Jose Rizal: Social concerns

Books with political agendas

NOLI ME TANGERE, a satirical novel exposing the arrogance and despotism of the Spanishclergy, was published in Berlin; in 1890 he reprinted in Paris. on September18, 1891, EL FILIBUSTERISMO, hissecond novel and a sequel to the NOLI and more revolutionary and tragic than the latter, was printed inGhent. Because of his fearless exposures of the injustices committed by the civil and clerical officials, Rizalprovoked the animosity of those in power

La  Solidaridad

Rizal was a reformer for an open society rather than a revolutionary for political independence. As aleader of the Propaganda Movement of Filipino students in Spain, he contributed newspaper articles to LaSolidaridad in Barcelona with the following agenda:•-That the Philippines be a province of Spain-Representation in the Cortes (Parliament)-Filipino priests rather than the Spanish Augustinians, Dominicans, or Franciscans-Freedom of assembly and speech-Equal rights before the law (for both Filipino and Spanish plaintiffs)

Rizal's Articles in La SolidaridadLa verdad para todos (The Truth for All)May 31, 1889 Rizal’s first article.

 Verdades nuevas (New Facts)July 31, 1889

 Una profanacion (A Desecration) July 31, 1889A scathing attacked against the friars for refusing to bury Mariano Herbosa in the Catholic cemetary. Thefriars alleged that the deceased had not made any confession since his marriage to Lucia Rizal (1857-1919),Rizal’s elder sister.

 Diferencias (Differences) – September 15, 1889Filipinas dentro de cien anos (The Philippines Within One Hundred Years) – serialized in La Solidaridad on September 30, October 31, December 15, 1889 and February 1, 1890 Rizal prognosticated the Filipinos’ revolution against Spain winning their independence, but later the Americans would come in over its colonization.

Rizal's Articles in La SolidaridadIngratitudes (Ingratitudes) – January 15, 1890.A reply to Gov. Gen. Weyler who in company with the Dominicans, visited the Provine of Laguna. The Governor told the people : "You should not allow yourselves to be deceived by the vain promises ofungrateful sons."

 Sin nobre (Without Name) – February 28, 1890Sobre la nueva ortografia de la lengua tagala (On the New Orthography of the Tagalog Language) – April15, 1890. Rizal’s advocacy of a new spelling in Tagalog.

 Cosas de Filipinas (Things About the Philippines) – April 30, 1890.Sobre la indolencia de los Filipinas (On the Indolence of the Filipinos)

 Many letters toward in the Solidaridad in response to current events and criticism of his work.

Antonio de Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (History of the Philippine Islands). -Jose Rizal anotated

To the Filipinos: In Noli Me Tangere ("The Social Cancer")  I started to sketch the present state of our native land. But the effectwhich my effort produced made me realize that, before attemptingto unroll before your eyes the other pictures which were to follow,it was necessary first to post you on the past. So only can you fairlyjudge the present and estimate how much progress has been madeduring the three centuries (of Spanish rule).Like almost all of you, I was born and brought up in ignoranceof our country's past and so, without knowledge or authority tospeak of what I neither saw nor have studied, I deem it necessaryto quote the testimony of an illustrious Spaniard who in thebeginning of the new era controlled the destinies of the Philippinesand had personal knowledge of our ancient nationality in its lastdays.It is then the shade of our ancestor's civilization which theauthor will call before you. . . If the work serves to awaken in youa consciousness of our past, and to blot from your memory or torectify what has been falsified or is calumny, then I shall not havelabored in vain. With this preparation, slight though it may be, wecan all pass to the study of the future. José Rizal

Progandist or Journalist?

PROPOGANDA MOVEMENT; Journalist: unbiased writings of the happenings in the Philippines.