• Creative Literature
UNIT I: READING ACADEMIC TEXTS
Reading (p.1)
• One of the primary requirements in order to
succeed in the academic world
• People read to understand the context of what is
written/read, entertain themselves, inform
themselves/others
• Good reading = good writing
• Receiving or taking in the sense of (letters, symbols,
etc.) especially by sight or touch (dictionary
definition)
• Uttering aloud the printed or written words
• Requires:
o Recognition – a process where a person is
identifying the words in print
o Comprehension – a process where a person is
constructing an understanding from the words in
print
o Fluency – an achievement that is coordinating
identifying words and making meaning so that
reading is automatic and accurate
Critical Reading
• Being inquisitive, being open-minded
• Evaluating statements: examining facts and check for
gaps and inconsistencies
• Evaluating the credibility of the author
Critical Reading of Texts (p.3)
• Critical Reading
o Involves interacting with the text by taking down
notes, making annotations, discussing the content
of the book with others/offering opinions about
the book, and the like
• Academic Text
o Material that is specifically used by students in
the classroom
o Material found to be useful and applicable in a
particular field of study
A.G.
o Identified by an emphasis on narrative craft,
character development, and the use of literary
tropes or with various traditions of poetry and
poetics (Wikipedia).
The Process of Critical Reading (p.3)
• Before Reading
• While Reading
• After Reading
• Active Reading
• Passive Reading
• Active, Critical Reading
Strategies for Reading Academic Texts (p.4-6)
A. Before Reading
1) Think about the reasons for reading the text
2) Look at the titles, subheadings, photos, drawings,
etc.
3) Think about what is already known about the
topic
4) Write down what is not yet known about the
topic
5) Make a note of words/terms related to the
topic that might be in the text
6) Make use of the KWL Chart (Know, What to
know, Learned)
7) Critical Reading Questionnaire – helpful in aiding
students familiarize themselves w/ the text
through the questions
8) Skimming and Scanning
i. Skimming - reading rapidly to get a
general overview of the material
ii. Scanning - reading rapidly to find specific
facts
B. While Reading
1) Survey the text
2) Identify the purpose of reading
3) Write down the main ideas and the first reaction
to the text in 1-2 sentences
4) Do a second reading/Take notes of the
vocabulary and difficult sentences
i. Context Clues
 1. Hints found within a Differences (A.W. VS C.W.)
sentence/paragraph/ passage that a • Strategies employed
reader can use to understand the • Development of tone
meanings of new or unfamiliar words. • Development of style
2. Word parts • Content
3. Definition or explanation/in form of o A.W.: Facts pertaining to a specific topic,
appositives investigation/experimentation in the sciences,
4. Synonym technology, industry, and business
5. Antonym/Contrast o C.W.: Life experiences; problems of human
6. Analogy existence; desires of the human heart
5) Helpful for students to make annotations • Purpose
6) Understand difficult sentences o A.W.: Give information, instructions, and direction;
i. Identify the subject, verbs, and objects used as basis for actions and decisions
ii. Underline key/reference words o C.W.: Entertain/amuse; give lessons; change
iii. Use markers and connectives (transitions) outlook in life; transport the spiritual being to a
higher level
C. After Reading
• Language
1) Make a list of new words which will be useful in
o A.W.: Standard English (observe basic rules of
the future (vocabulary)
grammar, adopt technical/scientific
2) Evaluate what has been read
terminologies)
3) Make a concept map
o C.W.: Figures of speech; imagery; connotative
4) Outline
meaning
Academic Texts VS Creative Literature • Appeal
Similarities (A.W. VS C.W.) o A.W.: reason and intellect
Writing Process o C.W.: senses and emotions
• A series of basic steps that lead to an organized
Structure of Academic Texts
thought communicated to a reader
Structure
• Process:
• Usually depends on the academic discipline in which
it is used
Prewriting Drafting Revision • Distinctive patterns can be found in different
disciplines
• Types of Structures:
A. Thesis Structure
Editing Publication
• Basic pattern in writing
• Occurs in a large number of intelligent, well
Basic principles of: and lesser-known books and essays in West
• Unity Lit
• Coherence & Cohesion • Writer presents own primary argument
Applied for both creative
• Organization about an important subject
and academic writing
• Language Use • Writer presents reasons and supporting
• Mechanics details to prove their argument is true

A.G.
 • Format:
i. Introduction
1. 1st paragraph/1st chapter
2. Contains the main argument, most
often at the beginning/at the end
ii. Body
1. Usually starts with a topic
sentence/paragraph
2. Each body section states a new
reason why the main argument is
true
3. Details/specifics supporting the
reason are added
iii. Conclusion
1. Final paragraph/chapter
2. Restatement of the main
argument
3. Summary of the important points
B. Problems-and-Solutions Structure
• Offers argument
• Writer’s main thesis/argument is presented
as an overall solution to 1/more problems
• Writer presents a series of problems;
several possible solutions
• Final paragraphs of essay give the
solution/s the writer proposes (usually)
• Final paragraphs will be reserved for
explaining why no solution seems possible
at present (occasionally)
• Format:
i. Introduction
1. 1st paragraph/1st chapter
2. Contains the overall solution or
one/more major problems
ii. First Point
1. Usually starts with a topic sentence
2. Each point may contain a lone
problem and a possible
solution/solution in detail
iii. Second Point
iv. Third, Fourth, Fifth, etc.
A.G.
v. Final Solution/Resolution of Problem
vi. Conclusion (same w/ A)
C. Factual-Report Structure
• Other most typical writing structure
• May be useful in doing research
• Are supposed to offer only facts but may
offer a biased version of factual reality
• Format:
i. Introduction
1. 1st paragraph/1st chapter
2. Contains the main subject, most
often at the beginning/at the end
ii. First Body Section
1. Factual report
2. Divided into several sections
3. Each main body section usually
starts with a topic
sentence/paragraph that states
the new subsection of the factual
information being conveyed
iii. Second Body Section
1. Second subsection of the subject
with explanatory details
iv. Third, Fourth, Fifth, etc.
v. Conclusion
1. Final paragraph/chapter
2. Summary of the subject
3. May suggest possible
argumentative conclusions based
on the facts
Thesis Statement
• A sentence in the text that tells the reader what the
writer is going to talk about in their article
• Clear and organized texts have a well-defined and
recognizable thesis statement
• A road map: gives the reader an overview of how
the writer organized his/her thoughts throughout the
essay
• Usually, the last sentence of the introduction
Thesis Statement VS Topic Sentence
• Thesis statement - tells what the whole paper is
about
• Topic sentence - shows only what the paragraph it is
attached to is about
Formula of a Thesis Statement
The thesis statement can be broken down into 2 parts:
1. Claim/Main Argument
2. Points/Reasons
Paraphrasing
• Writing the text in own words and must include the
important details in the original text
• Helpful way of checking if the reader has a good
grasp about the article read
• Retelling of the original without comprising meaning
and content
• One valid (i.e., legal) way of borrowing someone’s
idea
• A restatement which focuses concisely on a single
main idea
Strategies for Effective Paraphrasing
• Put the information in a new order
• Break down complex ideas into smaller pieces
• Use different vocabulary
• Consult a thesaurus if necessary
• Accurately represent the author.
• Imagine that you are explaining the material to a
friend who doesn’t understand it well
Steps to Effective Paraphrasing
1. Read and reread the original passage until you
understand its full meaning/jot down key words and
phrases
2. Set the original aside and write your paraphrase
3. Use quotation marks to identify any unique
term/phraseology you have borrowed exactly from
the source
4. Check your version with the original to make sure
that your own work accurately expresses all the
essential information
A.G.
5. Record the source (including the page) on your
notes so that you can credit it easily later
Summarizing
• A synthesis of the key ideas of a piece of writing,
restated in your own words (i.e., paraphrased)
• Distilling essential concepts into a paragraph/two
• Two aims:
o To reproduce the overarching ideas in a text,
identifying the general concepts
o To express these overarching ideas using
precise, specific language
How to Summarize
• Include the title and identify the author in your first
sentence.
• First sentence/two of your summary should contain
the author’s thesis/central concept stated in your own
words
• Write a sentence/two to cover the key ideas in each
section
• Omit minor details and specific examples but be
careful not to misrepresent the author’s discussion
• Avoid writing opinions/personal responses in your
summaries.
• Be careful not to plagiarize the author’s words.
UNIT II: WRITING THE REACTION
PAPER/REVIEW/CRITIQUE
Reaction Paper/Response Paper
• Requires writers to analyze a manuscript/text/film/an
experience
• Gives comments about what is seen/heard, explains
feelings and thoughts about an issue
• Doesn’t follow a rigid structure
• Aim: Persuade readers to accept or agree with the
writer’s opinion
• Focus is the student’s thoughts or feelings in response
to ideas read in a book or article or perhaps, heard
in a lecture, a movie, a performance
 • Requires the student to carefully consider what they • Descriptions of landmasses, bodies of
think or feel water, and political boundaries all over
the globe
A. Forming Opinions Based on Facts
Opinions
d. Statistics
• Personal and subjective
• Facts in numerical form
• May be credible and have the power to convince
• May include demographic information in
others
number form
• Can be based on facts to have a better convincing
• Results of surveys on predetermined
power
variables (sex, economic status,
I. Citing Facts
educational attainment, professional, age
a. Fact
brackets, and the like)
• Information declared as true and
verifiable
I. Giving Opinions
• Knowledge based on real occurrences
a. Opinion
• Something demonstrated to exist/known
• Statement of a personal belief/view -
to have existed
normally subjective
• Used in researches/studies
• Cannot be verified (not a fact)
• Bases of sound, logical and rational
• Based on a person’s perspective, emotions,
conclusions
or individual understanding of something
• Since they are true, they’re not debatable
• Product of a person’s own perception
if their cited sources aren’t credible
• Debatable
• Opinions can change other people’s views
II. Different Categories of Facts
depending on how well they are
a. Historical Truths
supported by facts
• Generally accepted as common
• Indications of Opinions:
knowledge of past
1. In my opinion
• Come from books and references that
2. I am of the opinion that/I take the
have been accepted as credible
view that
throughout the years
3. My personal view is that
• Dates, events, people
4. In my experience
5. As far as I understand/can see
b. Scientific Facts
6. As I see it/From my point of view
• Product of years of the scientific process
7. As far as I know/From what I know
of proving and disproving information
8. I might be wrong but
• Descriptions of living and non-living things
9. It seems to me that
• True statement accepted by the science
10. I believe one can (safely) say
community
• Product applying the scientific process—
can be proven correct through
observation and experimentation
c. Geographical Truths
• Statements based on geography
A.G.
 II. Distinguishing Facts from Opinions
a. Fact
• Something that has actually happened or
that is empirically true and can be
supported by evidence
• An individual’s perception or personal
assessment of what is heard, seen, or felt
about the things and events in the
environment
b. Opinion
• Simply an individual’s perception/personal
assessment of what s/he hears, sees, or
feels about the things and events around
him/her
III. Subjective and Objectives
a. Something is a fact if it matches objective
reality
b. For something to be objective, it must be
outside of the mind and not be based on
feelings or biases
c. Opinion is what an individual thinks or
feels about a subject
d. Opinions are subject to debate
e. Facts serve as more credible evidences,
and therefore have better ability to
convince others
f. Ex.
• Subjective: “I am sad.”
• Objective: “Samara said that she was
sad.”
B. Citing Specific Sources to Support Claims
• Opinions have a greater credibility and power to
convince others if the source of its facts is cited
• Citations of books and periodicals must name the
author and the year of publication
• By failing to cite one’s sources, the claims will
remain as mere opinions and cannot settle the
argument
• Without sources, the validity of your statements
can be questioned
A.G.
I. Quotations
a. Exact statements done by others
b. Can be an actual statement spoken by
another person, a line from a
poem/document.
c. Proper way to introduce a quotation is:
“According to Source X, “[direct quotation]”
(date or page #)
II. Facts
a. True and verifiable can come in several
forms to include statistical reports
III. Paraphrase
a. Re-statement of what has been said by others
verbally/written form as in books
C. Presenting Ideas Convincingly
I. Assumptive Adverb Opener
a. Make the statement appear as common
knowledge by beginning the statement with an
assumptive adverb
b. Obviously, naturally, evidently, clearly, of
course
c. Assumptive adverb trivializes the statement,
effectively saying 'this is so obvious, only a
fool would disagree.’ This suggestion puts the
listener into a difficult position, where to
contradict the statement is to indirectly admit
stupidity
d. Start with a statement that you want to be
accepted without question, then follow up with
a statement that is desirable and easily
accepted
e. Start with a statement that is easy to accept
and follow up with the statement you want
people to accept
II. Experiential Language Method
a. Tell how a written output is personally
experienced
b. Describe what was seen, heard, or directly
sensed without really analyzing/interpreting it
 c. Talk about how it feels - whether happy, sad, IV. Perceptual Language
ecstatic, angry, disappointed, etc. a. Write about what is perceived and NOT assert
d. Experiential language is powerful because it what it is (perception rather than assertion)
puts the writer in a position that others cannot b. Make use of words that will show the readers
deny the writer’s claims as she/he is the sole what was seen, tasted, felt, smelled, and heard
authority over those experiences, feelings, and c. The writer talks about what he/she perceives
thoughts rather than what “is”
e. Involves the description of how the writer is d. Helps the writer avoid arguments
personally experiencing the things around
PERCEPTION WORDS EXAMPLES
him/her
Visual Appear, look like. notice
f. Link your experience to people and things in
the world, showing the cause-effect Auditory Sound, hear
relationship; for example, how what others say Thinking Seem, think
and do affects you Feeling Feel like, enjoy

III. Intensifier Method D. Using the Appropriate Language for a Specific

a. Increase the effect of the verb/adjective by Discipline
using an adverb that intensifies the meaning I. Each discipline has its own specialized vocabulary
especially the emotional content II. Using the most suitable/fitting word in any
b. May be the other way around if the natural communication situation is very important
emotional content is de-intensified using III. A sign that a writer has gained truly communicative
adverbs that deny/negate competence in using a particular language
c. Intensifiers Suggests to the reader what to feel IV. Principle is to use the vocabulary of a particular
by expressing the emotion within the adverb discipline in which that paper fits into
d. Interesting way to intensify positive verbs using
negative words: E. Raising Legitimate, Contrary Views in an Appropriate
i. Awfully, dreadfully, fearfully, terribly, Manner
ridiculously, insanely, disgustingly, I. Hedging
hideously, etc. a. Use of words/phrases that tone down
INTENSIFIER MEANING statements in order to lessen the risk of
1. Very To a high degree opposition and minimize the threat to another
Quite A great amount person’s face
Really b. Helps writers sound polite and less aggressive
even if they are actually going against the
2. Rather To some degree
Somewhat To a certain extent claim of another
c. Types:
3. Not Negates the presence of the quality
i. Modal Auxiliaries
Never Denies the action
1. Express the subjunctive mood
(desire/wish/possibility/probability)
2. Ex: can, could, may, might, shall,
should, must, have to, has to, would,
would like, would want
A.G.
 ii. Modal Lexical Verbs
1. Express the probability of a
proposition
2. Ex. Seem, suggest, advise, wish,
propose, recommend, believe
iii. Approximators
1. Adverbs expressing vaguely quantity,
degree, frequency, and time
2. Ex.:
a. about 20 years, many detractors
(quantity)
b. quite negligent, somewhat clear
(degree)
c. occasionally, often (frequency)
d. at around5 pm, almost10 am
(time)
iv. Adjective/Adverb and Noun Modal
Phrases
1. Convey possibility, uncertainty or
tentativeness
2. Ex.:
a. alleged (adjective)
b. allegation (noun)
c. allegedly (adverb)
F. Writing the Reaction Paper
I. Focus: student’s thoughts/feelings in response to
ideas read in a book or article or perhaps, heard
in a lecture, a movie, a performance.
II. This type of paper requires students to carefully
consider what they think/feel
III. Usually printed on a short bond paper (8.5”X11”),
double-spaced using Times New Roman, 12 pts
IV. Parts:
a. Introduction
i. Should contain all the basic information in
one/two paragraphs
ii. Must include a thesis statement
1. A concise, single sentence expressing
the major idea of the reaction paper
A.G.
2. This central idea embodies the
writer’s focused reaction or response
to the article, film, or performance
b. Body/Discussion
i. Should provide support to the thesis
statement
ii. Each paragraph should contain only one
idea
iii. Topic sentences should support the thesis
and the last sentence of each
paragraph must lead into the next
c. Conclusion
i. Can be a summary of the main points,
a comment focused on the writer’s
overall reaction, or a prediction of the
effects of what you are reacting to
ii. No new information should be added to
the conclusion
G. Using Appropriate Critical Approaches in Writing a
Critique
• Literary Criticism
o The practice of studying, evaluating, and
interpreting works of literature
o Uses approaches (philosophical frameworks) that
are of historical, moral, and biographical views
o Approaches serve as the lens that shape the
reaction to the work
I. Formalism/Formalist Approach
a. Seeks out meaning by giving attention to the
form/structure of a work and literary devices
operating in it
b. Examines the exclusively literary aspects of the
work, focusing on the internal workings of the
text rather than its external influences
c. The reader sees the work as an independent
and self-sufficient artistic object
d. Assumes that everything necessary for
analyzing the work is present in the work itself
and disregard any connection to possible
outside influences
 e. Does not look at external influences—
examines, instead, the exclusive literary aspects
of the work, focusing on the internal workings
of the text
f. Look at the ways in which works of fiction, for
example, follow the rules, codes and
conventions of story-telling (i.e., elements of
fiction such as character, plot, point of view,
setting, and theme), “story grammar,” and
questions about the forms of such texts
g. The study of art by analyzing and comparing
form and style—the way objects are made
and their purely visual aspects (art history)
II. Feminism
a. “… the ways in which literature reinforce or
undermine the economic, political, social, and
psychological oppression of women”
b. Critiques patriarchal language by exposing how
it reflects masculine ideology
c. Attempts to understand representation from a
woman’s point of view and analyzes women’s
writing strategies in the context of their social
conditions
d. Employs a broad range of disciplines, such as
history, psychology, sociology, and linguistics, to
create a perspective that considers feminist
issues
e. Examines gender politics in works and traces
the subtle construction of masculinity and
femininity, and its relative status, positionings,
and marginalizations within works
III. Psychoanalytic Criticism
a. Adopts the method of “reading” employed by
Freud and later theorists to interpret text
b. Argues that literary texts express the secret
unconscious desires and anxieties of the
author, that a literary work is a manifestation
of the author’s own neuroses
c. Psychoanalyzes a particular character within a
literary work—but it is assumed that all such
A.G.
characters are projections of the author's
psyche
d. Concerns itself with what the author never
intended to reveal (i.e., repressed thoughts and
feelings)
e. Unconscious material has been distorted by
the censoring conscious mind
IV. New Criticism
a. Emphasizes explication, or “close reading” of
the work it self
i. Close reading
1. Asking questions outside of story
2. Searches for structures, patterns,
imagery and motifs, and figurative
language, scenes, tone, and other
literary techniques in order to come
to conclusions about the meaning
of the work
b. Examines the relationships between a text’s
ideas and its form, between what a text says
and the way it says it
c. New Critics find tension, irony, or paradox in
the work but they usually resolve it into
coherence and unity of meaning
d. Evolved out of the same root theoretical
system as formalist criticism
e. Complexities in the text: paradoxes, ironies,
ambiguities
f. Searches for a unifying idea/theme
V. Structuralism
a. “...Human culture itself is fundamentally a
language, a complex system of signifieds
(concepts) and signifiers.
b. Signifiers can be verbal (like language itself or
literature) or nonverbal (like face painting,
advertising, or fashion)” (Biddle, 1980)
c. Semiotics – a science designed to show that all
elements of human culture, including literature,
are understandable as parts of a system of
signs
 d. Concerned not so much with what things
mean, but how they mean
VI. New Historicism
a. Historical Criticism - insisted that to understand
a literary piece, one needs to understand the
author's biography and social background,
ideas circulating at the time, and the cultural
milieu
b. Seeks to find meaning in a text by considering
the work within the framework of the
prevailing ideas and assumptions of its
historical era
c. Seeks to reconnect a work with the time period
in which it was produced and identify it with
the cultural and political movements of the
time
d. Focuses on revealing the historically specific
model of truth and authority reflected in the
work
e. Focuses on revealing the historically specific
model of truth and authority reflected in the
work
f. Assumes that every work is a product of the
historic moment that created it
H. Applying the Principles of Writing Effective Reviews and
Critiques
I. Review/Critique
a. The point of the review/critique is “to discover
and examine” the thoughts on the subject the
student is reviewing
b. Structure of the review:
i. The subject is introduced within a few
sentences and the topic of area or
interest is explained
ii. A summary follows, briefly outlining or
reporting on the overall opinion
iii. The next few paragraphs form the
“critique” which examines detail and
evaluates the strengths, weaknesses and
A.G.
notable features of the event or
product being reviewed
iv. In the conclusion, the opinion is restated
and the recommendations are
presented
II. Purpose of a Critique
a. To evaluate somebody’s work (a painting,
a movie, a book, an essay...) to increase
the reader’s understanding
b. A critique is subjective writing because it
expresses the writer’s opinion or
evaluation of a text
c. Involves analysis—a break down and
study of the parts
I. Writing an Objective/Balanced Review/Critique of a
Work of Art, an Event/Program
• The critique should be a balanced discussion and
evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses and
notable features of a work or text
• Four major areas of art criticism:
1. Description
▪ Describe the work without using value
words (“beautiful” or “ugly”)
2. Analysis
▪ Describe how the work is organized as a
complete composition
3. Interpretation
▪ Describe how the work that makes one
think/feel
4. Judgment/Evaluation
▪ Present an opinion of the work’s success
or failure
Review
• An essay that describes, analyzes and evaluates
• Can be a review of a book, a movie,
performance, exhibit, or an event
• Conveys the writer’s opinion but is supported with
evidences from what is being reviewed
 • Parts of A Review
1. Introduction
a. Opening statement to capture reader’s
attention
b. Title of the material and background
information about the author
(reputation or qualifications)
c. Sets the tone of the review
a. Recommends action to the readers
(e.g., to read, to ban, or to sponsor)
b. Can give a limited recommendation
like specifying the age bracket of
those who may read the book, or any
specified material being reviewed

2. Description
a. Short summary/synopsis of the
material being reviewed
b. Writer objectively tells the story as it
was written in a compressed version
c. Summary must be short as it is not
the point of the review
d. Summary is important for the reader
to follow the reviewer’s evaluation.
3. Analysis
a. Shows the good points and the bad
points of the material
b. Reviewer states the standards of the
analysis, the opinions must be
supported by facts or citations
c. Essentially the expression of the writer’s
opinions must be supported by facts
or citations from the book, film, or
event
d. May be guided by the following areas:
i. Content/Subject Matter
ii. Writing Style
iii. Personal reflections
4. Evaluation
a. The general conclusion, position, or
judgment based on all the proofs cited
b. May include a narrative or descriptive
rating like excellent, very good, or
poor or a numerical rating from 1-5
c. Should not include new information nor
evidence
5. Recommendation

A.G.