AMYA POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE, INC.

Quimpo Blvd, Corner Tulip Drive, Davao City, 8000

Telephone No: 225-29-48
Email: [email protected]

WEEK 1- WEEK 10

Objectives:

At the end of the lesson the students are expected to;

 Identify the various elements, techniques, and literary devices in specific forms of poetry.
 Use imagery, diction, figures of speech, and specific experiences to evoke meaningful responses
from readers
 Write a short poem applying the various elements and literary devices imploring innovative
techniques.

Lesson 1: CREATIVE WRITING MEANING

CREATVE WRITING

The word “creative” is synonymous with inventive,

imaginative, productive, and characterized by expressiveness and
originality. Based on the synonyms, the meaning of creative writing can
be derived. Creative writing is invented writing based on one’s
imagination, writing produced with expressiveness, writing is original.

LANGUAGE
DENOTATION AND CONNOTATION
Words have both denotative and connotative meanings. The denotative meaning of a word is
that which is found in the dictionary. It is also known as the literal meaning of a word. On the
other hand, the connotative meaning of a word is that which is assigned by the writer to a word
as it used in the context of his text. It is also known as figurative meaning of a word.

For instance, the word “eye” means “an internal organ of human beings and other organism
capable of seeing’ or “the holed part of the needle where a thread is inserted.’ When the same
word is modified by the word “third” and the combined words refer to extrasensory perception
(ESP), the word “eye” has a connotative or figurative meaning.

LESSON 2: What is imagery?

Imagery is the language used by poets, novelists and other writers to create images in the mind
of the reader. Imagery includes figurative and metaphorical language to improve the reader’s
experience through their senses.

The imagery draws on 5 senses, namely the details of touch, taste, sight, smell and sound.
Imagery can also pertain to details about movement or a sense of a body in motion (kinesthetic
imagery) or the emotions or sensations of a person, such as fear or hunger (organic imagery or
subjective imagery). Using imagery helps the reader develop a more fully realized understanding
of the imaginary world that the author has created.

Common Samples of Imagery

We use imagery in everyday speech to convey our meaning. Here are some examples of imagery from
each of the five senses:

 Visual- is a picture in words; something that is concrete and can be seen.

Ex. Broken hula hoops, hollow blocks, and tires are crowded
atop a thatched roof.

 Auditory- is something that you can hear through

your mind’s ears.

Ex. The pattering of the rain is heard against the window

pane.

The screeching wheels of reckless taxi cabs and vehicles plagued my ears.

 Olfactory- is something that you can taste through your mind’s tongue.

Ex. The aroma of freshly-brewed Colombian coffee wafted into the entire room.

The stench of body odor in a crowded LRT train seeped through the fabric of my shirt.

 Gustatory- is something that you can taste through your mind’s tongue.

Ex. Mouth-watering ripe mangoes, tender melons, and luscious cherries are served on a tray.

I endured the pungent taste of unripe bananas.

 Tactile- is something that you can touch through your mind’s skin.

Ex. The soft velvety feel of silk and satin caressed my skin.

His corned working hands were brought out by years of hard work and toil.

 Thermal- something that depicts temperature.

Ex. The scorching heat of a midday tropical sun made my eyes squint.

A sudden gush of December wind breezed against my face, reminding me of Christmas.

 Erotic- is something that suggest sensation of feeling.

Ex. His eyes follow her wherever she goes, like a blind servant following his omnipresent master.

I shuddered and felt a tingling sensation as his warm breath heaved through my nape.

Lesson 3: Diction the effective use of words

Let us explain key concepts!

All written form of communication (including oral) are made up of words. They are considered the basic
kernel of transmitting ideas and information. Knowing how to properly use the right words in any form
of creative writing is an advantage. The words you employ in your writing ultimately reveal your tone
and attitude in your work, Also readers will some detect the mood that you intend to convey.

In this lesson we are going to identify some of the common mistakes and problems beginning writers
encounter in their word choices.

The following are some of the basic tips to help you use words effectively in your writing.

1. USE STRONG AND EXACT VERBS.

Among the parts of speech, verbs can provide the distinction between strong and weak writing.
Weak verbs and passive constructions fail the effect of your writing. Too many linking verbs and
verbs used in the passive voice weaken your statements. You have to be sensitive and observant
to detect them. When you do, replace the bland and ineffective terms with precise ones,
whenever possible. Moreover, learn to replace passive verbs with active ones to make your
sentences forceful and meaningful.

Examples:

Linking verb Action Verb

Anna’s Halloween costume was terrifying to Anna’s Halloween costume terrified the
the children. children.
The members of the committee were sure The members of the committee confirmed
that Gino was the winner of the contest. that Gino won the contest.

Sentences are better if the verbs used express strong definite action. For example, in some
noun-verb-noun constructions, the verb can be substitute by one strong verb, as shown in the following:

NOUN-VERB-NOUN REVISED
Typhoon Ondoy caused the flood in many areas Typhoon Ondoy flooded many areas in
in Manila. Manila.
Justine spoke about his father at the campaign in Justin campaigned for his father in Las
Las Piñas. Piñas.

Sentences also become more effective when verbs in the active voice are employed instead
verbs in the passive voice. An active voice helps the subject of the sentence perform a definite action
while a passive voice receives the action performed on it. Conversely, when you change the passive
voice to active voice, the sentence become more forceful.

PASSIVE ACTIVE
The sun was covered by big, lonely clouds. Big, lonely clouds covered the sun.
This year’s bar exams were failed by nine Nine tvvhousand out of ten thousand
thousand out of ten thousand examinees. examinees failed this year’s bar exams.

2. Use specific words.

You can get your reader’s interest if you use specific words to convey meaning. This will sharpen
your description and make it vivid. Note, that you have to be careful in choosing the right word
because each synonym carries a different layer of meaning.
Example: The word look is too general. The average person knows it and uses it in everyday
language. As a writer you should realize that there are many shades of meaning to the word
look, which you have to distinctly know.
Look: watch, stare, gaze, ogle, squint, observe, glare, glance, gape, scrutinize.
Boat: ship, craft, yacht, liner, banca, outrigger, raft, kayak, tanker, vessel, container, ferry,
canoe

3. Select words with connotations.

Words have a lot of synonyms. You have to be careful to use the word with the right
connotation to express your thoughts and ideas.

Examples:
The examples below show how two distinct words can convey different shades of positiveness in
the same sentence construction.

Positive favorable
George can be uncomfortable to criticism, and expresses his thoughts about things.
Still positive, showing strong attitude
George can be unapologetic to criticism, and expresses his thoughts about things.

The next set of examples shows how the words connote different levels of negativeness.

NEGATIVE, SUGGESTING A CLOSED WAY OF THINKING

George can be hard-headed to criticism, and expresses his thoughts about things.
VERY NEGATIVE, SUGGESTING UNREASONABLENESS
George can be vicious to criticism, and expresses his thoughts about things.

4. Use specific color.

Use a specific shade or color of an object in a scene. Be familiar with the different shades of
colors to create a more detailed and well-focused description.

5. Avoid clichés.
Clichés like “raining cats and dogs” and “so hungry he could eat a horse” are word out
expressions that hardly add anything to your work. They only make your statements weak and
tired. Perhaps, these expressions were once in vogue and popular as many people used them.
But they have become overused that to employ them now would only make your writing trite
and dull. You should use new and direct expressions.

Example:
CLICHÉ REVISED
When Lindsay finally said “yes” to his When Lindsay finally said “yes” to his
proposal, Michael was on cloud nine. proposal, Michael was overjoyed.
I don’t care if the plan doesn’t work out for I I don’t care if the plan doesn’t work out for I
have other fish to fry. have other things to do.

6. Use varied words.

Another way of adding variety to your writing is by employing an assortment of words instead pf
overusing only one word or description in a paragraph. Continuous use of the same word, such
as a descriptive adjective, distract the readers. They will get the impression that either you love
that word or it is the only description you know.

Example:
Study the example below where the word powerful is used all throughout.

PASSAGE WITH AN OVERUSED TERM

I believe that Captain Barbell is a powerful character. Like everybody else, he us a person oif
power possessing both strong and weak qualities. What makes him powerful character is that
he is also a human being through and through, We all love him, but we also hate him at the
same time. He faces powerful challenges but he can still pull himself together and succeed
over the travails of his plight. I really could really relate to him because I am like him in many
ways. But one thing is important. We need to look up to powerful characters like him.

7. Maintain a consistent tone.

Tone refers to the voice of the writer in the piece. The language reveals the manner in which the
piece is written- formal, light, funny, controversial, or serious. You, as a writer, have to be sure
that the words you use belong together. By employing the most appropriate words for what you
are writing about, you will develop your tone and readers will believe in your work.

8. Be concise.
Using words effectively also mean writing concisely. To be concise, apply the following tips.
a.) Avoid deadwood words and phrases.
Deadwood words and phrases fill out spaces but do not really make the meaning clear. They
only confuse the readers.

Example:
With deadwood phrases Concise
Due to the fact that jeepney drivers and Because jeepney drivers and operators are on
operators are on strike, transportation has strike, transportation has become a problem.
become a problem.
Actually, I am kind of disappointed to the I am disappointed and no longer care who
extent that I no longer sort of care who wins wins because my team was eliminated.
because my team was basically eliminated.

b. Avoid redundancy.
Do not use words that merely repeat the ideas already expressed in the sentence. These words
only slow down the narrative because they state what is already obvious. They also distract the
readers.

Example:
REDUNDANT CONCISE
My cousin, who loves extreme outdoor My cousin loves extreme outdoor sports such
sports, enjoys the mountain climbing, as mountain climbing, parasailing and
parasailing, and bungee jumping. bungee jumping.

(The phrase who loves extreme outdoors

sports is redundant because of the
enumeration of kinds of outdoor sports.)

c. Avoid wordiness.
Whenever possible, write simple sentences. Do not make your sentences lengthy and contrived.
You can tighten the structure of your sentence by eliminating some words, phrases, or clauses.

Examples:
WORDY CONCISE
To reach our goal, we need suggestions that To reach our goal, we need fresh and
are fresh and at the same time effective. effective ideas,
His mother is an actress, and she is a former His mother is both an actress and a former
beauty queen. beauty queen.

9. Use adjectives and adverbs appropriately.

Adjectives describe nouns, as in the following: towering model, tanned arms, unkempt hair, and
gorgeous outfit. Adverbs describe verbs, as in following: swiftly jumped, gawkily stood, lazily
answered, and undoubtedly volunteered. It is no longer necessary to describe every noun
(object) or verb (action), especially if it is strong enough to stand by itself without description.

Example:
A cadaver, for example, does not need a description like “stiff” or “lifeless” because it is already
pretty obvious.

Also, the sentence “She whispered silently and carefully to her seatmate” is wrong because
whispered already says it all.
When adjectives and adverbs seem important in the sentence, they should be active and
suitable to the idea expressed. Therefore, they should be used sparingly. If you attempt to
describe a lady with “a beautiful face and slender legs,” it will not come alive on the page
because readers do not and cannot see her. Substitute this with more striking and vivid
descriptions.
Adjectives that have concrete connotations also work well in a narrative. “She ran through the
broken glass" is acceptable. But “She ran through the broken glass. Her feet bled as slivers of cut
glass pierced through her tender soles,” uses sensory details that liven up the prose.

Lesson 3: Figures of Speech

Figures of speech are connotative presentations of words to produce a literary effect. These are
classified into figures of comparison, contrast, representation or reference, order, omission,
addition, substitution, repetition, and order. This classification is presented in the table below.

KIND DEFINITION EXAMPLES

FIGURES OF COMPARISON
Simile A figurative comparison with Life is like a game.
the use of as or like Your love is like the sun.
Your lips are red as roses.
Metaphor A figurative comparison Life is a game.
without the use of as or like Your lips are roses.
Life is a rosary full of
mystery.
Allegory An extended metaphor

FIGURES OF CONTRAST
Oxymoron Juxtaposition (placing side by Sound of silence
side) of two contrasting Blinding darkness
words Living dead
Antithesis Juxtaposition of two To err is human; to
contrasting ideas forgive, divine
Paradox A seemingly self- The whole is greater than
contradictory statement the sum of its parts.
which can be proven to be The more you hate, the
true more you love.
Irony A statement of one idea, the For Brutus is an
opposite of which is meant honorable man.
You’re so lovely today;
you look like a Christmas
tree.

FIGURES OF REPRESENTATION OR REFERENCE

Metonymy A figurative representation of The subjects pay taxes
one thing for another, e.g., a to the Crown (for King or
cause and effect, an author for Queen). There is Death
his work (for poison) in the cup.
Synecdoche A figurative representation of CCP (for Bobcats) beats
a part of a whole or of a whole TIP. I feed seven mouths
for part (for persons)
Allusion A figurative reference to This Romeo is bleeding.
biblical, mythological, literary, (literary allusion)
scientific, political, or historical Don’t concentrate on
personage, place, event, idea, the Muses.
or a thing. (Mythological allusion)
Personification A figurative attribution of Earth with her thousand
personal or human qualities to voices praises God.
things that are not human,
e.g., inanimate objects Money talks.
Transferred Epithet A figurative attribution of Love is blind
qualities to things that do not Sleepless pillow
possess such qualities.
Apostrophe A direct address to an O Death! Where is thy
inanimate object, a dead sting?
person (as if living), an absent Love, thy will be done
person, or an idea.

FIGURES OF ORDER
Climax Arrangement of words or I came. I saw. I
ideas in an ascending order of conquered. We came,
importance we sang, we fell in love.
Anticlimax Arrangement of words or In elementary, she
ideas in a descending order of graduated
importance valedictorian; in high
school, salutatorian,
and in college, cum
laude.
Anastrophe Transposition of two words Figures pedantical rule
within a phrase, clause, or line tyrannical
Hyperbaton Departure from ordinary word A lovely day it was!
order, e.g., DO-S-TV In war, people she
blood.
Inversion Transposition of subject and Here comes the bride.
predication within in a line, Along came a spider.
clause, or sentence.
Metathesis Transposition of two letters With lever burning
within a word hot---freven

FIGURES OF OMISSION
Asyndeton Omission of connectives, I’ll give you the sun, the
e.g., a conjunction or a moon and the stars above.
linking verb To err is human; to forgive
divine.
Aphaeresis Omission of a letter/s from ‘Tis the season of
the beginning of the word Christmas. Cause I found
you.
Syncope Omission of a letter/s from Somewhere o’er the
the middle of the word rainbow Home art zone.
And ta’en they.
Apocope Omission of a letter/s from And when I ope my lips, let
the end of the word no dog bark!
It’s everlastin’.
Ellipsis Omission of a word/s within Give it me.
a sentence or line
Scesis Onomatom Omission of the verb of a A maid in conversation
sentence or line chaste.
Zeugma Omission of a verb/s, in How my wife wronged me;
which one verb is used to I, her.
govern several clauses The husband should love
his wife; his wife, him.
Anapodoton Omission of a clause Haply you shall not see me
more; or if amangled
shadow.

FIGURES OF SUBSTITUTION
Anthimeria Substitution of one part of It’s time to rice.
speech to another , e.g., a Fedex it.
verb for a noun or a noun for
a verb
Antisthecon Substitution of a letter or Or, they meet, in me, O
sound for another within a nature, cesse!
word
Periphrasis Substitution of a descriptive The Land of the Morning
phrase for a name or vice Calm will unite.
versa The Father of Evolution had
supporters/

FIGURES OF SOUND
Alliteration Repetition of the initial letter Pedro Paterno picked a
or sound in a succession of pack of pad paper.
words She shall sell seashells
along the seashore.
Onomatopoeia Use word to indicate a sound In the field, birds chirp,
cows moo, dogs bark,
cats meow, snake hiss.
Assonance Repetition of the vowel sound Haste makes waste.
(not necessarily the initial Nine times ninety-nine/
sound) in a succession words.
Consonance Repetition of the consonant Ninety-nine nannies
sound (not necessarily the renewed their contracts.
initial sound) in a succession of Betty bakes Toby a
words banana cake.

Lesson 4: POETRY

What is Poetry?
Poetry is that broad genre of literature that is written in stanza form. It is characterized by a
regular rhythmic pattern, rhyme, horizontal and/ or vertical measure, imagery, symbolism, and
figurative language. These elements make it distinct from prose forms. Poetic forms are classified into
narrative poems (epic, ballad, metrical tale, and metrical romance), lyric poems (ode, elegy, hymn,
psalm, sonnet, song, and simple lyric), and dramatic poems (tragedy, comedy, tragicomedy, farce,
historical play, religious play, musical play or opera, and melodrama).
FORMS OF POETRY
Poems take a variety of forms. These forms are either conventional or unconventional.

CONVENTIONAL FORMS
Traditionally, poems were written such that they possessed rhyme, rhythm, and measure. With
the passage of time, new forms evolved with the exclusion of rhyme, rhythm, and measure. However,
many poets still write poems which adhere to the conventions of poem-writing; thus, they produce
conventional forms. These include the Filipino tanaga, awit, and korido, the Japanese haiku (17-syllable
poem) and senryu, the French rondeau and villanelle, Italian terza rima and (Petrarcan) sonnet, and the
English (Shakespearean and Spenserian) sonnets. Generally, poems with rhyme, rhythm, and measure
are considered conventional forms. However, there are those that lack one but are still considered
conventional. An example of this is a blank verse, which has no rhyme but has rhythm (usually iambic
pentameter) and measure.

Samples of Conventional forms:

ON HIS BLINDNESS (A PETRARCHAN SONNET)

When I consider how my light is spent (a)

Ere half my days in this dark world and wide, (b)
And that one talent which is death to hide (b)
Lodg'd with me useless, though my soul more bent (a)
To serve therewith my Maker, and present (a)
My true account, lest he returning chide, (b)
"Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?" (b)
I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent (a)
That murmur, soon replies: "God doth not need (c)
Either man's work or his own gifts: who best (d)
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state (e)
Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed (c)
And post o'er land and ocean without rest: (d)
They also serve who only stand and wait." (e)

Research these for more examples of a conventional form of poem to know the differences:
a. SONNET 116 (a Shakespearean sonnet)
b. TANAGA
c. IBONG ADARNA
d. FLORANTE AT LAURA
e. JAPANESE HAIKUS
f. INVICTUS (Sample of poems with rhyme and measure)

UNCONVENTIONAL FORMS

Unconventional forms are poems that do not have rhyme, rhythm, and consistent measure,
these include free verses and shape poems such as altar poems. A free verse has neither rhyme nor
measure. Compared to conventional forms where end stops and other punctuation marks are present,
free verses are characterized by fewer line breaks and more enjambments. Enjambment is the
movement from one line to another without a major pause or syntactical break.

Samples of Unconventional forms:

EASTER WINGS
BY GEORGE HERBERT
Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store,
Though foolishly he lost the same,
Decaying more and more,
Till he became
Most poore:
With thee
O let me rise
As larks, harmoniously,
And sing this day thy victories:
Then shall the fall further the flight in me.

My tender age in sorrow did beginne

And still with sicknesses and shame.
Thou didst so punish sinne,
That I became
Most thinne.
With thee
Let me combine,
And feel thy victorie:
For, if I imp my wing on thine,
Affliction shall advance the flight in me.

Research these for more examples of a conventional form of poem:

a. Anyone lived in a pretty how town

TECHNIQUES AND OTHER LITERARY DEVICES

To produce the desired literary effect, poets use a number of techniques and literary devices.
Two of the most commonly used are parallelism and ellipsis.

Parallelism The use of similar structures in poetry and prose

works as in the examples:
“Veni. Vidi, Vici (I came, I saw, I conquer).”(Julius
Caesar)
“The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal
sharing of blessing; the inherent virtue of
socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.’
(Winston Churchill)
“But let judgment run down as waters, and
righteousness as a mighty stream.’ (Amos)
Ellipsis The omission of some words or phrases to
produce a literary effect, as the following
examples:
“Wise men talk because they have something to
say;
“Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity a
greater,” (William Hazlitt)
“There is much to support the view that is clothes
that wear us, and not we, them.’ (Virginia Woolf)

Samples of poems:

Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Dreams
BY LANGSTON HUGHES

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

Research these for more examples;

a. The arrow and the song By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
b. Fire and ice By Robert Frost
c. A father to his son By Carl Sandburg

Week 1-Week 10
ACTIVITIES/Quizzes

I. C.S Lewis wrote a moving book on grief entitled A Grief Observed, written after the death of his
beloved wife, Helen Joy. The passage is an excerpt and it uses a lot of imagery.

Instruction: Locate, underline and label the sentence/phrase that uses imagery in the passage.
You can use any sign or an arrow which can be of help in connecting your underlined sentence
or phrase and your answer.

When the House is Empty

No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear, I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being
afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning. I keep on
swallowing.

At other times it feels like being mildly drunk, or concussed. There is a sort of invisible blanket
between the world and me. I find it hard to take in what anyone says. Or perhaps, hard to want
to take it in. it is so uninteresting. Yet, I want the others to be about me. I dread the moments
when the house is empty. If only they would talk to one another and not to me…

There are moments, most unexpectedly, when something inside me tries to assure me that I
don’t really mind so much, not so very much, after all. Love is not the whole of man’s life. I was
happy before I met H. I’ve plenty of what are called ‘resources’ … One is ashamed to listen to
this voice but it seems for a little to be making out a good case. Then comes a sudden jab of
red-hot memory and all this ‘commonsense’ vanishes like an ant in the mouth of a furnace…

And no one told me about the laziness of grief…

Not only writing but even reading a letter is too much. Even shaving. What does it matter now
whether my cheek is rough or smooth? They say an unhappy man want distractions- something
to take him out of himself. Only as a dog-tired man wants an extra blanket on a cold night; he’d
rather lie there shivering than get up and find one.

II. Using the Active Voice. Rewrite the following sentences to make them more vivid and forceful.

Example:

A stash of crumpled paper was in front of the closet door.

A stash of crumpled paper blocked the closet door.

1. Only one question was missed by me when I took preliminary examination.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________.

2. Hundreds of years ago people were of the belief that the world was round.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________.
3. The condominium residents were aghast about the homeowner’s mismanagement.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________.
4. Many hardships are suffered by the farmers during the rainy season.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________.
5. Love is experienced by everybody.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________.

III. Choosing the correct connotations. Replace the underlined words with better synonyms. You
may use a dictionary, a thesaurus, or Google.

1. After a stressful and thing day, all I want to do is read a good book.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.
2. The volunteer group had difficulty convincing the people to move out of the crime scene.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.

3. Determined to win the Miss World title, Megan Young sought the help of pageant aficionados to
train her.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.

4. The dog barked happily when it saw the master opening gate.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.

5. Life is an interesting teacher because it gives you the tests first, the lessons afterward.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.

6. The Garcias bought a parcel of land overlooking the mountains.

_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.

7. The applicant asked the personnel in the human resource office about the status of his
employment.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.

8. The finance company is met with a lot of challenges and problems.

_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.

9. You should be fast in taking orders from your boss if you want to stay in the company.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.

10. The motif of leaves and roses is okay in this room.

_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.

IV. Eliminating Wordiness. Remove unnecessary and redundant words in the sentences and
rewrite the.

1. A rat that was trapped in our sink glared at us in a hostile manner, and it was shrieking as we
moved closer to it.
______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

2. Anyone who is interested to join the Book Club should visit the Student Center, which is located
at the third floor.
______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. Luigi found the information that he was looking for, which is found in the Humanities section,
and found under the Filipiniana shelf.
______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. On stage she wore a skirt that was short and striped and a headdress shaped like a bell.
______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
5. The Banaue Rice Terraces have slowly eroded and this erosion has urged local officials to
demand government action.

______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

V. WRITE two (2) POEMS APPLYING VARIOUS ELEMENTS, TECHNIQUES AND LITERARY
DEVICES EXPLORING INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES.
The poem should be one conventional and one unconventional.
Each poems will be graded through the criteria reflected below.
Criteria:
 Relevance to the theme – 15 pts
 Creativity/Style and Originality – 15 pts
 Coherence of form and structure (harmony of words, presentation) – 10 pts
 Clarity of imagery and language – 10 pts
 TOTAL – 50 points

AMYA POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE, INC.

Quimpo Blvd, Corner Tulip Drive, Davao City, 8000
Telephone No: 225-29-48
Email: [email protected]

WEEK 10-WEEK 15

Objectives:

At the end of the lesson the students are expected to;

 Identify the various elements, techniques, and literary devices in specific forms of fiction.
 Explore key elements of fiction by writing a journal entries and short compositions.
 Produce one striking scene for a short story.

Lesson 1: Reading and Writing Fiction

Fiction
Prose is that broad genre of literature that is
written in paragraph form. It differs from poetry in the
sense that it does not have measure and rhyme, besides
rhythm with sustained regularity. All genres of prose,
except essays, have the following elements: setting
characters, theme, plot, conflict, and point of view. Fiction, drama, and essay are categorized as prose
works.

Serving as a counterpart of narrative poetry, fiction includes prose works that tell a story. It is classified
into short stories, novels, and novelettes. A short story is a narrative prose that has no one to ten pages,
a single setting, few characters (from two to five), a singular theme, and a simple plot. Because it is
short. It is read in one setting. Short stories are categorized into stories of plot, stories of theme, and
stories of character, stories of atmosphere or setting, and plotters. On the other hand, a novel is a
narrative prose
That has about 50 pages or more, multiple setting, many character (20 or more), a plurality of themes,
and a complicated plot. Because of it length, it is read in more than one sitting. Novels are classified into
detective novels, romantic novels, philosophical novels, historical novels, religious novels, symbolic
novels, naturalistic novels, realistic novels, stream of consciousness novels, bildungsnoman, novels of
the sea, novels of the soil, novels of adventure, and so on. A novelette or a short novel is a narrative

Here are the different genres of fiction and some examples of each:

Fable It is a brief story that offers spome piinted

statements of truth or explicitly states a moral.
Aesop’s The Hare and the Tortoise The characters in fables are anthropomorphized
animals or natural forces with human traits or
characteristics.
Parable It is a brief narrative with a realistic plot.
Implicitly teachers a moral. Unlike in the fable,
The parable of the Prodigal Son the main characters in a parable are human
The Parable of the Good Shepherd beings. A parable is more serious and suggestive
than a fable. Its meaning can be open to several
interpretations. The Holy Bible is a rich source of
timeless parables by
Tale It is a short narrative that is handed down from
the past. A tale contains strange and wonderful
Jack and the beanstalk events without detailed characterization- the
Rapunzel ones you read in fairytales. It is also known as
“yarn” which aims to reveal the marvelous rather
than the character. One type of tale is the “tall
tale,” a folk story which recounts the deeds of a
superhero or of the story teller.
DIFFEREENCES BETWEEN A SHORT STORY AND A NOVEL

POINT OF CONTRAST SHORT STORY NOVEL

Length Short (10 pages or less) Long (more than 50 pages)
Setting One or few settings Multiple setting
Characters Few characters (between two Many characters
and five characters) (more than 20)
Plot Simple plot, usually linear Complicated plot, Usually non-
linear and with subplots
Theme Singular theme Single theme for the entire
work; individual themes for
the chapters
Chapters Not devided into chapters Divided into chapters

Sitting Read in one sitting Read in several sittings due

to its length

ELEMENTS OF FICTION
Characters
Characters refer to the persons, animals, plants, inanimate objects such as robots, natural and
supernatural beings that possess life and give life to the story; the character is reveales directly by
means of the author’s description or directly by way of speech, actions, thoughts, and emotions, as well
as by the dialogue (words of other characters) and the setting.

Protagonist The character around whom the story revolve;

also called a hero (heroine, he (she) is
traditionally or conventionally an outstanding
character with good traits; otherwise is known as
an antihero (antiheroine), he (she) is
unconventionally a notorious character with bad
traits, such as a hoodlum
Antagonist The character who is opposed to the protagonist;
this character may be a major (main/leading)
character or a minor (supporting) one
Confidant The character upon whom the protagonist
confides or relies for support, for example, the
fairy godmother in the Cinderella story
Foil The character who serves as a contrast to the
protagonist or any other character in the story,
but does not necessarily oppose the latter
Background Character The character who provides reality to the story by
his or her mere presence, for example, the
doctors and nurses in a hospital scene
Unseen/Absent The character who is mentioned in the story but
character does not have any involvement in the series of
actions or in the dialogue
Dynamic character A character who is changes his personality as the
story progresses, for example,
Static character A character who remains the same kind of person
as the story progresses, for example, the king in
Frank Stockton’s “The lady or The Tiger?”
Round Character A character who shows varied and sometimes
contradictory traits, for example, the main
characters in James Thurber’s “ The secret Life of
Walter Mitty”
Flat Character A character who shows only one personality trait,
for example, the obsessive, vengeful murderer in
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
Stereotype A flat character of a familiar and often-repeated
type, for example, a mad scientist and his
confidant oftentimes humpbacked and
grotesque-looking.

Point of View
Refers to the angle of narration; it indicates “who is the narrator” and “how is the narration
done.”

First-person/ Autobiographical POV The POV in which the narrator is the central
character or one of the major or minor characters
or simply a bystander or an observer.
Omniscient third-person POV The POV in which the narrator is an all-knowing
and all-seeing observer who tells everything
(speech, actions, thoughts, and emotions) about
the character.
Objective third-person POV The POV in which the narrator is an objective
observer who reports only the speech (what he
hears) and the actions (what he sees) of the
characters.
Selective third-person POV The POV in which the narrator is both an
omniscient and an objective observer; it is a
combination of omniscient third person and
objective third-person points of view.

Plot
Plot is the series of events or actions that comprise the story; it is generally divided into
exposition, rising action, complication, climax, denouement or resolution, falling action, and conclusion.

Setting
Setting refers to the time and place in which the events of a narrative take place; it includes not
only the physical environment in which the characters interact, but also the cultural, sociological,
political, religious, and other milieus, as well as the ideas, costumes, values, and beliefs of a particular
time and place.

Locale The place where the story take place; for example, in Marcelino
Agana, Jr.’s “New Yorker in Todo,’ the locale is Tondo.
Time The time when the story takes place; for example, the period of time
in Jose Rizal’s novels is the period of Spanish Occupation in the
Philippines.

Conflict

Conflict, being synonymous with opposition, is the motivating driving force that involves both
characters and readers in the narrative.

Theme and other elements

The theme is the idea or concept of the author expressed in a concise statement. Referred to as
the message of the story, it concretizes the abstract idea the writer wants to impart. It may be ferreted
out from the title of the story, the plot, and the atmosphere, the dialogue of characters, the recurrent
use of imagery, and the use of symbols. In some stories, for example, Aesop’s fables, the theme is
started as the moral of the story.

The tone is the emotional climate inherent in the story. It can be tragic, angry, humorous, pathetic,
condemning, condescending, accusing satirical, cynical, romantic, sympathetic, etc. The atmosphere is
either the psychological environment or the predominant mood of the literary piece.
Sample of a short story:
How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife
(American Colonial Literature)
By Manuel E. Arguilla

She stepped down from the carretela of Ca Celin with a quick, delicate grace. She was lovely. SHe was
tall. She looked up to my brother with a smile, and her forehead was on a level with his mouth.

"You are Baldo," she said and placed her hand lightly on my shoulder. Her nails were long, but they were
not painted. She was fragrant like a morning when papayas are in bloom. And a small dimple appeared
momently high on her right cheek. "And this is Labang of whom I have heard so much." She held the
wrist of one hand with the other and looked at Labang, and Labang never stopped chewing his cud. He
swallowed and brought up to his mouth more cud and the sound of his insides was like a drum.

I laid a hand on Labang's massive neck and said to her: "You may scratch his forehead now."

She hesitated and I saw that her eyes were on the long, curving horns. But she came and touched
Labang's forehead with her long fingers, and Labang never stopped chewing his cud except that his big
eyes half closed. And by and by she was scratching his forehead very daintily.

My brother Leon put down the two trunks on the grassy side of the road. He paid Ca Celin twice the
usual fare from the station to the edge of Nagrebcan. Then he was standing beside us, and she turned to
him eagerly. I watched Ca Celin, where he stood in front of his horse, and he ran his fingers through its
forelock and could not keep his eyes away from her.

"Maria---" my brother Leon said.

He did not say Maring. He did not say Mayang. I knew then that he had always called her Maria and that
to us all she would be Maria; and in my mind I said 'Maria' and it was a beautiful name.

"Yes, Noel."

Now where did she get that name? I pondered the matter quietly to myself, thinking Father might not
like it. But it was only the name of my brother Leon said backward and it sounded much better that way.

"There is Nagrebcan, Maria," my brother Leon said, gesturing widely toward the west.

She moved close to him and slipped her arm through his. And after a while she said quietly.

"You love Nagrebcan, don't you, Noel?"

Ca Celin drove away hi-yi-ing to his horse loudly. At the bend of the camino real where the big duhat
tree grew, he rattled the handle of his braided rattan whip against the spokes of the wheel.

We stood alone on the roadside.

The sun was in our eyes, for it was dipping into the bright sea. The sky was wide and deep and very blue
above us: but along the saw-tooth rim of the Katayaghan hills to the southwest flamed huge masses of
clouds. Before us the fields swam in a golden haze through which floated big purple and red and yellow
bubbles when I looked at the sinking sun. Labang's white coat, which I had wshed and brushed that
morning with coconut husk, glistened like beaten cotton under the lamplight and his horns appeared
tipped with fire.

He faced the sun and from his mouth came a call so loud and vibrant that the earth seemed to tremble
underfoot. And far away in the middle of the field a cow lowed softly in answer.

"Hitch him to the cart, Baldo," my brother Leon said, laughing, and she laughed with him a big
uncertainly, and I saw that he had put his arm around her shoulders.

"Why does he make that sound?" she asked. "I have never heard the like of it."

"There is not another like it," my brother Leon said. "I have yet to hear another bull call like Labang. In
all the world there is no other bull like him."

She was smiling at him, and I stopped in the act of tying the sinta across Labang's neck to the opposite
end of the yoke, because her teeth were very white, her eyes were so full of laughter, and there was the
small dimple high up on her right cheek.

"If you continue to talk about him like that, either I shall fall in love with him or become greatly jealous."

My brother Leon laughed and she laughed and they looked at each other and it seemed to me there was
a world of laughter between them and in them.

I climbed into the cart over the wheel and Labang would have bolted, for he was always like that, but I
kept a firm hold on his rope. He was restless and would not stand still, so that my brother Leon had to
say "Labang" several times. When he was quiet again, my brother Leon lifted the trunks into the cart,
placing the smaller on top.

She looked down once at her high-heeled shoes, then she gave her left hand to my brother Leon, placed
a foot on the hub of the wheel, and in one breath she had swung up into the cart. Oh, the fragrance of
her. But Labang was fairly dancing with impatience and it was all I could do to keep him from running
away.

"Give me the rope, Baldo," my brother Leon said. "Maria, sit down on the hay and hold on to anything."
Then he put a foot on the left shaft and that instand labang leaped forward. My brother Leon laughed as
he drew himself up to the top of the side of the cart and made the slack of the rope hiss above the back
of labang. The wind whistled against my cheeks and the rattling of the wheels on the pebbly road
echoed in my ears.

She sat up straight on the bottom of the cart, legs bent togther to one side, her skirts spread over them
so that only the toes and heels of her shoes were visible. her eyes were on my brother Leon's back; I saw
the wind on her hair. When Labang slowed down, my brother Leon handed to me the rope. I knelt on
the straw inside the cart and pulled on the rope until Labang was merely shuffling along, then I made
him turn around.

"What is it you have forgotten now, Baldo?" my brother Leon said.

I did not say anything but tickled with my fingers the rump of Labang; and away we went---back to
where I had unhitched and waited for them. The sun had sunk and down from the wooded sides of the
Katayaghan hills shadows were stealing into the fields. High up overhead the sky burned with many slow
fires.

When I sent Labang down the deep cut that would take us to the dry bed of the Waig which could be
used as a path to our place during the dry season, my brother Leon laid a hand on my shoulder and said
sternly:

"Who told you to drive through the fields tonight?"

His hand was heavy on my shoulder, but I did not look at him or utter a word until we were on
the rocky bottom of the Waig.

"Baldo, you fool, answer me before I lay the rope of Labang on you. Why do you follow the
Wait instead of the camino real?"

His fingers bit into my shoulder.

"Father, he told me to follow the Waig tonight, Manong."

Swiftly, his hand fell away from my shoulder and he reached for the rope of Labang. Then my
brother Leon laughed, and he sat back, and laughing still, he said:

"And I suppose Father also told you to hitch Labang to the cart and meet us with him instead of
with Castano and the calesa."

Without waiting for me to answer, he turned to her and said, "Maria, why do you think Father
should do that, now?" He laughed and added, "Have you ever seen so many stars before?"

I looked back and they were sitting side by side, leaning against the trunks, hands clasped
across knees. Seemingly, but a man's height above the tops of the steep banks of the Wait,
hung the stars. But in the deep gorge the shadows had fallen heavily, and even the white of
Labang's coat was merely a dim, grayish blur. Crickets chirped from their homes in the cracks in
the banks. The thick, unpleasant smell of dangla bushes and cooling sun-heated earth mingled
with the clean, sharp scent of arrais roots exposed to the night air and of the hay inside the
cart.

"Look, Noel, yonder is our star!" Deep surprise and gladness were in her voice. Very low in the
west, almost touching the ragged edge of the bank, was the star, the biggest and brightest in
the sky.

"I have been looking at it," my brother Leon said. "Do you remember how I would tell you that
when you want to see stars you must come to Nagrebcan?"
"Yes, Noel," she said. "Look at it," she murmured, half to herself. "It is so many times bigger and
brighter than it was at Ermita beach."

"The air here is clean, free of dust and smoke."

"So it is, Noel," she said, drawing a long breath.

"Making fun of me, Maria?"

She laughed then and they laughed together and she took my brother Leon's hand and put it
against her face.

I stopped Labang, climbed down, and lighted the lantern that hung from the cart between the
wheels.

"Good boy, Baldo," my brother Leon said as I climbed back into the cart, and my heart sant.

Now the shadows took fright and did not crowd so near. Clumps of andadasi and arrais flashed
into view and quickly disappeared as we passed by. Ahead, the elongated shadow of Labang
bobbled up and down and swayed drunkenly from side to side, for the lantern rocked jerkily
with the cart.

"Have we far to go yet, Noel?" she asked.

"Ask Baldo," my brother Leon said, "we have been neglecting him."

"I am asking you, Baldo," she said.

Without looking back, I answered, picking my words slowly:

"Soon we will get out of the Wait and pass into the fields. After the fields is home---Manong."

"So near already."

I did not say anything more because I did not know what to make of the tone of her voice as she said her
last words. All the laughter seemed to have gone out of her. I waited for my brother Leon to say
something, but he was not saying anything. Suddenly he broke out into song and the song was 'Sky
Sown with Stars'---the same that he and Father sang when we cut hay in the fields at night before he
went away to study. He must have taught her the song because she joined him, and her voice flowed
into his like a gentle stream meeting a stronger one. And each time the wheels encountered a big rock,
her voice would catch in her throat, but my brother Leon would sing on, until, laughing softly, she would
join him again.
Then we were climbing out into the fields, and through the spokes of the wheels the light of the lantern
mocked the shadows. Labang quickened his steps. The jolting became more frequent and painful as we
crossed the low dikes.

"But it is so very wide here," she said. The light of the stars broke and scattered the darkness so that one
could see far on every side, though indistinctly.

"You miss the houses, and the cars, and the people and the noise, don't you?" My brother Leon stopped
singing.

"Yes, but in a different way. I am glad they are not here."

With difficulty I turned Labang to the left, for he wanted to go straight on. He was breathing hard, but I
knew he was more thirsty than tired. In a little while we drope up the grassy side onto the camino real.

"---you see," my brother Leon was explaining, "the camino real curves around the foot of the
Katayaghan hills and passes by our house. We drove through the fields because---but I'll be asking
Father as soon as we get home."

"Noel," she said.

"Yes, Maria."

"I am afraid. He may not like me."

"Does that worry you still, Maria?" my brother Leon said. "From the way you talk, he might be an ogre,
for all the world. Except when his leg that was wounded in the Revolution is troubling him, Father is the
mildest-tempered, gentlest man I know."

We came to the house of Lacay Julian and I spoke to Labang loudly, but Moning did not come to the
window, so I surmised she must be eating with the rest of her family. And I thought of the food being
made ready at home and my mouth watered. We met the twins, Urong and Celin, and I said "Hoy!"
calling them by name. And they shouted back and asked if my brother Leon and his wife were with me.
And my brother Leon shouted to them and then told me to make Labang run; their answers were lost in
the noise of the wheels.

I stopped labang on the road before our house and would have gotten down but my brother Leon took
the rope and told me to stay in the cart. He turned Labang into the open gate and we dashed into our
yard. I thought we would crash into the camachile tree, but my brother Leon reined in Labang in time.
There was light downstairs in the kitchen, and Mother stood in the doorway, and I could see her smiling
shyly. My brother Leon was helping Maria over the wheel. The first words that fell from his lips after he
had kissed Mother's hand were:

"Father... where is he?"

"He is in his room upstairs," Mother said, her face becoming serious. "His leg is bothering him again."
I did not hear anything more because I had to go back to the cart to unhitch Labang. But I hardly tied
him under the barn when I heard Father calling me. I met my brother Leon going to bring up the trunks.
As I passed through the kitchen, there were Mother and my sister Aurelia and Maria and it seemed to
me they were crying, all of them.

There was no light in Father's room. There was no movement. He sat in the big armchair by the western
window, and a star shone directly through it. He was smoking, but he removed the roll of tobacco from
his mouth when he saw me. He laid it carefully on the windowsill before speaking.

"Did you meet anybody on the way?" he asked.

"No, Father," I said. "Nobody passes through the Waig at night."

He reached for his roll of tobacco and hithced himself up in the chair.

"She is very beautiful, Father."

"Was she afraid of Labang?" My father had not raised his voice, but the room seemed to resound with it.
And again I saw her eyes on the long curving horns and the arm of my brother Leon around her
shoulders.

"No, Father, she was not afraid."

"On the way---"

"She looked at the stars, Father. And Manong Leon sang."

"What did he sing?"

"---Sky Sown with Stars... She sang with him."

He was silent again. I could hear the low voices of Mother and my sister Aurelia downstairs. There was
also the voice of my brother Leon, and I thought that Father's voice must have been like it when Father
was young. He had laid the roll of tobacco on the windowsill once more. I watched the smoke waver
faintly upward from the lighted end and vanish slowly into the night outside.

The door opened and my brother Leon and Maria came in.

"Have you watered Labang?" Father spoke to me.

I told him that Labang was resting yet under the barn.

"It is time you watered him, my son," my father said.

I looked at Maria and she was lovely. She was tall. Beside my brother Leon, she was tall and very still.
Then I went out, and in the darkened hall the fragrance of her was like a morning when papayas are in
bloom.
I. Activity: Short Story Analysis

After reading the short story, answer the following questions below;
1. Who is the major character or protagonist in each story? Why do you
think he or she is the major character? What kind of hero or heroine is
the character?

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2. Why do you think the writer chose to make the person the major character?
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3. Are the characters flat or round? Why do you say so?
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4. Are they static or dynamic characters? Explain your answer.
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5. Are they stereotypes or complex characters? What makes them so?
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6. Which story has a clearer delineation of characters? Point out details in the story that will prove
your claim.
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7. Are the characters believable? Why or Why not?
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8. What motivated the protagonist to behave the way they do? Why did they make those
decisions?
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9.Do the minor characters in each story have viral roles in making the lead characters realize
certain truths about life and decide on life-changing matters of experience?
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II. Short Story Analysis

The last leaf

By O’Henry

Johnsy fell critically ill in November. She suffered from pneumonia and used to lie in her bed
without moving. She continuously gazed out of the window. Sue, her friend, became very
worried. She called the doctor. Although he came every day, yet Johnsy’s condition showed no
improvement.

The doctor confirmed that Johnsy was not willing to live. As a result, the medicines were
ineffective to cure her ill-health.

Sue tried her greatest to make Johnsy take an interest in things around her. She talked about
clothes and fashion. However, Johnsy was irresponsive. She continued to lie still on her bed. Sue
brought her drawing-board into the room and began to paint.

Suddenly Sue heard Johnsy whispering something. She speedily rushed to the bed and heard
Johnsy counting backward. She speedily rushed to the bed and heard Johnsy counting backward.
Looking out of the window, she was saying, “Twelve!”

However, after some time she whispered “eleven”, then “ten” and so on. She saw an old ivy
creeper climbing half-way up the brick wall opposite to the window. Also, the creeper was
shedding its leaves in the strong wind.

Johnsy was very depressed. She created a thought that she would die when the last leaf fell.
Moreover, she did not accept the soup offered to her.
Later, in the last leaf summary, Sue tried to show affection towards Johnsy. Sue told her that she
would not die. She kept the curtain open as she needed the light to complete her painting. She
desired to fetch money for them by selling it. Sue pleaded Johnsy not to look out of the window.

Also, she told Johnsy that she would not die. She has to live for her friends. Moreover, Sue
would become lonely without Johnsy. But Johnsy was sure that she would die as soon as the
last leaf falls.

She added that she would sleep after the last leaf falls and would sleep forever. Sue was very
worried about her friend’s condition. She was helpless.

Sue rushed to the ground floor to seek help from a 60-year-old painter. His name was Behrman.
His lifelong dream was to paint a masterpiece. Unfortunately, it remained a dream only.

Sue told the condition of his friend to Behrman. She refused to eat and continuously looked
outside the window. She declares that she would not survive after the falling of the last leaf. He
condemned Johnsy for being silly. However, he agrees to paint the last leaf for Johnsy so that
she could recover.

Johnsy woke up the next morning. To her surprise, the last leaf survived the storm and it was
clinging to the creeper. It survived another storm in the evening too.

This incident opened Johnsy’s eyes. She apologized to her friend for being so irresponsive and
depressed. She realized that it was a sin to think of death. Then, she combed, had soup, and a
desire to live.

The doctor arrived. He told about the improvement in her health. He added that she would
recover soon as her desire to live was back.

Sue went to see Behrman. He was only two days ill. However, he dies of pneumonia contracted
while being out in the wet and cold. Sue tells this news to Johnsy. She tells her to look at the last
leaf clinging to the creeper. She reveals the truth that it was the masterpiece of the old artist,
Behrman.

He always wanted to produce a masterpiece painting but had never succeeded in his attempt to
produce the same. However, to help her recover from her depression, he spent considerable
time painting with great realism a leaf on the wall. Thus, he himself dies of pneumonia
contracted while being out in the wet and cold.

SHORT STORY THEME PROTAGONIST SETTING CONFLICT

THE LAST LEAF

Plot. Choose one of the listed settings and create a plot with the major events in mind.
Plot Parts

Exposition

Rising Action

Complication

Climax

Resolution

Falling
Action
Conclusion

III. ACTIVITY: WRITE A SHORT STORY. (YOUR OWN SHORT STORY!!)

Make sure your story has the ELEMENTS discussed in the previous lessons.
Note your story should be in 3-5 pages.

Attached your short story here, Type written, Times New Roman, 12, single space.