POINTER TO REVIEW

MODULE 5

TPES OF POETRY

1. Narrative Poetry
a. Epic – a long narrative poem centering a hero and its great significance – like
war, conquest, etc.
Example: “Biag-ni-Lam-Ang” by Pedro Bukaneg

b. Metrical Romance – a narrative poem that tells a story of adventure, love, and
chivalry. The typical hero is a knight on a quest.
c. Metrical Tale – a narrative poem consisting usually of a single series of
connective events that are simple idylls or home tales, love tales, tales of the
supernatural or tales written for a strong moral purpose in verse form.
d. Ballad – the simplest type of narrative poetry. It is a short narrative poem telling
a single incident in simple meter and stanzas. It is intended to be sung.
e. Popular Ballad – a ballad of wide workmanship telling some simple incidents of
adventure, cruelty, passion, or superstition, an incident that shows the primary
instincts of man influenced by the restraint of modern civilization.
f. Modern or Artistic – created by a poet imitation of the folk ballad, makes use
(sometimes with considerable freedom) of many of its devices and conventions.
g. Metrical Allegory – an extended narrative that carries a second meaning along
with the surface story, Things and actions are symbolic.

2. Lyric Poetry
a. Ode – a lyric poem of some length serious in a subject and dignified in style. It is
the most majestic of the lyric poems. It is written in a spirit of praise of some
persons or things.
Example: Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind”

b. Elegy – a poem written on the death of a friend of the poet, its purpose is to
praise the friend.
 Example: The Lover’s Death by Ricardo Demetillo

c. Song – a lyric poem in a regular metrical pattern set to music. These have twelve
syllables (dodecasyllabic) and slowly sung to the accompaniment of a guitar or
banduria.
Example: Florante at Laura by Francisco Balagtas

d. Corridos (kuridos) – these have measures of eight syllables (octosyllabic) and

recited to a material beat.
Example: Ibong Adarna by Jose Dela Cruz (Huseng Sisiw)

e. Sonnet – a lyric poem containing fourteen iambic lines, and complicated rhyme.
Example: Santang Abad by Alfonso P. Santos
MODULE 6
Fiction is defined as “a series of imagined facts which illustrates truths about human life.

 It is an imaginative recreation and re-creation of life.

 It doesn’t require the presentation of actual people and situations, but characters and
incidents may be based on actual people and real life events.

Principal Types of Fiction

a. Short Story – often referred to as a “slice of life” is a fictitious narrative compressed

into one unit of time, place, and action; it centers on a single main incident and
intends to produce a single dominant expression.
 The world that the writer constructs in a short story is small but complete and
self-contained.
b. Novel – is an extensive prose narrative, it may have a main plot and one or more
sub-plots that develop with main plot. A book-length story written in prose usually
comprising 75,000 to 100,000 words.
ELEMENTS OF FICTION

1. CHARACTERS – are the representative of a human being; persons involved in a

conflict.

TYPES OF CHARACTERS

a. Round Character – is a dynamic character who recognize changes in the

circumstances.
 Is a fully develop character, with many traits – bad and good – shown in the
story.
b. Flat Character – also known as the stock or the stereotype character who does not
grow and develop.
 A flat character is not fully developed.
c. Static Characters – do not experience basic character changes through the course of
the story.
 d. Dynamic Characters – experience changes throughout the development of the story
which is expected based on the events of the story.
OTHERS

1. Protagonist – hero/heroine
2. Antagonist – a foil to the protagonist
3. Deuteroganist – second in importance
4. Fringe – one who is destroyed by his inner conflict
5. Typical or minor characters

2. SETTING – the locale (place) or period (time) in which the action of a short story, play,
novel, or the motion picture takes place (also known as the background of the story);
local color described as local scenery, the writer uses words, mentions things in the
native language, gives names to character’s lines to create a vivid picture of a native
place.

3. CONFLICT – the struggle or complication involving the characters, the opposition of

persons or forces upon which the action depends in drama or fiction.
 There is conflict if there is a struggle which grows out of the interplay of opposing
forces (idea/interest).
Types of Conflict

 Character vs. character

 Character vs. nature or natural forces
 Character vs. society or culture
 Character vs. God
 Character vs himself or herself
4. PLOT – a casually related sequence of events; what happen s as a result of the
main conflict is presented in a structure format; the sequence of events which involves
the character in conflict.
 Narrative Order – the sequence of events is called the narrative order.
- Chronological – the most common type of narrative order in children’s
books.
 - Flashback – occurs when the author narrates an event that took place before
the current time of the story.
- Time lapse – occurs when the story skips a period of time that seems
unusual compared to the rest of the plot.

PYRAMIDAL STRUCTURE OF A PLOT

Climax

Denouement
Complication

Resolution
Exposition

a. Exposition (beginning) – introduces the

time, place, setting, and the main characters.
b. Complication (rising action) – unfolds the problems and struggles that would be
encountered by the main characters leading to the crisis.
c. Climax (result of the crisis) – part where the problem or the conflict is the highest
peak of interest; the highest point of the story for the reader, frequently, is the
highest moment of interest and greatest emotion; also known as the crisis or the
point of no return.
d. Denouement – is the untying of the untangled knots, or the part that shows a conflict
or a problem is solved, leading to its downwards movement or end.
e. Resolution (end) – contains the last statement about the story.
Qualities of the Plot

a. Exciting
b. Good Structure
Plot Devices

a. Flashback – something out of chronological order; to reveal information, to

understand a character’s nature.
b. Foreshadowing – a device to give a sign of something to come its purpose is to
create suspense, to keep the readers guessing what will happen when.
c. Suspense – this is the feeling of excitement or tension in the reader’s experiences
as the action of the plot unfolds.
d. Surprise Ending – this is an ending that catches the reader off guard with an
unexpected turn of events.
e. In Media Res – the technique of beginning a story in the middle of the action, with
background information given later in flashbacks.

5. POINT OF VIEW – the writer’s feeling and attitude toward his subject; determines who
tells the story; it identifies the narrator of the story (the form of narration also affects the
story itself).
Classification of Point of View
a. First Person – the writer uses the pronoun “I”. He/she could be a participant or a
character in his own work; the narrator may be the protagonist, an observer, a
minor character, or the writer himself/herself.

b. Second Person – It is used to tell a story to another character with the word
“You”. It is mostly told in the future tense.

c. Third Person – the writer-narrator is a character in the story. He/she narrates

the based on what he observed/ his opinion. On the other hand, a limited third
person is an outsider/observer who is not part of the story.
6. MOOD – the atmosphere or emotional effect generated by the words, images, situations
in a literary work (the emotional ambiance of the work), for example, melancholy, joyous,
tense, oppressive, and so on.

a) Setting: The way a setting is described greatly affects the mood. Authors often
use foreshadowing in their descriptions. The use of motifs also creates a mood.
b) Style: Our style is the way we use words to tell a story. The way we choose
words, the way we structure sentences, and use tenses and figurative language
describes our writing style.
c) Viewpoint: Choosing first, second, or third person viewpoint will affect the mood
of a work.
d) Tone: Tone conveys an attitude towards a topic. It is expressed by our word
choices, sentence lengths and use of punctuation. If we use a compassionate
tone, our readers may feel sympathetic or empathetic. If we use a depressing
tone, our readers will feel sad.
e) Genre: The genre also affects the mood. A light-hearted romance should make
you feel happy. A literary thriller should make you feel unsettled.

Example of Mood in Fiction

The Hobbit
 In The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, the author makes us feel safe and content.
 The mood is comforting and hopeful.
How did the author create this?
Setting: He describes homely settings with comforting food.

Style: His style is simple and descriptive.

Tone: His tone is fatherly and parochial.
Viewpoint: The viewpoint is third person, which is the most normal and accepted way of
telling a story.
Genre: The mood suits the genre, which is a fantasy adventure.

7. TONE – a term used, sometimes broadly, to denote an attitude of feeling of the speaker
or author as conveyed by the language in its artful arrangement (for example, ironic,
 pensive, sly, acerbic, humorous); it describes the attitude of the narrator or persona of
the work whereas MOOD refers to the emotional impact felt by the reader of the work.
Although often similar, these feelings are necessarily the same.

8. SYMBOLISMS – stand for something other than themselves, they bring to mind not their
own concrete qualities, but the idea or obstruction that is associated with them.
TYPES OF SYMBOLISM
a) Religious Symbolism
b) Romantic Symbolism
c) Emotional Symbolism
9. IMAGES – are usually characterized by concrete qualities rather than abstract meaning;
these appeal to the senses of taste, smell, feel, sound, or sight.
10. THEME – the central or dominating idea in a literary work; it is the topic or the subject of
the selection, which is sometimes stated by a character or by the writer himself, but
oftentimes, it is merely implied or suggested. (Note: The theme is not some familiar
saying or moral lesson.)
MODULE 8
CONCRETE ABSTRACT
✔ Denotes something that is “existing in a ✔ Denotes something that is “existing in
material or physical form thought or as an idea but not having a
✔ Real or solid physical or concrete existence.”
Concrete Nouns include…. Abstract Nouns include…

1. Names of flora and fauna 1. Ideas

⮚ animals, birds, insects, fishes, trees, 2. Concepts
plants, flowers 3. Thoughts
2. Parts of the body 4. Feelings
⮚ Head, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, skin, 5. Emotions
bones, tongue 6. Traits
3. Clothing and accessories 7. Qualities
⮚ Polo shirt, blouse, skirt, pants, 8. Aspects
shoes, wrist watch, necklace 9. State of being
4. Furniture and appliances EXAMPLES: beauty, corruption, dream, family,
⮚ Table, chair, bed, oven, refrigerator, freedom, friendship, generosity, hope, joy,
television, air conditioner justice, kindness, love, luck, luxury, oppression,
5. Vehicles poverty, religion, sorrow, talent, and truth
⮚ Car, taxi, bus, train, jeepney, boat,
airplane

THE PARTICULAR VERSUS THE UNIVERSAL

⮚ In the previous topic is considered as the first step toward writing vivid and evocative
poetry full of images.
 ⮚ This will be consider as the second step to make sure the images being evoked or conjured
in the poem are not just concrete and abstract rather than universal or generic.
⮚ It is important since the uniqueness of the details of a poem will determine its timeliness
and, ironically, its universality.
⮚ The universality of a piece of literature is based not on its generic features but on its
specific details.
GENERIC – conjure wide variety of images. SPECIFIC – evoke a more singular or unique
images.
1. Afghan hound 6. Pinscher
2. Beagle 7. Poodle
3. Bulldog 8. Shih Tzu
⮚ Dog 4. Chihuahua 9. Siberian husky
5. Golden Retriever 10. Pomeranian
MODULE 7
Writing Tips
A setting in a play is quite different from the setting in fiction. A fictionist can describe
freely the place and the period for which the story is set. You cannot do the same in a play, but
there are techniques you can apply to establish the setting.

1. The descriptions of a setting in a play can be placed in the stage directions.

2. You can indicate the time and place of the action, the exits and entrances of the
characters.
3. You may also indicate some actions the characters are doing at the time they are saying
something in a dialogue. However, remember that stage directions should be used
sparingly because it slows down the action of the play. Much emphasis and focus should
be given to the dialogues of the character.
Because of the limited space and resource of the stage, writers must be creative in choosing a
set as the backdrop of the play. Don’t work around a setting that takes a difficult time to set up
or too expensive to put up on stage, say example a highway where vehicles intersect or a lush
forest with wild animals. If it’s an interior of a house, sure that each furniture is significant in the
play. Otherwise, don’t include it

Writing Tips
1. As a writer, you need to ask yourself “Will this be realistic?” or “In real life, will my
character really say or do this?” You must clearly be conscious of their motivations
and not interfere with the pursuit of their goals, even if they are drawn from your
imagination.
2. In order to write a character effectively, you must know everything there is to know about
him or her. You must know your characters’ information by heart, even they are the
extension of your personality as a writer you must have variation of their traits and
behavior and always remember that effective writing is not about yourself.
 3. Avoid idealizing your characters. Ideal character doesn’t exist and real character are
always combination of noble and failing traits. Don’t be afraid to give your characters a
flaw. After all, nobody is perfect.
4. There is a limitation in describing a character in a play. Everything has to be developed
entirely through the dialogue.
5. When writing about the characters, answer the following questions: Do all the characters
contribute to the story line of the play? Are there too many? Are there too few? Does the
conflict complicate the lives of the characters? Do the characters’ speeches and actions
reveal enough about their personalities?

Writing Tips
The following are some DO’s and DON’T’s of dialogue writing which will be helpful as you attempt to
write drama.

1. Write dialogues as realistically as speakers speak in real life.

2. Get the feel of the rhythm of real speech. To avoid making characters deliver long,
unrealistic speeches.
3. Avoid using clichés or outdated words or phrases.
4. A trick to avoid overusing names in dialogues is to use the names early and then
sparingly afterwards.
5. Remember that how the characters speak should reflect a part of their identity. You may
include clues to voice, delivery, and word choices as part of stage directions of the play.