PAOMBONG HIGH SCHOOL, INC.

School Year 2021-2022

CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS FROM THE REGIONS
(GRADE 12)

Mrs. Ana Lyn D. De Leon

Subject Teacher

LESSON 7: Contemporary Art Forms Based on Elements and Principles (Literary Arts)

Literary Arts or Literature

According to Webster, literature is a collection of writings in prose or verse, especially writings
having excellence of form or expression and expressing ideas of permanent or universal interest.
From the definition of literature can be derived its characteristics: expressive or imaginative writing,
nobility of thought, universality, and timelessness. Poems, essays, plays, short stories, and novels
are forms of expressing ideas and emotions; they may be based wholly on the writers' imagination,
on facts, or on a combination of both. Literary pieces that excel or stand out are products of noble or
great minds; thus, writers whose works stand out are considered intellectual and their works which
stand the test of time are termed classics, for example, the works of William Shakespeare. Literary
works that transcend time and place are described as timeless and universal respectively.
Literature is divided into two broad genres—poetry and prose.

POETRY
Poetry is that broad genre of literature that is written in stanza form. It is characterized by a
regular rhythmic pattern, rhyme, horizontal and/or vertical measure, imagery, symbolism, and
figurative language. Making it distinct from prose forms, these elements are as follows:
1. MEASURE. Measure involves the counting of the number of lines and stanzas (vertical
measure) and the number of syllables and feet (horizontal measure).
Vertical Measure. Poems and stanzas are classified according to the number of lines. When a
stanza or a poem has two lines, it is called a couplet; three lines, a triplet (the three lines rhyme)
or tercet (the first and last lines rhyme); four lines, quatrain or quartet; five lines cinquain or
quintain; six lines, sestet; seven lines, septet; eight lines, octave; nine lines, nonet; and so forth.

Horizontal Measure. Lines are described according to the number of syllables. A line with one
syllable is described as monosyllabic; with two syllables, disyllabic; with three syllables,
trisyllabic; with four syllables, tetrasyllabic; with five syllables, pentasyllabic; with six syllables,
hexasyllabic; with seven syllables, heptasyllabic; with eight syllables, octosyllabic; with nine
syllables, nonasyllabic; with ten syllables, decasyllabic; with eleven syllables, undecasyllabic;
and with twelve syllables, dodecasyllabic. When lines are measured according to the number of
feet or meters, they are classified as follows: a line with one foot, monometer; with two feet,
dimeter; with three feet, trimeter; with four feet, tetrameter; with five feet, pentameter; with six
feet, hexameter; with seven feet, heptameter; and with eight feet, octameter.

2. RHYTHM. Rhythm is the regular succession of accented and unaccented syllables in a line. It is
associated with the metrical feet, which are classified as follows: iamb, a foot with an unstressed
syllable followed by a stressed syllable; anapest, a foot with two unstressed syllables followed by
a stressed syllable; trochee, a foot with a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable;
dactyl, a foot with a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables; spondee, a foot with
two stressed syllables; and pyrrhic foot, a foot with two unstressed syllables.

3. RHYME. Rhyme is the presence of words that have similar or identical final sounds.
Internal Rhyme. Exists when the rhyming words are found within one line
Terminal Rhyme. Exists when the rhyming words are found at the end of lines

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Perfect Rhyme. Occurs when the final sounds of rhyming words are identical. Paired words such
as choose and lose, death and breath, and rhyme and dime exhibit perfect rhyme.
Approximate Rhyme. Approximate rhyme occurs when the final sounds of rhyming words are
similar. Paired words such as thing and sin, meet and fit, and ice and eyes show approximate
rhyme.
Eye Rhyme. Eye rhyme occurs when the words have identical final letters which do not sound
the same; thus, the words appear to rhyme. Paired words such as lone and done, heroine and
entwine, groan and Roan exhibit eye rhyme.
Masculine Rhyme or Single Rhyme. Masculine rhyme occurs when the rhyming words have one
(single) syllable each. Paired words such as stake and make, main and sane, and maim and
same exhibit masculine rhyme.
Feminine Rhyme or Double Rhyme. Feminine rhyme occurs w the rhyming words have two
(double) syllables each and the stress on the first syllable. Paired words such as father and
mother, loving and hating, and action and station exhibit feminine rhyme.
Compound Rhyme. Compound rhyme occurs when the rhyming words are compound words
forming two pairs of rhyming words. Paired words such as fish broth and dishcloth, love boat and
sob note, and hair band and Fairland exhibit compound rhyme.
Monorime. A monerime exists when all the lines in the stanza have the same final sound. A
tanaga, a korido, and an awit have monoriming quatrains with lines of seven, eight, and twelve
syllables, respectively.
Dirime. A dirime exists when a stanza has two pairs or sets of rhyming words. Thus, a quatrain
which has a rhyme pattern of abab, abba, or aabb exhibits dirime.
Tririme. A tririme exists when a stanza has three pairs or sets of rhyming words. Hence, a sestet
having a rhyme pattern of abcabc, aabbcc, or abccba, exhibits tririme.
Rime Riche or Identical Rhyme. Rime riche or identical rhyme occurs when the rhyming words
are homonyms. It is exemplified by paired words such as steak and stake, main and mane, and
pail and pale.

4. IMAGERY. Imagery is the creation of a picture or pictures by using words that appeal to the
senses. It is visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile or tactual, kinaesthetic, or thermal.
Visual Imagery. Visual imagery involves the sense of sight. Words pertaining to size (big, small,
tall, etc.), shape (ovoid, triangular, octagonal, etc.), color (azure, verdant, fuchsia, etc.), and
similar physical characteristics contribute to the visual imagery.
Auditory Imagery. Auditory imagery involves the sense of hearing. Words pertaining to sound
(loud, soft, noisy, etc.) present auditory imagery.
Olfactory Imagery. Olfactory imagery involves the sense of smell. Words pertaining to odors or
scents (stinking, aromatic, pungent, etc.) present olfactory imagery.
Gustatory Imagery. Gustatory imagery involves the sense of taste. Words pertaining to taste
(sweet, acrid, stale, etc.) present gustatory imagery.
Tactile or Tactual Imagery. Tactile or tactual imagery involves the sense of touch. Words
pertaining to texture (rough, smooth, etc.) and touch (slippery, wet, dry, etc.) contribute to tactile
imagery.
Kinaesthetic Imagery. Kinaesthetic imagery involves the sense of movement. Words pertaining
to motion (fast, slow, quaking, etc.) present kinaesthetic imagery
Thermal Imagery. Thermal imagery involves the sense of heat. It is exemplified by heat-related
words such as lukewarm, hot, cold, etc.

5. SYMBOLISM. Symbolism is manifested when one thing is let to represent another. A symbol is
something which represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention. For
example, a mountain is used to symbolize a great obstacle; a strong wall, a powerful or
influential person; flowers, ladies or women; and butterflies and bees, men courting women.

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6. FIGURES OF SPEECH. Figures of speech are those words and phrases connotatively used by
the writer to communicate an abstract idea or produce an effect that words used in their ordinary
or denotative sense can’t produce.

PROSE
Prose is that broad genre of literature that is written in paragraph form. It is an expression that
does not have a regular rhythmic pattern. It differs from poetry in the sense that it does not have
measure and rhyme, besides rhythm with sustained regularity. All genres of prose, except essays,
have the following elements:

1. SETTING. Setting refers to the time and locale of the story.

2. CHARACTERS. The characters* are categorized into principal and supporting characters. The
principal characters are the protagonist and the primary antagonist, whereas the supporting
characters are the supporting antagonists, confidants, foils and background characters. The
characters may be dynamic (change their traits as the story progresses) or static (remain the
same throughout the story). The traits of the characters are revealed by their speech and
actions, by the author's descriptions, by what other characters say about them, and by their
juxtaposition with other characters. Their characterization is divided into four levels: physical
(sex, age, size, color, race, etc.), social (economic status, profession, trade, religion, family,
language, and social environment), psychological (mind-sets, attitudes, and behaviors), and
moral (dilemma faced by the character).

3. THEME. The theme is the idea or concept of the author expressed in a concise statement.
Referred to as the message of the story, it concretizes the abstract idea the writer wants to
impart. It may be ferreted out from the title of the story, the plot, the atmosphere, the dialogue of
characters, the recurrent use of imagery, and the use of symbols. In some stories, for example,
Aesop's fables, the theme is stated as the moral of the story.

4. PLOT. The plot is the chronological sequence of events in the story. It is divided into the
following parts:
Exposition. The first part of the plot, the exposition introduces the setting and the characters of
the story. It is also called the introduction or status quo. When the story starts in the conflict or in
the middle, it is called in medias res.
Rising Incident/s. The rising incidents are those incidents that lead to the complication.
Complication. The complication is the longest part of the narrative, in which the conflict
develops.
Crisis. The crisis is the problem of the story.

Climax. The climax is the highest point of the story, during which the readers know how the
conflict will be resolved.
Denouement or Resolution. The denouement or resolution is the part of the plot in which the
conflict is resolved.
Falling Incident/s. The falling incidents are those incidents that lead to the conclusion. Shorter
than the rising action, the falling action may still have some suspenseful moments but, for the
most part, gives the reader or audience a sense of completion, with the various unsettled issues
at work within the plot reaching some state of resolution.
Conclusion. The conclusion is the last part of the story's plot. It gives the story some finality.
There are times, however, when the story ends with a cliff-hanger and the reader is left to make
his conclusion.

5. CONFLICT. Conflict is the motivating, driving force that involves both characters and readers in
the narrative. Synonymous with opposition, conflict is classified into social, physical,
metaphysical, and internal or personal conflict.
Social Conflict. Social conflict exists when the protagonist and the antagonist are opposed to

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each other. Known as "man versus man" conflict, it is exemplified by Cinderella opposed by her
stepmother and stepsisters.
Physical Conflict. Physical conflict occurs when the protagonist struggles against physical forces
such as natural calamities, illnesses, and the like. Known as "man versus nature" conflict, it is
exemplified by the father in the short story "Thirsty Is the Arid Land" who dies of a lingering
Illness.
Metaphysical Conflict. Metaphysical conflict exists when the protagonist fights supernatural
beings such as gods and goddesses, vampires, werewolves, elves, fairies, and the like. This
"man versus supernatural beings" conflict is shown in the novels of J. K. Rowling, the Harry
Potter series, and of J.R.R. Tolkien, the "Lord of the Rings" series.
Personal or Internal or Psychological Conflict. Personal or internal conflict occurs when the
character experiences a dilemma. The conflict exists within the person as what Rose
encountered in "Titanic" when she was torn between two lovers, Jack and her fiancé.

6. POINT OF VIEW. The point of view is the angle of narration. The frame of reference the author
takes in telling the story is either first person or third person (omniscient, objective, or selective).
Autobiographical Point of View. The autobiographical point of view is the first-person or the "I"
point of view. The narrator is either the principal character or any of the supporting characters
who reports his experiences to the readers.
Omniscient Third-Person Point of View. The omniscient third-person viewpoint is employed by
the author when the narrator does not take part in the story, but as an all-knowing (omniscient)
observer, he sees all the events and knows the speech, actions, thoughts, and emotions (SATE)
of the characters and reports them to the readers.
Objective Third-Person Point of View. The objective third-person viewpoint is used by the writer
when the narrator does not take part in the story, but reports objectively the events in the story.
He states only what he observes, that is, the speech and actions of the characters, and not their
thoughts and emotions.
Selective Third-Person Point of View. The selective third-person viewpoint is used by the writer
when the narrator does not take part in the story, but he knows the speech, actions, thoughts,
and emotions of some characters and reports them; however, with the rest of the characters, he
reports only their speech and actions.

7. TONE. The tone is the emotional climate inherent in the story. It can be tragic, angry, humorous,
pathetic, condemning, condescending, accusing. satirical, cynical, romantic, sympathetic, etc.

8. ATMOSPHERE. The atmosphere is either the psychological environment or the predominant

tone or mood of the literary piece.

*CLASSIFICATION OF CHARACTERS
Protagonist. The protagonist or the hero is the main character around whom the story revolves. In
the fairy tale entitled "Cinderella; the protagonist is Cinderella. More often than not, the protagonist
is a good hero or heroine. If the protagonist is a bad one or does not possess the traits of a
conventional hero, he is described as an anti-hero or an anti-heroine.

Antagonist. The antagonist or the villain is the main or the supporting character who opposes the
protagonist. In "Cinderella:' the antagonists are Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters. If the
antagonist is not a human being but a natural force, the villain is called an antagonistic force, for
example, a fire or a cyclone.

Confidant/e. The confidant or confidante (feminine) is the supporting character upon whom the
protagonist confides. He is the sidekick of the hero; he is a constant companion of the hero and
knows almost everything about the hero. The fairy godmother must be the confidante of Cinderella.

Foil. The foil is the supporting character who serves as a contrast to the hero but does not
necessarily oppose him. The traits of the foil balance those of the hero.

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Background Character. The background characters are those characters who provide reality to the
story by their mere presence. For example, in Cinderella, they are the people who attended the ball
sponsored by the prince.

Unseen Character. The unseen character is an absent character who, even in his absence, affects
the development of the story.

SOURCE:
Menoy, Jesus Z., Ph. D. (2016). Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions. Books Atbp.
Publishing Corp.: Mandaluyong City

These are the elements through which we can understand literary works. For you to better
understand these concepts, let us try to analyze prose and poetry using these elements. Examples
are given below.

“Lyric 17 “
by Jose Garcia Villa

First, a poem must be magical,

Then musical as a seagull.
It must be a brightness moving,
And hold secret a bird’s flowering.
It must be slender as a bell,
Art Work
And it must hold fire as well.
It must have the wisdom of bows,
And it must kneel like a rose.
It must be able to hear
The luminance of dove and deer.
It must be able to hide
What it seeks, like a bride.
And over all I would like to hover
God smiling from the poem’s cover.
Art Form Literary Art – Poem

Vertical Measure – The poem has fourteen lines

MEASURE Horizontal Measure – Most lines are octosyllabic but there are also lines
with seven, six and 10 syllables
The poem used terminal rhyme as the rhyming words are found at the end
of each line. Perfect rhyme (bell and well, hide and bride, and hover and
RHYME cover), and approximate rhyme (magical and seagull, moving and
flowering) are also present. With regards to the number of syllables of the
rhyming words, feminine, masculine and compound rhymes are all present.
Visual imagery- slender as a bell
Auditory imagery – musical as a seagull
IMAGERY Kinaesthetic imagery – kneel like a rose, it must be able to hide what it
seeks, like bride, I would like to hover and God smiling
from the cover
Fire symbolizes spirit.
SYMBOLISM Kneel like a rose symbolizes humility.
Wisdom of bows means being direct.
The figures of speech used in the poem are simile ("musical as a seagull"),
FIGURES OF personification ("it must kneel like a rose"), imagery ("The luminance of
SPEECH dove and deer"), and the sound effects of assonance ("It must be slender
as a bell"), consonance ("Then musical as a seagull") and alliteration ("dove

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and deer").

Art Work
How my Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife by Manuel Arguilla

Art Form Literary Art – Prose (short story)

The story was set in Nagrebcan where Leon and Baldo’s family live
sometime during the early 20th century. It was dusk when Baldo
fetches his brother Leon and Maria, Leon’s wife, and takes them home
in the cart pulled by their bull, Labang. They do not pass through the
Camino Real, the usual route, and instead took the shortcut through
the Waig as was ordered by their father. Along the way, Baldo notices
SETTING AND PLOT that both his brother and Maria are enjoying what they see. Leon sings
a song that their father taught them and Maria sings with him. All of
three of them are anxious for it is the first time that Maria will meet her
husband’s family. When they reach home, Leon first ask where their
father is. Meanwhile, Baldo was called by their father into his room first
to ask about their journey and if Maria was afraid of it. Leon and Maria
came and Baldo was sent to tend to Labang.
Main Characters:
Baldo – Leon’s younger brother who fetched them from the road
to their home. He is also the one who tells the story.
Leon – also called Noel by Maria, he is Baldo’s older brother who
studied in Manila where he met his wife
Maria – Leon’s wife whom his family will meet for the first time.
CHARACTERS Leon and Baldo’s Father – the patriarch of the family whose
reaction in the said meeting they are all anxious about
Supporting Characters:
Ka Celin – who brought Leon and Maria to the edge of Nagrebcan
from the station
Urong and Celin – the twins whom they pass along the way
Leon and Baldo’s Mother – the one who welcomes them home
Aurelia- Leon and Baldo’s sister
Personal or internal conflict is evident in the story as almost all
CONFLICT characters are battling their anxiety over the situation wherein Maria
and Leon will meet the latter’s family for the first time after getting
married.
The story was told form Baldo’s autobiographical point-of-view as he
PONT OF VIEW
narrates the story of how his brother, Leon, brought home a wife.
The story revolves around the anxiety of meeting one’s in-laws for the
THEME/TONE/ATMOSP
first time especially in Leon and Maria’s case in which they are from
HERE
different backgrounds.

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