Lecture on Prose, Poetry, and Figures of Speech PDF

Prose -comes from the Latin terms “prosa oratio” -most common form of writing used in both fiction and non-fiction -follows the natural flow of speech and regular grammatical conventions 1) Novel –a long fictional prose narrative which is divided into chapters 2)...

Prose -comes from the Latin terms “prosa oratio” -most common form of writing used in both fiction and non-fiction -follows the natural flow of speech and regular grammatical conventions 1) Novel –a long fictional prose narrative which is divided into chapters 2) Short story –a prose fiction which revolves in a main incident which aims to produce a single dominant impression 3) Play –a literary piece intended to be presented on stage -divided into acts 4) Fable –fictitious story which gives a lesson 5) Legend –a story of origin 6) Anecdote -a short, amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person. 7) Essay –a short composition dealing on a single subject that reflects a personal point of view 8) Biography –an account of a person’s life or life story Fiction -a literary work which is a product of the author’s imagination -it is either a short story or a novel 1) Setting –refers to the time and place where the story happens 2) Character –refers to people, animals, or imaginary creatures that take part in the story 3) Plot –refers to the sequence of events in the story 4) Theme –refers to the central idea of any literary piece 5) Point of view –a device used by the writer in presenting his or her ideas 6) Conflict –the opposition of persons or forces ØMan vs. Nature –a struggle between man and nature or the physical world ØMan vs. Man –a struggle between man and man ØMan vs. Himself –a struggle between opposite desires within a person 7) Symbol –an object that represents an abstract idea Poetry –an artistic expression of an idea in a rhythmical patterns -a universal language enjoyed by individuals of all ages from all walks of life because of its simplicity of form 1) SIMILE –comparing two unlike things using “like” and “as” Example: You feel up the senses like a night in the forest. 2) METAPHOR –implied comparison of two unlike things Example: Good friends are diamond. 3) PERSONIFICATION –gives human attributes to inanimate objects or concepts Example: Beneath me, the lake was black, but it gurgled, whispered, and snored. 4) HYPERBOLE –an exaggerated expression that represents something greater or less Example: This bag weighs a ton. 5) IRONY –opposite of what is real Example: It was very kind of you to disclose my secrets. 6) APOSTROPHE –addressing someone who is absent, dead, or non- human as if that person or thing is present and alive Example: “O, Romeo, my Romeo, wherefore are thou Romeo?” 7) METONYMY –when something is used to represent something related to it Examples: Crown –power of a king or queen Dish –entire plate of food 8) SYNECDOCHE –when a part of something is used to refer to the “whole” Example: The captain commands one hundred sails. “Sail” refers to ships 9) ANTITHESIS –opposing or contrasting of ideas by means of grammatically parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences Examples: “Love is an ideal thing; marriage is a real thing.” “Man proposes, God disposes.” “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Ø First Person –the narrator could be one of the characters in the story Ø Third Person –the narrator or the writer is just an observer Ø Omniscient –the writer as the narrator knows what’s going on in the minds of the characters