Artistic Talents

Since early childhood Rizal revealed his God-given talent for art. At the age of five, he began
to make sketches with his pencil and to mould in clay and wax objects which attracted his
fancy.
It is said that one day, when Jose was a mere boy in Calamba, a religious banner which was
always used during the fiesta was spoiled. Upon the request of the town mayor, he painted in
oil col- ors a new banner that delighted the town folks because it was better than the original
one.
Jose had the soul of a genuine artist. Rather an introvert child, with a skinny physique and
sad dark eyes, he found great joy look- ing at the blooming flowers, the ripening fruits, the
dancing waves of the lake, and the milky clouds in the sky; and listening to the songs of the
birds, the chirpings of the cicadas, and the murmurings of the breezes. He loved to ride on a
spirited pony which his father bought for him and take long walks in the meadows and
lakeshore with his black dog named Usman.
One interesting anecdote about Rizal was the incident about his clay and wax images. One
day when he was about six years old his sisters laughed at him for spending so much time
making those images rather than participating in their games. He kept silent as they laughed
with childish glee. But as they were departing, he told them: "All right laugh at me now!
Someday when I die, people will make monuments and images of me!"

First Poem by Rizal

Aside from his sketching and sculpturing talent, Rizal possessed a God-given gift for
literature. Since early boyhood he had scribbled verses on loose sheets of paper and on the
textbooks of his sisters. His mother, who was a lover of litera ture, noticed his poetic
inclination and encouraged him to write poetry.
At the age of eight, Rizal wrote his first poem in the native language entitled Sa Aking Mga
Kababata (To My Fellow Chil drea), as follows:

TO MY FELLOW CHILDREN

Whenever people of a country truly love The language which by heav'n they were
taught to use That country also surely liberty pursue As does the bird which soars to
freer space above.

For language is the final judge and referee Upon the people in the land where it holds
sway; In truth oor human race resembles in this way The other living beings born in
liberty.

Whoever knows not how to love his native tongue Is worse than any beast or evil
smelling fish. To make our language richer ought to be our wish The same as any
mother loves to feed her young.

Tagalog and the Latin language are the same And English and Castilian and the angels'
tongue; And God, whose watchful care o'er all is flung, Has given us His blessing in
the speech we claim,

Our mother tongue, like all the highest that we know Had alphabet and letters of its
very own; But the were lost by furious waves were overthrown Like bancas in the
stormy sea, long years ago.

This poem reveals Rizal's earliest nationalist sentiment. In poetic verses, he proudly
proclaimed that a people who truly love their native language will surely strive for liberty like
"the bird which soars to freer space above" and that Tagalog is the equal of Latin, English,
Spanish, and any other language.
First Drama by Rizal.
After writing the poem To My Fellow Children, Rizal, who was then eight years old, wrote his
first dramatic work which was a Tagalog comedy. It is said that it was staged in a Calamba
festival and was delightfully applauded by the audience.
A gobernadorcillo from Paete, a town in Laguna famous for lanzones and woodcarvings,
happened to witness the comedy and liked it so much that he purchased the manuscript for
two pesos and brought it to his home town. It was staged in Pacte during its town fiesta.

Rizal as Boy Magician

Since early manhood Rizal had been interested in magic. With his dexterous hards, he
learned various tricks, such as making a coin appear or disappear in his fingers and making a
handkerchief vanish in thin air. He entertained his town folks with magic-lantern exhibitions.
This consisted of an ordinary lamp casting its shadow on a white screen. He twisted his
supple fingers into fantastic shapes, making their enlarged shadows on the screen resemble
certain animais and persons. He also gained skill in manipulating marionettes (puppet
shows).
In later years when he attained manhood, he continued his keen predilection for magic. He
read many books on magic and attended the performances of the famous magicians of the
world. In Chapter XVII and XVIII of his second novel, El Filibusterismo (Treason), he revealed
his wide knowledge of magic.

Lakeshore Reveries
During the twilight hours of summer- time Rizal, accompanied by his pet dog, used to
meditate at the shore of Laguna de Bay on the sad conditions of his oppressed people. Years
later, he related:

I spent many, many hours of my childhood down on the shore of the lake, Laguna de
Bay. I was thinking of what was beyond. I was dreaming of what might be over on the
other side of the waves. Almost every day, in our fown, we saw the Guardia Civi!
lieutenant caning and injur- ing some unarmed and inoffensive villagers. The villager's
only fault was that while at a distance he had not taken off his hat and made his bow,
the alcalde treated the poor villagers in the same way whenever he visited us.

We saw no restraint put upon brutality. Acts of violence and other excesses were
committed daily. I asked myself if, in the lands which lay across the lake, the people
lived in this same way. I wondered if there they tortured any countryman with hard and
cruel whips merely on suspicion.

Did they there respect the home? Or ever yonder also, in order to live in peace, would one
have to bribe tyrants?
Young though he was, he grieved deeply over the unhappy situation of his beloved
fatherland. The Spanish misdeeds awakened in his boyish heart a great determination to fight
tyranny. When he became a man, many years later, he wrote to his friend, Mariano Ponce: "In
view of these injustices and cruelties, although yet a child, my imagination was awakened and
I made a vow dedicating myself someday to avenge the many victims. With this idea in my
mind, I studied, and this is seen in all my writings. Someday God will give me the opportunity
to fulfill my promise. "8

Influences on the Hero's Boyhood

On the night Jose Rizal was born, other children were born in Calamba and hundreds of other
children were also born all over the Philippines. But why is it that out of all these children, only
one boy - JOSE
RIZAL rose to fame and greatness?
In the lives of all men there are influences which cause some to be great and others not. In
the case of Rizal, he had all the favorable influences, few other children in his time enjoyed.
These influences were the following:

(1) hereditary influence,

(2) environmental influence, and (3) aid of Divine Providence.
1. Hereditary Influence:
According to biological science, there are inherent qualities which a person inherits from his
ancestors and parents. From his Malayan ancestors, Rizal, evidently, inherited his love for
freedom, his innate desire to travel, and his indomitable courage. From his Chinese
ancestors, he derived his serious nature, frugality, patience, and love for children. From his
Spanish ancestors, he got his elegance of bearing, sensitivity to insult, and gallantry to ladies.
From his father, he inherited a profound sense of self-respect, the love for work, and the habit
of independent thinking. And from his mother, he inherited his religious nature, the spirit of
self-sacrifice, and the passion for arts and literature.

2. Environmental Influence: According to psychologists. environment, as well as heredity,

affects the nature of a person. Environmental influence includes places, associates, and
events. The scenic beauties of Calamba and the beautiful garden of the

Rizal family stimulated the inborn artistic and literary talents of Jose Rizal. The religious
atmosphere at his home fortified his religious nature. His brother, Paciano, instilled in his mind
the love for freedom and justice. From his sisters, he learned to be courteous and kind to
women. The fairy tales told by his aya during his early childhood awakened his interest in
folklore and legends.

His three uncles, brothers of his mother, exerted a good influence on him. Tio Jose Alberto,
who had studied for eleven years in a British school in Calcutta, India, and had traveled in
Europe inspired him to develop his artistic ability. Tio Manuel, a husky and athletic man,
encouraged him to develop his frail body by means of physical exercises, including horse
riding, walking, and wrestling. And Tio Gregorio, a book lover, intensified his voracious
reading of good books.

Father Leoncio Lopez, the old and learned parish priest of Calamba, fostered Rizal's love for
scholarship and intellectual honesty.

The sorrows in his family, such as the death of Concha in 1865 and the imprisonment of his
mother in 1871-74, contributed to strengthen his character, enabling him to resist blows of
adversity in later years. The Spanish abuses and cruelties which he witnessed in his
boyhood, such as the brutal acts of the lieutenant of the Guardia Civil and the alcalde, the
unjust tortures inflicted on innocent Filipinos, and the execution of Fathers Gomez, Burgos,
and Zamora in 1872, awakened his spirit of patriotism and inspired him to consecrate his life
and talents to redeem his oppressed people.

3. Aid of Divine Providence: Greater than heredity and environment in the fate of man is the
aid of Divine Providence. A person may have everything in life brains, wealth, and power but,
without the aid of Divine Providence, he cannot attain greatness in the annals of the nation.
Rizal was providentially destined to be the pride and glory of his nation. God had endowed
him with the versatile gifts of a genius, the vibrant spirit of a nationalist, and the valiant heart
to sacrifice for a noble cause.