Output

In
ENGLISH-25
(LITERARY CRICISM)
SELF- MANAGED LEARNING
MODULE

Submitted by:
Jessica V. Namo
BSED- 4A

Submitted to:
Prof. Alex C. Delos Santos
Instructor

Republic of the Philippines

University of Antique
Sibalom, Antique
COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION
August 04, 2016 (1.5hrs)
1. What is the classical notion of tragedy?
The classical notion of tragedy is an imitation of an action that is
serious, complete, and of certain magnitude; in language, embellished
with each kind of artistic ornament being found in separate parts of the
play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear
affecting the proper purgation of these emotions.

Oedipus Rex
By: Sophocles
I integrate all ideas I get from the movie and the original text for further
understanding of what was the story all about. So here we go
The story begins with oracle about the unborn child whose life has been
predicted by the priestess at Delphi that he will kill his father and marry his
own mother. So, in order to prevent the thing to happen, the king and Queen
commanded one of their servants to send the child on the mountain and kill
him. But the servant out of pity to the child he gave it to the shepherd who is
attending his flock. The shepherd gave the child to King Polybus of Corinth.
One day, went to Delphi to ask the priestess of what hed become and the
priestess answered that his going to kill his father and marry his own mother.
Upon hearing the oracle, Oedipus wandered and not planning to go back home
to Corinth to prevent the oracle to happen. Along the way, he heard the
happenings in Thebes. As he was homeless and friendless whom life is meant a
little, he was determined to seek the Sphinx and solve the riddle. He answered
correctly to the Sphinxs riddle, therefore the Sphinx killed herself and the

Thebans were saved. Thebans made Oedipus as their King and unknowingly
marry his own mother, Jocasta. They have two sons and when they grown to
manhood, a terrible plague visit the kingdom. Being the King, Oedipus regard
himself as the father of the state and misery of his children will be his too.
Therefore, he dispatched Jocastas brother Creon to Delphi to implore the gods
help. Creon returns with good news. According to Apollo the plague would stay
upon one condition, whoever killed King Laius must be punished. Oedipus was
enormously relieved. So, Oedipus summoned the Blind Prophet Teresias to ask
who the guilty were. At first, Teresias was hesitant to answer but when accused
he was angered and words he had meant never to speak fell heavily from his
lips that Oedipus, himself is the killer. The revelations of the death of the
deceased King and the incident whom Oedipus had at the three roads met on
the way to Delphi coincides. But Jocasta clarified that her husband was
murdered by robbers. The further seemed given them that Apollo could speak
falsely. A messenger came from Corinth to announce the death of Polybus.
Soon enough Oedipus discovered that he was not the real son of Polybus and
the Queen. He dig deeper for the information and found out that he is the son
of King Laius and Jocasta who is the subject of prophecy. The revelation was
too harsh and too hard for Oedipus and Jocasta to digest. Therefore Jocasta
killed herself and Oedipus put out his eyes so that the black world of blindness
will be his refuge. For him it is better to be there than to see with strange
shamed eyes the old world that had been so bright.
Oedipus Rex is a tragic story wherein the protagonist or the main
character itself is the also the reason of his own downfall. The reason why
Aristotle took Oedipus Rex as a model of tragedy for it has the element of tragic
setting, atmosphere and mood, tragic character with tragic hamartia, tragic
plot design moving to tragic disintegration and therefore the tragic realization
by the character and audience.
Oedipus Rexs plot also called as most perfect drama in terms of its plot
construction, for the plot of this play is precise and is thematically. Sophocles
introduces nothing that would not be demanded by the thematic significance
and the unity of the plot.
As what I have read and watched, the plot of the play was designed in
very structural patterns of several kinds. First of all, the plot can be seen as
designed according to standard classical norm. The prologue begins the drama
by introducing the characters, situations and also revealing the past
background of each character and the happenings within the place. Followed
by the body of the drama that is made up of episodes in four scenes and these

episodes are interposed by one ode after each. Lastly the drama ends with
exodus or exit, which is also the resolution or denouement of the play.
In conclusion, the plot of Oedipus Rex is perfect because nothing is left
loose or illogical. The unities are maintained and the actions as well the
dialogue are fully convincing. There is poetic justice and there are all reasons
for the audiences satisfaction and emotional or intellectual participation. The
process of unfolding the truth of the life and destiny of Oedipus also changes
and enlightens the audience to realize their own human condition.

*Refernces: www.slideshare.com &Prezi.com

Republic of the Philippines

University of Antique
Sibalom, Antique
COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION
August 11 & 16 (3hrs.)
Directions: Classicism vs. Romanticism: Fill in the table to compare and
contrast the classicist and romanticist notions of literature:
ELEMENTS
Theme

CLASSICISM
Transition of imitation
Manners & Social
concerns

Characters
Language

Supernatural
Allegorical
Greek and Roman

ROMANTICISM

Reforms and change

spiritual growth
democracy
revolution
Man
nature and both
Common, simple

(Latin) elevated,

and drastic used in

Dressed up language,

daily life, English,

formal, full of

Beautiful, colloquial,

allusions, didactic
Poetry

Definition of poetry

mimetic
imitative use of
language, rhythm,
harmony, separately
or in combination
appeals to feelings
teaches young people
to become emotional
rather than rational
4th Century B.C- 17th

Period in history

creative
Poetry
the spontaneous
overflow of powerful
feeling;
it takes its origin
from emotion
recollected in
tranquillity
mimesis
utilitarian
1750- 1800 Century

Century
Sample writers & their
works

Plato

William Wordsworth

The Republic
Aristotle
Poetics
Longinus
On the Sublime
Horace
Ars Poetica
Sophocles
Oedipus Rex

Lyrical Ballads
William Blake
The Tiger
Percy Bysshe Shelley
A Defence of Poetry
Jean Jacques Rousseau
The Confession
Matthew Arnold
Function and
Criticism

Homer
Iliad and Odyssey

Republic of the Philippines

University of Antique
Sibalom, Antique
COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION
August 9, 2016
Directions: Read a short story and analyse the plot following Aristotles
structure.
1. Introduction

The story of an hour is one of Kate Chopins famous writings. The

technique used by the author was situational irony wherein the
idea contrast between what is said and what it really meant. Kate
Chopin use reversals as a technique in writing the story and the
story unfolds all happenings in just an hour.
2. Summary of the text
The story of an hour is the story of an arranged marriage couple.
The husband (Brently Mallard) was reported one of the victim of
the railroad disaster and the name leading the list of killed.
Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great
care was taken to break her gently as possible the news of her
husbands death. But she need to know, that is why her sister
Josephine told her in broken sentences about the news and the
presence of Richard, her husbands friend. She wept at once, with
sudden, wild abandonment in her sisters arms. She went to her
room alone no one followed her. She succumbs with comfort in her
room reminiscing the days she had with her husband. Shes happy
indeed that she is now free from her husbands cruelty. She does
love him sometimes but oftentimes she had not.
The thought that she might do something stupid her sister called
out the door for her to open but she replied telling her sister to go
away for she was not making herself ill, instead, she was drinking
in a very elixir of life through that open window in her room.
Thinking of different seasons to spend alone, and too much
happiness filled her heart she begun to feel something she opened
the door and joined her sister to go down where Richard stood
waiting for them at the bottom.
Meanwhile, her husband Brently Mallard entered the front door
with a little travel-stained carrying his grip pack and umbrella. He
stood arrayed at Josephines piercing cry; at Richards quick motion
to screen him from the view of his wife but its too late. The doctor
then came and said she had died of heart disease of joy that kills.
3. Plot analysis
Beginning, the news that must be revealed to Mrs. Mallard and
that is the death of his husband at the railroad accident. There
was a problem and hesitations from her sister and her husbands
friend to reveal the news due to the fact that she was suffering
from heart disease. The exposition in the story was reflected at the

end which made the reader find it hard to understand of what was
story all about at one glance.
Middle, the reaction of Mrs. Mallard was quiet hard to
comprehend. The relationship of Mrs. Mallards to her husband
was revealed at the middle part of the story. The emotions she kept
to herself about it and about the death of her husband. She kept
on telling herself about the things she might do alone, the seasons
she gone through alone and everything. The unknown feeling felt
by Mrs. Mallard as she was drinking the very elixir of life in her
room was found in this part of the story. Her sisters concerns
about her heart problem as well. Then, she was having heart
attack for too much happiness for the death of her husband.
End, in the end, Mrs. Mallard was the one who is dead of heart
attack and her husband was alive and was away from the railroad
accident.

4. Conclusion
Kate Chopin is one of the best authors that use reversals as
technique and situational irony in some of her writings. The story
tells us that no matter how cruel our life is; sometimes we need to
discipline ourselves in coping up with it. Mrs. Mallards actions are
somewhat unnecessary. Evethough she does or doesnt love her
husband she is supposed to mourn for her lose or even pray for the
peacefulness of her husbands soul if he was really killed at the
railroad incident. She showed how ingrate she is. But at the end
she was the one who was dead. We can even call it as Karma for
she doesnt know how to a civil one or a good wife. Lesson: Learn
to live, love and let go but remember that in everything you do, do
it with kind, love, perseverance and enjoy.

Republic of the Philippines

University of Antique
Sibalom, Antique
COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

August 18 & 23, 2016

Directions: Choose a literary text (poem) and write a critique based on the
ideals of romanticism.
The Mountain and the Squirrel
By: Ralph Waldo Emerson
The poem was about the quarrel of the mountain and the squirrel.
Their mockings which end up to the realization of each others significant role
why they exist as well as how they contribute to each others survival.
As the romanticist suggests, in literary writing the author has to use
simple and common words that is reflected and used in daily life. What was
important is that the emotions that the texts influence you or affect your
feelings or emotions. You dont need to use elevated words to please the reader.
The essence is how your works reflect the world of art and life not the other way
around.
I chose this poem for the author used simple language which the
reader can easily understand the message, tone and theme as well as the
mental concept of the lines in the poem itself. How the mountain and the
squirrel quarrelled and mock each other can be reflected to the human
behaviour. There are a lot of emotions evoke within me after reading the poem. I
realized that no matter how big or small, rich or poor, fat or thin, and young or
old still we have a lot of weaknesses that we still need each other to survive in
this world of competitions and life of struggles. As what the saying goes: No
one is an island.