24th May 1888

Ferdinand Blumentritt

RIZAL IN LONDON (1888-1889) CHAPTER 14 -After visiting the United States, Rizal lived in London from May, 1888 to March, 1889 for three reasons: (1) to improve his knowledge of the English language (2) to study and annotate Morga’sSucesos de las Islas Filipinas, a rare copy of which he heard to be available in the …

Other Close Friends of Rizal Maximo Viola – A very good friend of Rizal. The saviour of Noli Me Tangere because he helped Rizal when he became near destitute. Juan Luna – A painter, a sculptor and an a political activist. Antonio Luna – The brother of Juan Luna and the general who fought in the Philippine-American War.

In July 13 1886, Jose Rizal wrote his first letter to Ferdinand Blumentritt from Heidelberg and sent him a book of arithmetic written in Tagalog. And with this, a gracious communication and friendship between the two men started. The letter was written originally in German and was written from Geneva, Switzerland.

RIZAL’S DARKEST WINTER The winter of 1886 in Berlin was his darkest winter. He lived in poverty because no money arrived from Calamba and he was flat broke. He could not pay his landlord and he had scrimp, eating only one meal a day.

Jose Rizal became the Philippine national hero because he fought for freedom in a silent but powerful way. He expressed his love for the Philippines through his novels, essays and articles rather than through the use of force or aggression. Most of the world Heroes was elevated as such because of their war exploits.

Some of the persons selected for recommendation as national heroes:

• José Rizal.
• Andrés Bonifacio.
• Emilio Aguinaldo.
• Marcelo H. del Pilar.
• Juan Luna.
• Apolinario Mabini.
• Melchora Aquino.

Rizal was determined to come back to the Philippines for the following reasons: – To operate his mother’s eyes – To serve his people who had long been oppressed by Spanish tyrants. – To find out for himself how the Noli Me Tangere and his other writings were affecting Filipinos and Spaniards.

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Leonor Rivera–Kipping

Rizal’s plans of coming back home • As early as 1884, Rizal wanted to go back to the Philippines for the following reasons: – Financial difficulties in Calamba – Dissatisfaction with his studies in Madrid – Desire to prove that there is no reason to fear going home.

Dr. When he studied in Manila at the Jesuit Ateneo Municipal school, he changed his name to “Jose Rizal” because his brother, Paciano Mercado, was wanted by the colonial authorities for being an associate of the martyred priest, Fr. Jose Burgos, and Paciano feared that Rizal would not be accepted under his real name.

In his last hours Rizal read the Bible and Thomas à Kempis’s Imitation of Christ, which he later dedicated to Josephine Bracken. He also wrote the poem “Mi Ultimo Adiós,” which he concealed in an alcohol burner.

Capt. Rafael Dominguez