Writing a Close Analysis and Critical Interpretation of Literary Texts Applying a Reading Approach

Reading Approach: Teachers use reading approach as one of the methods in teaching English. This
approach is one way of solving students’ reading problems. Students are demanded to read more to
improve their knowledge and get new ideas. Inferencing, guessing, and predicting are important
skills developed in reading. By reading, students will know about the different of culture by reading
across cultural understanding, and they will learn how to pronounce the words correctly. In reading
approach, students are expected to improve their English skills.

Skimming: In skimming, the main idea of a text is quickly identified. The goal is to read shorter texts
to extract accurate detailed information. Skimming is done at a speed three to four times faster than
regular reading. People often skim when they have lots of material to read in a limited amount of
time. Some students will read the first and last paragraphs using headings, summarizes and other
organizers as they move down the page or screen. Some might also read the title, subtitles,
subheadings, and illustrations. Other people consider reading the first sentence of each paragraph.
Skimming works well to find dates, names, and places. It might be used to review graphs, tables, and
charts. This technique is useful when you are seeking specific information rather than reading for
comprehension.

Scanning: Scanning is quickly reading a text to get the summary of it. It is a technique wherein
students search for keywords or ideas. Scanning involves moving eyes quickly down the page seeking
specific words and phrases. Scanning is also used for the reader to find answers to questions. Once a
student scanned the document, they will go back and skim it.

Extensive reading: Extensive Reading is an approach to language learning, including foreign language
learning, by means of a large amount of reading. The reader’s view and review of unfamiliar words in
a specific context will allow the reader to infer the word’s meaning, to learn unknown words.
Extensive Reading is the free reading of books and other written material that is not too difficult for
readers. Extensive Reading is sometimes called Free Voluntary Reading.

Literary Genres

Graphic fiction or a graphic novel is a comic book narrative that is equivalent in form and dimension
to the prose novel (Campbell 200, 81). The pictures are arranged in sequenced in image panels and
dialogues are written in speech bubbles. The illustrations allow the readers to imagine and
experience the characters and events in the story. Here are some of the features of graphic fiction or
graphic novel according to Singh (2012).

1. Autographic forms are the marks of author’s handwriting which creates an impact that the whole
novel is a manuscript and thus provides a sense of intimacy.

2. Graphic novels encourage interactivity in the minds of the reader as he fills in the blanks image
panels

3. Filling in the blanks between image panels makes the reader imagine the actions portrayed in the
story.

4. The language, syntax, and meaning of a graphic novel spring primarily through the relationship
between images than words.
 5. Graphic fiction combines book and screen Some of the examples of graphic novels are the
following:

1. “In the Shadow of No Towers: 9/11” by Art Spielgelman in 2004 which tells the story about the
terrorist attack on September 11, in America. This also depicts the traumatic and tragic experience
of American people during the 9/11 terrorist attack.

2. “The Barn Owl’s Wondrous Capers” by Sarnath Banerjee in 2009 portrays 18th Century Calcutta
exploiting the myth of the “Wandering Jew.” 3. “Louis Riel” by Chester Brown in 2003 is a
fictionalized violent rebellion in the 19th Century on the Canadian prairie who led by Riel

Flash fiction is imaginative literature of extreme brevity. It could range from a word to a thousand
(Gacusan 2018). It is known as micro stories, postcard fiction, nanotales and short shorts.

According to Sustana (2020), most of the flash fictions have these common characteristics.

1. Brevity. Flash fiction presents the story with fewest words as possible.

2. Complete plot. Flash fiction emphasizes the development of plot. Itt has a beginning, middle, and
ending of the story.

3. Surprising ending. The successful hallmark of a flash fiction is its twist at the end of the story.

Here are some of the flash fictions:

1. “Angels and Blueberries” by Tara Campbell is a story of various explanations for the color of the
sky that involves angels and blueberries. First line: “Why is the sky blue?” you ask. Well, it is all
depends on who’s answering.

2. “Taylor Swift” by Hugh Behm-Steinberg tells a weird story of how anyone can order a perfectly
clone of Taylor Swift at his doorsteps. First line: “You’re in love; it’s great, you swipe on your phone
and order: the next day a Taylor Swift clone shows up at your house.”

3. “Unnecessary Things” by Tatyana Tolstaya is a story of finding an old and torn teddy bear,
“unnecessary things” (items that do not serve any useful purpose), that she adored as a child. First
line: This Teddy bear once had amber eyes made from special glass- each one had a pupil and an iris.
The bear itself was gray and stiff, with wiry fur. I adored him.

Literary Genre on Creative Multimedia Presentation

Multimedia is an essential avenue to transform unique adaptations of a literary, thus making

learning outputs interesting and productive. To have a creative adaptation of literary genres, the
following concepts have to take into considerations:

A. Multimedia and its Concepts

A multimedia is an electronic application used to teach lessons or to further educate
learners on a particular topic. It is a presentation of material that uses both words and
pictures in a combination of text, voice, picture or video. Using interactive digital tools to tell
a story is called digital storytelling and often uses a combination of multimedia venues to
complete the task. The use of multimedia allows educational ideas and materials to be
presented in a more artistic, inspired and engaging way.
B. Uses of Multimedia and its Formats
There are many uses of multimedia for a deeper understanding of a lesson. Audiobooks are
ideal for second-language learners. Song files and music videos can be used to compare
 social norms in different eras. Multimedia can offer students a better understanding of the
lesson. The multimedia formats from various media include: text and graphics for
slideshows, presentations, diagrams and infographics. Audio has podcasts and recordings.
Screen captures, lecture captures and animation are examples of video components of
multimedia. Other multimedia components include blogs, vlogs, webinars and other
interactive content. Multimedia applications include the interaction of different media types
like animation, video, text and sound. It has become a part of our lives as soon as we
entered the digital age. Before the modern technology, there are tools helping us appreciate
some of the types of multimedia such as videos on television. There are various components
of multimedia such as:
1. Videos Digital video is a primary component in multimedia, especially those that appear
online and on television. The different formats of these types of multimedia include
WMI, AVI, MPED and flash. Some of these formats are better than others because they
load faster and can be viewed or loaded using different platforms and operating
systems. https://www.thejigsaw.in/blog/ho w-to-make-youtube-videos 7
CO_Q2_2CLPW SHS Module 3 Many videos have changed formats ever since the mobile
phone industry became more advanced in technology.
2. 2. Animation Animation is a form of art for most people, especially those that are in the
business of producing animated movies. Right now, animation has become interactive,
allowing users to directly affect the outcome of animated components and events. Flash
is the most common platform for animation, and using this component, the interactivity
of animation is enhanced.
3. 3. Text Text has always been and will always be the most common among the types of
multimedia components in different applications. Text in combination with other media
components can make any application more user-friendly. By using text, interactivity is
increased. Text elements are particularly important for accessibility purposes. Users of
an application need to input text for the system to identify them. Text is also used to
create a digital signature, such as in passwords.
4. 4. Images Digital image files are needed to create videos and animation. A user would
sooner go to a website filled with colorful photographs than one that contains only text
elements. Familiar image formats include jpeg and png. These formats permit editing.
Images are created by graphic designers using various software.
5. Audio Voiceovers comprise a tremendous number of the types of multimedia
components. Audio files include background music and special effects. Any audio in an
application is designed to improve a user’s experience.

C. Characteristics of a Multimedia

● Multimedia can be used in the presentations, making them more fun and interesting.

● A multimedia presentation has various viewing options such as projector or a media player and the
like.

● You can also download the multimedia presentation or play it live.

● The technology of multimedia can also be used to make the information be conveyed more easily
to the user.

● Multimedia technology has improved the learning experience by combining various forms of
media together.
D. Benefits of Using Multimedia

● Digital storytelling allows students to improve their knowledge about a specific subject and
increases skills such as writing, researching and reading.

● Using multimedia improves a learner’s overall academic performance. In particular, multimedia in

the classroom is used for self-directed learning or SDL.

● Students manage their time and assess what needs to be included in their learning activities. This
style of learning is used mostly with older students who already know how to manipulate many of
the multimedia venues available to them.

Literary Adaptations with ICT Skills Empowerment

A. The Basic Elements of a Short Story

1. Character | The character element is the person or people in a story. Sometimes the
characters are not human, some may be animals or spirits. Incidentally, even when non-
human characters are used, they tend to have human characteristics.
Characters are usually of two types: the protagonist and the antagonist. The protagonist is
the main character. He or she is in conflict with another character, who is known as the
antagonist. An example of a protagonist and an antagonist are Superman, the protagonist,
and Lex Luthor, the antagonist.
2. Setting | The first important element of a short story is the setting. The setting refers to
the time and place that the event(s) in the story take place.
3. Plot | The plot refers to the flow of events in the story. Essentially, the plot refers to what
is happening in the story.
4. Conflict | The conflict or complication refers to the tension, the fight or the struggle
between the various characters or forces in the story. This actually gives fuel to the story and
influences its flow (i.e. its plot). Without the conflict, then you have no story.
5. Climax | The climax is the most exciting part of a story. It is when the conflict is about to
or is getting resolved.
6. Theme | This element refers to the topic that the writer writes or comments on in his or
her writing. The theme is the motif of the story, that is, it permeates the whole story and
recurs throughout the narrative. An example of a theme is the topic of "bravery" in Harry
Potter.

B. Information and Communication Technology or ICT Information and communications technology

(ICT) refers to all the technology used to handle telecommunications, broadcast media, intelligent
building management systems, audiovisual processing and transmission systems, and network-based
control and monitoring functions. ICT is often considered an extended synonym for information
technology (IT). Information Technology (IT) is the use of computers to store, retrieve, transmit, and
manipulate data, or information. IT system is generally an information system, a communications
system or, more specifically speaking, a computer system – including all hardware, software, and
peripheral equipment – operated by a limited group of users.

C. ICT Skills ICT skills are about understanding and applying a range of computer programs, software,
and other applications. These include word processing, spreadsheets, databases, slide presentations,
and search engines.

ICT skills are being manifested if you can do the following:

o type / encode your document; bring out your best writing using MS Word word processor
o manipulate numbers and data for computation; discover and connect to data, analysis using MS
Excel – number processor
o generate slides for presentation; design professional presentations using MS PowerPoint – slide
presentation
o create everything from labels to newswriting and marketing materials using MS Publisher
o copy (Ctrl+C) and paste (Ctrl+V) any items from internet – images, video clips, music and be able
to embed them in your outputs
o cite source(s) on any imported images, video clips, music ---to avoid plagiarism o manage browsing
websites
o save any files with appropriate file formats
o associate yourself as a Techie person (one who has smart and clever ways of manipulating
computer and other related gadgets).

D. Components of ICT
The term Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is generally accepted to mean all
technologies that, combined, allow people and organizations to interact in the digital world.

Self and Peer Assessment of Creative Adaptation of a Literary Text

What is the importance of Peer and Self-Assessment?

As a student, it is important that one must know how to do peer and self assessment. Here are the
reasons according to the University of Reading:

1. It encourages you to take responsibility for your learning by encouraging engagement with
assessment criteria and reflection of your own performance and that of your peers. Through this,
you can learn from your previous mistakes, identify your strengths and weaknesses and learn to
target your learning accordingly.

2. It makes you more active in your learning which in this way, it can help to change the perception
that learning is a passive process whereby students simply listen and absorb information for the sake
of compliance. In this way, students are more likely to engage with their learning as participants
instead of just spectators.

3. It enables you to better understand assessment expectations and work towards improving your
own performance. Getting yourself more actively involved in your assessment can make assessment
itself a means by which you can develop. Thus, Peer and Self-assessment are important to learn for a
student like you, and in order to achieve this, it is essential that your assessment criteria are clear
and fully described through the help of your teacher. Taking this step further and allowing you to
contribute to the assessment criteria can serve to transfer ownership, fostering deeper engagement
with the assessment and learning.

What is literary text adaptation?

Literary adaptation is a process of adapting a literary source (e.g. a novel, short story, and poem) to
another genre or medium such as a film, stage play, or video game. It involves adapting the same
literary work in the same genre or medium just for different purposes, e.g. to work with a smaller
cast, in a smaller venue (or on the road), or for a different demographic group (such as adapting a
story for children).

Personally, a good example of this is the “Hana Yori Dango” a manga series written by Yoko Kamio.
It was set in Tokyo, Japan, and told the story of a middle class teenage girl named Makino Tsukushi
who starts attending a prestigious high school called Eitoku Academy. The school is *ruled* by F4
(aka Flower Four), a group of hot guys from the country's richest families! The group's leader
Domyouji Tsukasa bullies her and later develops feelings for her, but Tsukushi falls for his BFF
Hanazawa Rui instead. The rest of the F4 members are named Nishikado Sojirou and Mimasaka
Akira. As the years have gone by, several adaptations were made for this manga.

What do we want in a literary adaptation?

According to Watts (2020) in the article entitled “What do we want in a literary adaptation?”, there
is complexity and difficulty to commit as regards to determining: What makes a good adaptation?
Which matters more: the quality of the film itself, or how “accurate” it is to the book it’s based on?
Literary text and literary adaptation are different art forms such as in the case for instance between
novels and films. Instead, she noticed four different types or “levels” of adaptation. Each has varying
degrees of adherence to their source material.

1. The “Museum” adaptation. This type is concerned with preserving every possible detail of the
book exactly how it exists in the book, just transferred to the film as a medium.

2. The Artful adaptation. It is concerned with finding balance between being true to its own as a
work of art. Accordingly, it is like a conversation between the book and audience. Rather than
preserving every detail like a museum, an Artful Adaptation finds the essential elements of the book
and interprets them in ways that meaningful for the audience.

3. The Loose Adaptation. This type is concerned about keeping a few elements or some semblance
of the premise of the book it’s based on, but then more or less does its own thing with them. Often,
this type of adaptation is discussed in negative terms, as if its lack of exact similarity to its source
material is somehow a failure.

4. The Transformative Adaptation. This type of adaptation seeks to highlight the timelessness and
universality of their source works’ messages and themes.