Conservation 1931

CONSERVATION
(1931)
JUAN CRABREROS LAYA
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson students should be able to;
Identify the elements of the story
“Conversation 1931” by Juan Cabreros Laya.
Integrate the significance of the theme of

the story in real life situations.
Construct a Venn diagram illustrating the current

practices and past traditions addressed in the story.
ACTIVITY!
Share some of the typical behaviors

or customs observed among
Filipinos.
or
“What are some Filipino cultural
traditions that persist in
contemporary times?”
JUAN CABREROS LAYA
Juan Cabreros Laya, who was born on June 12, 1911,
in San Manuel, Pangasinan, located in the Ilocos Region
of the Philippines, passed away on August 3, 1952.
He was not only a dedicated teacher but also a
renowned novelist and completed his Bachelor of
Science in Education then pursued a master's degree at
the University of the Philippines Diliman.
Some of his notable novels are “Humiliation of His
Children” (1931) and “Out of Storm” (1939). But it
was his “His Native Soil” (1940) that won him the first
prize in the First Commonwealth Literary Awards on
the same year.
PLOT
EXPOSITION
Meling is a sick young girl suffering from typhoid fever who
stayed in a sick room. She is with her mother, Backet Ciriaca,
who is taking care of Meling. Their house is made of a nipa wall.
Meling’s parents, Backet Ciriaca and Lakay Leon, are farmers,
and they owned a carabao as they needed it during planting
season. Anton is Meling’s cousin. He visited to offer help.
However, Backet Ciriaca showed him a sulky attitude; she is
against and contradicts whatever Anton’s will says and will
offer. Meling’s mother had been desperately worried by the
simultaneous illnesses of both her daughters, Meling and Aming.
PLOT
RISING ACTION
Backet Ciriaca and Anton had an intense and serious conversation about
opening the window that was against Backet Ciriaca for Meling to sweat
and her bathing, in which she said that Meling would die if she took a bath,
and Anton also told Backet Ciriaca about the illness she was suffering.
After that, Meling told Anton not to go to their house unless her mother
was away because she did not want how her mother treated her and talked
to Anton. Anton showed himself to Meling, saying that he was not affected
and did not mind it much, but Meling knew that Anton was hurt. Before
Anton left, she gave Meling money to secure a physician or manage to be
sent to the hospital in Dagupan. He still tried to talk to Backet Ciriaca, but
she did not respond. Then Anton went and passed out in the low doorway.
PLOT
CLIMAX
Backet Ciriaca went to the neighbor's house, where Aming was
convalescing. When she returned, Meling requested to open a window,
but her mother didn't let her. Meling gave the money to her mother from
Anton, worth fifty pesos. Backet Ciriaca was shocked after her poor
treatment. She immediately went to Mr. Awanan’s store to buy corned
beef for Aming; unfortunately, she saw Backet Simin, a money lender.
Backet Ciriaca lost her temper because Backet Simin teased her about
the delicacies that she could now afford to buy, such as corned beef,
rather than the usual delicacies of camote leaves and salted fish. She was
annoyed, which is why she paid Backet Simin. When she came home, she
regretted having gone to buy corned beef and paraded it along the street.
PLOT
falling action
Lakay Leon, the father of Meling, talked with her mother. Backet
Ciriarca mentioned that Meling wants to go to the doctor, but he
said that herbolario will do. She also told him to sell the carabao
because Meling believes that she still has fifty pesos, but there are
ten pesos remaining. Lakay Leon disagreed with his wife, worrying
about where to get after. Benito, the herb doctor, came to do a
mysterious rite for Meling. Afterwards, Meling called her mother
and said that she wants to sell the carabao and her clothes not for
the doctor but to pay her cousin Anton. Her mother said that he
gave that for help, and then Meling fell asleep. When she woke up,
she wanted to see all the documents, including the receipts, birth
certificates, and documents for animals. Backet Ciriaca asked why
she wanted to see the papers, but Meling did not respond.
PLOT
resolution
Backet Ciriaca went out for a while. Accidentally, a cat
jumped from the ceiling to the table; the papers were
scattered and fell to the floor. She scolded Maria’s little
boy, who was surrounded by scattered papers, but Maria
made her realize that it wasn't her son's fault. Backet
Ciriaca immediately went to Apo Abogado to consult if the
document was still valid; she also asked if Apo Abogado
would come to the funeral of her daughter. Apo Abogado
told her that the documents are still valid and he will
come to the funeral of her daughter. Backet Ciriaca was
relieved. They sold the carabao to pay all the expenses.
CHARACTERS
Meling- a sick young girl

Anton- cousin of Melling
Baket Ciriaca- Mother of Meling
Aming- sister of Meling
Lakay Leon- father of Meling
Simin- money lender
Benito- herb doctor
Maria- sister of Backet Ciriaca
Kuallong- Maria’s son
Attorney Alfre- Apo abogado
SETTING
Dark room
Mr. Awanans Store
Attorney Alfre’s house
CONFLICT
Man vs. Society
Man vs. Man
Man vs. Self

THEMES
Family
Poverty
POINT OF VIEW
THIRD PERSON
APPLICATION
Construct a Venn diagram illustrating the current practices and past
traditions addressed in the story.
PAST PRESENT
QUESTION?
BASED ON THE STORY, IF YOU WERE

GIVEN A CHANCE TO CHOOSE, WOULD
YOU BE WILLING TO GIVE UP THE FUTURE
FOR THE SAKE OF THE PRESENT OR TO
GIVE UP THE PRESENT FOR THE SAKE OF
THE FUTURE?
EVALUATION
Instruction: Arrange the events of the story in the correct
sequence. Write 1–3 in black on each item.
___He pressed the back of his hand against Meling's neck. "You have a very
high fever, Manang," he said.
____ The nipa walls cracked and then the light filtering through the acacia
leaves lighted the sick room. When she saw the pigeons sitting in graceful rows
along the slender, bare branches of the acacia tree east of the house, her eyes
flickered with momentary joy
___The old woman had been desperately worried lately by the simultaneous
illness of both her daughters, Meling and Aming.
EVALUATION
____ On the way home Baket Simin saw her with the already opened
can. The globules of fat glinted in the midday sun.
____The tender fibers coiled in wet intricate folds within the can. All
these Baket Simin saw.
____After much demonstration of feeling, she snatched her big
handkerchief, wound it about her head, and then headed for Mr.
Awanan's store to buy corned beef for Aming.

EVALUATION
____Baket Ciriaca, entering the house after a hard and noisy bargaining with a
passing peddler, shrieked at Kuallong, Maira's little boy, whom she discovered
surrounded with the scattered family papers.
____The pieces she could find composed merely about three fourths of the
original document.
___Baket Ciriaca looked very much smaller than she really was, with all her
heavy hood of black and her dragging mantle, when she wiped her feet on the
doormat of Attorney Alfre's house.

ASSIGNMENT
Instruction: Make your own ending of the story Conversation
1931 by Juan Cabreros Laya.
If you were given the

opportunity to determine
the story's ending, how
would you conclude it?
THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING!
BY: DELFIN, PRINCESS V.

BSED ENGLISH 3A
REFERENCES: PHILIPPINE SHORT STORIES, 1925-1940 BY YABES, LEOPOLDO Y. (ED.). P. 70-81

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CONSERVATION

Integrate the significance of the theme of

Construct a Venn diagram illustrating the current

Share some of the typical behaviors

Meling- a sick young girl

Man vs. Man

Man vs. Self

BASED ON THE STORY, IF YOU WERE

can. The globules of fat glinted in the midday sun.

these Baket Simin saw.

____After much demonstration of feeling, she snatched her big

Awanan's store to buy corned beef for Aming.

surrounded with the scattered family papers.

doormat of Attorney Alfre's house.

If you were given the

BY: DELFIN, PRINCESS V.

REFERENCES: PHILIPPINE SHORT STORIES, 1925-1940 BY YABES, LEOPOLDO Y. (ED.). P. 70-81

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