Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region V-Bicol
SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE OF ALBAY

LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET IN ENGLISH 9

Worksheet No.8, Quarter 2
Learner’s Name : ____________________________________________
Grade Level/Section : ____________________________________________
Date : ____________________________________________

WORKING WITH OTHERS

I. LEARNING SKILLS

A. Most Essential Learning Competency

➢ Analyze literature as a means of understanding unchanging values in the
VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world.

B. Objectives
➢ Understand how literary texts are influenced by one’s culture, status,
and environment.
➢ Infer meanings from the selection and relate it to real life situations
➢ Identify the literary devices/elements used in a short prose

II. INTRODUCTORY CONCEPT

A student like you can appreciate literature if you know how to analyze literary pieces
by understanding the values embedded on them. You understand the world by reading how
volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous it is in the reading selections you have read.
Relating yourself to the selection as you infer its meaning is a skill that you must possess.

In the previous learning activity sheets, you have learned to analyze a short prose by
identifying the elements such as characters, theme, setting, point of view and plot (exposition,
conflict, climax, falling action and resolution). You will need these elements so that you can
understand better the lessons on prose literary devices which will be tackled on this learning
activity sheet.

What is a Literary Device?

A literary device is essentially a technique used by a writer which adds substance or an
effect to the text they are writing. It is used to help the reader create a more detailed image of
what is happening within the writing and is employed often in various types of written work.
These can include works of fiction, poetry, song and non-fiction pieces amongst others.

There are many different types of literary devices, some are used more often than others
but each one has its own effect on the writing and is used in a specific way.
Why Do Writers Use Literary Devices?
A literary device is used to paint a picture for the reader. They can add an effect such as
sarcasm, rhythm or detail to a piece of writing as well as creating many other effects which
further pull the reader in.

They are a great way to assist the reader in gaining a deeper understanding of what is
being said in the writing and are also used as a way to emphasize a point or to make it clearer.
Many literary devices are put in place in order to convey certain information, especially if the
writer wishes to do so in a more creative fashion, therefore making the text much more appealing
and interesting to the reader.

Literary devices are an excellent way for writers to make their readers connect with the
character within a story on a much more profound level and they can create a deeper meaning
to these characters and their situations.
Source: https://7esl.com/literary-devices/

Function of Literary Devices

In general, the literary devices are a collection of universal artistic structures that are so
typical of all works of literature frequently employed by the writers to give meanings and a logical
framework to their works through language. When such works are read by readers, they
ultimately recognize and appreciate them. Because of their universality, they also allow the
readers to compare a work of one writer to that of the other to determine its worth. They not only
beautify the piece of literature but also give deeper meanings to it, testing the very
understanding of the readers along with providing them enjoyment of reading. Besides, they
help in motivating readers’ imagination to visualize the characters and scenes more clearly.
Source: https://literarydevices.net/literary-devices/

In this learning activity sheet, you will be introduced to six prose literary devices such as
flashback, foreshadowing, poetic justice, medias res, and cliffhanger.

Flashback
You have flashbacks in life. For example, the smell of baking cookies takes you back to
a time you spent with your grandmother. Flashbacks in literature are the same. These are story
elements giving you insight into a previous moment or experience.
• Standing on the edge of the cliff, she was suddenly transported back to the time when
she was two. She remembered the feeling of her heart pounding as she looked down at
the ground, seconds before falling.
• The loud clang of the thunder sent him spiraling back into the war. He could remember
every moment as the bombs raged around him. His captain screamed in his ear trying
to get his attention.

Foreshadowing
Authors are sneaky. Sometimes, they give you just a hint that something exciting or
foreboding is going to happen. This foreshadowing of the events to come has us tapping our
feet in anticipation. Almost every scary story or crime novel includes examples of foreshadowing
• The still evening sent a chill down her back. The air was just too calm.
• Looking away from her sick child, she tried to tell herself everything would be okay, but
she couldn’t shake the feeling that danced in her stomach.

Poetic Justice
In literature, poetic justice is an ideal form of justice, in which the good characters are
rewarded and the bad characters are punished, by an ironic twist of fate. It is a strong literary
view that all forms of literature must convey moral lessons. Therefore, writers employ poetic
justice to conform to moral principles.

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 • For instance, if a character in a novel is malicious and without compassion in the novel,
he is seen to have gone beyond improvement. Then, the principles of morality demand
his character to experience a twist in his fate and be punished. Similarly, the characters
who have suffered at his hand must be rewarded at the same time.

Media Res
It means narrating a story from the middle after supposing that the audiences are aware
of past events. It demands beginning a narrative in the middle of an action from some vital point
when most of the action has occurred. The author then freely moves backward and forward at
his leisure, connecting the dots of a story.
• In the series Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. The author begins each of the novels in her
saga by recounting a scene which happens towards the end of the book in the very
start. “I’d never given much thought as to how I would die- though I’d had reason
enough in the last few months- but even if I had would not have imagined it like this.

Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger is a plot device in which a component of a story ends unresolved, usually
in a suspenseful or shocking way, in order to compel audiences to turn the page or return to
the story in the next installment. A cliffhanger can end a chapter of a novel, a television
episode, a scene in a film, or a serialized story (book or movie).
Cliffhanger endings usually fall into two categories: 1) The main character comes
face-to-face with a dangerous or possibly life-threatening situation. 2) A shocking revelation
comes to light, threatening to alter the course of the narrative.
• The science-fiction franchise Star Wars has been employing cliffhangers since its
start. Most famous among these was the reveal of Luke’s father’s identity in The
Empire Strikes Back.
• One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Arabic folk stories. The collection’s
central story revolves around a young bride named Scheherazade, who tells her new
husband, King Shahryar, story after story as a way to save herself from execution.
Each story Scheherazade tells has a different cliffhanger ending, prompting her
husband to keep her alive so he can find out what happens next.
Sources:
• https://examples.yourdictionary.com/basic-types-of-literary-devices.html
• https://literarydevices.net/poetic-justice/
• Atazar, Boni Fay C. English 9. Quarter 2 – Module 2: Lesson 4. Working with Others. Department of
Education.
• https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-cliffhanger-examples-of-cliffhangers-in-literature-film-and-
television-and-tips-for-using-cliffhangers-from-dan-brown-and-rl-stine#what-is-a-cliffhanger

III. ACTIVITIES

A. PRACTICE TASKS

Practice Task 1. Analyzing the Reading Selection

Read carefully “Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes, and answer the questions
inside the boxes.
Thank You, Ma'am (by Langston Hughes)

She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hammer and nails. It had a long
strap, and she carried it slung across her shoulder. It was about eleven o’clock at night, and she was walking alone,
when a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse. The strap broke with the single tug the boy gave it from
behind. But the boy’s weight and the weight of the purse combined caused him to lose his balance so, instead of
taking off full blast as he had hoped, the boy fell on his back on the sidewalk, and his legs flew up. The large woman
simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned sitter. Then she reached down, picked the boy
up by his shirt front, and shook him until his teeth rattled.

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After that the woman said, “Pick up my pocketbook, boy, and give it here.” She still held him. But she bent down
enough to permit him to stoop and pick up her purse. Then she said, “Now ain’t you ashamed of yourself?”

Firmly gripped by his shirt front, the boy said, “Yes’m.”

The woman said, “What did you want to do it for?”

The boy said, “I didn’t aim to.”

She said, “You a lie!”

By that time two or three people passed, stopped, turned to look, and some stood watching.

“If I turn you loose, will you run?” asked the woman.

“Yes’m,” said the boy.

“Then I won’t turn you loose,” said the woman. She did not release him.

“I’m very sorry, lady, I’m sorry,” whispered the boy.

“Um-hum! And your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you. Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you
to wash your face?”

“No’m,” said the boy.

“Then it will get washed this evening,” said the large woman starting up the street, dragging the frightened boy behind
her.

He looked as if he were fourteen or fifteen, frail and willow-wild, in tennis shoes and blue jeans.

The woman said, “You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong. Least I can do right now, is to wash
your face. Are you hungry?”

IF you were Roger, would you trust Mrs. Jones right way?

“No’m,” said the being dragged boy. “I just want you to turn me loose.”

“Was I bothering you when I turned that corner?” asked the woman.

“No’m.”

“But you put yourself in contact with me,” said the woman. “If you think that that contact is not going to last awhile,
you got another thought coming. When I get through with you, sir, you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates
Washington Jones.”

Sweat popped out on the boy’s face and he began to struggle. Mrs. Jones stopped, jerked him around in front of
her, put a half-nelson about his neck, and continued to drag him up the street.

When she got to her door, she dragged the boy inside, down a hall, and into a large kitchenette furnished room at
the rear of the house. She switched on the light and left the door open. The boy could hear other roomers laughing
and talking in the large house. Some of their doors were open, too, so he knew he and the woman were not alone.
The woman still had him by the neck in the middle of her room.

She said, “What is your name?”

“Roger,” answered the boy.

“Then, Roger, you go to that sink and wash your face,” said the woman, whereupon she turned him loose—at last.
Roger looked at the door—looked at the woman—looked at the door—and went to the sink.

Let the water run until it gets warm,” she said. “Here’s a clean towel.”

“You gonna take me to jail?” asked the boy, bending over the sink.

“Not with that face, I would not take you nowhere,” said the woman. “Here I am trying to get home to cook me a bite
to eat and you snatch my pocketbook! Maybe, you ain’t been to your supper either, late as it be. Have you?”

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“There’s nobody home at my house,” said the boy.

“Then we’ll eat,” said the woman, “I believe you’re hungry—or been hungry—to try to snatch my pocketbook.”

“I wanted a pair of blue suede shoes,” said the boy.

“Well, you didn’t have to snatch my pocketbook to get some suede shoes,” said Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.
“You could have asked me.”

“M’am?”

The water dripping from his face, the boy looked at her. There was a long pause. A very long pause. After he had
dried his face and not knowing what else to do dried it again, the boy turned around, wondering what next. The door
was open. He could make a dash for it down the hall. He could run, run, run, run, run!

If you were Roger, would you run?

The woman was sitting on the day-bed. After a while she said, “I were young once and I wanted things I could not
get.”

There was another long pause. The boy’s mouth opened. Then he frowned, but not knowing he frowned.

The woman said, “Um-hum! You thought I was going to say but, didn’t you? You thought I was going to say, but I
didn’t snatch people’s pocketbooks. Well, I wasn’t going to say that.” Pause. Silence. “I have done things, too, which
I would not tell you, son—neither tell God, if he didn’t already know. So you set down while I fix us something to eat.
You might run that comb through your hair so you will look presentable.”

What did Roger feel at this moment?

In another corner of the room behind a screen was a gas plate and an icebox. Mrs. Jones got up and went behind
the screen. The woman did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run now, nor did she watch her purse which
she left behind her on the day-bed. But the boy took care to sit on the far side of the room where he thought she
could easily see him out of the corner of her eye, if she wanted to. He did not trust the woman not to trust him. And
he did not want to be mistrusted now.

“Do you need somebody to go to the store,” asked the boy, “maybe to get some milk or something?”

“Don’t believe I do,” said the woman, “unless you just want sweet milk yourself. I was going to make cocoa out of
this canned milk I got here.”

“That will be fine,” said the boy.

She heated some lima beans and ham she had in the icebox, made the cocoa, and set the table. The woman did
not ask the boy anything about where he lived, or his folks, or anything else that would embarrass him. Instead, as
they ate, she told him about her job in a hotel beauty-shop that stayed open late, what the work was like, and how all
kinds of women came in and out, blondes, red-heads, and Spanish. Then she cut him a half of her ten-cent cake.

“Eat some more, son,” she said.

When they were finished eating, she got up and said, “Now, here, take these ten dollars and buy yourself some blue
suede shoes. And next time, do not make the mistake of latching onto my pocketbook nor nobody else’s—because
shoes come by devilish like that will burn your feet. I got to get my rest now. But I wish you would behave yourself,
son, from here on in.”

Recall the most recent act of kindness you did for someone. Why did you do it?
She led him down the hall to the front door and opened it. “Good-night! Behave yourself, boy!” she said, looking out
into the street.

The boy wanted to say something else other than “Thank you, m’am” to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, but he
couldn’t do so as he turned at the barren stoop and looked back at the large woman in the door. He barely managed
to say “Thank you” before she shut the door. And he never saw her again.

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 1. How did Mrs. Jones react when Roger tried to steal her purse?
2. Was her reaction believable? Why or why not?
3. When they arrived at the boarding house, what do you think Roger was planning to do?
4. Did Mrs. Jones like the boy? Why or why not?
5. Do you think Roger’s encounter with Mrs. Jones altered his life? In what way?
6. Why did Hughes title the story, Thank You, Ma’am?
7. In what way did the characters show that they had learned at the end of the story?
Source: Atazar, Boni Fay C. English 9. Quarter 2 – Module 2: Lesson 4. Working with Others. Department of
Education.

Practice Task 2. Recalling the Elements of Prose

In the table below, write the literary elements (Plot, Setting, Character, Point of View,
Theme) based on the example clues revealed in the story.

Example clues from the story Elements of fiction

Mrs. Jones vs. Roger. Roger tries to steal Mrs. Jones’s purse, and she a.
forces him to come back to her house so that she can make him wash his
face and eat a good dinner.
The story is told in third-person objective. The narrator is not a participant b.
in the story’s events and can only tell us what is visible (not what any
characters are thinking of feeling)
The heart-warming story, sending a message that it is wrong to judge c.
people purely on their actions.it concerns about the power of trust.
Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones is a strong and savvy woman who is d.
able to wrestle Roger to the ground when he attempts to steal her purse
In the street where Roger tries to steal Mrs. Jones’s purse. In Mrs. Jones e.
room in a boarding house where she feeds Roger.
Source: Atazar, Boni Fay C. English 9. Quarter 2 – Module 2: Lesson 4. Working with Others. Department of
Education.

Practice Task 3: I Relate to Them

Relate yourself to the characters in the story by completing the phrases below:

1) I see myself in Roger because _______________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2) The Mrs. Jones in my life is __________________________ because _______________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3) If Mrs. Jones will be rewarded at the end of the story (poetic justice), I think she _______
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4) Twenty years later, Roger will probably ________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

B. ASSESSMENT
In three to four paragraphs, write your own synopsis of “Thank You, Ma’am” using any of the
following literary devices: flashback, foreshadowing, cliff hanger and medias res. Use the given
criteria found on Rubric for Scoring on page 7 to guide you in writing your summary.
Source: Atazar, Boni Fay C. English 9. Quarter 2 – Module 2: Lesson 4. Working with Others. Department of
Education.

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IV. RUBRIC FOR SCORING

CRITERIA PERCENTAGE POINTS

CREATIVITY Layout, design, graphics, and use of colors are 10%
very attractive, creative, and appropriate
ORGANIZATION Information are very organized. The 30%
picture/poster/video clearly communicates the
message.
CONTENT The main idea stands out and is supported by 60%
detailed information. The message is
empowering and clearly explains the importance
of seeking help
TOTAL 100%
Source: Atazar, Boni Fay C. English 9. Quarter 2 – Module 2: Lesson 4. Working with Others. Department of
Education.

V. REFLECTION
Which part of the learning activity sheet is exciting for you to do? Why?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

VI. REFERENCES
• https://examples.yourdictionary.com/basic-types-of-literary-devices.html
• https://literarydevices.net/poetic-justice/
• Atazar, Boni Fay C. English 9. Quarter 2 – Module 2: Lesson 4. Working with Others. Department of
Education.
• https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-cliffhanger-examples-of-cliffhangers-in-literature-film-and-
television-and-tips-for-using-cliffhangers-from-dan-brown-and-rl-stine#what-is-a-cliffhanger
• https://7esl.com/literary-devices/
• https://literarydevices.net/literary-devices/

Congratulations! You have completed your learning adventure!

Good luck on your next learning journey!

Prepared by:

APHRODITE A. BECHAYDA
Teacher III
Vinisitahan National High School
Bacacay, Albay

Quality Assured by:

EDEN I. BOBIS, Assistant Principal II

San Juan National High School
Oas, Albay

IRENE A. MARQUEZ, Head Teacher III

Vinisitahan National High School
Bacacay, Albay

JOVITO A. BRIONES, JR., Teacher II

Nagotgot High School
Manito, Albay