SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Learning Module
in
creative NONFICTION
by: JEPTE C. DAGUM

(week 2)
(Week No.2)
LESSON 2
EXPLORING LITERARY ELEMENTS
THROUGH ONE’S EXPERIENCES
Learning competency/ies: Create samples of the different literary elements
based on one’s experience (e.g. metaphor to describe an emotion)

Objectives
This lesson aims to:

a. examine the literary elements found in nonfictional texts;

b. integrate one’s experiences in developing literary lines and phrases; and
c. journal significant events using different literary elements.

Review
SYNTHESIS TOMBSTONES
Directions:
Below are two tombstones with popular quotes from famous public
figures. Your task is to write a brief description on the relevance of these words
to human existence.

“We do not need guns and bombs
to bring peace, we need love and
compassion.” – Mother Teresa
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“For every profanity, there’s a story behind
it. People should go beyond my cussing.”
– President Rodrigo R. Duterte
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 Pre-assessment
1. Which of the following should not be included in the character’s
resume in writing a story?
a. name b. address c. attitude d. death
2. Which of these are not primary elements of any plot?
a. antagonist b. details c. protagonist d. conflict
3. Tone, in literature, could any of the following, except:
a. friendly b. pompous c. temperamental d. distant
4. This is a figurative language that refers to the use of words to express
something other than and especially the opposite of the literal
meaning.
a. allusion b. alliteration c. synecdoche d. irony
5. What sensory detail is present this line: “The car squeaked every
time I hit a bump in the road?”
a. sight b. smell c. sound d. taste

Introduction
In this lesson, you will be exposed with different literary elements and
how these techniques be used in your life experiences. Literary elements are
narrative techniques used to spice up a piece of writing by giving it character
and a little bit of surprise. Similarly, they are used in fictional stories, these
techniques 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.
When writers share their personal experiences through texts, such as
journals, memoirs, or autobiographies, it is important to them as authors that
they share the information with a captive audience.

Just like with the previous lesson, your intelligence for literary elements
will be hammered and strengthened here through the exposure of some of the
commonly used devices in composing blogs, travelogue, biographies,
autobiographies, essays, testimonies, speeches, open-letters, journal, and/or
diary entries.

Another angle of viewing the topics in character and characterization,

additional definitive examples for figurative languages, in-depth discussions
on the functions of dialogues, plot structure and ways of writing the stories
using traditional and inverted pyramids, broadening the ideas on the
fundamental elements of setting, and many other relevant information
pertaining to literary elements will be the scope for this lesson.

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 Content
Character
 They can be people, animals, creatures, or inanimate objects in which
they can be real or imaginary.
 They are needed to create a story as they will grow and change
throughout the story.
 They are shaped by what the writer writes and the image that the
readers creates with what they do and say,
 They can make you emotional.
 They can be well developed (round) and two dimensional (flat).
Characterization
Characterization is the way in which an author shows the personality
of a character. It is a technique used by writers to make characters “come to
life.”

A writer can tell you directly about a character…

(Freddy was very competitive.)
or
A writer can tell you indirectly about a character…
(Two days before the game, Freddy gathered his teammates and laid out
his plan. Then he looked at them and said, “We are going to win this
one. No excuses.”)

Direct characterization tells the reader the personality of the

character. It is obvious to the reader and “spells” it right out.

Example:

The patient boy and the quiet girl were both well behaved and did not
disobey their mother.

Indirect characterization shows things that reveal the personality of the

character. Writers often use the acronym, STEAL (Speech, Thought, Effect on
Others, Actions, and Looks)

Example:

The boy sat next to his sister as she poked him and teased him. He did
not react. He carefully picked up her doll from the floor and placed it
on her lap saying gently, “Here you go, why don’t you play with your
doll?”

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Character Traits

Character traits are descriptive adjectives that tell us specific qualities

of a character. Below is a sample chart of these traits.

DETOUR: EL PABORITO (QUIZLET FOR CHARACTERIZATION)

Directions: Think about your favorite character in book, movie, or television

series and answer the following questions.

1. How can you describe his/her appearance?

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2. What kind of personality does he/she have?
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3. What kinds of things does he/she like?
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4. Make a list of character traits for this character.
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Figurative Languages

Figurative language is a form of expression used to convey meaning or

heighten effect, often by comparing or identifying one thing with another that
has a meaning or connotation familiar to the reader or listener. It is a word or
phrase used in a non-literal sense for rhetorical or vivid effect.

Popular Examples of Figurative Languages

Alliteration – this is a very common figure of speech that involves using

words that begin with the same sound. The repetition of usually initial
consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables. The initial
consonant sounds are the same, thus the alternate name head rhyme.

Example: Walking in a winter wonderland

Anaphora – this figure of speech uses specific clause at the beginning of each
sentence or point to make a statement.

Example: “Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition!” – Shakespeare

Assonance – this is a figure of speech that focuses on the vowel sounds in a

phrase, repeating them over and over to great effect.

Example: Quite right, free as breeze, high as a kite.

Chiasmus – a verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is

balanced against the first but with the parts reversed. Chiasmus is a figure of
speech in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated
in reverse order, in the same or a modified form. In other words, the clauses
display inverted parallelism.

Example: In the end, the true test is not the speeches a president
delivers; it’s whether the president delivers on the speeches.
– Hillary Clinton

Hyperbole – this figure of speech makes things seem much bigger than they
were really were by using grandiose depictions of everyday things.

Example: I’ve look all over the world for this pen!

Irony – the use of words to express something other than and especially the
opposite of the literal meaning. Some uses expressions of praise where blame
is meant. Feigning ignorance and humility.

Example: You are so beautiful; you look like a Christmas tree.

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Metaphor – the use of metaphor compares two (2) things that are not alike
and finds something about them to make them alike. Words “like” and “as”
are not being used.

Example: He drowned in a sea of grief.

Simile - in this figure of speech, two (2) things are compared that are not
really the same, but are used to make a point about each other. It uses the
word “like” and “as” upon comparing.

Example: Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re
going to get. – from the movie, Forrest Gump

Metonymy – in this figure of speech, a word that has a very similar in

meaning and it can be used for another. It is the substitution of the name of
an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant.

Example: England decides to keep check on immigration.

(England refers to the government.)

Synecdoche – a part represents the whole or less commonly, the whole

represents the part. Closely related to metonymy, it is an important poetic
device for creating imagery.

Example: The western wave was all aflame.

“wave” substitutes for “sea”

Onomatopoeia – this is the use of the word that actually sounds like what it
means.

Example: The cash register popped open with a heart-warming ca-

ching.

Paradox – This figure of speech completely contradicts itself in the same

sentence.

Example: “War is peace. Ignorance is strength. Freedom is slavery.”

- from 1984 by George Orwell

Personification – this is a way of giving an inanimate object the qualities of

a living thing. It makes things or ideas seem vital and alive, as if they were
human.

Example: The tree quaked with fear as the wind approached.

Pun – this play on words uses different senses of the words, or different
sounds that make up the words, to create something fun and interesting.

Example: I would like to go to Holland someday. Wooden shoe?

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Understatement – this is a situation in which the thing is made to seem less
important than it really is.

Example: I have to have this operation. It isn’t very serious. I have this
tiny tumor in the brain.” – Catcher in the Rye

Litotes – Litotes is a special form of understatement where a positive

statement is expressed by a negative statement. In other words, we talk about
a concept or object by describing the qualities it doesn’t have.

Example: I’m not as young as I was – I’m old.

He is not bad to look at – He is handsome

Antithesis – this is a contradiction that pits two (2) ideas against each other
in a balanced way.

Example: That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

Euphemism – words that are used to soften the message are often considered
euphemisms. Euphemism masks a rude or impolite expression but conveys
the concept clearly and politely. Several techniques are employed to create
euphemism.

Example: Passed away is often used in place of “died” or “killed”

Misunderstanding might be used in place of “fight”
Memorial Park instead of saying “cemetery”

Oxymoron – it is a figure of speech wherein opposite or contradictory words

or ideas are intentionally put together to achieve special effects.

Example: seriously funny, real phony, civil war, silent yell, wise fool

Functions of Dialogue

Dialogue should be written in an economic way and it needs to be

concise and full of meaning. Dialogues irrelevant to the plot must be altered
or omitted immediately. In writing nonfictional works, the writer could
actually use dialogue depending on how creative and imaginative he/she is.
Instead of using the simple essay-format, one could actually integrate
dialogue in the structure of blog, memoir, or even biography. Listed below are
the functions of dialogue.

1. It moves the action along in a work and it also helps to characterize the
personality of the speakers, which vary depending on their
nationalities, jobs, social classes, and educations.
2. It also gives literature a more natural, conversational flow, which makes
it more readable and enjoyable.

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 3. By showcasing human interaction, dialogue prevents literature from
being nothing more than a list of descriptions and actions.
4. Dialogue varies in structure and tone depending on the people
participating in the conversation and the mood that the author is trying
to maintain in his or her writing.

Plot Structures using Traditional and Inverted Pyramids

1. Traditional pyramid – chronological, no sub-plots, and uncomplicated. It

is also called, linear plot structure.

2. Inverted pyramid – complicated and the techniques (flashback,

flashforward, foreshadowing, surprise ending, suspense) could happen
anywhere.

In medias res, “meaning, it resides in the middle” – it starts at the conflict.

It goes back to the past and flashback. Stories like, Helen of Troy and The Age
of Adeline are all examples of literature which started at the middle. In
nonfiction, memoirs and autobiography can be written on this structure.

Ab ovo, “from the beginning” – the story started from the roots or beginning.
Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia are concrete examples of stories
which has ab ovo structure. Reflective essays and biographies could follow
this pattern.

Fundamental Elements of Setting

Here is a list of the specific elements that setting encompasses:

(Carpenter, 2012)

1. Locale. This includes country, region, province, city, and town,

barangay, as well as more specific locales, such as neighborhood,
street, house or school. Other locales can include shorelines, islands,
farms, rural areas, etc.
2. Time of year. The time of year is richly evocative and influential. Time
of year includes the seasons, but also encompasses holidays, such as
Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Halloween. Significant dates can also
be used, such as Birthdays, Death Anniversary, Wedding Anniversary,
etc.
3. Time of day. Scenes need to play out during various times or periods
during a day or night, such as dawn or dusk. Readers have clear
associations with different periods of the day, making as easy way to
create a visual orientation in a scene.
4. Elapsed time. The minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months a story
encompasses must be somehow accounted for or the reader will feel
confused and the story will suffer from lack of authenticity. While some
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 unfold moment by moment, there is also time to account for between
scenes, when a flashback is inserted, and when a character travels a
long distance.
5. Mood and atmosphere. Characters and events are influenced by
weather, temperature, lighting, and other tangible factors which in turn
influence the emotional timbre, mood, and atmosphere of a scene.
6. Climate. Climate is linked to the geography and topography of a place,
and as in our real world, can influence events and people. Ocean
currents, prevailing winds and air masses, latitude, altitude,
mountains, land masses, and large bodies of water all influence climate.
It’s especially important when you write about real setting to
understand climatic influences. Harsh climates can make for grim lives,
while tropical climates can create more carefree lifestyles.
7. Geography. This refers to specific aspects of water, landforms,
ecosystems, and topography in your setting. Geography also includes
climate, soil, plants, trees, rocks and minerals, and soils. Geography
can create obvious influences in a story like a mountain a character
must climb, a swift-running river he must cross.

Self-Check Activities
CHECK IT OR LEAVE IT
Directions: Put a check to items which are correct and leave it blank when
the idea doesn’t correlate to the elements of nonfiction.

________1. Plot structure is the succession of events that can be in

chronological order to drag the reader to continue reading.

________2. Characters maybe people, animal, or creature that might real

or imaginary and could carry a great impact to the story.

________3. Setting can be used to create and atmosphere and it

symbolizes a point that the author wishes to emphasize.

________4. The euphemism for gardener is “landscape engineer,” while

“ethnic cleansing” for genocide.

________5. A good author includes descriptions of the setting using the

five senses which are sight, smell, taste, touch, sound.

________6. For the in media res structure, the author could actually use
techniques like backstory, foreshadowing, and flashback.

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________7. The line, “My job is not to represent Washington to you, but to
represent you to Washington,” by Barack Obama is an
example of what figurative language?

________8. One of the functions of dialogue is giving literature a more

natural, conversational flow, which makes it more readable
and enjoyable

________9. Being imaginative, ambitious, strong, and impulsive can all be

character traits of any protagonist and antagonist.

________10. What figurative language is present from this popular quote,

“Success is as bastard as it has many fathers, and failure is
an orphan, with no takers?”

Key Concepts
 Characters could be people, animals, or creature that might be real or
imagined.
 Characterization could be directly or indirectly stated and character
traits are descriptive adjectives that relate to the qualities of the
characters.
 Some popular examples of figurative languages are alliteration,
allusion, anaphora, assonance, chiasmus, hyperbole, irony, metaphor,
simile, metonymy, synecdoche, onomatopoeia, paradox,
personification, pun, understatement, litotes, antithesis, euphemism,
and oxymoron.
 There are four functions of dialogue and they differ from the piece of
nonfiction you are composing.
 There are four structures in understanding any nonfictional narrative:
traditional pyramid, inverted pyramid, in media res, and ab ovo.
 There are seven specific elements that setting encompasses according
to (Carpenter, 2012) and these are: Locale, Time of year, Time of day,
Elapsed time, Mood and atmosphere, Climate, and Geography.

Evaluation
Below are the love letters of Ludwig van Beethoven to his immortal love.
Read them and concentrate on the main character and examine the emotions,
diction, and figurative languages. After which, kindly compose at least three
lines or phrases pertaining to your experiences in love (motherly love,
friendship love, intimate love, familial love, etc.)

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 Penned on Sunday, July 5, 1812
My angel, my very self… Why this profound sorrow, when necessity speaks — can our love endure without
sacrifices, without our demanding everything from one another; can you alter the fact that you are not wholly mine,
that I am not wholly yours? — Dear God, look at Nature in all her beauty and set your heart at rest about what
must be — Love demands all, and rightly so… No doubt we shall meet soon; and today also time fails me to tell
you of the thoughts which during these last few days I have been revolving about my life — If our hearts were
always closely united, I would certainly entertain no such thoughts. My heart overflows with a longing to tell you so
many things — Oh — there are moments when I find that speech is quite inadequate — Be cheerful — and be for
ever my faithful, my only sweetheart, my all, as I am yours. The gods must send us everything else, whatever must
and shall be our fate — your faithful Ludwig

Penned on Monday, July 6, 1812

What a life!!!! as it is now!!!! without you — pursued by the kindness of people here and there, a kindness that
I think — that I wish to deserve just as little as I deserve it — man’s homage to man — that pains me — and when
I consider myself in the setting of the universe, what am I and what is that man — whom one calls the greatest of
men — and yet — on the other hand therein lies the divine element in man… However much you love me — my
love for you is even greater — but never conceal yourself from me — good night — Dear God — so near! so far!
Is not our love truly founded in Heaven — and, what is more, as strongly cemented in the firmament of heaven?
—

Penned on Tuesday, July 7, 1812

Even when I am in bed my thoughts rush to you, my immortal beloved, now and then joyfully, then again sadly,
waiting to know whether Fate will hear our prayer — To face life I must liv altogether with you or never see you…
Oh God, why must one be separated from her who is so dear. Yet my life in V[ienna] at present is a miserable life
— Your love has made me both the happiest and unhappiest of mortals…
Be calm; for only by calmly considering our lives can we achieve our purpose to live together — be calm —
love me — Today — yesterday — what tearful longing for you — for you — you — my life — my all — all good
wishes to you — Oh, do continue to love me — never misjudge your lover’s most faithful heart.
every yours
every mine
ever ours

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 Enrichment Activities
JOURNALING EXPERIENCES
Directions: Kindly get your journal or any piece of paper. Write one significant
event in your life and include the different literary elements. Make sure that
your entry will follow the essay-format. Also, kindly observe the criteria below.
Happy writing!

Criteria:

Observance of Literary Element – 20 points

Original Technique and Style – 20 points

Breadth and Comprehensibility – 20 points

Bibliography
Books

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

Supply. Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines.

Websites

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

Limberg, A. (2015). 5 Nonfiction Writing Techniques That Will Keep Your Readers
Turning Pages. Retrieved from: https://thewritelife.com/nonfiction-writing
techniques/. Retrieval Date: June 15, 2020

Lowenherz, H. (2002). The 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time. Retrieved from:
https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/10/12/immortal-beloved-beethoven-love-
letters/. Retrieval Date: June 17, 2020

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