Senior Secondary School Text English Literature

1. Literature in English
Senior Secondary School

2. Literature, in its broadest sense, is any written work; etymologically the term derives from Latin literature/literature “writing formed with
letters”, although some definitions include spoken or sung texts. More restrictively, it is writing that possesses literary merit, and language
that foregrounds literariness, as opposed to ordinary language. Literature can be classified according to whether it is fiction or non-fiction,
and whether it is poetry or prose; it can further distinguished according to major forms such as the novel, short story or drama; and works
are often categorized according to historical periods, or according to their adherence to certain aesthetic features or expectations (genre).
 There is also general agreement that literature foregrounds language, and uses it in artistic ways. Terry Eagleton goes some way towards a
definition of literature and its relationship to language: "literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically
from everyday speech”. Just as architecture is the art form that arises out of the human ability to create buildings, literature is the art
form that arises out of the human ability to create language.
 Etymologically, literature has to do with letters, the written as opposed to the spoken word, though not everything that is written down is
literature. As a classification, it doesn’t really have any firm boundary lines.
WHAT IS LITERATURE
IN ENGLISH?
2
 The three main ways of approaching a definition of literature are relativism, subjectivism and agnosticism.
 Literature is as literature does. In exploring ideas about what literature is, it is useful to look at some of the things
that literature does. It reflects ideology and changes ideology, just like it follows generic conventions as well as
changing them.
 Literature is the creation of another world, a world that we can only see
through reading literature. It is a term that does not have a universally
accepted definition, but which has variably included all written work; writing
that possesses literary merit; and language that foregrounds literariness, as
opposed to ordinary language.

3. THE ORIGINS OF
LITERATURE
 The history of literature is the historical development of
writings in prose or poetry which attempts to provide
entertainment, enlightenment, or instruction to the
reader/hearer/observer, as well as the development of the
literary techniques used in the communication of these
pieces.
 Not all writings constitute literature. Some recorded materials,
such as compilations of data (e.g. a check register) are not
considered literature.
Certain primary texts, however, may be
isolated which have a qualifying role as
literature`s first stirrings. Very early
examples include Epic of Gilgamesh, in its
Sumerian version predating 2000BC, and
the Egyptian book of the Dead written
down in the papyrus of Ani in
approximately 1250BC but probably dates
from about the 18th century BC. Ancient
Egyptian literature was not included in
early studies of the history of literature
because the writings of Ancient Egypt
were not translated into European
languages until the 19th century when the
Rosetta stone was deciphered.
3
Epic of Gilgamesh

4. THE IMPORTANCE
OF LITERATURE
4
Literature, besides being an art form used for expression, also preserves
cultural ideals, customs, and morals. The written word gives us a deeper
context into the lives and livelihood of people distinct from ourselves-this
can be true of historical literature but is equally true of modern literature, as
well. We can learn as much from William Shakespeare’s time through his
plays as we can from authors from a different mind-set or place.
Literature also challenges the reader to profoundly ponder the art form
itself. Through metaphor, allusions, themes, foreshadowing and other
literary devices, the reader has the opportunity to analyse a work beyond
the written words.
Literature is a way for man to express his thoughts, beliefs and ideas, it is an
excellent way to educate the masses and is also a great way to escape from
ordinary life.
Literature is important in a society so that people have an outlet to reduce
stress, learn about topics such as history, and be able to use their
imagination to see a story from the narrator’s perspective. It also helps one
better understand the past from a perspective one could never have on
their own.

5. WHAT IS ENGLISH
LITERATURE?
5
This focuses on literature in the English language from
anywhere, not just the literature of England, so that it
includes writers from Scotland, the whole of Ireland,
wales, as well as literature in English from former British
colonies, including the US.
But until the early 19th century, it just deals with
literature from Britain and Ireland written in English; then
America starts to produce major writers. In the 20th
century, America and Ireland produce many of the most
significant works of literature in English, and after World
War II writers from the former British Empire also began
to produce major works of literature.

6. TYPES OF
LITERATURE OR
GENRES OF
LITERATURE
1
Poetry is one of the oldest forms of
literature.
2
Prose is defined as any form of text that is
not poetry.
3
Drama can be called plays, but this genre
is not always in writing.
4
Non-fiction is a broader category in the
main genres of literature and you will find
this type of literature in textbooks and
essays.
5
Media is a type of literature that is
actually new to the main list of literature
genres and includes newspapers,
magazines, and other news delivery
mediums.
6
The five main types of literature are poetry,
prose, drama, media and non-fiction.
Each of these genres is split up between
fiction and non-fiction.

7. OTHER TYPES OF
LITERATURE
Literature can be categorized as oral or written
and the common types of literature are
ballads, myths, jokes, biographies, fantasy,
folktales and science fiction.
1.
Literature is more recent than oral literature,
since speech was developed before writing. The
two types of literature are oral and written.
2.
Oral literature is made up of ballads, myths,
folktales and fables; while written literature
has stage show, tale, poetry and non-fictional
literature.
3.
7

8. There are numerous forms of literature.
 These include poetry, short stories, novels,
letters and more.
 These have been around since the earliest
forms of writing.
FORMS OF
LITERATURE
8

9. WHAT IS PROSE?
 Prose is a form of language which applies ordinary
grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather
than rhythmic structure (as in traditional poetry).while they
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
discourses as well as topical and fictional writing.
 It is commonly used, for example, in literature, newspapers,
magazines, encyclopaedias, broadcasting, film, history and
many other forms of communication.
A writer of a prose is called a Proseman,
Prosaist or Novelist.
The main character in a prose work is the
Protagonist e.g. Hamlet in the play Hamlet.
While the chief character who opposes the
main character is called Antagonist.
A flat character can be seen in Balthasan in
Romeo and Juliet while round character is
Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.
A long narrative prose in which the
characters are usually imaginary is known as
a Novel, but when the prose narrative is
short it is called a Novelette. A short
narration that focuses only on an event or
an issue is a Novella or Novelle.
William
Shakespeare's
Romeo & Juliet

10. TYPES OF
PROSE
1
Non-fictional prose: A literary work that is
mainly based on fact although it may
contain fictional elements in certain cases.
Examples are biographies and essays.
2
Fictional prose: A literary work that is
wholly or partly imagined or theoretical.
Examples are novels.
3
Heroic prose: A literary work that may be
written down or recited and employs
many of the formulaic expressions found
in oral tradition. Examples are legends
and tales.
4
Prose poetry: A literary work which
exhibits poetic quality using emotional
effects and heightened imagery but are
written in prose instead of verse.
10
There are different types of prose.
Prose is the use of natural language and
speech within a loosely defined structure of
writing.
It is different from poetry in that it is not
rhythmically structured. It is used with many
different forms of literature, history and
philosophy.
It is used in magazines and newspapers. In
oral communication, it is used with
broadcasting, film, and law. The different
types include alliterative prose, non-fictional
prose, polyphonic prose, and heroic prose.

11. TYPES OF PROSE
5 Picaresque: The picaresque novel (Spanish: “picaresca”,
from “picaro”, for “rogue” or “rascal”) is a popular
subgenre of prose fiction which might sometimes be
satirical and depicts, in realistic and often humorous
detail, the adventures of a roguish hero of low social
class who lives by his wits in a corrupt society. This style
of novel originated in sixteenth-century Spain and
flourished throughout Europe in the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries. It continues to influence modern
literature. According to the traditional view of thrall and
hibbard (first published in 1936), which has been
questioned by scholars interested in how genre
functions, rather than how it looks on the surface, seven
qualities distinguish the picaresque novel or narrative
form, all or some of which may be employed for effect by
the author.
 A picaresque narrative is usually
written in first person as an
autobiographical account.
 The main character is often of low
character or social class.
 There is no plot.
 There is little if any character
development in the main character.
 The picaro`s story is told with a
plainness of language or realism.
 Satire might sometimes be a
prominent element.
 The behaviour of a picaresque hero or
heroine stops just short of criminality.

12. TYPES OF
PROSE
6
Epistolary: It refers to something that denotes,
relates to or is contained in letters. It may also refer
to a novel or other work that is constructed in the
form of a series of letters.
7
Sociological: A sociological novel is defined as a work
of fiction that focuses on the sociological and
economical conditions of characters or events. They
are also known as social problem novels. Uncle
Tom`s Cabin was one of the first of these novels in
1852.
8
Political: It is a subgenre of fiction that deals with
political affairs. Political fiction has often used
narrative to provide commentary on political events,
systems and theories. Works of political fiction often
“directly criticize an existing society or present an
alternative, sometimes fantastic, reality”. Political
fiction frequently employs the literary modes of
satire, often in the genres of Utopian and dystopian
fiction, or social science fiction.
9
Gothic: sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a
genre or mode of literature that combines fiction,
horror and romanticism. Its origin is attributed to
English author Horace Walpole, with his 1763 novel
“The castle of Otranto, subtitled “A Gothic story”.

13. CHARACTERISTICS
OF PROSE
Prose does not
conform to poetic
measures.
1
Prose does not
have a specific
rhyme or meter.
2
Prose does not
use a rhyme
pattern.
3
Prose use straight
forward ordinary
language.
4
Prose is usually in
complete
sentences.
5
Prose is usually
divided into
paragraphs.
6
Use of narrative
technique is a
feature of prose.
7

14. FICTION
WHAT IS FICTION?
Fiction is the form of any work that deals, in part or in
whole, with information or events that are not real, but
rather, imaginary and theoretical. i.e., invented by the
author.
Although the term fiction refers in particular to novels and
short stories. It may also refer to the theatre, including
opera and ballet, film, television, poetry and song.
Fiction contrasts with non-fiction, which deals exclusively
with factual (or at least, assumed factual) events,
descriptions, observations, etc.

15. TYPES OF
FICTION
1
Science Fiction which is a story about
space or science
2 Animal Fiction which is a story where the
main character is an animal
3 Adventure Fiction in which the story is
filled with danger and adventure
15
Fiction is any form of literature, short
stories, or poems that is made up and not
fact. There are different types of fiction.
There are two main types of fiction which
are:-
 LITERARY FICTION and
 COMMERCIAL FICTION
Other types of fiction include:-

16. OTHER TYPES OF FICTION INCLUDE
Mystery: A mystery is something that is impossible or difficult to figure out. It can be secret, riddle or puzzle hence needs intelligence in order to reveal the unknown. A
mystery is mostly in investigation activities whereby a detective has to solve a puzzle so as to find a solution of a crime and crack the case. The characters, plot, and setting are
what create any book.
Humorous: when we talk about humour, we’re usually talking about something funny. But originally the word humorous had to do with the body’s humours, or moods.
Humour is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks,
which taught that the balance of fluids in the human body, known as humours (Latin: humor, “body fluid”). Control human health and emotion.
Fantasy: fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary plot element, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre
take place in imaginary worlds where magic and magical creatures are common. Fantasy is generally distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the
expectations that it steers clear of scientific and macabre themes, respectively, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three, all of which are subgenres of
speculative fiction.
Fable: fables is a literary genre. A fable is a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse that features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects or forces of nature.
Which are anthropomorphized (given human qualities such as verbal communication), and that illustrates or leads to an interpretation of a moral lesson (a “moral”), which may
at the end be added explicitly in a pithy maxim. A fable differs from a parable in that the latter excludes animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as actors that
assume speech and other powers of humankind.
Allegory: allegory is a rhetorical device in which characters or events in a literary, visual, or musical art form represent or symbolize ideas and concepts. Allegory has been used
widely throughout the histories of all forms of art; a major reason for this is its immense power to illustrate complex ideas and concepts in ways that are easily digestible and
tangible to its viewers, readers, or listeners. An allegory conveys its hidden message through symbolic figures, actions, imagery, and/or events. Allegory is generally treated as a
figure of rhetoric; a rhetorical allegory is a demonstrative form of representation conveying meaning other than the words that are spoken. As a literary device, an allegory in its
most general sense is an extended metaphor.

17. OTHER TYPES OF FICTION INCLUDE
Parables: a parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, which illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable
in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, whereas parables have human characters. A parable is a
type of analogy.
Romance: romance is the expressive and pleasurable feeling from an emotional attraction towards another person associated with love. In the
context of romantic love relationships, romance usually implies an expression of one`s strong romantic love, or one`s deep and strong emotional
desires to connect with another person intimately or romantically. Historically, the term “romance” originates from the medieval ideal of chivalry as
set out in its romance literature.
Folktales: a folk tale is a story or legend handed down from generation to generation usually by oral retelling. Folk tales often explain something that
happens in nature or convey a certain truth about life. Folktales are fictitious stories told to amuse and amaze the listeners. They are stories handed
down from generation to generation usually by oral retelling. Folktales are used to explain something that happens in nature or convey a certain truth
about life.
Imaginative writings: creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of
literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary tropes with various traditions of poetry
and poetics.
Creative writing can technically be considered by any writing of original composition. In this sense, creative writing is a more contemporary and
process-oriented name for what has been traditionally called literature, including the variety of its genres.

18. FICTION
WHAT IS NON-FICTION?
Non-fiction is one of the two main divisions in prose writing,
the other form being fiction.
Non-fiction is content whose creator, in good faith, assumes
responsibility for the truth or accuracy of the events, people, or
information presented. In contrast, a story whose creator
explicitly leaves open if and how the work refers to reality is
usually classified as fiction.

19. TYPES OF NON-FICTION
Biography: A book about a person’s life written by someone else is a biography or simply bio is a detailed description or account
of a person’s life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's
experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curriculum vitae, a biography presents a subject's life story, highlighting various
aspects of his or her life, including intimate details of experience, and may include an analysis of the subject's personality.
Autobiography: A book that someone writes about his or her life own life is known as autobiography. An autobiography is a self-
written account of the life of oneself. The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the
English periodical The Monthly Review, when he suggested the word as a hybrid, but condemned it as "pedantic". However, its
next recorded use was in its present sense, by Robert Southey in 1809. Despite only being named early in the nineteenth
century, first-person autobiographical writing originates in antiquity.
Memoir: A book a person writes about a particular time in his or her life; it does not cover from birth to death. A memoir is a
collection of memories that an individual writes about moments or events, both public or private, that took place in the
subject's/person’s life. The assertions made in the work are understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined
as a subcategory of biography or autobiography since the late 20th century, the genre is differentiated in form, presenting a
narrowed focus.

20. TYPES OF NON-FICTION
Diary Or Journal: A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over
the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, thoughts, and/or
feelings, excluding comments on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Also, a daily record, as of
occurrences, experiences, or observations is called Journal.
Essay: A short nonfiction work about a particular topic is called an essay. It looks at one subject in a limited way.
Essays are generally short pieces of writing written from an author’s personal point of view, but the definition is
vague, overlapping with those of an article, a pamphlet and a short story.
Historical Document or Speech: Official statement that record the social and political beliefs of groups of people
and individuals in history and expose the readers to the language and attitude of the time.

21. FORMS OF FICTION AND NON-FICTION
Novella: Novella, short and well-structured narrative, often realistic and satiric in tone, that influenced the development of the
short story and the novel throughout Europe. Originating in Italy during the Middle Ages, the novella was based on local events
that were humorous, political, or amorous in nature; the individual tales often were gathered into collections along with
anecdotes, legends, and romantic tales.
Novelogue: A novelogue is a combination between the words "novel" and "dialogue", and it is written more like a screenplay
than a novel. Prose are only used in brief segments of the story where character and setting descriptions are necessary.
Otherwise, the story is told through conversation. Characters enter and exit as if moving around a world stage, like they would in
a screenplay or stage play.
Novel: A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and
early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century.
Short Story: A short story is a brief work of literature, usually written in narrative prose. Emerging from earlier oral storytelling
traditions in the 17th century, the short story has grown to encompass a body of work so diverse as to defy easy
characterization.

22. ELEMENTS OF FICTION
PLOT AND STRUCTURE
THEME
SETTING
CHARACTERIZATION POINT OF VIEW
STYLE

23. PLOT
 The sequence of incidents or events through which an author
constructs a story.
 The plot is not merely the action itself, but the way the author
arranges the action toward a specific end (structure).
IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF PLOT:
CONFLICT: A clash of actions, ideas, desires, or wills
TYPES OF CONFLICT: Person vs. Person, Person vs. Environment,
Person vs. Self.
PROTAGONIST: The central character in a conflict
ANTAGONIST: Any force arranged against the protagonist- whether
persons, things, conventions of society, or the protagonists own
personality traits.
SUSPENSE: The quality in a story that makes readers ask “what’s
going to happen next?”. In more literary forms of fiction the
suspense involves more “why” than “what”. Usually produced
through two devices; either mystery (an unusual set of
circumstances for which the reader craves an explanation) or
dilemma (a position in which a character must choose between two
courses of action, both undesirable.)

24. CHARACTERIZATION
Analysing characterization is more difficult than describing plot; human nature
is infinitely complex, variable and ambiguous. It is much easier to describe what
a person has done instead of who a person is. In commercial fiction, characters
are often two-dimensional, and act as vehicles to carry out the plot. The
protagonist must be easily identified with and fundamentally decent, if he has
vices they are of the more ‘innocent’ type, the kind the reader would not mind
having.
Characters are presented in two different ways DIRECTLY and
INDIRECTLY.
 DIRECT PRESENTATION: The reader is told straight out what the
character is like.
 INDIRECT PRESENTATION: The author shows the character
through their actions; the reader determines what the character
is like by what they say or do.
 DRAMATIZATION: Characters are shown speaking and behaving,
as in a play.
TYPES OF
CHARACTERS
FLAT CHARACTERS: Usually have one or
two predominant traits. The character
can be summed up in just a few lines.
ROUND CHARACTERS: Complex and many
faceted; have the qualities of real people.
STOCK CHARACTERS: A type of flat
character. The type of character that
appears so often in fiction the reader
recognizes them right away.
STATIC CHARACTER: A character that
remains essentially the same throughout.

25. THEME
The theme of a piece of fiction is its controlling
idea or its central insight. It is the unifying
generalization about life stated or implied by the
story.
While theme is central to a story, it is not the
whole purpose.
The function of a literary writer is not to state a
theme by to show and describe it.
 Theme does not equal “moral”, “lesson”, or “message”.
 Theme should be expressible in the form of a
statement with a subject and predicate.
 The theme should be stated as a generalization about
life.
 Be careful not to make the generalization larger than is
justified by the terms of the story. Avoid terms like,
every, all, always, in favour of words such as, some,
sometimes, may.
 Theme is the central and unifying concept of a
story. Therefore, it accounts for all the major details of
the story, is not contradicted by any detail of the story,
and cannot rely upon supposed facts.
 There is no one way of stating the theme of a story. As
long as the above requirements are met the statement
is valid.

26. SETTING
The setting of a story is its overall context- where,
when and in what circumstances the action
occurs.
SETTING AS PLACE
The physical environment where the story takes
place. The description of the environment often
points towards its importance.
SETTING AS TIME
Includes time in all of its dimensions. To determine
the importance, ask, “what was going on at that
time?”.
SETTING AS CULTURAL CONTEXT
Setting also involves the social circumstances of the
time and place. Consider historical events and
social and political issues of the time.

27. POINT OF VIEW
Point of View is simply who is telling the story.
To determine POV ask;
“who is telling the story”, and “how much do
they know?”
FIRST PERSON POV:
The author disappears into one of the
characters. Shares the limitations of third person
limited. Uses the pronouns “I” and “we”.
SECOND PERSON POV:
Uses the pronoun “you”. Infrequently used.
OMNISCIENT POV:
The story is told in third person by a narrator who has
unlimited knowledge of events and characters.
THIRD PERSON LIMITED POV:
The story is told in third person but from the view
point of a character in the story. POV is limited to the
character’s perceptions and shows no direct
knowledge of what other characters are thinking,
feeling, or doing.

28. STYLE
Style is the manner in which an author uses
words, constructs sentences, incorporates non-
literal expressions, and handles rhythm, timing,
and tone.
When asked to discuss style, you are being
asked to describe how or explain why the
words, sentences, and imaginative
comparisons are effective in terms of what is
being created.
Diction- Central to an author’s style.
It includes:-
VOCABULARY
Choice of words
Simple words Everyday word choice. (“She was sick
for a long time.)
Complex words
Concrete words Things we can touch, see, etc. (Jeans,
book.)
Abstract words Words that express intangible ideas
(freedom, heritage, something)
SYNTAX
arrangement of words, their ordering, grouping and
placement within phrases, clauses, and sentences.
RHYTHM
The pattern of flow and movement created by the
choice of words and the arrangement of phrases
and sentences. Rhythm is directly affected by the
length and composition of sentences, the use of
pauses within sentences, the use of repetition, and
the ease or difficulty in pronouncing the
combinations of word sounds in the sentences.

29. IMPORTANCE OF PROSE
Prose is ever-present in our lives, and we pretty much always take
it for granted. It seems like the most obvious, natural way to write.
But if you stop and think, it’s not totally obvious. After all, people
often speak in short phrases with pauses in between – more like
lines of poetry than the long, unbroken lines of prose. It’s also
easier to read verse, since it’s easier for the eye to follow a short
line than a long, unbroken one.
For all of these reasons, it might seem like verse is actually a more
natural way of writing! And indeed, we know from archaeological
digs that early cultures usually wrote in verse rather than prose.
The dominance of prose is a relatively modern trend.
So why do we moderns prefer prose? The answer is probably just
that it’s more efficient! Without line breaks, you can fill the entire
page with words, meaning it takes less paper to write the same
number of words. Before the industrial revolution, paper was very
expensive, and early writers may have given up on poetry because
it was cheaper to write prose.

30. TYPES OF
TEXT
1
Narrative Text: Narratives are accounts of past
events, either real or fictional. A narrative essay,
which tells about real incidents, must have a clearly
defined setting, characters, plot and point of view. It
must include an introduction, a climax and a
conclusion. The author's purpose in writing a
narrative essay is to communicate an important
lesson learned during the story -- such as the
importance of knowing how to swim when the
author nearly drowned -- and not just recount past
events.
30
Texts can be grouped into categories based
on their structure and purpose. These
categories include narratives, expository
texts, technical texts and persuasive texts,
which can be distinguished by examining
what the author's intent and how the author
goes about achieving the intended result.
Knowing the features of each type of text
allows you to choose the format that best
suits your work.
2
Expository Text: The purpose of an expository text is
to give information about a specific topic. It is not
storytelling, but a straightforward discussion of a
topic, such as population increase in New England,
the reasons behind it and its effects. According to
Professor Arnetha F. Ball of Stanford University, the
author of an expository text cannot assume that the
reader has prior knowledge of the topic; therefore,
the writer must use plain language and an easy-to-
follow structure.

31. TYPES OF
TEXT
3
Technical Text: The author of a technical text also
has the purpose of explaining a specific topic, but a
technical text's language and structure distinguish it
from other expository types. A technical text
contains specific terminology to address the text's
issues and avoids colloquial terms, humor and critical
language. In addition, vague terms and figurative
language have no place in a technical text, in which
authors use few, if any, interrogative sentences --
sentences that are questions and imperative
sentences -- sentences that are commands.
31
Texts can be grouped into categories based
on their structure and purpose. These
categories include narratives, expository
texts, technical texts and persuasive texts,
which can be distinguished by examining
what the author's intent and how the author
goes about achieving the intended result.
Knowing the features of each type of text
allows you to choose the format that best
suits your work.
4
Persuasive Text: The author of persuasive text tries
to convince the audience of the validity of the
author's opinion. This type of text can employ a
number of different persuasive methods. These
techniques include the use of rhetorical questions,
repetition, emotive language, exaggeration,
addressing the readers directly and using facts as a
means of backing up a point. The writer must
mention the issue clearly and must express an
opinion on it explicitly.

32. WHAT IS DRAMA?
Drama is a mode of fictional representation through dialogue
and performance. It is one of the literary genres, which is an
imitation of some action. Drama is also a type of a play written
for theatre, television, radio, and film.
In simple words, a drama is a composition in verse or prose
presenting a story in pantomime or dialogue. It contains
conflict of characters, particularly the ones who perform in
front of audience on the stage. The person who writes drama
for stage directions is known as a “dramatist” or “playwright.”

33. TYPES OF
DRAMA
1
COMEDY – Comedies are lighter in tone than
ordinary works, and provide a happy conclusion. The
intention of dramatists in comedies is to make their
audience laugh. Hence, they use quaint
circumstances, unusual characters, and witty
remarks.
Let us consider a few popular types of
Drama
2
TRAGEDY – Tragic dramas use darker themes, such
as disaster, pain, and death. Protagonists often have
a tragic flaw — a characteristic that leads them to
their downfall.
3
FARCE – Generally, a farce is a nonsensical genre of
drama, which often overacts or engages slapstick
humour.
4
MELODRAMA – Melodrama is an exaggerated
drama, which is sensational and appeals directly to
the senses of the audience. Just like the farce, the
characters are of a single dimension and simple, or
may be stereotyped.
5
MUSICAL DRAMA – In musical dramas, dramatists
not only tell their stories through acting and
dialogue, but through dance as well as music. Often
the story may be comedic, though it may also involve
serious subjects.

34. IMPORTANCE OF DRAMA
There is a lot of established research about the positive influences from drama, theatre and the performing arts,
especially on young people. The benefits are physical, emotional, social, and they help to develop a healthy
appreciation of culture and the arts.
SELF-CONFIDENCE: Aspects of performing arts, especially improvisation, helps young people to understand how to
appraise situations, think outside the box and be more confident going into unfamiliar situations. Students learn to
trust their ideas and abilities. Confidence gained from learning performing arts skills applies to school, career, and life.
IMAGINATION: Being creative and learning to make creative choices helps students to be better at thinking of new
ideas, allowing them to view the world around them in new ways. Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than
knowledge.”
EMPATHY: Understanding characters, roles and the subtext of plays and musicals allows students to relate better to
different situations, backgrounds, and cultures. It encourages them to show compassion and tolerance for others.
COOPERATION: Theatre is a collaboration of different players and in many cases the quality of any performance reliance
on an ensemble performance. Combining the creative ideas and the abilities of all participants is required for the best
outcomes. This requires all those taking part to engage in discussions, feedback, rehearsing, and the performance.

35. IMPORTANCE OF DRAMA
CONCENTRATION: Playing, practicing, and performing will develop the ability and skills to be able to focus the mind,
the body, and the voice.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS: It seems obvious to say that drama, theatre and the performing arts improves verbal and
nonverbal communication, but it is worth stating that this benefits young people through their life. It improves vocal
projection, articulation, tone of speech and expression. Importantly is also develops listening and observation skills.
FUN: Drama brings elements of play, humour, and laughter to those taking part – improves motivation and reduces
stress.
EMOTIONAL OUTLET: Acting and drama games allow students to express a range of emotions and encourage them to
understand and deal with similar feelings they may be experiencing. Aggression and tension are released in a safe,
controlled environment – often allowing for a period of reflection afterwards.
PHYSICAL FITNESS: Performing, even the most passive performances, requires intensive movement over a prolonged
period. Many performing arts exercises improve flexibility, coordination, balance, and control.
MEMORY: Rehearsing and performing lines and movements will improve memory. Your memory requires exercise,
just like a muscle.

36. CHARACTERISTICS OF
DRAMA
Meant to be acted on stage
Audience watched the play
Action
Written in Acts and scenes

37. ELEMENTS OF DRAMA
FOCUS: Focus is often used interchangeably with the terms concentration and engagement, assisting the performer in the portrayal of believable characters.
This also implies memorisation of text (including word, moves and gestures). Furthermore, focus requires the channelling (focusing) of all the performer’s
energies into achieving the given goals or objectives of a character in a scene (otherwise known as ‘wants’
TENSION: It can sometimes be used as an interchangeable term with conflict. But where it differs, lies in the development of suspense in a
performance. As the audience anticipates certain outcomes in the plot, the tension builds. An obvious example of rising tension is in a mystery
or whodunit. The development of tension usually parallels the advancement of the plot, leading to a crisis or climax. Tension is closely linked
with timing.
TIMING: Timing in performance refers to dramatic timing of movements and gestures. We often take our movements for granted in
everyday life, but when performing, the use of our body must be carefully considered. Timing can be manipulated to create contrast in
a scene or simply to demonstrate robotic, stylised and non-naturalistic movements. Rhythm and pace are affected by timing.
RHYTHM: Rhythm refers to the timing and pace of the drama. It also means the beat or tempo of the performance. As a rule, rhythm
should never be the same throughout the drama, regardless of its length. Rhythm can follow the emotional state of one or more
characters or the atmosphere of the performance at particular moments.
CONTRAST: Without the careful use of contrast a performance is boring and lacks tension. An obvious example of contrast is a sad scene followed by a
happy one. But contrast can be created in subtler and sophisticated ways, such as manipulating the drama to create a change in setting, use of space or
rhythm. The pace of scenes can also be altered, as can various dramatic elements within one small section of a performance.
MOOD: It is the feeling or tone of a performance. It refers to ambience or aura and is often created through a combination of several dramatic and
stagecraft elements working in harmony with each other. The mood of a performance is closely linked with everyday feelings such as pity, anger, desire or
frustration. Mood in drama can be created via sound, lighting, movement, setting, rhythm, contrast, conflict and more.

38. ELEMENTS OF DRAMA
SPACE: This dramatic element refers to the effective use of available space in a performance. Different levels of space are utilised by the performer, such as sitting, bending
over, lying down or crawling. Of course, using the space around you can mean downstage and upstage or walking in or on a stage set. In order to use the space effectively,
movement becomes an important factor. Use of space also implies clearly communicating to the audience where the action is taking place. This may include any changes in
location that may occur in the performance (particularly if little or no sets and/or props are being used and there is a heavy reliance on the audience’s imagination).
LANGUAGE: The use of language in performance can be verbal, vocal or non-verbal. Language is the spoken text. It is the written script realised in performance. While
normally spoken by the actor, language can also be chanted or sung. It can also be deliberately nonsensical (gibberish) for dramatic effect. The choice of language in
performance is crucial, as it is forms a major means of communicating the story of the drama to the audience. Exactly how the actor in performance uses language is usually
determined by the expressive skill of voice. However, language can also be non-verbal, commonly referred to as body language.
SOUND: Modern theatrical practice relies on sound to assist in a number of ways. It can be useful in creating atmosphere or mood. Actors and their bodies
can construct effective sound in performance. Small props can also create sound effects that can be used live during a show. Other uses of sound involve the
implementation of technology, such as instrumental recordings and sound effects on CDs and mp3 players (though this use of sound is technically a stagecraft
element in the theatre, not a dramatic element).
SYMBOL: The use of symbol in dramatic performance can be one of the simplest and also most complicated of all techniques. Essentially, symbolism implies a greater meaning
than the literal suggestion. Props are the easiest to work with because objects in everyday life are symbols in society (for example a rose symbolises love; a cross symbolises
Christianity). Symbols can also be found in the use of colour. We often symbolise purple with royalty, red with anger or desire, black with evil and darkness or white with purity and
innocence. Colour association can be worthwhile symbols with costumes, sets and props. But the most sophisticated use of symbol occurs with the application of gesture and
movement. A particular gesture performed by a character early in a performance can be repeated later under different circumstances (context) and have a very different meaning.
Used only once, a gesture can also be a powerful symbol. Of course, all of the above examples can be combined for better effect.
CONFLICT: Playwright George Bernard Shaw (who wrote Pygmalion, which was later adapted to become the film My Fair Lady) once said ‘No conflict, no drama’. How right
he was! Drama that lacks conflict is normally dull and uninspiring. As a rule, conflict should always be considered an essential ingredient for all dramatic performances.
Conflict can be between two or more characters, or simply one (inner conflict). Many Elizabethan soliloquies contain inner conflict (‘To be or not to be…’ is an excellent
example). Conflict on stage can be verbal, physical or non-verbal (psychological). Conflict differs from tension in that it is often a fixed part of the structure of a play, with
characters destined to clash with one another from the outset.
CLIMAX: Most drama will have one or more crises in the development of the plot. A crisis is a key moment of dramatic tension and conflict in the play, usually
occurring between two or more characters and having serious implications for the outcome of the plot. The ultimate crisis, or highest peak, is usually called
the climax and often (but not always) occurs toward the end of a performance. There can also be more than one climax, although this is uncommon.

39. WHAT IS POETRY?
Poetry is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhythmic
qualities of language—such as phonaesthetics, sound
symbolism, and metre — to evoke meanings in addition to, or
in place of, the prosaic ostensible meaning.
Poetry has a very long history, dating back to prehistorical
times with the creation of hunting poetry in Africa, and
panegyric and elegiac court poetry was developed extensively
throughout the history of the empires of the Nile, Niger and
Volta river valleys. Some of the earliest written poetry in Africa
can be found among the Pyramid Texts written during the 25th
century BCE, while the Epic of Sundiata is one of the most well-
known examples of griot court poetry.
The earliest Western Asian epic poetry,
the Epic of Gilgamesh, was written in
Sumerian. Early poems in the Eurasian
continent evolved from folk songs such
as the Chinese Shijing, or from a need to
retell oral epics, as with the Sanskrit
Vedas, Zoroastrian Gathas, and the
Homeric epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Ancient Greek attempts to define poetry,
such as Aristotle's Poetics, focused on
the uses of speech in rhetoric, drama,
song and comedy.
Chinese Shijing
Folk Songs

40. 40
TYPES
OF
POETRY
BALLAD: Are you familiar with the term "ballad"? You
probably are, because people sometimes refer to songs
particularly romantic ones - as ballads. In fact, ballad poems
are frequently sung - or at least they are intended to be
sung - and are often about love. Usually, these ballads tell a
story, often of a mystical nature. Just as a song does, ballads
tend to have a refrain that repeats at various intervals
throughout.
1
EPIC POEM: One of the longest types of poems is
known as the epic poem, which has been around for
thousands of years. Technically a type of narrative poem,
which tells a story, epic poems usually tell the story of a
mythical warrior and the great things that he
accomplished in of his journeys, such as The Odyssey and
The Iliad. Epic poetry began as folk stories that were
passed down from generation to generation, which were
then later written into long form.
3
PASTORAL: One of the poetic favourites is
pastoral poetry because it elicits such wonderful
senses of peace and harmony. Examples of this
form include Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn,"
which is also a type of ode
4
ELEGY: Because poems can express a wide
variety of emotions, there are sad forms of
poetry as well as happy ones. One of these
sad forms is known as an elegy. Elegies
express a lament, often over the death of a
loved one. This makes elegies especially
popular for funerals. Some elegies are
written not only to be read out loud; they
can be put to music and sung.
2
SONNET: One of the most
famous types of poetry, the
sonnet, has been popular
with writers from Dante to
Shakespeare. A sonnet
contains 14 lines, typically
with two rhyming stanzas
known as a rhyming couplet
at the end.
5

41. IMPORTANCE
OF POETRY
1
VOICES YOUR THOUGHTS: A person is constantly involved in thinking a
variety of things. Through poetry, one can lend voice to one's thoughts,
feelings and beliefs. Often, poetry is the resultant of misunderstandings that
a person often undergoes. The anger, frustration and agony are revealed
through penning down the different expressions one feels at that moment.
Poetry allows you to visualize things from the eyes of the writer, thus
marking the importance of writing poetry.
2
REVEALS REALITY: Real people, or precisely real poets, write poetry to
express their real emotions which are otherwise difficult to reveal in words.
Emotions and sentiments that we would be feeling at one time are penned
by some poet around the world, at some other time. While we prefer
confining those emotions in our heart, poets pour them out in the form of
poetry. Thus, poems allow us to look beyond the surface. This is usually
done by using metaphors or other abstract ways, thus provoking you to
think deeply on the meaning engulfed in them.
3
EXPRESSES BEAUTY: Poetry is another form of expressing beauty and
revealing your feelings. A fancy art in itself, poetry incites a person to
see beyond the missing bells and whistles that have been deliberately
removed from the poetry. This forces readers to concentrate and
imagine the words that would perfectly fit in the poetry, so as to
complete the unsaid thoughts.
4
DEPICTS HISTORICAL EVENTS: Poetry has been in existence since ages.
Poems from the ancient historical eras give us a glimpse of the
previous generations, right from depicting historical events to the
primeval lifestyles. What was considered beautiful, important or even
profound, is clearly stated to us through those poems.

42. CHARACTERISTICS OF
POETRY
Connotation
Music
Meditation Metrics Aesthetic and dyadic
In poetry, the ideas, feelings, thoughts of the speaker are not directly conveyed
through the use of images, symbols, and figure of speech.
Reading and
understanding
poetry makes
everyone think
seriously
Not modern poetry, but
old poetry may use
metrical composition,
such as meter, rhythm,
and foot.
Poetry has the musical
quality
Poetry provides an entertainment
and gives an instruction to the
readers.

43. CHARACTERISTICS OF
POETRY
Stanza form
Visible shape Playfully pleasant
Poetry has its own physical
structure
Poetry is written in stanzas such as
couplets, triplets, and quotation
Poetry can please the heart of
the reader
Imagination and Feelings It is said that poetry is the expression of imagination. Hence, imagination and
feelings are profoundly predominant in poetry.

44. ELEMENTS OF
POETRY
1
THEME: What’s a poem without a theme? This element is the general
idea that a poet wants his or her readers to grasp. This could be
anything from a story to a thought that is being portrayed in the poem.
Without such, it would be difficult for readers to understand the
overall purpose and message that a poet wishes to convey.
2
SYMBOLISM: Symbolism in poetry is used to express one’s thoughts
gracefully, yet gently as well. It is a reflection of our emotions written
artistically to keep readers engaged as they embark on a journey inside
a poet’s complex mind. As human as we are, we find it difficult to
portray how we truly feel through the mere use of words. This is
because the standard language we speak can never interpret our
thoughts in a way that can make the people around us understand. So
instead, we use symbols to give our words the effect it needs.
Example: How the Chimney-sweeper’s cry, Every blackning Church
appalls, And the hapless Soldier’s sigh, Runs in blood down Palace
walls, London by William Blake. The last line simply states how men die
for the victory of a ruler that does not care for his men. The use of
symbolism enhances the writing, allowing a poet to depict a particular
idea differently than what one would expect.
3
DENSITY: Aren’t you amazed by how poets have the ability to share
so much of their thoughts, using only a limited number of words per
line? Density is what makes poetry different from the normal speech
and writing patterns. As you describe an image, you’re meant to
use figurative language while still following a certain sound and rhythm
to make a reader feel a certain way. Even if you don’t conform to the
traditional grammar styles, the piece remains clear and
understandable enough to the average reader.

45. FORMS OF POETRY
ROMANTICISM: Romanticism is attitude or intellectual orientation that characterized many works of literature,
painting, music, architecture, criticism, and historiography in Western civilization over a period from the late 18th to
the mid-19th century. Romanticism can be seen as a rejection of the precepts of order, calm, harmony, balance,
idealization, and rationality that typified Classicism in general and late 18th-century Neoclassicism in particular. It was
also to some extent a reaction against the Enlightenment and against 18th-century rationalism and physical
materialism in general. Romanticism emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the
personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental.
METAPHYSICAL POETRY: Metaphysical poet is any of the poets in 17th-century England who inclined to the
personal and intellectual complexity and concentration that is displayed in the poetry of John Donne, the chief of the
Metaphysical. Others include Henry Vaughan, Andrew Marvell, John Cleveland, and Abraham Cowley as well as, to a
lesser extent, George Herbert and Richard Crashaw. Their work is a blend of emotion and intellectual ingenuity,
characterized by conceit or “wit”—that is, by the sometimes violent yoking together of apparently unconnected ideas
and things so that the reader is startled out of his complacency and forced to think through the argument of the
poem.

46. FIGURES OF SPEECH
A figure of speech is a word or phrase using figurative
language—language that has other meaning than its normal
definition. In other words, figures of speeches rely on implied
or suggested meaning, rather than a dictionary definition.
We express and develop them through hundreds of different
rhetorical techniques, from specific types like metaphors and
similes, to more general forms like sarcasm and slang.
Figures of speech make up a huge portion of the English
language, making it more creative, more expressive, and just
more interesting! Many have been around for hundreds of
years—some even thousands—and more are added to our
language essentially every day. This article will focus on a few
key forms of figures of speech, but remember, the types are
nearly endless!

47. TYPES OF FIGURES
OF SPEECH
There are countless figures of speech in every
language, and they fall into hundreds of
categories.
Here, though, is a short list of some of the
most common types of figure of speech:-
 Metaphor
 Idiom
 Proverb
 Simile
 Oxymoron
 Metonym
 Irony

48. METAPHOR
Many common figures of speech are
metaphors. That is, they use words in a
manner other than their literal meaning.
However, metaphors use figurative language
to make comparisons between unrelated
things or ideas.
The “peak of her career,” for example, is a
metaphor, since a career is not a literal
mountain with a peak, but the metaphor
represents the idea of arriving at the highest
point of one’s career.
 Metaphor

49. IDIOM
An idiom is a common phrase with a figurative meaning.
Idioms are different from other figures of speech in that
their figurative meanings are mostly known within a
particular language, culture, or group of people. In fact,
the English language alone has about 25,000 idioms. Some
examples include “it’s raining cats and dogs” when it is
raining hard, or “break a leg” when wishing someone good
luck.
 Example: This sentence uses an idiom to make it more
interesting:
 There’s a supermarket and a pharmacy in the mall, so if
we go there, we can kill two birds with one stone.
 The idiom is a common way of saying that two tasks can
be completed in the same amount of time or same
place.
 Idiom

50. PROVERB
A proverb is a short, commonplace saying that is
universally understood in today’s language and used
to express general truths. “Don’t cry over spilt milk” is
a popular example. Most proverbs employ metaphors
(e.g. the proverb about milk isn’t literally about milk).
Example: This example uses a proverb to emphasize
the situation:
I know you think you’re going to sell all of those cookies,
but don’t count your chickens before they hatch!
Here, “don’t count your chickens before they hatch”
means that you shouldn’t act like something has
happened before it actually does.
 Proverb

51. SIMILE
A simile is a very common figure of speech that uses
the words “like” and “as” to compare two things that
are not related by definition. For example, “he is as tall
as a mountain,” doesn’t mean he was actually 1,000
feet tall, it just means he was really tall.
Example: This example uses a simile for comparison:
The internet is like a window to the world—you can
learn about everything online!
The common phrase “window to the world” refers to a
hypothetical window that lets you see the whole world
from it. So, saying the internet is like a window to the
world implies that it lets you see anything and
everything.
 Simile

52. OXYMORON,
METONYM AND
IRONY
OXYMORON: An oxymoron is when you use two words
together that have contradictory meanings. Some
common examples include small crowd, definitely
possible, old news, little giant, and so on.
METONYM: A metonym is a word or phrase that is used
to represent something related to bigger meaning. For
example, fleets are sometimes described as being “thirty
sails strong,” meaning thirty (curiously, this metonym
survives in some places, even when the ships in question
are not sail-powered!) Similarly, the crew on board those
ships may be described as “hands” rather than people.
IRONY: Irony is when a word or phrase’s
literal meaning is the opposite of its figurative
meaning. Many times (but not always), irony
is expressed with sarcasm (see Related
Terms). For example, maybe you eat a really
bad cookie, and then say “Wow, that was the
best cookie I ever had”—of course, what you
really mean is that it’s the worst cookie you
ever had, but being ironic actually
emphasizes just how bad it was!
 Oxymoron
 Metonym
 Irony

53. LANGUAGE CAN BE CLASSIFIED IN A
NUMBER OF WAYS
 DENOTATION: Denotation is a translation of a sign to its meaning, precisely to its literal meaning, more or less like
dictionaries try to define it. Denotation is sometimes contrasted to connotation, which includes associated meanings. The
denotational meaning of a word is perceived through visible concepts, whereas connotational meaning evokes sensible
attitudes towards the phenomena.
 CONNOTATION: Connotation refers to a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly.
Words carry cultural and emotional associations or meanings, in addition to their literal meanings or denotations. For
instance, “Wall Street” literally means a street situated in Lower Manhattan, but connotatively it refers to wealth and
power.
 ABSTRACT LANGUAGE: terms that refer to qualities, ideas, or characteristics we can conceive of mentally but cannot see,
touch, hear, etc.
 CONCRETE LANGUAGE: Is a language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or
qualities.
 ACCOMMODATION: Conceding minor points to the opposing view point
 ANALOGY: comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things
 ETHOS (ETHICAL APPEAL): Appeal based on the authority of the writer/speaker
 PATHOS (EMOTIONAL APPEAL): Appeal intended to illicit an emotional response from the reader
 LOGOS (LOGICAL APPEAL): Argument that appeals to reason, relying on factual evidence, expert testimony and logic
 CONNOTATION: The psychological or emotional associations or responses to a word or phrase

54. WHAT IS LITERACY
APPRECIATION
LITERACY appreciation is loving and embracing literature.
HOW TO ANSWER QUESTION ON
LITERACY APPRECIATION
A critical appreciation of a work of literature is an objective
evaluation of both the structure of the work and the literacy
materials employed by the author. There are few steps to
writing a critical appreciation:
 In the introduction include a general description of the
work.
 Provide short summary of the plot.
 Evaluate how well the author accomplishes what seem to be
the purpose of the work, examining literacy techniques and
style with supporting details.
 Summarize your opinion of the work.

55. LITERARY CRITICISM
This is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of
literature.
Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary
theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its
methods and goals.
Literary criticism is often published in essay or book
form.
Literary appreciation refers to the evaluation of works
of imaginative literature as an intellectual or academic
exercise. In this process the reader interprets,
evaluates or classifies a literary work with a view to
determining the artistic merits or demerits of such a
work.

56. 56
Literary appreciation
occurs in seven stages
1
Pleasure and profit (literary
appreciation is a social
experience)
2
Decoding (literacy is
developed).
3
Lose yourself (reading
becomes a means of
escaping).
4
Find yourself
(discovering identity)
5
Venture beyond self ('going
beyond me', assessing the
world around them)
6
Variety in reading (reads
widely and discusses
experiences with peers).
7
Aesthetic purposes (avid
reader, appreciates the artistic
value of reading).

57. LITERARY
WORKS/TEXTS
REALISTIC
Realism is a literary technique practiced by many
schools of writing.
Although strictly speaking, realism is a technique, it also
denotes a particular kind of subject matter, especially
the representation middle-class life.
A reaction against romanticism, an interest in scientific
method, the systematizing of the study of documentary
history, and the influence of rational philosophy all
affected the rise of realism.

58. THE REALISTIC GENRE
 ROMANTIC: Romanticism is an artistic and intellectual movement originating in Europe in the late 18th century and
characterized by a heightened interest in nature, emphasis on the individual's expression of emotion and imagination,
departure from the attitudes and forms of classicism, and rebellion against established social rules and conventions. At the
turn of the century, fired by ideas of personal and political liberty and of the energy and sublimity of the natural world,
artists and intellectuals sought to break the bonds of 18th-century convention. Although the works of Jean Jacques
Rousseau and William Godwin had a great influence, the French Revolution and its aftermath had the strongest impact of
all. In England initial support for the Revolution was primarily utopian and idealist, and when the French failed to live up to
expectations, most English intellectuals renounced the Revolution. However, the romantic vision had taken forms other
than political, and these developed apace.
 IDEALISTIC: In philosophy, idealism is the group of philosophies which assert that reality, or reality as we can know it, is
fundamentally mental, mentally constructed, or otherwise immaterial.
 SARCASTIC: Sarcasm is an ironic or satirical remark that seems to be praising someone or something but is really taunting
or cutting. Sarcasm can be used to hurt or offend or can be used for comic effect. William Shakespeare is well-known for his
use of sarcasm.
 SATIRE: Satire is a genre of literature, and sometimes graphic and performing arts, in which vices, follies, abuses, and
shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, corporations, government or society
itself, into improvement. Although, satire is usually meant to be humorous, its greater purpose is often constructive social
criticism, using wit a weapon and as a tool to draw attention to both particular and wider issues in society.

59. 59
EXPOSITION: It is a literary device
used to introduce background
information about the characters,
setting and events to the reader. 1
RISING ACTION: Rising
action is what happens in a
story leading up to the most
exciting part of the story.
3
CLIMAX: is the part of the story
where the tension or action reaches
its highest point.
4
FALLING ACTION: The falling
action in a work of literature is
the sequence of events that
follow the climax and end in the
resolution.
2
RESOLUTION: is the
part of the story’s plot
line in which the problem
of the story is resolved or
worked out. It comes
after the falling action
and it is typically where
the story ends.
5
IMPORTANT
LITERARY
DEVICES

60. THEME
Main Theme: The main theme of the novel is
an argument that social conditions of
deprivation motivate people to act in anti-
social ways.
1.
Minor Theme: A minor theme of the novel is in
its relation between the social and economic
2.
MOOD: The mood of the novel is
melodramatic. It is written in the high
emotional tone of high drama.
3.
60

61. THANK YOU