CREATIVE NONFICTION
LIMITED FACE-TO-FACE LESSON 1
April 18, 2021
THEME AND TECHNIQUES IN A CREATIVE TEXT
MELC/s: Analyze the theme and
techniques used in a particular text. (NO CODE)
Objectives:
1.
Discuss the theme and techniques in a creative text;
2.
Analyze the theme and techniques used in a
particular text; and
3.
Write
a brief/ a 3-minute monologue /spoken-word poetry applying the theme and
techniques of a creative text.
LESSON CONTENT
I.
THEME
The theme is a pivotal element, because it lingers throughout the
entire story, from start to finish. It can be whatever the author deems
appropriate, and there can also be more than one theme. Before we dive into
several examples of theme in literature, let's start with a thorough review of
this important element.
It's important not to confuse the theme and the main idea. The theme is an underlying message of bravery, or hope, or love,
etc. The main idea, however, is simply what the story is about. In a way, the
main idea is a tight summary of the plot.
How to Find the Theme
No story is complete without a few essential elements. They are:
- Characters - The people who
take part in the action of the story
- Setting - Where the story
takes place
- Plot - The events that
make up a story
- Conflict - The struggle
faced by the main character that must reach a resolution
At this point, you can also ask yourself, "What's the main
idea? What's the short version of the story?" Once you're comfortable
speaking on each of these elements, it's time to dive into the theme. These
three questions will help you unearth it:
- What
problem is the main character facing?
- What
lesson did the main character learn?
- What
message can you take away from the story?
Once you hit that third question, you'll be well on your way to
understanding the theme of the story.
Common Theme Examples
The more you read, the more you'll spot some of the popular
literary themes. Common themes include:
- Compassion
- Courage
- Death
and dying
- Honesty
- Loyalty
- Perseverance
- Importance
of family
- Benefits
of hard work
- Power
of love
- Friendship
- Revenge
- Redemption
Of course, the list goes on and on. That's the beauty of artistic
expression. A book's central theme can be anything the author chooses to focus
on. Certainly, courage, death, friendship, revenge, and love are five themes
that abound. Let's take a closer look at these common themes, as well as some
interesting examples from popular works of fiction.
Courage
Courage is a wonderful theme to explore in writing. Life is full of
difficult moments that must be surmounted, so why not draw inspiration from
fictional and nonfictional characters in a piece of literature? It just may be
the story that inspires someone else to push through the next challenge in
life. Here are a few examples of courage in major works of literature:
- A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway features characters
who endure a difficult war and display honorable courage in nearly every
instance.
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien tells the tale of
a homely hobbit who sets off on an important quest.
- Iliad and Odyssey by Homer also maintain a
war theme and the bravery that one must assume in order to survive.
- Life of Pi by Yann Martel tells the story
of a young boy fighting to survive after a shipwreck in the middle of the
Atlantic Ocean.
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding features a group
of boys stranded on a deserted island, fighting to survive. Courage is
just one of the book's central themes.
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy highlights the
courage of the men fighting a war as well as the courage of the women who
must make difficult decisions back on the homefront.
Death and Dying
Death is something everyone will face. It's packed with so much
uncertainty. And, for those left behind, it leaves lingering feelings of
sadness and, sometimes, even remorse. This can be a great theme if your goal is
to tug at the heartstrings of your readers. Here are a few examples of death
and dying in major works of literature:
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak features a
narrator who is Death himself, as he takes lives throughout WWII in
Germany.
- The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
explores death and grief from the perspective of a girl who was just
murdered.
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green focuses on
teenagers that must come to terms with their terminal illness.
Friendship
Valued friendships can completely alter one's life. It can sustain
you through moments when you need to pull out all of your courage. It can
bolster us when we're feeling down. And it's also a wonderful prize when
celebrating life's special moments. Here are a few examples of the beauty of
friendship in major works of literature:
- Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes tells the story
of two men who, essentially, embark on an epic road trip. The ties that
bond their friendship make all their adventures possible.
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling embraces the
theme of friendship. In fact, every novel in the series hones in on this
concept. Harry, Ron, and Hermione's unbreakable friendship is strong
enough to allow them to stand up to even the greatest of sorcerers.
- The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
promotes the theme of friendship and how having
someone to lean on can usher you through some of life's most pivotal
moments.
Love
Of course, love can move the world. When two characters fall in
love, they'll go to any lengths to stay together. It makes for an interesting
story to see how love survives, despite all the curveballs the main characters
might face. Here are a few examples of love in major works of literature:
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy focuses on love
as a theme. What's interesting here is that love is displayed as both a
destructive and productive force, both inside and outside the context of
marriage.
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen explores the
theme of love during a time when people didn't really date outside their
social spheres. The two main characters give light to the theme of love
and how, sometimes, it can conquer all.
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare also demonstrates
how love can be such a driving force that, if love can't be had, nothing
short of death will do.
- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
explores the theme of love, demonstrating how, to have it, one must
experience a bit of discomfort too.
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio focuses on love,
but not necessarily romantic love. We see the love that the main
character's family shows for him, as well as the differences between the
friends who love him and the antagonists who give him a hard time.
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte explores the
theme of love but where the two main characters are equally in love and at
war with one another.
Revenge
Of course, the theme in a novel doesn't always have to be a
positive thing. It can be a negative attribute that might inspire readers to
take a better path in life. Here are a few examples of the detriments of revenge
in major works of literature:
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas plays with the
theme of revenge from nearly every angle and character viewpoint. It also
plays on the theme of power because, as soon as the count takes a position
of power, he doles out revenge to those who hurt him along the way.
- The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson features a main
character who takes revenge on those who falsely accused her in the
previous book in the series, The Girl Who Played
with Fire.
- Macbeth by William
Shakespeare features revenge as a theme because one of
the characters, Macduff, makes many efforts to exact revenge on Macbeth
after he learns of his family's death.\
II. TECHNIQUES
IN A CREATIVE TEXT
A. FIGURES OF SPEECH aka. Figurative language is a tool that an author uses, to help the reader
visualize, or see, what is happening in a story or poem. The following are the
common types of figures of speech.
1. Simile is a comparison using like or as. It
usually compares two unlike objects. Example: His feet are as
big as boats. Feet and boats are being compared.
2. Metaphor states that one thing is something else.
It is a comparison, but does NOT use like or as to make the
comparison. Example: Her hair is silk. Hair and silk
are being compared.
3. Personification is giving human qualities,
feelings, actions, or characteristics to inanimate (not living)
objects. Example: The house stared at me with looming eyes. The verb,
stared, is a human action. A house is a nonliving object. Therefore, we have a
good example of personification.
4. Hyperbole is intentionally exaggerated figures of
speech used to create emphasis and/or evoke strong
feelings. Example: The
sea him lent those bitter tears.
5. Onomatopoeia is the imitation of natural sounds
in word form. These words help us form mental pictures, or visualize, things,
people, or places that are described. Sometimes a word names a thing or action
by copying the sound. Example: Bong!, Hiss…. Buzz!, Kablag! Vroom…
6. Allusion - reference to another person, place, event,
literary work, etc. Example: “No Second Jose Rizal”: “Was there another Rizal
for them to shot?” the “them” alluding to Spaniards).
7. Idiom - a common phrase or expression not
to be taken literally. They are overused expressions. (Examples:
beating around the bush, raining cats and dogs)
8. Irony occurs when there's a marked contrast
between what is said and what is meant, or between appearance and reality.
Examples: "How nice!" she said, when I told her I had to work all
weekend. (Verbal irony) The Titanic was said to be unsinkable but sank on
its first voyage. (Situational irony) When
the audience knows the killer is hiding in a closet in a scary movie, but the
actors do not. (Dramatic irony)
9. Assonance - in poetry, the repetition of the
sound of a vowel or diphthong (a, e, i, o, u, y) throughout
a sentence, phrase, paragraph, or entire piece of writing. (e.g., penitence, reticence).
10. Alliteration is
the repetition of the initial consonant. There should be at least two
repetitions in a row. Example: Peter Piper picked
a peck of pickled peppers. The first letter, p, is a consonant.
Its sound is repeated many times.
11. Consonance – repetition of same consonants (or consonant
patterns) at the ends of words.
12. Rhyme – the
repetition of vowel sounds in neighboring words. Examples: pair/fair; mad/glad;
sigh/ride.
13. Near/Half Rhyme – the repetition of ending consonant sounds in nearby
words; the consonant sounds are the same, but the vowel sounds are
different. Examples: (chitter/chatter, bitter/platter,
shaking/throbbing, quirk/lark)
14. Anaphora - the repetition of words at the beginning
of a clause. Example: In every cry of every human, in every Infants
cry of fear, In every voice: in every freedom)
15. Epistrophe - the repetition of words at the ending
of a clause
“If you had known the
virtue of the ring,
Or half her worthiness
that gave the ring,
Or your own honor to
contain the ring,
You would not then have
parted with the ring.”)
B. LITERARY DEVICES. • Also called LITERARY TECHNIQUES, literary methods or
literary motifs.
• These are the thumb, conventions or structures
employed in literature (literary texts) and storytelling (narratives). The
following are the common types:
1. Aphorism - concise statement that contains a
cleverly stated subjective truth or observation.
2. Chekhov’s Gun - insertion
of an apparently irrelevant object early in narrative for a purpose only
revealed later.
3. Cliffhanger - the
narrative ends unresolved, to draw the audience back to a future episode for
the resolution.
4. Defamiliarization - forcing
the reader to recognize common things in an unfamiliar or strange way, to
enhance perception of the familiar.
5. Dramatic - representing
an object or character with abundant description.
6. Visualization - detail,
or mimetically rendering gestures and dialogue to make a scene more visual or
imaginatively present to an audience.
7. Epiphany - a
sudden revelation or insight-usually with a symbolic role in the narrative.
8. Flashback - general
term for altering time sequences, taking characters back to the beginning of
the tale, for instance.
9. Flashforward - also
called prolepsis, an interjected scene that temporarily jumps the narrative
forward in time.
10. Foreshadowing - hinting
at events to occur later.
11. Juxtaposition - using
two themes, characters, phrases, words, or situations together for comparison,
contrast, or rhetoric.
12. Paradox - a
phrase that describes an idea composed of concepts that conflict.
13. Parody - ridicule
by overstated imitation of the original material, usually humorous
14. Poetic License - distortion of fact, altercation of the conventions of
grammar or language, or rewording of pre-existing text made by a writer to
improve a piece of art.
15. Stream of Consciousness - technique where the author writes down their thoughts
as fast as they come.
16. Symbolism - applied
use of symbols: iconic representations that carry particular conventional
meanings and it occurs when one thing stands for or represents something
else. Example: The dove symbolizes peace.
17. Imagery involves one or more of your five senses
– the abilities to hear, taste, touch, smell, and see. An author uses a word or
phrase to stimulate your memory of those senses and to help create mental
pictures.
18. Ticking Clock - threat
of impending disaster - often used in thrillers scenario where salvation and
escape are essential elements.
19. Tone - author’s attitude towards the
audience, the subject, or the character. The reflection of the poet’s attitude toward
the subject of a poem. It can be serious, sarcastic, humorous, etc.
20. Mood - the feeling the reader gets from a
fiction writing. The feeling or atmosphere that a poet creates. It can suggest an emotion (ex. “excited”) or
the quality of a setting (ex. “calm”, “somber”) In a poem, mood can be
established through word choice, line length, rhythm, etc.
21. Motif - a unifying element in an artistic work:
any recurrent item, etc.
22. Connotation - the emotional and imaginative association surrounding a
word from its literal meaning. An idea that is implied or suggested. Ex: She’s
feeling blue.-means sadness
23. Denotation - the strict dictionary meaning of a word.
24. Breaking the Fourth Wall – the actors suddenly talk to the audience
or responds to audience reaction, or the sudden participation of the audience
in the play (IN DRAMA).
III.
SPOKEN-WORD POETRY VS MONOLOGUE (as creative texts)
SPOKEN WORD POETRY is a form of poetry that doesn't have to rhyme, but certain
parts can be rhymed to emphasize an image or give it a lyrical quality. Spoken word poems will sometimes contain elements of
hip-hop, folk music, or jazz to enhance the rhythmic presentation.
MONOLOGUE – (in Tagalog drama) NO SPECIFIC LENGTH. - LONG FORM (UPTO 2 HRS),
- FOR AUDITION (3 MINUTES), - TO SHOWCASE ACTING PROWESS (1MIN)
·
2 TYPES OF MONOLOGUES
BASED ON HOW THE ACTOR DELIVERS IT
1. INTERNAL MONOLOGUE – WHEN THE ACTOR EXPRESSES HIS INNERMOST THOUGHTS
AND FEELINGS.
2. DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE – THE ACTOR IS TALKING TO ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL; MAY
IT BE AN IMAGINARY CHARACTER OR A PART OF THE AUDIENCE.
INDIVIDUAL
FORMATIVE ACTIVITY
Directions. Read the text mindfully and analyze the theme and techniques used by completing the given
table.
SHORT ESSAY ON LIFE (CREATIVE
TEXT)
Article shared by
Life is beautiful but not always easy, it has problems,
too, and the challenge lies in facing them with courage, letting the beauty of
life act like a balm, which makes the pain bearable, during trying times, by
providing hope
Happiness,
sorrow, victory, defeat, day-night are the two sides of the me coin. Similarly,
life is full of moments of joy, pleasure, success and comfort punctuated by
misery, defeat, failures and problems. There is no human being on Earth,
strong, powerful, wise or rich, who has not experienced, struggle, suffering or
failure.
No doubt,
life is beautiful and every moment – a celebration of being alive, but one
should be always ready to face adversity and challenges. A person who has not
encountered difficulties in life can never achieve success.
Difficulties test the courage, patience, perseverance and true character
of a human being. Adversity and hardships make a person strong and ready to
face the challenges of life with equanimity. There is no doubt that there can
be no gain without pain. It is only when one toils and sweats it out that
success is nourished and sustained.
Thus, life is and should not be just a bed of roses; thorns are also a
part of it and should be accepted by us just as we accept the beautiful side of
life.
The thorns remind one of how success and happiness can be evasive and
thus not to feel disappointed and disheartened rather remember that the pain of
thorns is short-lived, and the beauty of life would soon overcome the prick of
thorns.
Those, who are under the impression that life is a bed of roses are
disillusioned soon and become victims of depression and frustration. One who
faces difficulties with courage and accepts success without letting it go to
its head is the one who experience real happiness, contentment and peace in
life.
Those, who think, that good times last forever, easily succumb to
pressure during difficulties. They do not put in required hard work and efforts
because they break down easily.
You can take the example of a student, who burns the mid night oil,
makes sacrifices and resists temptations so that he can perform well.
Similarly, a successful executive has to face the ups and downs of life, not
forgetting that life is a mix of success and failure, joy and sorrow.
If he loses hope during difficult times, he would not achieve success
and would be replaced by others. Even the strongest Kings and Emperors have had
their cup of woes.
Life has not been a bed of roses for them. The adage ‘Uneasy lays the
head that wears the crown’ has been rightly used for people, who are successful
and are enjoying power and authority.
To sum up, life is beautiful just as roses but it has challenges which
are like thorns and have to be faced and overcome by all. Those, who accept
these, challenges and succeed, are the ones, who know how to live life in its
true sense. Thus, enjoy life but also be prepared to bear the pricks of pain.
TABLE OF ANALYSIS
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1. THEME
2. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE USED
Specific Word/s or Line/s |
Specific
Figures of Speech Used |
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3. LITERARY TECHNIQUES
Specific Word/s or Line/s |
Specific
Literary Techniques Used |
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EVALUATION:
Write
a brief or a 3-minute monologue/ spoken-word poetry applying the theme and
techniques of a creative text.
RUBRICS
Monologue/Spoken Word Poetry: 15
Creativity: 15
Analyzed Theme Used: 10
Analyzed Techniques Used: 10
TOTAL: 50
Home-Based Activity: The
brief Monologue/Spoken Word Poetry presentation may be video-recorded as
Take-home task explicating the theme and the techniques used thru Table
Analysis to be presented in Day 2. Written copy will be submitted.
Credits to the rightful owner/author.
2022