Page 146 - Key Words in Religion Media and Culture

Narrative 129

The process by which the communicative impact of a narrative is
amplified through different media and by different members of the audience.
In Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1972), Stanley Cohen made famous use of
amplification theory, suggesting in his study of youth subcultures (mods and
rockers) in the late 1960s that social deviance could be amplified through
a downward spiral of mediated publicity. My argument here inverts his
observation, suggesting that it is also possible to have an upward spiral, not
of deviance but rather amplification of heroic qualities. In this case, Rizal is
made a purer figure and, as we shall see, believed by some to be worthy of
devotion and even worship.

Elaborations of narratives
The narratives associated with Rizal’s life and death were not only iterated
and amplified, they were elaborated. This happened in several different ways.
First, there was what could be described as devotional elaboration. There is a
sense in which Rizal was celebrated as both a secular and religious saint, with
sites of devotion created in several spaces around the country. Successive
governments have invested in preserving his memory as a “national hero,”
with considerable care being devoted to his reburial on December 30, 1912.
Rizal’s remains were transported by an artillery caisson drawn by six horses
to the actual site of his martyrdom. Only a few steps away, the urn was then
carefully placed at the base of where a monument, entitled Motto Stella, was
built during the following year. More than forty designers from around the
world had competed for their elaborate designs to be chosen. The winner
was Richard Kissling, who had sculpted the Swiss people’s monument to
their national hero and freedom fighter William Tell. The Rizal monument
is still guarded by an honorary guard and remains a focal point in Rizal Park
in Manila and especially at the annual Rizal Day celebrations.
The monument has been the venue for many eulogies elaborating Rizal’s
life and death. For instance, a local dignitary by the name of Camilos Osias
gave an address in 1953 entitled, “Rizal, Martyr to Human Liberty,” wherein
he asserted that:

Rizal was a martyr in fact and in truth. In infancy, in youth, and in manhood
he witnessed the martyrdom of his people and bitter anguish was brought
home to his family. He himself was the victim. He was ridiculed and
maligned. He was persecuted and exiled. He was imprisoned and tried on
trumped up charges. He was tortured, sentenced to death, and done to
death. His influence continues. His spirit is immortal. Rizal was not born
to die… Rizal, the patriot, the hero, the martyr lives. He will never die.
(April 27, 1953)