LITERATURE

Literature – is considered to be a whole bulk of written

works. Literature means a body of works that show “the
best that has been thought and said,” or works that
signify the highest achievements of a particular culture.
Contemporary Philippine literature has been described
as focusing on evoking social consciousness. Creative
writing during the Martial Law era was said to be
confrontational in highlighting social and political issues.
However, creative writing shifted to a more steady
personal perspective when it comes to social
consciousness after 1986 EDSA Revolution.
Types and Elements of Literature

These creative works Meaning

can be divided into two: A writer can use the
poetry and prose. Poetry following in order to
refers to expressing a express his or her feelings
feeling or an idea using or ideas: technical terms,
figurative or symbolic idioms, dialect, new words,
language in verse. allusion, and connotation.
 Figurative Language
Imagery
This mainly consist of
This consists of
simile, metaphor, and other
descriptions and details
figure of speech that can be
that can trigger the readers
used on order to express
senses.
something in a different way
aside from its literal
meaning.
Examples of Figurative Language

Simile Implied metaphor

I slept like a log.
She’s a tiger when she’s
angry.
Metaphor
She cried a river of tears.
He was drowning in
paperworks.
Metaphor takes a few different
forms. Sometimes the object of
comparison is purely implied
rather than directly referenced,
such as in the phrase,
“He barked commands at the
team,” which implies comparison
to a dog.
Personification
Personification projects human
qualities into inanimate objects,
or perhaps animals or natural
elements.
“The wind howled,” “The
words leapt off the page,” and
“Time marches on” are all
examples of personification.
Hyperbole
Hyperbole is extravagant,
intentional exaggeration.
“I have a million things to
do today” is a common
example of hyperbole.
Allusion.  Idiom
Allusion is when a text
references another external
text—or maybe a person,
place or event. It can be
either explicit or implicit.
“We’ve entered a Garden
of Eden” is an allusion to the
biblical place, for instance.
Idioms are non-literal turns of
phrase so common that most
people who speak the same
language know them. English
examples include,
“He stole her thunder” and
“We’ll cross that bridge when
we come to it.

Pun
A pun is a play on words.
It exploits the different
meanings of a word or its
homonyms, usually to
humorous effect. A well-
worn example of a pun is:
“Time flies like an arrow.
Fruit flies like a banana.”
Onomatopoeia
In onomatopoeia, words sound like the
thing they describe. Sound effects like
“tick-tock” and “ding-dong” are everyday
examples, as well as words like “zap” and
“hiccup.” Sometimes individual words are
not onomatopoeic, but they will become so
in the context of the words around them,
as in Edgar Allan Poe’s “suddenly there
came a tapping, as of someone gently
rapping, rapping at my chamber door.”
• Alliteration
Many experts also consider alliteration an example of
figurative language, even though it does not involve
figures of speech. Rather, alliteration is a sound device
 that layers some additional meaning on top of the
literal language of the text. It occurs when a series of
words start with the same letter sound, such as “wicked
witch” or “from forth the fatal loins of these two foes.”
This can help build imagery or mood, hence the
connection to figurative language.
Sound and Rhythm
These elements make use of
Theme or Content
the spoken nature of poetry. This pertains to the
Sound can refer to the general thought or idea of
emphasis on certain words or
rhymes. Rhythm is the just a
the whole composition. In
position of beats or the sound addition, the motive and
pattern of the work. goal of the writer is
reflected on the theme
Prose may be informative or
persuasive.
Style
Writing style refers to
the choices of words and
sentence structures used to
convey the message and
hold the attention of the
reader.
Form and structure
The sequence of topic and
transitions that make up the
whole essay reflects the form.
Or it may describe something
from the imagination of the
artist, such as a short story or a
novel. Fiction also has its own
elements, which are the
following
Plot or story line Character
The plot is a sequence of A character can be a person, an
the events that build up the animal or even things who takes
whole story. This gives the part in the narrative of the story.
flow of the narrative.
Setting
The setting is the time and
place in which the story
happened.

Theme
This is the central thought or idea
of the whole story.
Language and style
The style pertains to the choices
of words the writer uses. This
includes the sentence structures
and figurative language that affect
the mood or tone of the story.
Point of view
This may be presented using
the third – person point of view,
which means the narrator may
represent the author himself or
herself. The exposition may also
be presented using the first –
point of view, meaning the
narrator is one of the characters
in the story.