2CLPW q1 Mod 5 Elements-Of-short-story Revisedslm
2CLPW q1 Mod 5 Elements-Of-short-story Revisedslm
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21st Century Literature
from the Philippines
and the World
Quarter 1 – Module 5:
Elements of a Short Story
Introductory Message
This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners,
can continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions,
directions, exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you to understand
each lesson.
Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you
step-by-step as you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.
Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons in each
SLM. This will tell you if you need to proceed on completing this module or if you
need to ask your facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for better understanding of
the lesson. At the end of each module, you need to answer the post-test to
self-check your learning. Answer keys are provided for each activity and test. We
trust that you will be honest in using these.
In addition to the material in the main text, Notes to the Teacher are also
provided to our facilitators and parents for strategies and reminders on how they
can best help you on your home-based learning.
Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on any
part of this SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises and
tests. And read the instructions carefully before performing each task.
If you have any questions in using this SLM or any difficulty in answering
the tasks in this module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator.
Thank you.
What I Need to Know
This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you
master the basic elements of a short story. The scope of this module permits it to
be used in many different learning situations. The language used recognizes the
diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow the
standard sequence of the course. But the order in which you read them can be
changed to correspond with the textbook you are now using.
This module also aims to engage you in appreciation and critical study of 21st
Century Literature from the Philippines and the World, encompassing their various
dimensions, genres, elements, structures, contexts, and traditions. This module
allows you to embark on a journey from Philippine regions to the different parts of
the world through various literary encounters.
After going through this module, you are expected to:
1. demonstrate understanding of a short story;
2. analyze a short story by identifying its basic elements;
3. appreciate the use of multimedia in sharing the lessons learned from
a short story; and
4. perform a self or peer-assessment in evaluating one’s work.
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What I Know
DIRECTIONS: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write the chosen letter
on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Which element refers to the time and location where the story happens?
a. plot
b. setting
c. conflict
d. characterization
4. Which plot structure creates tone, presents characters and other important
details to introduce the story?
a. setting
b. theme
c. exposition
d. climax
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5. Which element of a short story is known as the vantage point used to narrate
the story?
a. setting
b. theme
c. exposition
d. point of view
6. What do you call the character who contends with the main character in a
short story?
a. investigator
b. protagonist
c. antagonist
d. instigator
a. plot
b. theme
c. exposition
d. tone
a. setting
b. theme
c. plot
d. conflict
a. setting
b. theme
c. conflict
d. climax
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10. Which do you call the series of events when the conflicts grow more
complicated, suspense builds, and more details are added?
a. rising action
b. theme
c. exposition
d. falling action
11. Which element is always presented at the final part of the story?
a. resolution
b. theme
c. exposition
d. climax
a. setting
b. theme
c. exposition
d. climax
13. Which element refers to the series of events and character actions that
relate to the central conflict?
a. setting
b. theme
c. plot
d. conflict
a. setting
b. theme
c. exposition
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d. climax
15. What comes after the climax when things or events begin to work out?
a. rising Action
b. theme
c. exposition
d. falling Action
Lesson
1 Basic Elements of a Short Story
A short story has six basic elements that you as a reader should look for when
analyzing one. Every story begins with a seed of an idea. Hence, the author should
think of these basic elements when writing a story. Although not all stories put
equal importance on every aspect, each of these elements must be expected in the
story. At the end of this lesson, you are expected to do a self- and/or peer
assessment of the creative adaptation of a literary text based on rationalized
criteria.
What’s In
Studying literature can be very easy with the right amount of knowledge gained
from your studies in the past. Can you recall module 4? How do you define
anecdote? What are the purposes of an anecdote? What lesson does the anecdote in
“Home of the Ashfall” convey? For this next lesson, you will be guided in gathering
more literary tools that will surely make learning more exciting.
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What’s New
In this module, you will learn about the six basic elements of a short story. You will
be reading a short story entitled “Sinigang” by Marie Aubrey J. Villaceran, a
professor at the Department of English and Comparative Literature in the
University of the Philippines, Diliman. In the story, Liza narrates how she deals
with the issue of her father, having an affair with another woman, and how it
emotionally separates her from him. Read and learn more about the story and find
out how the basic elements are used.
SINIGANG
Marie Aubrey J. Villaceran
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interest, I guess—for remembering recipes. That didn’t matter today, though. This
time, Tita Loleng wanted more than just an extra pair of hands in the kitchen.
“Nothing much,” I answered offhandedly. “We did what people usually do during
funerals.” I reminded myself to tread carefully with her. Though I did not really feel
like talking, I could not tell her off for she took offense rather easily.
I put the tomatoes in the small palanggana, careful not to bruise their delicate
skin, and carried them to the sink.
“Did you meet…her?” Tita Loleng asked.
There came to me a memory of sitting in one of the smaller narra sofas in the living
room in Bulacan. I faced a smooth white coffin whose corners bore gold-plated
figures of cherubs framed by elaborate swirls resembling thick, curling vines. Two
golden candelabras, each supporting three rows of high-wattage electric candles,
flanked the coffin and seared the white kalachuchi in the funeral wreaths, causing
the flowers to release more of their heady scent before they wilted prematurely.
Through an open doorway, I could see into the next room where a few unfamiliar
faces held murmured conversations above their coffee cups.
“Are you Liza?” A woman beside me suddenly asked.
I was surprised, for I had not heard anyone approaching. Most of the mourners
preferred to stay out on the veranda for fear that the heat from the lights might also
cause them to wither.
I looked up slowly: long, slim feet with mauve-painted toenails that peeked through
the opening of a pair of scruffy-looking slippers; smooth legs unmarred by swollen
veins or scars—so unlike the spider-veined legs of my mom—encased in a black,
pencil-cut skirt; a white blouse with its sleeves too long for the wearer, causing the
extra fabric to bunch around the cuffs; a slim neck whose skin sagged just a little
bit; and a pale face that seemed like it had not experienced sleep in days. The
woman looked to me like she was in her forties—the same age as my mother.
“Yes,” I had answered that woman—the same answer I now gave to Tita Loleng.
I gently spilled out all the tomatoes into the sink and turned on the tap. The water,
like agua bendita, cleansed each tomato of the grime from its origins.
“What did she tell you?” Tita Loleng asked.
“Nothing much. She told me who she was.”
“What did she look like?”
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“She’s pretty, I guess.”
She was. She looked like she had Indian blood with her sharp nose and deep-set
eyes thickly bordered by long lashes. Just like Mom, she still maintained a slim
figure though she already had children. The woman, upon seeing my curious stare,
had explained, “I am Sylvia.”
All my muscles tensed upon hearing her name. It took all my self-control to
outwardly remain calm and simply raise an eyebrow.
My reaction caused a range of emotion to cross the woman’s face before it finally
crumbled and gave way to tears. Suddenly, she grabbed my hand from where it had
been resting on the arm of the sofa. Her own hands were damp and sticky with
sweat. She knelt in front of me—a sinner confessing before a priest so he could
wash away the dirt from her past.
But I was not a priest. I looked down at her and my face remained impassive.
When her weeping had subsided, she raised her head and looked at me. “Everyone
makes mistakes, Liza.” Her eyes begged for understanding.
It was a line straight out of a Filipino soap opera. I had a feeling that the whole
situation was a scene from a very bad melodrama I was watching.
I looked around to see if anyone had witnessed the spectacle unfolding in this living
room, but it was as if an invisible director had banned all but the actors from the
set. Except for us, not a soul could be seen.
I wanted Sylvia to free my hand so I nodded and pretended to understand.
Apparently convinced, she let go and, to my shock, suddenly hugged me tight. My
nose wrinkled as the pungent mix of heavy perfume and sweat assailed me. I
wanted to scream at her to let go but I did not move away.
“Hmm, I think they’re washed enough na.” Tita Loleng said.
Turning off the tap, I placed the tomatoes inside the basin once more. Then, as an
afterthought, I told my Tita, “I don’t think she is as pretty as Mom, though.”
Tita Loleng nodded understandingly. She gestured for me to place the basin on the
table where she already had the knives and chopping board ready.
“Where was your Dad when she was talking to you?”
“Oh, he was sleeping in one of the bedrooms. Mom did not want to wake him up
because they told her he had not slept for two nights straight.”
Tita Loleng snorted. “Haay, your mother talaga,” she said, shaking her head.
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I had to smile at that before continuing. “When he saw me, Sylvia had already been
called away to entertain some of the visitors.”
“Was he surprised to see you?” Tita knew that I had not wanted to go to the
funeral. Actually, she was one of the few people who respected, and understood, my
decision.
“No.” I sliced each of the tomatoes in quarters. The blade of the knife clacked
fiercely against the hard wood of the chopping board. “He requested Mom to make
me go there.” We both knew that I could never have refused my mother once she
insisted that I attend. I had even gone out and gotten drunk with some friends the
night before we were to leave just so I could have an excuse not to go, but my mom
was inflexible. She had ordered my two sisters to wake me up.
Tita Loleng gave me a sympathetic look. “No choice then, huh?” She was forever
baffled at the way my mother could be such a martyr when it came to my father
and such a tyrant to her children.
Clack! Clack! The knife hacked violently against the board.
“Nope.”
When my Dad had come out of the room, I remembered sensing it
immediately—the same way an animal instinctively perceives when it is in danger. I
had been looking at the face of my dead half-brother, searching for any
resemblance between us. Chemotherapy had sunk his cheeks and had made his
hair fall out, but even in this condition, I could see how handsome he must have
been before his treatment. His framed photograph atop the glass covering of the
coffin confirmed this. Lem took after my father so much that Dad could never even
hope to deny that he was his son. I, on the other hand, had taken after my mother.
I knew my father was staring at me but I refused look at him. He approached and
stood next to me. I remained silent.
“I am glad you came,” he said.
I gave him a non-committal nod, not even glancing his way.Tita Loleng interrupted
my thoughts with another one of her questions.
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“The salt.” Then she went and added a heaping tablespoonful of salt to the pot.
“Is that all?”
“Uh-huh. Your Mom and I prefer it a bit saltier, but your Dad likes it this way.”
Then she gestured towards the pot, closing and opening her fist like a baby flexing
its fingers.
I started crushing the onions, tomatoes, and salt together with my hand.
“He was an acolyte in church,” my father had said then, finally splintering the
silence I had adamantly maintained. “Father Mario said that we shouldn’t feel sad
because Lem is assured of going to a better place because he was such a good
child.” Good, I thought, unlike me whom he always called “Sinverguenza”, the
shameless daughter.
I finally turned to him. There was only one question I needed to ask. “Why?”
He met my gaze. I waited but he would not—could not— answer me. He looked
away.
My mask of indifference slipped. It felt like a giant hand was rubbing salt into me,
squeezing and mashing, unsatisfied until all of me had been crushed.
“Stop it na, Liza!” Tita Loleng exclaimed. “Anymore of that mashing and you will be
putting bits of your own flesh and bone in there,” my aunt warned. She went to the
refrigerator and took out plastic bags containing vegetables. She placed them in the
sink. “All of these will be needed for the sinigang,” she said. “Prepare them while
you’re softening the meat.” Then she took off her apron, “You go and finish off here.
I will just go to my room and stretch my back out a bit.” With a tender pat on my
head, she walked out of the kitchen.
I breathed a sigh of relief. The questions had stopped, for now.
I poured the hugas bigas into the mass of crushed onions and tomatoes and added
the chunks of beef into the concoction before covering the pot and placing it on the
stove. I turned on the flame. The sinigang needed to simmer for close to an hour to
tenderize the meat.
In the meantime, I started preparing all the other ingredients that will be added to
the pot later on. Taking all the plastic bags, I unloaded their contents into the sink
then washed and drained each vegetable thoroughly before putting them beside my
chopping board.
I reached for the bunch of kangkong and began breaking off choice sections to be
included in the stew. When I was a child, before Tita Loleng had chosen to stay
with us, my mom used to do the cooking and she would have Meg and I sit beside
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her while she readied the meals. I remembered that whenever it came to any dish
involving kangkong, I would always insist on preparing it because I loved the crisp
popping sound the vegetable made whenever I broke off a stem. It was on one such
occasion, I was in second year high school by then but still insistent on kangkong
preparation, when Mom had divulged the truth about the boy who kept calling Dad
on the phone everyday at home. Meg had also been there, breaking off string beans
into two-inch sections. Neither of us had reacted much then, but between us, I
knew I was more affected by what Mom had said because right until then, I had
always been Daddy’s girl.
When the kangkong was done, I threw away the tough, unwanted parts and
reached for the labanos. I used a peeler to strip away the skin—revealing the white,
slightly grainy flesh—and then sliced each root diagonally. Next came the
sigarilyas, and finally, the string beans.
Once, I asked Tita Loleng how she knew what type of vegetable to put into sinigang
and she said, “Well, one never really knows which will taste good until one has tried
it. I mean, some people cook sinigang with guavas, some with kamias. It is a dish
whose recipe would depend mostly on the taste of those who will do the eating.”
I got a fork and went to the stove where the meat was simmering. I prodded the
chunks to test whether they were tender enough—and they were. After pouring in
some more of the rice washing, I cleared the table and waited for the stew to boil.
A few minutes later, the sound of rapidly popping bubbles declared that it was now
time to add the powdered tamarind mix. I poured in the whole packet and stirred.
Then I took the vegetables and added them, a fistful at a time, to the pot. As I did
so, I remembered the flower petals each of my two sisters and I had thrown, fistful
by fistful, into the freshly dug grave as Lem’s casket was being lowered into it.
My dad was crying beside me and I recalled thinking, would he be the same if I was
the one who had died? I glanced up at him and was surprised to find that he was
looking at me. His hand, heavy with sadness, fell on my shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” he had told me.
I let the stew boil for a few more minutes before turning off the fire.
The sinigang would be served later during dinner. I pictured myself seated in my
usual place beside my father who is at the head of the table. He would tell Mom
about his day and then he would ask each of us about our own. I would answer,
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not in the animated way I would have done when I was still young and his pet, but
politely and without any rancor.
Then, he would compliment me on the way I had cooked his favorite dish and I
would give him a smile that would never quite show, not even in my eyes.
DIRECTIONS: Study the following questions carefully and write your answers
on a separate sheet of paper.
What is It
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two most important characters in a short story are the protagonist and the
antagonist.
2. Setting– The place (locale) and time (period )when the story happens is called
the setting. The setting may be based on real place and real time or it may also
be based on the author’s imagination. When analyzing the setting of the story,
consider where the action is taking place. Most authors use descriptive words to
describe the landscape, scenery, buildings, season, or weather to provide a
strong sense of setting which will help the reader visualize the story and connect
to the story’s plot.
3. Plot– A plot is the actual story. It is what the story is all about. It is also the
series of events and characters’ actions that lead to the highest point of interest
in a short story. The following are the different parts of a story’s structure:
a. Exposition –This is the beginning of the story. This is where the author
introduces the characters, identifies where the story is happening, and
establishes the main conflict.
b. Rising Action–This event occurs as you begin to move throughout the story.
This is where conflicts start to build.
c. Climax– It is the most exciting part of a short story. This is the part in the
story when important decisions are made or important things are discovered.
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d. Falling Action– This point occurs after the climax as the problems in the
story start to work themselves out. The excitement becomes less and less as
the conflict is resolved.
e. Resolution– This is the solution to the problem in a story. The solution may
not be what you hoped for but as long as it fits the story in tone and theme,
the conflict has been resolved.
4. Conflict– Every story needs to have a problem and this problem is called
conflict. The main character, also called the protagonist, needs to have someone
or something to challenge him. Without conflict, the story will not go anywhere
and will not be very interesting to the readers. The main character may be faced
with one of the four different types of conflict. These four types of conflict are:
● man versus man;
● man versus nature;
● man versus himself; and
● man versus society.
5. Theme- This is the central idea in a short story and a general truth. This is
considered as the author’s message to the readers.
6. Point of View – This is the way the story is told or narrated. It is also known as
the vantage point that a writer uses to narrate the story. The following are the
types of point of view in a short story:
a. First Person – the narrator participates in and tells the story using the
pronoun ‘I’.
b. Limited Third Person – the narrator is not in the story and narrates using
the pronouns ‘she’ or ‘he’. Also, the narrator is unable to see into the minds of
the characters.
c. Omniscient Third Person – the narrator is not in the story and tells the story
using the pronouns ‘she’ or ‘he’. In this point of view, the narrator can tell the
thoughts of the characters as he can see into their minds.
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What’s More
The elements of a short story are the characters, setting, plot, conflict, theme, and
point of view. The plot structure is composed of the following: exposition, rising
action, climax, falling action and resolution.
A. DIRECTIONS: Identify the six (6) elements from the short story Sinigang.
1. Setting : _______________________________________________________
2. Characters : _______________________________________________________
3. Plot : _______________________________________________________
4. Conflict : _______________________________________________________
5. Theme : _______________________________________________________
6. Point of View : _______________________________________________________
B. DIRECTIONS: In this activity, you have to identify the plot structure of the story
“Sinigang”. Write A for exposition, B for rising action, C for climax, D for falling
action, and E for resolution. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.
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7. When my Dad had come out of the room, I remembered sensing it
immediately—the same way an animal instinctively perceives when it is in
danger.
8. When her weeping had subsided, she raised her head and looked at me.
“Everyone makes mistakes, Liza.” Her eyes begged for understanding.
9. I continued to pick out tomatoes for the sinigang we were to have for dinner. I
wasn’t usually the one who assisted my aunt with the cooking.
10. “I’m sorry,” he had told me.
1.What significant lesson have you learned from the story? How will you apply it
in your own life?
2. Why do you think some married men commit extramarital affair?
3. React on this: It is ordinary in our Filipino culture for husbands to commit
adultery and look for another woman who can satisfy their desires simply
because they are men and not saints.
What I Can Do
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Activity 2: Blog
Directions: Create a blog on moral values that you got from the short story
"Sinigang" and its impact to you as a 21st century learner. Share it to the world by
posting your blog in WordPress. Let your classmate or friend evaluate your work
using the rubric below.
Tick the box of the score given. Be guided of the score and its description.
Score Description
5 Excellent
4 Very Good
3 Good
2 Fair
1 Poor
No. CRITERIA 5 4 3 2 1
1. Uses audio/visual aids or media to
clarify information.
2. Presents relevant content based on the
theme of the story.
3. Shows considerable originality and
inventiveness.
4. Presents the ideas in a unique and
interesting way.
Assessment
DIRECTIONS: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write the chosen letter
on a separate sheet of paper.
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a. Marie Aubrey Villaceran c. Edith L. Tiempo
b. NVM Gonzales d. Manuel E. Arguilla
4. What point of view was used by the author in telling the story?
a. Third Person c. First Person
b. Omniscient Third Person d. Limited Third Person
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9. What do you call the series of events when things begin to happen in the
story?
a. rising action c. exposition
b. theme d. climax
12. What element creates the tone and presents the characters and other
important facts to introduce the story?
a. setting c. exposition
b. theme d. climax
14. Based on the text, what does the word “Sinverguenza” mean?
a. a person who is shameless c. a person who is calm
b. a person who is sinful d. a person who is reckless
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Additional Activities
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Answer Key
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References
Lacia, Ferdilyn C., Lydia L. Libunao, Mark G. Fabella and Vivian I. Buhain. The
Literatures of the Philippines. Quezon City Metro Manila: Rex Book Store, Inc.:
2016.
Marcos, Lucivilla,Wilfredo Bantados and Suzette Valdez. Introduction to Literature
with Special Glimpse of Philippine Literature. City of Manila, Metro Manila: Purely
Books Trading & Publishing Corp., 2012.
The Best Philippine Short Stories. “Sinigang by Marie Aubrey J. Villaceran.” Last
modified September 2015. https://www.sushidog.com/bpss/stories/sinigang.htm
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