recognize the different literary
elements used in a text read;
Learning competency:
Excerpt from “Home But Unwanted”
by Rev. Fr. Eugene Elivera
As a young man he was in Germany in the late thirties, as Adolf Hitler was gaining strength, and he
had brought home records of Hitler speaking. I remember him playing these for my brother and me and telling
us if ever we hear such a forceful speaker, we should run like mad the other way!
He retired when he was about 62 and he and my mother moved to Arizona, where he could play
tennis every day, and drive up to Grand Canyon on weekends. He loved the hot, arid weather in Arizona and
the wide opened spaces – and the rabbits that cavorted around their backyard, and the birds, especially the
quails who frequently stopped traffic by marching their families across the street.
But still the protestant was still determined to be useful: he did pro bono tax counseling in one of the
banks for a month or so before tax deadlines each year, and he read for the blind under the local Lions Club,
sometimes reading Shakespeare and other classical literature to ease the way for blind students taking college
courses. And he continued to travel.
He had always loved traveling. He would ask my mother over a drink one night whether she had ever
thought about going to Iceland, for instance, and no matter what she said, he would come home a few days
later with pamphlets from his travel agent –and within a few months at most, they would be in Iceland.
He was fortunate enough to live well for 20 years after he retired, and to have been traveling and
playing tennis a month before he died. Some medical tests he had prior to taking his last trip to Europe
revealed some blocked arteries, but he went off on the trip without knowing this. But he knew he didn’t feel well
and after hearing from his doctor, he decided to return to the U.S. and undergo the surgery. This at first
appeared to be successful, but afterwards the doctors found they were unable to stop the bleeding. He did not
regain consciousness after the operation.
Excerpt from “Home But Unwanted”
by Rev. Fr. Eugene Elivera
As a young man he was in Germany in the
late thirties, as Adolf Hitler was gaining strength,
and he had brought home records of Hitler
speaking. I remember him playing these for my
brother and me and telling us if ever we hear
such a forceful speaker, we should run like mad
the other way!
Excerpt from “Home But Unwanted”
by Rev. Fr. Eugene Elivera
He retired when he was about 62 and he and my
mother moved to Arizona, where he could play tennis
every day, and drive up to Grand Canyon on
weekends. He loved the hot, arid weather in Arizona
and the wide opened spaces – and the rabbits that
cavorted around their backyard, and the birds,
especially the quails who frequently stopped traffic by
marching their families across the street.
Excerpt from “Home But Unwanted”
by Rev. Fr. Eugene Elivera
But still the protestant was still determined to be
useful: he did pro bono tax counseling in one of
the banks for a month or so before tax deadlines
each year, and he read for the blind under the
local Lions Club, sometimes reading
Shakespeare and other classical literature to
ease the way for blind students taking college
courses. And he continued to travel.
Excerpt from “Home But Unwanted”
by Rev. Fr. Eugene Elivera
He had always loved traveling. He would ask my
mother over a drink one night whether she had
ever thought about going to Iceland, for
instance, and no matter what she said, he would
come home a few days later with pamphlets
from his travel agent –and within a few months
at most, they would be in Iceland.
Excerpt from “Home But Unwanted”
by Rev. Fr. Eugene Elivera
He was fortunate enough to live well for 20 years after he
retired, and to have been traveling and playing tennis a
month before he died. Some medical tests he had prior to
taking his last trip to Europe revealed some blocked arteries,
but he went off on the trip without knowing this. But he knew
he didn’t feel well and after hearing from his doctor, he
decided to return to the U.S. and undergo the surgery. This
at first appeared to be successful, but afterwards the doctors
found they were unable to stop the bleeding. He did not
regain consciousness after the operation.
Questions:
1. What does the title tell you about
the article?
2. Does it clearly suggest what the
article is about? Explain.
3. What is the theme/ main idea of
the article? Does it tell a story?
Explain.
Write a short
description and
the title of your
favorite childhood
film.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Activity: My Own Story to tell
Write a short
description and
location of your most
unforgettable
vacation or travel.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
Activity: My Own Story to tell
Questions:
1. How was the activity?
2. Did you enjoy telling and sharing your stories?
3. Was telling your personal story more exciting
than reading stories of fictional characters?
Why?
The first thing you always look for in a story is the SETTING. It is the
context of a storytelling that describes the elements of where and when the
story takes place. It is a literary element used in various genre and generally
introduced at the exposition (beginning) of a literary piece. Moreover, the
setting gives you the feeling and the picture of the plot of the story.
The setting gives you a clearer view or understanding of the character’s
actions, language and even the flow of events and presents a specific aspect
that answers to these questions:
• Where does it take place?
• What is the social climate?
• What time, period or season is it?
• What important events are happening in the world?
• What emotion did it evoke to you as a reader?
• The PLOT is the sequence
of events and their
significance in the unfolding
of the story. It follows a flow
from the exposition
(beginning) of the story to
its denouement (resolution)
and can be presented using
a diagram as presented
below:
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
CONFLICT or the struggle of opposing forces in a story. It is usually a driving
force that makes you react to what you read or watch. It is presented in
different forms such as:
• Man against Self is a psychological battle or dilemma.
• Man against Man is a battle of force or strength between two or
more individuals.
• Man against Nature is the battle against the many forces of
nature.
• Man against Society is a battle with the taboos, traditions and
laws of a community.
• Man against the Supreme Being is a battle with the more
powerful force than man himself or herself.
OTHER LITERARY ELEMENTS IN
CREATIVE NONFICTION
1. Imagery is a figurative language that uses the different
human senses to describe and display visual
representation through words. It may be classified to:
• Sight
• smell (olfactory)
• Taste
• Hearing
• Feel/touch
OTHER LITERARY ELEMENTS IN
CREATIVE NONFICTION
2. Characters are the people involved in the story. Depending
on their importance or purpose they are identified as:
Protagonist
antagonist
OTHER LITERARY ELEMENTS IN CREATIVE NONFICTION
3. Narrative Techniques are different ways the story is told:
Flashback is an alteration of the time
sequence, bringing the audience back to the
past of a character that may impact an event
in a story.
Foreshadowing is an intentional way of an
author to be suggestive of future or coming
events in the story in the process of narration.
OTHER LITERARY ELEMENTS IN CREATIVE NONFICTION
3. Narrative Techniques are different ways the story is told:
In Medias Res is an author’s way of
starting the story sequence from the middle.
Quibble is when an author plots sequence
from an argument that disposes the legal
value to an agreement.
OTHER LITERARY ELEMENTS IN CREATIVE NONFICTION
4. Figures of Speech is a phrase or a set of words that makes literary pieces colorful and meaningful. It presents a
different meaning to the words literal meaning conveyed in different forms such as: :
• Metaphor is a comparison of two unlike things without
the use of comparative words.
• Simile is a comparison of two unlike things using
comparative words “like” or “as”.
• Personification is giving human qualities to inanimate
or inhuman objects.
• Idioms are expressions used to mean something else
than what is said.
OTHER LITERARY ELEMENTS IN CREATIVE NONFICTION
4. Figures of Speech is a phrase or a set of words that makes literary pieces colorful and meaningful. It presents a
different meaning to the words literal meaning conveyed in different forms such as: :
• Apostrophe is an expression wherein you address
something, someone or an idea as though it existed.
• Hyperbole is an exaggeration statement to give
emphasis to a stated idea.
• Euphemism is an expression to mildly imply something
harsh or negative.
• Paradox is giving a statement that is contradictory to
one’s belief or opinion.
