Research in HUMA

Literature
➔ a term used to describe written and sometimes spoken material
➔ derived from the Latin word litera meaning letters
➔ most commonly refers to works of the creative imagination
● Poetry
● Drama
● Fiction
● Non - fiction
● Journalism
(Martinez and Dad 1019)
➔ "Literature is humanity itself.
(Urquiola and Lacuata 2017)
➔ the key connection to the world as it helps recognize the nature humanity
➔ the story of our society
➔ reflects the emotions, opinions and feelings of writers towards things happening in
the society.
➔ Timeless - Traditions and customs.

Importance of Literature
➔ It teaches us about life and human nature
➔ it builds criticalthinking (asking questions, analyzing, judging) think outside the box
➔ it enables people to record their thoughts and experiences

Three Major Types of Literature

➔ Drama
➔ Poetry
➔ Prose

Genres and subgenres of literature

➔ Fiction
-Realistic Fiction
-Historical Fiction
-Science Fiction
-Fantasy
 ➔ Nonfiction
-Biography
-Informal writing
-Autobiography
-Persuasive writing

➔ Folklore
-Fairy tale
-Fable
-Tall tale
-Legend
-Myth

➔ Drama
-Tragedy
-Fiction

➔ Poetry
-Haiku
-Quatrain
-Free verse
-Limerick

Elements of Literature
Elements of Plot
➔ are the chain of events that make up your story, or the combination of your plot
points.

Plot
➔ Exposition
➔ Rising action
➔ Climax
➔ Falling action
➔ Resolution

Two Major Settings

➔ Integral
➔ Backdrop
Major Types of Characters

Major
➔ Protagonist
➔ Antagonist

Minor
➔ Flat
➔ Dynamic
➔ Static
➔ Round
➔ Foil
➔ Stock

Types of Conflicts

Conflict = Problem
➔ Human vs Human
➔ Human vs Nature
➔ Human vs Society
➔ Human vs Technology
➔ Human vs The SuperNatural
➔ Human vs Himself

Foreshadowing
➔ the use of clues to hint at coming in a story
➔ not all are obvious
➔ future events are merely hinted at through dialogue, description, or the attitudes and
reactions of the characters
● Serves 2 purposes
➔ builds suspense by raising questions that encourage the reader to go on and
find out more about the event being foreshadowed.
➔ also a means of making a narrative more believable by partially preparing the
reader for events which are to follow
Symbolism
➔ it is a person, place, or thing that has a meaning in and of itself but also suggests
additional meanings
➔ symbols can be things, characters, or actions
➔ is anything that suggests a meaning beyond the obvious
➔ some symbols are conventional - meaning the same thing to all readers
➢ example:
bright sunshine - goodness
water - cleanser

Theme
➔ the main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work
➔ may be stated or simplified
➔ differs from the subject or topic of a literary work in that it involves a statement or
opinion of the topic
➔ not every literary work has a theme
➔ may be major or minor

Major Themes
➔ an idea the author returns to time and again
➔ becomes one of the most important ideas in the story

Minor Themes
➔ ideas that may appear from time to time
➢ note:
it is important to recognize the difference between the theme of a literary work
and the subject of a literary work

Subject
➔ is the topic on which an author has chosen to write

Theme
➔ makes some statement expresses some opinion on that topic
➢ example:
The subject of the story - war
The theme might be the idea that - war is useless
Four ways in which an author can express themes are as follows:

1. Themes are expressed and emphasized by the way the author makes us feel.
➔ by sharing feelings of the main character you also share the ideas that go
through his mind

2. Themes are presented in thoughts and conversations.

➔ authors put words in their characters’ mouths only for good reasons
❖ it is also to develop a story’s theme
➔ look for thoughts repeated throughout the story

3. Themes are suggested through the characters

➔ the main character usually illustrates the most important theme of the story
➔ what does the main character learn in the course of the story?
❖ question to ask yourself to get at this theme

4. The actions or events in the story are used to suggest theme

➔ people naturally express ideas and feelings through their actions
➔ what an action will “say” is one thing an author thinks about
➔ how will the action express an idea or theme?

Imagery
➔ a language that appeals to the senses
➔ descriptions of people or objects stated in terms of our senses
Figures of Speech
➔ a word or phrase used in a non - literal for rhetorical or vivid effect

Simile
➔ a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another
thing of a different kind
➔ used to make a description more vivid or emphatic
➢ example:
As brave as a lion
Crazy like a fox

Metaphor
➔ a figure of speech in which a word or a phase is applied to an object or
action to which it is not literally applicable
➔ used to describe something as if it was something else
➢ example:
She’s going through a roller coasters of emotions

Personification
➔ a figure of speech where non - living objects are described to seem
like people
➢ Example:
The wind shouted

Hyperbole
➔ when you use language to exaggerate what you mean or emphasize a
point
➢ example:
There’s enough food in the cupboard to feed an entire army

Onomatopoeia
➔ words evoke the actual sound of the thing they refer to or to describe
➢ example:
The “boom” of a firework exploding
 Alliteration
➔ a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of
words
➢ example:
“B” sound
Bob brought the box of bricks to the basement

Assonance
➔ a figure of speech in which the same vowel sound repeats within a
group of words
➢ example:
“Who gave Newt and Scooter the blue tuna? It was too soon!”

Anaphora
➔ a figure of speech in which words repeat at the beginning of
successive clauses, phrases, or sentences
➢ example:
The Police: Every Breath You Take
- Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I’ll be watching you

Chiasmus
➔ a figure of speech in which the grammar of one phrase is inverted in
the following phrase
➢ example:
She has all my love ; my heart belongs to her
Pun (Paronomasia)
➔ “Play on words”
➔ suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of
words, or of similar - sounding words, for an intended humorous or
rhetorical effect
➢ example:
She has a photographic memory but never developed it

Irony
➔ there's’ a marked contrast between what is said and what is meant
➢ example:
A traffic cop gets suspended for not paying his parking tickets

Understatement
➔ a figure of speech employed by writers or speakers to intentionally
make a situation seem less important than it really is
➢ example:
You win 10 mi. Dollars when you tell a news reporter
“I am delighted” you are making an understatement

Metonymy
➔ “Change of name”
➔ a figure of speech in which one object takes the place of another with
which it has a close association
➢ example:
Hollywood
- represents associations with the movie industry
Broadway
- represents associations with New York drama
drama productions and stage fame
 Synecdoche
➔ a figure of speech in which, most often, a part of something is used to
refer to its whole
➢ example:
The captain commands one hundred “sails”
Sails - ships

Euphemism
➔ used to replace a word or phrase that is related to a concept which
might make others uncomfortable
➢ example:
“Taking an early retirement” instead of admitting they got fired
- used in/for certain as tractions - death, sev, aging,
getting fired, bodily functions, and etc.

Idioms
➔ means something different than a literal translation of the words would
lead one to believe
➢ example:
It’s raining cats and dogs

Oxymoron
➔ self contradicting word or group of words
➢ example:
“Less is more”

Paradox
➔ a statement appears to contradict itself
➢ example:
Waking is dreaming
 Antithesis
➔ greek for “setting opposite” - refers to the juxtaposition of two opposing
elements through parallel grammatical structure
➔ “A contrast or opposite”
➢ example:
Go big or go home
Speech is silver but silence is gold

Litotes
➔ Features a phrase that utilizes negative wording or terms to express a
positive assertion or statement
➢ example:
He is hardly unattractive
The lesson is not hard

Denotation and Connotation

Denotation
➔ Direct definition of the word

Connotation
➔ Emotional suggestions of a word, that is not literal

Unusual

Denotation - extraordinary
Connotation - bizarre

Elements of Poetry

Verse
➔ a line in tradition poetry that is written in meter
➢ example:
 In “When I do count the clock that tells the time” from Shakespeare’s
Sonnet Number Twelve - the underlined syllables are accented, giving the
line a metric pattern known as an iambic pentameter

Mood
➔ the feelings and emotions the writer wants the reader to experience

Rhythm
➔ the basic beat in a line of a poem
➢ example:
“Whose woods these are, I think I know” is the first line from “Stopping
by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost - notice that the
accented words (underlined) give the line a distinctive beat

Rhyme
➔ is the term used to refer to the recurrence of stressed and unstressed sounds
in poetry.

Theme
➔ is a truth lesson, or message about life

Line
➔ is a unit of language into which a poem or play is divided

Meter
➔ is found in many famous examples of poetic works, including poems, drama,
and lyrics

Stanza
➔ is grouping of lines, set off by a space, which usually has a set pattern of
meter and rhyme