NOTRE DAME OF SALAMAN COLLEGE INC.

Founded in 1965 by the Oblates

Owned by the Archdiocese of Cotabato
Managed by the Diocesan Clergy of Cotabato (DCC)
“Service for the Love of God through Mary”
(B.E.S.T)
Amare Est Servire

CREATIVE NONFICTION
HUMSS 101 – BEED/BSED 2 Bridging Class
Week 7 and 8
Course Title : Eng 11
Program/Year : BEED2/BSED 2 English
Descriptive Title : Creative Nonfiction
Course Instructor : Rosalie M. Blanca
rosaliemallorca0485@gmail.com
Mobile #09300351868

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Provide your own activity or log notebook (2 pieces big 50 leaves notebook) for records of your online
and offline readings and activity tasks.
2. Part of answering these activities are the instructions, so you must follow all of the given instructions.
3. In every performance/product-based activity, rubrics are given to be used as the bases of checking your
output.
4. Assignments should be submitted on the date given.
5. Create an e-mail account.

Week 7
Unit 2: Principles, Elements, Techniques, and Devices of Creative Nonfiction
Lesson 3: Angle and Grammatical Point of View
Learning Objectives:
The learner is expected to:
 describe point of view and angle as elements of creative nonfiction
 analyze a sample text according to angle and grammatical point of view
 write a short paragraph describing a place

Using one gadget (preferably a camera phone with wide screen. Request three family member
to take pictures of your living room from three points of view or angles: (1) sitting in the
middle of the living room taking a picture at mother/sister in front of the television; (2)
standing in front of the window taking picture of father/brother sitting on the sofa/chair;(3) standing in front of
the door taking a picture of the mother/sister and father/brother inside the living room. Print the pictures that
have been taken and answer the table below.

Photographer’s Location Description of the Picture

Chair in the middle of the living room
In front of the window
By the door of the house

Questions to Ponder:
1. What are the major differences among the three pictures?
2. Based on the picture-taking activity, what did you learn about angles and point of view?

Comparing Notes
According to Christina Pantoja Hidalgo (2003.32) point of view has to do with perspective. When
writing your essay, you ask yourself the following questions: Whose story is this? Who can best tell this story?
What is the relation of the point of view character, the narrator, to the events narrated? These questions should be
answered adequately before proceeding with writing.
The most commonly used point of view in a personal essay is the first person. In an older school
of writing, you may notice that the writer is using the third person to refer to himself or herself (with phrases like
“this columnist” or “this writer”). Today, using the first person point of view even in an academic lecture of paper
is acceptable. In fact, it is becoming common.
A distinction should be made here between perspective and point of view. Perspective answers
the question from whose angle the story is being told, while point of view refers to whether the story is told in the
All rights reserved. No parts of this document may be reproduced, distributed in any form or by any means including photocopying or any
electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the writer except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copy right law. 1
first, second, or third person. In a piece, the writer may be using the first person-using “I,” “me”, “my”, or “mine”
in narrating-while the perspective may be that of a minor or major character.
When writing a creative nonfiction piece, the general rule of thumb should be this: It should
reveal” the writer’s unique perspective on, or attitude toward, the subject” (Kneel, 1991,6).

Reader’s Corner
A. Pre-reading
Using the Internet, research on the island of Lagen and what it is known for. You may also download
and print some pictures. Share the information and pictures you have searched in a personal narrative way.

B. Cultural-Historical Background
In a previous lesson, you learned about an example of Palawan’s natural beauty. The Philippines
is one country in which such wonders are seemingly boundless. While the country may not be among the world’s
or for that matter, even this region’s top economies, it boasts of a long list of “world-class” wonders of nature.
Many of the country’s natural wonders, unfortunately, remain untapped. Worse, their beauty is compromised by
people who do not have enough appreciation of our natural resources even before the rest of the world gets to
know about them. The good thing is that, efforts are now being made by concerned individuals and groups to
preserve nature’s beauty and with it, a sense of ecological balance. Nonetheless, the responsibility of taking acre
of nature is not limited to such groups and people. All of humanity, as a matter of fact, regardless of socio-
economic status, culture, or geographical location, should raise the alarm and take appropriate action over
environmental issues whenever they see one.
C. Previewing
Scan the selection to complete each sentence below.
1. The lights of Lagen do not look like diamonds, but___________________.
2. As soon as I entered the room, I could sense the presence of ________________.
3. When I opened the French windows to the verandah, I was greeted by ________________.
D. Vocabulary Building
Using a dictionary, look for the meaning of the following words. Words have contexts, meaning,
their usage has an effect on their meaning. In the dictionary, a word may have several meanings. So, in choosing
the meaning, consider how a particular word is used in the selection. Be ready to use these words correctly in
sentences for class recitation. In your activity notebook, use the table that follows.

Words Meanings Sentences

aroma
deposit
exotic
rebellion
rug
tourist

F. Reading
The selection below is a bout a journey to one of the country’s proverbial “Last Frontiers.” While
reading, identify the sensory images and figure out how they contribute to the overall effect of the text. Identify
also the angle and grammatical point of view in the text.

LONGING FOR LAGEN

John Iremil E. Teodoro
The moment I saw the lights of the Ten Knots resort in Lagen from our boat, I immediately knew that I
would love the place and will be longing for it after our brief visit.
Sunset had brought cool breeze when we boarded a big bumboat from Lio beach for the 45-minute trip to
the island Lagen. The fiery colors of the silently changing sky were painfully beautiful. The silhouettes of dozens
of island in Bacuit Bay were like gentle giants lying and sitting on the water, listening to the ancient song of the
sea wind. The dusk, and the whole world, was waiting for the appearance of the last blue moon of the millennium.
From a distance, the lights of Lagen do not look like diamonds, but tiny balls of gold. Their brilliance is
not intimidating, like the light from the lamp of a lover waiting by the seashore. Their glow is like a beacon
calling you home, promising a blissful and restful sleep to the tired traveler.
Lagen is perfect for writing. As soon as I entered the room, I could sense the presence of the Muses of
Metaphors. I couldn’t help but sit down and scribble lines and lines of prose and poetry in my diary. It was like
my pen and my hands had acquired their own creative mind.

All rights reserved. No parts of this document may be reproduced, distributed in any form or by any means including photocopying or any
electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the writer except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copy right law. 2
 Perhaps, they can also hear the giggling of the green sea turtles in the pastel painting hanging on the wall
by an artist named Raralio. I was certain it is the portrait of the same turtle that greeted us that morning when our
boat from Malampaya Sound entered Bacuit Bay. I could hear the faint but familiar giggle.
The night, after a sumptuous dinner, I washed the tiredness from the previous day’s travel that clung to
my skin like dust, in the surprisingly warm water of the pool. While swimming and floating noiselessly like a
turtle, I watched the blue moon perfecting its shape before the invisible bell of midnight tolls.
When I laid my head on the pillow, I fell asleep thinking of the seafeathers gracefully swaying beneath
the blue waters of El Nido when we arrived that afternoon. The blueness of the water was a blessing to my tired
soul.
I I woke up early the next day. When I opened the French windows to verandah, I was greeted by the
twittering of dozens of birds inhabiting the trees and the crevices of the massive limestone cliffs that embrace the
landscape of Lagen.
From my knapsack, I took out a copy of my latest acquisition- a book of love poems. I sat on the rattan
lounging chair and read the poems aloud to myself, and for the tress and the birds to hear.
The next time around, I would like to stay in Lagen for a longer period. And when I sit down in my room
guarded by Raralio pastel sketches of seascapes and marine lives, I will remember that moment when I was
floating on the warm water of the pool, watching the quick maturing of the blue moon, and that morning when I
read poetry to feed my soul.
For now, I will just cherish in my heart the sweet sadness of my longing for the beauty of Lagen.

E. Questions for Discussion

1. What is the point of view in the selection? its grammatical point of view?
2. How would you describe the feelings of the narrator during his/her journey?
3. Pick out the images from the text. What do they suggest about the narrator?
4. Why did the narrator say that “Lagen is perfect for writing?”
5. Have you ever had the same feeling as the narrator’s in any of your journeys?
6. What do you think is the central message of the text? Express it in one sentence.

Writer’s Bloc
The ending eloquently sums up the text, “For now, I will just cherish in my heart the sweet
sadness of my longing for the beauty of Lagen.” Think of a place
that you have visited before and want to visit again. Write a short, first-person paragraph describing the place,
including the aspects that make it special and unique. Add sensory images to make your description compelling.
Be guided by the rubric below.

Criteria Proficient Nearly Proficient Attempted Proficiency

(8-10 pts) (5-7pts) (0-4pts)

Clarity All ideas are expressed Some ideas are expressed Many ideas are confusing.
clearly. clearly.
Vividness All ideas are articulated Some ideas are articulated The manner in which ideas
convincingly. convincingly. are articulated is not
convincing enough.

Organization All ideas are presented in an Details mostly evince a sense Details are not organized
organized way. of organization. . properly.

Correctness Grammar, Syntax, and Grammar, syntax, and The composition is riddled
mechanics are correct, with mechanics are largely with errors (six or more).
just one or two errors. correct, with three to five
errors.

“I know just one thing, and I repeat it over and over again. I try to approach it from different angles to make it look different, but it’s the same
thing.”
- Colin Wilson

All rights reserved. No parts of this document may be reproduced, distributed in any form or by any means including photocopying or any
electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the writer except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copy right law. 3