Analysis of Rizal’s Brindis Speech at a Banquet in Honor of Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo in Madrid, Spain, June 25, 1884

In this post we will endeavor to analyze, explain and simplify the salient points Rizal mentions in his famous speech from 1884, also known as the Brindis Speech. To read the full text, please click here. 

In rising to speak I have no fear that you will listen to me with superciliousness, for you have come here to add to ours your enthusiasm, the stimulus of youth, and you cannot but be indulgent. Sympathetic currents pervade the air, bonds of fellowship radiate in all directions, generous souls listen, and so I do not fear for my humble personality, nor do I doubt your kindness. Sincere men yourselves, you seek only sincerity, and from that height, where noble sentiments prevail, you give no heed to sordid trifles. You survey the whole field, you weigh the cause and extend your hand to whomsoever like myself, desires to unite with you in a single thought, in a sole aspiration: the glorification of genius, the grandeur of the fatherland!

In this opening statement, Rizal appeals to the vanity of the audience. He praises them and gives them every positive attribute and in doing so, prepares them to listen and be open to what he has to say. When one is a member of this audience, one is flattered by his words and as a result, one's mindset conforms to what the speaker claims to be true. 

Luna and Hidalgo are the pride of Spain as of the Philippines -- though born in the Philippines, they might have been born in Spain, for genius has no country; genius bursts forth everywhere; genius is like light and air, the patrimony of all: cosmopolitan as space, as life and God.

Here Rizal makes his point: genius has no country. Race has nothing to do with ones' abilities. The Spanish and the Filipinos are equal; there is no one more superior on account of heritage. At the time, the Philippines was under Spanish rule. Saying these things, therefore, was a great act of bravery, as Rizal could have been branded a filibuster for his words. Hence it becomes clearer why he felt the need to appeal to the audience in his opening statement.

The Philippines' patriarchal era is passing, the illustrious deeds of its sons are not circumscribed by the home

This refers to Philippine achievement no longer confined within its own territory and, talking to an audience consisting of the Filipino community in Madrid, praising two Filipino artists who have won acclaim for their work, Rizal drives his point home. 

To you is due the beauty of the gems that circle the Philippines' crown; she supplied the stones, Europe the polish. 

Although up to this point Rizal has continued to praise Filipino talent, he also acknowledges that such talent has not come to maturity on its own and without help. The Philippines supplied the stones, Europe has polished them. One cannot do without the other. There is no crown without precious stones, and such stones would not shine or be seen unless they are polished. Europe's (and Spain's) contribution to Philippine achievement is undeniable, regardless of the darker shades that came with it.

In El Spoliarium -- on that canvas which is not mute -- is heard the tumult of the throng, the cry of slaves, the metallic rattle of the armor on the corpses, the sobs of orphans, the hum of prayers, with as much force and realism as is heard the crash of the thunder amid the roar of the cataracts, or the fearful and frightful rumble of the earthquake. 

The Spoliarium by Juan Luna displayed in the Philippine National Museum of Fine Arts.
Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Rizal talks about the Spoliarium. Historically, a spoliarium is a chamber beneath the Roman arena, where bodies of dead gladiators, and other dead bodies, were dragged and later disposed of by burial or whatever was decided by Roman officials (definition via wordinfo). Rizal claims that the canvas is not mute, suggesting an auditory aspect of the painting which is literally cast in shadow. This shadow contains portrayals of the suffering, slavery and oppression reminiscent of what was happening in the Philippines under Spanish rule at the time.

On the other hand, in Hidalgo's work there are revealed feelings of the purest kind; ideal expression of melancholy, beauty, and weakness -- victims of brute force. 

Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho by Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo.
Image via Flickr.

Now Rizal turns to Hidalgo's painting. Translated in English, Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho means "Christian Virgins Exposed to the Populace." Two women on the right, with barely any clothes on, are Christian slaves. They are being mocked and tormented by the male onlookers on the left. One of the women looks up to heaven, seemingly begging for help that may never come. Rizal refers to them as "victims of brute force." 

Both express the spirit of our social, moral and political life; humanity subjected to hard trials, humanity unredeemed; reason and aspiration in open fight with prejudice, fanaticism and injustice;

Considering the oppressive rule of Spain in the Philippines at the time, it is clear why both paintings sparked great nationalism.

... and if the pen fails them and the printed word does not come to their aid, then the palette and the brush not only delight the view but are also eloquent advocates. 

Being a writer himself, Rizal uses the pen as a metaphor, referring to the means by which he came to the country's aid. He then points to the palette and the brush, both instruments of the artist, as equally powerful advocates to the cause.

If the mother teaches her child her language in order to understand its joys, its needs, and its woes; so Spain, like that mother, also teaches her language to Filipinos

Despite the horrors and tribulations brought to the Philippines by Spain in their effort to conquer the land and the people, Rizal does not fail to acknowledge the advantages of being a colony. He likens Spain to a mother who teaches her language to her children. The ability to speak this language has opened doors for the Filipinos, allowing them to thrive and learn from other nations and thereby further themselves as well as their country.

Happily, brothers are more -- generosity and nobility are innate under the sky of Spain -- of this you are all patent proof. You have unanimously responded, you have cooperated, and you would have done more, had more been asked. Seated at our festal board and honoring the illustrious sons of the Philippines, you also honor Spain, because, as you are well aware, Spain's boundaries are not the Atlantic or the Bay of Biscay or the Mediterranean-a shame would it be for water to place a barrier to her greatness, her thought. Spain is there -- there where her beneficent influence is exerted; and even though her flag should disappear, there would remain her memory -- eternal, imperishable.

Rizal now proceeds to honor Spain. Similar to what he said earlier in his speech regarding the boundaries of genius and the Philippines, he claims that Spain does not refer merely to the country itself but more importantly to everything that holds its beneficent influence. 

Towards the end of his speech, Rizal gives the toast:

1. I drink, then, to our artists Luna and Hidalgo, genuine and pure glories of two peoples. 
2. I drink to the persons who have given them aid on the painful road of art!
3. I drink that the Filipino youth -- sacred hope of my fatherland may imitate such valuable examples; 
4. and that the mother Spain, solicitous and heedful of the welfare of her provinces, may quickly put into practice the reforms she has so long planned. 
5. And finally, I drink to the happiness of those parents who, deprived of their sons' affection, from those distant regions follow them with moist gaze and throbbing hearts across the seas and distance; sacrificing on the altar of the common good, the sweet consolations that are so scarce in the decline of life — precious and solitary flowers that spring up on the borders of the tomb."

Bibliography:

Craig, A. (1924). Gems of Philippine oratory. Selections representing fourteen centuries of Philippine thought, compiled from credible sources in substitution for the pre-Spanish writing destroyed by mi. University of Manila.