SOUTHERN BAPTIST COLLEGE, INC.

HIGH SCHOOL
SY 2025-2026
ENGLISH MODULE

Quarter: 1 Week: 3 Date: June 23-27, 2025

Grade: 12 Subject: 21st Cen. Lit. Strand/s: ABM/TVL
Teacher: Mrs. Marilyn P. Tungala

Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the learners are expected to:
a) identify the literary elements, devices and techniques through the sample texts.
b) differentiate the literary devices and techniques and relate them to present social issues in the
country.
c) show understanding of the literary elements, devices and techniques through an analysis of a
given text.

Lesson 1: Identifying and Differentiating the Literary Elements

LITERARY ELEMENTS

A. CHARACTERS
Characters are the doers of the actions. They most often take human form but, on occasion, a story
can employ animals, fantastical creatures, and even inanimate objects as characters. Some
characters are dynamic and change over the course of a story, while others are static and do not
grow or change as a result of the action of the story.

Below are the different types of characters to be found in works of literature and each serves a
different function:

⮚ Protagonist: is the story’s main character. The story’s plot centers around this character and they
are usually sympathetic and likable for the reader, that is, they are most often the ‘hero’ of the story.
⮚ Antagonist: is the bad guy or girl of the piece. Most of the action of the plot is borne of the conflict
between the protagonist and the antagonist.
⮚ Flat Character: are one-dimensional characters that are purely functional in the story. They are
more a sketch than a detailed portrait and they help move the action along by serving a simple
purpose.
⮚ Rounded Character: Unlike flat characters, rounded characters are more complex and drawn in
more detail by the writer.

B. CONFLICT
It is the central struggle that motivates the characters and leads to a work's climax. Generally,
conflict occurs between the protagonist, or hero, and the antagonist, or villain. More importantly,
conflict gives a story purpose and motivates a story's plot.

The seven most common types of conflict in literature are:

⮚ Character vs. Character(s)

It is commonly rendered as the traditional “protagonist vs. antagonist” setup, where these two
central characters will usually have diametrically opposing goals.

Examples of Character vs. Character conflict:

 Les Misérables: Former convict Jean Valjean restarts his life with a new identity, seeking to create
a more just society for the underclasses. He is discovered and pursued by Inspector Javert, whose
fanatical devotion to the law has blinded him to the actual injustices being perpetrated by the
system.

 The Great Gatsby: Self-made millionaire Jay Gatsby wants nothing more than to win over his
childhood crush, Daisy Buchanan. Standing in the way of Gatsby’s goal is Daisy’s husband, Tom
Buchanan, an old-money cad with a mile-wide mean streak.

⮚ Character vs. Society

It is an external conflict that occurs in literature when the protagonist is placed in opposition in
society, government or cultural/societal norms of some kind.

Examples of Character vs. Society conflict

 The Hate U Give: When her friend is shot dead by a cop, African American teenager Starr seeks
justice, but finds herself up against a system of structural racism that stretches from the police
and media, all the way to her private school and internalized racism.
 The Devil Wears Prada: Idealistic university graduate Andrea “Andy” Sachs moves to New York
and soon lands a highly coveted position as the junior assistant to Miranda Priestly, the tyrannical
editor of a fashion magazine. A fish out of water, Andy enters into a world that directly conflicts
with her principles but finds herself compelled to conform to the cut-throat world of fashion
journalism in order to fast-track her career.
⮚ Character vs. Nature
It occurs when a character faces resistance from a natural force such as weather, wilderness and
natural disasters. It also talks about conflict which usually centers on a character’s survival.

Examples of Character vs. Nature conflict

 The Martian: Stranded on the Red Planet, astronaut Mark Watney must overcome its unforgiving
environment and survive long enough to be rescued. Using his resourcefulness, he must
overcome the obstacles that Mars presents by growing food and find a way to communicate with
Earth.
 Moby Dick: Ahab, the captain of the Pequod, launches a voyage in search of a white whale that
previously took his leg. The crew faces many natural challenges on this ill-fated journey, including
storms, harsh waters, and the titular whale Moby Dick.
⮚ Character vs. Technology
It explores the problems that arise when technology exceeds its intended uses.

Examples of Character vs. Technology conflict:

 Frankenstein: A scientist brings to life a creature made out of spare human parts. This ‘monster’
quickly becomes sentient and exceeds his creator’s wildest expectations, leading to Dr.
Frankenstein’s demise on the tundra. Subtitling her book “The Modern Prometheus,” Mary Shelly
likened her hero to the mythic Greek figure who stole fire from Zeus, putting a fine point on the
idea of humans daring to play God.
 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: In the distant future of 1999, bounty hunter Rick Deckard
is given the task of retiring (read: killing) a group of androids recently escaped from a Mars
colony. The only problem? These synthetic creatures are practically indistinguishable from real
people. When Deckard falls for one of these androids, he begins to question the very nature of
humanity.
⮚ Character vs. Supernatural
It presents the struggle in storytelling in which the protagonist is working against supernatural forces
such as angels, demons, gods, goddesses, and spirits.

Examples of Character vs Supernatural conflict:

 Ghostbusters: Three disgraced scientists (and a guy they find on Craigslist) set up shop as
supernatural pest controllers, ridding New York of hungry ghosts and spectral librarians.
 The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: A doctor in Victorian London creates a serum that
causes him to become his evil alter-ego, Edward Hyde. Inspired by the real-life case of Deacon
Brodie, an upstanding Edinburgh citizen by day and burglar by night, author Robert Louis
Stevenson uses this supernatural tale to depict one man’s struggle against his inner demons.
 Character vs. Supernatural
It includes a conflict dealing with God or the gods and their prophecies — where protagonists
desperately try to assert their free will.

Examples of Character vs. Fate conflict

 Macbeth: In Shakespeare’s “Scottish play,” the Thane of Glamis receives a prophecy from three
witches that foretells his rise to the throne of Scotland. However, the witches also reveal that his
buddy Banquo will father a line of kings — which gets Macbeth more than a little worried. In his
fight against this fate, Macbeth takes extreme measures that prove to be his undoing.
 Oedipus Rex: Boy meets oracle. Oracle tells the boy he will marry his mother and kill his father. In
an effort to defy the prophecy, the boy kills a stranger (who turns out to be his birth father) and
marries a woman (who turns out to be his birth mother). Boy plucks his eyes out in a fit of
frustration. It’s a tale as old as time.
⮚ Character vs. Self
It is a conflict that occurs within the character’s mind.

Examples of Character vs. Self conflict

 The Hunger Games: Kind-hearted teen Katniss Everdeen is drafted as a contestant in a deadly
reality show staged by a totalitarian government. As per the rules of the game, in the end, there
can be only one — to survive, it seems that Katniss must overcome her reluctance to kill.
 Great Expectation: Pip, a poor Blacksmith’s boy, is plucked from obscurity by a mysterious
benefactor and allowed to become a London gentleman. Seeing this as his only chance to ‘better
himself ’ and win the heart of his childhood crush, Pip finds himself torn between getting
everything he ever wanted and protecting his ideals.

C. SETTING
It is defined simply as the time and location in which the story takes place. The setting is also the
background against which the action happens

D. PLOT
It is defined as the chronological orders or sequence of events that occur from the first line to the
last. In other words, the plot is what happens in a story.
Below are types 6 types of plot:

⮚ Beginning/Exposition: This is the very beginning of a story. During the exposition, authors usually
introduce the major characters and settings to the reader.
⮚ Conflict: Just like in real life, the conflict of a story is the problem that the main characters have to
tackle. There are two types of conflict that you'll see in a plot. The major conflict is the overarching
problem that characters face. Minor conflicts, on the other hand, are the smaller obstacles characters
have to overcome to resolve the major conflict.
⮚ Rising Action: Rising action is literally everything that happens in a story that leads up to the
climax of the plot. Usually this involves facing and conquering minor conflicts, which is what keeps
the plot moving forward.
⮚ Climax: The climax of the plot is the part of the story where the characters finally have to face and
solve the major conflict. This is the "peak" of the plot where all the tension of the rising action finally
comes to a head.
⮚ Falling Action: Falling action is everything that happens after the book's climax but before the
resolution.
⮚ Resolution/Denouement: This is the conclusion and in which all conflicts were resolved in the
story.

E. THEME
It is the central message of an artistic expression in the story. Some examples of themes are: Love,
Identity, War, Family, Friendship and Government/Politics.

F. POINT OF VIEW
Point of view is the position of the narrator in relationship to the plot of a piece of literature. It is the
perspective from which the story is told.

Literature can be written from one of four points of view.

⮚ First person: This is told by one of the characters of the story from their perspective. You can
easily identify first-person points of view by looking for first-person pronouns, like "I," "you," and
"my."
⮚ Second person: it is an angle where narrator uses second person pronouns, like "you" and "your.".
⮚ Third person limited: it is an angle where the narrator or the author exists outside of the events,
narrating the story’s perspective using third-person pronouns such as he, they, them, their.
⮚ Third person omniscient: in this point of view where the narrator knows all thoughts, actions,
and feeling of all characters

Lesson 2: Analyzing the Literary Techniques and Devices used in the Text

LITERARY DEVICES
A. IRONY
It emphasized the reader’s expectation sharply contrasted against what is really happening in the
story.
B. IMAGERY
It uses vivid descriptions that appeal to the senses of the readers to create a bigger and deeper
picture of the story.
C. SYMBOLISM
It is the creative and imaginative use of symbols to represent ideas and qualities.
D. METAPHOR
It is the direct comparison of two objects, often unrelated.
Example of metaphor: This tree is the god of the forest.
E. ALLEGORY
It is a story whose sole purpose is to represent an abstract concept or idea.
 LITERARY TECHNIQUES

A. MAGIC REALISM
It is a genre of literature that depicts the real world as having an undercurrent of magic or fantasy.
Magical realism is a part of the realism genre of fiction. Within a work of magical realism, the world is
still grounded in the real world, but fantastical elements are considered normal in this world. Like
fairy tales, magical realism novels and short stories blur the line between fantasy and reality.
B. PASTICHE
The taking of various ideas from previous writings and literary styles and pasting them together to
make new styles. It is a literary piece that imitates a famous literary work by another writer. Unlike
parody, its purpose is not to mock, but to honor the literary piece it imitates.
C. TEMPORAL DISTORTION
The use of non-linear timelines and narrative techniques in a story. It is a technique related to
postmodernism, postmodern authors use this feature in different ways, sometimes it is considered as
an irony, sometimes it is used in order to jump in time. The use of this technique is not fixed; it is
related to what is suitable for the situation or the literary work. Temporal distortion in postmodern
fiction is used in a variety of ways, often for the sake of irony. In this literature the author may jump
forwards or backwards in time, or there may be cultural and historical references that do not fit.
D. PARANOIA
Blurs the distinction between appearance and reality and this makes it a great literary vehicle for
telling a story. People who suffer from paranoia have delusions and feelings of persecution. Stories
that incorporate a paranoid framework make the reader think and question the idea of reality from a
variety of perspectives: psychological, political and philosophical.

ACTIVITY TIME!

Note: Do the task on your own at home and use your time wisely to research and answer the
following.

A. READING OF TEXT 1: The Devil In The Details by Carlos Cortés, 2002

Instruction:
1. Answer the questions below on a 1 whole yellow pad.
2. Explain the functions of the Literary Element, Technique or Device that matches the question
through a concept map.

Literary Elements
1. Who are the characters?
2. When and where did the story happen?
3. What is the underlying issue or problem?
4. What is the story all about?
5. What does the story imply?
6. How does the chronological arrangements of the events create meaning and how does the song
create significance to the characters?

Literary Techniques and Devices

1. What words in the story express the opposite of the literal meaning?
2. What words in the story present images that signify what happens to the persona at the end?
3. What words in the story illustrate symbols that present the attributes of the persona?
4. What expressions can be used to portray the morality of the persona?
5. What is the lesson in the story?

B. READING TEXT 2: The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God by Etgar Keret

Instruction: Answer the questions about the story:

1. Who are the characters in the story?

2. How are these characters portrayed in the story?
3. Where is the story set?
4. How did the setting affect the flow of the story?
5. What is the conflict in the story?
6. How was the conflict described in the story?
7. What is the theme of the story?