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Glydel Tablate

El Filibusterismo also shares the theme that 'violence is not the answer' with Noli Me Tangere. Simoun's grand plan thwarted. When he asked Father Florentino about this, the friar's answered with, "Perhaps He [God] saw there was no justice in the way you wanted it done". If you don't remember, the way simoun 'wanted it done' was by blowing up the house of the late Captain Taigo which had many Spaniards with important position in said hous with dynamite. It doesn't seem to have justice after all. Somebody may counter this thought with "But the Spaniard were abusive" but when you think of it, would we really want to stoop down to that level of violence and rage? i think not.

Glady ann Omondang

The story also presented forgiveness. Ibarra was a very forgiving man. He forgave the man who tried to kill him at the placing of the cornerstone of the school he wanted to build. And since the man who attempted to murder him died in the placing of the cornerstone, Ibarra even offered to pay for the burial of the man. Sacrifice also was an important theme in the novel. If Elias did not sacrifice himself, then Ibarra would not have lived and the uprisings in the sequel of Noli Me Tangere would most likely not take place. For me there are 2 overall themes (themes that are carried on in to El Filibusterismo) is that war does not necessarily have to end through means of violence, it could always be ended peacefully, through words and maybe even forgiveness. And the second being that there will always be evil people in this world, but there will always be good people as well. And that when you think all the world is left to is violence and hatred, you are very much wrong because 1) Words are far stronger than any gun and 2) Good will always prevail.

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Nice Mapayo

 I ACTUALLY READ El filibusterismo and the story is soooo deep and you can really feel the intense emotions of the characters to fight for their country including all their trials and problems along the way. Like for some examples, The injustice between the priest and the filipinos, the injustice of the filipinos not being able to learn spanish, most of the main characters were put in jail (except simoun who was smart enough to know when to keep his secret of the revolution) , the death and sorrows of many , including basilio who's fiance committed suicide, the heartbreak and jealousy between isagani and juanito over paulita (the niece of Dona Victorina)in the end though, simoun committed suicide rather than being found after that attack that went wrong (namel y because of isagani). I think u would like reading this blog.

Carme Sabanal

Everyone agrees on the fact that El filibusterismo is far more dark and brutal than Noli Me Tangere. With many events of murder, sexual abuse, and suicide, El Filibusterismo is a massive turning point not only for the plot but also for the characters. Crisistomo Ibarra really did grow as a character in this book. He's obviously not the idealistic and open man he was once before. He became vengeful, anger, and in somewhat way, cunning. And in my opinion, this transformation of his is very much human and real. After everything he went through Noli Me Tangere, it seems only fitting that he becomes the man whois simoun. I believe that when ibarra went under alias simoun, he did not just strip himself of his birth name but he stripped himself of all of what was left of Juan Crisistomo Ibarra. The way i see it, is that ibarra is not Simoun and Simuon is not Ibarra. They may share the same face, But if we're not speaking about physical attributes, then  the only thing they truly did have in common was love for the dear Maria Clara. But besides that, they don't share the same mind, the same plans, the same soul, the same heart.

El Fili Chapter 39 (final)

Simoun, wounded and exhausted, goes to the house of Padre Florentino to hide from the civil guards who are sent to arrest him and take him into custody.  Simoun drinks a poison, then reveals his true identity to Padre Florentino – that he, Simoun the jeweler, is in fact Juan Crisostomo Ibarra, the fugitive believed to have died in the river years ago.  He admits that everything is his futile attempt to corrupt the government and the society so that he could start a revolution to free the country from the bonds of Spain. Padre Florentino corrects Simoun, telling him that freedom cannot be won by violence and the shedding of innocent blood but by proper education, hard work, and long-suffering.

Points of Note:

Both the last chapter of the Noli and the last chapter of the El Fili are untitled.

The sun is about to set when Simoun reveals his true identity and life story to Padre Florentino.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Question: Why did Simoun go to Padre Florentino?

Answer:  Simoun felt that the priest was the one who could understand him more than anyone else.

Question: What could have caused Simoun’s wounds?

Answer: He could have gotten it from the tulisanes who thought they were being played again by Simoun in the jeweler’s plan to revolt.  Read what Padre Florentino says: “--- from the hands of those you urged you have been given punishment for your wrongs.”

Question: What was the mystery behind Simoun’s sad and cynical smile when he learned he was to be arrested that night?

Answer: He has made up his mind to end his own life.

El Fili Chapter 38: A Twist of Fate (Sawimpalad)

You'll learn about how the lives of certain characters are met with a string of bad luck. What makes it even more painfully poignant is that their misfortune is brought about by their own hand, or by their own doing.

We learn that the bandit Matanglawin (Kabesang Tales) has attacked several places in Luzon. He murdered the justice of the peace in the town of Tiani, burned some places to the ground, and hopped from province to province. He moves about freely: sometimes he's in Batangas, next he's in Cavite, and is soon spotted in Tayabas, Pangasinan, or in far-away Bicol.

He always manages to evade the Spanish authorities. In their frustration, the guardia civil apprehend about six or seven innocent farmers after a recent attack by Matanglawin.

Here's how they mistreat the farmers…

They make the Filipino farmers walk (hatless and barefoot) under the glare of the noonday sun during the blistering summer month of May. The farmers are bound to one another, their elbows tied behind their backs. They cannot even wipe the sweat that stings their eyes.

When one of the farmers falls (due to hunger or fatigue, or both), the entire group is whipped. Those who are still standing break into a run, and end up dragging their fallen comrades along the rocky dry soil.

Mautang, one of the sadistic Filipino guardia civil, relishes the scene. He is countered by another soldier, a more even-tempered Carolinian named Tano. Mautang explains that he wants to goad the prisoners into escaping, so that the guardia civil would finally have a reason to shoot the fugitives down.

One of the farmers says that these Filipino guards are more cruel than their Spanish counterparts, when he is not allowed to relieve his full bladder. The guards explained that they were not in a safe area, because they were surrounded by tall mountains. Typical ambush scenario, so you know what's coming next…

A shot is fired. Mautang is hit in the chest, blood spurts out of his mouth.

The cabo or superior of the soldiers points to the farmers and orders his men to shoot them. “Fuego!” The farmers are gunned down.

The guardia civil rush up the mountain while being fired upon by the hidden ambushers.

A man appears in the talampas, or plateau of the mountain, and waves his gun.

Tano is ordered by the cabo, or head of the guardia civil, to shoot the man, after the three other soldiers failed to kill the shouting man. No one could understand what the man was shouting.

Tano is surprised when he sees the man. He hesitates. The cabo points his gun to the sharpshooter Tano, and once again orders him to shoot. Tano follows the order, the man falls and rolls away from the plateau. He shouts something, which stuns Tano.

The bandits run away, and the guardia civil rush up the mountain. Another man appears in the plateau, and raises his spear. The soldiers gun him down.

A guardia civil finally reaches the top of the mountain, sees a dying old man, and bayonets him. The old man does not even wince. He just looks at Tano and points to an area behind the plateau.

Key Points

At that time, people were already aware of the prison in cold Siberia, Russia (the Soviet Union). Rizal wanted to paint a harsher scene, where Filipino prisoners are subjected to intense heat and cruelty.

Rizal also uses this chapter to point out the stupidity and cruelty of the Filipino guardia civil.

(Actually, this tends to happen when people are placed in situations where you have prisoners and guards. No matter what your nationality is, if you play the role of a “prison guard” there's a pretty high possibility that you will turn sadistic.)

Tano is called Carolino because he served in the Carolinas or Caroline Islands.

This poignant chapter can be compared with the Noli Me Tangere's “Noche Buena.” It talks about families separating in times of adversity, and reuniting in tragedy. The twist of fate or irony (parikala) is shown when Tano ends up killing his own father, Kabesang Tales.

Questions and Answers

1. Why did Matanglawin kill the judge in Tiani? That judge ruled that the Dominicans owned the land of Kabesang Tales.

2. Why was Kabesang Tales successful as a bandit? Since the indios were not allowed to bear arms or carry weapons, they simply left their village whenever they heard that Matanglawin was attacking a nearby village.

3. What did the banditry of Kabesang Tales accomplish? Just as Simoun planned, the Philippines suffered even more. People lived in fear, farmlands were left unproductive, businesses failed, the destabilized government was shown to be inept, injustice was done to the innocent farmers…

In other words, all that made the country ripe for a revolution.

4. Why were the guardia civil treating the prisoners inhumanely? Mautang wanted to tempt the prisoners into fighting or escaping, and that would give the soldiers a reason to shoot the prisoners.

5. Why do you think Rizal named this character Mautang? That's the Tagalog word which means “deep in debt.”

6. Who was Tandang Selo pointing out to Tano? Tandang Selo was the old man who was bayoneted by one of the guardia civil. He was pointing to a spot behind the plateau where Kabesang Tales was felled by the bullet of Tano. If you remember, the bandits scampered away after Tano shot a man.

7. What was Kabesang Tales shouting before he got shot? We can only guess. Perhaps he was shouting the name of his son, Tano.

(How's that for drama, eh? If Rizal were to write teleseryes today, would the Filipino viewing public patronize stories with sad endings?)

El Fili Chapter 37: The Mystery

People are huddled indoors after the aborted revolution and the discovery of the gunpowder-filled house along Anloague Street, and are wondering who are behind the plot.
(The mindmap will help you easily remember the other details of this chapter…)
You find yourself in the home of the affluent Orenda family somewhere in Santa Cruz, along the road dotted by jewel shops. Among the characters are Chichoy (the thin silversmith), who seems to be able to get chismis data from various people, and who feeds these one at a time to an increasingly fearful crowd.
1. Why are those people hiding Isagani in their home? Isagani is suspected of having placed the gunpowder in the house of Capitan Tiago, because he probably wanted to exact revenge on Juanite Pelaez, his rival for the hand of Paulita Gomez.
2. How did people figure out it was Simoun all along? You know how gossip spreads. Lightning fast. So when quite a few people know that Don Timoteo and Simoun oversaw the preparations for the dinner in the house along Anloague Street, word spread quickly.
3. Prove that Isagani was the lamp thief. If you recall, Basilio was the only one who know about the purpose of the lamp, and that Isagani was the last person Basilio spoke with. Since Isagani was not aware of Simoun’s revolutionary plan, Isagani just focused on saving his beloved Paulita.
Take note also of what Isagani uttered in the Orenda residence about how the lamp thief might not have stolen the lamp had he only known its true purpose.
(And if you think what Isagani did was regretable, try this dose of misfortune.)

El Fili Chapter 36: Ben Zayb's Afflictions

From Capitan Tiago’s house, Ben Zayb runs to his abode to write about the shocking events that have transpired.  In his writing, he makes the governor-general, Padre Irene, Don Custodio, and Padre Salvi look like heroes.  He also wishes the governor-general a safe journey.  Meanwhile, the governor-general prohibits anyone from talking about the events that have taken place at the wedding celebration of Paulita and Juanito Pelaez.  According to rumors, a band of thieves had attacked a friar’s house. The robbers who are caught describe to the authorities the man who supposedly ordered them to attack the town after the signal is given.  Their description indisputably leads to Simoun.

Points of Note:

In this chapter Rizal gives light to the false and biased method of delivering news during those days.

This is the first time that Simoun’s disguise is compromised.  This is the first time that he is suspected.  All the clues lead to him and all the fingers are pointing at him.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Question: According to Ben Zayb, why did Padre Irene rush to hide under the table when the man who grabbed the lamp barged into the room?

Answer: According to him, the priest did it to get out of the way of the men who were chasing the youth.  The truth:  The friar hid because of fear.  That was when he saw the pack of gunpowder hidden underneath the table.

Question: According to Ben Zayb, what had caused Padre Salvi to faint?

Answer: According to him, the friar fainted because his sermon to the Indiyos had been in vain.  After he had given a long, drawn-out speech about goodness and kindness to others, there were still Indiyos who did nothing but evil.

Question: What had been Padre Carmorra’s punishment for raping Juli in Tiyani?

Answer: He was sent away.  He was made to stay in the rest house of the priests in Pasig.

El Fili Chapter 35: The Fiesta

Simoun discreetly yet nonchalantly places the lamp at the center of the house where the guests are gathered.  Basilio watches him from a distance.  As the youth is about to leave the place, he sees Isagani and tries to convince his friend to leave.  Basilio tells him to get as far away from the house as possible, and explains that there is about to be an explosion any minute that would kill all the guests and everyone within a considerable distance.  Isagani, in a rare act of love and loyalty to his beloved Paulita, quickly rushes to the house and throws the lamp into the river below, stopping the explosion.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Question: What does “Mane Thacel Phares” mean?

Answer: Just like the title, “Noli Me Tangere,”  this is taken from the Bible (Daniel 5:25-28).  In these verses, King Belshazzar of Babylon holds a vulgar feast.  While the guests indulge themselves in indecent and salacious activities, a hand then writes majestically on the wall: “Mane, Mane, Thacel, Upharsin,” a warning that means, “The Almighty God has marked Babylon, and the days of this city are numbered.”  Not long after, Babylon is overcome by another kingdom and divided between Mane and Persia.

Question: Why is it that Padre Salvi alone is able to recognize Ibarra’s signature?

Answer: He is the only one who has seen Ibarra’s signature – in the letter written by the youth to Maria Clara, which the lady had given to the friar in exchange for the three letters her mother had written to Padre Damaso.

Question: Why doesn’t the lamp explode?

Answer: The crank intended to set the fuse isn’t set.  This is supposed to set off the explosion.

Question: How does Isagani enter the house without question?

Answer: Isagani is decently and elegantly dressed.  The guards think he is one of the guests invited to the wedding feast.