Rizal was a great man worthy of respect and honor because of his brilliant works which pioneered the Philippine Revolution. The film “Ang Buhay ng Isang Bayani” depicted a brief description of the life-long years of our national hero and his process of transition towards being a nationalistic individual with an indescribable ingenuity in expressing the magnitude and intensity of his love for the land of his birth. The film was highly inspiring and is truly illustrious because of its ability to capture the important myriad experiences of Rizal and his personality of being observant and curious about his environment, being inclined in various fields such as arts and science, and being admirable in touching the lives of the people whom he interacted with through his unique and pleasant ways.
The movie showcased several events that seemed to be new to me about Rizal. The most striking of which was his death and his "not-so-good" burial at Paco, Manila- being refused to be put in a coffin and to have a descent burial ritual. It was perhaps the most unpleasant way of paving goodbye to such a great personage.
Rizal was very motivated to lead the Philippines to freedom from the Spanish regime and his actions and decisions manifest a genuine desire to achieve such goal. He has never forgotten the welfare of his homeland in his voyages in pursuit of learning other culture systems and attaining a higher level of learning. His literary works were famous for their ability to penetrate the privacy of the reader’s deep feelings, proving that his intelligence and versatility finds no match with his contemporary figures.
He was a common person just like all of us, but his remarkable deeds were really of great distinction. He may be a full-fledged womanizer, but he never lost grip of his well-set purpose of prioritizing the welfare of his countrymen who were experiencing the sufferings caused by the brutalities of the colonizers. The gruesome attempts of his people were of no effect, making Rizal realize the urgency to make further action towards relieving their hopelessness, an impact of their desolate despair and sorrow.
In one of the books I read, "Rizal in Life and Legends" by Alfonso Santos (1974), I was able to grasp an idea of how people in those time view Rizal. The book was actually a collection of factual and somehow fabricated stories retold and compiled to prove the huge impact of Rizal’s life in the society at large. There were stories about Rizal’s amazing conquests, strategies of attracting women, magical abilities and healing powers, use of his skills to play tricks with his collegues, practice of his professions as a surgical doctor and teacher especially in sword fighting, and even his (for me questionable) apparitions after his execution on December 30, 1896 at Bagumbayan.
Rizal’s family greatly shaped his individuality and influenced his thought of uplifting the people from their miseries, and ultimately eradicating the societal crisis faced by the country in his time. He came from a religious and prominent family and was a brother to his 10 siblings. His mother, Teodora Alonso-Realonda, being his first teacher, introduced him to God and spiritual life, maintained his strong faith and gave him encouragement to develop his gift of intelligence. He felt genuine love and care from his family who supported his quest of knowing his potentials even in his early childhood years.
Rizal was an intelligent man. During his years as a student in prestigious universities and even in his studies at Biñan with professor Justiniano, he has shown an amazing craving to learn more and grasp new ideas about the life's realities, undoubtedly the clear reason for his excellent grades. He balances “work” with “play”, a value that is worth idolizing by the young people of today.
Rizal deeply believed in education as one, if not, the sole solution to achieving economic and social growth. He tagged the youth as the “hope of the nation” which means that the youth is the ultimate key towards a brighter tomorrow. Such is embedded in his writings, along with the goal of promoting nationalism of Filipinos in particular as a core principle towards development.
The movie was indeed amazing. It was able to depict Rizal in the realm of simple understanding. It presented Rizal's values and works anchored on the core of his family-oriented roots and deep desire to create societal change. He is truly a person we can proudly call, a national hero.
The movie showcased several events that seemed to be new to me about Rizal. The most striking of which was his death and his "not-so-good" burial at Paco, Manila- being refused to be put in a coffin and to have a descent burial ritual. It was perhaps the most unpleasant way of paving goodbye to such a great personage.
Rizal was very motivated to lead the Philippines to freedom from the Spanish regime and his actions and decisions manifest a genuine desire to achieve such goal. He has never forgotten the welfare of his homeland in his voyages in pursuit of learning other culture systems and attaining a higher level of learning. His literary works were famous for their ability to penetrate the privacy of the reader’s deep feelings, proving that his intelligence and versatility finds no match with his contemporary figures.
He was a common person just like all of us, but his remarkable deeds were really of great distinction. He may be a full-fledged womanizer, but he never lost grip of his well-set purpose of prioritizing the welfare of his countrymen who were experiencing the sufferings caused by the brutalities of the colonizers. The gruesome attempts of his people were of no effect, making Rizal realize the urgency to make further action towards relieving their hopelessness, an impact of their desolate despair and sorrow.
In one of the books I read, "Rizal in Life and Legends" by Alfonso Santos (1974), I was able to grasp an idea of how people in those time view Rizal. The book was actually a collection of factual and somehow fabricated stories retold and compiled to prove the huge impact of Rizal’s life in the society at large. There were stories about Rizal’s amazing conquests, strategies of attracting women, magical abilities and healing powers, use of his skills to play tricks with his collegues, practice of his professions as a surgical doctor and teacher especially in sword fighting, and even his (for me questionable) apparitions after his execution on December 30, 1896 at Bagumbayan.
Rizal’s family greatly shaped his individuality and influenced his thought of uplifting the people from their miseries, and ultimately eradicating the societal crisis faced by the country in his time. He came from a religious and prominent family and was a brother to his 10 siblings. His mother, Teodora Alonso-Realonda, being his first teacher, introduced him to God and spiritual life, maintained his strong faith and gave him encouragement to develop his gift of intelligence. He felt genuine love and care from his family who supported his quest of knowing his potentials even in his early childhood years.
Rizal was an intelligent man. During his years as a student in prestigious universities and even in his studies at Biñan with professor Justiniano, he has shown an amazing craving to learn more and grasp new ideas about the life's realities, undoubtedly the clear reason for his excellent grades. He balances “work” with “play”, a value that is worth idolizing by the young people of today.
Rizal deeply believed in education as one, if not, the sole solution to achieving economic and social growth. He tagged the youth as the “hope of the nation” which means that the youth is the ultimate key towards a brighter tomorrow. Such is embedded in his writings, along with the goal of promoting nationalism of Filipinos in particular as a core principle towards development.
The movie was indeed amazing. It was able to depict Rizal in the realm of simple understanding. It presented Rizal's values and works anchored on the core of his family-oriented roots and deep desire to create societal change. He is truly a person we can proudly call, a national hero.
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