Republic of the Philippines

BOHOL ISLAND STATE UNIVERSITY

Main Campus
Tagbilaran City, Bohol
VISION: A premier S & T university for the formation of a world class and virtuous human resource for sustainable development in Bohol and the country.
MISSION: BISU is committed to provide quality higher education in the arts and sciences, as well as in the professional and technological fields; undertake research and
development, and extension services for the sustainable development of Bohol and the country.

A Detailed Lesson Plan in English

(Grade 7)

I. Objectives

At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:

1. Understand the use of paradox as a figure of speech;

2. Appreciate the use of paradox in literary pieces;
3. Explain the meaning of quotes and statements expressing a paradox; and
4. Write a poem with lines or phrases expressing a paradox.

II. Subject Matter

Understanding Paradox

Reference/s: Language in Literature Philippine Literature Revised Edition Textbook

pages 70-71
English Communication Arts and Skills through World Literature,
New Edition page 230
https://www.britannica.com/art/paradox-literature
https://literarydevices.net/paradox/xz
https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-paradox.html
Materials: Projector, Laptop, Projection Screen, PowerPoint Presentation, Acoustic Guitar
Values: Appreciate the use of figures of speech like the paradox in literary pieces.

III. Procedure
A. Learning Activities

Teacher’s Activity Student’s Activity

“Good morning, class!” “Good morning, Ma’am!”

“Before anything else, let’s pray first (The class mayor will lead the
and thank God for this beautiful Prayer)
day. May I ask the class mayor to
lead the Prayer.”

“Let me check your attendance. As (Students raise their right hands

always, we will be having a different while saying their birth months as
password today for the checking of the teacher calls in their names)
attendance. The password for today
will be your own birth month.”

“A clean and orderly classroom is (Students straighten their chairs

key to effective learning and very and pick up the trashes on the floor
often we neglect that fact. That’s then settle down)
why, we will not be proceeding
unless you straighten your chairs up
 and pick up every piece of rubbish
you can find under your chairs.”

“Now, we’re all set. The room is “Yes, Ma’am. We are all ready.”
ready and I am ready but are you
all ready to learn something new
today?”

“During the checking of attendance, “It would be great, Ma’am.”

I notice that some of you celebrated “It sounds exciting, Ma’am.”
their birthdays last month and some
are this month. And because of
that, I really brought my guitar with
me today so we can sing a “Happy
Birthday” song for you with an
accompaniment. How’s that for
you?”

Warm Up

“Let us sing the Happy Birthday song.”

(Teacher plays the guitar)

(Students sing)

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday, happy birthday!
Happy birthday to you!

May God ever bless you!

May God ever bless you!
May God ever bless you!
Happy birthday to you!

“You did a great job. Let us all give (Students cheer and applaud)
ourselves a hand for that one.”

Lesson Proper

Presentation

(Shows a slide with the word

“birthday” and pictures of stuffs
related to it)

Motivation

“Alright, we’ll talk about birthday. “Excited, Ma’am.”

Class tell me, how do you feel when “Happy.”
your birthday comes around?” “Thankful and blessed, Ma’am.”

“Why do you feel that way?” “Because celebrating birthdays

means we are growing up as a
person.”
“Because God gave us another year
to live.”
 “You are all right about that. We “Because celebrating your birthday
have our own reasons to be happy means you are growing older and
when our birthdays come around. older and not young anymore.”
We must be thankful just like what
you said because we are given
another year, another opportunity
to live our lives. But, do you know
some people are not so eager about
birthdays and aging especially the
older people? Why do you think
so?”

“Yes, you are right about that,

Vander. Now, why are we talking
about birthdays and aging and
growing up? It’s because these
stuffs have something to do with
the poem we are going to read.”

Discussion

(Shows a slide with the poem on it)

“Class, let us read the poem being “Savvy, Ma’am.”

projected. But, remember, don’t
just merely read something. When
you read, read between the lines.
You savvy?”

The Man
Juan de Atayde

Man sees the years pass by with an

indifferent look, as a tree looks at
the stream that waters it.

Perhaps his disdain is justified

because the water that runs –
undermining the land – will
eventually carry away the tree.

Neither is man aware of the unkind

flight of time; for, though it gives
him life, it is dragging him nearer
his grave.

“Now, you have read the poem The “Yes, Ma’am. We are ready.”
Man by Juan de Atayde. I have here
a few questions for you to answer. I
assume it will be easy for you if you
really read between the lines. Are
you ready?”

“In the poem, to which object the “The man is compared to a tree.”
man is compared to?”
 “Well said, Jasha Shaye. But, why
do you think the two similar,
according to the poem?”
“How is a person’s disdain for time
justified?”
“You got it right, Jomari. I want
another student to answer this next
question. Do you agree that,
generally, people are not aware of
the flight of time? Support your
answer.”
“Thank you, Mary Garneth. Now, for
the last and final question. In the
third stanza, it is said that man is
not aware of the unkind flight of
time. Why is the flight of time
“unkind”? What do you think you
should do to make time “kind” to
you?”
“Very well said, Narciso. You all
have your own opinion about the
questions being posed. You all did a
great job for that. The bottom line
of it all is the flight of time is both
kind and unkind to us. It gives us
life yet brings us nearer to our
ends. However, it doesn’t mean that
we have to hate or disdain time. We
just have to make the flight of time
count by living a righteous and
purposeful life.”
Analysis
“Now, let’s get to the main point of
all of this. Let’s take a look at the
poem again. Please read the last
stanza.”
“The man and the river have
similarities. The man hates the
years of his life passing by though it
gives him life. He is like the tree
which hates the stream that waters
it.”
“As years add up and an individual
grows older and older, one is also
getting nearer and nearer to his
death. We are well aware that we’re
not going to live forever in this
world. Our time is limited that’s why
though growing old is a blessing, it
is also something that we fear and
we hate.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I agree that we
people are not aware of the flight of
time. As time goes by, we don’t
notice that it changes us in ways we
are not even aware and only
realizes these changes later or
sooner.”
“All people are just passing by in
this world. We are all going to die in
the right time. That is why time is
“unkind”. However, to make time
“kind” to us, we should choose to
use our time living for things which
really matter. We should use our
time wisely and not waste it so
when the time comes for you to
leave, you can tell yourself you lived
a short yet good life.”
Neither is man aware of the
unkind flight of time; for,
though it gives him life, it is
dragging him nearer his grave.

“Take a close look on the last “Yes, Ma’am. The two ideas in the
sentence. Do you notice something last sentence seem to be self-
strange about it?” contradicting.”

“Very good observation, James

Carlo.”

(Shows a slide segueing the topic)

The poet describes the flight of

time giving life to the man
which is true. However, it is also
true that time drags the man
nearer to his own death. At first,
it seems to be impossible but
they are nevertheless true.
Statement like these are
actually a figure of speech called
the paradox.

“Now you already know what our “Paradox, Ma’am.”

topic is. It is…?”

“Paradox, a figure of speech, is

what we are going to talk about for
the rest of our session today.”

(Shows a slide of the definition of

paradox)

The term paradox comes from

the Greek word paradoxon,
which means ‘contrary to
expectations, existing belief, or
perceived opinion.

“Like the line in the poem, a “Savvy, Ma’am.”

paradox seems to appear to be self-
contradictory or silly but totally
includes something that is actually
true. Because of that, we readers
tend to think over on an idea in a
creative or new way. Do you
savvy?”

“Now, I want you to read the full

definition of paradox.”

A paradox is a statement that

appears to be contradictory. It
pairs two direct opposites as if
both could be true.
 “Take a look at the following
statements.”

(Shows a slide of paradoxical

statements)

“I want you to read the following

statements.”

 Less is more.
 This is the beginning of the
end.
 Save money by spending it.
 Deep down, you’re really
shallow.
 You have to lose to win.
 Your best friend is your
worst enemy.
 Truth is honey, which is
bitter.

“You now have ideas what a (Some students raise their hands
paradox is. Now it’s your turn. and share paradoxes to the class)
Maybe, you have heard or have
read some statements before you
think are expressing paradox. Why
not share them to the class?
Anybody?”

“That’s what I’m saying. You seem

to already know what a paradox is
like. All I need to do now is deepen
your understanding.”

(Shows a different slide)

Paradox does not only appear in

literatures like the poem The
Man. Paradoxes can also be
found in songs, movies, quotes,
films, dramas and many others.

“But right now, we will focus on

paradoxes used in literature and
explain them one by one.”

(Shows a slide of example 1)

“Everyone, please read the

following example.”

Example 1:

The famous Greek storyteller,

Aesop, tells about the traveller
who sought refuge in an inn one
bitter wintry night. He was
blowing on his fingers as he
entered the inn. When the
innkeeper asked him why he did
it, he explained, “To warm them
up”.

Later, when he was served

with a steaming hot bowl of
soup, he blew on it, and again,
he was asked why he did it. He
explained, “To cool it off.”
Thereupon, the innkeeper
thrust him out of door for he did
not want a man who could blow
hot and cold with the same
breath.

“This one makes us think that the “We agree with you, Ma’am.”
idea is funny but then we will
realize that it’s actually true. It
actually makes sense. Do you agree
with me?”

“Another example.”

(Shows a slide of example 2)

Example 2:

In William Shakespeare’s
famous play Hamlet, the
protagonist Hamlet says:

“I must be cruel to be kind.”

“This seem to not make sense for

how can you show kindness by
being cruel? Let me tell you what
this means.”

(Shows a slide of the explanation)

Hamlet is talking about his

mother and his plan of killing
Claudius to avenge his father’s
death. Murdering Claudius will
be a tragedy for his mother, who
is married to him. That is why he
is cruel for doing it. Hamlet does
not want his mother to be the
beloved of his father’s murderer
any longer, and so he thinks that
the murder will be good for his
mother. This is what makes him
kind.

“In your opinion, what other ways (Some students raise their hands
can we become cruel to be kind?” and answer the question)
 “Now let’s proceed to another
example.”

(Shows a slide of Example 3)

Example 3:

In William Wordsworth’s short

lyric My Heart Leaps Up When I
Behold, he remembers the joys
of his past and says:

“The child is father of the man.”

“If taken literally, it’s impossible for

a child to be a father of a man. But,
if you delve deeper into its
meaning, you will see the truth.”

(Shows a slide of the explanation)

The poet is saying that what we

experience during childhood
greatly affects ourselves when
we become an adult. The
childhood of a person shapes his
life and creates the grown-up
version of him making the “child
the father of the man”.

“Can you cite a certain childhood (Some students raise their hands
experience of yours, whether good and share their childhood
or bad, which you believe can experiences to the class)
greatly affect the adult you in the
future? Don’t hesitate to share that
to the class.”

“Now, for the fourth example, read

the following.”

(Shows the slide for Example 4)

Example 4:

The poet John Donne wrote the

following line in his Holy
Sonnet 11:

“Death, thou shalt die.”

“This line seem to appear grim and

morbid talking about death and all.
But of course, let’s not be so
judgmental now. Let’s discover
what the line really means.”

(Shows the slide of the explanation)

What the writer is trying to say
here is that if you die, there is no
death anymore because in
heaven, everything last for
eternity. With that, the
statement is not really as
negative as what it seems.

“Now, let’s have the last example.”

(Shows the slide for the fifth

example)

Example 5:

In his Ode to the West Wind,

Percy Bysshe Shelley says of
the West Wind:

“Destroyer and Preserver, hear

oh hear!”

“Indeed, both is true. Wind is a (Some students raise their hands

destroyer yet a preserver, too. But and share their opinions to the
can you tell me in what way is the class)
wind a destroyer? In what way it is
a preserver?”

“With your answers, I think there’s “Ma’am, why do writers choose to

no need for me to explain the line
anymore. We have discussed the
meaning of paradox and cited some
examples. Are there questions you
have in mind about our discussion?”
include paradox when they seem to
be vague and the readers will find it
hard to understand what the writer
wanted to convey?”

“The answer to that question will

bring us to the function of the
paradox.”

(Shows another slide)

In literature, paradox are used

to make the readers enjoy
reading. The head-boggling
nature of paradox makes the
readers extract secret and
hidden meanings and think in a
new and creative way.
Including paradox in writings
appear to be witty and
interesting. The bottom line is
that paradox gives pleasure to
the readers.

“Do you savvy?” “Savvy, Ma’am.”

 “I hope you learned a lot from our “That would be worth trying,
discussion. Now, I challenge you Ma’am.”
the next time when you write your
own poem or maybe story, try to
consider including paradox in
them.”

Generalization

“A paradox is a statement that

appears to be contradictory. It pairs
two direct opposites as if both could
be true.”

“The term paradox comes from the

Greek word paradoxon, which
means ‘contrary to expectations,
existing belief, or perceived
opinion.”

“Paradox can be found in

literatures, songs, movies, quotes,
films, dramas and many others.”

“Paradox is use to give pleasure to

the readers, listeners or viewers.”

Application

The class will be divided into five

groups. Each group will be given a
quote expressing a paradox for them
to explain. A representative will be
chosen by the members to read their
explanation in front of the class.

Group 1:
“Some of the biggest failures I ever
had were successes.”
(Pearl Bailey)

Group 2:
“Paradoxically though it may
seem…, it is nonetheless true that
life imitates art far more than art
imitates life. “
(Oscar Wilde)

Group 3:
“I have found the paradox, that if
you love until it hurts, there can be
no more hurt, only more love.”
(Mother Teresa)

Group 4:
“War is peace. Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.”
(Orwell, 1949)
 Group 5:
“What a pity that youth must be
wasted on the young.”
(George Bernard Shaw)

IV. Evaluation

In three sentences, explain each of the following statements expressing a paradox.

Write your answers on a one-half sheet of paper.
1. Less is more.
2. This is the beginning of the end.
3. Save money by spending it.
4. You have to lose to win.
5. Your best friend is your worst enemy.

V. Assignment

To apply what you have learned about paradox, write a four-stanza poem with four lines
each stanza and include phrases or lines expressing a paradox. You are free to choose
the topic or theme for your poem. Inclusion of meter and rhyme is not compulsory but is
encouraged. Write and present your final output on a short bond paper as creatively as
possible. The following rubric will be followed in evaluating your outputs.

CRITERIA 10 8 5
Correct use of Correct use of Correct use of
language is observed. language is mostly language is never
Overall content is observed. Overall observed. Overall
Content
interesting and content is somehow content is
impressive. interesting or incomprehensible.
impressive.
Presentation is neat, Presentation is mostly Presentation is
clean and well- neat and clean. unorganized. Layout is
organized. Layout Layout shows little messy, disorganized
Presentation
flows well, shows creativity and is not or cluttered.
creativity, and is organized.
pleasing to the eye.
Includes an original Includes a copied line Does not include a
line or phrase or phrase expressing line or phrase
expressing a paradox. a paradox. Overall expressing a paradox.
Originality
Overall content shows content is not unique Overall content is
uniqueness and and creative. copied from a certain
creativity. source.