Senior High School

Creative
Nonfiction
Quarter 3 – Module 4:
Principles, Elements, and
Devices of Creative Nonfiction
Creative Nonfiction
Quarter 3 – Module 4: Principles, Elements, and Devices of Creative Nonfiction
First Edition, 2020

Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in any work
of the Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the government agency or
office wherein the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such work for profit.
Such agency or office may, among other things, impose as a condition the payment of
royalties.

Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand names,
trademarks, etc.) included in this module are owned by their respective copyright holders.
Every effort has been exerted to locate and seek permission to use these materials from
their respective copyright owners. The publisher and authors do not represent nor claim
ownership over them.

Published by the Department of Education

Development Team of the Module

Writer: Patricia V. Mendiola
Editors: Ernesto V. Baclaan Jr.
Reviewers: Divilyn Rodriguez
Illustrator: Genita N. Richa
Template Developer: Neil Edward D. Diaz
Management Team: Reynaldo M. Guillena
Jinky B. Firman
Marilyn V. Deduyo
Alma C. Cifra
May Ann M. Jumuad
Aris B. Juanillo

Printed in the Philippines by Davao City Division Learning Resources Management

Development System (LRMDS)
Department of Education – Davao City Division, Region XI
Office Address: Elpidio Quirino Ave., Poblacion District, Davao City, 8000 Davao del Sur

Telefax: (082) 224-3274, (082) 222-1672

E-mail Address: [email protected]

 Senior High School

Creative
Nonfiction
Quarter 3 – Module 4:
Principles, Elements, and
Devices of Creative Nonfiction
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:
As a facilitator, you are expected to orient the learners on how to
use this module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress
while allowing them to manage their own learning at home.
Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist the learners as
they do the tasks included in the module.

For the learner:

As a learner, you must learn to become responsible of your own
learning. Take time to read, understand, and perform the different
activities in the module.
As you go through the different activities of this module be
reminded of the following:
1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on
any part of the module. Use a separate sheet of paper in
answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer Let Us Try before moving on to the other
activities.
3. Read the instructions carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking
your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are
done.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this
module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always
bear in mind that you are not alone. We hope that through this
material, you will experience meaningful learning and gain deep
understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!

4
 Let Us Learn
This module was designed with you, learners in mind. It is made to
help you differentiate fictional writing from nonfictional writing. Your ability
to differentiate will help you evaluate other’s draft of piece based on the
clarity of idea, appropriate choice of literary element, appropriate use of the
element, and effective combination of the idea and the chosen literary
element.

This module will help you sharpen your skill in writing because when
you learn to evaluate a written piece, you will also learn how to make one.

Module Competency: Evaluate other’s draft of piece based on clarity of

idea, appropriate choice of literary element, appropriate use of the element
and effective combination of the idea and the chosen literary element
(HUMSS_CNF11/12-lb-d-7)

After going through the module, you are expected to:

1. evaluate a personal essay based on clarity of idea, appropriate

choice of literary element, appropriate use of the element and
effective combination of the idea

Let Us Try!

Below are fifteen (15) ideas that you have learned in your previous
modules. Remember them by choosing the letter that corresponds to your
answer.

1. I am known as a figurative language that creates pictures in the mind

of the reader and listener.
a. figure of speech c. rhetorical device
b. modal d. symbolism

5
2. I am composed of lines and stanzas.
a. blog c. narrative
b. essay d. poem
3. I am a poetry that tells a story with a plot, character/s, and setting.
a. blog c. narrative
b. essay d. travelogue
4. I am a line or lines that are repeated at the end of stanzas in poetry
and music.
a. limerick c. personal narratives
b. literary journalism d. rhythm
5. I am a humorous poem of five lines. I have a definite rhythm and a
rhyme scheme of aabba.
a. essay c. testimonio
b. limerick d. travelogue
6. I repeat the end sounds of words.
a. alliteration c. rhyme
b. assonance d. rhythm
7. I repeat the word or phrase to add rhythm or emphasis.
a. biography c. pun
b. memoir d. repetition
8. I am written in story form like a novel and the most popular form of
autobiography.
a. autobiography c. pun
b. memoir d. repetition
9. I am a form of autobiographical writing which includes a day-by-day
chronicle of events that are usually personal and intimate.
a. autobiography c. journal
b. biography d. memoir
10. I repeat the beginning consonant sound.
a. alliteration c. onomatopoeia
b. assonance d. repetition
11. I am an expression that is written in verse with a regular rhythm.
a. drama c. prose
b. essay d. poetry
12. I am the poet’s attitude in style or expression toward the subject.
a. mood c. theme
b. style d. tone
13. I am the feeling or the atmosphere that the reader gets when he/she
is reading the piece of literature.
a. mood c. theme
b. style d. tone

6
 14. I am the main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work.
a. mood c. theme
b. style d. tone
15. I am a comparison between two different things without using “like” or
“as’.
a. metaphor c. personification
b. metonymy d. simile

Let Us Study

Elements of Creative Nonfiction

1. Fact - the writing must be based on fact, rather than fiction. It cannot
be made up.
2. Extensive research - The piece of writing is based on primary
research, such as an interview or personal experience, and often
secondary research, such as gathering information from books,
magazines, and newspapers.
3. Reportage/Reporting - The writer must be able to document events or
personal experiences.
4. Personal experience and personal opinion - Often, the writer includes
personal experience, feelings, thoughts, and opinions. For instance,
when writing a personal essay or memoir.
5. Explanation/Exposition - The writer is required to explain the
personal experience or topic to the reader.
6. Essay format - Creative nonfiction is often written in essay format.
Example: Personal Essay, Literary Journalistic essay, Brief essay
Literary Elements Used in Creative Nonfiction
1. Characters - Every story has characters, but in nonfiction, these
characters are real people. The author describes physical descriptions,
personality traits and detailed histories to give the characters depth.
2. Detail - Details provide pieces of information. The details you choose,
arrange, and examine help communicate your own opinions and
character as well as those as your subject.
3. Dialogue - Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a
written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more
people.

7
4. Diction - Diction is the writer’s choice of words. The writer chooses
each word carefully so that both its meaning and sound contribute to
the tone and feeling of the literary work.
5. Figurative Language is a type of language that varies from the
norms of literal language, in which words mean exactly what they say
for the sake of comparison, emphasis, clarity, or freshness.
6. Flashback is a literary device in which an earlier or past event is
inserted into the present or the normal chronological order of a
narrative.
7. Flash Forward or prolepsis is a literary device in which the plot goes
ahead of time i.e. a scene that interrupts and takes the narrative
forward in time from the current time in a story.
8. Foreshadowing is a literary device in which an author hints certain
plot developments that perhaps will come to be later in the story. It is
the presentation of material in a work in such a way that later events
are prepared for.
9. Imagery refers to the “pictures” which we perceive with our mind’s
eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, and through which we experience the
“duplicate world.
10. Motif is any element, subject, idea or concept that is constantly
present through the entire body of literature. Using a motif refers to
the repetition of a specific theme dominating the literary work.
11. Narrative - Nonfiction writing usually follows a time line for a
narrative that is either linear or nonlinear, depending on how the
author tells the story.
12. Order is the arrangement of events in a work of literature. It is the
structure of something in the way that something is put together; in
nonfiction, it’s the way things are organized.
13. Plot and Plot Structure - Plot refers to the series or sequence of
events that give a story its meaning and effect. A good story includes
an inciting incident, a goal, challenges and obstacles, a turning
point, and a resolution of the story.
14. Point of View refers to the perspective from which a story is told.
When a character in the story is telling the story, it is first-person
point of view. When the story is told by a narrator outside of the
story, it is called third-person point of view. If the narrator of the
story can have an omniscient view, then he knows what is going on
in the minds of all the characters of all times. Omniscient means
“all-knowing.”

8
 15. Setting, Scene, and Atmosphere - Setting is the story’s time and
place. The writer creates scenes that are action-oriented and contain
vivid descriptions.
16. Setting, Scene and Atmosphere - Setting is the story’s time and
place. The writer creates scenes that are action-oriented and contain
vivid descriptions.

17. Style refers to the language conventions used to construct the story.
A writer can manipulate diction, sentence structure, phrasing,
dialogue, and other aspects of language to create style.

18. Symbol is a literary device that contains several layers of meaning,

often concealed at first sight. It is using an object or action that
means something more than its literal meaning.

19. Theme is the meaning or concept we are left with after reading a
piece of writing. It develops from the interplay of human character
and plot. A theme is not the “moral” of the story.

20. Tone is the writer’s attitude toward his or her subject matter. For
example, the tone of a biography can be admiring or critical, fawning
or hostile. When you’re determining the tone, “hear” the writing in
your head. Put yourself in the author’s shoes and imagine what the
author feels.

Creative nonfiction writers also combine some of the elements of

nonfiction when writing biographies, journals and diaries, essays,
travelogue, speeches, and others.

This is the essence of creative nonfiction. Writers tell factual stories and
share true experiences and accounts using literary elements to make
the ideas clearer and more interesting to read. (Solmerano, et al. 2017)

Another important aspects of creative nonfiction are its being flexible

and free. Nonfiction writers can be poetic at the same time journalistic.
(Gutkind, 2006)

Let Us Practice

Below is a personal essay. Read the title. What do you think is the essay
about? After reading the essay, answer the questions and do the tasks
intended for you.

The Good Daughter

by Caroline Hwang

9
 The moment I walked into the dry-cleaning store, I knew the woman
was from Korea, just like my parents. To show her that we shared a
heritage, and possibly get a fellow countryman’s discount, I tilted my head
forward, in shy imitation of a traditional law.

Name? she asked, not noticing my attempted obeisance.

“Hwang,” I answered.

“Hwang? Are you Chinese?”

Her question caught me off-guard. I was used to hearing such queries

from non-Asians who think Asians all look alike, but never from one of my
own people. Of course, the only Koreans I knew were my parents and their
friends, people who’ve never asked me where I came from, since they knew
better than I.
I ransacked my mind for the Korean words that would tell her who I
was. It’s always struck me as funny (in a mirthless sort of way) that I can
more readily say “I am Korean” in Spanish, German and even Latin than I
can in the language of my ancestry. In the end, I told her in English.
The dry-cleaning woman squinted as though trying to see past the
glare of my strangeness, repeating my surname under her breath. “Oh,
Fxuang,” she said, doubling with laughter. “You don’t know how to speak
your name.”
I flinched. Perhaps I was particularly sensitive at the time, having just
dropped out of graduate school. I had torn up my map of the future, the one
that said not only where I was going but who I was. My sense of identity was
already disorienting.
When I got home, I called my parents to ask why they had never
bothered to correct me. “Big deal,” my mother said, sounding more flippant
than I knew she intended. (Like many people who learn English in a
classroom, she uses idioms that don’t always fit the occasion.) “So, what if
you can’t pronounce your name? You are American,” she said.
Though I didn’t challenge her explanation, it left me unsatisfied. The
fact is, my cultural identity is hardly that clear-cut.
My parents immigrated to this country 30 years ago, two years before I
was born. They told me often, while I was growing up, that if, I wanted to, I
could be president someday, that here my grasp would be as long as my
reach.
To ensure that I reaped all the advantages of this country, my parents
saw to it that I became fully assimilated. So, like any American of my
generation, I whiled away my youth strolling malls and talking on the
phone, rhapsodizing over Andrew McCarthy’s blue eyes or analyzing the

10
meaning of a certain upperclassman’s offer of a ride to the Homecoming
football game.
To my parents, I am all American, and the sacrifices they made in
leaving Korea- including my mispronounced name- pale in comparison to
the opportunities those sacrifices they gave me. They don’t see that I
straddle two cultures, nor that I feel displaced in the only country I know. I
identify with Americans, but Americans do not identify with me. I’ve never
known what’s its like to belong to a community- neither one at large nor of
an extended family. I know more about Europe than the continent my
ancestors unmistakably come from. I sometimes wonder, as I did that day in
the dry cleaner’s, if I would be a happier person had my parents stayed in
Korea.
I first began to consider this thought around the time I decided to go
to graduate school; I wanted to skip the starched-collar track and be a
writer- the hungrier the better. But after 20-some years of following their
wishes and meeting all of their expectations, I couldn’t bring myself to
disobey or disappoint. A writing career is riskier than law, I remember
thinking. If I’m a failure and my life is a washout, then what does that make
my parents’ lives?
I know that many of my friends had to choose between pleasing their
parents and being true to themselves. But for the children of immigrants,
the choice seems more complicated; a happy outcome impossible. By
making the best move of their lives for me, my parents indentured me to the
largest debt imaginable- I owe them the fulfillment of their hopes for me.

It tore me up inside to suppress my dream, but I went to school for a

Ph.D. in English literature, thinking I had found the perfect compromise. I
would be able to write at least about books while pursuing a graduate
degree. Predictably, it didn’t work out. How could I labor for five years in a
program I had no passion for? When I finally left school, my parents were
disappointed, but since it wasn’t what they wanted me to do, they weren’t
devastated. I, on the other hand, felt I was staring at the bottom of the
abyss. I had seen the flaw in my life of halfwayness, in my planned life of
compromise.
I didn’t think about my love life, but I have a vague plan to make
concessions there, too. Though they raised me as an American, my parents
expect to marry someone Korean and give them grandchildren who look like
them. This didn’t seem like such a huge request when I was 14, but now I
don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ve never been in love with someone I
dated, or dated someone I loved. (Since I can’t bring myself even to entertain
the thought of marrying the non-Korean men I’ve attracted to, I’ve been
dating only those I know I can stay clearheaded about.) And as I near that
age when the question of marriage stalks every relationship, I can’t help but

11
wonder if my parents’ expectations are responsible for the lack of passion in
my life.
My parents didn’t want their daughter to be Korean, but they don’t
want her fully American either. Children of immigrants are living paradoxes.
We are the first generation and the last. We are in this country for its
opportunities, yet filial duties bind us. When my parents boarded the plane,
they knew they were embarking on a rough trip. I don’t think they imagined
the rocks in the path of their daughter who can’t even pronounce her name.

Activity 3 What’s in a line?

Below are lines taken from the essay. Understanding the meaning
between and behind each line help you better comprehend the essay you are
reading. Fill in the matrix below by answering what is asked of each column.

The line Who said this? To whom was Reflection

this addressed?
1. “Oh, Fxuang, you To what extent
don’t even know how do you think
to speak your name.” were the words
affect the one
who received
them?
2. “So what if you What was the
can’t pronounce your question asked
name? You are an to the one who
American.” said this line?
Do you think
this reply
satisfied the one
who asked the
question?
3. “By making the What is the
biggest move of their sentiment of the
lives for me, my person who said
parents indentured this line?
me to the largest debt
imaginable- I owe
them the fulfillment of
their hopes for me.”

12
 Let Us Practice More

Activity 4 Using the checklist below, evaluate the essay of

Caroline Hwang by ticking the column of your choice.

Yes No
1. Were details presented gave actual facts about the
author’s life?
2. Was the main idea clearly presented and supported
throughout the paper?
3. Was there a clear use of personal and unique style of
writing suited to audience and purpose that hold the
readers’ interest with ease?
4. Were the characters in the essay relatable?
5. Were the dialogues helped you characterize the
personality of the speakers/characters?
6. Were the words chosen easy to understand?
7. Were you able to identify some figurative language used
in the essay?
8. Were rhetorical questions and tone used effectively?
9. Were you able to perceive pictures in your mind created
by the poetic language used by the author?
10. Was the author successful in recounting past events in
her life to make you better understand her contentions?

Let Us Remember

❖ The word “creative” refers to the use of literary art, the techniques
fiction writers, playwrights, and poets use to present nonfiction-
factually precise prose about real people and events.
❖ Fiction refers to literature created from the imagination. “Nonfiction
refers to literature based on facts.
❖ Nonfiction is a broad genre of writing that encompasses all books that
are not rooted in a fictional narrative.
❖ Nonfiction writing can be based in history and biography, it can be
instructional, it can offer commentary and humor, and it can ponder
philosophical questions.
❖ Research is the key. It’s the key to writing accurate nonfiction and is
also the key to writing exciting nonfiction.

13
 Let Us Assess

Below is a 250-word personal essay for your evaluation. Read it

thoroughly and complete the table below by writing your comments about
the essay in terms of clarity of idea, appropriate use of the element and
effective combination of ideas.

Parents are supposed to push you past your goals, or at least, that’s
what I always believed. I was raised in the generation of “you can do
anything if you put your mind to it.” My parents did not follow that
philosophy, and they saw little value in a formal education. It was their lack
of passion that led me to my educational goals.

From as far back as I can remember, I knew I didn’t want to follow in

the footsteps of my parents, at least not when it came to work. My father
had worked on the family farm all his life and my mother had been a
housewife since graduation. They were both content with the simplicity of
their lives and wanted the same for me. I remember my father telling me
that college was “expensive and a waste of four years”. I knew however, that
I wanted a career in the city that would be more challenging than simple
farm life could provide. The only way to make that possible would be
through formal education and a college degree.

While my parents may not understand the value of formal education, I

know it is essential for my future. This has helped me immensely by making
me realize that without strong parental support, I’m the only one who’s
responsible for my own goals. In a way this has been the strongest source of
motivation. And for that, I am forever grateful.

Source: How to Write a Great 250-word Essay by Jennifer Finneti

Evaluating the Essay

Having read the essay, write an evaluation of the piece in terms of clarity of
idea, choice of literary element and combination of idea and literary piece.
Write your comments opposite each criterion.

Criteria Comments
Clarity of Idea

Appropriate Choice of
literary element

Combination of idea
and chosen literary
element

14
 Holistic Rubric on Essay Evaluation

Points Allocation Conditions

15 points The essay evaluation reflects a very high level of
understanding of the elements of essay and how to
effectively use them to achieve a purpose.
12 points The essay evaluation reflects a high level of
understanding of the elements of essay and how to
effectively use them to achieve a purpose.
9 points The essay evaluation reflects an average level of
understanding of the elements of essay and how to
effectively use them to achieve a purpose.
6 points The essay evaluation reflects the need for improving
understanding of the elements of essay and how to
effectively use them to achieve a purpose.

Let Us Enhance

Writing Challenge: Choose Your Essay

From what you have learned in your past lessons, discussions and
activities above, you may now start writing your own essay. Choose from
among the choices of topics or themes given below. (8-10 sentences will do)

1. A day in the life of your cat/dog through his/her eyes.

2. A lie you wish you could take back.
3. Compose a short letter to a person who might be surprised to get a
letter from you. It might be the guard from your elementary school. It
might be a friend you had in high school you haven’t spoken to in
years. It might be a relative you had miscommunication with.
Whatever the case may be, write a short letter to that person.
4. Choose a photograph from your collection randomly. Look at it for a
few minutes. Write about how it made you feel and the thoughts that
came up.
5. Explore an addiction you had or currently have. Whether the
addiction is as serious as alcohol or cigarettes, or sometimes much
more mundane like

Let Us Reflect

It is hoped that after you have started writing your personal essay,
you will find a place in your heart the thirst to write more. With that, you
will continue writing bearing in mind all that you have learned. Remember
that as long as there are true people and true events there would always be
reasons to write.

15
Answer Key

16
 References

Gutkind, Lee. 2006. "Creative Nonfiction: A Movement Not a Moment." A

Million Little Choices: The ABC's of CNF 6-18.
Solmerano, Ernesto Thaddeus M., et.al. 2017. Creative Non-fiction.
Sampaloc, Manila: FASTBOOKS Educational Supply, Inc.
Solmerano, Ernesto Thaddeus M., Miel Kristian Ondevilla, Jose Jason
Chancoco, Miriam Del Rosario Garcia, and Marjueve M. Palencia.
2017. Creative Nonfiction. Sampaloc, Manila: FASTBOOKS Educational
Supply, Inc.
n.d. www.google.com/search. Accessed January 17, 2021.
https://www.poemtree.com/poems/Silver.htm.
https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/502151427207727389/. Date Retrieved:
January 19, 2021

https://www.google.com/search?q=flag+of+America+image&tbm=isch&ved=
2ahUKEwjiheDh0qfuAhUyx4sBHaL7AcUQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=flag+of+America+image&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzI. Date
Retrieved: January 19, 2021
https://www.google.com/search?q=crossroad+signs+images&tbm=isch&ved
=2ahUKEwjUvsWt0qfuAhUaxosBHcxAAhYQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=crossroad+image&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgBM . Date
Retrieved: January 19, 2021

17
For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Davao City Division

Elpidio Quirino Ave., Poblacion District, Davao City, 8000 Davao del Sur

Telefax: (082) 224-3274, (082) 222-1672

E-mail Address: [email protected]

18