12

Creative Non Fiction

Quarter 1–Module 4
Plot, Character, Characterization

Development Team of the Module

Writer: Sharon L. Lising
Reviewer: Rolylyn H. Dado
Illustrator: Daverick S. Habulin
Layout Artist: Froilan G. Isip

Management Team Zenia G. Mostoles EdD, CESO V, SDS

Leonardo C. Canlas EdD CESE, ASDS
Rowena T. Quiambao CESE, ASDS
Celia R. Lacanlale PhD, CID Chief
Arceli S. Lopez PhD, SGOD Chief
June D. Cunanan EPS- English
Ruby M. Jimenez PhD, EPS-LRMDS

Published by the Department of Education, Schools Division of Pampanga

Office Address: High School Boulevard, Brgy. Lourdes, City of San Fernando,
Pampanga
Telephone No: (045) 435-2728
E-mail Address: pampanga@deped.gov.ph
Introductory Message
For the Facilitator:
Welcome to the Creative Non Fiction Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module Elements of
Plot, Character, and Characterization.

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by educators from public
institutions to assist you, the teacher or facilitator in helping the learners meet the standards set by
the K to 12 Curriculum while overcoming their personal, social, and economic constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent learning
activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help learners acquire the needed
21st century skills while taking into consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body of the
module:

For the Learner:

Welcome to the 1 Creative Non-Fiction Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Elements
of Plot, Character, and Characterization in Creative Non-Fiction

The hand is one of the most symbolized part of the human body. It is often used to depict
skill, action and purpose. Through our hands we may learn, create and accomplish. Hence, the hand
in this learning resource signifies that you as a learner is capable and empowered to successfully
achieve the relevant competencies and skills at your own pace and time. Your academic success lies
in your own hands!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities for guided
and independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be enabled to process the contents of
the learning resource while being an active learner.

What I Need to Know

For the learner

Our world and context have changed tremendously over the past months brought about by
the pandemic, yet the grace, the virtue of compassion remains the same: Let us be there for one
another in our shared humanity, and together overcome evil with good and build a world of love and
compassion.

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. Describe plot and characterization as elements of creative nonfiction.
2. Analyze a sample text according to plot and characterization.
 What I Know

5. Which of the following IS NOT a part of the setting?

A. Duration C. Place
B. Characters D. Time
6. What 3 components are included in the exposition?
A. Characters, Dialogue, Narrator C. Characters, Resolution, Climax
B. Characters, Conflict, Setting D. Narrator, Conflict, Setting
7. Which of the following shows the elements of plot in order?
A. Climax, Rising action, Exposition, Falling action, Resolution
B. Exposition, Climax, Rising action, Falling action, Resolution
C. Exposition, Initiating event, Rising action, Climax, Falling action, Resolution
D. Resolution, Rising action, Climax, Falling action, Exposition
8. What happens in the falling action?
A. Events begin to calm down after the climax.
B. It is the exact same as the rising action.
C. The setting is described in detail.
D. You are introduced to the conflict
9. Where does the drama and suspense begin to build in a plot?
A. Climax C. Resolution
B. Falling action D. Rising Action

Lesson
Plot, Character, and Characterization
3
What is Plot?
In a narrative or creative writing, a plot is the sequence of events that make up a story,
whether it‟s told, written, filmed, or sung. The plot is the story, and more specifically, how the story
develops, unfolds, and moves in time. Plots are typically made up of five main elements:

1. Exposition: At the beginning of the story, characters, setting, and the main conflict are
typically introduced.
2. Rising Action: The main character is in crisis and events leading up to facing the conflict
begin to unfold. The story becomes complicated.
3. Climax: At the peak of the story, a major event occurs in which the main character faces a
major enemy, fear, challenge, or other source of conflict. The most action, drama, change,
and excitement occurs here.
4. Falling Action: The story begins to slow down and work towards its end, tying up loose
ends.
5. Resolution/Denouement: Also known as the denouement, the resolution is like a
concluding paragraph that resolves any remaining issues and ends the story.
Plots, also known as storylines, include the most significant events of the story and how the
characters and their problems change over time.
 Examples of Plot

Here are a few very short stories with sample plots:

Example 1

Kaitlin wants to buy a puppy. She goes to the pound and begins looking through the cages for
her future pet. At the end of the hallway, she sees a small, sweet brown dog with a white spot on its
nose. At that instant, she knows she wants to adopt him. After he receives shots and a medical check,
she and the dog, Berkley, go home together.

In this example, the exposition introduces us to Kaitlin and her conflict. She wants a puppy
but does not have one. The rising action occurs as she enters the pound and begins looking. The
climax is when she sees the dog of her dreams and decides to adopt him. The falling action consists
of a quick medical check before the resolution, or ending, when Kaitlin and Berkley happily head
home.

Example 2

Scott wants to be on the football team, but he‟s worried he won‟t make the team. He spends
weeks working out as hard as possible, preparing for try outs. At try outs, he amazes coaches with his
skill as a quarterback. They ask him to be their starting quarterback that year and give him a jersey.
Scott leaves the field, ecstatic!

The exposition introduces Scott and his conflict: he wants to be on the team but he doubts his
ability to make it. The rising action consists of his training and tryout; the climax occurs when the
coaches tell him he‟s been chosen to be quarterback. The falling action is when Scott takes a jersey
and the resolution is him leaving the try-outs as a new, happy quarterback.

Each of these stories has an exposition as characters and conflicts are introduced a rising
action which brings the character to the climax as conflicts are developed and faced, and a falling
action and resolution as the story concludes.

Another to be considered in reading a narrative are its characters. A good plot will define a
good character. The logical arrangement of events in the story will give the character behaves in such
way. “Know your characters as well as you know your best friend (Parra, 2011,13),” as stated in the
book Playwright for Dummies. Although this book is essentially for playwright, the guidelines of
creating good characters are very useful in creative nonfiction. The book further says, “The key to
creating complete, lifelike, and believable characters are, the more readily audiences (or readers) will
emphasize and sympathize with them” (ibid).

Here is a synopsis of an essay Mommy J. AT SAN VICENTE WARD written by Alice M.

Sun-Cua. Read the essay paying attention to its plot and the characters‟ behavior as the
story unfolds.

Mrs J is a 58-year-old teacher with two children and married to a businessman. She was
diagnosed of an advanced ovarian cancer and was housed to Room 314 at the San Vicente
Ward of the hospital for three weeks. While she was there, she made friends with a lot of
people around her including her personal doctors. Despite of her condition she was never
being discouraged of her will to live by giving inspiration and joy to those people around her.
While on wheelchair she always finds time to write letters to her relatives and friends. It was
not all smiles and laughter for her because she was really in deep pain and has experiencing
difficulty in breathing which is caused by her condition. Doctor M and her family was
 considering a chemotherapy but she insisted to go home instead. After a long discussion with
the doctor and her family they all decided to bring her home in a week‟s time as requested by
Mrs J. Upon knowing her release, everybody in the hospital including nurses, student nurses,
interns, resident physicians, and even consultants prepared a send-off party for her.

The party was held in the corridor of the hospital which they decorate to make it more
festive .Mrs J was also ready as she came out in her hospital room wearing a brown printed
batik caftan, her hair done up in a bun, with a bunch of sampaguitas adorning her simple hair
style and her signature Lucero brand leather slippers from Iloilo City Most of the hospital
staffs were all there to say farewell to her. One of them is Miss Elizabeth T who was over 50
and the head pharmacist who is well known by everyone in the hospital for being a difficult
person. But everybody was all surprised on that day because Miss T was greeting Mommy J
happily and danced swing with one of the nurses in the crowd. As the party continued Dr M
her gynecologist arrived all the way from Manila to join her. He danced with the staff and
came to Mommy J and hugged her tightly. Another two resident doctors from Internal
Department Laura and Marie who were not in speaking terms for quite a long time noticed
talking together in one corner at this time. This was made possible by Mrs J by talking to each
one of them that cleared the air between the two of doctors. While Danny was singing the
Auld Lang Syne, they have noticed the sudden sadness on Mrs. J‟s and later shifted with live
and danced music “Lambada”.

Two months later, they heard the passing of Mrs J, yet the happiness brought about by
Mrs J and to the people whom she had touched their lives with will live forever.

What’s In

Recall on the meaning of a short story and its basic elements by filling in the blank with the
missing letters. The corresponding definition is given to serve as clue. Write your answer in your
notebook.

1. C_ar_c_e_ -figure in a literary work (personality, gender, age, etc).

2. P_o_ – the major events that move the action in a narrative.
3. __oi_t o_ _iew - the vantage point from which a narrative is told.
4. S_ _tin_ – combination of place, historical time, and social milieu that provides the general
background for the characters and plot of a literary work.
5. _ty_e - The author‟s type of diction (choice of words), syntax (arrangement of words), and
other linguistic features of a work.
6. S_or_ _t_ry- a story with a fully developed theme but significantly shorter and
less elaborate than a novel.
7. T_em_(s) -- The central and dominating idea (or ideas) in a literary work.

8. E_po_it_o_ - element of plot that establishes characters and setting.

9. C_i_ax- this is the worst (i.e. best) moment of tension in the whole story.

10. R_so_utio_ -It‟s a scene-closure with enough finality to deserve those two words: The End
 What’s New.

Based from the synopsis of “Mommy J” scan the selection and answer the following questions.

1. What is the occupation of the narrator?

2. Who was Mrs. Jay? What was her job?
3. Who are the other characters in the selection?

What is It

This issue of Pfizer Facts entitled The Burden of Cancer in Asia presents new analyses of
international databases to gain insight into the burden of cancer among Asians, including cancer
morbidity and mortality, and preventable risk factors.

Discussion of Activity 1

Research for the meaning of the following medical terms in google or medical dictionary. If
possible, interview a nurse or a person who is in the medical field. Write your answer in your
notebook.
1. Ectopic pregnancy
2. Abdominal enlargement
3. Ovarian malignancy

What’s More

Independent Activity 1

Complete the table by illustrating one-character trait of your chosen character in the story
“Mommy J”. Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.

Name of Character__________________________________________

Character Trait Definition

A drawing showing how the character trait could be implied or directly linked to a character.
Independent Assessment 1

Identify what character trait is being revealed on the following situations. Write your
answer in your notebook.

1. She was talking to one of the new mothers, apparently a first timer, as I heard her talk about,
of all things, breastfeeding. I could almost see her now, talking animatedly with that younger
woman, relating her experiences when she was a mother herself.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________

2. When I gave her the teddy bear she giggled, not unlike a teenager, and said I was indeed
spoiling her. “Mommy J.”, as we learned to call her, had her long hair freed from the usual
clips she wore, and her hair was framing her beaming face in a dark brown halo. She
scrutinized the stuffed toy and giggled some more when she saw the cross-stitched message
I sewed on the apron: “For a Beautiful Lady”. She held out her right hand and I caught it, as
she pointed out the cards on the wall.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________

Independent Activity 2

Answer the following questions on the blanks provided.

1. Why is Mommy J admitted in the hospital?

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

2. Describe the relationship of Mommy J to the people around her?

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

3. Describe the relationship of Mommy and the narrator.

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

4. What are the lessons learned by the other people in the essay from Mommy J.?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

5. Give the plot of the essay by answering the Reader‟s Guide to Understanding Plot
Development of a story.

a. What is the conflict in this story?

b. How does the writer present the problem between the protagonist
and antagonist?
c. What do you learn in the exposition or introduction of the story?
d. What events are included in the rising action of the story?
e. What is the climax of the story?
f. What events are included in the falling action of the story?
g. How is the conflict resolved?
h. How does the writer use suspense in developing the plot of this story?
Independent Assessment 2

Identify which element of plot is referred to by the following statements. Write your answer in your
notebook.
1. Everything that happens as a result of the climax, including wrapping-up of plot points,
questions being answered, and character development.
2. This element of plot is not always happy, but it does complete the story. It can leave a reader
with questions, answers, frustration, or satisfaction.
3. The primary problem that drives the plot of the story, often a main goal for the protagonist to
achieve or overcome.
4. This is the introduction of a story, including the primary characters' names, setting, mood, and
time.
5. The turning point of a narrative work is its point of highest tension and drama, or it is the time
when the action starts during which the solution is given.

Independent Activity 3

Fill in each box with a brief summary from the story using “SWBST Strategy.

Somebody Wanted But So Then

Who is the main What does the What is the How does the What is the result
character? main character problem or problem get or outcome?
want? conflict? solved?
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

What I Have Learned

Answer the following questions in your notebook

1. During crisis such as pandemic or health crisis, how do you show your kindness, compassion,
and empathy to others?
2. Explain the meaning of this quotation:"We live in a world in which we need to share
responsibility. It's easy to say, 'It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my
problem.' Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my
heroes."—Fred Roger
 What I Can Do

Interview a family member that you can have as the subject of a creative nonfiction text. Ask
about his/her life, particularly the details that he/she wants to share. Add descriptive details about the
character-his/her physical appearance, traits and other aspects of his or her personality.

Your writing will be graded using the 5 Cs. (with five points each); clarity, conciseness,
correctness, completeness, and cohesion.

Assessment

Encircle the letter of the correct answer.

1. What do you call the main events that make up the story?

A. Character B. Setting C. Plot D. Theme

2. Based on this excerpt, what is the profession of the character in the story?

A. Architect B. Doctor C. Pharmacist D. Teacher

3. What element of the story that shows a character say provides readers ideas on the kind of people they
are in the story?

A. Characterization B. Dialogue C. Point of view D. Symbolism

4. What is it called the moment of greatest emotional tension in a story?

A. Conflict B. Climax C. Falling action C. Exposition

5. Which element of the story that shows most conflicts are usually resolved at this time, and tying up loose
ends in the story?

A. Conflict B. Climax C. Rising Action D. Falling action

6. What element of the plot that shows all minor conflicts and inconveniences that make the conflict harder
to solve.

A. Complications B. Falling action C. Rising action D. Suspense

7. In literature, what does character trait mean?

A. Appearance B. Decision Making Skills C. Inner Qualities D. Resilience

8. Mrs. J., a 58- year-old teacher, was diagnosed to have advanced ovarian cancer two months ago, and
was referred to me by a physician friend from a southern city because of abdominal enlargement. She was
operated on in the province with removal of all pelvic organs when the ovarian malignancy was
discovered, but the disease had already involved other parts of her body, causing ascites (edema fluid) in
the abdominal cavity to accumulate faster than it could be drained.
 What element of the plot does the passage show?

A. Exposition B. Falling Action C. Mood D. Rising Action

9. Miss T. was over 50, thin and angular, single, was often cranky and who seemingly never smiled. She
ruled the pharmacy like a monarch, and her steely eyes brought many young resident physicians‟ knees
quivering when their written prescriptions did not come up to “her standards” (no chicken scrawls for her,
please; a doctor‟s handwriting should be as clear as his/her thoughts, she always said
emphatically).What character trait dos the character imply?

From the passage, what traits could be used to describe the subject?

A. bossy, rude, sarcastic

B. resilient, industrious, caring

C. weak, coward but defensive

D. intelligent, religious, sociable

10. After the storm passes and the water calms, what has changed? This question can be answered on what
part of the plot?

A. Exposition B. Falling Action C. Mood D. Resolution

Additional Activities

Label each part of the plot diagram.

B
D

A E

Plot Diagram Quiz

Label each part of the plot diagram

A___________________________

B___________________________

C___________________________

D___________________________

E___________________________

Choose three parts in the diagram and explain (define) each.

 Additional Activity Independent Activity
A. Exposition Answers may vary
B. Rising Action
C. Climax
D. Falling Action
E. Resolution
What I Know What's In Assessment
1. B 1. C
1. Character
2. D 2. Plot 2. B
3. C 3. Point of View 3. A
4. C 4. Setting
5. B 4. B
5. Style
6. Short Story 5. D
7. Theme 6. A
8. Exposition
7. C
9. Climax
10. Resolution 8. A
9. A
10. D
Answer Key
References

Gardner,Tracy. Action Is Character: Exploring Character Traits with Adjectives. Retrieved from May
2020
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/action-character-exploring-
character-175.html

“Literary Terms.” Literary Terms. June 1, 2015. Accessed November 3, 2016.Retrieved from
May 2020 https://literaryterms.net/.

Moratilla, Noel Christian A. & Teodoro, John Iremil E. (2016). Mommy J. AT SAN VICENTE
WARD”. Creative Nonfiction: A Textbook on Humanities and Social Sciences. Quezon City.
The Phoenix Publishing House Inc. pp.43 -47. ISBN 978-971-06-3911

Schulze,Patricia Readers Guide to Plot. Retrieved from June 2020

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson401/ReadersGuidetoPlot.
pdf

Schulze,Patricia.Teaching Plot Structure through Short Stories. Retrieved from June 2020
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/teaching-plot-structure-
through-401.html?tab=4

Summarizing using to Somebody Wanted But So Then Strategy. 2018 May 10.
Retrieved from -3.May 2020. https://storiesbystorie.com/summarizing-using-the-
somebody-wanted-but-so-then-strategy/

Sabbattini Whitten. The Patient Wants to Leave. The Hospital Says „No Way.New York
Times.2017 July 7. Retrieved from May 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/07/health/hospitals-patients-leave-against-medical-
advice.html