12

Creative
Nonfiction
Quarter 3 – Module 2:
Literary Elements on Creative
Nonfiction

Grade 12-Creative Nonfiction

Competency: Create samples of the different literary elements based on one’s experience
(e.g. metaphor to describe an emotion)(HUMSS_CNF11/12-Ib-d-4)
Prepared by: Mr. Edmar B. Barrido
For clarifications, please send me a message to the following: Cellphone no.: 09309867502
- Facebook/Messenger: Barrido Mar / email: bluebarrido@gmail.com
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Using Literary Elements on Nonfiction

BEGIN

The K to 12 curriculum
provides opportunity for the 21st
Century or the new millennial
learner to widen their perspective
by giving them options through the
different tracks offered on what
best suit their skills.

This kit is created to present

a variety of materials and activities
to develop your skills in Creative
Nonfiction. It will expose you to a
diversity of developmental tasks to
help you better understand the
implication and concept of literary
elements in a different writing
genre. Lastly, this will further hone
and enhance the writer within you.

TARGETS

As you complete your journey in this module you should be able to:

1. recognize the different literary elements used in a text read;

2. use literary elements in expressing your thoughts and emotions
through writing; and
3. write your own story or article using the literary elements for creative
nonfiction.
TRY THIS

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Directions: Study the story excerpts below and answer the questions that follow. Write the
letter of your answer in a ¼ sheet of paper.

“Tanghaling-tapat ngayon. Kalagitnaan ng Hunyo.Taong 2007. Nakatayo siya

— si Sadyah Zapanta Lopez — sa isang burol sa kanilang baryo, ang Barasanan, sa
bayan ng Dao. Nasa dulong timog ito ng Antique, isang probinsya sa Panay na ayon
sa isang paring musikero nito, ay ang lugar kung saan nagtatagpo ang dagat at
bundok. Lupa at dagat sa pinggan naman ito para sa isa niyang babaeng makata na
kasalukuyang nasa Amerika.”
Excerpt from “Ang Lumbay ng Dila” by Genevieve L. Asenjo 1

1. What is the setting of the story?

A. Hunyo, 2007 C. Hunyo, 2007 and Barasan, Dao Antique
B. Antique D. Barasan, Dao Antique

2. “Ang lugar kung saan nagtatagpo ang dagat at bundok.” is an example of what literary
element?
A. simile C. metaphor
B. onomatopoeia D. metonymy

“The air was still. No cocks crowed. No dogs barked. Flap-flap-flap. Flap-flap-
flap. Flap-flap-flap. The sinister sound came from the millions of whirring brownish
wings and the people trembled in shock and fear.
Excerpt from “The Day of the Locusts” by Leoncio P. Deriada 2

3. What literary element is used in these lines?

A. simile C. metaphor
B. onomatopoeia D. metonymy

“They swarmed not only over the green areas but also on the dry grass and
even over the newly plowed fields. Millions more clung to the bamboo and palm
trees and the plants in the backyard of homes and those along the road to town.”
Excerpt from “The Day of the Locusts” by Leoncio P. Deriada
4. What literary element is presented in this line?
A. hyperbole C. metaphor
B. idiom D. symbolism

1
Genevieve L. Asenjo, “Patikim Ng Nobelang Lumbay Ng Dila Ni Genevieve L. Asenjo,” Balay Sugidanun,
May 9, 2014, https://balaysugidanun.com/2013/08/14/patikim-ng-nobelang-lumbay-ng-dila-ni-genevieve-l-
asenjo/comment-page-1/.
2
“Leoncio P. Deriada, “The Day of the Locusts,” n.d.

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“Victor was quite attractive. When he was a teen-ager, he was a member of the Gregory
Body Building Club on Cortes Street. He dropped out of freshmen year at Harvadian and
instead of developing his meager powers in accounting, he developed his chest and biceps
at the club. His ambition was to be Mr. Philippines, until one day, Gregory cancelled his
membership.”
Excerpt from “The Dog Eaters” by Leoncio P. Deriada 3

5. The text above, is an example of a _____________________.

A. setting C. characterization
B. plot D. narration

Directions: Match the sentences in column I to the literary element they convey in column
II. Write the letter of your answer in at the back of your answer sheet on Try
This.

II

A. metaphor
B. simile
C. personification
D. idiom
E. symbolism
F. metonymy

6. The sea had been calling me all day, let’s swim.

7. He gave a white dove as a peace offering to his neighbor.
8. I feel like a movie star walking on a red carpet.
9. She is a tiger when angered and annoyed.
10. We did not notice how late it was so we called it a day.

RECALL

In your literature subject, you commonly

encounter topics about the different literary
elements.
Now, let us have a short recall on your
knowledge on the topic: “Analyzing Theme and
3 Literary
Leoncio P. Deriada, “The Techniques
Dog Eaters,” n.d.in a Particular Text”. Read
the article below and answer the questions that
follow. Write your response to the questions after
the story in a ½ sheet of paper. Copy and answer
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5
 Excerpt from “Home But Unwanted4”
by Rev. Fr. Eugene Elivera

As a young man he was in Germany in the late thirties, as Adolf Hitler was gaining
strength, and he had brought home records of Hitler speaking. I remember him playing
these for my brother and me and telling us if ever we hear such a forceful speaker, we
should run like mad the other way!

He retired when he was about 62 and he and my mother moved to Arizona, where
he could play tennis every day, and drive up to Grand Canyon on weekends. He loved the
hot, arid weather in Arizona and the wide opened spaces – and the rabbits that cavorted
around their backyard, and the birds, especially the quails who frequently stopped traffic by
marching their families across the street.

But still the protestant was still determined to be useful: he did pro bono tax
counseling in one of the banks for a month or so before tax deadlines each year, and he
read for the blind under the local Lions Club, sometimes reading Shakespeare and other
classical literature to ease the way for blind students taking college courses. And he
continued to travel.

He had always loved traveling. He would ask my mother over a drink one night
whether she had ever thought about going to Iceland, for instance, and no matter what she
said, he would come home a few days later with pamphlets from his travel agent –and
within a few months at most, they would be in Iceland.

He was fortunate enough to live well for 20 years after he retired, and to have been
traveling and playing tennis a month before he died. Some medical tests he had prior to
taking his last trip to Europe revealed some blocked arteries, but he went off on the trip
without knowing this. But he knew he didn’t feel well and after hearing from his doctor, he
decided to return to the U.S. and undergo the surgery. This at first appeared to be
successful, but afterwards the doctors found they were unable to stop the bleeding. He did
not regain consciousness after the operation.

1. What does the title tell you about the article?

2. Does it clearly suggest what the article is about? Explain.

3. What is the theme/ main idea of the article? Does it tell a story? Explain.

4
Rev. Fr. Eugene Elivera, “Home, but Unwelcomed,” Palawan News Online, June 13, 2020, https://palawan-
news.com/home-but-unwelcomed.

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 DO THIS

Activity 1
MY OWN STORY TO TELL
Directions: Tell a story about your personal experience related to each of the photos
below. Then perform its corresponding task using a one whole sheet of paper.

Write a short description and the title of your

favorite childhood film.

Write a short description and the title of the

last story you read.

Write a short description and location of your

most unforgettable vacation or travel.

EXPLOREE

You did great! Now, you will answer

the following questions related to your
previous activity. Copy and answer on ½
sheet of paper.

1. How was the activity?

2. Did you enjoy telling and sharing your stories?

3. Was telling your personal story more exciting than reading stories of fictional
characters? Why?

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 KEEP THIS IN MIND

Now that you are getting along with

your tasks, let us discuss the different literary
elements.

The first thing you always look for in a story is the SETTING. It is the context of a
storytelling that describes the elements of where and when the story takes place. It is a
literary element used in various genre and generally introduced at the exposition
(beginning) of a literary piece. Moreover, the setting gives you the feeling and the picture of
the plot of the story.
The setting gives you a clearer view or understanding of the character’s actions,
language and even the flow of events and presents a specific aspect that answers to these
questions:
 Where does it take place?
 What is the social climate?
 What time, period or season is it?
 What important events are happening in the world?
 What emotion did it evoke to you as a reader?

The PLOT is the sequence of events and their significance in the unfolding of the
story. It follows a flow from the exposition (beginning) of the story to its denouement
(resolution) and can be presented using a diagram as presented below:
PLOT SEQUENCE

Climax
_______________
_______________

Rising Action Falling Action

____________ ____________
____________ ____________

Exposition Denouement
__________ ___________
__________ ___________

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 CONFLICT or the struggle of opposing forces in a story. It is usually a driving force
that makes you react to what you read or watch. It is presented in different forms such as:
 Man against Self is a psychological battle or dilemma.
 Man against Man is a battle of force or strength between two or more
individuals.
 Man against Nature is the battle against the many forces of nature.
 Man against Society is a battle with the taboos, traditions and laws of a
community.
 Man against the Supreme Being is a battle with the more powerful force
than man himself or herself.

Activity 2
ROLLER COASTER RIDE
Directions: Riding a rollercoaster is indeed exciting. Copy the illustration below in a long
bond paper and complete the adventure with a plot diagram of your favorite
movie.

Climax

Denouement

Exposition

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OTHER LITERARY ELEMENTS IN CREATIVE NONFICTION

1. Imagery is a figurative language that uses the different human senses to

describe and display visual representation through words. It may be classified
to:
 Sight
 Olfactory or smell
 Taste
 Hearing
 Feel or touch
2. Characters are the people involved in the story. Depending on their
importance or purpose they are identified as:
 Protagonist
 Antagonist
3. Narrative Techniques are different ways the story is told:
 Flashback is an alteration of the time sequence, bringing the
audience back to the past of a character that may impact an event in
a story.
 Foreshadowing is an intentional way of an author to be
suggestive of future or coming events in the story in the process of
narration.
 In Medias Res is an author’s way of starting the story sequence
from the middle.
 Quibble is when an author plots sequence from an argument that
disposes the legal value to an agreement.
4. Figures of Speech is a phrase or a set of words that makes literary
pieces colorful and meaningful. It presents a different meaning to the words
literal meaning conveyed in different forms such as:
 Metaphor is a comparison of two unlike things without the use of
comparative words.
 Simile is a comparison of two unlike things using comparative
words “like” or “as”.
 Personification is giving human qualities to inanimate or inhuman
objects.
 Idioms are expressions used to mean something else than what
is said.
 Apostrophe is an expression wherein you address something,
someone or an idea as though it existed.
 Hyperbole is an exaggeration statement to give emphasis to a
stated idea.
 Euphemism is an expression to mildly imply something harsh or
negative.
 Paradox is giving a statement that is contradictory to one’s belief
or opinion.

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 SUM UP

Well done! You have finally identified the

different literary elements in Creative Nonfiction.
You are set to writing your own literature. Let us first
recall what you have learned so far.

SETTING, PLOT, NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE and THEME are just some of the
LITERARY ELEMENTS of most literary genres. However, what distinguishes creative
nonfiction from other genre of writing is, it is basically true, while others usually are
established through imagination.
Creative Nonfiction is a literature based on real experience or observations. It
uses important tools in making great literary pieces, the literary elements such as:
 Setting
 Plot
 Character
 Imagery
 Conflict
 Figure of speech

APPLY WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

Activity 3
MY QUARANTINE EXPERIENCE
Directions: Below are different articles and stories about people’s experiences or
observations during the quarantine period. Study and read them, then in a long bond paper,
write your own COVID-19 Quarantine experience, story or observation. Make sure to check
the rubric for rating scale.
1.
Culturally, home, to Filipinos, necessarily means being family-oriented. Being
together in one place is what is supposedly ideal. Subculturally though, Filipinos do not only
speak of “bahay”, but also of “kapitbahay”. Hence, flying back home actually entails too
“pasalubong” to “kapitbahay”, even to “kabarangay” (village people). While not related by
kinship, a typical kapitbahay is customarily considered as “parang pamilya na rin.” With the
imposition of lockdown, coupled with curfew, this terrific social functioning has turned
indeed into social distancing. One returnee begged wearyingly to their kapitbahays, “‘Wag
nyo naman kaming pandirihan. Hindi din namin gusto ang

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COVID. Gusto rin lang naming makauwi.” Somewhere, heartless individuals even threw
stones at houses of neighbors heard to be infected of coronavirus.
And on the way home, flights cancelled. In the news, people found themselves jam
packed in the airport. Those who do not have much of luck got their “silong” along the
streets under the flyover. Out of this sorry circumstance, they have transformed as
homeless, until further notice (read: until government gets organized and their acts
coordinated). Meanwhile, these “homeless” continue to bear the brunt of confusion,
indecision and inaction of the powers-that-be.
Seriously, where is home now? How can one go back home? If staying at home
means saving lives, what makes of the multitude who are virtually homeless under the
flyover? And finally, in the eventuality of being at home, how would one feel having no
welcome at all, let alone be stoned…. Pray tell.
Excerpt from: “Home but Unwanted5” by Rev. Fr. Eugene Elivera

2.
On Monday, March 16, I went to Robinsons bright and early. Very few people were
there, and the store was well stocked – especially with meat and fish – and I bought
groceries for maybe ten days or a bit longer and went home. I had to go back in the
afternoon to buy our prescription drugs, as the main part of the mall hadn’t been opened
earlier. There I felt crowded and almost endangered, although many people wore masks.
After that, I felt more determined to avoid crowds
Later that day I heard Rob was closed to seniors, although this wasn’t confirmed.
The day after that we were locked down and urgently told to stay home.
From the beginning, there has been a great deal of concern for elders, and for people with
underlying health conditions, very often the same people. But now that has become
somewhat qualified as younger people get infected and even die. The doctor who was the
original whistleblower in China died of the disease – and many other health workers
followed. And now we hear that it can be serious even for children.
Still, from the beaches of Florida, we see crowds of American college kids on spring
break, saying things like “If I get it, I get it. I’m certainly not going to let it control my life!”
This is partly due to the lightness and denial with which some American officials
treated it for too long. Maybe among younger people, there is too much reliance on the idea
that seniors would get it first.
Excerpt from: “Seniors in the Time of Corona6” by Dr. Susan Evangelista

5
Jun 13 and Rev. Fr. Eugene Elivera, “Home, but Unwelcomed,” Palawan News Online, June 13, 2020,
https://palawan-news.com/home-but-unwelcomed/.
6
Mar 24 and Dr. Susan Evangelista, “Seniors in the Time of Corona,” Palawan News Online, March 24, 2020,
https://palawan-news.com/seniors-in-the-time-of-corona.

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 Rubrics for Essay

Fair Satisfactory Very Good Excellent

1 pt 2 pts 3 pts 4 pts

Student’s use of Student’s use of Student’s use of Student’s use of

vocabulary is vocabulary is vocabulary is vocabulary is
very basic. more telling routine and precise, vivid,
than workable. and paints a
Word Usage
showing. strong clear and
complete
picture
in the reader’s
mind.

Story is not Story is Story is mostly Story is

written in the somewhat written in the complete and
proper form. written in the proper form. follows its
Form proper form. intended form.

There are 12 or There are 8 - 11 There are 4 - 7 There are 3 or

more errors in errors in errors in less errors in
grammar, grammar, grammar, grammar,
Conventions spelling, spelling, spelling, spelling,
punctuation, punctuation, punctuation, punctuation,
and and and and
capitalization. capitalization. capitalization. capitalization.

Student's work Student's work Student's work Student's work

does not includes very includes some includes all
include any of few literary literary literary
Literary the literary elements as elements as elements as
Elements elements as instructed and instructed. instructed.
instructed. literary Literary Literary
Literary elements are elements may elements are
elements are inaccurate. and/or may not accurate.
inaccurate. be accurate.

Adapted from Rogen JH, “Rubric Gallery,” RCampus, 2014, https://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?sp=true

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 REFLECT

Well done! You have shown great

improvement after accomplishing all the tasks
in each lesson. This time you will reflect on
your work and rate your confidence.

Activity 4
S-W-O CHART
Directions: Reflect on what you have successfully learned, what you found most difficult
and what are the opportunities to undertake in order to have a better
understanding of the topic. Copy the chart and write your answers in a long
bond paper.

SUCCESS WEAKNESS OPPORTUNITIES

(What topics/activities did you (What topics/activities (What other activities could
find easy to understand and did you find most help you understand the
enjoyable to learn?) difficult?) topics better?)

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 LEARN MORE

Activity 5
MY OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY
Directions: You have various ways to express yourself such as writing a journal, posting in
social media or personally sharing your thoughts with someone you are close
with. Now for this task, choose only one among the ways listed below and
follow the corresponding instructions.

Blog
Create your own blogsite and use it to write at
least 2 articles from the topics on the list and
send the link to your teacher’s email.

Social Media
On your social media account, write at least 2
articles from the topics on the list. (Put it on
private setting and just tag your teacher for
security).

Journal
Write at least 2 articles from the topics on the list
and submit your journal to your teacher.

Topics: (You have to make your own title).

 Tips and guides in surviving months of quarantine.

 My role in the community and society amidst crisis.
 How I embraced the new normal.
 How your community reacted to COVID-19 pandemic.

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 ASSESS WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

Directions: Read each item carefully and answer the questions that follow. Write your
answer in a one whole sheet of paper
1. The group of teenagers escaping the terrors of their town crept through the dark
alleys. The darkness screamed as fear grew within their young hearts. Yet, freedom calls
on to them and they bravely embrace its sullen whisper.
The underlined phrase is an example of a _________________.
A. hyperbole C. idiom
B. metaphor D. personification
2. Screaming at the top of her lungs, mother called on to Jose who thoughtlessly played by
the river early in the morning. His room was a wilderness of clothes, you can barely see
the floor. He ran back in haste fearful of the lashes he would hear all day from his
mother.
The underlined statement is a/an __________________.
A. hyperbole
B. personification
C. idiom
D. metaphor
3. Suddenly he was awake. But the sound of the sea still echoed and he saw that the
moonlight was in the room. It filtered through the pomelo tree in the window.
The exposition describes clearly the _____________ of the story.
A. setting
B. plot
C. conflict
D. imagery
4. With some extra gift from the Holy Ghost, they were all ready to set the town and the
world on fire with their liberal arts and ratio studio rum.
The underlined expression is an example of __________________.
A. euphemism
B. paradox
C. idiom
D. simile

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5. Indeed, “Love was blind and lovers could not hear,” is an example of what figure of
speech?
A. euphemism
B. paradox
C. idiom
D. simile

6. “Yes”, boomed the voice of the governor of Ohio over CNN. “We’ve got this monster
down on the mat.” The amazed newscaster said, “You certainly sound confident!” “Well,
yes”, he said. “But down on the mat doesn’t mean game over. We’ve got him down on
the mat. If we turn and walk away, he’ll spring back to life.” 7
What narrative technique is used in this exposition?
A. flashback C. quibble
B. In Medias Res D. foreshadowing
7. “Alexander Ilyich Rostov had been a careless young man in his youth. His family had
been rich and he had been spoiled but for all that, he was not a snob, did not feel the
weight of his position, but lived casually, in love with life and food and parties but also
with literature and art and architecture. He had somewhat unintentionally killed another
young man who had done wrong to his sister and had fled Russia and was happily
touring Europe when civil war broke out. After the Bolshevik Revolution he went back to
Russia – something no sane member of his class would do – to make sure he could
keep his Grandmother safe.”
Which part of the plot would this generally be placed?
A. exposition C. denouement
B. climax D. conflict

For Items 8 – 11.

“For some reason, I have the feeling that 2020 will be an auspicious year, at
least on some levels. I feel like new projects, health, and relationships will thrive,
maybe significantly. But on the other hand, the world situation — and this will impact
all of us of course — looks quite grim. We are already seeing the results of terrible

7
Apr 8 et al., “Dr. Susan Evangelista,” Palawan News Online, April 8, 2020, https://palawan-
news.com/author/dr-susan-evangelista/.

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climate degradation in reduced water supplies, horribly destructive fires now in
Australia (with at least half a million animals dead) and earlier in California.”

In your own words explain the theme of the essay based on this excerpt.

For Items 12-13.

“Let bygones be bygones. Past is past … until nakita mo uli ang iyong “past”.
You met each other once more in a batch reunion or have chanced each other
upon in a mall or perhaps you searched for him/her on Facebook, and since then life
has changed have become complicated. You are not your usual self anymore. You got
your eye twinkling nervously and your thoughts (and heart?) handcuffed again by
your past. You are fighting the feeling. How can this be so wrong when it feels so right,
says a popular cheesy song. Delete… Unfriend… Don’t text… Cut and cut clean.
Challenge is struggle.”

What form of conflict is emphasized here? Explain.

For Items 14-15.

“Millennials call it goals – squad goals, family goals, love goals, etc. The purpose is not
philosophical just yet, but simply practical. The purpose of a husband is to love his wife.
The purpose of a parent is to attend to the family. The purpose of a student is to graduate.
Who you really are is purpose revealed. Second, realize your Potentials. Believe that you
got what it takes to make it. By maximizing your potentials you are turning happiness into
fulfillment.”

Explain the theme emphasized in this statement.

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19
 GLOSSARY

Blog - a website that contains online personal reflections,

comments, and often hyperlinks, videos, and
photographs provided by the writer

Characterization - the artistic representation (as in fiction or drama) of

human

E-mail - messages sent and received electronically through an

e-mail system

Genre - a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition

characterized by a particular style, form, or content.

Journal - a record of experiences, ideas, or reflections kept

regularly for private use

Link - an identifier attached to an element in a system (such as

an index term in a database) in order to indicate or permit
connection with other similarly identified elements.

Metonymy - a figure of speech consisting of the name of one thing for

that of another of which it is an attribute or with which it is
associated.

Onomatopoeia – a figure of speech that makes use of sounds to give a

name or identity to the object it refers to

Social Media - forms of electronic communication (such as websites for

social networking and microblogging) through which
users create online communities to share information,
ideas, personal messages, and other content.

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