the american-sponsored hero

well, eto na yung final output nang pagkikilatis ko kay Rizal. inabot ako ng gabi kagabi matapos lang yang paper na yan. nagulat ako, maikli lang pala siya. anyway, length doesn't matter. basta andun yung substance. ^_^

Ang Rizal, bow.

Throughout my life in school, I have come to believe that the most important thing that a student can attain from his or her teacher is the grade. I was brought up in that way wherein the high grades that you get from the teacher is a reflection of how you perform inside the classroom, and the school as well. 3 months ago, that was still my perception. But after being under the hands of our professor, I think I earned more than the grade that he would give me in the course card. We were given an understanding far beyond what was expected to be taught inside the classroom.

For one, I won't deny that I was one of the people who venerated Rizal without really understanding what exactly did he contribute for the country's fight for independence and freedom. But after having studied published articles about our "National Hero", it somehow changed my apprehension about him. Rizal was presented to us in a way that he has done so much for the Philippines, when in fact he totally opposed the revolution and every part of it. He looked so highly of himself that he couldn"t see and understand why the masses would resort to the revolution, which according to him dishonors and discredits us Filipinos. These ideas of Rizal were the ones not directly brought out into the open, which is why many of our citizens still look up to him as the most prominent figure during the time of the revolution. Well, he might be a notable person back then, but does that mean we should forget the people responsible for the independence that we are enjoying right now? Certainly not.

Another thing, we should not underestimate the power of the masses. Let's take it from a historical point of view. What happened in the revolution headed by Andres Bonifacio and the other katipuneros? Unlike the idea of reforms of Rizal, the revolution was a success. And we can say that, like Elias in the Noli, Bonifacio's principle of his revolution is that freedom cannot be won without a fight. Even in our country at present, it can't be disclaimed that the masa has this great power of moving the people.

And lastly, the bottom line is that, ther's more to history and facts than just false comprehensions. I don't have anything against Rizal, the only thing that I wanted to say is that, we should not focus on just one person because the picture is so big; especially if we’re concentrating on that person for the wrong reasons.

__________________________________________________

notes slash highlights

__________________________________________________

+ The national revolution is invariably the one period in a nation's history when the people were most united, most involved, and most decisively active in the fight for freedom.

+ Our national hero was not the leader of our Revolution. in fact, he repudiated the Revolution.

+ Rizal: Reforms, to be beneficial, must come from above, and those which come from below are irregularly gained and uncertain.

+ Either the Revolution was wrong; or Rizal was wrong.

+ He took no part of the revolution and in fact condemned it.

+ Because we refuse to analyze the significance of his repudiation, our understanding of Rizal andof his role in our national development remains superficial.

+ Had someone of lesser stature uttered those words of condemnation, he would have been considered a traitor to the cause.

+ Rizal repudiated the one act which really synthesized our nationalist aspirations, and yet we consider him a nationalist leader.

+ A proper understanding of our history is very important to us because it will serve to demonstrate how our present has been distorted by a faulty knowledge of our past.

+ He was the first Filipino but he was only a limited Filipino, the ilustrado Filipino qwho fought for national unity but feared the Revolution and loved his mother country, yes, but in his own ilustrado way.

+ Rizal and the propagandists were the embodiment of a consciousness without a movement. it was Bonifacio and the Katipunan that embodied the unity of revolutionary consciousness and revolutionary practice.

+ We must see Rizal historically. Rizal should occupy his proper place in our pantheon of great Filipinos. though he is secure in our hearts and memories as a hero, we must now realize that he has no monopoly of patriotism; he is not the zenith of our greatness; neither are all his teachings of universal and contemporary relevance and aplication.

+ The true hero is one with the masses; he does not exist above them. in fact, a whole people can be heroes given proper motivation and articulation of their dreams.

_______________________________________________________

*YAWN*