MODULE 1 – LESSONS 1.2-1.

LESSON 1.2
Importance and function of Literature.
Desired Learning Outcomes
After completing this lesson, you are expected to:
 Discuss the importance and function of literature as indicated on selected literary pieces.

Learning Contents and Tasks

List down at least four reasons why literature is important. Then, rank them in order of importance from
1-4 where 1 is the most important and 5 is the least important to you.

Rank Reasons Why Literature is Important

1. A leap into the past

2. Appreciation for other cultures and beliefs

3. Expanding horizons

4. Better writing skills

What is the reason of your ranking?

"A leap into the past" is number one on my list of reasons why literature is important because it allows
us to travel back in time and learn about life on Earth from those who came before us. Following
"Appreciation for other cultures and beliefs" as the number two reason, this reason allows us to study
every culture and understand and experience these other living systems and worlds. The third reason is
"Expanding horizons," which opens our eyes and makes us see more than just what the front door
shows; it helps us realize the vast world that surrounds us. Finally, "Better writing skills" is my least
important reason because how can we write better stories, poems, and so on if we don't know the past,
culture, and beliefs, and if we don't broaden our horizons?

SIX REASONS WHY LITERATURE IS SO IMPORTANT

Today, there are too many people who believe that literature is simply not important or underestimate
its abilities to stand the test of time and give us great knowledge.

There is a stigma in society that implies one who is more inclined toward science and math will
somehow be more successful in life, and that one who is more passionate about literature and other art
forms will be destined to a life of low-paying jobs and unsatisfying careers. Somewhere along the line,
the world has come to think that literature is insignificant.

However, literature serves as a gateway to learning of the past and expanding my knowledge and
understanding of the world. Here are just a few reasons why literature is important.

1. Expanding horizons

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First and foremost, literature opens our eyes and makes us see more than just what the front door
shows. It helps us realize the wide world outside, surrounding us. With this, we begin to learn, ask
questions, and build our intuitions and instincts. We expand our minds.

2. Building critical thinking skills

Many of us learn what critical thinking is in our language arts classes. When we read, we learn to look
between the lines. We are taught to find symbols, make connections, find themes, learn about
characters. Reading expands these skills, and we begin to look at a sentence with a larger sense of detail
and depth and realize the importance of hidden meanings so that we may come to a conclusion.

3. A leap into the past

History and literature are entwined with each other. History is not just about power struggles, wars,
names, and dates. It is about people who are products of their time, with their own lives. Today the
world is nothing like it was in the 15th century; people have changed largely. Without literature, we
would not know about our past, our families, the people who came before and walked on the same
ground as us.

4. Appreciation for other cultures and beliefs

Reading about history, anthropology, or religious studies provides a method of learning about cultures
and beliefs other than our own. It allows you to understand and experience these other systems of living
and other worlds. We get a view of the inside looking out, a personal view and insight into the minds
and reasoning of someone else. We can learn, understand, and appreciate it.

5. Better writing skills

When you open a book, when your eyes read the words and you take in its contents, do you ask yourself:
How did this person imagine and write this? Well, many of those authors, poets, or playwrights used
literature to expand their writing.

6. Addressing humanity

All literature, whether it be poems, essays, novels, or short stories, help us address human nature and
conditions which affect all people. These may be the need for growth, doubts, and fears of success and
failure, the need for friends and family, the goodness of compassion and empathy, trust, or the
realization of imperfection. We learn that imperfection is not always bad and that normal can be boring.
We learn that life must be lived to the fullest. We need literature in order to connect with our own
humanity.

Literature is important and necessary. It provides growth, strengthens our minds, and gives us the ability
to think outside the box.

FUNCTIONS OF LITERATURE

1.Entertainment Function

known as “pleasure reading”. In this function, literature is used to entertain its readers. It is consumed
for the sake of one’s enjoyment.

2.Social and Political Functions

Literature shows how society works around them. It helps the reader “see” the social and political
constructs around him and shows the state of the people and the world around him.

3. Ideological Function

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shapes our way of thinking based on the ideas of other people. Literature also displays a person’s
ideology placed in the text consciously and unconsciously.

4. Moral Function

Literature may impart moral values to its readers. The morals contained in a literary text, whether good
or bad, are absorbed by whoever reads it, thus helps in shaping their personality.

5. Linguistic Function

Literature preserves the language of every civilization from where it originated. They are also evidences
that a certain civilization has existed by recording the language and preserving it through wide spans of
time.

6. Cultural Function

Literature orients us to the traditions, folklore and the arts of our ethnic group's heritage. It preserves
entire cultures and creates an imprint of the people’s way of living for others to read, hear, and learn.

7.Educational Function

Literature teaches us of many things about the human experience. It is used to portray the facets of life
that we see, and those that we would never dream of seeing.

Activity 3

A proverb is a short saying or piece of folk wisdom that emerges from the general
culture rather than being written by a single, individual author. Proverbs often
use metaphors or creative imagery to express a broader truth. “Adage” is another
word for “proverb.”

1. Choose two proverbs below then, explain their meanings.

If you play with fire, you’ll The old horse in the stable
get burned. still yearns to run.

There’s no time like the

present.
A picture is worth a There’s no such thing as
thousand words. free lunch.

A. "There's no time like the present." This means that you should stop focusing on the past or worrying
about the future, because living in the present is what really matters. That taking risks can be the best
decisions, and that the best thing to do something is now.

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B. "There is no such thing as free lunch" means that nothing is for free. That the cruel reality of this
world is that we live by a give and take relationship.

2. Create a proverb that is relevant to your life as a student. Then, explain the meaning of your text.

"A thicker book isn't always better. "

Meaning: Education won't really matter if

there is no application

3. Why do you think proverbs are important to human lives?

Proverbs are important to human lives because they give wisdom, offer advice, teach or reinforce
morals, aid in understanding, or to console and inspire others.

LESSON 1.3
Elements of Literature

ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE

Elements of literature denote the things that are used to make up a work of literature. There are
different types and forms of literature. They are novel, drama, poetry, biography, non-fictional prose,
essay, epic and short story. All these types of literature have some elements. To complete a piece of
literature, a writer, dramatist or a novelist need to use certain elements like plot, character, theme, etc.
However, elements of fiction and elements of drama differ from elements of poetry. These elements are
discussed below:

Elements of Fiction and Drama

Literary types such as fiction; drama and short story have some elements. These include

 Plot
 Character
 Setting
 Theme
 Structure
 Point of view
 Conflict
 Diction
 Foreshadowing

1. Plot

Plot is the serial arrangement of incidents, ideas or events. In literature, the plot encompasses all the
incidents and provides aesthetic pleasure. The story of the novel progresses through various plots and
conflicts. Plots of dramas are divided into "Acts" and "Scenes". Drama has five essential parts. These are:
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 A. Exposition: At the beginning of the story, characters, setting, and the main conflict are typically
introduced.
B. Rising action: The main character is in crisis and events leading up to facing the conflict begins to
unfold. The story becomes complicated.
C. Climax: At the peak of the story, a major event occur 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.
D. Falling action: The story begins to slow down and work towards its end, tying up loose ends.
E. Resolution/Denouement: Also known as the denouement, the resolution is like a concluding
paragraph that resolves any remaining issue and ends the story.

Playwrights use dialogue to develop their plots. They reveal information about their characters such as
their background and personality.

2. Character

Character plays a pivotal role in a drama, novel, short story and all kinds of narratives. In drama,
character reflects the personality of the protagonist and other related characters. The method of
conveying information about characters in art is called characterization. Characters can be fictional or
based on real, historical entities. It can be human, supernatural, mythical, divine, animal or
personifications of an abstraction. There are round characters, flat characters, stereotypical stock
characters, etc. In Marlowe’s drama "The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus", Faustus is the main character
of the play.

3. Setting

It refers to geographical location of the story, time period, daily lifestyle of the characters and climate of
the story. In a novel, the setting plays an important role. In short stories, sometimes it plays an
important role, while for others it is not. Settings of literary forms have been changing according to
theme of the literary piece, for example, Shakespeare’s tragedies and comedies have the setting of
palaces, castles whereas modern and post-modern dramas have setting of houses of common people.
There were supernatural elements in earlier literature and nowadays absurdity rules the literature.
Setting can take place in a house, school, castle, forest, hospital or anywhere that the writers want to
extend their scenes.

4. Theme

Theme is another prime element of literature, which contains the central idea of all literary forms such
as a novel, drama and short story. It reflects innocence, experience, life, death, reality, fate, madness,
sanity, love, society, individual, etc. Thus, it reflects the society as a whole, for example, the theme of
Hardy’s novel "The Mayor of Casterbridge" reflects the role of fate in our life. Likewise, in a drama,
theme represents the brief idea of the drama.

5. Structure

Structure is another important element of a drama, novel or short story. In dramas, there are plots and
subplots. These also are divided into acts and scenes. Here the contrasting subplots give the main plot
an additional perspective. Likewise, novels have different chapters and scenes.

6. Point of view

Point of view is another element of the narrative, through which a writer tells the story. Authors use
first-person point of view or third-person point of view. First-person point of view indicates that the
main character is telling the story, whereas the third-person point of view directs that the narrator is
telling the story. A novel can be written in the first-person narrative, third-person narrative, omniscient
point of view, limited omniscient point of view, stream of consciousness and objective point of view.
These points of view play an important role in the distinct structure of the story or a play.

7. Conflict
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Be it a short story, drama or novel, conflict is the essential element of all these literary forms. A plot
becomes interesting and intriguing when it has its share of inbuilt conflict and twists. Conflict can be
internal conflict or external. It can take place between two men, between the character and his
psychology, between the character and circumstances or between character and society.

8. Use of language or diction

Diction is another essential element of drama. A playwright exhibits the thoughts of characters through
dialogue. "Dialogue" has come from the Greek word "dialogosa" which means "conversation".
Shakespeare used this to portray the thoughts, emotions and feelings of the character. This also
provides clues to their background and personalities. Diction also helps in advancing the plot. Greek
philosophers like Aristotle used dialogue as the best way to instruct their students.

9. Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is another important element of literature that is applied as hints or clues to suggest
what will happen later in the story. It creates suspense and encourages the reader to go on and find out
more about the event that is being foreshadowed. Foreshadowing is used to make a narrative more
authentic.

ELEMENTS OF POETRY

Poetry is literature in a metrical form. However, free-verse became the popular style towards the
modern and post modern age. Like fiction, it may not have plots, setting, etc, yet it has a structured
method of writing. There are various kinds of poetry such as ballad, sonnet, etc. All these forms have
some elements such as style, theme, rhyme, rhythm, metaphor, etc. that are described below:

1. Style

Style refers to the way the poem is written. Poems are written in various styles, such as free verse,
ballad, sonnet, etc., which have different meters and number of stanzas.

2. Symbol

Symbol represents the idea and thought of the poem. It can be an object, person, situation or action. For
example, a national flag is the symbol of that nation.

3. Theme

Like other forms of literature, poetry has a theme of its own. Theme contains the message, point of view
and idea of the poem.

4. Imagery

Imagery is another important element that a poet often uses in poems that appeal to our senses. In the
age of modernism, T.S. Eliot used images of urban life in his poems. Wordsworth used nature as poetic
images in his poems.

5. Rhyme and rhythm

Rhyme is an element that is often used in poetry. It’s a recurrence of an accented sound or sounds in a
piece of literature. Poets and lyricists use this device in various ways to rhyme within a verse. There is
internal rhyme, cross rhyme, random rhyme and mixed rhyme. It gives the poem flow and rhythm. It
contains the syllables in a poem. Every poem has a rhythm in it. It’s about how the words resonate with
each other, how the words flow when they are linked with one another in a poem.

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6. Meter

This is an important rhythmic structure of poetry. It is described as sequence of feet, each foot being a
specific series of syllable types - such as stressed/unstressed and makes the poetry more melodious.

7. Alliteration

Alliteration is another element used in poetry for the sound effect. It indicates two or more words with
same repetition of initial letter, for example, "dressy daffodils". Here the sound of the letter ‘d’ is
repeated.

8. Simile

A simile is a figure of speech used for comparison in the poetry with the words ‘like’ or ‘as’, for example,
"as black as coal".

9. Metaphor

Metaphor is used in poetry to make an implicit comparison. Unlike simile, here the comparison is
implied, for example, ‘Her laughter, a babbling brook’.

10. Onomatopoeia

This is one important element of poetry, which refers to words that sound like their meaning, for
example, buzz, moo and paw.

Element of literature includes all the elements that are essential to create a piece of literature. These
elements help a writer to create splendid poetry, superb drama and soul-touching novel. These
elements are used to form the structure of a literary piece.

Activity 5

Choose and read a story from the list below. Identify the different elements in the story by filling out the
chart below.

1. Dead Stars by Paz Marquez Benitez

2. Sinigang by Marby Villaceran

3. Meeting by Consorcio Borje

Name of the Story Dead Stars by Paz Marquez Benitez

The short story revolves around one man, Alfredo Salazar and the affairs of his
heart. He is a man who believes in true love and hopes to find bliss in its wake. The
1. Plot
first woman he falls in love with is Esperanza. Their families are acquainted with
each other and they thus they begin a passionate relationship.

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 Love is the dominant theme of the story. Alfredo loved Esperanza and she believed
2. Theme
in his love to marry him. Alfredo thought he and Julia loved each other but had to
sacrifice their taboo affair.

“Dead Stars” was a narrative story, published from a third-person perspective. In

3. Point of View
the third person, the author informs the tale (using pronouns they, she, he, it, etc.).

The struggle in the novel begins with Alfredo's hesitation to commit to Esperanza,
despite the fact that they have been together for many years and Alfredo is unsure
4. Conflict
of his true wishes. This is not to mean Alfredo is hesitant to make a commitment.
He just fell in love with another woman, Julia Salas.

2. Write your reaction to your chosen story in at least 100 words.

Confusions, heartache, and love are the three main themes that run through the Dead Stars'
narrative. It is a lovely and traditional love story that emphasizes the misunderstandings regarding the
connections between the three characters, Alfredo, Esperanza, and Julia. The narrative is a collection of
difficult situations that every man must face. The exchange of heartwarming words that could definitely
inspire many individuals will make you want to read the novel more as it progresses.

In essence, the novel is a collection of the challenging situations that every man encounters in
life. The story shows how one may master themselves by realizing their genuine emotions, in addition to
focusing on the concept of love. After finishing the novel, I came to the conclusion that falling in love
with someone requires giving up everything you have. A wish that would come true, but in reality, we
need to listen to our hearts and not simply rely on one symbol to help us find the ideal partner. Because
we are the ones who will determine our fate, not simply a dream or an educated prediction. We can
make a huge effort for the person we love by following our hearts. The dead stars stand for things that
are real yet unspoken of. As one looks closely, they can see that Alfredo and Julia's love was not truly
mutual and that it could not endure.

Many stars shine brightly at night, yet we are unaware that some of them are already dead.
Stars that are dying have a fading brilliance that finally goes away. Yet that would take a very long time
for us to experience here on Earth (consider the light-years it take for the light of stars to reach our
planet). In the narrative, Julia was Alfredo's first love, making her a young love. Alfredo had been
convinced all along that he was in love with Julia, but as he looks at her and feels her hand in the last
few paragraphs, he recognizes that the sensation is no longer there. He did fall for Julia, but his love
wasn't particularly deep; rather, as I've already shown, it was a young love. It took him a while to come
to terms with the fact that he was no longer in love with Julia. Hence, what was once perceived as real
(or present) is now only an illusion.

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Lesson 1.4
Literal and figurative language

Desired Learning Outcomes

After completing this lesson, you are expected to:
 distinguish literal from figurative meaning in reading selected literary pieces.

Read the following sentences, and answer the questions that follow:
A. Grasshoppers make a high pitched noise.
B. Grasshoppers are fiddlers who play their legs.

Questions:
1. Which sentence uses words exactly according to their conventionally accepted meanings or
denotation?
 The sentence “Grasshoppers make a high pitched noise.”
2. Which sentence uses a figure of speech to describe something often through comparison with
something different? Which figure of speech is used?
 The sentence “Grasshoppers are fiddlers who play their legs.”
3. Which sentence uses figurative language? literal language?
 The sentence B uses figurative language while sentence A uses literal language.

What is the difference between Literal and Figurative language?

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE LITERAL LANGUAGE

Uses similes, metaphors, It means exactly what it

hyperbole, and says.
personification to describe
something often through
comparison with something
different.

Figurative language is more elaborate than literal language, and this type of writing is commonly used in
works of literature

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Hyperbole – That boy runs faster than the car.
I’m 20 ft. tall this month.

Oxymoron – big baby

alone together

Activity 6

Describe your classmate using some figurative language based on the following aspects.
A. Physical appearance
B. Character
C. Skills

Beatrice looks like an angel, and she is happy as a clam and she can also move fast like a cheetah.

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Activity 7

In the examples below, identify the underlined phrases as literal or figurative. Write your answer in the
opposite column of each sentence. If the phrase is figurative, explain its meaning.

Sentence with Underlined

Phrase Literal or Figurative (If figurative, explain)

Figurative (The phrase I'm so hungry I could eat a horse is a hyperbolic

1. I’m so hungry, I could eat a expression much like I'm starving. It means to be ravenous.)
horse.
Figurative ( the girl is very, very fast—so fast that the speed she runs is
2. She is as fast as a cheetah! similar to that of a cheetah.)

Figurative (the dog does things the writer thinks are funny; this
3. That dog is a clown; it goofiness is similar to the antics of a clown.)
makes us laugh all the time.

4. He was late to dinner. Literal

Literal
5. I stayed up late last night,
I’m so tired!

6. Time is money. Figurative (you should not waste time, because you could be using it to
earn money)

Activity 8

Use each phrase/clause below to create a sentence with figurative language. Then, explain the meaning
of each sentence.

1. busy as bee

The president of the student government could barely sleep as she is busy as a bee doing errands as a
student leader.

meaning - used to illustrate that someone is very busy

2. could eat a horse

I didn't eat for the entire day, now I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.

meaning - used to illustrate that someone is really hungry

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3. a million times

He sings a million times in a day his neighbors are starting to complain.

meaning - doing something often

4. my arms are falling off

I worked all night my arms are falling.

meaning - overworked

5. in a sea of grief

When her mother died, she felt as if she was drowning in a sea of grief.

meaning - profound sorrow or regret from which one sees no way of escape

6. like a cheetah on the Serengeti

She was quick to hide her phone like a cheetah on the Serengeti when she heard her mom's footsteps
coming towards her room.

meaning - moving fast

7. an ice box

She felt suffocated from how her family treats her, it's as if she is inside an ice box.

meaning- a figurative place where someone is held in reserve.

8. like a sore thumb

She overdressed for a simple occasion and so she stood out like a sore thumb.

meaning - very noticeable

9. knocked me over with a feather

When I heard I won the contest, you could have knocked me over with a feather.

meaning - to indicate how surprised you are when something happened

10. a couch potato

He watches TV all day and still wonders why he's being called a couch potato.

meaning - lazy or inactive

Evaluation

Test 1. True or False

Write the word True if the sentence is correct, and False if it is wrong.

1. History and literature are untwined with each other.

 FALSE

2. Reading about history, anthropology, or religious studies allows you to understand and experience
these other systems of living and other worlds.

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 TRUE

3. All literature, whether it be poems, essays, novels, or short stories, help us address human nature and
conditions which affect selected people.

 TRUE

4. Figurative language is more complex than literal language, and this type of writing is commonly used
in works of literature.
 TRUE
5. Ideological function forms our way of thinking based on the ideas of other people.
 TRUE

Test II. Choose the letter of the word to correctly complete each sentence.

A. plot B. setting C. point of view D. symbol E. Metaphor

F. character G. theme H. style I. Onomatopoeia J. Simile

1. A is the successive arrangement of incidents, ideas or events.

2. D represents the idea and thought of the poem. It can be an object, person, situation or
action.
3. B refers to geographical location of the story, time period, daily lifestyle of the characters
and climate of the story.
4. G is another major component of literature, which contains the main idea of all literary
forms such as a novel, drama and short story.
5. I is one important element of poetry, which refers to words that sound like their meaning,
for example, buzz, moo and paw.
6. J is a figure of speech used for comparison in the poetry with the words ‘like’ or ‘as’, for
example, "as black as coal".
7. C is another component of the narrative, through which a writer tells the story.
8. H refers to the way the poem is written. Poems are written in different styles, such as free
verse, ballad, sonnet, etc., which have different meters and number of stanzas.
9. E is used in poetry to make an implicit comparison. Unlike simile, here the comparison is
implied, for example, ‘Her laughter, a babbling brook’.
10. F reflects the personality of the protagonist and other related characters.

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