ENGLISH 7

QUARTER 3, WEEK 3
HOW A SELECTION IS INFLUENCED BY CULTURE,
HISTORY, ENVIRONMENT AND OTHER FACTORS
Vocabulary List

1. Influence (n)- the power to change or affect someone or

something.
2. Culture (n)- the beliefs, customs, arts , etc. of a particular
society, group, place, or time.
3. History (n)-the study of past events
4. Environment (n) -the condition that surrounds someone or
something
Source: https://merriam-webster
Literature is important for it is the mirror of society. It
has shaped civilizations, changed political systems and
exposed injustice. Literature gives us a detailed preview
of human experiences, allowing us to connect on basic
levels of desire and emotion. Literature also is thought
provoking. It allows students to raise questions and
gives a deeper understanding of issues and situations.
https://gulfnews.com/general/literature-is-the-mirror-of-society-1.86134
Culture is putting together people’s beliefs, tradition and
shaped a common sense of emphathy and unity among
people. To make this process successful, literature becomes
a powerful instrument. Through their interaction, there is
the improvement of human’s need for literature and cultural
values. Culture is, all the norms, social rules, symbols,
shared meanings, traditions, customs, methods of doing
things, beliefs, rituals and interpretations of the world
around, shared by particular group or population.

https://www.quora.com/What-is-culture?q=what%20is%20culture
 A selection is being influenced by culture, history,
environment and other factors because of the tradition,
religious ideas, moral values, language, gender norms or
experience that applies to it.

For a writer to come up with a selection, for

example Flores de Mayo, he must consider the culture of
the place, the history of Flores de Mayo and how it is
being held. Same with the beliefs of the people as a
bases for his writing.
 ACTIVITIES

A. Practice Tasks

Task 1: Look at the picture below and answer the questions

that follow. Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.
https://publicrealm.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/reviving-bayanihan/
1. Are you familiar with the picture? Where do
you think can you see this?
2. What cultures and traditions are conveyed by
the picture?
3. How is “Bayanihan” culture presented in the
picture?
4. How does “Bayanihan” affect the life of the
Filipinos?
5. In what way the Bayanihan culture may
influence the development of a selection?
Task 2:
Choose one from the pictures below and tell its influence
to Bicol history, culture and tradition. Write your answer
on a separate sheet of paper.

https://www.nagacitydeck.com/p/penafrancia-2017.html
 https://www.nagacityguide.com/touri
st-destination/cwc-camsur-
watersports-complex/

https://travelphilippines.net/luzon/donsol/
https://panlasangpinoy.com/how-to-cook-bicol-express-knr-
pc/
Task 3:
Read the summary of the story of the “Ibalon”
then, answer the questions that follow. Write your
answers on a separate sheet of paper.

1. What is the selection about?

2. What places in the selection are you familiar with?
3. What traits of the characters in the selection symbolize the
Bicolanos?
4. What cultures and traditions are found in the selection?
5. What other factors influenced the development of the selection?
6. How is the selection affected by the culture, history and
environment?
 Forthwith Kadunong described the ancient land and spoke of its first hero, Baltog, a
white Aryan, who had come from Boltavara (Bharata-varsha or India). He planted a linsa
patch in Tondol (now in Kamalig) which, one night, was foraged by a giant wild boar
(Tandayag). The furious Baltog chased the Tandayag, killed with his bare hands, and
hung its enormous jawbones on a talisay tree in front of his house in Tondol. For this
marvelous feat, he was acknowledged chief of the local hunters. The clans of Panicuason
and Asog came over to marvel at the monstrous wild boar in Ibalong.

Next to come was Handyong. With his followers, he fought the monsters of the land. But Oryol, a wily
serpent who appeared as a beautiful maiden with a seductive voice, was one whom Handyong could not
destroy. Meanwhile, Oryol admired Handyong’s bravery and gallantry. Because of this, Oryol helped
Handyong clear the region of ferocious beasts until peace came to the land.

With Ibalong rid of wild creatures. Handyong turned to making wise laws and planting the land with linsa and rice. A
period of the nvention followed: boat, farming tools, weaving looms, claywares, kitchen utensils, tree houses, and even a
syllabary. Together, the people built a society with culture. It was a golden period in Ibalong when even slaves were
respected under the laws of Handyong.
 Then came a great flood, freed by Unos, that changed the features of the land. Three
volcanoes, named Hantik, Kulasi and Isarog erupted simultaneously. Inundations caused
lands to sink, from which Lake Buhi came about, or rise, as in the strip of seacoast in
Pasacao, Camarines Sur, and wiped out many settlemets, especially the Dagatnong
settlement in the Kalabanga Gulf. The Malbogong Islet mountain sank in Bato, forming a
lake. Despite the calamities, Ibalong grew powerful under Old Chief Handyong, whose
constant companion and good friend, by then, was the young Bantong.

Although given a thousand men to destroy the half man and half beast Rabot, who
could change enemies into rocks, Bantong slew it single-handedly – to the loud cheers of
this thousand warriors that reverberated throughout the forests and mangrove swamps.
Brought Ligmanan, the corpse of Rabot was horrible to behold that the Great Handyong
himself was shocked at the sight.
Questions:

1. What is the selection about?

2. What places in the selection are you familiar with?
3. What traits of the characters in the selection symbolize the
Bicolanos?
4. What cultures and traditions are found in the selection?
5. What other factors influenced the development of the selection?
6. How is the selection affected by the culture, history and
environment?
B. Assessment

Read the selection below, then answer the questions

that follow. Write your answers on a separate sheet
of paper.
1. What characteristics of a Bicolano are shown in the selection?
2. Do you think traditional “Pagtilad” as practiced in Bicol must be
treasured by youth like you? Why or why not?
3. How can “Pagtilad” culture influence the development of the
selection?
 Pili Nut: Crown Jewel of Bicol

Though no one knows exactly when pili nuts were first cultivated, it is assumed that ancient
inhabitants of the Philippines first gathered the superfood as part of their diet. These edible nuts were found
on fruit trees growing in the wild, with at least four known species in the country. Indigenous peoples learned
that aside from the kernel, the ripe pulp when boiled could be eaten as well.
While its light buttery almond flavor is similar to popular nuts such as cashews and almonds, pili
nuts are still relatively underrated and unknown among Filipinos. This is primarily due to the nut’s incredibly
difficult cultivation process and rock-hard shells, making them hard to be readily available for commercial
export.
Pili trees are mostly found in the Southern part
of Luzon, particularly in the Bicol Region. They thrive in
marginal soil conditions and are often resistant to
typhoons and pests. However, it takes a span of five to
six years before the tree begins to bear the fruit
containing the nuts. Harvesting is only from May to
October, peaking in June to August.
Fruits are then de-pulped, cleaned and dried.
Once the shells (containing the nuts) have been dried
for two to three days, the difficult de-shelling process
can begin. Sun-drying the shell also helps shrink the
kernel (causing it to naturally detach inside) so it is easier to extract. These can last up to a year in storage.
How to get the pili kernels out of the hard shell?
Because of their tough shells, many have tried using
machines to open pili nuts – only to be sorely disappointed
with the results. These de-shelling machines often crush the
kernel in the process, wasting tons of precious foodstuff to
produce very little.
Hence, only human hands can be trusted to extract the
pili nut precisely. Bicolanos (people from the Bicol region) call
this centuries-old process pagtilad (manual de-shelling).
Using a sharp bolo (a large knife, similar t o a machete)
farmers accurately (yet carefully) whack the nut at the middle
until it cracks open. They make sure to control the cracking
force to prevent cutting through the kernel. A ‘paratilad’
(skilled pili nut de-sheller) can open the shell in a split second,
producing 100 kilograms of freshly opened pili nuts in a day.
The paratilad or skilled pili nut sheller of Bulusan can open the shell in a split second separating
the kernel whole and the shell cut into two perfect cone shaped half shells called binung -an. The kernels
fall out automatically in the process unharmed. The technique lies in the positioning and angle of the bolo
(shown in the above photo of a paratilad) and the precise hitting of the shell. The paratilad knows this
technique almost intuitively.