Thesis

Rizal Enters the Ateneo * On June 10, 1872, Jose together with Paciano went to Manila to grant their father’s wish of enrolling Jose in San Juan de Letran. * Jose Rizal took the entrance examination and passed them. * Upon his return to Manila Jose together with Paciano ,matriculated at the Ateneo Municipal. * Father Magin Ferrando refuse to admit him for two reasons.

Jesuit System of Education * The Jesuits priests administered Ateneo. * Students were trained to develop their character by rigid discipline and religious instruction. * The students were required to hear the morning mass before the beginning of the daily mass. Classes were opened and closed with prayers. * The students were divided into two, the internos (boarders) and the externos (non-boarders). * The former was assigned as the “Roman Empire” and the latter, the ‘Carthaginian Empire’. * They had their distinctive banners, red for the Romans and blue for the Carthaginians. * The two empires were in regular competition for supremacy in the class.
Rizal’s First Year in Ateneo (1872-1873) * Jose Rizal belonged to the class composed of Spaniards, meztizos and Filipinos. * His first teacher was Fr. Jose Bech. * At the end of month Rizal became emperor and received a prize, a religious picture. * He took private lessons in Santa Isabel College during the noon break.

Rizal’s Second Year in Ateneo (1873-1874)

* Jose Rizal repented having neglected his studies the previous year. * He studied harder this year and regained his leadership composure and became an emperor again. * At the end of the school year, he received excellent grades in all subjects and a gold medal

Rizal’s Third Year in Ateneo (1874-1875) * Rizal did not make an excellent showing in his studies although, his grades remained excellent in all subjects. * He won a single medal in Latin. * He failed to win a medal in Spanish because his spoken Spanish was not that fluent.

Rizal’s Fourth Year in Ateneo (1875-1876) * He became a boarder. * He befriended his professor Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez, whom regarded as great educator and scholar. * He resumed his studies with vigor and dedication and topped all his classmates in all subjects and won five medals at the end of the school term. Last Year in Ateneo (1876-1877) * He graduated on March 23, 1877 (16years old) and received the degree of Bachelor of Arts with highest honors. * He graduated sobresaliente with the excellent mark in all his subjects.

Extra-Curricular Activities in Ateneo * An emperor inside the the classroom * Campus leader * Active member and became a secretary, the Marian Congregation Religious Society * Member of the Academy of Spanish Literature and the Academy of Natural Sciences * Poet * Studied painting under the famous Spanish painter, Agustin Saez. * Improved his sculpture talents under the supervision of Romualdo de Jesus * Engaged in gymnastics and fencing and continued the physical training under his sports-minded Tio Manuel.

Poems Written in Ateneo

* The first Poem probably wrote during his days in the Ateneo was Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration) with was dedicated to his mother on her birthday.

In 1875, inspired by Father Sanchez, he wrote more poems,
As such: 1. Felicitacion- (Felicitation). 2. El Embarque : Himno a la flota de Magallanes. (The Departure:Hymm to Magellen’s Fleet). 3. Y Es Espanol: Elcano, el Primero en dar la Vuelta at Mundo (And He is Spanish: Elcano, the First to Circumnavigate the World). 4. El Combate: Urbiztondo, Terror de Jolo (The Battle: Urbiztondo, Terror of Jolo).
In 1876, Rizal wrote poems on various topics-religion, education, childhood memories, and war. They were as follows: 1. La Tragedia de San Eustaqui-The Tragedyo= of St. Eustace. The poem recounts the tragic story of St. Eustace.. 2. Un Recuerdo a Mi Pueblo- In Memory of My town. A tender poem in honr of Calamba, the hero’s natal town. 3. Alianza Intima Entre Religion y la Buena Education- Intimate Alliance Between Religion and Good Education. 4. Por La Educacion Recibe Luistre la Patria-Through Education the Country Receive Light. 5. El Cautivero y el Triunjo:Batalla de Lucena y Prison de Boabdil- The Captivity and the Triumph: Battle at Lucena and Imprisonment of Boabdil. The martial poem describes the defeat and capture of Boabdil, last Moorish sultan at Granada. 6. La Entrada Triunjal de los Reyes Catolicos en Granada. –The triumphal Entry of the Catholic Monarchs Into Granada. This poem related the victorious entry of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella into Granada, last Moorish stronghold in Spain.

A year later, in 1877, he wrote more poems. It was his last year in the Ateneo. Among the poems written this year were: 1. El Heroismo deColon- The Heroism of Columbus. This poem praises Columbus, the discover of America. 2. Colon y Juan II- Columbus and John II. This poem relates how King John II of Portugal missed fame and riches by his failure to finance the projected expedition of Columbus to the New World. 3. Gran Consuelo en la Mayor Desdicha- Great Comfort In Great Misfortune. This is a legend in verse of the voyage of Columbus. 4. Un Dialogo Alusivo a la Despedida de los Colegiales –A Farewell Dialogue of the Students. This was the last poem written by Rizal in Ateneo: It is a poignant poem of farewell to his classmates.

First Romance of Rizal

Short after his graduation from the Ateneo, who was then sixteen years old, experienced first romance---“that painful experience which comes to nearly all adolescents”. The girl was Segunda Katigbak , a pretty fourteen-year old Batanguena from Lipa.

His very first thing at love happened when he was 16years old and a students at the Ateneo.
The girl was 14 years old Batanguena, a classmates of his sister and studying at a nearby college.
Her name was Segunda Katigbak

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