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Topic: Literature as Significant Human
Experience
Reading/Discussions:
The human experience in literature contains
themes about life and society that are relatable to
readers. Foregrounding distracts the reader and
forces them to re-examine what they know about
a topic through unconventional language
choices.
Literature reflects human nature and a way we
can learn and relate to others. By reading
through a first-person perspective, we can fully
immerse ourselves into a different mindset and
figure out how others think and feel.
It also allows a person to step back in time and
learn about life on Earth from the ones who
walked before us. We can gather a better
understanding of culture and have a greater
appreciation of them. We learn through the ways
history is recorded, in the forms of manuscripts
and through speech itself.
People think that words do not mean anything to
anybody; but literature is a reflection of
the human experience because it allows people
to look back on their memories like the author
Harper Lee, allows writers to share
their experiences like Martin Luther King Jr.,
and it also allows the reader to learn a life
lesson.
Literature grows out of life, reacts upon life and
fed by life. Generally, we can say that
everything in print is literature. But this would
be a very vague description of literature. Broadly
speaking, “literature” is used to describe
anything from creative writing to more technical
or scientific works, but the term is most
commonly used to refer to works of the creative
imagination, including works of drama, essays,
fiction and nonfiction. Any work of art in which
the emotional content predominates is literature.
Literature is the expression of written words.
Literature is distinct from all other arts. It has no
medium of its own. Many mixed forms of
literature exist in it. Despite the definitions given
above, I feel that literature is beyond these
definitions, it is more than what we see and
perceive. Its boundaries cross our lives, our
traditions, culture, social relations, national unity
and a lot more. It serves as a reflection of reality,
a product of art, and window to an ideology,
everything that happens within a society can be
written, recorded in, and learned from the piece
of literature. Whether it be poetry or prose,
literature provides insight, knowledge, or
wisdom, and emotion towards the person who
partakes it entirely. Our life is manifested in the
form of literature. It is an embodiment of words
based on human tragedies, desires, and feelings.
It cultivates wonders, inspires a generation and
feeds information. Even though it is dynamic,
endless, multi-dimensional, literature contributes
significant purpose to world we live in. The
world today is ever-changing. Never before has
life been so chaotic and challenging for all. Life
before literature was practical and predictable,
but in present day, literature has expanded into
countless libraries and into minds of many as the
gateway for comprehension and curiosity of the
human mind and the world around them.
Literature is of great importance and is studied
upon as it provides the ability to connect human
relationships, and define what is right and what
is wrong. Literature is the foundation of life. It
places an emphasis on many topics from human
tragedies to tales of ever popular search for love.
While it is physically written in words, these
words come alive in the imagination of the
mind, and its ability to comprehend the
complexity or simplicity of the text. Literature
enables the people to see through the lenses of
others, and sometimes even inanimate objects;
therefore, it becomes a looking glass into the
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world as others view. It is a journey that is
inscribed in pages, and powered by the
imagination of the reader. Ultimately, literature
has provided a gateway to teach the reader about
life experiences from even the saddest stories to
the most joyful ones that will touch their hearts.
Examples: Literature has a lot of benefits to
people, it exposes high school students to the
different vocabulary, sentence structure,
imagery, and narrative than textbooks do. This
can give them a boost in creativity and can
encourage them to pursue new lines of reasoning
and a deeper thought process.
When students study Literature, they learn to
appreciate words and their power. They travel to
other realms and times through the texts they
read. They understand about their own culture
and others'. They learn to empathise with
characters, to feel their joys and pain.
References:
http://data.conferenceworld.in/NCCW/P129-
134.pdf
Topic: Purposes of Literature
Reading/Discussions:
Literature is any written work that
deals with man and his experiences
expressed in artistic, imaginative, creative,
and meaningful languages. According to
Iris Mutdoch (The Listener, 1978), literature
could be said to be a sort of disciplined
technique for arousing certain emotions. It
allows an individual to meet a lot of people,
to know other different points of view, ideas,
thoughts, minds and possibly to have a depth
of knowledge to himself/herself.
Literature serves as a gateway to
learning of the past and expanding the
knowledge and understanding of the world.
Thus, we can assume that literature is
important as the life itself. For instance,
from a very young age, many of us are
exposed to literature like story books and
picture books. Our imaginations are already
explored and as we grow older, we delved
into other genres of books that can satisfy
our curiosity to a certain subject.
One of the purposes of literature is
to provide entertainment and pleasure.
Physically speaking, it is impossible to be
someone else and to switch bodies with
another person. Literature, as an alternative,
allows us to understand another person's
feelings, experiences and perspectives. It can
also act as a time machine that enables us to
live in a specific period of time. For
example, a novel about a war, written in the
perspective of a soldier, allows us to
envision their memories, their pain, and their
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emotions without actually being that person.
Reading a material that is relatable to us be
it fiction and non-fiction, it allows us to see
the world in a fresh pair of eyes where we
can be reflective about life and have a better
judgement that we can apply and practice in
our lives.
According to the book of
Literature and Language Teaching, using
literature in language classroom is
important. It helps students to build their
writing skills, develops their interpretative
abilities and encourages them to talk about
their opinions and feelings. Literature
exposes students to the different vocabulary,
sentence structure, imagery, and narratives.
These can encourage them to learn more
about grammars, reasoning and expand their
writing and reading skills. It provides
growth, strengthens their minds, and gives
them the ability to think outside the box.
The great contribution of literature
is it can be a key to leap in the past. History
and literature are entwined with each
other. Since the world today is ever-
changing and people have changed largely,
the things that exist in the past may not exist
in the present and to the future but with
literature we can understand and experience
these things. In particular, the history books
that we read in school or even fiction books
that display and introduces our cultures and
beliefs.
Examples:
One thing that we can apply this
lesson or specifically the purposes of
literature is how important the Philippine
literature in our lives. "Literature is very
important to the lives of every Filipino
because it represents the Filipino identity as
a community and as a nation" (Allan Avena,
Filipino Language and Culture Teacher,
2019). For example, the books of Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo written by
Jose Rizal, both aims to enlighten the
Filipinos about the Philippines during
Spanish colonial era. They portray the
different aspects of gaining independence,
social climbers, abusive power and also give
insights of the culture, traditions and
characteristics of the Filipino.
Another is literature provides
entertainment and limitless imagination.
Many young adults tend to express their
feelings and emotions through writing
stories, songs and poems. Some are seeking
comfort and sense of belongingness through
reading novels and books with their
preferred genres as they can identify
similarities between themselves and
characters. They feel more connected to and
invested in the stories surrounding the
people and events they’re learning about.
Reading is really fun as we can learn and get
to know people that we might not meet in
real life.
References:
William, A. (n.d). Importance of Literature:
Essay. Retrieved from
https://schoolworkhelper.net/importance-of-
literature-essay/
Breanna, S. (July 1, 2020). 7 Reasons Why
Literature Is So Important. Retrived from
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https://www.theodysseyonline.com/7-
reasons-why-literature-is-so-important
Lazar, G. (2009). Literature and Language
Teaching. United Kingdom at the University
Press, Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
Topic: Prose vs. Poetry vs. Drama
Reading/Discussions:
PROSE
Prose is a form of language that has no
formal metrical structure. It applies a natural
flow of speech, and ordinary grammatical
structure, rather than rhythmic structure,
such as in the case of traditional poetry.
Normal everyday speech is spoken in prose,
and most people think and write in prose
form. Prose comprises of full grammatical
sentences, which consist of paragraphs, and
forgoes aesthetic appeal in favour of clear,
straightforward language.
Prose is verbal or written language that
follows the natural flow of speech. It is the
most common form of writing, used in both
fiction and non-fiction. Prose comes from
the Latin “prosa oratio,” meaning
“straightforward.”
EXAMPLES OF PROSE
Prose Example 1. The Hunger Games, by
Suzanne Collins, is a prose novel.
Prose Example 2. “Cinderella” is a prose
fairy tale.
Prose Example 3. “The Yellow Wallpaper”
is a prose story by Charlotte Gilman Perkins.
Prose Example 4. “The State of the Union
Address” is a prose speech delivered early in
the year by the sitting president of the
United States.
Prose Example 5. “The Declaration of
Independence” is a prose document signed
by prominent American colonists who
wished no longer to be under British rule.
4 COMMON TYPES OF PROSE
Prose can vary depending according to style
and purpose. There are four distinct types of
prose that writers use:
1. Nonfictional prose. Prose that is a
true story or factual account of
events or information is nonfiction.
Textbooks, newspaper articles, and
instruction manuals all fall into this
category.
2. Fictional prose. A literary work of
fiction. This is the most popular type
of literary prose, used in novels and
short stories, and generally has
characters, plot, setting, and
dialogue.
3. Heroic prose. A literary work that is
either written down or preserved
through oral tradition, but is meant to
be recited. Heroic prose is usually a
legend or fable.
4. Prose poetry. Poetry written in
prose form. This literary hybrid can
sometimes have rhythmic and
rhyming patterns.
FUNCTIONS OF PROSE
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George Orwell was known for his attitude
toward plain language. He once said:
“Never use a long word where a short one
will do.” Prose can also:
 Fulfil a story’s promise. In
literature, the basic purpose of prose
in writing is to convey an idea,
deliver information, or tell a story.
Prose is the way a writer fulfils her
basic promise to a reader to deliver a
story with characters, setting,
conflict, a plot, and a final payoff.
 Create a voice. Each writer has their
own way of using language, called a
writer’s voice. Using prose in
different ways helps writers craft and
show off this voice.
 Builds rapport through
familiarity. Prose is often
conversational in tone. This
familiarity helps connect readers to a
story and its characters.
POETRY
Poetry is the expression of ideas and
feelings through a rhythmical composition
of imaginative and beautiful words selected
for their sonorous effects. Poetry refers to a
higher quality of language – a form of
language that can evoke great depth of
feeling and provoke new insights through
imaginative and beautiful language.
Not all rhyming, rhythmical language merits
the label of poetry. Verse is a language form
in which simple thoughts or stories are told
in rhyme with a distinct beat or meter.
Mother Goose and nursery rhymes are good
examples of well-known, simple verses for
children. Jingle a catch repetition of sounds
heard so often in commercials.
Example of Verse
BAA, BAA, BLACK SHEEP
By Mother Goose
Baa, baa, black sheep
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.
One for the master,
And one for the dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.
Traditional poetry has rhyme and rhythm
which may determine its lines and stanzas.
Other poems have less restricted structure
with the use of free verse and therefore,
place no constraints on the rhythm or length
of lines. However, most poems incorporate
the basic elements of imagery, tone,
figurative language, vividness, and
precisions of words. Poems started out in the
form of chant or story-song performed
during ceremonial and festive occasions.
FUNCTIONS OF POETRY
 With the meaning as centre of all
poetic language, a poem expresses a
range of emotions and releases
feelings that are otherwise choking
out the unconscious. Therefore, it
can be said that poetry provides
catharsis for human emotions.
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 In its syntax, rhythm and figurative Ornaments against the sky.

language, poetry serves to stimulate Ears like leaves
the mind, which is not satisfied with To hear the silken
word associations alone. Brushing of the clouds.
 Poetry bridges the gap between
human and divine as it is steeped in
ancient man’s desire to be united
with a universal force or a supreme
being, as some would put it.

 NARRATIVE POEMS tells a story

According to types based on general intent
or includes a sequence of events
and nature, poetry may be classified under
Example:
the following MAIN DIVISIONS:
THE BROKEN LEGG’D MAN
 LYRIC POEMS are highly musical,
John Mackey Shaw (1967)
expressing feelings and observations
I saw the other day when I went shopping in
of a single person about a particular the store
subject. It captures a moment, a
A man I hadn't ever, ever seen in there
feeling, or a scene, and is descriptive before,
in nature.
A man whose leg was broken and who
Example: leaned upon a crutch-
I asked him very kindly if it hurt him very
GIRAFFES by Sy Kahn (1967) much.
Stilted creatures, "Not at all!" said the broken-legg'd man.
Features fashioned as a joke,
Boned and buckled, I ran around behind him for I thought that I
Finger painted, would see
They stand in the field The broken leg all bandaged up and bent
On long-pronged legs back at the knee;
As if thrust there. But I didn't see the leg at all, there wasn't
They airily feed, any there,
Slightly swaying, So I asked him very kindly if he had it hid
Like hammer-headed flowers. somewhere.
"Not at all!" said the broken-legg'd man.
Bizarre they are,
Built silent and high,
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"Then where," I asked him, "is it? Did a
tiger bite it off?
Or did you get your foot wet when you had a
nasty cough?
Did someone jump down on your leg when
it was very new?
Or did you simply cut it off because you
wanted to?"
"Not at all!" said the broken-legg'd man.
"What was it then?" I asked the and this is
what he said:
"I crossed a busy crossing when the traffic
light was red;
A big black car came whizzing by and
knocked me off my feet."
"Of course you looked both ways," I said,
"before you crossed the street."
"Not at all!" said the broken-legg'd man.
"They rushed me to the hospital right
quickly," he went on,
"And when I woke in nice white sheets I
saw my leg was gone;
That's why you see me walking now on
nothing but a crutch."
"I'm glad," said I, "you told me, and I thank
you very much!"
"Not at all!" said the broken-legg'd man.
Poetry can also be categorized by its poetic
form, which refers to the way the poem is
structured or put together. Couplets, tercets,
quatrains, and cinquains refer to the
number (two, three, four, and five) of lines
of poetry in a stanza – a set of lines of poetry
grouped together.
Example of Cinquain:
STAR
Star
Hot, radiant
Shining, burning, exploding
It gives life to everything
Sun
Other specific poetic forms are limericks,
ballads, haiku, free verse, and concrete
poetry.
ELEMENTS OF POETRY
 MEANING. Meaning is the underlying
idea, feeling, or mood expressed through
the poem. The meaning of the poem is
the expressed or implied message the
poet conveys.
 RHYTHM. Refers to the occurrence of
a pattern of beats or stresses in spoken or
written language.
 SOUND PATTERNS. Sound patterns
are made by repeated sounds and
combination of sounds in the words.
Words, phrases, or lines are sometimes
repeated in their entirely. Also, parts of
words may be repeated, as with rhyme.
 FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE.
Figurative language takes many different
forms, but it involves comparing or
contrasting one object, idea, or feeling
with another one.
 IMAGERY. An attempt of the writers
to concretize abstract ideas and
emotions. Images in poetry generally
mean ‘a word or sequence of words that
appeal to any sensory experience
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appealing to sight(visual), sound make use of

(auditory), touch (tactile), smell rhyme at all.
(olfactory), and taste (gustatory)’. 5. Uses paragraphs
and sentences
that have proper
grammar and
mechanics.

Prose possesses rhythm, but it is not as

marked and regular as in poetry. Both prose
and poetry can stir the emotion as well as the
DISTINCTION BETWEEN POETRY
intellect and can convey information as well
AND PROSE
as pleasure.
POETRY PROSE DRAMA
1. Poetry expresses 1. Prose is
a strong emotion generally In literature, a drama is the portrayal of
or a lofty thought concerned with fictional or non-fictional events through the
in a compressed the presentation performance of written dialog (either prose
and intense of an idea, or poetry). Dramas can be performed on
utterance. concept or point stage, on film, or the radio. Dramas are
2. The main of view in a typically called plays, and their creators are
purpose of more ordinary known as “playwrights” or “dramatists.”
poetry is to and leisurely
provide pleasure manner.
and delight. 2. The main
3. In general, the purpose of prose
appeal of poetry is to furnish
is to the emotion information,
and the instruction and
imagination. pleasure would
Performed since the days of Aristotle (c. 335
4. Poetry may or be found in a
BCE), the term “drama” comes from the
may not use single work.
Greek words δρᾶμα (an act, a play) and
rhyme. 3. In general, the
δράω (to act, to take action). The two
5. Poetry contains appeal of prose
iconic masks of drama—the laughing face
lines and stanzas. is primarily to
and the crying face—are the symbols of two
the intellect.
of the ancient Greek Muses: Thalia, the
4. Prose does not
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Muse of comedy and Melpomene, the Muse characters intentionally overact and
of tragedy. engage in slapstick or physical
humour.
TYPES OF DRAMA
 MELODRAMA: An exaggerated
Dramatic performances are generally form of drama, melodramas depict
classified into specific categories according classic one-dimensional characters
to the mood, tone, and actions depicted in such as heroes, heroines, and villains
the plot. Some popular types of drama dealing with sensational, romantic,
include: and often perilous situations.
 OPERA: This versatile genre of
 COMEDY: Lighter in tone,
drama combines theatre, dialogue,
comedies are intended to make the
music, and dance to tell grand stories
audience laugh and usually come to a
of tragedy or comedy. Since
happy ending. Comedies place
characters express their feelings and
offbeat characters in unusual
intentions through song rather than
situations causing them to do and say
dialogue, performers must be both
funny things. Comedy can also be
skilled actors and singers.
sarcastic in nature, poking fun at
 DOCUDRAMA: A relatively new
serious topics. There are also several
genre, docudramas are dramatic
sub-genres of comedy, including
portrayals of historic events or non-
romantic comedy, sentimental
fictional situations. It is more often
comedy, a comedy of manners, and
presented in movies and television
tragic comedy—plays in which the
than in live theatre.
characters take on tragedy with
humour in bringing serious situations
to happy endings.
EXAMPLE OF COMEDY AND
 TRAGEDY: Based on darker
TRAGEDY
themes, tragedies portray serious
subjects like death, disaster, and Perhaps no two plays better illustrate the
human suffering in a dignified and juxtaposition of the masks of drama—
thought-provoking way. Rarely comedy and tragedy—than these two
enjoying happy endings, characters William Shakespeare classics.
in tragedies, are often burdened by
 COMEDY: MUCH ADO ABOUT
tragic character flaws that ultimately
NOTHING. Much Ado About
lead to their demise.
Nothing is the most frequently
 FARCE: Featuring exaggerated or
performed Shakespearian comedy in
absurd forms of comedy, a farce is a
modern times. The play is
nonsensical genre of drama in which
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romantically funny, in that love FUNCTION OF DRAMA

between Hero and Claudio is
laughable, as they never even get a
single chance to communicate on-
stage until they get married. Their
relationship lacks development and
depth. They end up merely as
caricatures, exemplifying what
people face in life when their
relationships are internally weak.
Love between Benedick and Beatrice
is amusing, as initially their
communications are very sparky, and
they hate each other. However, they
all of sudden make up, and start
loving each other.
 TRAGEDY: ROMEO AND
JULIET. Young lovers live
anything but happily ever after in
Shakespeare’s unforgettable tragedy
Romeo and Juliet. In what is still one
of the most-performed plays in
history, the love between Romeo and
Juliet is doomed by the raging feud
between their families, the
Montagues and the Capulets. The
night before the star-crossed lovers
are secretly married, Romeo kills
Juliet's cousin in a duel, and Juliet
fakes her own death to avoid being
forced by her parents to marry a
family friend. Unaware of Juliet’s
plan, Romeo visits her grave and,
believing she is dead, kills himself.
When she learns of Romeo’s death,
Juliet truly does kill herself.
Drama is one of the best literary
forms through which dramatists can directly
speak to their readers, or the audience, and
they can receive instant feedback of
audiences. A few dramatists use their
characters as a vehicle to convey their
thoughts and values, such as poets do with
personas, and novelists do with narrators.
Since drama uses spoken words and
dialogues, thus language of characters plays
a vital role, as it may give clues to their
feelings, personalities, backgrounds, and
change in feelings. In dramas the characters
live out a story without any comments of the
author, providing the audience a direct
presentation of characters’ life experiences.
ELEMENTS OF DRAMA
The elements of fiction plot,
character, setting, conflict, and theme can
be applied to drama. An additional concept
to consider relating to the plot of a play is
the common convention of the play
beginning in the middle of the action. The
Greeks referred to this convention as “in
medias res” literally “in the midst of
things”. A literary advantage for drama
beginning in medias res is that without an
exposition, the dramatic tension and conflict
is presented immediately to the audience,
which is more conducive to live
performance.
An act is a major division in the
action of the play, often used to demarcate
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key parts of the plot. Plays may have only
one or as many as five or more acts. A scene
is a smaller unit within an act, often
signalled by the entrance or exit of a
character or change in setting or focus of the
action.
When analysing character, the terms
dialogue, monologue, and soliloquy take on
increased importance. Conversation between
two or more characters is referred to as
dialogue (usually the majority of speech in
plays consists of dialogue). A monologue is
when one character delivers a speech to
convey his or her thoughts, although other
characters may remain on stage in scene.
Similar to a monologue, a soliloquy is a
speech made by one character but delivered
when he or she is alone on stage. Knowing
the root words of each term can help clarify
the distinction. Monologue comes from the
Greek ‘wordsmonos’ (single) and ‘legein’
(to speak); soliloquy comes from the Latin
words ‘solus’ (alone) and ‘Ioqui’ (to
speak).
Clearly the setting of a play takes on
extra importance as readers can pay close
attention to the staging, costuming, and
other directorial notes included in the text of
the play. For example, the content of one
scene can be set in an incongruous location
or a character might be wearing a costume
that contradicts the actions he is performing,
thus resulting in dramatic irony.
Understanding the subtleties between what
is written as dialogue to be spoken by the
actors and what is written to be gestured or
achieved through lighting, scenery,
costumes, props, and other elements of
staging is critical for interpreting the
meaning of a given scene. (The professional
term for staging a character’s movements
and position on the stage is known as
blocking.)
References:
Canal, D. & De Guzman, D. (1998). English for
Secondary Schools: Revised Edition. Quezon City:
FnB Educational, Inc.
Courses.lumenlearning.com. n.d. Elements Of Drama
| Literature For The Humanities. [online] Available
at: <https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-fscj-
literatureforhumanities/chapter/elements-of-drama/>.
Kirszner, L & Mandell, S. (2004). Literature:
Reading Reacting and Writing 5th edition. United
States: Thomson Heinle
Literary Devices. n.d. Drama - Examples And
Definition Of Drama. [online] Available at:
<https://literarydevices.net/drama/>
Literary Devices. n.d. Prose - Examples And
Definition Of Prose. [online] Available at:
<https://literarydevices.net/prose/> .
Longley, Robert. (2020, August 27). What Is Drama?
Literary Definition and Examples. Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/drama-literary-
definition-4171972
Lynch-Brown, C. and Tomlinson, C., 1999.
Essentials Of Children's Literature. 3rd ed. [ebook]
Needham Heights: Viacom Company, pp.41-60.
Available at:
<http://staff.uny.ac.id/sites/default/files/pendidikan/el
se-liliani-ssmhum/essentialsofchildrensliterature.pdf>
.
masterclass.com. 2019. What Is Prose? Learn About
The Differences Between Prose And Poetry With
Examples Written By Masterclass. [online] Available
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at: <https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-
prose-learn-about-the-differences-between-prose-
and-poetry-with-examples#what-is-prose> .

Reading Worksheets, Spelling, Grammar,

Comprehension, Lesson Plans. Prose | Prose
Definition And Prose Examples. [online] Available
at: <https://www.k12reader.com/term/prose/> .

// End of Module 1