LIT 01

Lesson 1: Literature
Discussion Outline
1. Definition of Literature
2. Exploring Literary Devices
3. Understanding Literary Genres

I. WHAT IS LITERATURE?
● It is the collected oral and written works of a society that depict the people's beliefs,
values, customs and aspirations as well as their struggles in life.
● It may be described as the record in words of what people thought and felt from the
ancient past to the present day.
● Among the arts, literature is considered one which has more fidelity to life than any other
artistic pursuit.
● Literature comes from the Latin word "Literatura/litteratura" which means letter or
handwriting. It is a body of written works produced in a particular language, country or
age or on a particular subject that are valued as works of arts especially novels, plays
and poems.
II. CHARACTERISTICS OF LITERATURE
● Universality: appeals to everyone regardless of culture, race, sex, and time which are
considered significant.
● Artistry: describes literature that is aesthetically appealing and reveals or conveys
hidden truth and beauty.
● Intellectual Value: stimulates critical thinking that enriches the mental processes of
abstract and reasoning, making man realize the fundamental truths of life and its nature.
● Suggestiveness: unravels and conjures man's emotional power to define symbolism,
nuances, implied meanings, images and message, giving and evoking visions above
and beyond the plane of ordinary life and experiences.
● Spiritual Value: elevates the spirit and the soul and thus has the power to motivate and
inspire, drawn from the suggested morals or lessons of the different literary genres.
● Permanence: is determined by a written work's ability to stand the test of time, which
makes it impossible to determine at the moment of writing.
● Style: refers to the distinct way the author expresses his or her thoughts.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A LITERARY TEXT

● It narrates a story
● It expresses feelings, thoughts, and ideas which can either be based from the
imagination or real life experiences of the authors or other people; and
● It delivers significant information and crosses boundaries between time, places, cultures,
and languages.

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Literary Devices
● Refer to specific techniques or elements used by writers to create a more engaging and
impactful literary work. These devices are employed to enhance the writer’s storytelling,
evoke emotions, create vivid imagery, and convey meaning to the reader.
● Literary Devices can be found in various forms of literature, including poetry, prose,
drama, and even non-fiction.
● They contribute to the overall theme, tone, and atmosphere of a literary work, allowing
the writer to effectively convey their message and engage the audience on a deeper
level.
Examples:
● Similes ● Alliteration
● Metaphors ● Irony
● Personification ● Symbolism
● Hyperbole ● Foreshadowing

Literary Genres

1. Drama: Are representations of fiction that involve dialogue and performance. Contains
dialogues and the actors portray the characters through their impersonations.

● Key features: Plays and theatrical performances are the primary medium for presenting
drama. They are made of dialog and set direction and are designed to be performed.

2. Poetry: Is a form of literary expression characterized by the use of rhythm, meter, and
figurative language to evoke emotions and convey messages.

● Key features: Poetic devices such as rhyme, imagery, figurative language, and
symbolism are common in poetry.

3. Fiction: encompasses storytelling through narratives like novels and short stories.

● Key Features: imaginative plots, well-developed characters, and settings are typical
elements of fiction, i.e. myths, fables, novels, or short stories

4. Non-fiction: comprises factual and informative writing such as essayes, biographies, and
historical accounts.

● Key Features: Non-fiction texts are based on real events, facts, and information,
providing a foundation for knowledge and understanding. Some examples include news,
reports, journals, articles, essays, textbooks, biographies, and the like.

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ADONIS DURADO
● Adonis Durado is a Cebuano poet, illustrator, and graphic designer. He was born on
August 25, 1975 in Cebu City, Philippines. He was a fine arts graduate from the
University of San Carlos, Philippines.
● He was the recipient of several literary awards, including the Emmanuel Lacaba Prize for
Cebuano poetry (sponsored by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts), the
Outstanding New Writer Award (Cebuano Studies Center and Faigao Foundation), and
the Writer of the Year (Bathalad Foundation). He is currently an Assistant Professor at
Ohio University.

Balaki ako day samtang gasakayg habal-habal by Adonis Durado

Balaki ko day
Samtang gasakay ta'g habalhabal.
Idat-ol og samut
Kanang imong dughan
Nganhi sa akong bukobuko
Aron mas mabatyagan ko ang hinagubtob

Sa imong kasingkasing.
Sa mga libaong nga atong malabyan.
Gaksa ko paghugot
Sama sa lastikong
Mipungpong sa imong buhok.
Ug sa kainit sa imong ginhawa
Gitika kining akong dughan.

Ang mga balili unya

Nga naghalok sa 'tong batiis
Isipon tang kaugaligong mga dila.
Dayon samtang nagakatulin
Kining atong dagan.
Mamiyong tag maghangad
Ngadto sa kawanangan
Aron sugaton ang taligsik Sa uwan, dahon, ug bulak.

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ASSIGNMENT:
● Read “Ang Babayng way Bilbil”

Ang Babayng way bilbil

by Adonis Durado

Ang babayng way bilbil kay morag baybay nga way kimba.
Morag sigay nga way buko buko, tabugok nga way ata.
Sa bilbil mahibaw-an nganong bawron ang kadagatan,
Nganong gansang-gansangon ang mga batu sa hunasan.

Ang babayng way bilbil kay morag kawayang way buku.

Morag dapaw nga way katul, langub nga way tangu.
May misteryo ang bilbil nga susama sa misteryo sa lasang:
Engkanto sa pusod sa busay, minu sa pus-on sa pangpang.

Ang babayng way bilbil kay morag dan nga way kurbada,
Morag bungtod nga way subida, simbahan nga way kampana.
Ang babayng bilbilon morag sugilanong puno sa
pasumbingay:
Sa gaawas-awas nga bilbil, magbunok ang akong pauraray.

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Lesson 2: What is poetry?
● In poetry the sound and meaning of words are combined to express feelings, thoughts,
and ideas.
● The poet chooses words carefully.

ELEMENTS OF POETRY
1. Rhythm
● Rhythm is the flow of the beat in a poem.
● Gives poetry a musical feel.
● Can be fast or slow; depending on the mood and subject of the poem.
● You can measure rhythm in meter, by counting the beats in each line.

2. Sound
Writers love to use interesting sounds in their poems. After all, poems are meant to be heard.
These sound devices include:
● Rhyme
- Are words that end with the same sound. (Hat, cat, bat)
- Rhyming words don’t have to be spelled the same way. (ex. Cloud and allowed)
- It is the most common sound device in poetry.
Rhyming Patterns
● Poets can choose from a variety of different rhyming patterns:
1. AABB - lines 1 & 2 rhyme and lines 3 & 4 rhyme
2. ABAB - lines 1 & 3 rhyme and lines 2 & 4 rhyme
3. ABBA - lines 1 & 4 rhyme and lines 2 & 3 rhyme
4. ABCB - lines 2 & 4 rhyme and lines 1 & 3 do not rhyme
● Repetition
- Repeating words to get point across
● Alliteration
- Alliteration is the repetition of the first consonant sound in words, as in the
nursery rhyme "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."
● Onomatopoeia
- Words that represent the actual sound of something are words of onomatopoeia.
Dogs "bark," cats "purr," thunder "booms," rain "drips," and the clock "ticks."
- Appeals to the sense of sound

3. Imagery
● Imagery is the use of words to create pictures, or images, in your mind.
● Appeals to the five senses: smell, sight, hearing, taste and touch.
Figures of Speech
● Figures of speech are tools that writers use to create images, or "paint pictures,"
in your mind.
- Similes, metaphors, and personification are three figures of speech that create
imagery.

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 KINDS OF FIGURES OF SPEECH

Simile
● A simile compares 2 things using the words “like” or “as”.
● Comparing 1 thing to another creates a vivid image.

Metaphor
● A metaphor compares two things without using the words "like" or "as."
● Gives the qualities of one thing to something that is quite different.

Personification
● Personification gives human traits and feelings to things that are not human - like
animals or objects.

FORMS OF POETRY
1. Couplet: is a poem, or a stanza in a poem written in 2 lines. Usually rhymes.
2. Tercet: is a poem, or stanza in a poem with 3 lines. Lines 1 and 3 may rhyme, lines 1
and 2 may rhyme, or all 3 lines rhyme.
3. Quatrain: A poem or stanza written with 4 lines. It is the most common form used in
poetry.
4. Traditional Cinquain: A poem with 5 lines that do not rhyme. Contains 22 syllables in
the ff. pattern:
- Line 1: 2 syllables
- Line 2: 4 syllables
- Line 3: 6 syllables
- Line 4: 8 syllables
- Line 5: 2 syllables
5. Word-count Cinquain: uses the ff. pattern:
- Line 1: 1 word (title)
- Line 2: 2 words (describe the title)
- Line 3: 3 words (describe an action)
- LIne 4: 4 words (describe a feeling)
- Line 5: 1 word (another word for title)
6. Diamante: a 7-line poem in the shape of a diamond. It does not rhyme, it follows a
pattern, and it can use synonyms or antonyms.
- Line 1: Your topic (noun)
- Line 2: 2 adjectives about topic
- Line 3: Three “ing” words about topic
- Line 4: 4 nouns or short phrase linking topic
- Line 5: 3 “ing” words about topic
- Line 6: 2 adjectives about topic
- Line 7: Your ending topic (noun)
7. Haiku: A japanese poem with 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables per line. It does not rhyme,
talks about an aspect of nature or the seasons, and it captures a moment in time

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 8. Senryu: It follows the pattern of a Haiku, however it talks about human nature rather
than the natural world.
9. Concrete Poem: also known as “Shape Poem”, it is written in the shape of its subject.
The way the words are arranged is as important as what they mean, and they also do
not have to rhyme.
10. Free verse:It does not use any rhyme or patterns. It may also vary freely in length of
lines, stanzas, and subject.
11. Acrostic: The 1st letter of each line, read down the page, spells the subject of the poem.
It is also a type of free verse poem.
12. Limerick: is a funny poem of 5 lines. Lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme, lines 3 and 4 are shorter
and rhyme, line 5 refers to line1.
13. Nonsense Poems: It is a humorous poem with silly characters and actions. This type of
poem is meant to be fun. It may be written as a limerick or as another form of poetry.
14. Word play: Some poets use a special kind of word play by making up words or
misspelling them on purpose.

Voice
● It is the speaker of the poem, The speaker can be the poet himself or a character he
created in the poem, There can be one speaker or many speakers.

KINDS OF SPEAKERS
1. Poet as speaker
2. Human Character in poem as speaker
3. Object or animal as speaker
4. More than one speaker

Author’s Purpose:
● The poet has an “author’s purpose” when he writes a poem. The purpose can be:
1. Share feelings
2. Tell a story
3. Send a message
4. Be Humorous
5. Provide Description

Reading for Meaning

● To find meaning in a poem, readers ask questions as they read. There are many things
to pay attention to when reading a poem:
1. Title: Provides clues about Topic, mood, Speaker, Author’s Purpose
2. Rhythm: Fast or Slow? WHY?
3. Sound Devices: What effects do they have?
4. Imagery: What pictures do we make in our minds?
5. FIgures of speech: What do they tell us about the subject?
6. Voice: Who is speaking?

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 7. Author’s purpose: Sending messages, sharing feelings, telling stories, being
funny, being descriptive?
8. Mood: Happy, sad, angry, thoughtful, silly, excited, frightened?
9. Plot: What is happening in the poem?

Lesson 3: Elements of Poetry

ELEMENTS OF POETRY
1. Stanza: is a group of lines in a poem
2. Line: a single row of words in a poem
3. Mood: a feeling the poet is trying to convey
4. Theme: is a truth, lesson, or message about life
5. Rhythm: describes the beat, sound, and feel of a poem
6. Rhyme: describes words that have the same ending sounds
7. Meter: Is the number and style of accented syllables in a line

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. Simile: A comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as." For example, "Her
smile was as bright as the sun."
2. Metaphor: A direct comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as.'
For example, "His heart is a fortress"
3. Personification: Giving human qualities or characteristics to non-human examples.
Fore wind whispered through the trees."
4. Hyperbole: Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. For
example, "I've told you a million times!”
5. Alliteration: The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words in
close proximity. For example, “Sally sells seashells by the seashore."
6. Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds within words. For example, "The rain in
Spain falls mainly on the plain."
7. Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate the sound they represent. For example, “buzz”,
“hiss”, “clang”
8. Imagery: Descriptive language that creates sensory experiences by appealing to the
senses of sight. sound, taste, touch, and smell.
9. Symbolism: Using an object, person, or situation to represent a deeper meaning or
concept. For example, a dove may symbolize peace.
10. Irony: A contrast between what is said and what is meant, or between expectation and
reality. There are various forms of irony, including verbal, situational, and dramatic.
11. Oxymoron: A combination of contradictory or opposite words. For example,
“bittersweet”, “living dead”
12. Euphemism:Using mild or less direct language to replace harsh or unpleasant words or
concepts. For example, "passed away" instead of "died."

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Poetic Forms and Structures
● Poetic forms and structures are fundamental elements of poetry. They are essential
aspects of the art of poetry. They provide poets with a framework within which to create,
allowing for both creative expression and adherence to specific rules. These forms come
with distinct characteristics, often rooted in historical and cultural contexts.

Sonnet
● For instance, sonnet, revered form popularized by Shakespeare, typically consists of 14
lines with a specific rhyme scheme.

Haiku
● The haiku, on the other hand. hails from Japanese tradition focuses on capturing a
moment in just three lines, fostering simplicity and brevity. Traditional and structured,
this short form of Japanese poetry is well-known for its rule of 5/7/5: five syllables in the
first line, seven in the second, and five again in the third. Haikus are known for their
ability to paint a vivid picture in just a few words. A practice of artistic discipline, their
minimal nature forces writers to pare down to only the essentials-making each word, or
even syllable, count.

Free verse
● In contrast, free verse allows poets to break away from traditional rules, creating a sense
of freedom and experimentation in their expression.

In a Station of the Metro by Ezra Pound

The apportion of these tacks in the crowd

● This two-lined poem is perhaps the world's shortest poem, written in just two verses that
do not rhyme with each other. Ezra Pound, the first known imagist poet, composed this
poem in 1913. Despite its shortness and brevity, the poem has not lost its vitality and
verve during the last century.

Poetic Forms and Structures

● Understanding these forms is not just about memorizing rules; it's about comprehending
how the structure itself becomes a vehicle for meaning. When a poet chooses a
particular form, they make deliberate choices about rhythm, rhyme, line breaks, and
more.These choices influence the pace at which the poem is read, the emotions it
evokes. and the overall experience it offers to readers.

Interpretation and Analysis

● Interpretation and analysis are foundational skills in the study of poetry. These skills
enable readers to move beyond the surface of a poem and explore its complexities,
uncovering layers of meaning that might not be immediately apparent. By engaging with
a poem on a deeper level, students can gain insights into the poet's intentions, the
sociocultural context, and the emotions conveyed through the language and imagery.

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Close Reading
● Close reading examination involves a meticulous understanding of the poem's words,
phrases, and structures. This strategy encourages students to pay attention to every
element, including punctuation and line breaks. By closely observing the text, students
can reveal hidden metaphors, symbolism, and linguistic choices that contribute to the
poem's overall impact.

Identifying Themes
● Themes are the underlying ideas or messages that run throughout the poem. Identifying
themes requires students to recognize recurring concepts, emotions, or motifs within the
text. This process helps readers grasp the deeper purpose of the poem and connect it to
broader human experiences and emotions.

Explaining Tone and Mood

● The tone of a poem refers to the attitude of the speaker, while the mood represents the
emotional atmosphere evoked by the poem. Analyzing tone and mood involves
considering word choice, imagery, and even punctuation. Recognizing shifts in tone and
mood throughout the poem can provide insights into the speaker's perspective and the
intended emotional impact on the reader.

Exploring Poet’s voice and perspective

● Every poet has a distinct voice shaped by their style, background, and experiences.
Analyzing the poet's voice helps students understand the unique perspective from which
the poem is written. This exploration deepens the understanding of how the poem's
themes and emotions are conveyed through the poet's artistic choices.

Delving into Cultural, Historical, and Social Contexts

● Understanding the socio-cultural and historical context of a poem enhances
interpretation. By researching the era in which the poem was written and considering the
poet's background, students can uncover hidden layers of meaning that arise from
societal influences, political events, and cultural movements of the time.

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