ENGLISH 8

QUARTER 2 EXAMINATION
MADE BY: SITI SHAHIDA S. AHMAD
220065-student@ndu.edu.ph

East Asian Literature - Week 1 Lesson 1

3 TYPES OF LITERATURE
● Prose
● Poetry
● Drama

CHINA
- Known as “People’s Republic of China”.
- Its capital is Beijing.
- Government Type: Communist State
- Population: 1,425,671,352
- Language: Mandarin
- Its main religions are Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism/Daoism.

CHINA’S FLAG
China’s national flag is named the “five-stars-red-flag”. It was officially adopted on October 1,
1949.

➔ The RED color symbolizes the communist revolution and the traditional color of the
people.
➔ The GOLDEN YELLOW color is the official color of the Manchu dynasty and it implies
that China belongs to the Chinese people.
➔ The Large Star represents communism.
➔ The 4 Small Stars represent the 4 social classes: Peasantry, Working Class, Urban
Petty Bourgeoisie, and National Bourgeoisie.
➔ The 5 stars represent the 5 elements: Water, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Wood.

1
 3 AGES OF TRADITIONAL CHINA
1. Ancient China

— was ruled by the Shang, Western Zhou, Qin, and Han Dynasties.

a. Shang Dynasty: the first ever dynasty but it has no historical records except
some hieroglyphic writings.
b. Zhou Dynasty: the longest dynasty that lasted 800 years.
- Mandate of Heaven: founded in the Zhou dynasty, is the idea that there
could be only one legitimate ruler of China at a time, and that this ruler
had the blessing of the gods.
c. Qin Dynasty: founded by Qin Shih Huang Di. The contributions of this dynasty
are the unification of China, the Great Wall of China, the Terracotta Army, and the
standardization of writing and measurements.
d. Han Dynasty
- Its most well-known emperor is Han Wudi.
- In this dynasty, they founded the Silk Road Trade Network.
- The invention of new materials like paper and glazed pottery was also
from this dynasty.

2. Medieval China

— ruled by the Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties.

a. Tang and Song Dynasties

- Known as China’s “Golden Age” or “Golden Age of Chinese Culture”. This
is because a lot of things flourished during this time, such as poetry,
calligraphy, painting, astronomy, medicine, production of porcelain, and
more.

3. Early Modern China

3 TYPES OF LITERATURE
● Philosophy
● Poetry
● Drama

2
 PHILOSOPHY
1. Confucianism: founded by Confucius. It teaches the importance of family, social
harmony, humanity, and values.
2. Taoism/Daoism: founded by Lao Tzu. It teaches that humans and animals should live in
balance with the “Dao” or the universe. It also teaches the Law of Unity of Opposites —
Yin and Yang.

POETRY
● Tu Fu/Du Fu: the best of the Chinese poets. His poems were about war and bitter
●
human experiences.

4 MAIN NOVELS

1. All Men Are Brothers: about a band of heroic thieves.

2. Romance of the Three Kingdoms: a novel by Luo Guanzhong that’s about the
three kingdoms: Wei, Wu, and Shu.
3. Journey to the West: in Chinese is Xi You Ji. It is about the pilgrimage of the
Buddhist monk Xuanzang in India.
4. Dream of the Red Chamber: the greatest of all 4. It is written by Cao Xueqin
and is about the decline of a noble family due to their short-sightedness, and the
tragic love story of the main character, Baoyu.

JAPAN
— is called “Nippon” or “Land of the Rising Sun”.

JAPANESE CLOTHING
Yukata → clothing for men.

Kimono → clothing for women.

Zori → Japanese sandals.

3 AGES OF JAPANESE HISTORY

1. Age of Yamato Rule: ruled by the Yamato clan and had an emperor.
2. Heian Age: was ruled by the Fujiwara Clan.
3. Shogunate Period: was ruled by the military captains and soldiers and they had a Shogun.

3
 3 TYPES OF LITERATURE OF JAPAN
● Novel
● Drama
● Poetry

9TH TO 12TH CENTURY — the “Classic Age of Japanese Literature”

Imperial Family in Kyoto: supported all kinds of Literature in Japan.

— Chikamatsu: a playwright who’s considered the “Shakespeare of Japan”. He wrote fifty

dramas.

18TH CENTURY — the “Revival of Novels”

— Kyokutei Baken and Jippensha Ikku were the two great novel writers of Japan.

● Jippensha Ikku: he is considered to be the “Japanese Mark Twain”.

- He wrote the humorous story Shank’s Mare, a story of two friends, Yajirobei and
Kitahachi.

REMARKABLE WORKS
● The Masterpiece of Age is “Tale of Genji” by Murasaki Shikibu.
- It is the world’s first realistic novel. It talks about the love affairs of the nobleman
Hikaru Genji.
● Man’yoshu or “Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves”
- It is the oldest extant collection of Japanese poetry.
● Takekurabe or “Child’s Play” by Higuchi Ichiyo
- It explores the lives and coming-of-age experiences of young girls in the pleasure
district of Tokyo during the Meiji era. It features the characters Nobu and Midori.

DRAMA
➔ NOH THEATRE

— a classical drama. It is the oldest form of drama and the oldest major theatre art in
Japan. Actors wear masks and costumes. It was developed by Kan’ami and his son
Zeami.

4
 ➔ KABUKI THEATRE

— founded by Izumo no Okuni. It is a classical form of Japanese theatre that combines

dramatic performance with traditional dance, known for its stylized performances,
elaborate costumes, and distinctive makeup.

Onna Kabuki — dance by women

Wakashu Kabuki — dance by young boys

Yuro-Kabuki — dance by men

POETRY
1. Haiku: an old form of Japanese poetry that has 3 unrhymed lines that has 17 syllables
with the syllable pattern 5-7-5. Many traditional Haiku are about nature and seasons.

2. Tanka: It is also an old form of Japanese poetry that has 31 syllables and 5 lines with
the syllable pattern 5-7-5-7-7. The last two lines typically comment about the first three
lines.

The Analects of Confucius - Week 2 Lesson 1

— Confucius: was an ancient Chinese philosopher and teacher who is the founder of
Confucianism.

➔ Confucius is the latin term for Kung-Fu-Tze.

Kung = Family Name Fu = Given Name Tze = Master

Analect: a collection of excerpts from a work.

➔ comes from the Latin and Greek words “analecta” and “analekta” which means “to pick
up” or “to gather up”.

The Analects of Confucius: an anthology or collection of quotations, sayings, and words of

Confucius and his disciples. It encompasses the totality of human conduct.

THE GOLDEN RULE OF CONFUCIUS

“Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you.”

5
— The Analects of Confucius is made up of 22 books.

4 VALUES FOUND IN THE ANALECTS OF CONFUCIUS THAT ARE SAID TO BE THE

“FOUNDATION OF LIFE”

1. Sincerity
2. Benevolence
3. Filial Piety — the “root of all virtue”
4. Propriety — “right manners”

Japanese Poetry - Week 2 Lesson 2

— consists of Haiku and Tanka.

HAIKU (5-7-5)
- A traditional form of Japanese poetry.
- by the poet Shiki from “haikai renga no hokku” or “introductory lines to light-linked
verses”.
- Authors use pseudonyms (pen names) in presenting their works.
- Its subject is nature and the natural world.
- Its setting is during a season. The season word is “kigo”.
- Its striking feature is its brevity and simplicity.
- uses kireji or a “cutting word”.
- uses an intriguing ending.

Kireji: a verbal punctuation mark that divides ideas.

Ex.

- … (ellipsis)
- — (dash)
- : (colon)

TOP 3 POETS OF HAIKU

1. Matsuo Munefusa — Pen Name: Matsuo Basho

2. Yosa Buson — Originally: Taniguchi Buson
3. Kobayashi Issa — Born as: Kobayashi Nobuyuki

6
TANKA (5-7-5-7-7)
- Originally written only by women.
- Originally performed in the Japanese Imperial Court for contests.
- It is also used in courtship.

Haiku Examples:

➔ A winter blanket

Covers the Earth in repose,

But only a dream.

➔ The bee flies quickly,

Then turns around and stings me.

It falls to the ground.

Tanka Examples:

➔ Beautiful Mountains

Rivers with cold, cold water White cold snow on rocks

Trees over the place with frost

White sparkly snow everywhere

➔ Up in the mountains,

There are trees and sometimes snow.

Up there it’s foggy,

But usually it’s sunny.

Mother nature is the best.

7
Figures of Speech - Week 3 Lesson 1
— words/phrases that use figurative language.

1. Simile — compares two things using the words "like" or "as" to create a vivid and
imaginative description.

Ex. Love is like a flower.

2. Metaphor — directly compares two unrelated things to create a vivid and imaginative
description without using "like" or "as".

Ex. The world's a stage.

3. Personification — attributes human characteristics or qualities to inanimate objects,

animals, or abstract concepts.

Ex. The wind whispered through the trees.

4. Hyperbole — involves exaggeration for emphasis or dramatic effect.

Ex. I’d catch a grenade for you.

5. Irony — a contradiction of expectation between what is said and what is meant

between what might be expected and what actually occurs.
a. Verbal Irony —occurs when the intended meaning of a statement is different
from the literal or surface meaning.

Ex. "The weather is so delightful," she said sarcastically, as the rain poured down
outside.

b. Situational Irony — occurs when there is a contrast between what is expected

to happen and what actually happens in a situation.

Ex. He spent years studying to become a doctor, only to discover that he had a phobia
of blood.

c. Dramatic Irony — used by storytellers, is when the audience or reader knows

something that the characters in a story do not.

Ex. The audience watched in suspense as the protagonist unknowingly walked into a
trap set by the antagonist.

6. Alliteration — involves the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of
neighboring words.

Ex. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

8
 7. Onomatopoeia — occurs where a word imitates or suggests the sound it represents.

Ex. The thunder rumbled loudly, shaking the windows of the house.

8. Litotes — uses understatement to emphasize a point by negating its opposite.

Ex. The concert was not bad. (meaning it was actually quite impressive)

Sentence Structures - Week 5 Lesson 1

— Simple Sentence: consists of one independent clause.

● 1 Subject + 1 Verb

Ex. The boy ran.

● 2 Subjects + 1 Verb

Ex. The boy and the girl ran.

● 1 Subject + 2 Verbs

Ex. The boy ran and shouted.

● 2 Subjects + 2 Verbs

Ex. The boy and the girl ran and shouted.

— Compound Sentence: consists of two independent clauses that are joined by coordinating
conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs, and a semicolon.

9
— Complex Sentence: that contains an independent clause and one dependent clause joined
together by a subordinating conjunction or relative pronoun.

Examples:

- I’ll pass the test as long as I’ll study properly.

- Because of the rain, all of my homework got soaked.
- He wore a jacket, even though it was so hot.

— Compound-Complex Sentence: contains two independent clauses and one dependent

clause. It is a fusion of compound and complex sentences.

Examples:

● Because he paid attention, he got an A+ grade on the exam, and he was so happy.
● Although I like to go hiking, I haven't had the time to go lately nor have I found any one
to go with.

10