Creative Writing: Imagery, Diction, Figures of Speech and Poetry Techniques, Summaries of English

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Creative Writing

To the Parents: Greetings of good life! This learning material is made for your child to learn the needed skills in English. This is composed of discussions and activities where your child can learn. The Introduction is all about the knowledge that your child already knows. This part connects what is already known and what is about to be learned. The Development part provides the needed information and skills to be learned. Engagement part has activities which will strengthen the mastery of the lesson. The Assimilation part is an assessment which check if your child acquired the needed skills. As a guardian, you have a big role in helping your child to learn. Your guidance and time are needed so that they can understand the lessons and instructions better. Nevertheless, you may let them work independently so they can develop their skills fully. If you have any question or your child needs help about the lesson, please do not hesitate to call us or message us. We are ready to assist you. When you return this to school, his/her teacher will check and record your child’s responses. Thank you for always showing love to your child by continuously helping them to learn! To the Learner: Greetings! This learning material is designed especially for you. This is composed of discussions and activities to further develop your knowledge, understanding and skills in English. The lesson has five parts: Introduction, Development, Engagement and Assimilation. You are tasked to answer all the activities in this learning materials. You may ask the guidance of your parents, guardian, brother and sisters while doing the activities. You are also expected to attend the follow – up session on the schedule time provided for you. You have to finish answering the activities before the date set by your teacher. Your teacher will check all your responses in the activities once your parents/ guardian have returned this material. If you have any question about the lesson or you find difficulty in understanding the lesson or activity, do not hesitate to contact or message your teacher. They are always ready to assist you. Happy learning!

Being a great writer does not happen overnight. Just like in building a structure, one must be patient in laying out the foundation, block by block. The same is true with you. In order to achieve your goal of being an excellent writer, you must take one step at a time. In this lesson, you will take several “steps” to bring you closer to your desired destination. That includes learning how to use imagery, diction, figures of speech, and specific experiences to evoke meaningful responses from your would-be readers. To help you achieve that, you will need to undergo several activities. Let us start with the first one below! ACTIVITY 1: MENTAL PICTURE The Harry Potter series is one of the most popular novels among students of your age and still among the list of many adults’ favorite books to read. There is a reason why this story was able to catch the hearts of many bookworms out there. Let us try to find out what made this story famous by reading an excerpt from the first book entitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and answer the guide questions that follow. Development Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, “It’s bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History.” It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn’t simply open on to the heavens. Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four- legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard’s hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn’t have let it in the house. Excerpt from “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling

IMAGERY

Imagery refers to descriptive details or elements in a written work that appeal to or are perceivable by the senses (Eusebio-Abad, 2006). This goes along the definition given by Ben Florman who said that imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After Apple-Picking" contain imagery that engages the senses of touch, movement, and hearing: "I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend. And I keep hearing from the cellar bin The rumbling sound Of load on load of apples coming in." Though imagery contains the word "image," Florman clarified that it does not only refer to descriptive language that appeals to the sense of sight. Imagery includes language that appeals to all of the human senses, including sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell; thus, creating the types of imagery which are:

1. Visual imagery (sight)
2. Auditory imagery (hearing)
3. Olfactory imagery (smell)
4. Gustatory imagery (taste)
5. Tactile imagery (touch) Florman added that some people may also argue that imagery can be kinesthetic (related to movement) or organic (related to sensations within the body). Nevertheless, writers may focus descriptions in a particular passage on primarily one type of imagery, or multiple types of imagery. The use of imagery in writing is one of the many techniques that writers employ in their work to engage the minds of their readers in multiple levels. As effective as it is, there are still many strategies that you can apply in writing such as improving your diction, utilizing figures of speech, and using specific experiences. When done correctly, these will help you evoke meaningful responses from your readers.

GUIDE QUESTIONS:

❖ In the excerpt, the author was describing the “Great Hall” of Hogwarts. Based on the description given, how do you visualize this place? ❖ While reading the excerpt, were you able to imagine yourself standing with the other students in the Great Hall? Why? ❖ What do you think did the author do to help her readers in creating a mental picture of the Great Hall of Hogwarts? J.K. Rowling gained thousands and thousands of fans throughout the globe with the Harry Potter series as her masterpiece. With her brilliant talent in writing, she was able to create an entire world in the minds of her readers. This can be attributed to her mastery in the use of many writing strategies, one of which is imagery. LET’S PONDER ❖ Looking back to the excerpt in Activity 1, what do you think is the type of imagery used by the J.K. Rowling? What makes you think so?

FIGURES OF SPEECH

Creative writers do not merely provide their readers with information. Information must be presented effectively and with style. To write in a fresh and interesting way, writers must employ rhetorical devices. This can be done by using the different figures of speech as discussed by Wendy Burt-Thomas (2010).

1. Alliteration: The repetition of consonants, particularly at the beginning of words. For example, the letter s is alliterated in the following line: “He summoned the sweetness of silence.”
2. Allusion: A reference to or the mention of something from history, the arts, nature, current society, and so on that the reader has knowledge of and that will help the reader better understand the poet’s meaning. For example, “like Juliet she waited” is an allusion to a character from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
3. Metaphor: A direct comparison between two things. For example, “my mind is a clock ticking down the day.”
4. Onomatopoeia: Using words that imitate sounds. For example, arf sounds like a dog barking, and boom sounds like an explosion.
5. Personification: Giving human qualities to inanimate objects. For example, “the sun sprang orange into the lifting haze.”
6. Simile: An indirect comparison of one thing to another using the words like or as. For example, “his voice roiled like a storming sea, pulling me beneath it.” Coming up with inventive and memorable language will take time and practice, but it’s definitely worth the effort you put into it. Using figurative language will add depth and power to your words. And lucky you—the English language is one of the richest and the largest in the world, with hundreds of thousands of words to choose from (Burt-Thomas, 2010). Did you get them all? I bet you did! To help you concretize your knowledge about diction, here are some examples of authors who use diction to effectively support their narrative and characters:

• Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In Mark Twain’s classic tale, Huck Finn, the narrator, is a 13-year-old boy growing up near the Mississippi River in the 1800s. Twain uses a very informal, salt-of-the-earth colloquial diction to establish Finn’s character, his youthfulness, and his background: “I climb up the shed and crept up to my window just before day was breaking. My new clothes was all greased-up and clayey, and I was dog- tired.”
• Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. As Pierre Arronax guides the reader out to sea, the marine biologist describes his watery surroundings in scientific detail: “At last, after walking two hours, we had attained a depth of about 300 yards, that is to say, the extreme limit on which coral begins to form.” Jules Verne is using pedantic diction to establish Arronax an academic who the reader can trust. His speech is literal, concrete, and full of details that help create a sensory experience.
• Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities. Charles Dickens opens his classic story with this line: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” This is an example of abstract diction—the lines reference experience and emotions rather than concrete information. These opening lines build intrigue and pique curiosity, drawing a reader in to find out more. LET’S PONDER ❖ Think of your favorite character in a novel or short story that you have read before. How does he or she differ from the other characters in terms of his or her choice of words?

ACTIVITY 3 : CHECKPOINT

Phew! That was a lot to take in. But I know that understanding the discussion on imagery, diction, and figures of speech is just a piece of cake for you. So, in this activity, let us check how much you have learned so far. Using the organizer below, define or describe the term written on each box. Then, explain how it is used in creative writing using two to three sentences. Easy, right? Best of luck! ACTIVITY 4: LOOKING CLOSER Now that you are acquainted with what imagery, diction, and figures of speech are, the next activity will be as easy as walking in the park for you. Read the Indian folk tale entitled “The Blind Men and the Elephant” and answer the questions that follow. The Blind Men and the Elephant Indian Folk Tale Long ago six old men lived in a village in India. Each was born blind. The other villagers loved the old men and kept them away from harm. Since the blind men could not see the world for themselves, they had to imagine many of its wonders. They listened carefully to the stories told by travelers to learn what they could about life outside the village. Engagement

LET’S PONDER:

Creative writing is a vast field where there is enough room for everyone to grow, improve, and sharpen their skills. By now, you may have already realized that the steps to become an excellent writer is not a straight pathway. Instead, you will see concrete roads, rough roads, pavements, blocks of stones, ladders, and many more on your way to your goal. Using imagery, diction, and figures of speech are not the only ways to come up with a brilliant written piece. Sometimes, employing real- life experiences can also help. You just have to explore more and learn more.

Imagery Diction

Figures of Speech Author's Experiences

Creative Writing

The Indian folk tale entitled “The Blind Men and the Elephant” used imagery in conveying the story and its lesson. Cite examples of sentences that prove this and identify the type of imagery used in these sentences. The old blind men in the story have a peculiar way of talking to each other as can also be observed among many elderly people at present. How can you describe their diction based on the given story? Figures of speech can make any written text colorful. What are the examples of these that you were able to observe from the story?

GUIDE QUESTIONS:

1. Why were the old blind men arguing with each other?
2. What are the assumptions of each blind man about what an elephant is?
3. How did the old blind men settle their argument?
4. The first blind man said, “To learn the truth, we must put all the parts together.” What does this statement mean? ACTIVITY 5: DIFFERENT SIDES Did you like the story “The Blind Men and the Elephant”? I am sure that you did. It is a fun story with great life lessons. Now, let us analyze the story deeper. Below are three tasks for you in relation to your previous lessons in imagery, diction, and figures of speech. Make sure to read each direction carefully. The six blind men considered the question. And then, knowing the Rajah to be a very wise man, they decided to say nothing at all. "The elephant is a very large animal," said the Rajah kindly. "Each man touched only one part. Perhaps if you put the parts together, you will see the truth. Now, let me finish my nap in peace." When their friend returned to the garden with the cool water, the six men rested quietly in the shade, thinking about the Rajah's advice. "He is right," said the first blind man. "To learn the truth, we must put all the parts together. Let's discuss this on the journey home." The first blind man put his hand on the shoulder of the young boy who would guide them home. The second blind man put a hand on his friend's shoulder, and so on until all six men were ready to travel together.

Wow! You are almost finished with this module. But before you proceed to your last activity, let us have a quick review of lesson 1. FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT For your last task, pretend that you were chosen to write an article that will be featured in an online magazine. Your task is to write a feature article that can portray how the people in your local community is adapting to the new normal life caused by the pandemic. Use imagery and figures of speech to help your readers visualize your new normal life. Decide on what type of diction to use to persuade potential sponsors who can help your local community. Be guided on the rubric below in writing your feature article. Criteria To a great extent (3) Some- what (2) Very Little (1) Not at All (0)

1. The article has a definite introduction.
2. Imagery was used to give color to the article.
3. There is a distinct tone and voice in the article due to the diction used.
4. Figures of speech can be observed from the article.
5. Correct grammar, punctuation, and capitalization were used by the author. Assimilation KEY TAKE-AWAYS: Excellent writers employ different strategies in order to come up with amazing stories, novels, poems, etc. Some of these include imagery, diction, and figures of speech. Imagery refers to descriptive details or elements in a written work that appeal to or are perceivable by the senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing). On the other hand, diction is the author’s choice of words that help him in establishing a distinct voice and style. Lastly, figures of speech is a word or phrase that has a separate meaning from its literal definition.

LESSON

Welcome back to another week full of learning and fun! In the previous lesson, you learned about imagery, diction, and figurative language and how you can make the best out of them in composing your masterpiece. Etch them all into your mind because they can surely help you out in accomplishing the tasks and activities waiting for you in the modules. This learning material is composed of lessons that will introduce you to poetry and activities that will help you in practicing your skills in poem writing. Each task will help you in achieving our main goal for this week which is for you to identify the various elements, techniques, and literary devices in specific forms of poetry. So, gear up and take a deep breath because you are in for a fun ride! Good luck! PRE-ASSESSMENT For your first task, let us assess how much you already know about this lesson. The following is a crossword puzzle. Complete the puzzle by filling it out with the words being described below. Finish it and this lesson will surely be a breeze for you! Elements, Techniques, and Literary Devices in Poetry Contextualized Material 2 Creative Writing – Q Introduction Vertical:

1. This is a literary device used when a writer compares one thing to another.
2. It is defined as a smaller unit or group of lines or a paragraph in a poem.
3. This is a play on words, using multiple meanings or similar sounds to make a joke. Horizontal:
4. It means that the last words or sounds of the lines match with each other in some form.
5. A poetic device where the writer addresses a person or thing that is not present.

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https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e9/c0/99/e9c0991916b d8d99a4ec17fcb2513aa1.png As you go along your journey to becoming an excellent author, you need to continuously hone your skills in writing through consistent practice. To do this, you must also learn more about literature. However, literature is a vast discipline that can be composed of novels, epics, short stories, fable, allegory, parable, poems, and many more. It is the written work of a specific culture, sub-culture, religion, philosophy or the study of such written work which may appear in prose or poetry (Mark, 2009). It can be overwhelming to learn everything about poetry. So, in this module, we will only focus on poetry, its elements, literary techniques, and literary devices. ACTIVITY 1: ENDING PAIRS To get you warmed up in poetry, here is a simple activity for you. Below is a word bank containing different pairs of words. Create a poem using at least four pairs of words from the word bank to make the lines of your poem sound alike. An example is provided below to serve as your guide in this activity. Give it your best! WORD BANK greenery - scenery me - see normal - vocal school - cool head - bed humming - coming ball - all grow - slow Development The Epic of Gilgamesh is considered to be the oldest known piece of literature. EXAMPLE: I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me , And what can be the use of him is more than I can see. He is very, very like me, from the heels up to the head ; And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed. The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow — Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow ; For he sometimes shoots up taller, like an india-rubber ball , And he sometimes gets so little that there's none of him at all.

- Robert Louis Stevenson, “My Shadow”

4. Forms While poetry can take any form that pleases the poet’s eyes and ears, many poems fall into one of the metered measures mentioned previously. However, others follow a form all their own. Here are some recognized formats: - Blank verse: Unrhymed lines of consistent length and meter, often in iambic pentameter. - Concrete poetry: Also called shaped poetry, in which the typography and layout of the words contribute to the poem’s meaning; for example, a poem about a bird in flight might have the words placed on the page so that they are in the shape of a bird. - Haiku: A centuries-old, extremely brief Japanese verse form that evokes a mood and often refers to a season or nature; haikus consist of seventeen syllables in three lines— five syllables in the first and third lines, and seven in the second. - Epic: A long narrative poem about a cultural hero. - Found poetry: A sequence of words not originally intended as poetry; found poetry is generally extracted from prose because it contains rhythms or sounds or images that can be expressed as poetry. - Limerick: A five-line poem in which lines one, two, and five rhyme and lines three and four rhyme; most are meant to be humorous. “There Once Was a Man from Nantucket. . .” is a well-known limerick. - Prose poem: A short, often intense piece of writing that is generally structured like a paragraph of prose but uses such poetic devices as repetition and meter. - Free verse: A poem with no pattern of rhyme or line length. - Sonnet: Fourteen lines of iambic pentameter incorporating a rhyme pattern. ACTIVITY 3: NAME IT There are many forms of poetry and identifying them all could be challenging for you. So, let’s practice with three short ones. Can you identify the forms of the poem below? There was an Old Man with a beard, Who said, "It is just as I feared! — Two Owls and a Hen, four Larks and a Wren, Have all built their nests in my beard. - Edward Lear, “There was an Old Man with a Beard” An old silent pond A frog jumps into the pond— Splash! Silence again.

• Matsuo Bashō, ““The Old Pond” And then the day came, when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
• Anaïs Nin, “Risk” Answer: Answer: Answer:

5. Words and Images The words of a poem must be chosen carefully to produce the image the poet intends. The poet must also arrange the words in a way that both pleases his or her sensibility and provides meaning to the reader or listener. While clarity is important, poets often choose particular words for their sound or tone or because they hint at a meaning rather than place it directly in the reader’s lap. They also use words to surprise, to entice, or to suit the subject matter or the mood they’re working to convey. To enrich their poems’ meaning, poets often construct word images. These can convey a visual impression, or one of sound, smell, taste, or feel. Images can provide the way for a reader to experience what the author experienced or evoke a mood that deepens the reader’s understanding of the poem. When creating images, poets write from their emotions and feelings and focus on the details that will best illustrate what they wish to express. 6. Figures of Speech and Figurative Language When creating images to deepen the reader’s understanding of a thought or an idea, poets often use figures of speech and other figurative language. Similes, metaphors, and personification enable poets to make what author Frances Mayes calls “figurative images,” which surprise, expand the reader’s understanding, draw attention to the message, increase reading pleasure, and add dimensions by making associations that wouldn’t immediately have come to mind. By creating such images, poets establish a new medium of exchange between the writer and the reader.

LITERARY TECHNIQUES AND DEVICES

A literary device is any specific aspect of literature, or a particular work, which we can recognize, identify, interpret and/or analyze. Both literary elements and literary techniques can rightly be called literary devices. Literary techniques are specific and deliberate constructions of language which an author uses to convey meaning. An author’s use of a literary technique usually occurs with a single word or phrase, or a particular group of words or phrases, at one single point in a text. Unlike literary elements, literary techniques are not necessarily present in every text.

LET’S REMEMBER!

Flowery, excessive language isn’t always necessary to convey beautiful or compelling images. A poem is usually stronger if it is more sparsely worded and includes only those words that best express the writer’s message.

4. Consonance Consonance is the repetition of specific consonant sounds in close proximity. Blake repeatedly uses multiple sounds in the first stanza of this famous poem. One of the most prominent is ‘r,’ which shows up in every line of the first stanza, and almost every line of the poem as a whole. As Blake is writing about the tiger, he’s musing on its fearsome nature and where it comes from, with the repeated ‘r’ sound mimicking the tiger’s growl like a small, subtle threat in the poem’s background. 5. Enjambment An enjambment is the continuation of a sentence beyond a line break, couplet, or stanza without an expected pause. Hughes plays with multiple methods of ending lines in this poem, including enjambment. The first two lines of the second stanza and the second-to-last stanza are examples of enjambment, as the thought continues from one line to the next without any punctuation. Notice the way these lines feel in comparison to the others, especially the second example, isolated in its own stanza. The way it’s written mimics the exhaustion of carrying a heavy load, as you can’t pause for breath the way that you do with the lines ended with punctuation. 6. Irony Irony has a few different meanings. The most common is the use of tone or exaggeration to convey a meaning opposite to what's being literally said. A second form of irony is situational irony, in which a situation or event contradicts expectations, usually in a humorous fashion. A third form is dramatic irony, where the audience of a play, movie, or other piece of art is aware of something that the characters are not. Basic irony, where what someone says doesn't match what they mean, might look something like this: Situational irony would include things like a police station getting robbed or a marriage counselor getting a divorce—we would expect police to be able to resist getting robbed and a marriage counselor to be able to save their own marriage, so the fact that these unexpected things occur is darkly funny. One of the most famous examples of dramatic irony is in Romeo and Juliet. The audience knows that Juliet isn't dead when Romeo comes to find her in the tomb, but obviously can't stop Romeo from killing himself to be with her. Unlike other forms of irony, dramatic irony often isn't funny—it heightens tension and increases audience investment, but doesn't necessarily have to make people laugh. “Tyger Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” - William Blake, “The Tyger” “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore— And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?”

• Langston Hughes, “Harlem” "Yeah, I love dogs," she said dryly, holding the miniature poodle at arm's length as hives sprang up along her arms.

7. Metaphor A metaphor is when a writer compares one thing to another. “An emotional rollercoaster” is a common example of a metaphor—so common, in fact, that it’s become cliche. Experiencing multiple emotions in a short period of time can feel a lot like riding a roller coaster, as you have a series of extreme highs and lows. 8. Pun A pun is a play on words, using multiple meanings or similar sounds to make a joke. Here, Alice clearly misunderstands what the mouse is saying—he says ‘tale,’ referring to his long and sad story, and she hears ‘tail,’ referring to his literal tail. The result is a misunderstanding between the two that ends with Alice looking rude and uncaring. Though it makes Alice look bad, it’s quite entertaining for the reader. The world of Wonderland is full of strangeness, so it’s not really a surprise that Alice wouldn’t understand what’s happening. However, in this case it’s a legitimate misunderstanding, heightening the comedy as Alice’s worldview is once again shaken. 9. Repetition Repetition is fairly self-explanatory—it’s the process of repeating certain words or phrases. Throughout this poem, Thomas repeats the lines, “Do not go gentle into that good night,” and “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” The two lines don’t appear together until the final couplet of the poem, cementing their importance in relation to one another. But before that, the repetition of each line clues you in to their importance. No matter what else is said, the repetition tells you that it all comes back to those two lines. 10. Rhetorical Question A rhetorical question is a question asked to make a point rather than in expectation of an answer. "Mine is a long and a sad tale!" said the Mouse, turning to Alice, and sighing. "It is a long tail, certainly," said Alice, looking down with wonder at the Mouse's tail; "but why do you call it sad?" And she kept on puzzling about it while the Mouse was speaking...." - Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland “Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night.” - Dylan Thomas, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” _“Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?”

• Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I a Woman?”_