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To the Young
Women of Malolos
Dr. Jose Rizal
GELLE | LEE | TIU | VILLASEÑOR
BACKGROUND
“To the Young Women of Malolos” is an essay written by Jose Rizal while he was in London upon the request of Marcelo H. Del Pilar
December 12, 1888, a group of 20 young women of Malolos petitioned Governor-General Weyler for permission to open a night school so that they might study Spanish under Teodoro Sandiko
Fr. Felipe Garcia objected their plan so, the governor-general turned down the petition.
However, the women still continued their petition of the school and they succeeded in obtaining government approval in a condition that Señorita Guadalupe Reyes should be their teacher.
Del Pilar (who was in Barcelona) wrote to Rizal (who was in London) on February 17, 1889, requesting to send a letter in Tagalog to the brave women of Malolos.
Rizal sent the letter to Del Pilar on February 22, 1889 for transmittal to Malolos
Summary
Rizal pays homage to 20 women of Malolos who desire to educate themselves
In this way, Rizal sees in these women a ray of hope in restoring the Filipino women’s dignity and worth
Rizal emphasizes the importance of Filipino mothers
Rizal refers to different women in society: mothers, daughters, wives and even the unmarried ones.
Responsibilities of Filipino mothers to their children
There are many points mentioned in this portion of Rizal’s letter, but the central idea is:
Whatever the mother shows to her children is what the children
will also become
Rizal’s advice to unmarried men and women
Appearance and looks can be very deceiving
Three things that young women should look for a man she intends to be her husband:
A noble and honored name
A manly heart
A high spirit incapable of being satisfied with engendering slaves
Analysis
“To the Women of Malolos” centers around five salient points (Zaide & Zaide, 1999):
1. Filipino mothers should teach their children about the love of God, country and fellowmen
2. Filipino mothers should be glad and honored, like Spartan mothers, to offer their sons in defense of their country
3. Filipino women should know how to protect their dignity and honor
4. Filipino women should educate themselves aside from retaining their good racial values
5. Faith is not merely reciting prayers and wearing religious pictures. It is living the real Christian way with good morals and manners.
Relevance in today’s society
There are often times that mothers forget their roles to their children because of the overriding idea of having to earn enough money to help the father sustain the family’s needs
Activism of the Feminist groups in our country (e.g. Gabriella)