Republic of the Philippines

Commission on Higher Education

ST. VINCENT COLLEGE OF CABUYAO
Mamatid, City of Cabuyao, Laguna

UNIT 1 INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE

The goal of this module is to bring literature to life—to help you enjoy, interpret, and reflect on literature.
In the words of Paul Hagood, “It’s a partly a class about literature, and partly a class about humanity, psychology,
and philosophy.” It’s partly a class about history and politics too—about what it means to be a woman or a man
living in society and writing about that experience.
Here are some other questions I’d like to look at with you: Is literature helpful and relevant, or is it just a
form of entertainment? How can we interpret a literary piece so that we don’t spoil our enjoyment of it through
“over-analyzing” it? How can we see the issues in our own lives reflected in what we read, and, through a historical
perspective, gain wisdom on how to live?
Here’s another question I’d like to explore with you: “What matters most—the author’s intent, or our
response?” To begin, let’s start to think about issues that are relevant to you. While good stories have something
to say and can entertain us with their message and with the skill with which they are assembled, an important
question is this: are they just entertainment? Or do they address the same issues that we as men and women
struggle with—the indeed humankind has always struggled with—: love, power, identity, ambition, spirituality,
conformity, individual identity, fame, money, death, failure, politics, fear? What issues are important to you?

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

 identify the different literary genres;
 recognize the elements of dram, fiction, and poetry;
 differentiate various types of figurative devices;
 give original examples of the different figurative devices;
 discuss what is literature;
 analyze literature by addressing theme, character, and conflict as appropriate to the work; and
 reflect on your learning on literature

KEY TAKEAWAYS
WHAT IS LITERATURE?
Literature, most generically, is anybody or collection of written work. More restrictively, literature refers to writing
considered to be an art form or any single writing deemed to have artistic or intellectual value, and sometimes
deploys language in ways that differ from ordinary usage.
Its Latin root literatura/litteratura (derived itself from littera: letter or handwriting) was used to refer to all
written accounts. The concept has changed meaning over time to include texts that are spoken or sung (oral
literature), and non-written verbal art forms.
Literature is classified according to whether it is fiction or non-fiction, and whether it is poetry or prose.
Fiction can be further distinguished according to major forms such as the novel, short story, or drama; and such
works are often categorized according to historical periods or their adherence to certain aesthetic features or
genre.

IMPORTANCE OF LITERATURE

1. Expanding horizons
First and foremost, literature opens our eyes and makes us see more than just what the front door
shows. It helps us realize the wide world outside, surrounding us. With this, we begin to learn, ask
questions, and build our intuitions and instincts. We expand our minds.
 2. Building critical thinking skills
Many of us learn what critical thinking is in our language arts classes. When we read, we learn to
look between the lines. We are taught to find symbols, make connections, find themes, learn about
characters. Reading expands these skills, and we begin to look at a sentence with a larger sense of detail
and depth and realize the importance of hidden meanings so that we may come to a conclusion.

3. A leap into the past

History and literature are entwined with each other. History is not just about power struggles, wars,
names, and dates. It is about people who are products of their time, with their own lives. Today the
world is nothing like it was in the 15th century; people have changed largely. Without literature, we
would not know about our past, our families, the people who came before and walked on the same
ground as us.

4. Appreciation for other cultures and beliefs

Reading about history, anthropology, or religious studies provides a method of learning about
cultures and beliefs other than our own. It allows you to understand and experience these other
systems of living and other worlds. We get a view of the inside looking out, a personal view and insight
into the minds and reasoning of someone else. We can learn, understand, and appreciate it.

5. Better writing skills

When you open a book, when your eyes read the words and you take in its contents, do you ask
yourself: How did this person imagine and write this? Well, many of those authors, poets, or playwrights
used literature to expand their writing.

6. Addressing humanity
All literature, whether it be poems, essays, novels, or short stories, helps us address human nature
and conditions which affect all people. These may be the need for growth, doubts, and fears of success
and failure, the need for friends and family, the goodness of compassion and empathy, trust, or the
realization of imperfection. We learn that imperfection is not always bad and that normal can be boring.
We learn that life must be lived to the fullest. We need literature in order to connect with our own
humanity.

Literature is important and necessary. It provides growth, strengthens our minds, and gives us the
ability to think outside the box.
FORMS OF LITERATURE
A. Oral Literature – literary works transmitted from one generation to another verbally.
B. Written Literature – literary works in printed form
C. Visual Literature – literary works presented in front of an audience

DIVISIONS OF LITERATURE

1. PROSE - is the most typical form of language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow
of speech rather than rhythmic structure (as in traditional poetry). While there are critical debates on
the construction of prose, its simplicity and loosely defined structure has led to its adoption for the
majority of spoken dialogue, factual discourse as well as topical and fictional writing. It is commonly
used, for example, in literature, newspapers, magazines, encyclopedias, broadcasting, film, history,
philosophy, law and many other forms of communication.

A. Fiction - is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with
information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author.
Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical, cinematic
or musical work. Fiction contrasts with non-fiction, which deals exclusively with factual (or, at least,
assumed factual) events, descriptions, observations, etc. (e.g., biographies, histories).
1. Fairytale – story about kings, queens, princes and princesses with a touch of magic
 2. Mythology – story about gods and goddesses
3. Legend – story about the origin of a place or a thing
4. Novel – a long narrative with an organized plot usually with a maximum of 500 pages
5. Novelette – a narrative with an organized plot usually with a maximum of 300 pages
6. Short Story – a narrative with an organized plot usually with a maximum of 100 pages
7. Fable – story that uses animals as characters and with moral lesson
8. Parable – story used by Jesus in teaching the Good News
9. Allegory – story that uses symbolism to represent an idea

B. Non-Fiction - is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions
and descriptions are understood to be factual. This presentation may be accurate or not—that is, it
can give either a true or a false account of the subject in question—however, it is generally assumed
that authors of such accounts believe them to be truthful at the time of their composition or, at
least, pose them to their audience as historically or empirically true. Note that reporting the beliefs
of others in a non-fiction format is not necessarily an endorsement of the ultimate veracity of those
beliefs; it is simply saying it is true that people believe them (for such topics as mythology, religion).
Non-fiction can also be written about fiction, giving information about these other works.
1. Autobiography – life story of a person written by himself
2. Biography – life story of a person written by another person
3. Newspaper – collection of news articles about various current events
4. Magazine – collection of articles regarding the lifestyle of man
5. Journal – daily record of personal events
6. Planner – daily record of business commitments
7. Anecdote – a brief, revealing account of an individual person or an incident.

2. POETRY - (from the Greek poiesis — ποίησις — with a broad meaning of a "making", seen also in such terms
as "hemopoiesis"; more narrowly, the making of poetry) is a form of literary art which uses the aesthetic
qualities of language to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, the prosaic ostensible meaning.

A. Narrative - is a form of poetry which tells a story, often making use of the voices of a narrator and
characters as well; the entire story is usually written in metered verse. The poems that make up this
genre may be short or long, and the story it relates to may be complex. It is usually dramatic, with
objectives, diverse characters, and meter. Narrative poems include epics, ballads, idylls and lays.
1. Epic – a narrative poem about supernatural powers possessed by heroes and heroines
2. Ballad – a narrative poem with harmony and rhythm
3. Idyll – a narrative poem about rustic life
4. Metrical Romance – a narrative poem dealing with the emotions or phase of life and the story is
told in a simple, straightforward and realistic manner

B. Lyric - is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric
poems were sung, accompanied by a lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to
be set to music or a beat. Aristotle, in Poetics 1447a, mentions lyric poetry (kitharistike played to the
cithara, a type of lyre) along with drama, epic poetry, dancing, painting and other forms of mimesis. The
lyric poem, dating from the Romantic era, does have some thematic antecedents in ancient Greek and
Roman verse, but the ancient definition was based on metrical criteria, and in archaic and classical Greek
culture presupposed live performance accompanied by a stringed instrument.
1. Song – a lyric poem intended to be sung, with melodious harmony and rhythm
2. Sonnet – a lyric poem consisting of 14 iambic pentameter lines
3. Ode – a lyrical poem praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as
well as emotionally.
4. Elegy – a lament for the dead
C. Drama - is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word
meaning "action" (Classical Greek: δρᾶμα, drama), which is derived from "to do," "to act" (Classical
Greek: δράω, draō). The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an
audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a collective form of reception. The
structure of dramatic texts, unlike other forms of literature, is directly influenced by this collaborative
production and collective reception. The early modern tragedy Hamlet (1601) by Shakespeare and the
classical Athenian tragedy Oedipus the King (c. 429 BCE) by Sophocles is among the masterpieces of the
art of drama. A modern example is Long Day's Journey into Night by Eugene O’Neill (1956).
1. Historical – a theatrical play with historical plot
2. Comedy – a theatrical play with a happy ending
3. Tragedy – a theatrical play with the death of some major characters
Drama Structure
Plays are organized into dialogue, scenes and acts. A play can be made up one act or multiple acts.
Each act is divided into scenes, in which a character, or characters, come on or off stage and speak their
lines. A play can have only one character or many characters. The main character is the protagonist and
a character who opposes him/her is the antagonist.

The plots of plays typically follow this pattern:

Act 1: The Exposition - The audience learns the setting (Time/Place), characters are developed,
and conflict is introduced.
• Setting: Verona Italy, 16th or 17th century
• Characters: Capulets and Montagues, specifically, Romeo and Juliet
Conflict: The Montagues and Capulets are feuding

Act 2: Rising Action - The action of this act leads the audience to the climax. It is common for
complications to arise, or for the protagonist to encounter obstacles.
• Romeo and Juliet fall in love but cannot be together because their
families do not like each other. They decide to get married in secret.

Act 3: The Climax - This is the turning point of the play. The climax is characterized by the highest
amount of suspense.
• After crashing the Capulet party, Tybalt goes after the Montague crew
and kills Mercutio.
• To avenge his friend, Romeo duels with and kills Tybalt - Juliet's
cousin.
 • Romeo is banished, but before he goes he gives Juliet a proper
wedding night!

Act 4: Falling Action - The opposite of Rising Action, in the Falling Action the story is coming to an
end, and any unknown details or plot twists are revealed and wrapped up.
• Juliet’s parents arrange a marriage for her to Paris.
• She and the Friar have an elaborate plan to get her out of a second
marriage by faking her death. Part of this plan is that Romeo will
receive a letter saying she’s not dead.
• Romeo - never having received the letter - thinks Juliet has died
Romeo buys poison and goes to her tomb to commit suicide

Act 5: Denouement / Resolution - This is the final outcome of the drama. Here the authors tone
about his or her subject matter is revealed, and sometimes a
moral or lesson is learned.
• Romeo confronts Paris at Juliet’s tomb, and slays him before taking
his own life.
• Juliet awakens from her sleeping potion to see Romeo has committed
suicide.
• She takes his dagger and kills herself.
• The Friar and Nurse explain to the Capulet and Montague families
that the two lovers were married in secret.
• Both families are saddened by the situation, and vow to end their
long-standing feud.

ELEMENTS OF FICTION AND DRAMA

Both fiction and drama are typically anchored by plot and character. They also contain literary themes as well as
having other elements in common, so we will look at literary terms that can be applied to both of these literary
forms.

1. PLOT
Plot is the unfolding of a dramatic situation; it is what happens in the narrative. Be aware that writers
of fiction arrange fictional events into patterns. They select these events carefully, they establish causal
relationships among events, and they enliven these events with conflict. Therefore, more accurately
defined, plot is a pattern of carefully selected, casually related events that contain conflict.

There are two general categories of conflict:

• Internal Conflict
1. Person vs Self

• External Conflict
1. Person vs. Fate/God
2. Person vs. Person
3. Person vs Society
4. Person vs. Nature
5. Person vs. Supernatural
6. Person vs. Technology

The forces in a conflict are usually embodied by characters, the most relevant being the protagonist,
the main character, and the antagonist, the opponent of the protagonist (the antagonist is usually a person
but can also be a nonhuman force or even an aspect of the protagonist—his or her tendency toward evil
and self-destruction for example).

QUESTIONS ABOUT PLOT: What conflicts does it dramatize?

 • What is the main conflict? What qualities or values does the author
What are the minor conflicts? associate with each side of the conflict?
• How are all the conflicts related? Where does the turning point or climax occur?
What causes the conflicts? Why?
Which conflicts are external, which are How is the main conflict resolved?
internal? Which conflicts go unresolved? Why?

2. CHARACTERS

There are two broad categories of character development: simple and complex. Simple (or “flat”) characters
have only one or two personality traits and are easily recognizable as stereotypes—the shrewish wife, the lazy
husband, the egomaniac, etc. Complex (or “rounded”) characters have multiple personality traits and
therefore resemble real people. They are much harder to understand and describe than simple characters. No
single description or interpretation can fully contain them. For the characters in modern fiction, the hero has
often been replaced by the antihero, an ordinary, unglamorous person often confused, frustrated and at odds
with modern life.

QUESTIONS ABOUT CHARACTERS: What is revealed by the characters and how they are portrayed?

• Are they simple, complex, dynamic or static? What problems do they have?
• If they are complex, what makes them How do they attempt to solve them?
complex? Do they experience epiphanies (life changing
• What are the traits of the main characters in moments of insight, discovery or revelation)?
the story? What emotional reactions do the
• Do they change? How and why? main characters have and in reaction to
• What events or moments of self-realization what?
produce these changes? Do they have traits that contradict one another or
cause internal conflicts?
• What do they learn?
How do they interact with one another?
• Does what they learn help or hinder them?
How do they relate to one another?

3. THEME

The theme is an idea or point that is central to a story, which can often be summed up in a word or a few
words (e.g. loneliness, fate, oppression, rebirth, coming of age; humans in conflict with technology; nostalgia;
the dangers of unchecked power). A story may have several themes. Themes often explore historically
common or cross-culturally recognizable ideas, such as ethical questions and commentary on the human
condition, and are usually implied rather than stated explicitly.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THEME: To help identify themes ask yourself questions such as these:

Is the title or are the character names related What image of humankind emerges from the
to the theme? work? How is society portrayed?
Does the main character change in any Are characters in conflict with their society?
way? • If the society is flawed, how is it flawed?
Realize anything important? What control over their lives do the
Does the author or do the characters make characters have?
any important observations about life, What are the moral issues or conflicts in the
human nature or human behavior? work?
•
Are themes revealed through actions, What did you feel after you read the story?
dramatic statements or personalities of What part of your life connected with the
characters? If characters convey conflicting story and where did that connection happen?
values, which values does the work seem to What ideas are implied by the total impression
be defending? of the work?
 Are there repeating patterns or symbols?

4. SYMBOLISM

In the broadest sense, a symbol is something that represents something else. Words, for example,
are symbols. But in literature, a symbol is an object that has meaning beyond itself. The object is concrete
and the meanings are abstract.

QUESTIONS ABOUT SYMBOLS: Not every work uses symbols, and not every character, incident, or object in a
work has symbolic value. You should ask fundamental questions in locating and interpreting symbols:

• What symbols does the work seem to Is there evidence in the text that can be used
have? Are you sure you are not finding a to understand and develop this symbol?
• “symbol” where none was intended? What does the symbol mean?
How do you know it is a symbol? What larger meaning can be understood
What does the author do that gives though this symbol?
symbolic meaning to this element?

5. SETTING
The social mores, values, and customs of the world in which the characters live; the physical world;
and the time of the action, including historical circumstances.
6. TONE
The narrator’s predominant attitude toward the subject, whether that subject is a particular setting,
an event, a character, or an idea.

7. POINT OF VIEW
The author’s relationship to his or her fictional world, especially to the minds of the characters. Put
another way, point of view is the position from which the story is told. There are four common points of
view:
A. Omniscient point of view—the author tells the story and assumes complete knowledge of the
characters’ actions and thoughts.
B. Limited omniscient point of view—the author still narrates the story but restricts his or her
revelation—and therefore our knowledge—to the thoughts of just one character.
C. First person point of view—one of the characters tells the story, eliminating the author as
narrator. The narration is restricted to what one character says he or she observes.
D. Objective point of view—the author is the narrator but does not enter the minds of any of the
characters. The writer sees them (and lets us see them) as we would in real life.

ELEMENTS OF POETRY

Structure of Poetry
 An important method of analyzing a poem is to look at the stanza structure or style of a poem. Generally
speaking, structure has to do with the overall organization of lines and/or the conventional patterns of sound.
Again, many modern poems may not have any identifiable structure (i.e. they are free verse), so don't panic if you
can't find it!

• STANZAS - Stanzas are a series of lines grouped together and separated by an empty line from other
stanzas. They are the equivalent of a paragraph in an essay. One way to identify a stanza is to count
the number of lines. Thus:

 couplet (2 lines)
 tercet (3 lines)
 quatrain (4 lines)  cinquain (5 lines)
 sestet (6 lines)
 septet (7 lines)
 octave (8 lines)

• SOUND PATTERNS - Three other elements of poetry are rhyme scheme, meter (ie. regular rhythm)
and word sounds (like alliteration). These are sometimes collectively called sound play because they
take advantage of the performative, spoken nature of poetry.

Word Sounds
Common types of sound play emphasize individual sounds between and within words:

• Alliteration: the repetition of initial sounds on the same line or stanza.

“Big bad Bob bounced bravely.”
• Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds (anywhere in the middle or end of a line or stanza) “If I
bleat when I speak it’s because I just got . . . flee”
• Consonance: the repetition of consonant sounds (anywhere in the middle or end of a line or stanza)
“And all the air a solemn stillness holds.” (T. Gray)
• Onomatopoeia: words that sound like that which they describe.
Boom! Crash! Pow! Quack! Moo! Caress...
• Repetition: the repetition of entire lines or phrases to emphasize key thematic ideas.
“To the swinging and the ringing
of the bells, bells, bells- Of
the bells, bells, bells, bells
Bells, bells, bells-
To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!”

• RHYME - Rhyme is the repetition of similar sounds. In poetry, the most common kind of rhyme is the
end rhyme, which occurs at the end of two or more lines. It is usually identified with lower case
letters, and a new letter is used to identify each new end sound. Take a look at the rhyme scheme
for the following poem:

I saw a fairy in the wood, He

was dressed all in green.
He drew his sword while I just stood, And
realized I'd been seen.

The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABAB.

• RHYTHM AND METER

Meter: the systematic regularity in rhythm; this systematic rhythm (or sound pattern) is usually identified
by examining the type of "foot" and the number of feet.
 1. Poetic Foot: The traditional line of metered poetry contains a number of rhythmical units,
which are called feet. The feet in a line are distinguished as a recurring pattern of two or
three syllables ("apple" has 2 syllables, "banana" has 3 syllables, etc.). The pattern, or foot,
is designated according to the number of syllables contained, and the relationship in each
foot between the strong and weak syllables. Thus:
__ = a stressed (or strong, or LOUD) syllable
U = an unstressed (or weak, or quiet) syllable

In other words, any line of poetry with a systematic rhythm has a certain number of feet, and
each foot has two or three syllables with a constant beat pattern.

a. Iamb (Iambic) - weak syllable followed by strong syllable. [Note that the pattern is
sometimes fairly hard to maintain, as in the third foot.]

b. Trochee (Trochaic): strong syllable followed by a weak syllable.

c. Anapest (Anapestic): two weak syllables followed by a strong syllable.

d. Dactyl (Dactylic): a strong syllable followed by two weak syllables.

e. Spondee (Spondaic): two strong syllables (not common as lines, but appears as a foot). A
spondee usually appears at the end of a line.

2. The Number of Feet: The second part of meter is the number of feet contained in a line. Thus:

Poems with an identifiable meter are therefore identified by the type of feet (e.g. iambic)
and the number of feet in a line (e.g. pentameter). The following line is iambic pentameter because
it (1) has five feet [pentameter], and (2) each foot has two syllables with the stress on the second
syllable [iambic].

Example:
That time | of year | thou mayst | in me | behold

Thus, you will hear meter identified as iambic pentameter, trochaic tetrameter, and so on.

3. Irregularity: Many metered poems in English avoid perfectly regular rhythm because it is
monotonous. Irregularities in rhythm add interest and emphasis to the lines. In this line:
 The first foot substitutes a trochee for an iamb. Thus, the basic iambic pentameter is varied
with the opening trochee.

4. Blank Verse: Any poetry that does have a set metrical pattern (usually iambic pentameter),
but does not have rhyme, is blank verse. Shakespeare frequently used unrhymed iambic
pentameter in his plays; his works are an early example of blank verse.

5. Free Verse: Most modern poetry no longer follows strict rules of meter or rhyme, especially
throughout an entire poem. Free verse, frankly, has no rules about meter or rhyme
whatsoever! [In other words, blank verse has rhythm, but no rhyme, while free verse has
neither rhythm nor rhyme.] So, you may find it difficult to find regular iambic pentameter in
a modern poem, though you might find it in particular lines. Modern poets do like to throw
in the occasional line or phrase of metered poetry, particularly if they’re trying to create a
certain effect. Free verse can also apply to a lack of a formal verse structure.

Meaning and Poetry

Concreteness and Particularity

In general, poetry deals with particular things in concrete language, since our emotions most readily
respond to these things. From the poem's particular situation, the reader may then generalize; the generalities
arise by implication from the particular. In other words, a poem is most often concrete and particular; the
"message," if there is any, is general and abstract; it's implied by the images.

Images, in turn, suggest meanings beyond the mere identity of the specific object. Poetry "plays" with
meaning when it identifies resemblances or makes comparisons between things; common examples of this
"figurative" comparison include:
• ticking of clock = mortality
• hardness of steel = determination
• white = peace or purity

Such terms as connotation, simile, metaphor, allegory, and symbol are aspects of this comparison. These
expressions are generally called figurative or metaphorical language.

Denotation and Connotation

Word meanings are not only restricted to dictionary meanings. The full meaning of a word includes both
the dictionary definition and the special meanings and associations a word takes in a given phrase or expression.
For example, a tiger is a carnivorous animal of the cat family. This is the literal or denotative meaning. But we have
certain associations with the word: sinuous movement, jungle violence, and aggression. These are the suggestive,
figurative or connotative meanings.

FIGURATIVE/CONNOTATIVE DEVICES
1. Simile is the rhetorical term used to designate the most elementary form of resemblances: most similes are
introduced by "like" or "as." These comparisons are usually between dissimilar situations or objects that
have something in common.
Example: "My love is like a red, red rose."

2. A metaphor leaves out "like" or "as" and implies a direct comparison between objects or situations.
Example: "The moonlight sparkled brighter than a gypsy."

The moonlight didn't transform into a colorful gypsy. Rather, it lit up the night with sparkling
radiance.

3. Synecdoche is a form of metaphor, which in mentioning an important (and attached) part signifies the
whole.
Example: A boy has been admitted to the hospital. The nurse says, “He’s in good hands.”
 The boy is not literally being taken care of by two hands. Rather, he is being taken care of by an
entire hospital system, including nurses, assistants, doctors, and many others. This is an example of
microcosmic synecdoche, as a part signifies a whole.

4. Metonymy is similar to synecdoche; it's a form of metaphor allowing an object closely associated (but
unattached) with an object or situation to stand for the thing itself. Example: The pen is mightier than the
sword.

Although literally a pen has no power over a sword, we understand this phrase means that the
written word and the sharing of ideas, are more powerful than fighting, or physical force. “Pen”
stands for thought and reason, while “sword” represents physical warfare.

5. Allegory is a narrative in which a character, place, or event is used to deliver a broader message about
realworld issues and occurrences.
Examples:
 The Tortoise and the Hare from Aesop’s Fables: From this story, we learn that the strong and
steady win the race.
 The story of Icarus: Icarus fashions wings for himself out of wax, but when he flies too close
to the sun his wings melt. This story is a message about the dangers of reaching beyond out
powers.
 Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss: This story about a turtle who yearns for too much power is
actually an allegory about Adolf Hitler and the evils of totalitarianism.

6. Personification occurs when you treat abstractions or inanimate objects as human, that is, giving them
human attributes, powers, or feelings.
Example: Lightning danced across the sky.

7. Irony takes many forms. Most basically, irony is a figure of speech in which actual intent is expressed
through words that carry the opposite meaning.
Example: The name of Britain’s biggest dog was “Tiny.”

Irony may be a positive or negative force. It is most valuable as a mode of perception that assists the
poet to see around and behind opposed attitudes, and to see the often conflicting interpretations that come
from our examination of life.

8. Hyperbole is a figure of speech that uses extreme exaggeration to make a point or show emphasis. Example:
It was so cold, I saw polar bears wearing hats and jackets.