21ST CENTURY LITERATURE

LEARNING WEEK 02:

Major Literary Devices
Name:____________________________________Grade&Section:________Score:____________
Teacher:_________________________________________________Date:______________________
Learning Competencies (Essential Competencies)

• Explains the texts in terms of literary elements, genres, and tradi-

tions (EN12Lit-IIb-32);
• Distinguishes the literary uses of language from the nonliterary and
understands their use as well as the formal features and conven-
tions of literature (EN12Lit-IIe-34); and
• Identifies the figures of speech and other literary techniques and
devices in the text (EN12Lit-IIe-27).
Objectives
At the end of the discussion, the students should be able to:
• Define poetry and distinguish it from other major literary genres;
• Identify the elements of poetry; and
• Analyze reading selections according to their elements.
Let’s Recall (Review)
Literary devices (or literary techniques) are distinct structures used to
add meaning or create a more captivating story or poem. One of the easiest
literary devices to use and observe in written work are sound devices.

Let’s Understand (Study the Concept)

Poetry is the most compact form of literature. The ideas, feelings, rhythm,
and sound are packed into carefully chosen words, working to convey
meaning to the readers. A poem has a tone (e.g., ecstatic, melancholic, sa-
tiric), follows a form, and uses figurative language (e.g., simile, metaphor,
personification) to create an impression.
The common elements of poetry are the following:
● Persona. A persona is a dramatic character who is the speaker in the
poem. A persona is not always the poet.
● Form. Poetry is written in lines, and oftentimes the lines are divided into
groups called stanzas.
● Imagery. Imagery is the use of language that appeals to the five senses:
visual (sight), auditory (hearing), gustatory (taste), tactile (touch), and olfactory
(smell).

1
 ● Sound Patterns. It includes rhyme, rhythm, and other literary devices
that pertain to sounds, such as onomatopoeia (using words that imitate the sound
of what they refer to), alliteration (repetition of initial sounds), and assonance
(repetition of vowel sounds within neighboring words).
● Rhyme. It is the repetition of similar or identical sounds at the end of
poetic lines. The rhyme scheme is the pattern of the rhyme placed at the end of
each line or stanza in a poem.

Prose is any writing that does not have a metrical structure and rhythmical
pattern like poetry. It is composed of sentences and paragraphs instead of lines
and stanzas. Prose is divided into two: fiction and nonfiction. For this chapter,
we will be discussing fiction. Fiction is a story that is made up or invented by an
author. This means that the events in the story are not real; they are products of
the author’s imagination. Examples of fiction are novels and short stories. Short
stories should be read in one sitting and should strive for unity and effect. A novel
is longer and more complex than a short story. It has over 40,000 words (the
shorter version is called a novella, which has 17,500–39,999 words, or a novelette,
which has7,500–17,499 words. The five basic elements of fiction are plot ( Ep-
isodic plot: distinct episodes that are related to one another but that also can be
read individually. Cumulative plot: contains repetition of phrases, sentences, or
events with one new aspect added with each repetition. Frame narrative: a story
in which another story or other multiple stories is/are embedded), characters,
setting, point of view, and theme. Nonfiction deals with real people, places,
and events. There are two broad categories of nonfiction: Informative nonfiction-
are texts that provide factual information. Literary nonfiction is written like fiction,
but the people, events, and places involved remain factual.
Dramas are stories in verse or prose form that are meant to be performed
on stage in front of an audience. Authors who write dramas are called dramatists
or playwrights. The elements of drama are similar to those of fiction except that
drama is written in a form called script, in which the lines are written in dialogues
with stage directions. Also, instead of chapters, dramas are divided into acts and
scenes.

Types of Drama
● Tragedy. The central character in a tragedy has a tragic flaw, making this
character a tragic hero. It means that he or she possesses a characteristic
that can lead to his or her downfall.
● Comedy. Comedic plays aim to make the audience laugh. Comedic stories
are lighthearted. They often take place in unusual circumstances, and it is
typical for characters in these plays to utter witty remarks.
● Musical drama. The characters in musical drama dance and sing. Vari-
ous themes are presented, from serious to comedic.
● Farce. A farce is a nonsensical drama that employs slapstick humor. It
is mainly comedic and is characterized by absurd conditions or situations
and ardent actions.
● Melodrama. A melodrama is characterized by the characters’ exaggerated
emotions in various situations.

2
 Let’s Apply
I. I. Here’s the example of a poem, identify the elements of poetry:
“Sonnet XVIII” by William Shakespeare
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion
And every fair from fair sometime declined
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.
1. Who is the persona in the poem?
________________________________________________
2. What are the images mentioned in the poem?
______________________________________________________________________________
3. What are the figures of speech mentioned in the poem?
______________________________________________________________________________
4. What are the sound patterns used in the poem?
______________________________________________________________________________
5. Can you give at least 6 rhyming words mentioned in the poem?
______________________________________________________________________________

II. Read one story online, then identify the elements used in that story. Then
summarize the story.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
a. Choose one-act play to read. Summarize the plot, then identify the type of
drama used in the play.

III. Let’s Analyze

` A. Read the sentences below. Identify what is being asked in the statement,
then answer in your answer sheet.

3
 1. It is used in poetry to create an impression that the poet wants to leave
to its readers. 2. It is a poetic genre that tells a story.
3. It is a poetic genre that expresses the thoughts and emotions of a poet.
4. It is the speaker of the poem, but not necessarily the poet himself or
herself.
5. It is the central idea or truth that the poem wants to convey.
6. A play is written in a form of script that includes the dialogues and the
_______________.
7. A tragic hero has a _______________ that leads to his or her downfall.
8. A farce employs _______________ humor.
9. A _______________’s characters exhibit exaggerated emotions in various
situations.
10. When a character does an _______________, he or she utters lines that
only the audience is meant to hear.

B. Match the concepts in Column A with their characteristics in Column B.

Column A Column B

1. short story A. fiction with 7,500–17,499 words

2. novella B. contains the rising action, climax,
and falling action leading to the reso-
lution of the story
3. cumulative plot C. contains repetition of words,
phrases, or events in the narrative
4. embedded plot D. fiction with 17,500–39,999 words
5. climactic plot E. another story or multiple stories
that are injected into the main narra-
tive of the story

Let’s Try (Evaluation)

Choose one literary genre that you like most and make your own master-
piece while observing the necessary elements. Write your masterpiece in a piece of paper.

Let’s Create

4
 Goal : Your task is to share what you watched in a play with your readers.

Role: You are a contributing writer for the literary section of your school newspa-
per.

Audience: You will be addressing your article to the students who you should per-
suade to watch that play.
Situation: You want to encourage more students to watch a play you enjoyed by
writing about the synopsis of that play in the school paper, as well as your reaction
after watching it.
Product/Performance and Purpose:
1. Recall a play you watched before(whether online, on television, or on stage).
2. Outline the plot first before you write the synopsis. Identify its subgenre. Do not
give away the ending, though. Stimulate your readers to watch it themselves should
it be staged again in the country.
3. You can also write about your personal reactions and mention at least one striking
type of dialogue in the play to further persuade your audience.
4. Make sure your synopsis has transition devices.

Standards & Criteria for Success: Your work will be judged based on the following:

Criteria Beginning Developing Accomplished Score

(0-12 points) (13-16 points) (17-20 points)
Content (Summary) Two or One plot All plot elements
more plot ele- element is miss- are complete;
ments are miss- ing.
ing.
Organization The sum- The summary The summary of
mary of the of the plot the plot was orga-
plot was disor- was some- nized.
ganized; what organized;

Language (spelling, There are more There are one to Flawless

mechanics, gram- than two lan- two language er- language is ob-
mar, and guage errors in rors in the text. served
word choice) the text. throughout
the text.

5
Content (Per- The per- The personal re- The personal reac-
sonal Reaction) sonal reaction action is some- tion is supported
is largely what sup- by evidence
not supported ported by evi- from the play and
by evidence dence from is insightful.
from the play the play and
and does not of- is slightly
fer new in- insightful.
sights at all.
TOTAL SCORE