SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

21st Century Literature from

the Philippines and the World
QUARTER 2 – Module 2
North American Literature and New Criticism

https://cutt.ly/ShaR9i8

Senior High School

Division of Bohol
Department of Education • Republic of the Philippines

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21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World – Grade 11/12
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 2 – Module 2: North American Literature and New Criticism

First Edition 2020

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Borrowed materials included in this module are owned by the respective
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Published by the Department of Education Division of Bohol (for classroom use):

Development Team of the Module

Writers: LAMBUS, REY MARVIN H.

DUNGOG, JOHN CELO M.
LIM, ANNABELLE V.
OLIVAR, NIEZA BLEZELLE S.
ROLLORATA, SCARLET A.
SECUSANA, JASMIN C.
Editors: LAMBUS, REY MARVIN H.
DUNGOG, JOHN CELO M.
ROLLORATA, SCARLET A.
Layout Artist: CAGOL, GOLDA M.
Technical Working Group (TWG): CORSIGA, MARITES B.
Education Program Supervisor (EPS): VILLALON, PABLITO D.

Printed in the Philippines by _____________________________

Department of Education – Division of Bohol
Office Address: ______________________________________
Telefax: ______________________________________
E-mail Address: ______________________________________

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 21 Century Literature
st

from the Philippines and

the World
Quarter 2 – Module 2
North American Literature and New Criticism

This learning material was conspired and materialized by the

selected senior high school teachers of Bohol Division who are teaching
the subject and reviewed by the Technical Working Group (TWG) from
the department and quality assured by the Division Office. We fortify
all teachers who are experts in this field and other education
stakeholder to email their feedback, comments, and recommendations
to the Division of Bohol.

We value and appreciate your feedback and recommendations.

Division of Bohol

Department of Education • Republic of the Philippines

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 INTRODUCTORY MESSAGE
World literature, a market that must be sustained as the circulation of
literature, is somehow still experiencing some challenges and debates such as the
considerations to be taken note of when letting a work be included as world literature
and of course, regarding the issue of translation. The challenges on circulation,
however, are not as grave as the recent years. Today in the 21 st century, because of
technology and freedom of expression as well as our growing need for information, we
continue to accelerate world literature as more and more people contribute to it.

It is essential for the students’ awareness to be raised, as well as their interest

to the social and cultural conditions we have now. It is important for students to be
more socially and culturally conscious of what the world needs to be able to shape
what is in store for the future and with the help of technology, as long as they get to
use it well with the help of education, they may be able to do so.

GENERAL INSTRUCTION

For the learners: For the teacher:

To be guided in achieving the To facilitate and ensure the

objectives of this module, do the
following:
1. Read and follow instructions
carefully.
2. Answer the pretest before going
through the lessons.
3. Take note and record points for
clarification.
4. Compare your answers with the
key answers found at the end of the
module.
5. Do the activities and fully
understand each lesson.
6. Answer the self-check to monitor
what you learned in each lesson.
7. Answer the posttest after you
have gone over all the lessons.
8. Use a separate sheet of paper for
your answers.
students’ learning from this
module, you are encouraged to do
the following:
1. Clearly communicate learning
competencies and objectives
2. Motivate through applications
and connections to real life.
3. Give applications of the theory
4. Discuss worked-out examples
5. Give time for hands-on unguided
classroom work and discovery
6. Use formative assessment to give
feedback
7. Introduce extensions or
generalizations of concepts
8. Engage in reflection questions
9. Encourage analysis through
higher order thinking prompts
10. Provide alternative formats for
student work

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 Lesson
North American Literature
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and New Criticism

Much has changed now in modern American literature. Not only has the
language itself evolved and changed, but also the way literature is written and what it
is in its content. Now, American literature is known to be shaped by its history,
beginning from America as a group of colonies that were scattered in the North
American continent until some of the people in it broke free and traveled westward to
explore the uncharted territories. When the 19th century came, America became a
global superpower and had extended its own colonies to the Pacific, including the
Philippines. Not only did America dabble in colonization, but it also explored the
tenets of science, humanity, and innovation in so many people's lives. All of these,
plus the hardships of the people living within and outside of the United States, have
significantly shaped the literature that we know now.

WHAT I NEED TO KNOW

Learning Objectives:

1. identify representative text and author from North America;

2. interpret the theory of New Criticism; and
3. write a critical interpretation of a literary text.

WHAT I KNOW
Pretest

Directions: Look closely on the list of British English words on the table and identify
their counterpart terms in American English Language. Choose your answers provided
below. Use a separate sheet of paper for your answer.

starter apartment candy chocolate

cellphone cookie counter clockwise

BRITISH ENGLISH AMERICAN ENGLISH

1. appetizer
2.sweet/s
3.mobile phone
4.biscuit
5.anticlockwise

WHAT’S IN
Recapitulation

In the previous lesson you have learned that countries on the Southwest Asia
have cultures rich in history and natural resources, which make their literature as
meaningful as their experiences. Some of the most war-torn countries are in Western
Asia.

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 WHAT’S NEW

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Directions: Illustrate an image or a symbol on the box that represents your
interpretation of the poem by Caedmon below.

About the Author

Cædmon is the earliest known English poet. His most recognized poem,
"Caedmon's Hymn," was composed after he had a dream. Later on, he became a monk
and an inspirational poet.

Caedmon's Hymn (Modern English Version)

By Caedmon

Now let me praise the keeper of Heaven's kingdom,

The might of the Creator, and his thought,
The work of the Father of glory, how each of wonders
The Eternal Lord established in the beginning.
He first created for the sons of men
Heaven as a roof, the holy Creator,
Then Middle-earth the keeper of mankind,
The Eternal Lord, afterwards made,
The earth for men, the Almighty Lord.

WHAT IS IT
Discussion

Anglo-American literature has some of the oldest literature recorded in history.

This is because the Anglo-Saxons were some of the first people who wrote using Old
English. This gave birth to two kinds of literature back then: epic pagan poems and
Christian literature. American literature has affected Filipinos because they came to
colonize the country more than 100 years ago. Their literature shows how much of
their culture the Filipinos have assimilated as their own, including their own
sensibilities, beliefs, practices and values.
New criticism is sometimes known to be a science of literature, for it looks at
the technical aspects of the vocabulary that is used in the selection, the sounds,
imagery, narrative, point of view, and others that are used in a literary selection. All
these come together to determine how they affect what the text is saying, how does
this work in a literary selection? For example, say that you read a poem about love.

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New criticism looks at this poem and how it is written-its 14 iambic pentameter and
rhyming scheme (whether Shakespearean or Petrarchan in nature and discover that
its goal is expressed in the subtlety and unity of the text itself. It does not achieve its
meaningfulness from the author and his or her intention. The meaning exists on the
page itself.
New criticism is a literary concept that places the emphasis on "close
reading” of the work or text itself. The way a piece works may be discovered through
close focus on the text and specific analysis, rather than finding out about its author
and when, where, and why it was written.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Directions: Read the summary of the short story by Edgar Allan Poe and answer the
activity that follows. Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.

About the Author

Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor, and literary critic who was best
known for his tales of mystery and the macabre.

The Tell-Tale Heart

This Edgar Allan Poe story appears to be a bragging confession of a man who
has committed a crime. He keeps insisting that he's not crazy, which makes him seem
more so. He explains how he had to kill his neighbor because of the old man's evil eye,
which bothered him. Each night for a week, he would slowly open the door to the old
man's apartment and look in on him sleeping. Since he didn't see the eye, he didn't
kill him.

On the eighth night as he was peering in at midnight, the narrator chuckled at

the thought of the man not knowing what he was doing, and perhaps the old man
heard it because he startled awake. He asked if anyone was there. The narrator froze.
After waiting a long while, he decided to open the lantern a tiny bit, and a single ray
fell upon the old man's eye. The narrator could hear the old man's heart beating in
fear. The beating became louder until the narrator feared the neighbors would hear it,
so he decided that he would take this moment to attack. The old man shrieked once
before the narrator pulled him to the floor and pulled the bed on top of him. He waited
until the beating heart stopped, then pulled off the bed, and examined the body. The
old man was dead.

Very carefully, he then buried the corpse under the floorboards. He washed
everything carefully and finished around four in the morning. A knock came at the
door, and he found three policemen who had been called due to a strange shriek
overheard by some neighbors wondering if foul play were involved. The narrator calmly
invited the policemen inside and encouraged them to search the place. He explained
that the old man was off in the country, and that he was the one who had screamed
due to a bad dream. In his supreme confidence, the narrator even brought chairs into
the room on top of the floorboards where he had buried the man and invited them to
sit down and rest. His own chair was placed directly over the body.

As they talked, the narrator began to hear a noise coming from the floorboards.
He recognized it as the beating heart of the old man. He tried to talk louder to cover it
up and wondered if the policemen could hear it too. He knew they must hear it, and
they had to suspect what he had done. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and told
them to tear up the floorboards to find the dead body.

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Directions: Describe the protagonist of the story. Write it in a 3-5 sentence
paragraph. Use a separate sheet of paper for your answer.

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WHAT’S MORE
Enrichment

WHAT
WHAT YOUYOU WILL
WILL DO DO

Directions: Cite at least 4 words that would best associate the definition of
New Criticism.

New Criticism

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

Generalization

Directions: How does new criticism help you in understanding the story? Write your
answers in two bullets. Use a separate sheet of paper for your answer.

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 WHAT I CAN DO
Application

Directions: Cite at least two techniques or strategies on how to interpret

literatures critically.

TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES

ASSESSMENT
Posttest

Directions: Read the statements below. Write your answer on a separate sheet of
paper.
1. What does the narrator keep insisting?
a. He’s smarter than anyone c. He made a mistake
b. He’s not crazy d. The old man deserve it.
2. What finally causes the narrator to confess?
a. smell of rotting flesh c. his fear of going to jail
b. sound of the dead man’s heart d. sight of the dead man’s eye
3. He was the earliest known English poet and was tasked to take of animals of a
monastery in Whitby Abbey.
a. Edgar Allan Poe c. Mark Twain
b. Walt Whitman d. Caedmon
4. He was an American author, poet, editor, and literary critic who was best
known for his tales of mystery and the macabre.
a. Edgar Allan Poe c. Mark Twain
b. Walt Whitman d. Caedmon
5. It is sometimes known to be a science of literature, for it looks at the technical
aspects of the vocabulary that is used in the selection, the sounds, imagery,
narrative, point of view, and others that are used in a literary selection.
a. Formalism c. New Criticism
b. Romanticism d. Old Historicism

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ANSWER KEYS

WHAT I KNOW
1. Starter
2. Candy
3. Cellphone
4. Cookie
5. Counterclockwise

WHAT’S NEW, WHAT YOU WILL DO AND WHAT’S MORE (Answers require one’s
opinion)

ASSESSMENT
1.b
2.b
3.d
4.a
5.c

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REFERENCES
Hidalgo, Cristina Pantoja. Travels with Tania. Manila: University of Santo Tomas
Publishing, 2009.
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https://21stcenturylitph.wordpress.com/introduction-to-world-literature/

https://www.spellzone.com/blog/
Sixty_American_English_Words_and_their_British_English_Counterparts.htm
https://www.poemuseum.org/the-tell-tale-heart
https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/poestories/section6/?quickquiz_id=1271
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/caedmon-s-hymn (accessed on 31 March 2015)
https://www.softschools.com/literature/summary/poes_short_stories/
the_tell_tale_heart/

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