Studying Philippine Literature

Basic Features and Elements of Narratives

Narratives are the interesting accounts of people’s ideas, feelings, and values pertinent to the development of their culture and society.

Types of Narratives

1. Fable is a short literary composition in prose or verse, conveying a moral truth. The moral is usually summed up at the end of the story, which generally tells of conflict among animals that are given the attributes of human beings.

2. Legend is a traditional narrative or collection of related narratives, popularly regarded as historically factual but actually a mixture of fact and fiction. It is also defined as the short narrative about the origin or beginning of something.

3. Folktale is a story that is passed down orally from one generation to the next generation and become part of a community’s tradition. It is also a prose narrative that is regarded as fiction.

4. Myth is a traditional narrative about heroes, gods and goddesses or supernatural beings, often attempting to explain the origins of natural phenomena or aspect of human behavior.

5. Short Story is a fictional work depicting one character’s inner conflict with others, usually having one thematic focus. Short stories generally produce a single, focused emotional and intellectual response in the reader.

6. Parable is a biblical story that tells about religious teachings and morals.

Elements of a Narrative

1. Setting refers to the time and place of the story.2. Characters refer to someone or something on which the story develops.

Without the characters there could be no story.Two Kinds of Characters a. Protagonist is the good guy or person in the story (hero).b. Antagonist is the bad guy or person in the story (villain).

3. Plot refers to the series of events in the story.Parts of the Plota. Introduction is the beginning of the story.b. Rising action is where the conflict is developed.c. Climax is the highest point or peak in the story.d. Falling Action is where the conflict is resolved.e. Conclusion/Resolution is the ending of the story.

4. Conflict refers to the problem that the character has to resolve in the story.Three Kinds of Conflicta. Man versus Himself. It is the conflict between conscience and the other

feelings such as principles, beliefs, and values inside the character.b. Man versus Man. It is the conflict the main character and the other

characters in the story.c. Man versus Nature. It is the conflict between the character and the forces

of nature that are beyond his or her control.5. Theme refers to the main idea that the writer wants to leave to the readers

for them to ponder on.6. Point of View refers to whose view through which the story is told.

Kinds of Point of Viewa. First Person. The narrator is an observer or a participant. He or she

includes his or her own thoughts and feelings. He or she makes use of the pronouns I or We.

b. Third Person. The narrator observes one character who participates in the story.

c. Third Person. The author observes but does not participate in the story. He or she includes the actions, thoughts, and feelings of all the characters.

7. Moral Lesson refers to the values or insights learned or gleaned from the story read.

Figurative Language

It refers to expressions with meanings that cannot be taken literally. It uses figures of speech.

Figures of Speech

1. Simile is a figure of speech that compares two seemingly unlike things by using words such as like, and as,…as.Examples:

He beauty is like a flower that is about to bloom.His intelligence is as sharp as the butcher’s knife.

2. Metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things without using connectives.Examples:

People who lend a hand are good Samaritans of today.Filipino soldiers are lions in the battlefield.

3. Personification is a figure of speech that attributes human qualities to inanimate objects.Examples:

The poles of the fence sway to the rhythm of the strong wind.The earth swallowed the abandoned building during the strong

earthquake.4. Apostrophe is a figure of speech that addresses a person absent or dead as

if he or she were present; an inanimate object as if it were alive.Examples:

O, Rizal, look what has happened to the youth of today!Happiness and prosperity, why have you deserted me?

5. Hyperbole is a figure of speech that uses exaggeration of ideas for emphasis.Examples:

I walk a thousand miles just to attend your birthday party.Jimmy ate a mountain of food during lunchtime.

6. Irony is a figure of speech that states the opposite idea of what is meant.Examples:

Your thoughtfulness for not remembering my birthday is very much appreciated.

The witness was given a commendation for keeping his silence about the killings of the entire army troops.

VOCABULARY LESSONS

a. Synonyms are words that express the same ideas or have the same meaning, however, you should be careful to use a substitute synonym. You should study very closely your choices of words so that you can express exactly the idea you want to convey.Examples:

happy- glad depressed- sadenemy- foe scarce-few

b. Antonyms are words which are opposite in meaning. They are also called contrasting words.Examples:

huge- tiny create-destroyconceited- humble abundant-scarce

c. Parts of a Book

GRAMMAR LESSONSa. Nouns(Common and Proper nouns, Classes of Nouns)b. Pronouns(Personal Pronouns, nominative and objective)c. Verbs(Subject-Verb Agreement)d. Simple Past Tense(regular and irregular)

WORDS FOR SPELLING1. compendium2. buffet3. chaperon4. psocid5. vacuous6. abattoir Prepared by: Mrs. Christina P.

Gordolan7. aisle note: these are the lessons to be taken in

the exam8. eulogy9. hubris10.accommodate