By far, the best Rizal bio that I've ever read, Austin Coates handled historical facts with care and rendered historical analysis without the use of colored lenses as opposed to the leftist leanings of Leon Ma.
Guerrero in The First Filipino and the colonial bias of the Zaides towards their American sponsors, After reading this book, you'll never look at Rizal the same way again, This time the veneration comes with understanding!
Note to self: Recommended text in Philippine InstitutionsPIor the Life and Works of Jose Rizal sitelinkAustin CoatessitelinkRizal: Makabayan at Martir While reading this for a mandatory Rizal course, I felt conflicted because Coates is a captivating writerand undeniably so.
I have to emphasize that the Rizal course is mandatory because I am thoroughly enjoying the way the Professor is handling it, And, I have to emphasize that this Coates book is a required text for the course, as well,
However, the conflicting emotions were there because Coates has this odd predestination argument which colors the whole narrative, Reading the book made me feel uncomfortable, Coates has this set of stock characteristics for every nationality, and this includes the Filipino, as well, I remember a part of his book, where he stressed the mysticism and the mystery of the Orient, As a Filipino, it made me narrow my eyes in disapproval, So this is what exoticism looks like,
I really do appreciate how he wrote, I really do appreciate how he used different sources to magnify and support his claims, Working on that framework, the book is a,which Goodreads doesn't have, apparently, The book made me forget that this was one of the main texts for an exam,
I can't let the exoticized view of the Oriental and the Filipino go, though, And I can't let the predestination argument go, as well, “The brave recognize the brave, ” Coates is a much, much better reference than the Zaides, There's a translated version of this, and I hope high schools would use it instead of the "politicized" one we were given way back then, José Rizal, makata at makabayang Pilipino, exakt kontemporari ni Tagore at tagapanguna kay Gandhi, namatay sa mga punglo ng firing squad na Espanyol, sa gulang na.
Ang kanyang mga sinulat ang nagsilbing inspirasyon ng Himagsikang Pilipino ng, ang pinakaunang pagaalsang pambansa laban sa kapangyarihang kolonyal sa Asya, Subalit natabingan si Rizal nang nalipat ang pangunahing larangan ng pakikibaka para sa kasarinlan sa Asya mula sa Pilipinas tungong India, Sa kanyang sariling bansa patuloy siyang idinadambana bilang pambansang bayani, at siyang may mas malawak na impluwensiya sa kanyang bansa kaysa sinupaman, "
Inilalarawan ng
pilosoper na Espanyol na si Unamuno si Rizal bilang Kristong Tagalog ang kanyang buhay, bagama't inilaan sa kanyang bayan, ay may universal na kaangkupan.
Sa Asya, kahilera niya sina Sun Yatsen, Gandhi at Tagore bilang tagapagbago ng pagiisip ng isang kontinent, Ngunit bilang isang Katoliko sa panahon nina Darwin at Frazer umiigpaw siya sa kapwa bansa at kontinent, Sa pagtutugma ng pananampalatayang relihiyoso at kaalamang sayantifik na ipinamamalas ng kanyang buhay, kinakatawan niya sa Asya kung ano ang kinakatawan nina Renan at Teilhard de Chardin sa Kanluran, ang pagkakaiba namatay si Rizal dahil sa kanyang pinaniniwalaan, pakana ng mga prayleng misyonerong Espanyol na di umaagapay sa mga pagbabago sa Katolisismo sa Europe.
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Unang nailathala noong, mulimuling nailabas sa Oxford in Asia Paperbacks at iniisyu ngayon sa salin sa wikang Filipino ng Limbagan ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, ibinabalik ng talambuhay na ito si Rizal sa karapatdapat na luklukan niya bilang isa sa mga pinakamarangal na katauhang nailuwal ng Asya.
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