MODULE II

Rizal`s Life: Family, Childhood, and

Early Education

Lesson 1 Rizal`s Family and

Childhood

Lesson 2 Rizal`s Early Education

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MODULE II

RIZAL`S LIFE: FAMILY, CHILDHOOD & EARLY EDUCATION

 INTRODUCTION

This module discusses the family, early childhood of Jose Rizal in

Calamba, his parentage. his ancestry, his memories and teachings of his
mother. It also discusses his early education in Biñan. Emphasized in the
discussion are the values and lessons which Rizal discerns in his early
boyhood and student days.

OBJECTIVES

After studying the module, the student should be able to:

1. describe and characterize the advent of a national hero, Jose Rizal,

when, where and how he was born.
2. discuss the social status of Rizal`s parents and ancestors.
3. describe the home and family life of the Rizal`s and tell what good things
can be learned from it.
4. tell about the early childhood in Calamba including his childhood
memories.
5. describe his early education and lessons he learned from his mother.
6. relate the kind of elementary education he underwent in Biñan.

 MODULE ORGANIZER

Read the objectives of this module. Please be guided in remembering

important facts and incidents in the of Rizal which will provide you
direction.
Read through the module carefully and remember the logical
sequence of events in the life of Rizal as a boy and as a student.
Be able to perform the learning activities prepared for every lesson.
At the end of the module, read. the summary and answer the summative
test. Your answers are expected to be submitted to your instructor for
correction and recording.
In case you encounter difficulty, discuss this with your instructor via
Gmail, messenger, text or call.

Happy reading!!!

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Lesson 1

 Rizal`s Family &

Childhood

Dr. Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born on

June19, 1861 in Calamba, Laguna. The seventh of eleven children born to a
relatively well-off family in a Dominican-owned tenant land in Calamba,
Laguna, Jose Rizal lived and died during the Spanish colonial era in the
Philippines.
In his childhood, Jose had mastered the alphabet and learned to
write and read. His early readings included the Spanish version of the
Vulgate Bible. At a young age, Jose Rizal manifested an inclination to the
arts and amazed his family by his skills in pencil drawing, sketches and
moldings of clay in his early childhood. Later in his childhood, he
demonstrated special talent in painting and sculpture, wrote a Tagalog play,
which was presented at a town fiesta (and later penned a short play in
Spanish, which was presented in school).

Don Francisco Mercado

Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado, father of Rizal, was a productive

farmer from Biñan, Laguna. He was an independent-minded, reserved
reticent, but dynamic gentleman, whom Rizal inherited his “free soul". Don
Francisco became teniente gobernadorcillo (lieutenant governor) in
Calamba and was thus nicknamed Teniente Kiko. (Some students` comical
conjecture that the fictional character Kikong Matsing of Batibot was
named after Don Francisco is, of course, unfounded). (Looking back, his
business, in a way, predated the meat-processing commerce of tie
Pampanguenos today and the ube jam production of some nuns in Baguio).
It is believed that Dona Teodora's family descended from Lakandula,
the last native king of Tondo. (For young Filipino generations, Lakandula has
to be distinguished from the unofficial “Hari ng Tondo, Asiong Salonga, the
Manila Kingpin who was immortalized in the movie incidentally by Laguna`s
own governor E. R. Ejercito.)
Lolay's great-grandfather was Eugenio Ursua (of Japanese descent)
who married a Filipina named Benigna, Regina, their daughter, married a
Filipino-Chinese lawyer of Pangasinan, Manuel de Quinos. Lorenzo Alberto
Alonso, a well off Spanish-Filipino mestizo Biñan, took as his “significant
other” Brigida Quintos, daughter of Manuel and Regina Quintos. The
Lorenzo- Brigida union produced five children, the second of them was Jose
Rizal`s mother, Teodora Alonso Quintos.
Through the Claveria decree of 1849 which changed the Filipino
native surnames, the Alonsos adopted the surname Realonda. Rizal's mother
thus became Teodora Alonso Quintos Realonda. (For a lecture that

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concentrates on Teodora Alonso`s life and her love for Jose, read Appendix
C: “Teodora Alonso: Lola Lolay of Bahay na Bato”.)

Jose`s Siblings

Saturnina Rizal (1850-1913) is the eldest child of Don Francisco and

Teodora Alonso. She and her mother provided the little Jose with good basic
education that by the age or three, Pepe (Jose`s nickname) already knew
his alphabet.
Paciano Rizal, Jose`s only brother, was born on March 7, 1851 in
Calamba, Laguna. He was fondly addressed by his siblings as Nor Paciano,
short for "Senor Paciano.” The 10-year brother of Jose studied at San Jose
College in Manila, became a farmer, and later a general of the Philippine
Revolution. (A detailed discussion on Paciano`s life and his influence on
Jose is available in Appendix E: Paciano Rizal: Pinoy Hero`s Big Brother”.)
After Jose`s execution in December 1896, Paciano joined the
Katipuneros in Cavite under General Emilio Aguinaldo. As Katipunero,
Paciano was commissioned as general of the revolutionary forces and
elected as secretary of finance in the Department Government of Central
Luzon. (For Jose and Paciano's collaboration and connection to Emilio
Aguinaldo, read the Appendix N: “Jose Rizal and Emilio Aguinaldo.”)
Narcisa Rizal (1852-1939) or simply "Sisa" was the third child in the
Rizal’s family. Later in history, Narcisa (like Saturnina) would help in
financing Rizal`s studies in Europe, even pawning her jewelry and peddling
her clothes if needed. It was said she could recite from memory almost all
of the poems of our national hero. (Discussions on Jose`s J known poems are
available in Appendix: “Jose Rizal`s Poems.”)
Olympia Rizal (1855-1887) was the fourth child in the Rizal family.
Jose loved to tease her, sometimes good-humoredly describing her as his
stout sister. Jose's first love, Segunda Katigbak, was Olympia`s schoolmate
at the La Concordia College. Rizal confined to Olympia ("also spelled
“Olympia”) about Segunda, and the sister willingly served as mediator
between the two teenage lovers. (For Jose Rizal and Segunda Katigbak`s
love story, read Appendix P: “Jose Rizal`s Filipino Girlfriends”.)
Lucia Rizal (1857-1919) was the fifth child in the family. She married
Mariano Herbosa of Calamba, Laguna. Charged of inciting the Calamba
townsfolk not to pay land rent and causing unrest, couple was once ordered
to be deported along with some Rizal family members. (Lucia`s husband
died during the cholera epidemic in May 1889 and was refused a Catholic
burial for not going to confession since his marriage to Lucia. In Jose`s
article in La Solidaridad titled Una profonacion (A Profanation), he
scornfully attacked the friars for declining to bury in “sacred ground” a
“good Christian simple because he was the “brother-in-law of Rizal.
Maria Rizal (1959-1945) was the sixth child in the family. It was to her
whom Jose talked about wanting to marry Josephine Bracken when the
majority of the Rizal family was apparently not amenable to the idea. In his
letter dated December 12, 1891, Jose had also brought up to Maria his plan
of establishing a Filipino colony in North British Borneo. In his letter dated
December 28, 1891, Jose wrote to Maria, “I`m told that your children are
very pretty." Today, we have a historical proof that Maria`s progenies were

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indeed nice-looking (lahing maganda). Maria and Daniel had five children:
Mauricio, Petrona, Prudencio, Paz and Encarnacion. Their son Mauricio
married Conception Arguelles and the couple had a son named Ismael
Arguelles Cruz. Ismael was the father of Gemma Cruz Araneta, the first
Filipina to win the Miss International title, also the first Southeast Asian to
win an international beauty-pageant title. (For. more interesting discussion
about Saturnina, Narcisa, Olympia, Lucia, and Maria Rizal, read Appendix F:
“Jose Rizal’s Older Sisters").
Also catted "Concha” by her siblings, Concepcion Rizal (1862-1865)
was the eight child of the Rizal family. She died at the age of three. Of nis
sisters, it was said that the young Pepe loved most little Concha who was a
year younger that he. Jose played games and shared children’s stories with
her, and from her he felt the beauty of sisterly love at a young age.
Josefa Rizal`s nickname is "Panggoy" (i865-1945). she was the ninth
child in the family. Panggoy died a spinster. Among Jose's letter to Josefa,
the one dated October 26, 1893 was perhaps the most fascinating. Written
in English, the letter addressed Josefa as "Miss Josephine Rizal”. (After
Jose`s martyrdom, the epileptic Josefa joined the Katipunan and was even
supposed to have been elected the president of its women section. She was
one of the original 29 women admitted to the Katipunan along with Gregoria
de Jesus, wife of Andres Bonifacio. They safeguarded the secret papers and
documents of the society and danced and sang during sessions so that the
civil guards would think that the meetings were just harmless social
gatherings.) "
Trinidad Rizal (1868-1951) or “Trining” was the tenth child.
Historically, she became the custodian of Rizal`s last and greatest poem.
Right before Jose's execution, Trinidad and their mother visited him in the
Fort Santiago prison cell. As they were leaving, Jose handed over to Trining
an alcohol cooking stove, a gift from the Pardo de Taveras, whispering to
her in a language, which the guards could not understand. “There is
something in it." That "something" was Rizal's elegy now known as “Mi
Ultimo Adios.” Like Josefa, Paciano, and two nieces, Trinidad joined tie
Katipunan after Jose`s death.
Also called "Choleng”, Soledad Rizal (1870-1929) was the youngest
child of the Rizal family. Being a teacher, she was arguably the best-
educated among Rizal’s sisters. In his long and meaty letter io Choleng
dated June 6, 1890 ("Jose Rizal in Facebook Courtship," 2013), Jose told her
sister that he was proud of her for becoming a teacher. He thus counseled
her to be a model of virtues and good qualities “for the one who should
teach should be better than the persons who need her learning". Rizal
nonetheless used the topic as leverage in somewhat rebuking her sister for
getting married to Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba without their parents`
consent. “Because of you,” he wrote, "the peace of our family has been
disturbed.”
Choleng's union with Pantaleon, nonetheless, resulted in the Rizal
family's becoming connected by affinity to Miguel Malvar (the hero who
could have been listed as the second Philippine President for taking over the
revolutionary government after Emilio Aguinaldo`s arrest in 1901). Soledad
and Pantaleon had five children: Trinitario, Amelia, Luisa, Serafin and Felix.
Their daughter Amelia married Bernabe Malvar, son of Gen. Miguel Malvar.

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(For more fascinating discussion about Concepcion, Josefa, Trinidad and

Soledad Rizal, read Appendix G: “Jose Rizal`s Younger Sisters”).

The Surname Rizal

Had their forefather not adopted other names, Jose and Paciano
could have been known as “Lamco” (and not Rizal) brothers.
Their paternal great-great grandfather, Chinese merchant Domingo
Lamco, adopted the name “Mercado", which means “market”. But Jose`s
father, Francisco, who eventually became primary a farmer, adopted the
surname "Rizal” (originally “Racial”, which means “the green of young
growth of ''green fields"). The name was suggested by a provincial governor
who was a friend of the family. The new name, however, caused confusion
in the commercial affairs of the family. Don Francisco thus settled on the
name "Rizal Mercado” as a compromise, and often just used his more known
surname "Mercado”.
When Paciano was a student at the College of San Jose, he used
"Mercado" as his last name. But because he had gained notoriety with his
link to father Burgos of the “Gomburza”, he suggested that Jose use the
surname "Rizal”, for Jose's own safety.
Commenting on using the name “Rizal” at Ateneo, Jose once wrote:
“My family never paid much attention to our second surname Rizal, but now
I had to use it, thus giving me the appearance of an illegitimate child!” (As
cited in Arriza, 2012, para. 8).
But this very name suggested by Paciano to be used by his brother
had become so well known by 1891, the year Jose finished his El
Filibusterismo. As Jose wrote to a friend, “All my family now carry the
name Rizal instead of Mercado because the name Rizal means persecution!
Good! I too want to join them and be worthy of this family name…” (As
cited in Arriza, 2012, para. 8).

Rizal`s Birth

Dona Teodora suffered the greatest pain during the delivery of her
seventh child, Jose. Her daughter Narcisa recalled: “I was nine years of age
when my mother gave birth to Jose. Her pain was attributed to the fact that
Jose`s head was bigger than normal”. (As cited in “Lola Lolay”, 2013,
para.8)
Jose Rizal was born in Calamba. ln 1848, his parents decided to build
a home in this town in Laguna, southern Luzon. The name Calamba was
derived from kalabanga, which mean “clay stove” (kalan) and “water jar”
(banga).
His adoration of its scenic beauty- punctuated by the sights of the
Laguna de Bay, Mount Makiling, plum-covered mountains, curvy hills_ and
green fields - was recorded in poem he would later write at Ateneo de
Manila in 1876, Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town). (If Rizal`s
poem was written today, he might mention the three-foot SM mall, shopping
centers, and the south Luzon Expressway (SLEX) terminus in the place. A
city since 2001, Calamba is said to have earned the nickname “Resort
Capital of the Philippines" for its more than 600 resorts in the place today).

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It's a fact that the first massive stone house (or bahay na bato) in
Calamba was the very birth place of our national hero. It was a rectangular
two-story building, built of adobe stones and solid wood, with sliding Capiz
windows. Its ground floor was made of lime and stone, the second floor of
hard wood, except for the roof, which was of red tiles. There was an azotea
and a water reservoir at the back. Its architectural style and proximity to
the church implied Rizal family’s and wealth and political influence.

The Childhood of a Phenom

A phenom is someone who is exceptionally talented or admired

especially an up-and-comer. Jose Rizal, during his childhood, was
considered magnanimously as a phenom.
Jose Rizal's first memory, in his infancy, was his happy days in their
family garden when he was three years old. Their courtyard contained
tropical fruit trees, poultry yard, a carriage house, and a stable for the
ponies. Because the young Pepe was weak, sickly and undersized, he was
given the fondest care by his parents, so his father built a nipa cottage for
Pepe to play in the day time.
Memory of his infancy included the nocturnal walk in the town,
especially when there was a moon. Jose also recalled the “aya” (nursemaid)
relating to the Rizal children some fabulous stories, like those about the
fairies, tales of buried treasure and trees blooming with diamonds.
Significant childhood memory was the daily Angelus prayer in their
home. Rizal recorded in his memoir that by nightfall, his mother would
gather all the children in their home to pray the Angelus. At the early age of
three, he started to take a part in the family prayer.
When Concha died of sickness in 1865, Jose mournfully wept at losing
her. He later wrote in his memoir, “When I was four years old, I lost my,
little sister Concha, and then for the first time I shed tears caused by love
and grief" ("Memoirs of a Student in Manila.”n.d.)
The young Pepe, at age five, learned to read the Spanish family
Bible, which he would refer to later in his writings. Rizal himself remarked
that perhaps the education he received since his earliest infancy was what
had shaped his habits ("Memoirs of a Student.” n.d para. 3).
Pepe as fondly called loved to go to the chapel, pray, participate in
novenas, and join religious processions as a child. In Calamba, one of the
men he esteemed and respected was the scholarly Catholic priest Leoncio
Lopez, the town priest. He used to visit him and listen to his inspiring
opinions on current events and through life views.
Similarity at age five, Pepe started to make pencil sketches and mold
in clay and wax objects, which attracted his fancy. When he was about six
years old, his sisters once laughed at him for spending much time making
clay and wax images. Initially keeping silent, he then prophetically told
them, “Alright laugh at me now! Someday when I die, people will make
monuments of images of me".
When Jose was seven years old, his father provided him the exciting
experience of riding a "casco" (a flat-bottomed boat with a roof) on their
way to a pilgrimage in Antipolo. The pilgrimage was to fulfill the vow made
by Jose's mother to take him to the Shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo should

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she and her life. From Antipolo, Jose and his father proceeded to Manila to
visit his sister Saturnina who was at the time studying at the La Concordia
College in Sta. Ana.
As a gift, the child Jose received a pony named “Alipato” from his
father (Bantug & Ventura, 1997, p.23). As a child, he loved to ride this pony
or take long walks in the meadows and lakeshore with his black dog named
"Usman".
The mother also induced Jose to love the arts, literature and the
classics. Before he was eight years old, he had written a drama (some
sources say "a Tagalog comedy"), which was performed at a local festival
and for which the municipal captain rewarded him with two pesos. (Some
references specify that it was staged in a Calamba festival and that it was a
gobernadorcillo from Paete who purchased the manuscript for two pesos.)
Contrary to the "former" common knowledge however, Rizal did not
write the Filipino poem "Sa Aking Mga Kababata/Kabata” (To My Fellow
Children). The poem was previously believed to be Rizal`s first written
poem at the age of eight and was said to have been published posthumously
many years after Rizal’s death. However, Jose had a preserved
correspondence (letters) with his brother Paciano admitting that he (Jose)
had only encountered the word “Kalayaan” when he was already 21 years
old. The term ("kalayaan") was used not just once in the poem, “Sa Aking
Mga Kababata/Kabata.” (For more details concerning this matter, read
article, "Did Jose Rizal Write the Poem “Sa Aking Mga Kabata?” in
OurHappySchool.com).
The young Rizal was also interested in magic. He read many books on
magic. He learned different tricks, such us making a coin disappear and
making a handkerchief vanish in thin air.
Other influences of Rizal’s childhood were his three uncles: Jose
Alberto who inspired him to cultivate his artistic ability; Manuel who
encouraged him to fortify his frail body through physical exercise; and
Gregorio who intensified Rizal’s prowess, and avidness to read good books.

The Story of the Moth

To share essential life’s lessons, Lolay conducted regular storytelling

sessions with the young Rizal. Dona Teodora loved to read to Pepe stories
from the book Amigo de li Ninos (The Children` Friend). One day, she
scolded his son for making drawings on the pages of the story book. To
teach the value of obedience to one’s parents, she afterward read him a
story in it.
His mother, Lolay chose the story about a daughter moth who was
warned her mother against going too near a lamp flame. Though the young
moth promised to comply, she later succumbed to the pull of the light`s
mysterious charm, believing that nothing bad would happen if she
approached it with caution. The moth then flew close to the flame. Feeling
comforting warmth at first, she drew closer and closer, bit by bit, until she
flew too close enough to the flame and perished.
Incidentally, Pepe was watching a similar incident while he was
listening to the storytelling. Like a live enactment, a moth was fluttering
too near to the flame of the oil lamp on their table. Not merely acting out,

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it did fall dead as a consequence. Both moths in the two paid the price of
getting near the fatal light.
Many years later, Rizal himself felt that the moths` late could serve
as an allegory of his own destiny. (A good summary of Rizal`s life is
presented in Appendix B: A Biographical Outline.) About himself, he wrote:
"Years have passed since then. The child has become o man...
Steamships have taken him across seas and oceans. He has received from
experience bitter lessons, much more bitter than the sweet lessons that his
mother gave him. Nevertheless, he has preserved the heart of a child. He
still thinks that light is the most beautiful thing in creation, and that it is
worthwhile for a man to sacrifice his life for it". "My first Reminiscence,”
n.d. para. 9)

 LEARNING ACTIVITY

I. Matching Type: Match Column A with Column B. Write the

corresponding letter before the number.
A B

____ 1. Jose Rizal`s sister who served as the A. Calamba

Mediator between the teenage lovers, Rizal B. Leoncio Lopez
& Segunda.
____ 2. The educated & highly cultured woman C. Trinidad
From Sta. Cruz, Manila also known as Lolay.
____ 3. The birthplace of Rizal, which was derived D. Jose Alberto
From “kalan-banga”, meaning “clay stove”
(kalan) & “water jar” (banga).
____ 4. He was a classmate of Don Francisco who E. Olympia
Lived at the Rizal home to be a tutor of
Spanish & Latin. F. Lucia
____ 5. Rizal mournfully wept when she died of
sickness in 1865. G. Teodora Alonso
____ 6. The uncle who taught Rizal on painting
Sketching and sculpture. H. Leon Monroy
____ 7. The Catholic town priest in Calamba
Who was esteemed & respected by I. Paciano
Rizal.
____ 8. The sister of Rizal who became the J. Concha
Custodian of his last & greatest poem.
____ 9. Her husband died during the cholera K. Narcisa
Epidemic in May 1889.
____10. The only brother of Rizal who became L. Manuel
The general of the Philippine Revolution.

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Lesson 2

 Rizal`s Early
Education

Education in Calamba

Dona Teodora was Rizal`s first teacher is not just a sort of

"venerating" his mother who sacrificed a lot our hero. It was actually a
technical truth. ln his memoirs, Rizal wrote, “My mother taught me how to
read and to say haltingly the humble prayers which I raised fervently to
God.”

In Rizal’s time, seldom would see a highly educated woman of fine

culture, like Dona Teodora who had the capacity to teach Spanish, reading,
poetry and values through rare story books. Lolay, indeed was the first
teacher of the hero - teaching him Spanish, correcting his composed poem
and coaching him in rhetoric. On his mother lap, Jose learned the alphabet
and Catholic prayers at the age of three and learned to read and write at
the age of 5.

Aside from his mother, Jose's sister Saturnina and three maternal
uncles also mentored him. His uncle Joie Alberto taught him painting,
sketching, and sculptures. Uncle Gregorio influence him to further love
reading. Uncle Manuel, for his part, developed Rizal`s physical skills in
martial arts, like wresting.

To further strengthen and polish what Rizal had learned, private

tutors were hired to give him lessons at home. Thus, Maestro Celestino
tutored him, and Maestro Lucas Padua later succeeded Celestino.
Afterward, a former classmate of Don Francisco, Leon Monroy, lived at the
Rizal home to become the boy's tutor in Spanish and Latin. Sadly, Monroy
died five months later. (Of course, there is no truth to some naughty
students' comical insinuation that Rizal had something to do with his death).

Education in Biñan

Jose Rizal studied to a private school in Biñan. ln June 1g69, his

brother Paciano brought him to the school of Maestro Justiniano Aquino
Cruz. The school was in the teacher's house a small nipa near the home of
Jose`s aunt where he stayed. In Rizal`s own words, his teacher “knew by
the heart the grammars by Nebrija and Gainza. "

During Rizal`s first day at the Binan School, the teacher asked him:

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"Do you know Spanish?”

"A little, sir, " replied Rizal
"Do you know Latin?”
"A little, sir. "
His classmates, especially the teacher’s son Pedro, laughed at the
newcomer. With this annoying and insulting situation, Jose challenges the
bully Pedro to a fight. Having learned wrestling from his uncle Manuel, the
younger and smaller Jose defeated his tormenter-Pedro. (Compared to
bullying victims today, we can justify that Rizal did not wait for anyone to
enact a law against bullying, but rather took action into his own hands.)

After the class, he had an arm-wrestling match with his classmates,

Andres Salandanan. However, Jose lost and even almost cracked his head on
the sidewalk. (This. only proves that merely being a desperado won’t make
you win all your fights but the point is, you`ve manifested a gallant
attribute to show masculinity).

Jose Rizal had other fights with Biñan boys. (If his average was two
fights per day, as what happened during his first day in Binan school. Then
he might have been more active than today`s MMA (mixed martial arts)
fighters). For his scuffles, he nonetheless received many whippings and
blows on the open palm from his disciplinarian teacher.

Rizal might not have won all his physical fights but he beat all Biñan
boys academically in Spanish, Latin and many other subjects. After
sometime, Jose told his father that he had already learned all there was to
be taught in Biñan. His father sternly scolded Jose and hustled him back to
the school. Maestro Cruz, Jose's teacher in Biñan, later confirmed, however,
that Jose had indeed finished already all the needed curricular works. So
despite his wife's reluctant, Don Francisco then decided to send Jose to a
school in Manila in order to enhance his superb academic power.
,

Suggested Class Activities

1. Read Rizal’s Memoirs of a Student in Manila, “Chapter I (available online

in the article “Memoirs of a Student in Manila” by P. Jacinto (a Pen Name of
Jose Rizal" in OurHappySchool.com)

2. Create a timeline of Rizal`s childhood and early education.

3. Assessment:
Write a short biographical essay that compares your early childhood
education with Rizal’s own.

4. Class Discussion:
a. Analyze Rizal`s family, childhood and early education.
b. Mention and evaluate the people and events and their influence on Rizal's
early life.

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E-LEARNING ASSIGNMENT

Taking Exciting E-Learning Fun Quiz Game:

1. Go online to www.OurHappySchool.com. Through its search engine (upper
right section), look for the entry "How much do you know Jose Rizal: A Fun
Quiz Game."

 LEARNING ACTIVITY

I. Identification: Identify the best answer by choosing from the box:

Narcisa Colegio de San Jose Maestro Celestino

Tiniente Kiko Alipato Leon Monroy
Casco To My Fellow Children Rizal
Justiniano Cruz Alex Salandanan My Retreat
Maria College of Santa Rosa Jose Alberto

_________ 1. Rizal’s father gifted him with this pony, which he loved to ride
or take long walk in the meadows and lakeshore with his black
dog.
_________ 2. The flat-bottomed boat with a roof, which Rizal and his father
rode on their way to a pilgrimage in Antipolo.
_________ 3. The poem, which was previously believed to be Rizal’s first
written poem at the age of eight.
_________ 4. She helped in financing Rizal's studies in Europe, even pawning
her jewelry and peddling her clothes if needed.
_________ 5. Rizal had an arm-wrestling match with this classmate
after class.
_________ 6. The esteemed school for girls in Manila where Doña Lolay
was educated.
_________ 7. The sister with whom the hero talked about wanting to marry
Josephine Bracken.
_________ 8. The reticent but vigorous gentleman from whom Jose
inherited his "free soul".
_________ 9. The maestro in a private school in Biñan where Rizal was
brought by Paciano.
_________10. The surname suggested by a provincial governor, which
caused confusion in the commercial affairs of the family.

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 MODULE SUMMARY

Dr. Jose Rizal was born on June 19, 1861 to a religious and model
Filipino parents in the picturesque town of Calamba, Laguna. This town is
between the legendary Mt. Makiling and the largest take in the Philippines,
the Laguna de Bay. He is the seventh among the eleven children of Doña
Teodora and Don Francisco.

His family and his home town gave an ideal and conducive learning
environment for the growth and development of Jose. Both his father and
mother were educated, highly respected, and socially affluent parents.
Calamba, a town of fertile fields of rice and sugarcane; its evergreen
meadows, its singing birds, and the panoramic views of its lovely sunrises
constitute the background and environment for the growing child- Jose
Rizal.
He was a religious boy, born and bred in a wholesome atmosphere of
Catholicism. At the age of three he already participated in family prayers
and at five, he read the Spanish family bible. He loves to go to church, take
part in novenas and join religious processions.
His mother, Doña Teodora, became his first teacher. At age three he
learned the alphabet. For misbehavior, his mother used to spank him with
her slippers. He learned a lesson from the story of the moth that her mother
read to him- that is sacrificing one's life for an idealism.
Dr. Jose Rizal was also influenced by his three uncles. His Uncle
Gregorio taught him to work and study hard; his Uncle Jose for painting,
sketching and sculpture. His Uncle Manuel taught him swimming, fencing
and wrestling.
A phenom tike Jose Rizal possessed artistic talents and skills. Even
before he learned to read, he already sketched pictures of birds, flowers,
fruits, animals and persons. He painted religious banner used during
religious processions. He made statuettes which he kept in his room which
were made out of clay. Before he was eight years o[d, he wrote his first
poem entitles, "Sa Aking Mga Kababata. " He also wrote a drama which was
staged in Calamba in connection with the town fiesta.
The influences in Rizal's babyhood which made how great includes, a)
hereditary influence, b) environmental influence, c) aid of the Divine
Providence, which he said has the greatest influence.
The first formal schooling of Jose was obtained in Biñan under
Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz. Jose surpassed and outsmarted his
classmates in all subjects.

Congratulations! You have just studied Module I. now you are ready to
evaluate how much you have benefited from your reading by answering the
summative test. Good Luck!!!

Module II
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 SUMMATIVE TEST

Essay

1. Who do you think had been the most influential among the family and
relatives of Rizal? Justify your answer.

2. Why do you think Rizal felt that the moth`s tale could serve as an
allegory of his own destiny?

3. How was value good education shown in the life of Rizal?

4. Discuss Rizal`s relationship with his parents and siblings?

5. Cite virtues that were exemplified in the life of Rizal based on his
relationship with his family, his childhood, and early education.

Module II