vengeful side of him and disguised himself as the wealthy jeweller
named Simoun. Noli is written in the idea that would expose the ills of Philippine society after Harriet
Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. In general Noli is more on the reformist side of Rizal while El fili is
on his revolutionist.
Personal Opinions Noli Metangere is actually a tale of romance between Crisostomo Ibarra and Maria
Clara. Between the side lines of Ibarra and Maria Clara’s love story is the historical narrative of the era of
Dr. Jose Rizal. Ibarra’s journey in the world of Noli is the life of our National hero: from Ibarra’s
philosophies, disputes, and mysteries. Many may conclude Rizal is Ibarra. Another character that could
be Rizal’s reflection is the farmer that became Ibarra’s mysterious friend.
Elias, contrary to Ibarra in this context, believes in revolution for the country to be freed from the
Spanish oppression. Much can be said about the controversial Noli, but as much as the students
nowadays stray away from the subject Rizal, we cannot deny the influence of the Noli Me Tangere, and
its role in igniting the Filipino sense of national identity. El Filibusterismo which literally means The Reign
of Greed in English is the sequel to the first novel written by Dr.
Jose Rizal, Noli Me Tangere. El Fili narrates the return of a Noli character Crisostomo Ibarra as the
wealthy jeweller, bent on starting a revolution. This novel, together with the Noli Me Tangere, is said to
have sparked the revolution against Spain in 1896. In it, Rizal presented the dilemma faced by the
country as the people groaned under the foreign oppressor: to revolt would only lead to a change of
masters, while to do nothing would keep the nation enslaved for generations.
Rizal proposes a better way, through Father Florentino as he speaks to the dying Simoun: educate the
natives, and when they shall have reached that stage where they would be willing to die for their
principles, God Himself will supply the weapon, and “liberty will shine, like the first dawn. ” As gospels of
Philippine nationalism, Rizal’s novels convey the essence of his nationalism that was to reverberate in
the hearts of the people.
He identified this essence in his letters as his aspiration to alleviate the sufferings of the masses, to make
men worthy, to avenge one day the many victims of cruelty and injustice, to erect a monument to the
native tongue and to educate his people. In the two novels, the essence of Rizal’s nationalism is best
understood through the keen study of the characters. Through their dialogue and actions, in their ideas
and ideals, or in the lack of these are seen Rizal’s range of vision, his concept of love of country, his
appeal for reforms, his attitude towards the friars, and his views on the weaknesses of the Filipinos.