SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Learning Module
in
creative NONFICTION
by: JEPTE C. DAGUM

(week 1)
(Week No.1)
LESSON 1
PRINCIPLES, ELEMENTS, TECHNIQUES,
AND DEVICES USED IN CREATIVE
NONFICTION
Learning competency/ies:
Analyze the theme and techniques used in a particular text

Objectives
This lesson aims to:

a. perform a close reading of creative nonfictional texts;

b. identify the fictional/nonfictional elements in the texts; and
c. write a draft of a short piece using multiple elements conventionally identified
with the literary genres.

Review
JUMBLED WORDS
Directions: Below are items related to creative nonfiction. Your task is to
arrange the following jumbled words and connect these concepts when writing
pieces under creative nonfiction.

1. L E A D T I S _________________________
2. S T E M E N L E _________________________
3. F L A C K S H B A _________________________
4. R A C E R S C A T H _________________________
5. E T H M E _________________________
6. M O M E R B A L E _________________________
7. N A T I V E R A R _________________________
8. A D U I N E C E _________________________
9. S R U P I R S E _________________________
10. MYSLOB _________________________

2
Pre-assessment
1. If you are writing a reflective essay, which of the following should not
be prioritized?
a. feelings b. emotions c. thoughts d. research
2. Which of the following is considered as emotionally charged power
words?
a. confession b. surprise c. discovery d. laughter
3. Being a nonfiction writer, which quality refers to the goodness of
thinking new, original, and clever ideas?
a. responsive b. imaginative c. productive d. creative
4. What is the best method to use in showcasing emotions while writing
nonfiction pieces?
a. metaphor b. slang c. euphemism d. idiom
5. What bad characteristic of a nonfiction piece which should be avoided
by the writer?
a. factual b. informational c. conventional d. informal
6. Frank used some snippets of his personal stories while trying to write
his testmonio. What principle he used?
a. anecdote b. neologism c. experience d. history
7. Which of the following might not be under the essay format in writing
nonfiction pieces?
a. journalistic b. biographical c. travelogue d. journal
8. The writer constructs a true story about a time or period of his/her life,
one that had significant personal meaning and universal truth. The
writer composes the story using the first person “I.”
a. autobiography b. biography c. memoir d. journal
9. Why is reportage an important element in nonfiction?
a. Because it validates the experiences and emotions of the author.
b. Because it requires research for the author to be called reliable.
c. Because it resembles the good way of preserving facts and data.
d. Because it serves as a document for events and personal
experiences.
10. What are the reasons why the pieces for nonfiction should be be
based on fact?
a. Because fabricated stories are not only true for fiction writing
b. Because pieces for nonfiction are based on real-life situations.
c. Because the definition of nonfiction is all-encompassing
d. Because there is a high-stake if the author will publish it.

3
 Introduction
In this lesson, you will understand the specific literary devices and its
functionality as you compose pieces under the realm of nonfictional content.
The creative nonfiction writer often incorporates several elements and
techniques of nonfiction when composing a blog, memoir, personal essay,
travelogue, reflective essays, biography, and so on. The following is a brief
explanation of the most common elements and techniques of nonfiction:
1. Fact
The writing must be based on fact, rather than fiction. All entries must
not be fabricated or be made up.
2. Extensive research
The piece of writing is based on primary research, such as interview or
personal account and often secondary research, such as gathering
information from books, magazines, and newspapers.
3. Reportage/Reporting
The writer must be able to document events or personal experiences.
4. Personal experience and personal opinion
Oftentimes, the writer includes personal experiences, feelings,
thoughts, and opinions in writing nonfictional pieces like reflective
essays and memoirs.
5. Explanation/Exposition
The writer is required to explain the personal experience or the topic to
the reader to give the full understanding to the genre being written
6. Essay format
Creative nonfiction is often written in essay format. Examples: Personal
Essay, Literary Journalistic Essay, Biographical Essay.

Content
Literary Elements in Creative Nonfiction
Literary elements and techniques are narrative devices used to spice up
a piece of writing by giving it character and a little bit of surprise. In the same
way they are used in fictional stories, these devices help an author of literary
nonfiction to liven up a piece of writing and transform it from presenting dull
information to creating a rich world of detail and description.

Creative nonfiction is the literature of fact. Yet, authors of nonfiction

works often use the same elements as fiction authors to tell a compelling
story.

The following is a list of the most common literary devices and

techniques that writers incorporate into their nonfiction writing:

4
 1. Character/s 11. Narrative
2. Detail 12. Order
3. Dialogue 13. Plot and Plot Structure
4. Diction 14. Point of View
5. Figurative Language 15. Setting and Atmosphere
6. Flashback 16. Style
7. Flash forward 17. Symbol
8. Foreshadowing 18. Theme
9. Imagery 19. Tone
10. Motif

Character/s

Stories have characters, but in nonfiction, these characters are real

people. In order to make the work relatable or empathetic, nonfiction writers
often follow the same convention as fiction authors and develop characters
that catch the reader’s attention. The writers describe, physical descriptions,
personality traits, and detailed histories to give the characters depth and
relatability.

The nonfiction writing piece often requires main character. If a writer is

creating his/her memoir, then the writer is the central character.

Detail

Details provide pieces of information. Writers of biography and

autobiography used details to give the actual facts about a person’s life.
However, biographies do more than just relate details. The details you choose,
arrange, and examine help communicate your own opinions and character as
well as those as your subject.

Dialogue

Dialogue is a literary and a theatrical form consisting of a written or

spoken conversational exchange between two or more (“dia” means through
or across) people.

It is the flow of conversation between characters in a narrative. It is the

lines or passages in drama which are intended to be spoken.

In fiction and creative nonfiction, dialogues are typically enclosed

within quotation marks. In plays, characters’ speech is preceded by their
names.

5
Diction

Diction is the author’s choice of words. The writer chooses each word
carefully so both its meaning and sound contribute to the tone and feeling of
the literary work.

The author must consider a word’s denotation – dictionary definition

and its connotation – the emotions, thoughts and ideas associated with and
evoked by the word.

A work’s diction forms one of its centrally important literary elements,

as authors use words to convey action, reveal character, imply attitudes,
identify themes, and suggest clues. We can speak of the diction particular to
the character, as in Iago’s and Desdemona’s very different ways of speaking
in Othello. We can also refer to a poet’s diction as represented over the body
of his or her work, as in Woolf’s and Twain’s diction.

Figurative Languages

Figurative language is a type of language that varies from the norms of

literal language, in which words mean exactly what they say for the sake of
comparison, emphasis, clarity, and freshness.

Popularly known as “ornaments of language” figurative language does

not mean exactly what it says, but instead forces the reader to make an
imaginative leap in order to comprehend a writer’s point. It usually involves a
comparison between two things that may not, at first, seem to relate to one
another and can facilitate understanding because it relates something
unfamiliar to something familiar.

Oftentimes, authors incorporate sound-effect devices to make their

writing sound good and not just convey mere information.

To comprehend figurative language, it will require you to use your

imagination to figure out the writer’s references or meaning.

Flashback

Flashback (a.k.a. analepsis) is literary device in which an earlier or past

event is inserted into the present or normal chronological order of a narrative.
Various methods may be used to utilize this literary device. Among them are:
recollections of characters (e.g. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button),
narration by the characters (e.g. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi), dream
sequences (e.g. A Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe), and reveries (The Secret
Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber).

6
 Flashback are often used to recount events that happened before the
story’s initial sequence of events or to fill in the crucial backstory. Here’s an
example of flashback memory:

A woman is about to get married. As she puts on her veil, she

remembers her fiancé three years before, swearing he would make her his
wife someday. A tear comes to her eye and she prepares to walk down the
aisle.

Here, the flashback is the memory of the woman’s fiancé three years
before. The memory serves to show that her fiancé was sure of their
relationship early on, and that his prediction has come true. The memory
brings tears of happiness to her eyes.

Flashforward

Flashforward or prolepsis is a literary device in which the plot goes

ahead of time, i.e. a scene that interrupts and takes the narrative forward in
a moment from the current time in a story.

Generally, a flashforward represents expected or imagined events in the

future interjected in the main plot revealing important parts of the story that
are yet to occur. It is an opposite of flashback or analepsis (reveals past
events). Below is an example of flashforward:

Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano

Buendia was to remember the distant afternoon when his father took him to
discover ice. At that time Macondo was a village of twenty adobe houses,
built on the bank of a river of clear water that ran long a bed of polished
stones, which were white and enormous, like prehistoric eggs. The world was
so recent that many things lacked names, and in order to indicate them it
was necessary to point. Every year during the month of March a family of
ragged gypsies would set up tents near the village, and with a great uproar
of pipes and kettledrums they would display new inventions.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez use many elements of the supernatural and

magical realism in his novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, one is the
elasticity of time. Some characters were able to make prophecies and predict
the future. The first line, excerpted above with the following few lines, is an
example of flashforward because we see a striking image that will come to
pass, but which is beyond the chronological time where the novel actually
begins.

7
Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is a literary device in which the author hints certain plot

developments that perhaps will come to be later in the story. It is the
presentation of material in a work in such a way that the later events are
prepared for. The purpose of foreshadowing is to prepare the reader or viewer
for action to come.

To foreshadow an event in a story, the audience is given direct and/or

subtle clues about what will happen. Imagine this scene:

A professionally dressed woman hurriedly leaves the house, slamming

the front door. She frantically searches for her keys in the bottom of a giant
purse while balancing a briefcase under her other arm. She finds her keys,
gets in the car, and backs out of the driveway. As the car drives away, the
camera moves back towards the front door and into the house, where the
USB stick is sitting on a shelf next to the front door.

In this scene, it shows us the USB stick, forgotten by the woman

foreshadows a future conflict.

Imagery

Imagery refers to the “pictures” which we perceive with our mind’s eyes,
ears, nose, tongue, skin, and through which we express the “parallel world”
created by the poetic language. Imagery evokes the meaning and truth of
human experiences not in abstract terms but in more perceptible and tangible
forms. This is a device by which the poet makes meaning strong, clear, and
sure. The writer uses sound words and words with color and touch in addition
to figures of speech. As well, concrete details that appeal to the reader’s senses
are used to build up images.

Motif

Motif is any element, subject, idea or concept that is constantly present

through the entire body of literature. Using motif refers to the repetition of a
specific theme dominating the literary work. Motifs are very noticeable and
play a significant role in defining the nature of the story, the course of events,
and the very fabric of the literary piece. The perfect example of a literary piece
with the good use of motif is the short story written by Estrella D. Alfon
entitled, Magnificence, where the pencil was mentioned 21 times and it
stands as a phallic symbol.

8
Narrative

Nonfiction writing usually follows a timeline for a narrative that is either

linear or nonlinear, depending on how the author tells the story. Authors can
choose to tell a history from the start or jump from one time to another to
create a parallel to other characters or events. The writer carefully chooses a
narrative to enhance any dramatization. In most nonfiction, the story told
focuses on a central conflict or theme that defines the purpose of the work.

In writing nonfiction, rather than just reportage, you are going to

borrow from traditional techniques to tell the story in an interesting and very
human way. The best stories display a common structure characterized by
rising action that builds interest to a peak before falling again toward a
satisfying resolution. This structure mirrors the shape of the most rewarding
experiences in life, so it is not surprising that stories follow this structure.
Use narrative structure whenever you want to tell a story or narratives (real
or imagined).

Order

Order is the arrangement of events in the body of literature. It is the

structure in which nonfiction pieces must be written and how writings must
be organized. The way you organize information impacts how your audience
receives it. The six informational structures below will help your information
in a clear, easy-to-follow manner.

1. Importance
2. Chronological
3. Problem-Solution
4. Cause-Effect
5. Comparison-Contrast
6. Classification

Plot and Plot Structure

The writer needs to able to tell his/her story. A good story includes an
inciting accident, a goal, challenges and obstacles, a turning point, and a
resolution of the story.

Plot refers to the series or sequence of events that give a story its
meaning and effect. These events arise out of conflict experienced by the main
character. As the character makes choices and tries to resolve the problem, a
story’s action is shaped and plot is generated.

9
 The plot is built around a series of events that take place within a
definite period. It is what happens to the characters. No rules exist for the
order in which the events are presented.

In some stories, the author structures the entire plot chronologically,

with the first event followed by the second, third, and so on, like beads of
rosary.

In traditional literary terms, a unified plot includes an exposition, a

rising action, climax, a falling action or denouement, and resolution or
conclusion.

However, many other stories are told with flashback techniques in

which plot events from earlier interrupt the story’s present events. All stories
are unique, and in one sense there are many plots as there are stories.

In personal essay, there might be only one event. In memoir, there are
often several significant events.

DETOUR: AESOP’S FABLE (QUIZLET ON PLOT)

Every story has a plot, or a sequence of events. There are five parts to
a good plot.

Exposition – the story begins and characters are introduced.

Rising Action – something happens to make the story more interesting;

the characters have problem

Climax – the most suspenseful part of the story; the characters must
finally face their problems and make decisions

Falling Action – the character has made a decision about how to

handle the problem, and now the story is coming to a close

Ending – the story concludes as the action comes to an end

Read the following version of the “The Tortoise and the Hare.” Then list the
events of the story on the plot diagram below.

A speedy hare bragged about how fast he could run. He challenged

Tortoise to race, and all of the animals in the forest gathered to watch.

When the race started, Hare ran very quickly down the road, while the
Tortoise plodded along slowly. Hare yelled back at him, “You will never win
this race! You are too slow!” Then, Hare decided he had time to rest, and he
fell asleep.

10
 Tortoise continued to move along slowly, and while Hare slept, he
passed Hare and headed toward the finish line. The other animals cheered
loudly for Tortoise as he got closer. When their cheers woke Hare up, he could
see that Tortoise was almost at the finish line. He tried to catch up to Tortoise,
but it was too late. Tortoise won the race.

All of the animals cheered, and Hare no longer bragged about how fast
he could run. He had learned a lesson: Slow and steady wins the race.

Point of View

Point of view refers to the perspective from which the story is told. It
determines which character readers will follow throughout the story and from
what distance.

Types of Point of View

1. First-Person POV – The narrator is one of the characters in the story

and narrates the story from his own observation. He may be the main
character (protagonist), an observer, a minor character or the writer
himself. It uses the pronouns “I” and “me”.
2. Second-Person POV – normally for instructions like manuals, how-to
guides a, and self-help books. It uses the pronoun “you” and “your.”
3. Third-Person POV – The narrator is not a participant in the story. It
uses pronouns “He” or “She”

a) Third-Person Omniscient POV – The narrator is “all present.” He

knows what’s going on in the minds of the characters, and he comments
on it.

11
 b) Third-Person Limited POV – It keeps readers in only one character’s
perspective for the story’s duration.

Memoirs and autobiographies are told in first-person point of view.

Most biographies are told in the third person by someone who is relating
the information he has gathered about the story.

Famous examples:

First-Person POV

“Look, I didn’t want to be a half blood. If you’re reading this because

you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe
whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a
normal life.” – Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Second-Person POV

“There is darkness everywhere. A small amount of light is radiating from the

halfmoon floating in the sky overhead. There are no stars. It is cold and humid. You
look around you and find your friends gone. You are completely alone.” – from
joeduncko.com

Third-Person POV

“When the bus came, Sharon got on, carrying her pink backpack. It
was the first day of school, and Sharon was nervous. She smiled, though,
when she saw her best friend Kevin sitting in the back. Kevin was nervous,
too. So, he was thrilled to see Sharon. Maybe this day would not be so bad
after all.” Carry Me Over by Nadine Burr

DETOUR: PROVE THE POV (QUIZLET FOR POINT OF VIEW)

Point of view refers to the perspective from which a story is told. When
a character in the story is telling the story, it is the first-person point of view.
When the story is told by a narrator outside of the story, it is called third-
person point of view.

Read each short text. Determine if the point of view is first- or third-person. Write
your answer on the line provided.

When the bus came, I get on, carrying my pink backpack. It was the
first day of school, and I was nervous. I smiled, though, when I saw my best
friend Kevin sitting in the back.

___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

12
 When the bus came, Sharon got on, carrying her pink backpack. It was
the first day of school, and Sharon was nervous. She smiled, though, when
she saw her best friend Kevin sitting at the back.

___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Joseph was confused. He was supposed to meet Laura at the library to

work on science project, but she was nowhere to be found. Wondering if he
had gotten the time to leave, he saw Laura rushing through the front doors.
“Sorry, I am late!” she said. “You won’t believe what happened!”

___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

The decorations are up. The cake is in the center of the stable. Ice cream
is in the refrigerator. There are snacks for everyone. I look at the time, and it
is almost 03:00. I better hurry. The guess will be here any minute for Lee’s
birthday party.

___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

The lights in the mall were beautiful. There were red, green, and gold
decorations everywhere. I couldn’t wait to start shopping for presents for all
of my friends. “Are you ready to go?” “Yes!’ I exclaimed. “Let’s shop!’

Setting and Atmosphere

The writer creates scenes that are action-orient and contain vivid
descriptions. Setting is the story’s time and place. Atmosphere, on the other
hand, is the feeling that the setting evokes i.e. eerie, mysterious, or happy.

The elements making up a setting are: the geographical location, its

topography, scenery, and such physical arrangements as the location of the
windows and doors in a room; the occupations and daily manner of living of
the characters; the time and period in which the action takes place, for
example, period in history or season of the year; and the general environment
of the characters, for example, religious, mental, social, and emotional
conditions.

Style

Style refers to the language conventions used to construct the story. A

writer can manipulate diction, sentence structure, phrasing, dialogue, and
other aspects of language to create style.

13
 Thus, a story’s style could be described as richly detailed, flowing, and
barely controlled or sparing and minimalist to reflect the simple sentences
structures and low range of vocabulary. Predominant styles change through
time, therefore the time period in which the piece was written often influences
its style.

Style is the manner of expression of a particular writer, produced by

choice of words, grammatical structures, use of literary devices, and all the
possible parts of language use. Style is the way writer uses words to create
literature. It is difficult to enjoy a story’s characters or plot without enjoying
the author’s style. The style of an author is as important as what he is trying
to say.

Symbolism

A symbol is a sign, word, phrase, image, or other object that stands for
or represents something.

There are two distinctions for symbols: The Traditional or Conventional

Symbols and the Personal Symbols.

Traditional or conventional symbols are those that are part of our

general cultural inheritance. (e.g. “The Lamb,” by William Blake is a
conventional symbol for “peace, gentleness, and innocence.”)

Additionally, conventional symbolism is often based on elements of

nature. (e.g. Youth for greenery or springtime, Middle Age for Summer, Old
Age for Autumn/Winter).

Conventional symbols are also borrowed from religion and politics (e.g.
cross for Christianity, crescent for Islam, Red colour for Marxist ideology).

On the other hand, personal symbol those that are created by particular
authors for use in particular works (e.g. “The Tyger,” by William Blake is a
symbol specifically created for this poem).

Theme

Theme is the central idea, concern, or purpose in a literary work. In a

serious literary work, the theme is usually expressed indirectly rather then
directly. A light work, one written strictly for entertainment, may not have a
theme.

Principles in Stating the Theme of a Story

 It reports for all major details of the story.

 It may be avowed in more than one way.

14
  It is stated in complete sentence.
 It asserts a sweeping statement about life.
 It avoids statements that condense the theme to some familiar adage,
aphorism, dictum, maxim, saying, or value.

A theme could be a moral (a lesson taught by a literary work), dramatic

premise (is a typical ending of a story that suggests what will happen and
had happened on the characters and the story itself), or insight (the clear and
often sudden understanding of a complex situation based on the story).

Tone

Tone is the writer’s attitude toward his or her subject matter. For
example, the tone of a biography can be admiring or critical, fawning or
hostile. Many biographies start with a reverential attitude toward their
subject, become antagonistic as the work bogs down, and end on a worshipful
tone.

For instance, if the author is listing reasons and answering likely

objections in advance, the tone is argumentative or persuasive. If the writer
goes on and on about the snowy, picture-perfect holidays of childhood,
nostalgia is a good bet.

When you’re determining tone, “hear” the writing in your head. Put
yourself in the author’s shoes and imagine what she feels. Examine the
language closely, and bring your own experience to the writing.

Popular examples:

Patriotic Tone

“And so, my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for
you-ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy

Aggressive Tone

“Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?”

Sarcastic Tone

“All morons hate it when you call them a moron.”

“If a girl looks well when she meets you, who gives a damn if she’s late?
Nobody.”

“Catholics are always trying to find out if you’re Catholic.” – Holden

Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

15
 Gloomy Tone

“And the trees all died. They were orange trees. I don’t know why they
died, they just died. Something wrong with the soil possibly or maybe
the stuff we got from the nursery wasn’t the best. We complained about
it. So we’ve got thirty kids there, each kid had his or her own little tree
to plant and we’ve got these thirty dead trees. All these kids looking at
these little brown sticks, it was depressing.” – The School by Donald
Barthelme

Unhappy Tone

“I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
– The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Self-Check Activities
IF IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S THE OTHER YOU KNOW
Directions: Read each item carefully and choose the correct answer from the
given two choices.

1. “Purple puppies like playing on the playground." This is an example of:”

a. figurative language b. symbolism
2. "Hope is the things with feathers that perches on the soul,
And sings the tune without words and never stops at all."
(Emily Dickinson) This poem contains an example of:
a. tone b. rhyme
3. The irony is when an event or response occurs that is the ___________
of what is expected.
a. opposite b. correct
4. What could be the conventional symbol for “peace?”
a. lion b. dove
5. Which tone is present in the line, “Goddamn money. It always ends up
making you blue as hell.”
a. mysterious b. sarcastic
6. What is the commonly used point of view by the writers?
a. third-person POV b. first-person POV

16
 7. Manila, 1989, Byzantine Period, In the cold morning of August, COVID
Era are all examples of?
a. setting b. flashforward
8. In the movie, Schindler’s List, a young girl wearing a red dress was
repeatedly projected and this was viewed as innocence. What literary
technique was utilized by the film makers?
a. style b. motif
9. What is the other name for “falling action?”
a. denouement b. prolepsis
10. In writing memoir, who is usually our central character?
a. writer b. antagonist

Key Concepts
 In writing creative nonfictional literature, the authors should bear in
mind that the pieces must be based on facts and figures while retaining
the literary devices and techniques just like writing fictional or
imaginative stories.
 There are 19 most commonly used literary devices and techniques and
these are: character/s, detail, dialogue, diction, figurative language,
flashback, flashforward, foreshadowing, imagery, motif, narrative,
order, plot or plot structure, point of view, setting and atmosphere,
style, symbol, theme, and tone.

Evaluation
Read the passage below. Underline the portion which are fictional (based on
imagination) and encircle the elements which are nonfictional (based on facts).
Then, create a draft and determine the multiple elements found in the passage.

Boat from Banago

(An excerpt story taken from the anthology of local stories in PEN Lectures)

I came from the College English Association (CETA) conference in Bacolod. It

was my first conference since I joined UP in the Visayas in Iloilo and I was quite
excited.

It was a horror to take the boat at the Banago pier in Bacolod but somehow, I
managed to be one of these Negros Navigation boats that later sink and killed so
many people, decreasing the population of Negros Occidental by a few thousands.

It was such a pleasant afternoon to sail toward Guimaras and its famous Siete
Pecados islets. One of then carried the Lopez mansion called La Roca Endantada.
The wind became cooler the moment the boat docked at Iloilo City’s Muelle Loney.

17
 I was in the second deck and I waited for the passengers of the lower deck to
unclog the gangplank. I stood learning on the railing and looked down at the people
milling around to meet close relatives or friends.

I was shocked to see two people. It was my brother-inl-law Chito standing

beside my own self! I felt a chill enveloping my whole body and I cleared my throat
thrice but no sound came.

Chito was wearing his usual white shirt and maong pants. He was very
handsome. I was wearing my favorite shirt a pique-like fabric with subtle spots of
brown. I had pictures taken with my wife letty, my boy Dino, my girl Dulce, and my
mother-in-law Lilia taken at the Manila Zoo with me wearing this shirt. We posed in
front of an elephant and later in front of a giraffe.

I waved my hand but the two did not react. Then they turned their eyes on the
people going down the gangplank.

I felt groggy at the sight. I carried my light luggage and went down from the
upper deck and on the gangplank while I mentally marked the spot where Chito and
myself were standing.

There were not many people anymore. The two people I wanted to see again
were not there. I walked a distance and found a taxi that took me to the Molo.

When I arrived home, Chito was listening to Bombo Radyo. I did not tell
anybody about what I saw from the second deck of the boat from Banago.

18
 Enrichment Activities

LITERARY JOURNEY
Directions: Read the essay below and answer the following questions
comprehensively.

THE SCHOOL
by: Donald Barthelme

Well, we had all these children out planting trees, see, because we figured that
... that was part of their education, to see how, you know, the root systems ... and
also the sense of responsibility, taking care of things, being individually responsible.
You know what I mean. And the trees all died. They were orange trees. I don’t know
why they died, they just died. Something wrong with the soil possibly or maybe the
stuff we got from the nursery wasn’t the best. We complained about it. So we’ve got
thirty kids there, each kid had his or her own little tree to plant and we’ve got these
thirty dead trees. All these kids looking at these little brown sticks, it was depressing.

It wouldn’t have been so bad except that just a couple of weeks before the
thing with the trees, the snakes all died. But I think that the snakes – well, the reason
that the snakes kicked off was that ... you remember, the boiler was shut off for four
days because of the strike, and that was explicable. It was something you could
explain to the kids because of the strike. I mean, none of their parents would let
them cross the picket line and they knew there was a strike going on and what it
meant. So, when things got started up again and we found the snakes they weren’t
too disturbed.

With the herb gardens it was probably a case of overwatering, and at least
now they know not to overwater. The children were very conscientious with the herb
gardens and some of them probably ... you know, slipped them a little extra water
when we weren’t looking. Or maybe ... well, I don’t like to think about sabotage,
although it did occur to us. I mean, it was something that crossed our minds. We
were thinking that way probably because before that the gerbils had died, and the
white mice had died, and the salamander ... well, now they know not to carry them
around in plastic bags.

Of course, we expected the tropical fish to die, that was no surprise. Those
numbers, you look at them crooked and they’re belly-up on the surface. But the
lesson plan called for a tropical fish input at that point, there was nothing we could
do, it happens every year, you just have to hurry past it.

We weren’t even supposed to have a puppy.

We weren’t even supposed to have one, it was just a puppy the Murdoch girl
found under a Gristede’s truck one day and she was afraid the truck would run over
it when the driver had finished making his delivery, so she stuck it in her knapsack
and brought it to the school with her. So, we had this puppy. As soon as I saw the
puppy I thought, Oh Christ, I bet it will live for about two weeks and then... And
that’s what it did. It wasn’t supposed to be in the classroom at all, there’s some kind
of regulation about it, but you can’t tell them they can’t have a puppy when the

19
puppy is already there, right in front of them, running around on the floor and yap
yap yapping. They named it Edgar – that is, they named it after me. They had a lot
of fun running after it and yelling, “Here, Edgar! Nice Edgar!” Then they’d laugh like
hell. They enjoyed the ambiguity. I enjoyed it myself. I don’t mind being kidded. They
made a little house for it in the supply closet and all that. I don’t know what it died
of. Distemper, I guess. It probably hadn’t had any shots. I got it out of there before
the kids got to school. I checked the supply closet each morning, routinely, because
I knew what was going to happen. I gave it to the custodian.

And then there was this Korean orphan that the class adopted through the
Help the Children program, all the kids brought in a quarter a month, that was the
idea. It was an unfortunate thing, the kid’s name was Kim and maybe we adopted
him too late or something. The cause of death was not stated in the letter we got,
they suggested we adopt another child instead and sent us some interesting case
histories, but we didn’t have the heart. The class took it pretty hard, they began (I
think, nobody ever said anything to me directly) to feel that maybe there was
something wrong with the school. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the
school, particularly, I’ve seen better and I’ve seen worse. It was just a run of bad
luck. We had an extraordinary number of parents passing away, for instance. There
were I think two heart attacks and two suicides, one drowning, and four killed
together in a car accident. One stroke. And we had the usual heavy mortality rate
among the grandparents, or maybe it was heavier this year, it seemed so. And finally
the tragedy.

The tragedy occurred when Matthew Wein and Tony Mavrogordo were playing
over where they’re excavating for the new federal office building. There were all these
big wooden beams stacked, you know, at the edge of the excavation. There’s a court
case coming out of that, the parents are claiming that the beams were poorly stacked.
I don’t know what’s true and what’s not. It’s been a strange year.

I forgot to mention Billy Brandt’s father who was knifed fatally when he
grappled with a masked intruder in his home.

One day, we had a discussion in class. They asked me, where did they go? The
trees, the salamander, the tropical fish, Edgar, the poppas and mommas, Matthew
and Tony, where did they go? And I said, I don’t know, I don’t know. And they said,
who knows? and I said, nobody knows. And they said, is death that which gives
meaning to life? And I said no, life is that which gives meaning to life. Then they said,
but isn’t death, considered as a fundamental datum, the means by which the taken-
for-granted mundanity of the everyday may be transcended in the direction of – I
said, yes, maybe. They said, we don’t like it. I said, that’s sound. They said, it’s a
bloody shame!

I said, it is. They said, will you make love now with Helen (our teaching
assistant) so that we can see how it is done? We know you like Helen. I do like Helen
but I said that I would not. We’ve heard so much about it, they said, but we’ve never
seen it. I said I would be fired and that it was never, or almost never, done as a
demonstration. Helen looked out the window. They said, please, please make love
with Helen, we require an assertion of value, we are frightened.

I said that they shouldn’t be frightened (although I am often frightened) and

that there was value everywhere. Helen came and embraced me. I kissed her a few
times on the brow. We held each other. The children were excited. Then there was a

20
knock on the door, I opened the door, and the new gerbil walked in. The children
cheered wildly.

1. What do these lines mean, “And they said, is death that which gives meaning
to life? And I said no, life is that which gives meaning to life?”
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. List down at least 3 objects or concepts found in the essay. Give also their
meaning or symbolism.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. Describe the atmosphere and the tone of the essay. Is the author happy, sad,
or worried? Why or why not?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Bibliography
Books

Jacobs, D. & Campbell, J.L. (2000). Genres in Context. Harcourt Custom

Publishers and Harcourt College Publishers. United States of America.

Solmerano, E.T. et. al (2017). Creative Nonfiction. Fastbooks Educational

Supply. Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines.

Torres, J.V. (2013). Pen as Swords: The Philippine PEN Jose Rizal Lectures.
Solidaridad Publishing House. Ermita, Manila, Philippines

Websites

Barthelme, D. (2015). The School from Six Stories. Retrieved from:

https://legacy.npr.org/programs/death/readings/stories/bart.html. Retrieval
date: June 15, 2020

Cross, B. (2018). How Literary Devices Impact Works of Nonfiction. Retrieved from:
https://study.com/academy/lesson/how-literary-devices-impact-works-of-
nonfiction.html. Retrieval Date: June 15, 2020

21