Jose Rizal

Jose Rizal (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Jose_rizal_01.jpg)

The name of my hero is Jose Rizal. He lived in Calamba, Philippines. He was born on June 19, 1861 and died December 30, 1896. His religious death made him a hero of the Philippine Revolution. Jose Rizal is one of the greatest Filipino heroes ever born.

He was the national hero of the Philippines and pride of the Malayan race. He was a patriot, and a physician who was an inspiration to the Philippines. Some of his famous novels he wrote were called Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Jose Rizal got shot for getting Philippine's independence from Spain. When he was getting executed he was not afraid to die for his country.

At age three he learned the alphabet from his mother. At age five he learned how to read and draw. In 1882 he went to study medicine and liberal arts at the University of Madrid. He was the seventh child of eleven children born. In 1877, at the age of 16, he got his Bachelor of Arts degree with an average of excellent. He was an expert swordsman and a good shot.

When he traveled to Europe and Asia he learned twenty-two languages. Jose Rizal’s death is celebrated as a Philippine holiday called Rizal Day. In 1896 while Rizal was in prison in Fort Santiago, his brother Paciano was tortured by Spaniards. When he knew that his mother was going blind he studied about medicines. Jose Rizal is described as George Washington in the Philippines.

I picked my hero as Jose Rizal because he got the Philippine's freedom and independence back from Spain. I think Jose Rizal is courageous because when the Spaniards were going to kill him he wasn’t afraid to die for his country. Jose Rizal also liked to travel to many places. There are Monuments of him in other places.