Professional Documents
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Online Phil. Lit
Online Phil. Lit
Online Phil. Lit
MODULE 1
I. TOPIC / LESSON
Literary Forms Based on Philippine Historical Period (continuation)
III. Contemporary Literary Forms
III. OVERVIEW
Literature is a “window to culture”, that is, reading a literary work vicariously
immerses students into the world it depicts, involving them with its character, setting,
plot, themes, and language. Literature, whether narrative (short story, novel, poem) or
dramatic (play), provides a stage where students can be involved with the attitudes and
thoughts of the characters.
There are different forms of literature in the Philippines according to its historical
period. Through reading with comprehension and participation of the teacher’s
discussion, students will be able to gain insights and understanding into their country’s
culture. They will learn to appreciate the Filipino’s way of living, the Filipino’s way of
transferring, informing and handling literature from one generation to another
generation.
Contemporary is one of the literary forms that is still existing until today. Would it
be poetry, short stories, the use of figures of speech, non-fiction, etc. The students’
ability in writing contemporary forms of literature will be enhanced through reading this
module.
Example:
Whose woods / these are/ I think / I
know.
Unaccented accented
Syllable syllable this is one foot
A. POETRY
Poems are literary attempts to share personal experiences and feelings. Since
literature, in general, is all about significant human experiences, poetry’s subject matter
is also about the poet’s personal life or the lives of those around him. Good poems,
aside from being stated in a fresh manner, often probe deeply and can contain
disturbing insights. The language is fresh and demanding because of its subtleties. Good
poems show images which leave the reader a sense of delight, awe, and wonder.
If written as a sentence (We were running to find what had happened beyond the
hills) it is clear that this phrase has no punctuation until the end. In the poem, each line is
enjambed until the period at the end of the third line.
Example 2.
The sun hovered above
the horizon, suspended between
night and day.
This example is similar: the first and second lines are enjambed, whereas the third
is end-stopped.
Without enjambment, poetry would sound like this:
I finished my day.
I went home on the highway.
I ate dinner and went to sleep.
Constantly end-stopped (lines that end with punctuation) poetry is rhythmic but
ultimately dull.
2. The Sound of Words. An indirection prominent in the method of poetry is the
use of sound effects to intensify meaning. For the poet to convey ideas, he
chooses and organizes his words into a pattern of sound that is a part of
the total meaning. These sound effects are the products of organized
repetitions. They are the following:
a. Rhyme repeats similar sounds in some apparent scheme.
Example:
“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King’s horses, And all the King’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again!”
b. Rhythm is the result of systematically stressing or accenting words and
syllables. Or these rhythms are of different patterns of stressed (/)
and unstressed (x) syllables.
Example of Rhythm in Literature:
There are ten syllables in iamb pentameter, where the second syllable is
accented or stressed. In the above lines the stressed syllables are expressed in
bold.
3. Meter is the regularized and pattern rhythm. These rhythms are of different patterns of
stressed (/) and unstressed (x) syllables. Each unit of these types is called foot.
There are four conventional types of meters in poetry written in English each being
distinguished from the others by the number and accent of syllables:
a. Iambic meter. By far, the most popular and the most natural to English
expression. Its basic unit or foot is one unaccented or one not
stressed and one accented syllable or one stressed. ( x / )
Example:
1.Whose woods/ these are/ I think/ I
know.
2.“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”
(Sonnet 18, by William Shakespeare)
c.Anapestic meter. They have three syllables; where the first two syllables
are not stressed or unaccented, and the last syllable is stressed or
accented. ( x x / )
Example:
” ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the
house,”
(‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, by Clement Clarke Moore)
Seeing what the metrical units are and how many of them occur in the line is
called “scanning” a line of poetry.
One-foot line – is called monometer
Two-foot line – diameter
Three-foot line – trimeter
Four-foot line – tetrameter
Five-foot line – pentameter
Six-foot line – hexameter, and up to
Seven-foot line – heptameter
Thus, the iambic line above is a tetrameter, and the dactylic line a trimeter.
4. Imagery. More than a visual detail, imagery includes sounds, textures, feel,
odors, and sometimes even tastes.By means of images,
the poet makes the reader think about the meaning of the poem.
Types of Imagery:
a. Visual Imagery
Visual imagery describes what we see: comic book images,
paintings, or images directly experienced through the narrator’s eyes. Visual
imagery may include:
Color, such as: burnt red, bright orange, dull yellow, verdant green,
and Robin’s egg blue.
Shapes, such as: square, circular, tubular, rectangular, and conical.
Size, such as: miniscule, tiny, small, medium-sized, large, and gigantic.
Pattern, such as: polka-dotted, striped, zig-zagged, jagged, and straight.
b. Auditory Imagery
Auditory imagery describes what we hear, from music to noise to pure silence.
Auditory imagery may include:
Enjoyable sounds, such as: beautiful music, birdsong, and the voices of a
chorus
Noises, such as: the bang of a gun, the sound of a broom moving across the
floor, and the sound of broken glass shattering on the hard
floor
The lack of noise, describing a peaceful calm or eerie silence.
Olfactory imagery describes what we smell. Olfactory imagery may
include:
Fragrances, such as perfumes, enticing food and drink, and blooming
flowers.
Odors, such as rotting trash, body odors, or a stinky wet dog.
c. Gustatory Imagery
Gustatory imagery describes what we taste. Gustatory imagery can
include:
Sweetness, such as candies, cookies, and desserts.
Sourness, bitterness, and tartness, such as lemons and limes.
Saltiness, such as pretzels, French fries, and pepperonis.
Spiciness, such as salsas and curries.
Savoriness, such as a steak dinner or thick soup.
d. Tactile Imagery
Tactile imagery describes what we feel or touch. Tactile imagery
Includes:
Temperature, such as bitter cold, humidity, mildness, and stifling heat.
Texture, such as rough, ragged, seamless, and smooth.
Touch, such as hand-holding, one’s in the grass, or the feeling of starched
fabric on one’s skin.
Movement, such as burning muscles from exertion, swimming in cold water,
or kicking a soccer ball.
5. Tone. Reveals the attitude toward the subject and in some cases the
attitude of the persona or implied speaker of the poem as well.
Examples of tone are:
cheerful, sad, reflective, serious, angry, anxious, and others.
A. FIGURES OF SPEECH
Much of the suggestive power of words comes from figures of speech. They are an essential part
of the poet’s craft especially if stated in his original, fresh, and subtle way.
6. Antithesis. A contrast of words or ideas. Contrasting words or ideas make each other
emphatic.
- Antithesis is "a contrary or opposite opinion, concept, or characteristic." So, the
sun may be the antithesis to the moon, the devil may be the antithesis to God, and a
conservative may be the antithesis to a liberal.
Examples:
1.Easy writing makes hard reading; hard writing, easy reading.
2.His body is active but his mind is sluggish.
3."Man proposes, God disposes." - Source unknown.
4."Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing." - Goethe.
8. Irony. Saying the opposite of what is meant in a manner or in a tone that shows what
the speaker thinks.
- As defined, Irony is the use of words to convey a meaning that is opposite of what is
actually said.
Examples:
1.For example, a driver whose license was confiscated by a traffic officer
may say “Thank you Officer, now that you have my license I can’t drive”
-In this situation, the driver was mad and irritated at what
happened. But instead of directly expressing his anger, the driver used
Irony i.e. thanking the officer for getting his license.
B. SHORT STORY
In the history of literature, fiction, particularly the short story formally developed as a genre in
Britain, Russia, France, Germany, and the United States in the 19th century.
The chief proponents who greatly influenced almost all of today’s short story writers
were the following:
Anton Checkhov - for the character studies and anecdote incidents
Guy de Maupassant - for “twist or unexpected ending”
Edgar Allan Poe - the master of suspense
The short story as an art form deals with a single incident or situation. It is a coherent whole with a
single line of action and a single intended meaning. Thus, it does not allow for many themes and subplots.
1. Plot. This is the sequence of events or actions in the story. It is the development of the
story in terms of beginning, middle, and end. The beginning contains the conflict
which rises to a climax where the story turns before reaching a denouement or
resolution. A good plot is not based on the twist and turn of events but how
much is revealed about the characters and the theme of the story.
2. Characterization. This is how a character behaves in a certain situation. His actions will
be determined by his motivation which, in turn, is determined by his personality.
good characterization is not stereotyped, not a repetition of the same traits of
other characters. It is just seeing a range of different aspects of traits just as one
does in someone one knows well.
3. Setting. This is the milieu, the location, and time of the story. It is used as a way of
increasing credibility. The writer provides details about the setting for the reader
to shape into complete picture.
4. Theme. It is an underlying idea that comments on human condition; a truth in life
which is in the heart of the story. The theme is usually implied rather than
stated. Two of the recurring themes in short stories are:
1. Write your own 2 examples of each figure of speech. (2 points each example)
a. Simile
b. Metaphor
c. Personification
d. Apostrophe
e. Metonymy
f. Antithesis
g. Hyperbole
h. Irony
2. Briefly discuss the following terms in your own words. Note: Do not copy from your modules.
(2 points each)
a. rhythm
b. alliteration
c. assonance
d. theme
e. symbol
f. plot
NOTE:
1. Write your answers in 1 whole yellow pad paper and submit it on September 1,
2023.
2. Give your answer sheet/paper to your class mayor.
P.S.
CLASS MAYOR, PLEASE PUT ALL YOUR ANSWER SHEETS IN A LONG BLUE EXPANDED
ENVELOPE!
THANK YOU!