QUARTER 3 NOTES COMPILATION

Lesson No.1: ARGUMENTATIVEESSAY

- academically speaking, it is an attempt to persuade someone by presenting
evidence to the reader for why it is a more favorable choice regarding a particular
issue
- is a written form of argumentation.
- presents evidences for a claim in order to let the reader know why it is more or less
favorable
Terms related to an argumentative essay
1. Issue - An idea about which the opinions of people are different.
2. Claim - A statement by an author about an issue. It is also called a position, stand, or
point of view.
3. Argument - An idea that supports the claim. An argument needs supporting evidences.
4. Evidence - Facts in the real world that can be used to support an argument. Examples
of evidences are statistics, data from studies, historical events, habitual practices, and
other facts that can support an argument.
5. Counterargument - An idea given by the opposing side against the claim given in the
argumentative essay.
6. Rebuttal- The response to the counterargument
7. PRO (Argument in Favor/ favorable statements ) - An argument in favor of a claim or
advantage
8. CON (Argument Against/ Opposing statements) - An argument against a claim or
disadvantage regarding something.
Components of an Argumentative Essay
1. Introduction – it presents the topic in an interesting way.
It is the background of the subject/topic or thesis
2. Thesis Statement - It states the topic and the purpose of your argumentative essay.
3. Body - Background of the subject/topic or thesis. It is where you can find the
supporting details of an argumentative essay.
4. Refutation - Background of the subject/topic or thesis
5. Conclusion - Summarizes the thoughts and brings the paragraph to a close. It may
also consists of concluding remarks and recommendations. It is where you can find the
strong restatement of the original claim.
How to Write a Thesis Statement
- Write a sentence that states the topic and the purpose of your entire essay.
- Turn the sentence into a question and answer it.
- State a disagreement—and then disprove it
5 Types of Argument Claims
1. Fact – whether the statement is factual or untrue.
2. Definition - the dictionary meaning of what you’re arguing, plus your own personal
understanding of it.
3. Value - the significance of what you’re arguing.
4. Cause and effect: what causes the problem in your essay and what effect it has.
5. Policy: why the reader should care and what they should do about it after reading.
Lesson No.2: PERSUASIVE WRITING
Introduction
- There are different writing styles that are worth learning, and two of the most
common are persuasive and argumentative writing. These two may seem similar;
however, they differ in terms of purpose, tone, style among others. For instance,
persuasive texts aim to convince readers to agree with the writer‘s opinions or to
act the way he wants them to, but an argumentative essay lets the readers choose
which side to agree with.
Persuasive Writing
- Persuasive writing is a type of writing that aims at convincing people to think, feel,
or to act in the writer‘s way or it convinces the reader that the author is right.
Effective and Commonly Used Persuasive Techniques
1. Rhetorical Question - This is a question that is not intended to be answered. Instead,
it is meant to state the obvious, or to challenge the readers and to make them think.
2. Repetition - Repeating key words or phrases
3. Bandwagon - This is the technique that would convince a reader to believe in an idea
because the majority or everybody else believes it‘s true
4. Appeal to Emotion- The use of emotive language can help sway the readers to side
with the writer or to do what he says
5. Appeal to Authority – the writer uses facts and figures and other proofs to support his
opinions or claims

Lesson No.3: Composing an Independent Critique

Critique - A critique is an in-depth evaluation, analysis and judgement of a story, novel, film,
or other reading/viewing materials for the purpose of giving the public an insight into the
text.
- Although a critique shares the same root with the word “criticize”, it does not mean
that the write-up merely points out the faults or flaws in a story or film. Critiquing
helps the readers to make sense of what they just read or viewed.
- Critiques contain a careful evaluation mainly on the following elements of a
narrative: characterization, setting, conflict, plot, dialogue, theme, and style
- usually takes the form of an essay.
- . In writing a critique, one must consider the context, the author’s intention, readers’ reaction, literary
devices, literary techniques, and the ending.
-
Setting
● How well was the setting developed?
● Does it appeal to more than one of the senses?
● Does it inform or connect to other aspects of the story such as character development
and narrative style?
Characterization
● How well-drawn are the characters in the story?
 ● Do we know enough about them (life, attitudes, some type of history, etc.) to make
them interesting and relatable?
● Are there unnecessary characters?

Style
● How distinctive or unique is the writing style?
● Are there literary devices or techniques used?
● Is it purposeful?
● Does the style remind you of any other authors you have read?
Conflict and Plot
● Is there a conflict in the story?
● Is the plot interesting, original and well-developed?
● Are there unnecessary and confusing subplots?
Theme
● How well does the story speak to the readers?
● Does it raise questions about life, or provide profound insights?

Steps in Writing Critical Essay

1. Introduction - Mention the name of the author and the title of the work.
Give a brief summary, including a description, background, or
context of the work.
Indicate the elements you want to examine and state the purpose of
your critique.

2. Body - a systematic and detailed assessment of the different elements of the work
Reminders:
● Avoid introducing your ideas by stating “I think” or “In my opinion” because this
weakens the analysis.
● Always introduce the work. Do not assume that the readers know what you are writing
about and that you don‘t need to mention some details anymore
● To be able to write a good critique and help readers understand the story, you yourself
should know well what you are writing about.
Lesson No.4: Critiquing a Literary Selection

A. Formalist Approach
- This approach analyzes the structure or form of each individual element of a story
- It uses close reading of the text to analyze the deeper meaning of the words
individually and collectively. It also focuses only on the text itself.
- The word “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.
Critic - is a person who judges, evaluates, or analyzes a literary piece.
Critique (verb) means to critically evaluate, analyze or give careful judgment in
which you give your opinion about a literary work.
Critique (noun) is a detailed evaluation or analysis of a literary piece.
• FORMALISM/ FORMALIST APPROACH - It discovers the true meaning of a work by
giving attention to the form or structure, elements and literary devices operating in it.
- It scrutinizes the plot (chronological sequence) and the conflict in a story
- It examines a text exclusively as a self-contained object in isolation from the world,
biographical information about the author or the text‘s effect on the reader. It does
not concern historical events outside of the story, social, cultural, religious nor
political ideas.
Character - It is a person, animal, being, creature or anything personified in a story.
Setting - It is not only the place and time a story takes place but also includes the
atmosphere.
Tone - It is the over-all 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.
Point of View - It answers the question “Who is telling the story?” (first, second, third
person)
Theme - It is the author‘s message to the readers.
Imagery - It consists of descriptive language to create images in the mind of the
readers through their senses.
Example
Character:
- A shy student who loves to draw but hides their talent from classmates.
- A new transfer student who struggles to make friends but is great at solving
puzzles.
 - A curious student who always asks the teacher questions no one else thinks
about.
- A class clown who hides their nervousness about an upcoming math test by
making jokes.
Setting:
- A bright and sunny classroom, filled with colorful posters and buzzing with
chatter.
- A dimly lit classroom during a rainy afternoon, the sound of raindrops tapping
against the windows.
- A science lab filled with the smell of chemicals and the hum of students'
experiments.

Tone:
Playful: The students are laughing and joking as the teacher writes on the board.
Nervous: The students are waiting for their test results, fidgeting in their seats.
Excited: The class buzzes with energy as the teacher announces a surprise field trip.
Point of View:
First person: "I stared at the chalkboard, trying to make sense of the math problem
the teacher had just written."
Third person: "Jamie glanced around the classroom, wondering if anyone else felt as
lost as he did during the lesson."
Theme:
Learning happens through mistakes and persistence.
Friendship can be found in unexpected places.
Everyone has a unique talent to share.
Imagery:
"The sunlight streamed through the window, casting golden squares on the desks,
as the hum of voices filled the room."
"The sound of the school bell echoed through the halls, and the scent of freshly
sharpened pencils lingered in the air."

B. Structuralist Approach

- Structuralism/Structuralist approach refers to critical approaches that analyze,

interpret, or evaluate the inherent features of a text.
- These features include not only grammar and syntax but also literary devices
such as meter and figures of speech.
Literary Device – tools used by writers to hint at larger themes, ideas, and meaning in
a story of piece of writing
- Ex: Simile, metaphor, Imagery, symbolism, personification, repetition, Alliteration
, Assonance, Onomatopoeia, rhyme
-
C. MORALIST APPROACH
- is a type of literary critique that judges the value of the literature based on its
moral or ethical teachings
- It is used to determine whether a work conveys a lesson or message whether it
can help readers lead better lives and improve their understanding of the world

D. MARXIST APPROACH
- focuses on power struggles of the characters. This concerns class differences,
economic , as well as the implications and complications of the capitalist system.
- Marxism is a social, political, and economic theory originated by Karl Marx that
focuses on the struggle between capitalists and the working class.
- explores the context of the powerful and the powerless and to whom a literary
piece is beneficial.
E. FEMINIST APPROACH
- It advocates gender equality especially towards women. It also examines how
some aspects of our culture are inherently patriarchal or male dominated.
- focuses on how men and women were portrayed.