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LEARNING KIT

I. TITLE
 Subject: Creative Nonfiction
 Time Frame: 2 Days (Week 4/ Quarter 1)
 Topic/s: Poetry
 Grade Level: Grade 12 (HUMSS)

II. OVERVIEW
If every country has myths, legends, and folktales transferred orally from one generation to another,
before they were inked onto paper, then posted online, like short stories and novels, in this module, you will
discover that even poetry started as an oral tradition.

III OBJECTIVE:
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
 Identify the dominant literary conventions of poetry.
 Analyze and interpret the element, themes, and techniques used in poetry; and
 Write drafts of a poem, do peer-editing, and revise.

IV CONTENT

A. Let’s Get Involved!

Direction: Read the poem below. Answer the questions afterward.

The Heroes We Never Name

M. Lucille Ford

Back of the men we honor Back of the generals and captains

Enrolled on the scroll of fame,
Are the millions who go unmentioned -
The heroes we never name!
Those who have won us the victories,
And conquered along the way;
Those who have made us a nation -
A tribute to them I would pay.
Back of our nation's first leader,
Of Lincoln and Wilson, too,
Back of the mind directing our course
Was the army that carried it through.
Was the tramping of rank and file,
And back of them were the ones at home
Who labored with tear and with smile.
And What of the "everyday" heroes
Whose courage and efforts ne'er cease!
Toilers who struggle and labor and strive
And hope for a future of peace?
Hats off to the worthy leaders;
Their honor I'd ever acclaim -
But here's a cheer for the many brave,
The heroes we never name.

1. What do you notice?

2. What is the poem saying to the reader?

B. Let’s Explore!

Directions: Make some research online about lyrical patterns. How would you describe the following patterns:
 Iambic
 Trochaic
 Pyrrhic
 Anapestic
 Dactylic
  Spondaic

 Can you think of popular poems that can serve as examples for each?
 How do you think is lyre connected to the early forms of poetry?
 Watch Maya Angelou’s “And Still I Rise” ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqOqo50LSZ0 )
Compare the text of the poem and how she recited it.

C. Let’s Clarify Things!

Poetry- is a literature that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience or a specific emotional
response through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound, and rhythm.

According to Ezra Pound, an American poet and critic, poetry could be divided
according to three essential elements.
 melopoeia - music
 phanopoeia - image
 logopoeia - meaning

Stanza- is a group of lines in a poem. It comes from the Italian word “for a room or a stopping place”.
Verse - line in a poem. It comes from the Latin word “versus”. It means “the same thing as furrow”.
Versification - the practice of breaking down a group of text into lines.

“Prose is made to be written, a poem is made

to be read.”
In other words, Milosz says that a poem must have a pattern of
musicality or rhythm, regardless if it has rhyme and meter or is written in free
verse. Considering that poetry stems from oral tradition, it can be deduced that
poems recited long ago, were not actually recited; instead they were sung.

Czeslaw Milosz
Polish poet and fictionist
Rhythmic Pattern

 Lyrical Poem- follows a metrical pattern derived from the lyre, the musical instrument used for reciting
or singing poems in ancient times. An example of this type is a poem below:

Song: Go and Catch a Falling Star

John Donne

Go and catch a falling star,

Get with child a mandrake root,
Tell me where all past years are,
Or who cleft the devil's foot,
Teach me to hear mermaids singing,
Or to keep off envy's stinging,
And find
What wind
Serves to advance an honest mind.

If thou be'st born to strange sights,

Things invisible to see,
Ride ten thousand days and nights,
Till age snow white hairs on thee,
Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me,
All strange wonders that befell thee,
And swear,
No where
Lives a woman true, and fair.

If thou find'st one, let me know,

Such a pilgrimage were sweet;
Yet do not, I would not go,
Though at next door we might meet;
Though she were true, when you met her,
And last, till you write your letter,
Yet she
Will be
False, ere I come, to two, or three.

Lyrical Patterns

 Iambic - one unaccented or weakly accented syllable followed by one strong accent, as in:

Example: | im - pos – si – ble | (two iambs in one word, light stress on first and third syllables, heavy stress on
2nd and 4th. The inequality of the first and second strong stresses is no proof that they aren't strong stresses;
just that one is stronger than the other. This often depends on pronunciations derived from regional difference
or from dialect.
Usages of this are plain to any reader of poetry. The most common usages of the iamb fall into iambic
trimeter, iambic tetrameter and, most common, iambic pentameter, the last as familiar to Shakespeare as to
Robert Frost or Frederick Turner.

 Trochaic - one strong accent followed by one weak or unaccented syllable, as in:

Example: | dread - ful | one trochee in one word

| help – less | one trochee in one word

The trochee is more often used as a substitute foot (or an exception) in an iambic line than by itself,
though poems have been written in trochaic trimeter, tetrameter and pentameter. Typically, as often in Milton,
a trochee is substituted for the first foot in a line of iambic pentameter. This is true of most poets who write in
blank verse.

 Anapestic - two weakly accented syllables followed by one strong stress.

Example: at the time of the President's lunch (three anapests in seven words)

Anapests have often been used by narrative poets, such as Tennyson, but take care: its difficult
enterprise to avoid a fall into sing-song silliness. Anapests are most often used as foot substitutions in iambic
lines.

 Dactylic - one strong stress, followed by two weakly accented or unaccented syllables

Example: See in the dark what the officer's doing there (three dactyls, eight words)

Helpless I was as the rain in Virginia fell down on my head as I

walked in the forest where Alfred was eating his apples and oranges and
Mary was picking the fleas from her daughter and Georgie the poodle was
messing the carpet and Marty the carpenter fell from his ladder and
flattened a squirrel whose blood ran all over and....

Enough already -- dactylic hexameter, or six dactyls to the line, except for the incomplete last line,
favors Greek, not English, at least without substantial variation. Foot substitution, such as a strong iamb, may
be the only way to keep you from falling off a cliff with this meter. Dactyls as foot substitutions in iambic lines
are also fairly common.

 Spondaic - two hard stresses in successive syllables

Example: Drop dead!

Bite this!
Generally verse is not written in spondees, though one could:
Drop dead!
Bite this!
No head!
No kiss!
Spondees are often used in iambic lines, though there is some dispute about this (see pyrrhic). You will find
as many arguments about Milton not using spondees to start lines in Paradise Lost as for his using them.

 Pyrrhic - two relatively unaccented syllables between two regular feet. This is often disputed. Rather
than encourage that dispute with examples, we'll agree to ignore it for now. A surprisingly large
number of poets, good and bad, believe that most "pyrrhic" can be defined as either iambs or trochees
with very weak strong accents, or as the first part of an anapest, or the last part of a dactyl. On that big
small comment we'll withhold further discussion.
Caesura – it is how you cut each line equally. Take for example this stanza,

Panulat (1930)
by Benigno R. Ramos

Kung ikaw, Panulat, / ay di magagamit

kundi sa paghamak sa / Bayang may hapis,
manong mabakli ka’t / ang taglay mong tulis
ay bulagin ako’t / sugatan sa dibdib.

Breathing Pattern – the matter of how long or short a line should depend on the natural system of breathing.
 Free verse- also known as “vers libre”, a literary device that can be defined as poetry that is free from
limitations of regular meter or rhythm, and does not rhyme with fixed forms. Such poems are without
rhythm and rhyme schemes, do not follow regular rhyme scheme rules, yet still provide artistic
expression.

A PIECE OF COFFEE.
An excerpt from Gertrude Stein’s poetry collection “Tender Buttons”

More of double.

A place in no new table.

A single image is not splendor. Dirty is yellow. A sign of more in not mentioned. A piece of coffee is not a
detainer. The resemblance to yellow is dirtier and distincter. The clean mixture is whiter and not coal color,
never more coal color than altogether.

The sight of a reason, the same sight slighter, the sight of a simpler negative answer, the same sore sounder, the
intention to wishing, the same splendor, the same furniture.

The time to show a message is when too late and later there is no hanging in a blight.

A not torn rose-wood color. If it is not dangerous then a pleasure and more than any other if it is cheap is not
cheaper. The amusing side is that the sooner there are no fewer the more certain is the necessity dwindled.
Supposing that the case contained rose-wood and a color. Supposing that there was no reason for a distress and
more likely for a number, supposing that there was no astonishment, is it not necessary to mingle astonishment.

The settling of stationing cleaning is one way not to shatter scatter and scattering. The one way to use custom is
to use soap and silk for cleaning. The one way to see cotton is to have a design concentrating the illusion and
the illustration. The perfect way is to accustom the thing to have a lining and the shape of a ribbon and to be
solid, quite solid in standing and to use heaviness in morning. It is light enough in that. It has that shape nicely.
Very nicely may not be exaggerating. Very strongly may be sincerely fainting. May be strangely flattering. May
not be strange in everything. May not be strange to.

RHYME SCHEME - the structure of a rhyming pattern. Another poetic forms with a specific rhyme scheme
include the ballad, limerick, sestina, pantoum, haiku, and villanelle

Types of Rhyme Schemes

 Shakesperean – abab / cdcd / efef / gg
Sonnet XVIII
William Shakespeare

(1) Shall / I / com / pare / thee / to / a / sum / mer’s / day? (a)

(10 syllables)

(2) Thou art more lovely and more temperate: (b)

(3) Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, (a)
(4) And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; (b)
(5) Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, (c)
(6) And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; (d)
(7) And every fair from fair sometime declines, (c)
(8) By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd; (d)
 (9) But thy eternal summer shall not fade, (e)
(10) Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; (f)
(11) Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, (e)
(12) When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st: (f)
(13) So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, (g)
(14) So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. (g)

 Petrarchan – abba / abba / cde / cde or abba / abba / cdc / dcd

 Spenserian – abab / bcbc / cdcd / ee

FORMS OF POETRY
 Narrative Poetry is a sub-division of poetry which tells or narrates a story. It may be lengthy as an
epic, or short as a ballad and typically measured as a metrical tale.
 Epic is a narrative poem which accounts the heroic exploits of a community’s hero, usually
involving superhuman abilities. Example: Hudhod hi Aliguyon is an Ifugao epic.
 Ballad is a narrative poem which depicts a single incident that transpired in a person’s life. It is
usually recited during gatherings in the past but it may be sung in the present days. Example:
Forevermore by Side A Band.
 Metrical Tale is a narrative poem which narrates a story in a “metered” or “measured” number of
syllables hence it was called metrical. There are two popular variations in Philippine Literature, the
Awit and Corrido.
 Awit is a romance metrical tale of dodecasyllabic measure which is recited during formal
performances or informal gatherings. Example: Florante at Laura by Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar.
 Corrido is a martial or adventure metrical tale of octosyllabic measure which is recited for
recreational purposes. Example: Ibong Adarna by Jose Corazon dela Cruz.

 Lyric Poetry is a sub-division of poetry which features poems intended to be sung with the
accompaniment of the musical instrument called “lyre” hence, lyric poetry. The following are the types
of lyric poems.
 Song is a lyric poem of various theme which is meant to be sung in its entirety. Example: Bayan Ko
written by Jose De Jesus, arranged by Constancio De Guzman, and sung by Freddie Aguilar.
 Ode is a lyric poem of noble and exalted emotion which has dignified countenance. Example: Ode
to the West Wind by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
 Elegy is a lyric poem of sad theme such lamentation for the dead, longing for a missing love, and a
grief for things beyond one’s control. Example: Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas
Gray.
 Sonnet is a lyric poem of 14 iambic pentameter lines usually about love and beautiful themes.
Example: Sonnet to Laura by Francesco Petrarch; Sonnet 14 by William Shakespeare
 Idyll is a lyric poem celebrating the tranquil and beautiful landscapes of rural and country settings.
Example: Beside the Pasig River by Jose Rizal.

 Dramatic Poetry is a sub-division of poetry which features poems meant to be performed on stage.
Theater plays and dramatic presentations belong to this type.
 Tragedy is a dramatic poetry which features a hero whose hubris or shortcoming eventually causes
his downfall or defeat often ending in a very sad conclusion. Example: Hamlet by William
Shakespeare and The Three Rats by Wilfredo Ma. Guerero.
 Comedy is a dramatic poetry which is similar with tragedy except that the hero triumphs and
overcomes the odds towards the end and emerges victoriously. Example: The Twelfth Night by
William Shakespeare.
 Melodrama is a dramatic poetry which is a combination of the elements of tragedy and comedy yet
ends in a happy note. Example: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
 Farce is a dramatic poetry which is an exaggerated comedy that aims to elicit laughter hence,
relaxation. Examples: Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.
 Social Play is a dramatic poetry which tackles social issues and problems such as poverty,
corruption, discrimination, racism, sexism, among others, with an aim to bring awareness and bring
about positive change. Example: Zsazsa Zaturnah by Carlo Vergara.

 Tanaga – have four lines, with seven syllables each and has aaaa rhyme scheme.
(7 syllables)
You / bet / ter / have / strength, / Pick / et, (a)
When water starts to thicket! (a)
I, a moss that seemed wicket (a)
Will strangle like a tippet. (a)
  Acrostic Poem- the first letter, syllable, or word or each line spells out a message. Here is an example:

Prometheus Unbound
(Jose F. Lacaba)
I shall never exchange my fetters for slavish servility.
’Tis better to be chained to the rock than be bound to the service of Zeus.
--Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound

Mars shall glow tonight, Death shall not unclench me.

Artemis is out of sight.
Rust in the twilight sky
Colors a bloodshot eye,
Or shall I say that dust
Sunders the sleep of the just?
Hold fast to the gift of fire!
I am rage! I am wrath! I am ire!
The vulture sits on my rock,
Licks at the chains that mock
Emancipation’s breath,
Reeks of death, death, death.
I am earth, wind, and sea!
Kisses bestow on the brave
That defy the damp of the grave
And strike the chill hand of
Death with the flaming sword of love.
Orion stirs. The vulture
Retreats from the hard, pure
Thrust of the spark that burns,
Unbounds, departs, returns
To pluck out of death’s fist
A god who dared to resist.

 Prose Poem- maintains a poetic quality, often utilizing techniques common to poetry, such as
fragmentation, compression, repetition, and rhyme. The prose poem can range in length from a few lines
to several pages long, and it may explore a limitless array of styles and subjects. One example is spoken
word poetry.

Sweater
Mark Angeles

When I hold this sweater I picture you. One summer we were in Baguio rummaging the hills of used clothing
when you said something about mystery schools. The curious cat that I was I began making a mountain out of a
molehill. You answered back with a piece of wool sweater-Celtic green patterns coiling on onyx black-and with
serious, subterranean eyes, you covered me with it as though it was a blanket and said, "Kasya kaya?" For a
moment I was tentative I was there. I was there, alright, but I was somebody else, or something else, like a
headless mannequin, strangely naked, making the most of myself-the replacement of someone corporeal. And
so, when you said, "Kasya kaya?", 1 pokerfaced. That night, when it started to drizzle, you knocked on my door
and said you will be out for a while. Some rendezvous. Perhaps with your mystery school. But you never
returned. You left me with this sweater which I carried back to our hometown without the slightest idea who it
was for.

When I hold this sweater I imagine you. One summer I surveyed Baguio, alone, and paved my way through
hills of old clothes, inhaling their rot and story. The schmaltzy beaver that I was I began conjuring the people
who once wore them. I imagined them ailing or dead, their next of kin granting the Salvation Army their
possessions as a symbol of releasing themselves from the memory of skin. I salvaged a piece of wool sweater-
hideous and impersonal-and with you in mind, I mumbled "Kasya kaya?" For a moment I was certain you were
there. I didn't know where you were, really. You were like a drizzle. You knocked on my window in tiny and
almost invisible pieces. I longed for rain, the solidness of glass. I bought the sweater with the will of a harbor
that you will sail back to me. (If not in time, it would not matter. So long as you arrive.)

When I hold this sweater I have the hankering to think of someone. I try to remember who it was shuffling
faces, names, places in my mind. (Will it help to think where I bought this piece of clothing?) It feels as if I am
trying to grab strings of smoke rising from a blazing photograph, as though I am trying to squeeze shards of
glass in my hand until they sink their teeth into my palm. I remember a scene, though vaguely. I suppose it was
drizzling by the whiff of damp earth. I remember this sweater, its green patterns coiling on black, on the
bedside, in a manner it is worn by a person lying there with his face down like a grapefruit beaten to a pulp.
D. Let’s Reinforce Learning!

Direction: Research online about the culture of the Lumadnon (Lumad people). One good source would be
Michael L. Tan’s Pinoy Kasi column “Who Are the “Lumad’?” which you can view on
https://opinion.inquirer.net/89846/who-are-the-lumad

Write a poem (choose from the types of poem discussed above) following these pointers:
 The topic should be about how you imagine the childhood of a Lumad.
 Organize and develop ideas.
 Ensure that the theme and techniques are effective.

E. Let’s Evaluate!

Direction: Find a partner. Peer-edit each other’s draft of poem based on the following:
 Clarity of idea
 Appropriate choice of literary elements
 Effective combination of the idea and the chosen literary elements.
Afterwards, revise your draft using the appropriate literary conventions and the feedback of your
partner.

References:
Angeles, M.A.S.(2017). DIWA Senior High School Series: Creative Nonfiction (Module). Makati City: DIWA Learning
Systems, Inc.

Nordquist, Richard. (2020, June 5). The Top 20 Figures of Speech. Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/top-figures-of-speech-1691818.