CREATIVE NON FICTION MODULES, Assignments of English

Download CREATIVE NON FICTION MODULES and more Assignments English in PDF only on Docsity!

Creative Nonfiction

Quarter 2 – Module 1:

Understanding the Genres of Fiction and Drama

Unit 1: Getting Started with Creative Non- Fiction P eople communicate with one another in all kinds of ways. They tell stories. They express their feelings and emotions. They update each other on what is happening in the world and their surroundings. They want to inform others about certain ideas and facts. As a student, you will realize that you will be doing much writing than you imagine: you will submit reports, answer essay-test questions, gather information, brainstorm with your peers and classmates, and submit other types of school requirements. These are examples of practical types of writing that you will be doing in school. Some of these writing requirements will actually be what is known as creative nonfiction. According to Leo Gutkind, “Creative Nonfiction heightens the whole concept of essay writing. It allows a writer to employ the diligence of a reporter, the shifting voices and viewpoints of a novelist, the refined wordplay of a poet and the analytical modes of an essayist.” We shall discuss this further. THE GENRE OF NONFICTION Carolyn Forche and Philip Gerard clearly define what creative nonfiction is. According to them, “Its very literariness distinguishes it from deadline reportage, daily journalism, academic criticism, and critical biography. It is storytelling of a very high order through the revelation of character and the suspense of plot, the subtle braiding of themes and resonance, memory and imaginative research, precise and original language.” This definition certainly makes creative nonfiction the most exciting and most widespread genre in the literary world today. Study the examples below. The first is an ordinary news story: On July 15, Rivermaya will have a concert at the Araneta Coliseum. The band has just arrived from a successful tour in China and Indonesia. Tickets for the concert are selling quickly. While the said new is factual and true, it appears dull and lacks interesting details. By using the genre of creative nonfiction, this news can be transformed into a more interesting piece of information: Fans of Philippine musical band Rivermaya are in for a real thrill. On July 15, their idol, fresh from their sold-out tour in China and Indonesia, will be at the Araneta Coliseum for a single concert. Marie Andrada, 18, a Communication Arts major from UST, says this is one concert she would rather die for than miss. Judging form ticket sales so far, at least 10, other people agree with her. Because of the addition of certain fascinating details, the second example is a more interesting paragraph than the first. Another example below provides information about the effects of global warming: Now that we understand more about global warming, we need to make our children realize how important it is for them to do their part in protecting the environment. Examples are saving on electricity and water, using paper bags rather than plastic bags, and recycling paper. By appealing to the reader’s conscience, the general information becomes a plea for action and decision:

Global warming is a reality. And it is here. Now that we have finally understood this, we have no more excuses for inaction. Let us begin with our children. Let us make them aware that the environment is also their responsibility. The two improved examples above are illustrations of creative nonfiction. Creative nonfiction combines the validity of facts and imaginative stance of storytelling. The word “creative” in creative nonfiction refers to the use of literary craft in the writing of nonfiction- to produce factually accurate essays or narratives about actual events and people in a compelling and interesting way. According to Lee Gutkind, for a text to be categorized as creative nonfiction, the writer must “communicate information just like a reporter but shape it in a way that reads like fiction.” Scott Edelstein further defined creative nonfiction as “a distinct form of prose, a work of nonfiction that uses some of the techniques of fiction and poetry, and/or that concerns itself primarily with providing and emotional (rather than merely intellectual) experience.” Because the term itself is relatively new, creative nonfiction was initially treated like an anomaly in literature. Today, personal essays, travel writing, meditation on ideas, nature writing, autobiography, biography, literary journalism, cultural commentary, letters and journals, memoirs, and other hybridized prose forms are often grouped under this umbrella term, creative nonfiction. This will be further discussed in the coming units and lessons. First, trace and return to the literary genres.

Module 1: Understanding the Genres of Fiction and

Drama

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

1. Identify dominant literary conventions of fiction and drama, namely, character, plot, setting, and theme.
2. Compare and contrast how the conventions of fiction and drama are used and utilized.
3. Analyze and interpret the themes and techniques used in particular texts.
4. Peer-edit each other’s draft based on the clarity of idea, and choice and use of element.
5. Revise the written piece using the literary conventions of fiction and drama. EXPLAINING KEY CONCEPTS You already have learned about fiction and drama before. As a form of review, let us refresh our memory with some of the terms. Fiction is defined as “a series of imagined facts which illustrates truths about human life.” It is commonly called “stories,” and can either be short (short story) or rather long (novella or novel). Drama also uses the traditional conventions of fiction but has an additional distinctive characteristic of being performed and mounted on stage.

Elements of Fiction and Drama Different works of fiction and drama may employ a number of elements, but generally, there are four major elements that comprise a short story, a novel, or a play. These are:

1. Plot – the sequence of events happening in a story.
2. Setting - the place and time where and when an event happens.
3. Characters – the persons who inhabit a story.
4. Theme – the central idea, or thesis, or overall message that the story conveys. Simply put, in all stories great and small, there are people ( characters ) in a place ( setting ) dealing with a problem or conflict ( plot ) that leads to a new understanding about life ( theme ). These elements are utilized both in fiction and drama. Comparison and Contrast of the Conventions and Devices between Fiction and Drama
5. Fiction is generally classified as short story or novel. A short story is a brief artistic prose form that centers on a single main incident and intends to produce a single dominant impression. A novel is an extensive prose narrative that contains chapters and interludes. Plays (drama), however, are generally classified into acts or major divisions. The most common are one-act play , which has one unit of time, one unit of place, and one unit of action play; and three-act play , which showcases a longer exposition of the theme and conflict.
6. All stories must have a point of view. The point of view is the vantage point of the angle from which the readers can see how the story unfolds. It can be told from the perspective of a narrator, a main or supporting character, or an observer. It can also come from an omniscient (all-knowing) being. Drama also employs point of view, but this is not apparent and evident in a play. What is visible is the interplay of dialogue between and among the characters. This is the component that moves the action of the play. A dialogue is what the viewers see and hear in a performance and these are the words uttered by the characters in a dramatic play.
7. The development of plot in both fiction and drama has a pattern. Generally, it contains the following: a. Exposition – introduces the characters and dramatic situation of the story or play. b. Rising action – introduces the conflict of the story or play. c. Climax – introduces the central moment of crisis that defines the conflict. d. Falling action – introduces the aftermath of conflict (whether it is resolved or not). e. Resolution/denouement – introduces the moment of insight, discovery, or revelation of the character after the falling action. In other more popular and modern types of fiction and drama, the development of plot is simply divided into three general parts: the beginning, the middle, and the end. NARRATIVE DEVICES
8. Foreshadowing is used in fiction and drama as a guide or hint at what is to happen next in the story.

2. Irony is also used both in fiction and drama when words that are uttered, either by the author or the characters in the story, are the opposites of what they actually mean. The intention here is to present a difference between what is imagined will happen and what actually happens.
3. Flashback is employed by an author or a playwright through the use of a past event that will help the readers understand the present. This is generally utilized to achieve a dramatic effect or impact on the readers and audiences.
4. A conflict is both present in fiction and drama. It provides and showcases the opposing objectives of the protagonist and the antagonist, or inside the protagonist.
5. The use of deus ex machina in both fiction and drama was once a noble strategy. Today, it is a sign of weakness in the written work. Once referring to the Greek practice of physically lowering a “god” to the stage at the end of the play to solve all the problems, today it refers to a contrived element in the plot used to solve a problem. EXAMPLES Tungkung Langit and Alunsina Panay-Visayan Folktale Translated by F. Landa Jocano One of the stories about the creation of the world, which the old people of Panay, especially those living near the mountains, do not tire relating, tells that in the beginning there was no sky or earth - only a bottomless deep and a world of mist. Everything was shapeless and formless - the earth, the sky and the sea were almost mixed up. In a word, there was confusion. Then, from the depths of this formless void, there appeared two gods, Tungkung Langit ("Pillar of the Sky") and Alunsina ("The Unmarried One). Just where these two deities came from, it was not known. However, it was related that Tungkung Langit had fallen in love with Alunsina; and after so many years of courtship they got married and had their abode in the highest realm of ethereal space, where the water was constantly warm and the breeze was constantly cool. It was in this place where order and regularity first took place. Tungkung Langit was an industrious, loving and kind god whose chief concern was how to impose order over the whole confused set-up of things. He assumed responsibility for the regular cosmic movement. On the other hand, Alunsina was a lazy, jealous, and selfish goddess whose only work was to sit by the window of their heavenly home and amuse herself with her pointless thoughts. Sometimes, she would go down the house, sit down by a pool near the doorsteps, and comb her long jet-black hair all day long. One day, Tungkung Langit told his wife that he would be away from home for some time to put an end to the chaotic disturbances in the flow of time and the position of things. However, despite this purpose, Alunsina sent the breeze to spy on Tungkung Langit. This made the latter very angry upon knowing about it. Immediately after his return from his trip, he called this act to her attention, saying that it as ungodly of her to be jealous, there being no other creature in the world except the two of them. This reproach was resented by Alunsina and a quarrel between them followed. Tungkung Langit lost his temper. In his rage he divested his wife of powers and drove her away. He did not know where Alunsina went; she merely disappeared. Several days after Alunsina had left, Tungkung Langit felt very lonely. He realized what he had done. Somehow, it was too late even to be sorry about the whole matter. The whole place, once vibrant with Alunsina's sweet voice, suddenly became cold and desolate.

In the morning when he woke up, he would find himself alone; and in the afternoon when he came home, he would feel the same loneliness creeping deep in his heart because there was no one to meet him at the doorstep or soothe the aching muscles of his arms. For months, Tungkung Langit was in utter desolation. He could not find Alunsina, try hard as he would. And so, in desperation, he decided to do something in order to forget his sorrows. For months and months, he thought. His mind seemed pointless, his heart weary and sick. But he must do something about his lonely world. One day, while he was sailing across the regions of the clouds, a thought came to him. H would make the sea and the earth, and lo! The earth and the sea suddenly appeared. However, the somber sight of the lonely sea and the barren land irritated him. So he came down to earth and planted the ground with trees and flowers. Then he took his wife's treasured jewels and scattered them in the sky, hoping that when Alunsina would see them she might be induced to return home. The goddess's necklace became the stars, her comb the moon and her crown the sun. However, despite all these Alunsina did not come back. Up to this time, the old folk say Tungkung Langit lives alone in his palace in the skies. Sometimes, he would cry out his pent-up emotion and his tears would fall down upon the earth. The people in Panay today say the rain is Tungkung Langit's tears. Incidentally, when it thunders hard, the old folk also say that it is Tungkung Langit sobbing, calling for his beloved Alunsina to come back, entreating her so hard that his voice reverberates across the fields and the countryside. REVIEW EXAMINATION Answer the following questions. Write your answers in a one whole sheet of intermediate paper.

1. This is an old mythical story about the earth’s creation as told by the people from Panay. How is this different from the bible story of creation?
2. How do you compare and contrast the personalities of Tungkung Langit and Alunsina? List down their respective characteristics below. Tungkung Langit Alunsina

   ---

   ---

   ---

   ---

   ---

3. What do you think is the main conflict of the story?
4. What general message do creation stories convey? Writing Tips Story writing often begins with a question: What can I create out of this image, this memory, or this feeling?

• The image of a river littered with plastic and empty tin cans can grow into a story about protecting the environment.
• The memory of a former schoolmate can evolve into a story about losing a friend.

• The feeling of gratitude can result in a story about parents. These images, memories, and feeling could be good starting points for telling the stories you will write about, and they could spark ideas for your story line and plot. WRITING EXERCISE Write your answers in a one whole sheet of intermediate paper.

1. The following paragraphs are excerpted from the tale of Tungkung Langit and Alunsina. Read it again. One day, Tungkung Langit told his wife that he would be away from home for some time to put an end to the chaotic disturbances in the flow of time and the position of things. However, despite this purpose, Alunsina sent the breeze to spy on Tungkung Langit. This made the latter very angry upon knowing about it. Immediately after his return from his trip, he called this act to her attention, saying that it as ungodly of her to be jealous, there being no other creature in the world except the two of them. This reproach was resented by Alunsina and a quarrel between them followed.
2. Rewrite the excerpt by using dialogue. Imagine what Tungkung Langit would be saying to Alunsina, and how Alunsina would respond to Tungkung Langit’s accusations. Visualize the quarrel scene of the two gods and write imaginary dialogue below. Write this dialogue on the following lines. Narrative detail:

---

Tungkung Langit: ________________________________________________________________ Alunsina: ________________________________________________________________________ Tungkung Langit: ________________________________________________________________ Alunsina: ________________________________________________________________________ Narrative detail: _________________________________________________________________ Tungkung Langit: ________________________________________________________________ Alunsina: ________________________________________________________________________ Tungkung Langit: ________________________________________________________________ Alunsina: ________________________________________________________________________ Tungkung Langit: ________________________________________________________________ Alunsina: ________________________________________________________________________

3. Peer-edit each other’s draft based on the following: a. clarity of the dialogue b. appropriateness of the dialogue c. dramatic content of the dialogue d. realistic content of the dialogue
4. Revise the draft of the dialogue based on the observations and comments made by your peers and then submit the revised version to your teacher. Reference: Aguila, Agusto Antonio A et al. Telling the Truth. The Art of Creative Non-Fiction for Senior High School. C&E Publishing, Inc. 2 017

CREATIVE NONFICTION

QUIZ 1

Shade the letter of your answer in the zipgrade answer sheet that follows. Make sure to write your name, quiz number, and section. 1 - 10. True or False. Shade A if true, B is false.

1. Story writing often begins with a question: What can I create out of this image, this memory, or this feeling?

2. Another term for play is drama.
3. Drama is commonly called “stories,” and can either be short (short story) or rather long (novella or novel).
4. In the folktale “Tungkung Langit and Alunsina”, Alunsina died.
5. Rising action introduces the central moment of crisis that defines the conflict.
6. The point of view is the vantage point of the angle from which the readers can see how the story unfolds.
7. Foreshadowing is used in fiction and drama as a guide or hint at what is to happen next in the story.
8. A dialogue is what the viewers see and hear in a performance and these are the words uttered by the characters in a dramatic play.
9. Theme – the central idea, or thesis, or overall message that the story conveys.
10. Tungkung Langit and Alunsina is written by F. Landa Jocano 11 - 20. Choose and shade the letter of the correct answer.
11. It has one unit of time, one unit of place, and one unit of action play. A. Conflict B. deus ex machina C. Exposition D. one-act play
12. It is where the conflict of the story is introduced. A. Rising action B. deus ex machina C. Flashback D. one-act play
13. Which is not an element writing a dialogue A. clarity of the dialogue B. length of the dialogue C. dramatic content of the dialogue D. realistic content of the dialogue
14. It is employed by an author or a playwright through the use of a past event that will help the readers understand the present. A. Conflict B. Foreshadowing C. Exposition D. Flashback
15. “Its very literariness distinguishes it from deadline reportage, daily journalism, academic criticism, and critical biography. It is storytelling of a very high order through the revelation of character and the suspense of plot, the subtle braiding of themes and resonance, memory and imaginative research, precise and original language.” A. Fiction B. Non-Fiction C. Exposition D. Creative Nonfiction
16. It introduces the aftermath of conflict A. Resolution B. Falling Action C. Exposition D. Creative Nonfiction
17. It refers to a contrived element in the plot used to solve a problem. A. Foreshadowing B. deus ex machina C. Exposition D. Character
18. Tungkung Langit and Alunsina is a/an A. Epic B. Lyric Poem C. Folktale D. Creative Nonfiction
19. It is the place and time where and when an event happens. A. Point of View B. Conflict C. Character D. Setting
20. It introduces the central moment of crisis that defines the conflict. A. Setting B. Climax C. Rising Action D. Exposition