Jose Rizal

Rizal Course: A Self-Study Guide - Parts I and II

I. Birth of a Hero

I-A. Know the important facts related to Jose Rizal’s birth: parents, date and place of birth, baptism, and other related circumstances.

I-B. Know Rizal’s parents and family background.

Be able to identify the significant people in Rizal’s life: their lifestyles and their influence on Rizal.
Give an account of the origin of the surname of Rizal.
Describe Rizal’s home: family relationships, early childhood experiences and socio-economic status.
Describe Calamba and be able to memorize the poem, “In Memory of My Town.”
Learn by heart Rizal’s “Sa Aking mga Kababata.”
Get acquainted with these events: the detention of Rizal’s mother and the GomBurZa martyrdom.

II. The Education of Jose Rizal

II-A. Give an account of the tutorial lessons at Rizal’s home.

II-B. Describe Rizal’s education in a Binan school: how it got started, what were Rizal’s unique experiences, how he performed in his class.

II-C. Know the kind of education Rizal received at Ateneo and the University of Santo Tomas, and from schools abroad.

Know the details of his study at Ateneo and his scholastic performance.
Describe Rizal’s studies at the University of Santo Tomas and know his scholastic performance.
Provide a detailed discussion of Rizal’s “search for identity” at U.S.T.: his impressions, extra-curricular activities and unique experiences.
Read and understand, and try to memorize these poems: “My First Inspiration,” “Through Education Our Motherland Receives Light,” and “To the Filipino Youth.”
Know the courses Rizal pursued at the Central University of Madrid and his scholastic performance.
Provide details of his academic life and extra-curricular activities in Madrid.
Identify a few events that helped shape Rizal’s ideas on Philippine nationalism while in Madrid.
Provide details of Rizal’s academic pursuits in Paris and Heidelberg.
Read and understand, and try to memorize these poems: “They Asked Me for Verses” and “To the Flowers of Heidelberg.”