Critique: A Formalist Approach

★ Formalism: derived from the word “form” or structure. The “ism” is a belief or an approach of looking at things.
★ Literary Criticism: is the evaluation, analysis, description, or interpretation of literary works.
★ Critique: way or process of evaluating literary work
★ Critic: is a person who judges, evaluates, or analyzes a literary piece.

FORMALIST/ FORMALISM APPROACH

★ Formalist discovers the true meaning of a work by giving attention to the form or structure, elements, and literary
devices

STRUCTURE/FORM
★ Plot (chronological sequence and conflict)

WHAT COMPOSES OF FORMALIST APPROACH?

1. CHARACTER/S
○ It is a person, animal, being, creature or anything personified in the story.
2. CHARACTERIZATION
○ It is the role played by the characters.
3. SETTING/ ATMOSPHERE
○ Includes the place and time the story takes place.
Place: The Lipa Grace Academy
Time: 9:00 in the morning, about 2 hours, etc.
○ Atmosphere: one gloomy night, autumn of the year
4. TONE
○ It is an overall emotion conveyed by both the choices of words, theme, sensory images, symbolism and
the narrator of the story such as suspenseful, affectionate, happy or sad.
5. POINT OF VIEW
○ It answers the question, “Who is telling the story?”
First Person- use either the two pronouns “I” and “We” . The narrator is the participants in the story
relating his/ her own experiences directly or an observer.
Second Person- the story is told to “You”
Third Person- it uses the pronouns “They”, “She”, “He”, “It” or a name. The narrator maybe omniscient
(all-knowing)

6. THEME
○ It is the overall topic/ concept of a text.
Example:
■ Social Injustices
■ Disparity between rich and poor, etc.
7. MORAL LESSON
○ It is the overall message or lesson that the story wants to convey.
8. IMAGERY
○ It consists of descriptive language to create images in the mind of the readers through their senses.
SOME KINDS OF IMAGERY
1. Alliteration
★ repetition of initial consonant sounds within a group of words. For example, “Peter Piper picked a
peck of pickled peppers.”
2. Onomatopoeia
★ a word that imitates, suggests, or resembles the sound it’s describing. Common onomatopoeias
include “gurgle,” “hiss,” “boom,” “whir,” and “whizz.”
https://scribemedia.com/literary-devices/
 Literary Theme
THEME
The theme of a story is what the author is trying to convey–in other words, the central idea of the story.
Examples:
★ Love ★ Supernaturals
★ War ★ Dream vs. Reality
★ Revenge ★ Perseverance
★ Rich vs. Poor

THEME VS. MORAL LESSON

Theme
★ Reveals what the story is all about
★ Sums up the book’s message in a word or two
★ It can appear in the setting, characters, action, etc.
★ Usually not directly stated
Moral Lesson
★ It is what the writer wants the main character (and by extension, you) to learn from the story
★ Usually appears at the resolution
★ Can be directly stated
★ Claims an opinion about the theme

THE MYTH OF DEADALUS AND ICARUS

 ★ The tale of Deadalus and Icarus in Greek mythology tells the story of a father and son who used wings to escape
from the Island of Crete.

Delivering a Roast/Eligy/Tribute Speech

NELSON B. MANDELA
★ Born: July 18, 1918; South Africa
★ Died: December 5, 2013 (aged 95); Johannesburg, South Africa
★ Title/Office: President (1994-1999); South Africa
★ Political Affiliation: African National Congress; Umkhonto we Sizwe
★ Awards and Honors: Nobel Prize (1993)

TRIBUTE SPEECH
★ The other term is eulogy/eligy
★ It is dedicated to someone who is highly respected and admired by the speaker.
★ The speech should contain person’s accomplishments in his/her career and personal life.
★ It is meant to console and uplift the people there by helping them celebrate their feelings for the deceased
person.
Example:
➢ https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pMauTgcW0_vcZhpPDGYwODtjZDF0291q/view?usp=share_link
➢ A gist (2 mins video) of who is Nelson Mandela; his journey and his achievements in the story and perspective of
Barack Obama.
➢ https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/12/10/remarks-president-obama-memorial-service-f
ormer-south-african-president-

About the speech:

● Who is speaking in the video/speech?
○ BARRACK OBAMA
● Who are the audience of this tribute?
○ South African people
● What is the favorite quotation of Mandela according to Obama?
○ “I AM THE MASTER OF MY FATE, I AM THE CAPTAIN OF MY SOUL.”
● Summary of the ideas of speech given by Obama:
○ INSPIRATION THAT MANDELA BROUGHT TO HIS LIFE TO BECOME A BETTER MAN.
○ CONTRIBUTION TO THE LIFE OF AFRICAN PEOPLE.
● President Obama called Mandela as Giant of History Liberator of the 20th century WHY?
○ GIANT HISTORY - PRESIDENT OBAMA CALLED MANDELA AS GIANT OH HISTORY BECAUSE
ALTHOUGH MANDELA STARTED SMALL. HE WAS ABLE TO MOVE A NATION TOWARDS
JUSTICE AND MOVED BILLIONS AROUND THE WORLD–BECAUSE OF HIS TRIUMPHS,
HISTORY WILL NEVER FORGET HIM.
○ LIBERATOR OF THE 20TH CENTURY - PRESIDENT OBAMA CALLED MANDELA AS
LIBERATOR OF THE 20TH CENTURY BECAUSE HE SUCCESSFULLY LED A RESISTANCE
MOVEMENT LIKE WHAT GANDHI DID, AND HE GAVE VOICE TO CLAIMS OF THE OPPRESSED,
AND THE MORAL NECESSITY OF RACIAL JUST LIKE KING.
● What is the main point of President Obama’s delivered speech?
○ PRESIDENT OBAMA DELIVERED A TRIBUTE SPEECH FOR NELSON MANDELA’S MEMORIAL
ON DECEMBER 10,2013. THE PRESIDENT HIGHLIGHTED THE LIFE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF
MANDELA. HE RECOGNIZED MANDELA AS A GIANT FIGURE OF THE WORLD HISTORY AND
SET HIM AS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A TRUE AND SINCERE LEADER WHOSE HEART IS IN
SERVING THE HUMANITY.
● Can you give me the structure on how the speech was delivered? What are the essential parts that
President Obama has stated?
○ MR. OBAMA DELIVERED THE SPEECH THROUGH:
■ ACKNOWLEDGING THE FAMILY OF MANDELA.
■ EARLY LIFE OF MANDELA
■ MANDELA’S CIVIC LIFE
HIS PROTEST
HIS LIFE IN PRISON
 MANDELA’S LIFE SURVIVAL

BIOGRAPHY OF NELSON MANDELA

★ https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zLVY55xkeYQyAMGUtNJAgD6tr8iixkTr/view?usp=share_link

○ Nelson Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist and the first black president of South Africa. He was
born Rolihlahla Mandela on July 18 1918 in the rural village of Mvezo. A descendant of the Tembu royal
family, Mandela's father served as a local chief and counselor to the king. His devout Christian mother
enrolled him in a Methodist School, where he was given the English name Nelson. After his father's death,
the 12 year old Mandela was brought to the center of the tembu monarchy to be raised by the Kings
Regent. Living among the royal family exposed Mandela to powerful examples of black leadership that
remained a source of influence throughout his life. Mandela attended the University College of Fort Hare
and studied law at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg the school's only black student and
a frequent target of racism Mandela soon began to immerse himself in the world of radical politics. In
1944 he joined the African National Congress an anti-colonialist political party that fought to
enfranchise and empower the black population living under an oppressive white authority. Mandela
helped have found the and seized Youth League and quickly rose in its ranks alongside fellow activist
Oliver Tambo and Walter Sisulu. With the National Party's rise to power in 1948 South Africa's racial
inequality was officially codified under the system of apartheid. The government passed legislation that
institutionalized discrimination and enforced the supremacy of the minority white population. Mandela
and the ANC fought back launching the defiance campaigns of 1952 a series of non-violent direct
actions uniting black Indian and communist coalition's through coordinated civil disobedience. The
National Party swiftly cracked down on their efforts jailing Mandela and banning him from the ANC before
long the campaign had died out. In 1956 Mandela and 155 colleagues were tried for treason. While they
were ultimately acquitted Mandela became convinced that apartheid would not fall without armed
resistance. In 1961 he formed the MK a militant branch of the ANC that committed targeted acts of
sabotage against the government and its military. The MKS guerrilla tactics were effective but in August
1962 Mandela was captured charged with conspiracy he received a life sentence. Incarcerated at Robben
Island Mandela remained a symbol of black South African resistance during his years behind bars he
continued his fight on a smaller scale: organizing against the prison's inhumane conditions through
demonstrations and teach-ins. Calls for Mandela's freedom gradually built up global support and South
Africa's government buckled under growing pressure. Finally, in 1990 after 27 years Mandela was
released from prison. South Africa held its first open elections in 1994. The African National Congress
led by Mandela won in a landslide. As President Mandela prioritized national programs that expanded
access to social services education and housing. His administration also established the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission which served to investigate and confront human rights violations committed
under apartheid. At the end of his first term in 1999 Mandela retired from politics he continued to
commit himself to activism, particularly in response to the AIDS crisis until the end of his life. In 2013,
Mandela died of a respiratory infection at age 95 he still stands as both the father of his nation and an
international symbol of hard-won liberation.

★ (Additional) https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1993/mandela/biographical/
○ Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918. His father was
Hendry Mphakanyiswa of the Tembu Tribe. Mandela himself was educated at University College of Fort
Hare and the University of Witwatersrand where he studied law. He joined the African National
Congress in 1944 and was engaged in resistance against the ruling National Party’s apartheid
policies after 1948. He went on trial for treason in 1956-1961 and was acquitted in 1961.

○ After the banning of the ANC in 1960, Nelson Mandela argued for the setting up of a military wing within
the ANC. In June 1961, the ANC executive considered his proposal on the use of violent tactics and
agreed that those members who wished to involve themselves in Mandela’s campaign would not be
stopped from doing so by the ANC. This led to the formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe. Mandela was
arrested in 1962 and sentenced to five years imprisonment with hard labor. In 1963, when many fellow
leaders of the ANC and the Umkhonto we Sizwe were arrested, Mandela was brought to stand trial
with them for plotting to overthrow the government by violence. His statement from the dock received
considerable international publicity. On June 12, 1964, eight of the accused, including Mandela, were
 sentenced to life imprisonment. From 1964 to 1982, he was incarcerated at Robben Island Prison, off
Cape Town; thereafter, he was at Pollsmoor Prison, nearby on the mainland.

○ During his years in prison, Nelson Mandela’s reputation grew steadily. He was widely accepted as the
most significant black leader in South Africa and became a potent symbol of resistance as the
anti-apartheid movement gathered strength. He consistently refused to compromise his political position
to obtain his freedom.

○ Nelson Mandela was released on February 11, 1990. After his release, he plunged himself
wholeheartedly into his life’s work, striving to attain the goals he and others had set out almost four
decades earlier. In 1991, at the first national conference of the ANC held inside South Africa after the
organization had been banned in 1960, Mandela was elected President of the ANC while his lifelong
friend and colleague, Oliver Tambo, became the organization’s National Chairperson.

GUIDLINES IN WRITING A SPEECH EULOGY

1. Think about the person
○ Main point 1: Characteristics
○ Emotions (you want to feel and wants your audience to feel)
2. Write an outline
○ Evidence
○ Main point 2 and Evidence 2
○ Conclusion (a. Crucial Point; b. Quotation–from you or favorite quotation of your loved one.)
3. Get the audience attention
○ Start by relating to the listeners themselves.
○ Remind them how the deceased person brought everyone together.
○ Open with your relationship with this person, and talk about your loved one’s role in your life.
4. Make your points
○ A concisely worded speech makes more of an impact through brevity and pauses than long drawn-out
sentences. With a tribute speech, you might include any of the following:
■ The person’s characteristics ■ The person’s lasting impact
■ The person’s accomplishments ■ Your experience with the person
5. Finish strong
○ Quotations or things that symbolize
○ Let the audience share their thoughts/ memories
THINGS TO REMEMBER
● Learn to control your emotions and do not get choked up over the speech.
● Talk or read your eulogy as if you are talking to your friends.
● Make eye contact. Pause as necessary.
● Stand in a self-assured and confident posture.

Principles of Cohesion and Coherence

COHESION
● relates to how words and sentences stick together and make sense.
● The flow of sentences and paragraphs from one to another tying together

METHODS TO ACHIEVE COHESION

1. Reference words (PRONOUNS) (e.g. he, she, it, them)
2. Repeated words/ideas
3. Transition signals (also called cohesive devices)
4. Substitution (replacing one word with another)

COHESION WITHOUT COHERENCE

 ★
★ The paragraph stays on the topic of art, but the way it was developed does not make sense. (No use of
transitional words)

COHERENCE WITHOUT COHESION

★
★ Connecting words in the text suggest a sequence of ideas, but the writer jumps from one topic to another.

COHESION AND COHERENCE

★
★ Ideas are presented in a logical manner and without veering away from the topic

REFERENCE WORDS/PRONOUNS
★ Words that do not make sense on their own (can stand for
★ any given noun)
★ Example; these, this, that those, it, they, them, he, etc.
EXAMPLE SENTENCE
★ Cohesion is an important feature of academic writing. Cohesion can help ensure that your writing coheres or stick
together.
BETTER SENTENCE
★ Cohesion is an important feature of academic writing. It can help ensure that your writing coheres or stick
together.

REPEATED WORDS/IDEAS
★ Synonyms
★ These are different words that represent same idea.
EXAMPLE SENTENCE
★ Myths narrate sacred histories and explain sacred origins. Myths is a set of beliefs that are a very real force in the
lives of the people who tell them.
BETTER SENTENCE
★ Myths narrate sacred histories and explain sacred origins. These traditional narratives are, in short, a set of
beliefs that are a very real force in the lives of the people who tell them.

PRONOUNS
★ used to refer back to something that is previously mentioned
★ This, that, these, those, he, she, it, they, and we
EXAMPLE SENTENCE
★ When scientific experiments do not work out as expected, scientific experiment is often considered as failure until
some other scientist tries scientific experiment again. Scientific experiment that work out better the second time
around are the ones that promise the most rewards.
BETTER SENTENCE
★ When scientific experiments do not work out as expected, it is often considered as failure until some other
scientist tries them again. Those that work out better the second time around are the ones that promise the most
rewards.

TRANSITIONAL WORDS
★ used to cue readers the relationship between sentences, joining sentences together
★ Moreover, further, furthermore, and yet, but, in addition, contrary wise
EXAMPLE SENTENCE
★ I like autumn, autumn is a sad time of the year. The leaves turn bright shades of red and weather is mild, I can’t
help thinking ahead to the winter and the ice storms that will surely blow through here. That will be the season of
chapped faces, too many layers of clothes to put on, and days when I’ll have to shovel heaps of snow from my
car’s windshield.
BETTER SENTENCE
★ I like autumn, and yet autumn is a sad time of the year. The leaves turn bright shades of red and weather is mild,
but I can’t help thinking ahead to the winter and the ice storms that will surely blow through here. In addition,
that will be the season of chapped faces, too many layers of clothes to put on, and days when I’ll have to shovel
heaps of snow from my car’s windshield.