The Blueprint of the Revolution

 It was December 30, 1896. Facing the sunrise, at 7:03 am, at Bagumbayan, the man breathed his last, with his last words, "consummatum est" meaning it is finished. He did not know that his life would leave an imprint in the lives of his fellow countrymen.

Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda is the most famous national hero of the country. Instead of fighting back to the Spaniards by force, he used his paper and pen instead, publishing two works, namely, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. These two works of Rizal opened the eyes of many, changing the course of histiry forever. Now, his two works are now being thought on schools today.

Rizal condemned Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines in both works, revealing the flaws of Philippine society at the time. The authorities also forbade Filipinos from reading the problematic works since he discussed the country's injustices and brutalities committed by Spaniards. However, they were unable to completely outlaw it. As more Filipinos read the books, they understood they had been subjected to horrific mistreatment at the hands of the friars. Rizal's two works, today regarded as literary masterpieces, are claimed to have sparked the Philippine Revolution.

Dr. Jose Rizal opened the eyes of many, sparking their courage and bayanihan to fight back. Using just  pen and paper, he wrote to inspire others and fuel their love for the country, eventually making his works the blueprint of the Philippine Revolution, this comes to prove that A pen is truly mightier than a sword. 

Sources

The revolutionary legacy of dr. Jose Rizal. History. (n.d.). https://vocal.media/history/the-revolutionary-legacy-of-dr-jose-rizal