This is for Grade 9 students who are studying English

2. D E F I N I T I O N O F P R O S E
• Prose is a form of language that has no
formal metrical structure.
• It applies a natural flow of speech, and
ordinary grammatical structure, rather
than rhythmic structure, such as in the
case of traditional poetry.

3. • Prose comprises of full grammatical
sentences, which consist of paragraphs,
and forgoes aesthetic appeal in favor of
clear, straightforward language. It can be
said to be the most reflective of
conversational speech.

4. FUNCTION OF PROSE
• While there have been many critical debates over the correct and
valid construction of prose, the reason for its adoption can be
attributed to its loosely-defined structure, which most writers feel
comfortable using when expressing or conveying their ideas and
thoughts.
• It is the standard style of writing used for most spoken dialogues,
fictional as well as topical and factual writing, and discourses.
• It is also the common language used in newspapers, magazines,
literature, encyclopedias, broadcasting, philosophy, law, history, the
sciences, and many other forms of communication.

5. Example of a
Poetry Verse vs.
the Prose Form

6. Following is a poetry verse from a popular work of Robert
Frost:
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”

7. Prose Form
Following is the same sentiment written in prose form:
“The woods look lovely against the setting darkness and
as I gaze into the mysterious depths of the forest, I feel
like lingering here longer. However, I have pending
appointments to keep, and much distance to cover before
I settle in for the night, or else I will be late for all of them.”

8. TYPES OF
PROSE

9. N O N F I C T I O N A L P R O S E :
•A literary work that is mainly based on fact,
though it may contain fictional elements in certain
cases. Examples include biographies and
essays.

10. E X A M P L E B I O G R A P H Y:
• Manuel Iglesias draws from his life story when writing about the
experiences of migrant workers. His first series of poems, My Father's
Hands, appeared in The New Yorker and describes how his family
crossed the Texas border to give Manuel and his brothers a better life.
After receiving his Master's in Fine Arts from Columbia University, Manuel
wrote three nonfiction novels about his experiences, including Under the
Streaming Sun, which earned the National Prize for Arts and Sciences in
2008. Manuel is currently working on a collection of fictional short stories
to be published in early 2021.

11. FICTIONAL PROSE:
•A literary work that is wholly or partly
imagined or theoretical. Examples are
novels.

12. E X A M P L E O F N O V E L S :

13. HEROIC PROSE:
• A literary work that may be written down or
recited, and which employs many of the
formulaic expressions found in oral tradition.
Examples are legends and tales.

14. S U M M A R Y : T H E G O R G O N ’ S H E A D
• Acrisius, King of Argos received a dreadful oracle from Delphi. According to the priestess of Delphi, he will not have a son but a grandson from whose hands he will
be killed. Frightened, King Acrisius hid his only daughter Danae from the sight of all men. Danae was locked up inside a house of bronze sunk underground. Zeus
entered into the underground chamber in the form of the shower of gold through the roof partly opened. He appeared in front of Danae and in an instant Danae
conceived a baby. Later, Danae had given birth to a boy named Perseus. She kept her baby a secret from her own father. But days have come and King Acrisius
learned about her secret. The King ordered his people to have a chest built for Danae and child Perseus. Danae and her child were put inside the chest and sent
adrift the sea. It bobbed in the waves until it reached the Island of Seraphos where a fisherman named Dictys noticed the chest and took it. When he opened, he saw
Danae and Perseus. The kind Dictys let them in their house to live together with his wife. Dictys’ brother, King Polydectes was captivated with Danae’s beauty and
married her. Polydectes felt jealous over the love that Danae was giving to Perseus. To get rid of Perseus, Polydectes sent him to a dangerous adventure that put his
life in peril. The mission was to kill Medusa, one of the three Gorgons. She has snaky hair and metal-scaled skin. Looking straight in Medusa’s eye can turn mortals
into stone. Despite the danger, Perseus agreed to embark on the adventure in order to get his own name a glory. Hermes gave him a sword. He was also given a
shield by Athena. Hermes added that Perseus needed also the winged sandals, the helmet of invisibility, and the magic wallet. Those three essential things were all
in the possession of the Nymphs of the North. Getting there was not easy. In order to get to the Nymphs of the North, Perseus has to go first to the Gray Women who
only could tell the direction. Perseus went to the Gray women, he snatched the eye of the women and threatened not to return it unless they give him the direction
pointing to the Nymphs of the North. As soon as the direction was given, Perseus headed to the Island of Gorgons. He was instructed by Athena, telling him that
Medusa was the one lying closest to the seashore. With one swift of his sword and with the help of his shield as mirror, Medusa was beheaded and her head was put
inside the magic wallet. While Perseus was making his way back home, he noticed a beautiful lady chained on the cliff. He asked her name and why she was
hanged. No reply was given by the lady. Perseus insisted the lady to respond. She said her name was Andromeda, daughter of Ethiopian King Cepheus and Queen
Cassiopeia. Andromeda told Perseus that her mother boasted that she was the most beautiful than 50 lovely daughters of Nereus. As a revenge to her mother
Cassiopeia, Andromeda suffered the punishment. At any moment, then, the serpent was on its way to devour Andromeda. Perseus told Andromeda’s parents that he
would save their daughter on a condition that they will allow him to marry her. The king and queen agreed at once and Andromeda was saved from death. He took
Andromeda to his homeland. At that time, a discus-throw competition was going on at Larissa. Perseus joined in and when it was his turn to throw the discus, he
threw it mightily and accidentally hit an old man in the audience. It was learned that his grandfather, King Acrisius, was the one hit by the discus.

15. PROSE POETRY:
1.A literary work that exhibits poetic quality –
using emotional effects and heightened imagery
– but which are written in prose instead of
verse.

16. ELEMENTS OF
A PROSE

17. 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

18. T Y P E S O F C O N F L I C T: P E R S O N
V S . P E R S O N , P E R S O N V S .
E N V I R O N M E N T, P E R S O N V S .
S E L F.

19. • Protagonist- The central character in a
conflict.

20. • Antagonist- Any force arranged against the
protagonist- whether persons, things,
conventions of society, or the protagonists
own personality traits.

21. • 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.)

22. C H A R A C T E R I Z AT I O N
• Analyzing 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.

23. •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.

24. T Y P E S O F C H A R A C T E R S
* 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”

26. • 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 favor of words
such as, some, sometimes, may.

27. • 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.

28. 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.

29. P O I N T O F
V I E W ( P O V )
• 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?”
• 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.
• 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.

30. 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.

31. *Diction- Central to an author’s style. Includes:
1. Vocabulary- Choice of words
a. Simple words- Everyday word choice. (“She was sick for a
long time.)
b. Complex words
c. Concrete words- Things we can touch, see, etc. (Jeans,
book,..)
d. Abstract words- Words that express intangible ideas
(freedom, heritage, something)
2. Syntax- arrangement of words, their ordering, grouping and
placement within phrases, clauses, and sentences.
.

32. 3. 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