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El Filibusterismo

51 pages • 1 hour read

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-7

Chapters 8-11

Chapters 12-15

Chapters 16-20

Chapters 21-26

Chapters 27-32

Chapters 33-39

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

After doing some research, what effect did Rizal’s novels (both Noli Me Tángere and El Filibusterismo ) have on Philippine culture? Did it have an effect?

El Filibusterismo is dedicated to three Filipino priests—Don Francisco Gómez, Don José Burgos, and Don Jacinto Zamora. Who were these three men, what did they do, and how does the novel honor their memory?

In Chapter 7, Simoun says, “There are no despots where there are no slaves” (80). What does he mean by this? Is he correct?

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Related Titles

By José Rizal

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Message Of El Filibusterismo – Themes & Purpose Of The Novel

What is the message of jose rizal’s el filibusterismo (answers).

EL FILIBUSTERISMO – The key message that we can get from Dr. Jose Rizal’s novel, El Filibusterismo perfectly encapsulates our current society.

In this article, we are going to talk about how the themes in the novel inspired millions to fight for their country. Furthermore, we are going to go through the purpose of why Rizal wrote the novel in the first place.

Message Of El Filibusterismo – Themes & Purpose Of The Novel

Here are some examples of the main focus of Rizal’s novels:

Fighting for Freedom – El Filibusterismo inspired the Filipino people to fight for their freedom against the oppressive and abusive Spaniards.

Presence of Corrupt Government – Rizal’s novel accurately depicted the self-serving gov’t officials in the form of Friars. In the novel, we could see how those in power abuse their position to get favors and to satisfy their lust.

Importance of Education – In El Filibusterismo, officials tried to preserve a monopoly for education. This meant that not everybody had an equal opportunity to better themselves through knowledge. Rizal showed that those in power would rather rule over the uneducated.

In summary, Rizal’s message that he conveyed through El Filibusterismo is simple – he wanted Filipinos to have better lives. As such, Rizal wrote El Filibusterismo to show his countrymen that proper education and decent living for all are achievable.

However, he emphasized that in order to get the freedom he idealized, we all need to come together as a country and fight the injustices in our society.

Thanks for reading. We aim to provide our readers with the freshest and most in-demand content. Come back next time for the latest news here on Philnews.

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El Filibusterismo

By josé rizal, el filibusterismo themes.

In the English translation of El Filibusterismo , the title of the novel is The Reign of Greed due to the pivotal role greed plays in the novel. The Spanish profit immensely from their rule of the Philippines; the colonial rule is dominated by the exploitation of Filipinos and the extraction of their nation's wealth. Greed is a principal motivator for clergy and government officials alike who are more interested in lining their pockets than governing or fulfilling their responsibilities. Many, such as the priests, try to disguise their motivations under the guise of morality and religious superiority. Bribes are normalized as a way to get out of jail, receive “salvation” from the church, or gain government positions. The majority of Filipinos are subject to onerous taxes and the whims of those in power. Rizal explores how this greed corrupts everyone and everything: both the Spanish oppressors and Filipino society as a whole. In his efforts to liberate his country, Simoun uses his sizable wealth to manipulate the Captain General’s insatiable lust for wealth. However, Simoun himself is consumed in this process, losing touch with his true mission to liberate Filipinos and ease their suffering. Padre Florentino ’s decision to throw Simoun’s wealth in the ocean is a repudiation of the pervasive greed around him.

Submission and Rebellion

Set on the cusp of revolution, there is a tension between submission and rebellion in the novel. Spanish characters openly and frequently discuss the importance of instilling subservience and submission in the Filipino population. Padre Camorra states that Filipinos’ duty is to “obey and pay” and, for Don Custodio, it is necessary for Filipinos to believe in their own incompetence in order for the Spanish to maintain control of the Philippines. Rizal makes the argument that after over 300 years of colonial rule, Filipinos' minds themselves have been colonized by the Spanish. This takes many forms: a negation of Filipino identity, assimilation to Spanish values and language, and submission and passivity towards their oppressors. As a result, Simoun comes to the conclusion that the only way to spark rebellion is by increasing suffering to such extremes that Filipinos lose all fear and fight back. Tales, Placido, and Basilio all suffer multiple injustices at the hands of the Spanish. Initially, they try to avoid trouble and accept the innate unfairness as an unfortunate reality. Yet, the Spanish cruelty and greed force characters to a tipping point, such as Tales who becomes a tulisan , or outlaw, pursuing vigilante justice. Isagani surprises Filipino and Spanish superiors alike with his insistence on interacting with them as equals. Rizal wrote El Filibusterismo with the intention of raising consciousness; his character Isagani represents a new generation of Filipinos who refuse to believe in the myth of their own inferiority.

Injustice and Justice

El Filibusterismo exposed the rampant injustice in the Philippines as well as dramatizing the fight for justice. Spanish colonial rule is dominated by corruption and abuses of power and Filipinos regularly face persecution with no recourse. When Tales is fighting for his land, the judges know Tales is the rightful owner but side with the friars for fear of repercussions from the church. Going into the lawsuit, Tales already knows that Filipinos rarely if ever win, but there are no other legal options open to him. Tired of his pleas falling on deaf Spanish ears, Tales takes the law into his own hands and kills the friar-administrator who stole his lands.

The novel thus warns that in an oppressive system, people will turn to violence to achieve some means of justice if it is the only path available to them. One’s access to justice is dependent on position, money, connections, and race. When Filipinos genuinely need the protection of the government, such as when the tulisanes are attacking villages, the government and Civil Guard are negligent. The Civil Guard arrests innocent people at random, more as a show of authority than as a genuine effort to protect the people and punish those responsible. Basilio is one of many Filipinos unjustly imprisoned by a government trying to impose its authority over an increasingly dissatisfied population. Isagani, Simoun, and Padre Florentino all dream of justice although they have different visions of how to make it a reality.

Religion is a defining institution in the Philippines, and it plays a large role in El Filibusterismo . However, while religion exercises significant power and influence over people’s lives, there is relatively little focus on spirituality. Rather it is the institution of the Catholic Church that dominates. For Rizal, the church and Spanish friars embody colonial power, greed, and arrogance. There is the friar-administrator who falsely claims Tales’ land and exacts exorbitant rents that impoverish the family. Padre Salvi and Padre Camorra are lascivious and readily use their position of power to intimidate and sexually abuse women. The church controls education and wields political power and enormous wealth. Yet, Spanish priests hide behind religion to justify their exploitation and control of Filipinos. Padre Fernandez and Padre Florentino are two priests who stand out from the rest as genuine examples of spiritual leadership. Padre Fernandez is one of the few professors with a disposition to listen to his students and respect their ideas even when, like Isagani, they directly challenge the church. For his part, Padre Florentino, as a Filipino priest, tries his best to help his people and country. The novel ends with his appeal to the youth of the Philippines to help save their country from the evils that plague it.

Power struggles over who controls education, and what its role should be in society, comprise a significant portion of El Filibusterism o. The Catholic Church has been in control of education in the Philippines for over 300 years, and the priests jealously guard their position. Rather than fostering free thinking or the pursuit of knowledge, professors humiliate their students and lecture them on submission. In actuality, the church and government fear that having an educated populace will weaken their control over the colony. The members of the students association want Filipinos to have more opportunities and rights in society and believe a Spanish school is the answer. Most Filipinos are barred from positions of power or the ability to advocate for themselves within the colonial system, in part because they do not speak Spanish. However, the university students’ proposal of assimilation is a reflection of their relative privilege in society and their belief in the possibility of achieving change within the colonial system. The Spanish point to the widespread ignorance in society as a natural deficiency in Filipino intellect while characters such as Isagani denounce the church’s total failure to provide a decent education for citizens.

Colonialism

El Filibusterismo is set in the Philippines during the last years of Spanish colonial rule. At this time, the government is in a state of decline. There is increasing dissatisfaction, a natural culmination of over 300 years of exploitation and oppression. Under the colonial system, the Spanish can simply do whatever they want, with little consequence. They justify their actions with a full belief in their superiority: confident that Filipinos’ duty is to submit and cater to their whims. The Spanish expect Filipinos to be grateful to their “generous” Spanish benefactors for taking care of such poor and incompetent people. Tales begins to question this logic; he wonders why his land should belong to someone who has not worked for it. The Catholic Church and the government are used to establish colonial order and control. Don Custodio believes that indoctrination through the church is a humane form of colonialism because the Spanish are not using outright violence to suppress Filipinos.

Rizal explores what is the right path to remedy the failures and harms of colonialism. Isagani and other students are convinced that they can improve conditions by working for reform within the system. In this way, they hope to earn the respect and collaboration of the Spanish. Simoun, on the other hand, has a more radical stance, believing that the whole system is rotten and the Philippines must fight for independence.

Society in the Philippines under colonialism is structured around the fundamental idea of white supremacy. The Spanish caste system creates a racial hierarchy with Spaniards born in Spain at the top. Spanish blood correlates to purity and moral and intellectual superiority, which directly translates to one’s position in society and access to money and power. Nearly all positions of power, in the church and the government, are held by the Spanish or mestizos, those of mixed Filipino and Spanish origin. Although the majority, Filipinos are at the bottom of society and are treated as such. The Spanish begrudge having to give anything to Filipinos, and justify their mistreatment of them by convincing themselves that Filipinos need and deserve less. Even those who consider themselves in favor of justice or Filipino rights take on a paternalistic stance. Don Custodio, for example, firmly believes that the Spanish are innately superior and that the Spanish are bringing civilization to the “backwards” society of the Philippines.

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El Filibusterismo Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for El Filibusterismo is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Study Guide for El Filibusterismo

El Filibusterismo study guide contains a biography of José Rizal, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

  • About El Filibusterismo
  • El Filibusterismo Summary
  • Character List

reflection essay about el filibusterismo

The Life and Works of Rizal

Your one-stop source of book summaries, chapter analyses, poem and essay interpretations, images, multimedia, news, digital downloads and everything Rizal.

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El filibusterismo: summary and analysis of chapter 8 (merry christmas).

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  1. A Summary and a Review/Reflection on El Filibusterismo

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  2. 🏷️ Setting of el filibusterismo. El Filibusterismo Summary Essay

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  1. Reflection

    REFLECTION. El Filibusterismo by Dr. Jose Rizal was written in 1891, about the period when the Spanish invaded the Philippines and ruled with an iron fist. The story focuses on how oppressive colonial government can be during the colonization of the Spanish empire.

  2. Reflection El-Filbusterismo.pdf

    My Reflection Paper about El Filibusterismo As a Filipino the novel of El Filibusterismo brings lessons and realizations to our life. No matter how old it is, we can still relate ourselves and the present occurrences in the things that had happened in the novel of El Filibusterismo during Spanish colonization. Although we are freed from enslavement, we are still blocked from the truth to ...

  3. Reflection OF EL Filibusterismo

    REFLECTION OF "EL FILIBUSTERISMO" BY: DR. JOSE P. RIZAL "El Filibusterismo" is the second novel written by Philippine national hero Jose Rizal, and it is a sequel to his earlier work, "Noli Me Tangere." The novel was written in Spanish and was published in 1891, two years before Rizal's execution.

  4. (PDF) Revenge, Redemption, and Revolution: Analyzing El Filibusterismo

    Abstract. El Filibusterismo is just one of the literatures written by Rizal who fought using his pen, paper, and principle for a movement that opposes violence which contradicts his protagonist's ...

  5. El Filibusterismo Summary and Study Guide

    El Filibusterismo was written by the unofficial national hero of the Philippines, José Rizal, and first published in 1891 in Ghent, Belgium. It is Rizal's second novel and the sequel to his first novel, Noli Me Tángere.The novel's alternate title is The Reign of Greed.Rizal wrote both novels in Spanish because at the time of writing, the Philippine islands were Spanish colonies.

  6. El Filibusterismo Study Guide

    El Filibusterismo was the second novel written by Filipino writer and nationalist José Rizal.He published the book in 1891 as the sequel to his first novel, Noli Me Tangere or The Social Cancer. El Filibusterismo, known in English as The Reign of Greed, takes a critical look at Spanish colonialism and its effect on Filipino society.. Rizal wrote both novels at a time when there was growing ...

  7. Chapter 8 El Filibusterismo

    SHORT ESSAY. Read and analyze each question. Answer each item briefly but concisely. ... REFLECTION. What is the role of the youth in the development and future of the society? AI Quiz. AI Quiz. Download. 16 2. ... EL FILI's DESCRIPTION. Rizal began writing El Filibusterismo in October 1887 while he was in Calamba, Laguna. In 1888, he revised ...

  8. El Filibusterismo About Spanish Colonial Rule in the Philippines

    El Filibusterismo About Spanish Colonial Rule in the Philippines. The Spanish colonial period began in the Philippines in 1521 when Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed on the islands and claimed it as a colony of the Spanish Empire. The original goal of the Spanish was to find an alternative route to the East Indies, for the lucrative ...

  9. El Filibusterismo Essay Topics

    Essay Topics. 1. After doing some research, what effect did Rizal's novels (both Noli Me Tángere and El Filibusterismo) have on Philippine culture? Did it have an effect? 2. El Filibusterismo is dedicated to three Filipino priests—Don Francisco Gómez, Don José Burgos, and Don Jacinto Zamora. Who were these three men, what did they do ...

  10. El Filibusterismo Summary

    El Filibusterismo is set in the late 19th century during the last years of Spanish rule in the Philippines. It was written as a sequel to Rizal's first book, Noli Me Tangere, and as such many characters and plot lines are continued.The protagonist of Noli Me Tangere is Ibarra, an educated and idealistic young man who attempts to bring about reform in the Philippines.

  11. Message Of El Filibusterismo

    Here are some examples of the main focus of Rizal's novels: Fighting for Freedom - El Filibusterismo inspired the Filipino people to fight for their freedom against the oppressive and abusive Spaniards. Presence of Corrupt Government - Rizal's novel accurately depicted the self-serving gov't officials in the form of Friars.

  12. Free Essay: El Filibusterismo

    El Filibusterismo is the sequel (of sorts) to Rizal's Filipino classic, Noli me tangere. It is set some thirteen years after the events of the earlier book, Noli, dominated by Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra, now Simoun, and his ideals for a better future for the Philippines. It was written in dedication to the three martyred priests Mariano Gomez ...

  13. A Reaction Paper On El Filibusterismo. Steph

    A Reaction Paper on El Filibusterismo. Steph - Free download as Word Doc (.doc / .docx), PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. reaction paper

  14. Message Of El Filibusterismo

    Message Of El Filibusterismo. Satisfactory Essays. 985 Words. 4 Pages. Open Document. The Reign of the Greed, or as we know by its Spanish title, "El Filibusterismo", was written by Dr. Jose Rizal on 1891. This was the novel that he wrote after "Noli Me Tangere.". The first novel was made to show a lighter side of the story which was ...

  15. El Filibusterismo Essay Questions

    3. In El Filibusterismo, what is the role of education in enforcing or disrupting the system of power? The Catholic Church uses education as a tool to indoctrinate Filipinos. Students' desire to learn and improve themselves is crushed in a degrading system and they become compliant or jaded.

  16. Synopsis of "El Filibusterismo" by Jose Rizal

    Synopsis of "El Filibusterismo" by Jose Rizal. Crisostomo Ibarra of the Noli Me Tangere, who, with Elias' help, escaped from the pursuing soldiers at Laguna de Bay, dug up his buried treasure, and fled to Cuba where he became rich and befriended many Spanish officials. Thirteen years after leaving the Philippines, Crisostomo Ibarra returned ...

  17. El Filibusterismo Analysis

    In 1888, he went to Europe once more, and there wrote the sequel, El Filibusterismo (The Subversive), published in 1891. In addition, he annotated an edition of Antonio Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, showing that the Philippines had had a long history before the advent of the Spaniards. Rizal returned to Manila in 1892 and founded a ...

  18. El Filibusterismo Summary Free Essay Example

    Summary, Pages 5 (1125 words) Views. 2114. It began with a trip to the craft between Manila and Laguna. Among the passengers to Simuon jeweler, was Isagani, and Basilio. Thirteen years have passed since the death of Elijah and Sisa. Basilio reached San Diego and a historic meeting he saw Simuon to visit the grave of his mother inside the tomb ...

  19. REFLECTION-about-El-Filibusterismo.docx

    View REFLECTION-about-El-Filibusterismo.docx from AA 1REFLECTION about El Filibusterismo As a student and teen-ager, this novel brings lessons and realizations in life. No matter how old it is, or ... Description Argumentative Essay #1 - Duty Based Ethics vs Consequentialism In a 750 - 900 word essay, address the ff. points: 1. ...

  20. ᐉ Noli Me Tangere ☑️ Reflection Paper Guide

    4. 10.05.2022. Writing a reflection of Noli Me Tangere, on one of the most acclaimed Filipino works, can be taunting. Especially in the case of Noli Me Tangere, a book that served as an eye-opening work to many from the day it was released and is being used even nowadays to instill nationalism in young Filipinos. Table Of Contents.

  21. El Filibusterismo Themes

    El Filibusterismo study guide contains a biography of José Rizal, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. ... the university students' proposal of assimilation is a reflection of their relative privilege in society and their belief in the possibility of achieving change within the ...

  22. El Filibusterismo: Summary and Analysis of Chapter 24 (Dreams)

    Summary: Isagani meets Paulita Gomez at the Luneta. At that moment, the sun is setting behind the mountains of Maribeles. In their conversation, Isagani shares his visions of progress and social and economic development for his country. He talks to Paulita about his plans to expand the railways, to improve commercial trade, and to somehow ...

  23. El Filibusterismo: Summary and Analysis of Chapter 8 (Merry ...

    1. They don't want to wake up early to hear mass. The cool breeze makes them want to sleep in. 2. They are made to wear uncomfortable clothes hardened by starch and new shoes that are like torture to the feet. 3. The mass takes too long and the church is too crowded.