21st Century

Literature from the

Philippines and the
World
 ELEMENTS AND FORMS OF POETRY
SENSE
• 1. Theme — the main point or the insight to be derived from the poem.
• 2. Speaker/persona — the fictitious character whose voice we hear in the
poem. In the same way that a narrator is not necessarily the author, the
speaker is not necessarily the poet and not necessarily human (though
usually possessing human traits). The speaker may either be an observer or a
direct participant in the dramatic situation that he/she/it is speaking about.
• 3. Dramatic situation — the moment (in lyric poetry) or series of events in
narrative poetry that the speaker speaks about in the poem.
• 4. Diction — refers to word choice because a poet chooses a word to
achieve a certain senso-ry, emotional, or intellectual effect.
 ELEMENTS AND FORMS OF POETRY
SENSE
• 5. Figurative language/Figures of speech — comparisons or substitutions that, for the sake of freshness,
emphasis, or surprise, depart from the usual denotation of words. In other words, non-literal use of language.
• a. Simile—is the term used to designate the easiest form of resemblances: most similes are introduced by "like"
or "as." These comparisons are usually between dissimilar situations or objects that have something in
common, such as "My love is like a red, red rose."
• b. Metaphor—leaves out "like" or "as" and implies a direct comparison between objects or situations. "My love
is a sun."
• c. Synecdoche—is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that refers to a part of something is substituted
to stand in for the whole, or vice versa. For example, the phrase “we live under the same roof” means “we live
in the same house.” The word roof is used to substitute house.
• d. Metonymy—is a figure of speech in which something is called by a new name that is related in meaning to
the original thing or concept. In the statement “the pen is mightier is than sword,” the pen (a tool used to write)
refers to writing and the sword (a weapon used in wars) means military power.
• e. Personification—occurs when you treat abstractions or inanimate objects as human, that is, giving them
human attributes, powers, or feelings (e.g., "nature wept" or "the wind whispered many truths to me").
 ELEMENTS AND FORMS OF POETRY
SENSE

• 6. Imagery —imagery consists of descriptive language that can function as a

way for the reader to better imagine the world of the piece of literature and also
add symbolism to the work. Imagery draws on the five senses, namely the
details of taste, touch, sight, smell, and sound.
• 7. Tone — the speaker's attitude toward a subject (himself/herself/itself, an
object, another, character, an event, or an idea). Tone is usually an effect of
diction and may be affectionate, earnest, playful, sarcastic, respectful, serious,
humorous, surprised, angry, nostalgic, tender, expectant, etc.
 ELEMENTS AND FORMS OF POETRY
SOUND
— refers to the patterns of consonants and vowels, in tandem with meaning, that
contribute greatly to the poem's effect. For example, the sibilant "s" in "calm is the
sea, the waves work less and less" suggests the sound of swishing water.

• 1. Euphony — the sound of the words are harmonious together

• 2. Cacophony — the sounds are harsh or discordant sound
• 3. Onomatopoeia — a word that imitates the sound it denotes, e.g. "zoom,"
"crash," "bang"
• 4. Alliteration — the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of
or inside successive words (e.g., "so smooth, so sweet, so silvery is thy voice”).
 ELEMENTS AND FORMS OF POETRY
SOUND
• 5. Assonance — the repetition of the same vowel sound at the beginning or
inside successive words (e.g., "eager beaver”).
• 6. Consonance — the repetition of consonant sounds (anywhere in the middle
or end of a line or stanza) - And all the air a solemn stillness holds. (T. Gray)
• 7. Repetition — the repetition of entire lines or phrases to emphasize key
thematic ideas.
• 8. Refrain — a line or stanza repeated over and over in a poem or song.
• 9. Rhyme— the repetition of similar sounds. In poetry, the most common kind
of rhyme is the end rhyme, which occurs at the end of two or more lines. It is
usually identified with lower case letters, and a new letter is used to identify
each new end sound.
 Take a look at the rhyme scheme for the following
poem :
I saw a fairy in the wood, (a)
He was dressed all in green. (b)
He drew his sword while I just stood, (a)
And realized I'd been seen. (b)
-The rhyme scheme of the poem is abab.

• Internal rhyme occurs in the middle of a line, as in these lines from Coleridge, "In mist or
cloud, on mast or shroud" or "Whiles all the night through fog-smoke white" ("The Ancient
Mariner"). Remember that most modern poems do not have rhyme.
 ELEMENTS AND FORMS OF POETRY
SOUND
10. Rhythm —the recurrence of stresses and unstressed syllables in a poem. A stress or accent is a greater amount of force
(breath, loudness, pitch) given to one syllable. The rhythm of a poem can be analyzed through the number of lines in a verse, the
number of syllables in the line, and the arrangement of syllables based on whether they are long or short, accented or unaccented.
Example:
• MOther (MO—is the stressed syllable; ther is the unstressed syllable)
• deCIDE (de—unstressed; cide—stressed)
• Poetic Foot— is a basic repeated sequence of meter composed of two or more stressed or un-stressed syllables.
• a. Meter— the systematic rhythm or sound pattern (of stressed and unstressed syllables) that is usually identified by examining the type of
"foot" and the number of feet.
• b. Number of Feet—refers to how many times one foot = monometer two feet = dimeter three feet = trimeter four feet = tetrameter five feet
= pentameter
• c. Irregularity—many metered poems in English avoid perfectly regular rhythm
• because it is monotonous.
• d. Blank Verse— is any poetry that does have a set metrical pattern, but does not have rhyme. Shakespeare frequently used unrhymed
iambic pentameter in his plays; his works are an ear-ly example of blank verse.
• e. Free Verse—Most modern poetry no longer follows strict rules of meter or rhyme, especially throughout an entire poem. Free verse,
frankly, has no rules about meter or rhyme
 ELEMENTS AND FORMS OF POETRY
STRUCTURE
• — refers to the way it is presented to the reader
1. Stanzas—are a series of lines grouped together and separated by an empty line from other
stanzas. They are the equivalent of a paragraph in an essay.
2. Poetic Line—the words that form a single line of poetry. One way to identify a stanza is to
count the number of lines. Thus:
couplet (2 lines) tercet (3 lines) quatrain (4 lines) cinquain (5 lines) sestet (6 lines) septet (7
lines)
octave (8 lines)
3. Form— a poem may or may not have a specific number of lines, rhyme scheme and/or met-
rical pattern, but it can still be labeled according to its form or style.
a. Lyric Poetry—is any poem with one speaker who expresses strong thoughts and feelings
(Ode, Sonnet, Elegy)
b. Narrative Poem—is a poem that tells a story (Ballad, Epic, Metrical Tale)
c. Dramatic poetry—also known as dramatic verse or verse drama, is a written work that both
tells a story and connects the reader to an audience through emotions or behavior.
 ELEMENTS AND FORMS OF POETRY
STRUCTURE
4. Enjambment—when there is no written or natural pause at the end of a poetic line, so that the word-flow carries over to
the next line.
Penelope, kaon og binangkal.*
Walay pulos kanang magsige’g
Ginansilyo – kanang magsige’g
Paabut nianang tawo nga galisud
Og tultol sa iyang panimalay.
5. Placement – the way words and poetic lines are placed on the page of a poem.
in Just
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame ballonman
whistles far and wee
6. Capitalization and Punctuation—n poetry, rules of capitalization and punctuation are not always followed; instead, they
are at the service of the poet’s artistic vision.
7. Consistency — is used throughout the poem. An author might start each line with a certain part of speech, or a repeated
line or phrase is used at the same spot in each stanza.
 ELEMENTS OF FICTION

1. Characters — are imagined persons who inhabit a story; but characters may also be based on real people whom the writer uses as models.
Characters are not only limited to human beings though. Some stories have the wind or death as characters.
A. According to Role
Protagonist — is an older and more neutral term than "hero" for the leading character. He or she is the person with whom readers most closely
identify.
Antagonist — is the opponent of the protagonist.
B. According to Significance
Major or Main Characters — are also called lead characters and we think of them as more complex than the minor characters, the other figures who
appear in a story.
Minor Characters — They often play significant roles in the way we understand or interpret the major characters. They are also pivotal in the
changes that major characters undergo.
C. According to Personality
Flat characters — are stock characters or stereotypes who are somehow capable of advancing the plot, but require only the barest outlines of
description.
Round characters — are usually the protagonists. They have more than just one trait. They are complex and at times complicated. They possess traits
that may even seem contradictory. Round characters seem very real to readers just like our friends, neighbors, family members, and colleagues.
D. According to Circumstance
Static characters — do not experience basic character changes through the course of the story. Dynamic characters — experience changes throughout
the development of the story. A dynamic character may undergo sudden changes but these are usually expected based on the events of the story.
 ELEMENTS OF FICTION
2. Setting — is the time and location that a story takes place. When examining how setting contributes to a story,
there are multiple aspects to consider:
a.) Place - Geographical location; where is the action of the story taking place?
b.) Time - Historical period, time of day, year, etc.; when is the story taking place?
c.) Weather conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc.?
d.) Social conditions - What is the daily life of the character's like? Does the story contain lo-cal color (writing that focuses on the speech,
dress, mannerisms, customs, etc. of a particular place)?
e.) Mood or atmosphere - What feeling is created at the beginning of the story? Cheerful or eerie?
3. Conflict — is an event, situation, or circumstance that shakes up a stable situation; it is a struggle between two
opposing forces. It propels the events of the story and raises the issues that must be resolved.
A. External conflict — arises between the character and an outside force Examples are con-flict against and the forces of nature, conflict
against other characters, and conflict against society.
a.1.) Character against Nature — an external struggle which positions the protagonist against an animal or force of nature
a.2.) Character against Character —characters against another characters
a.3.) Character against Society —struggles against ideas, practices, customs of others or man-made institution, such as the family, the
Church, Universities, the government and the mass media
a.4.) Character against circumstances—struggles against the situations—limitations, poverty,
accidents, etc. —that they are in
B. Internal conflict— arises within the character himself.
b.1.) Man against Self - a struggle that involves a character trying to overcome his or her own nature or make a choice between two or more
paths.
 ELEMENTS OF FICTION

4. Point of View (POV) — The angle from which the story is told. Who is the person telling the story? Through POV, the reader
follows the story and is introduced to the different environment, people and situations through the chosen perspective of the author.
First Person — The narrator is a character in the story who can reveal only personal thoughts and feelings and what he or she sees
and is told by other characters. He can’t tell us thoughts of other characters.
Objective first person—is narrated by a fictional character who plays minor part in the story or isn't present in the story at all.
Subjective first person—wherein the first person narrator is the main character or one of the main characters in the story
Second Person — Story told by a narrator who addresses the reader or some other assumed "you"; speaker uses pronouns "you",
"your", and "yours". The author gives the reader a certain level of experience to be one of the characters in the story. Ex: You wake
up to discover that you have been robbed of all of your worldly possessions.
Third Person—Story told by a narrator who sees all of the action; speaker uses the pronouns "he", "she", "it", "they", "his",
"hers", "its", and "theirs". This person may be a character in the story
Objective third person — wherein the narration simply describes what the characters do and say without giving the readers
access to their thoughts. It is like a video camera, minds about the characters feelings, thoughts, and motivations recording and
reporting everything it sees but allowing the readers to make up their own
Limited third person— wherein the narration uses third person pronouns, and like the omniscient, it gets inside the minds of
the characters, but the whole story is generally told from the point of view of only one character
Omniscient third person—wherein the narrator sees, knows, and usually reveals every-thing about the characters in the story.
It is godlike because like an all-powerful all-knowing deity, the narration can see into the hearts and minds of its characters,
revealing their most intimate secrets.
 ELEMENTS OF FICTION

5. Theme — refers to the central idea, the thesis, the message a story
conveys, or a generalization or an abstraction from it. It is the main idea
or underlying meaning of a literary work. A theme may be stated or
implied.
6. Plot or plot structure — is a sequence of events. The plot is a
planned, logical series of events having a beginning, middle, and end.
Plot structure gives shape to the different parts of a story just like the
framing of a house or the skeleton of the body.
 DIFFERENT LITERARY CONTEXTS
Biographical Context
It is a critical approach to literature in which information about an author’s life and back-ground
is used to better understand his works. A writer’s life may shed light on his or her literature and
the literature of the era. It is necessary to know about the author and the political, economical,
and sociological context of his times in order to truly understand his literature. It focuses on
links between a work’s content and the writer’s life: often use the writer’s intentions,
experiences, motives, or beliefs to interpret his/her literary texts (Matsuyama, 2013).
ANAK
By Freddie Aguilar

Sociocultural Context
Aside from understanding a literary text through a biographical perspective, it is also im-portant
to note the year or period it was written. Readers would be able to identify the historical events
that took place in that year. We would also find out the roots of an event’s cause and the rea-
sons behind the character’s motives and interests (Cuevas n.d.). The following are reasons to
read literature through sociocultural context (Gioia and Kennedy 2007):
UPUAN
By Gloc 9
 DIFFERENT LITERARY CONTEXTS

Linguistic Context
Linguistic context refers to the context within the discourse, that is, the relationship between the
words, phrases, sentences and even paragraphs (Song 2010).
According to David Richter, “Practically everything we do that is specifically human is ex-
pressed in language.” This is why literary texts can be read through the context of the language
used to write the text as well as the way language is used in the text. Reading through a
linguistic context focuses on the language used in the literary work and how it is used to convey
meaning (Cuevas n.d.).
Innocence of Things Past
by Emmanuel Lacaba
 Multimedia means that computer information can be represented through audio,
video, and animation in addition to traditional media (i.e., text, graphics drawings,
images). It is the field concerned with the computer controlled integration of text,
graphics, drawings, still and moving images (video), animation, audio, and any other
media where every type of information can be represented, stored, transmitted and
processed digitally. (Marshall 2001)
It represents a collection of multiple forms of media working in a coherent and
integrated way, hence the name — multimedia. This combination of data from
various sources working on the same objective has become a tremendous driving
force in our culture and has shaped the way we conceive reality. Any information we
can get our hands on can be categorized as multimedia. Anything from magazines,
television, computers, and the Internet is a form of multimedia as it employs various
inputs from multiple sources to bring a unified content to users. (Judy 2020)
 TYPES OF MULTIMEDIA

Judy 2020 writes about the basic types of multimedia:

1. Text is seen as probably one of the most frequently combined mediums in the colorful world of
multimedia. It started as a written message you wanted to send across to readers and has been one
of the key forms of communication in the world for ages. In multimedia, it is usually combined
with photographs and video presentations to augment these other forms of communication and
give a de-tailed description of them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkVZq72QHaQ
2. Audio files are a collection of sounds that can be added and combined with all other types of
media in a multitude of ways. First, audio files can function as musical backgrounds to images and
photographs, and even texts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZAnV0xx9P0 and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbLcnTkqhbw&list=RDYCtAzf6dHcI&index=3
3. Images and Photographs (Visual Representations) are probably one of the oldest forms of
media that date back to prehistory and the time of cave drawings. With the advent of civilization
and technology, images have first been combined with texts and printed in books and newspapers,
and are now seen in all forms of media. Icons or small photographs and pictures enhance written
documents and give them a unique edge and a powerful visual element.
 TYPES OF MULTIMEDIA

4. Video is a collection of moving pictures combined with audio files that provides one of the
most intensive multimedia experiences out there. Videos also include written texts, which means
that video material often combines more than two different types of media.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHeffRYnnys
5. Animation begins where images and photographs meet video material. One of the most
frequent types of animation seen on the web today are GIFs, otherwise known as graphic image
files that are in fact a simple collection of images that rapidly change, giving the illusion of
motion. These files are small, compact, and easily transferable, which is one of the reasons why
they dominate the world of the Internet today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY4L7D-
FoLA
6. PowerPoint is a presentation program developed by Microsoft. The software allows users to
create anything from basic slide shows to complex presentations. Commonly, it is used to create
busi-ness presentations, but can also be used for educational or informal purposes. The
presentations are comprised of slides, which may contain text, images, and other media, such as
audio clips and movies. Sound effects and animated transitions can also be included to add extra
appeal to the presentation. (Christensson 2008) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXinjIL7SKI
Adaptation refers to the process of translating a creative work from one medium to another: a novel adapted
into a film, for example. (Roberts 2016)

1. Vince and Kath and James is a Filipino Teen Romantic film directed by Theodore Boborol, starring Julia
Barretto, Joshua Garcia and Ronnie Alonte. It is based on the online series Vince and Kath written by Jenny
Ruth Almocera, that told the story of two lovestruck teens, Vince and Kath, through text messages. (Vince
and Kath and James 2017)
2. Diary ng Panget was a runaway hit when it was first published online via Wattpad where it garnered over 12
million reads on 2011 and was later the 4th novel in Wattpad to be published in the Philippines after She’s
Dating the Gangster, A Hundred and One Reasons, Fourteen Sundays last 2013. Viva Films announced their
acquisition of the title and it’s long-awaited film adaptation that was shown in March 2014. This is the first
movie adaptation of a story first published in Wattpad and was directed by Andoy Ranay. (Diary Ng Panget by
HaveYouSeenThisGirL 2020)
3. Darna was first conceptualized in 1947 by Mars Ravelo and Nestor Redondo. Initially, they created a female
superhero for Bulaklak comics—Varga. Ravelo’s daughter says that her father based her on images of
Superman. Over the years she appeared in Kenkoy, Liwayway, Kampeon, and Atlas comics. But the version
that would be the definitive “modern age version of Darna” began with the release of Mango comics’ three-
part mini series “Darna.” This version was what GMA network ulti-mately used for the highly rated Darna TV
series starring Angel Locsin. (Mars Ravelo's Darna n.d.)
 A literary adaptation is simply taking an existing
story and reworking it into a different genre, medium,
or perhaps temporal context. (Richards 2019) A
literary adaptation is a composition rewritten into a
new form. While a literary piece can stand alone as an
important creative work, it is retelling, refashioning,
and reworking something familiar to accomplish
something new. It uses a creative medium of your
choice (novel, play, musical or film) to make something
original more interesting and new. (Weigand, and Eigen
n.d.)
TYPES OF ADAPTATION
According to Watts 2020, there are four types or “levels” of adaptation:
a. “Museum” Adaptation is concerned with preserving every possible detail of the book exactly
how it exists in the book, just transferred to the film medium.
b. Artful Adaptation is where personal tastes tend to lean. This adaptation is most concerned
with finding balance between being true to its source material, and creating a film that can
stand on its own as a work of art. Rather than preserving every detail like a museum, this
adaptation finds the essential elements of the book and interprets them in ways that are
meaningful for the audience.
c. Loose Adaptation keeps a few elements or some semblance of the premise of the book it’s
based on, but then more or less does its own thing with them. It lacks of exact similarity to
its source material.
d. Transformative Adaptation is often seen in well-known classic works from the English literary
canon like “Cinderella.” This kind of adaptation sets their source works in a time period other
than that in which they were written, often in the contemporary era. They may also take
place in a different culture from the source work. Through changing the setting, transformative
adaptations seek to accentuate the timelessness and universality of their source works’ messages
and themes.
Poems:
• Huling Paalam
• Letter Pedro, US Citizen also Called Pete
• Isang Dapit Langit
• Third World Geography
• Youth Speaks
• Karaniwang Tao
• Mythology Class
• Balaki Ko ‘Day Samtang Nagsakay ‘Tag Habalhabal
• Sulat Alang Kang Berting
• Binangkal, Penelope
• Disgrasyada
• May mga Tugtuging Hindi Ko Malimot
• Anak
• Upuan
• Innocence of Things Past
Short Stories: Dramas:
• Maria Cacao
• New Yorker in Tondo
• Pagsusulutan nang Dalauang
Binibini na si Urbana at ni Feliza • Haram
• Dawn Breaking
• My Father’s Tragedy
• Sinigang
• Love in the Cornhusks
• Bingo
• Pamato
• The Witch
• Death into Manhood
• Tagu-taguan
• The Story of a Letter
• Walang Panginoon