Rizal Reflection Paper

Improved Essays
For the past few months, I’ve been encountering, understanding, and learning about the life and works of Jose Rizal. Aside from reading Rizal’s compositions, based on the Rizal Law, the students enrolled in this course, PI 100, are also expected to “develop moral character, personal discipline, and civic conscience.” Looking back, I can wholeheartedly say that due to the readings and lectures the class had during this semester, I was able to appreciate and comprehend the ideas and views of Rizal. Moreover, through this course, Jose Rizal was depicted as another human being with powerful thoughts. Although he was still portrayed as an extraordinary and phenomenal individual, the lectures paved way for the students, including myself, to recognize …show more content…
I believe that Rizal is still greatly relevant. While reading Twitter or Facebook wars regarding the current state of our country, it is quite usual for people to quote lines from Rizal’s works or Rizal himself in order to validate or support their claims or opinions. Moreover, since not much has changed over the past centuries and seeing that our fellowmen still don’t learn from the mistakes of the past, Jose Rizal’s thoughts and ideas regarding our nation is still highly applicable. During the class discussions, I was quite perturbed and shocked to learn that Rizal’s ideas are still highly relevant in today’s society—that we are still slaves of today’s tyrants and how we still lack the concept of “sufrir y trabajar.” From all the aforementioned points, my professor pointed out that Rizal’s ideas may either be truly timeless or country we are living in just have not progressed ever since Rizal’s era. Hearing the aforementioned sentiments was truly mind-boggling. Nonetheless, whether it may be due to Rizal’s ageless opinions or due to our nation’s regression, one thing is for sure, Rizal is still profoundly relevant in today’s …show more content…
One benefit may be learning and understanding the country’s national hero and realize why he earned the said title. By learning all these, we are also able to learn the sacrifices and hardships our fellow Filipinos had to endure during the Spanish colonization. Moreover, while studying Rizal’s life and compositions, the readers obtain greater knowledge on that certain part of the country’s history. Studying Rizal’s life and works can also help us understand the causes of modern political and social problems and why they are still present and why it never really went away. By reading and understanding Rizal’s works, we may be able to find concrete solutions to alleviate our county’s illness. In addition to that, by perusing it, we are able to view Rizal as someone more human, someone who experienced some events that ordinary people also experience. Besides the previously stated benefits, learning about Rizal’s life and works can also prompt the citizens to be more appreciative of Rizal and his peers, who they fought for the freedom of the country, fought for the common good. We are able to comprehend how they struggled in order to liberate our country from the colonizers. In effect, Filipinos can be more thankful for the sacrifices that they did just so the Philippines and its inhabitants could be liberated. From learning all these, we can be more grateful and more respectful towards the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The intent of ‘How to raise a black son in America” is to persuade the audience on race dynamics and the values instilled into him throughout his childhood. The speaker assumes other African Americans were brought up and treated the same way he was. He also assumes the audience cares about the topic.…

    • 527 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Bradbury states, “We do need knowledge. And perhaps sin a thousand years we might pick smaller cliffs to jump off. The books are to remind us what asses and fools we are” (Bradbury, Pg. 82). This quote shows that the books are in fact beneficial because when the characters read the text, they compare their lives to the books and realize that what they are doing is wrong in reality and that they have to change their ways. Overall, books are beneficial in a way in which it helps people make a more informed decision and understand what they are doing and why they are doing those…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jema Unger Clase Tres El cinco de octubre Juan Marichal Juan Marichal, former pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, was born on October 3, 1937. He also played for the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He only appeared in one World Series game, despite winning more games than any other pitcher during the 1960s. Marichal was born in a small village of Laguna Verde, Dominican Republic. He has two brothers and a sister.…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As a freshman in the EC program at Center Grove High School, I wanted to address the controversial topic of whether or not Sonia Nazario’s memoir Enrique’s Journey. I believe that the high school curriculum should include Sonia Nazario’s memoir Enrique’s Journey because it teaches students to appreciate the things they have, and in addition it informs students about the dangers and problems of immigration they never knew.…

    • 689 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Dolores Ferdnández also known as Dolores Huerta was born April 10, 1930 in Dawson, New Mexico. Her parents divorced when she was an infant and moved with her mother and siblings to Stockton, California. She did however still keep a relationship with her father Juan Fernández. Her father later proved to be a(n) inspiration to Dolores. Dolores was both an activist and labor leader.…

    • 257 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Conquistador "colonel" Francisco Pizarro born 1476 in Trujillo, Spain. And died in June 26, 1541 as a very wealthy man. The area he was born in was stricken with poverty. His father Gonzalo Pizarro an Italian nobleman was a very poor farmer in Spain and he was also an captain. His mother Francisca González come from a humble heritage as a maid In the Pizarro Household.…

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The governor of Florida at the time was Manuel de Cendoya, he had a stone fort built in Saint Augustine, which was ordered by his predecessor Nicolas Ponce de Leon II. After having his men collect coquina, a shell stone that is soft and hardens with air over a period, they were ready to build the fort since there was enough lime waiting at the site. The construction began on October 2, 1672, to build the Castillo de San Marcos (Fort Marion). This fort was designed to be a square shape and was built on the opposite side of the inlet. During the construction of the fort, the governor passed away, along with the engineer. Big storms came in 1674 and knocked down the wooden fort along with ruining the town.…

    • 1256 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Richard Rodriguez, a Stanford graduate, writer, and teacher, in his essay, “Aria”(1981) argues that the education of bilingual disadvantaged children separates their private and public life, which is detrimental because it delays their development, entrance into public life, and assimilation. Rodriguez utilizes the juxtaposition of the languages of English and Spanish to establish his idea of the public and private life of bilingual children. In addition, Rodriguez displays the feelings exerted by bilingual children when using their traditional language by applying the syntactical element of isolation to his writing. Furthermore, he organizes the piece in chronological order in order to emphasize the detrimental and beneficial effects of focusing…

    • 935 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Despite authors Min-Zhan Lu and Anzaldua being in similar situations they both responded differently to society trying to conform them from their culture in order to be “socially accepted”. ” Like others having or living in more than one culture, we get multiple, often opposing messages.” (Anzaldua pg.78). What you do and the way you react in order to stand up for yourself, your beliefs, your culture, etc. is going to impact the rest of your life.…

    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Traditions that should be saved for future generations should be Christmas, Rosca de los Reyes, and the day of the dead, because some would teach how to share and others how to give and have fun with the family/ socialize with their future relatives. Christmas would be one because it could teach the kids of the next generation how to give. The children will be taught how to give the people in need, it would also be good to be grateful for what they’ve received, and how to share their gifts with their family and friends it can also impact the rest of the world by doing gift exchanges and etc. Rosca de los Reyes would be another one because it could show them how to socialize with relatives and cook for the family. They’ll not be as bored…

    • 298 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the interview with Hector A. Torres, Richard Rodriguez builds an interesting personality that is similar to his essays in Hunger of Memory. In the interview, it became clear that Rodriguez wanted to be known for his cultural politics. The conflicting views on bilingualism seems, in the interview, to be something that Rodriguez openly oppose as he identified Bilingual education as “ ended” and “gone” (Torres 16). Similar implications occurs in the first chapter Arya when Rodriguez shares his childhood assimilation from a primary Spanish speaking child to an English speaking social citizen (Rodriguez). Language, Rodriguez reveals, is something that has had a fundamental structure in his life, hence his opposition to bilingualism.…

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Walking towards his house, Pablo Lopez was greeting everyone he saw. He injected some of his energy to everyone he spoke to. Even though his job was like a mile away, which usually took like 15 minutes by foot, eventually took about an hour for him. The energy and happiness that he carried was given to the people that were around him. Some people that looked like they were in a bad mood, looked very different after they had a conversation or even a quick contact with Pablo.…

    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Manuela Saenz

    • 421 Words
    • 2 Pages

    manuela Saenz important figure in peruvian culture. Is a woman that was part of the revolution to save peruvian territory. She was recognized as a Hero in lima where is she’s from.in those days she still be remember by thousends of people with the name of liberating of the Liberator. in these essay I’ll talk about : 1) where is she from and how was her childhood 2) and why she is know.…

    • 421 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Overall, I must admit that Richard Rodriguez’ Hunger of Memory is one of the most important books I’ve ever been assigned. I valued his capacity to express emotions about discovering what many, if not most, of us can't put into words. My favorite point in this book is Rodriguez’ assertion that an extraordinary education can only be obtained with some measure of sacrifice. “The great change in my life was not linguistic but social.…

    • 166 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Similarly, Jose said the Humboldt Park consisted of gangs, drugs, and violence. The neighborhood was very dangerous so for his safety and his siblings’ safety, his parents would send them to Mexico the whole summer to keep them out of trouble. He feels like overall this experience helped him culturally because he was able to see the differences between the U.S. and Mexico. He talked about the violent experiences he faced in his neighborhood on a daily basis, for example while playing baseball at the park shootings between gangs would break out so they would have to tuck down for their safety. He talked about being stopped by gang members and being “checked” or asked to what gang he was affiliated with even though he was not involved with…

    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays