Jose Dalisay Jr. is a prominent Filipino writer born in 1954. He has authored over 30 books across various genres since 1984. The short story "In the Garden" describes an encounter between a schoolteacher and his students with soldiers during a repressive regime in the Philippines. The soldiers destroy the school's vegetable garden and force one of the female students to work for them, highlighting themes of abuse of power and defending human rights.

1. In the Garden
by Jose Dalisay Jr.

2. Jose Dalisay Jr.
An Author from Region IV-B
Born: January 15, 1954
Age: 62 years old
Pen name: Butch Dalisay
Occupation: writer
Alma mater: University of
the Philippines
Genre: fiction, poetry,
drama, nonfiction and
screenwriting

3. He completed his primary
education at La Salle Green Hills,
Philippines in 1966 and his
secondary education at the
Philippine Science High School in
1970. He dropped out of college
to work as a newspaper reporter.

4. Dalisay returned to school and earned
his B.A. English (Imaginative Writing)
degree, cum laude from the
University of the Philippines in 1984.
He later received an M.F.A. from the
University of Michigan in 1988 and a
PhD in English from the University of
Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1991 as a
Fulbright.

5. Dalisay has authored more than 30
books since 1984. Six of those books
have garnered National Book Awards
from the Manila Critics Circle. In
1998, Dalisay made it to the Cultural
Center of the Philippines (CCP)
Centennial Honors List as one of the
100 most accomplished Filipino
artists of the past century.

6. Among his numerous books are:
 Oldtimer and Other Stories (Asphodel, 1984; U.P.
Press, 2003)
 Sarcophagus and Other Stories (U.P. Press, 1992)
 Killing Time in a Warm Place (Anvil, 1992)
 Madilim ang Gabi sa Laot at Iba Pang mga Dula
ng Ligaw na Pag-Ibig (U.P. Press, 1993)
 Penmanship and Other Stories

7. Characters
 Mr. Pareja - a teacher in the Kangmating
Schoolhouse.
 Rosita - a pupil of Mr. Pareja, the eldest (14 years
old).
 Bienvenido - the brightest boy in the class of Mr.
Pareja.
 Baclagon - the leader of the six sergeants who
insults Mr. Pareja and scares the children.

8. Setting
One afternoon at the
Kangmating Schoolhouse
during a dictator’s
regime

9. Plot Summary
Children were planting seeds when the soldiers
came at the Kangmating Schoolhouse. Mr.
Pareja, the teacher, went out to talk to the
leader of the soldiers, Baclagon. They destroyed
the garden and picked every vegetable they
could eat as a revenge for the soldier who was
killed by the rebels in the town. Mr. Pareja and
the children just watched about since they can’t
do anything and obeyed to the abuse of the
soldiers.

10. STORY PYRAMID

11. Exposition
In the garden of the
schoolhouse there were the
children planting and watering
the vegetables. Mr. Pareja was
inside preparing a quiz.

12. Rising Action
Rosita shouted and Mr. Pareja rapidly
ran outside with his socks and there
were a sergeant and soldiers picking and
uprooting their planted vegetables. They
talked about why they were in the
garden and also about the dead soldier
found in the town.

13. Climax
Mr. Pareja ordered the children
to go home but Baclagon stopped
Rosita and said that they will
need her for washing and
cooking. Mr. Pareja refused.

14. Falling Action
Mr. Pareja insisted that he
can do the washing but
Baclagon declined and told
him that it’s not a men’s
work.

15. Resolution
Mr. Pareja watched Rosita
walk into the iron pump
with the soldier and he
went back in the
schoolhouse and prayed.

16. Conflict
Man vs. Man
Abuse of authority: the soldier
taking all their food and they made
the child work for them as if she
was a slave.

17. Theme
 We must fight for our own rights as a
person.
 We don’t have to be a barbaric person to
be known.
 Be kind and helpful to the people around
you.

18. Symbolisms
 Vegetables in the Garden – Human rights that are
taken away by the people in the authority.
 Soldiers – Violence and harassments against
common people during Ferdinand Marcos’ regime.
 Rosita – Victims of abuse among children and
women.
 Mr. Pareja – Conformity of the innocent people.

19. Plot Type/Devices
Dramatic or Progressive Plot
 this is a chronological structure which first
establishes the setting and conflict, then
follows the rising action through to a climax
(the peak of the action and turning point),
and concludes with a denouement (a
wrapping up of loose ends).

20. Plot Type/Devices
Symbolism
 the use of symbols to signify ideas and
qualities by giving them symbolic meanings
that are different from their literal sense.
Symbolism can take different forms.
Generally, it is an object representing
another to give it an entirely different
meaning that is much deeper and more
significant.

21. Point of View
Third Person Omniscient
 a method of storytelling in which the
narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of
all of the characters in the story, as
opposed to third person limited, which
adheres closely to one character's
perspective.

22. References
Dalisay, J. (2015, January). In the Garden. Frontispiece, 44.
Jose Dalisay Jr. (December 11, 2016). Retrieved from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose_Dalisay_Jr.
Wiehardt, G. (August 15, 2016). Third Person Omniscient Point of
View. Retrieved from: https://www.thebalance.com/third-
person-omniscient- point-of-view-1277125

23. Presented by:
Keito Sakakibara
Leonna Junnelle M. Cruz
STEM - A