21st Century Literature

from the Philippines and the

World
Quarter 2 – Module 10:
American Literature

SDO Taguig City and Pateros

Department of Education • Republic of the Philippines

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Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

The purpose of this module is to let the learners continue their education to finish the
subject even in the midst of difficulty. Included here are the topics based on the learning
competencies and objectives of K to 12 curriculum. The variations in the activities for each
lesson are made simpler yet didactic for an independent learning experience of the learners.
The instructions and methods used here are learner-friendly so you can expect that learners
can accomplish this module. Thus, you can motivate the learners to read actively and respond
critically to the given activities. You should advise them not to write anything in this module and
to use separate sheets in answering the activities and assessment.

For the learner:

This is a practical option to be able to finish the subject even in the midst of difficulty.
The purpose of this module is for you to develop critical thinking skills using literary reading
materials. The lessons and activities are learner-centered and are made simpler yet educational
for an independent learning experience. The instructions and methods used here are easy to
understand for you to be able to accomplish the activities thoroughly while learning the lessons
comprehensively.
With this module you are expected to become dynamic, versatile, creative and motivated
to finish the subject. You should read the instructions carefully for each activity. Do not write
anything in this module, keep it clean and well-maintained. You may write your answers on a
separate answer sheet.

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Lesson

1 American Literature

This module contains activities and texts which will enable you to write a
close analysis and critical interpretation of literary texts, applying a reading
approach, and doing an adaptation of these require from the learner the ability to
identify representative texts and authors from North America.

Let’s Learn

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help
you master the context of a 21st century World Literature. 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.
At the end of answering this module, as a learner you will be able to write a
close analysis and critical interpretation of literary texts, applying a reading
approach, and doing an adaptation of these require from the learner the ability to
identify representative texts and authors from North America.

Let’s Try

Multiple Choice. Read and analyze the question and select the letter of your answer.
1. Who among these writers was known for the poem “Thanatopsis”?
A. Emily Dickinson C. Edgar Allan Poe
B. Washington Irving D. William Cullen Bryant

2. Which of the following marked a new beginning for American poetry.

A. Thanatopsis C. Surrealism
B. Bard of Avon D. Beowulf

3. Who among these writers wrote symbolical tales?

A. Walt Whitman C. Ernest Hemingway

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 B. Sherwood Anderson D. Nathaniel Hawthorne

4. Who is the leader of Imagists who emphasized the use of direct and sparse
language and precise images in writing poetry?
A. Ezra Pound C. John Keats
B. Virginia Woolf D. William Wordsworth

5. Whose poems, with traditional stanzas and a blank verse, portray ordinary people
in everyday situations like “Mending Wall,” and “The Road Not Taken”?
A. Ezra Pound C. Allen Ginsberg
B. Robert Frost D. Ernest Hemingway

6. Who is known for confessional poetry, a kind of poetry that deals with the private
experiences of the speaker?
A. Sherwood Anderson C. Anne Sexton
B. Ernest Hemingway D. Ezra Pound

7. Who wrote the first detective story?

A. Edgar Allan Poe C. Walt Whitman
B. Nathaniel Hawthorne D. William Cullent Bryant

8. Washington Irving is known for “Rip Van Winkle” and the “The Legend of Sleepy
Hollow”, what is their literary genre?
A. Poems C. Novels
B. Drama D. Short Stories

9. Who is known for his succinct writing, which was widely imitated because it is very
straightforward and objective – not verbose and sentimental?
A. Allen Ginsberg C. Ernest Hemingway
B. Sherwood Anderson D. Nathaniel Hawthorne

10. Because I could not stop for Death (An Excerpt)

By Emily Dickinson

Because I could not stop for Death,

He kindly stopped for me,
The carriage held but just ourselves
And immortality.

What figure of speech is used in the stanza?

A. Simile C. Metaphor
B. Hyperbole D. Personification

11. What is the characteristic of contemporary American Literature?

A. It allows cultural inconsistencies to be unlocked in its narratives.
B. It enables realistic portrayal of historical world wars.
C. It allows democratic concept of tragedy.
D. It is rich with oral literature.

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12. Why is the contemporary American literature fond of using humor?
A. It subtly reveals characteristics of Americans.
B. It imitates works from other literary regional origins.
C. It consistently evokes lighthearted themes to hide distasteful experiences.
D. It reflects the people’s ability to laugh at themselves even during the most
difficult times.

13. What is the point of view of the poem, The God who Loves You, by Carl Dennis
having its excerpted lines?
“It must be troubling for the god who loves you,
To ponder how much happier you’d be today”
A. first person POV C. third person limited POV
B. second person POV D. third person omniscient POV

14. Why do American writers always have a strong tendency to break with literary
tradition?
A. because they reimagine their frontier days
B. because they are trying to make something new
C. because they try to imbibe creativity in their works
D. because they accept literary trends from other parts of the world

15. Which of the following lines from the poem, The God who Loves You, is NOT an
example of alliteration?
A. day’s disappointment C. how much happier
B. life you’re living D. choice for college

Let’s Recall

Directions: Choose the letter from Column B that corresponds with the
statement from Column A.

Column A Column B

______ 1. Largely unknown outside of the A. 20th century Thai writers

peninsula until the 1980’s.
______ 2. Writers tend to produce B. Korean Literature
light fiction rather than literature .
______ 3. It is marked by strong and C. Mahmud Darwish
intentional break with tradition
and the nation-oriented as well as group
orientation values.
______ 4. Writers who have come to D. Modern Japanese
realize that writing does not have to be Literature
equated with political action.

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______ 5. The Palestinian poet who E. Chinese Literature
remains one of the most active voices in
contemporary Arabic poetry F. Fadwa Tuqan

Let’s Explore

Activity 1 Finding North America

In this activity, find and encircle 20 North American countries in the grid.
Look for them in all directions including backwards and diagonally.

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K T L J A M A I C A G C U B A N O A U

B F R A B C D E F N L H Y N N L E B N

A P W I G H C O S T A R I C A Q L C I

R I B J N K L M N I A C H E N G S D T

B M O P Q I R S T G I L O A V E A E E

A X I U V A D A B U J E N L B E L F D

D A W X Y Z H A C A M A N A P W V G S

O H O B C D E F D Q F W X M H P A Y T

S Z B A H A M A S T Y Z A E T H D A A

M D A G H I J K L M O Y K T G J O N T

H O N D U R A S N O P B Z A V C R I E

T M Q R S T U V W X C Q A U X Y F L S

A I Y G R E N A D A Z I R G S K H O N

U N A B C D E F G H I J X A O V A V B

G I K L M A D A N A C N O E Z Q I E E

O C P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A M X T Y L

X A B S A I N T L U C I A C D W I V I

O W E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T Z

D O M I N I C A N R E P U B L I C U E
ANTIGUA CANADA DOMINICAN REPUBLIC HONDURAS PANAMA

BAHAMAS COSTA RICA EL SALVADOR HAITI SAINT LUCIA

BARBADOS CUBA GRENADA JAMAICA TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

BELIZE DOMINICA GUATEMALA MEXICO UNITED STATES

Let’s Elaborate

American Literature

Literature has existed in America for as long as the people who lived there have
been telling stories. Native American cultures have a rich history of oral literature.
Mayan books from as far back as the 5th century are known, and it is believed that
the Maya started writing things down centuries before that. American literature began

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in the early 17th century with the arrival of English-speaking Europeans in what
would become the United States.
Notable authors of American literature include: John Smith, who wrote some of
its earliest works; Phillis Wheatley, who wrote the first African American book; Edgar
Allan Poe, a standout of the Romantic era; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a
celebrated poet; Emily Dickinson, a woman who wrote poetry at a time when the field
was largely dominated by men; Mark Twain, a master of humour and realism; Ernest
Hemingway, a novelist who articulated the disillusionment of the Lost Generation;
and Toni Morrison, a writer who centered her works on the black experience and
received a Nobel Prize in 1993. After World War II, the literary historian Malcolm
Cowley described the years between the two world wars as a “second flowering” of
American writing. American literature is often divided into five major periods:
 The Colonial and Early National period (17th century to 1830)
 The Romantic period (1830 to 1870)
 Realism and Naturalism (1870 to 1910)
 The Modernist period (1910 to 1945)
 The Contemporary period (1945 to present)

The novel and short story

Realism and “metafiction,” two distinct groups of novelists responded to the
cultural impact, and especially the technological horror, of World War II. Norman
Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead (1948) and Irwin Shaw’s The Young Lions (1948)
were realistic war novels, though Mailer’s book was also a novel of ideas, exploring
fascist thinking and an obsession with power as elements of the military mind and
military discipline. Later this method was applied brilliantly to the portrayal of the
Vietnam War—a conflict that seemed in itself surreal—by Tim O’Brien in Going After
Cacciato (1978) and the short-story collection The Things They Carried (1990).

Poetry
The post-World War II years produced an abundance of strong poetry but no
individual poet as dominant and accomplished as T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, Wallace
Stevens, Robert Frost, or William Carlos Williams, whose long careers were coming
to an end. The major poetry from 1945 to 1960 was Modernist in its ironic texture yet
formal in its insistence on regular rhyme and metre. Beginning in the late 1950s,
however, there were a variety of poets and schools who rebelled against these
constraints and experimented with more-open forms and more-colloquial styles.
Drama
After World War II, playwrights established reputations comparable to Eugene
O’Neill’s. Arthur Miller wrote eloquent essays defending his modern, democratic
concept of tragedy; despite its abstract, allegorical quality and portentous language,
Death of a Salesman (1949) came close to vindicating his views. Miller’s intense family
dramas were rooted in the problem dramas of Henrik Ibsen and the works of the
socially conscious ethnic dramatists of the 1930s, especially Clifford Odets, but Miller
gave them a metaphysical turn.
Contemporary American literature is subversive. It contains an element of
the surreal, bizarre names, plots and consistent, biting commentary. Primarily

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postmodernist, these works are inherently distrustful. They not only question cultural
inconsistencies, they allow such inconsistencies to naturally unfold within the
narrative. As a result, contemporary American literature, arguably continues the
pattern of highly-politicized fiction popularized in the 18th and 19th century, along
with the thought-provoking philosophical questions of 20th century Modernist
movement.
The United States has such a large and varied literature that we can make no
true generalizations about it. But three characteristics seem to stand out and give it a
flavor all its own.
First, American literature reflects beliefs and traditions that come from the
nation’s frontier days. The pioneer ideals of self-reliance and independence appear
again and again in American writings. American authors have great respect for the
value and importance of the individual. They tend to reject authority and to emphasize
democracy and the equality of people. They often celebrate nature and a sense of
boundless space.
Second, American writers have always had a strong tendency to break with
literary tradition and to strike out their own directions. Writers of other counties seem
to absorb their national literary traditions. But many American authors have rejected
the old in order to create something new.
Third, a lively streak of humor runs through American literature from earliest
times to the present. In many cases, a dash of salty humor saves a serious theme from
becoming too sentimental. American humor tends to be exaggerated rather than
subtle. It reflects the people’s ability to laugh at themselves even during the most
difficult times.

To know moreabout American literature, you may follow the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzbug5gtVIw

Let’s Dig In

Activity 2 American Literature

To be able to write a good close analysis of a literary work, you must have
a good grasp of the common characteristics of the literature. In this activity,
identify the unique characteristics of American Literature based on the previous
text you have explored. Write TRUE if the statement is correct and FALSE if the
statement is incorrect.

_______________ 1. American authors have great respect for the value and
importance of an individual.
________________2. American writers have always had a strong tendency to
follow with literary tradition and to strike out their own
directions.

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________________3. After World War I, the literary historian Malcolm Cowley
described the years between the two world wars as a
“second flowering” of American writing.
_________________4. The major poetry from 1945 to 1960 was Modernist in its
ironic texture.
_________________5. The United States has such a limited and varied literature.

Activity 3 Contemporary Text Analysis

Now that you have successfully determined the characteristics of the
American literature, in this activity you will analyze an American literary text.
Read the text and answer the questions that follow.
The God Who Loves You
By Carl Dennis
USA

It must be troubling for the god who loves you

To ponder how much happier you’d be today
Had you been able to glimpse your many futures.
It must be painful for him to watch you on Friday evenings
Driving home from the office, content with your week --
Three fine houses sold to deserving families –
Knowing as he does exactly what would have happened
Had you gone to your second choice for college,
Knowing the roommate you’d have been allotted
Whose ardent opinions on painting and music
Would have kindled in you a lifelong passion.
A life thirty points above the life you’re living
On any scale of satisfaction. And every point
A thorn in the side of the god who loves you.
You don’t want that, a large-souled man like you
Who tries to withhold from your wife the day’s disappointments
So she can save her empathy for the children.
And would you want this god to compare your wife
With the woman you were destined to meet on the other campus?
It hurts you think of him ranking the conversation
You’d have enjoyed over there higher in insight
Than the conversation you’re used to.
And think how this loving god would feel
Knowing that the man next in line for your wife
Would have pleased her more than you ever will
Even on your best days, when you really try.
Can you sleep at night believing a god like that
Is pacing his cloudy bedroom, harassed by alternatives
You’re spared by ignorance? The difference between what is
And what could have been will remain alive for him

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 Even after you cease existing, after you catch a chill
Running out in the snow for the morning paper
Losing eleven years that the god who loves you
Will feel compelled to imagine scene by scene
Unless you come to the rescue by imagining him
No wiser than you are, no god at all, only a friend
No closer than the actual friend you made at college,
The one you haven’t written in months. Sit down tonight
And write him about the life you can talk about
With a claim to authority, the life you’ve witnessed,
Which for all you know is the life you’ve chosen.

A. Make sense of words and expressions used in the text by answering the following
questions with the italicized idiomatic expressions in mind.

1. When do we say a past experience or decision made has become a thorn in the
side?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

2. When do we claim that a memory will remain alive?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

3. What does being harassed mean?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

4. What happens when someone has come to the rescue?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

5. When do we call results low in any scale of satisfaction?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

B. Examine and respond to the text by answering the following questions.

6. Explain the following lines taken from the selection.

… The difference between what is

And what could have been will remain alive for him
Even after you cease existing …
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

7. Who are referred to as the “him” and the “you” (the person addressed) throughout
the poem?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

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8. What qualities of “the god who allows man’s choice to prevail” is the poem bringing
out here?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

9. How might all the disturbing thoughts of the god be resolved?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

10. Do you think people have the free will to make choices, or are they fated to live
out a predestined life? Why or why not?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Let’s Remember

What makes the contemporary American Literature unique from other

literature?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Let’s Apply

Activity 4 Close Analysis of a Literary Text

Directions: Look for a poem from the 21st century selections of the North American
literary text which also revolves around the theme of choices and decisions.
In a 700-word essay, compare and contrast that poem with “The God Who Loves
You.” Consider the following questions in your comparison. Write it on a separate
paper.

a. What perspective on decisions and choices does your chosen poem offer?

b. How does this perspective differ from other poems? Justify your answer
c. In what way are the two poems similar to each other?

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 Let’s Evaluate

1. American literature began in the early ___________ century.

A. 16th C. 17th
B. 18th D. 19th

2. Who wrote poetry at a time when the field was largely dominated by men?
A. Ernest Hemingway C. Emily Dickinson
B. Edgar Allan Poe D. Mark Twain

3. Who is the literary historian which described the years between the two world
wars as a “second flowering” of American writing.
A. Carl Dennis C. Malcolm Cowley
B. Toni Morrison D. Phillis Wheatley

4. Modernist period in American literature took place from __________

A. 1830-1870 C. 1870-1910
B. 1910-1945 D. 1945-present

5. Who wrote eloquent essays defending the modern, democratic concept of

tragedy; despite its abstract, allegorical quality and portentous language?
A. Malcolm Cowley C. Henrik Ibsen
B. Arthur Miller D. Clifford Odets

6. Which of the following statements is not true about contemporary American

literature?
A. Contemporary American literature, continues the pattern of highly
politicized fiction popularized in the 18th and 19th century.
B. Contemporary American literature is upright.
C. Contemporary American literature contains an element of the
surreal, bizarre names, plots and consistent biting commentary.
D. Contemporary American literature not only questions cultural
inconsistencies, it allow such inconsistencies to naturally
unfold within the narrative.

7. Who among the American writers is considered, a master of humour and

realism?
A. Mark Twain C. Toni Morrison
B. John Smith D. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

8. Which of the following is compared to the poem “The Road Not Taken” by
Robert Frost?
A. The God Who Loves You C. Slow Dance
B. A Prayer From The Womb D. Treasures Of The Deep

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 9. Which of the following poems revolve around major decisions that a person
makes in his/her life?
A. The God Who Loves You C. Slow Dance
B. A Prayer From The Womb D. Treasures Of The Deep

10. The geographic continent of North America includes the countries of Central
America, Mexico, the United States, Greenland, islands of the Carribean
region and ______________.
A. Peru C. Canada
B. Spain D. Venezuela

11. What is the characteristic of contemporary American Literature?

A. It allows cultural inconsistencies to be unlocked in its narratives.
B. It enables realistic portrayal of historical world wars.
C. It allows democratic concept of tragedy.
D. It is rich with oral literature.

12. Why is humor injected among North American literary works?

A. It reflects the people’s ability to laugh at themselves even during the most
difficult times.
B. It consistently evokes lighthearted themes to hide distasteful experiences.
C. It imitates works from other literary regional origins.
D. It subtly reveals characteristics of Americans.

13. What is the point of view of the poem The God who Loves You by Carl Dennis?
A. first person POV C. third person limited POV
B. second person POV D. third person omniscient POV

14. How do American writers break literary tradition?

A. When they try to make something new
B. When they reimagine their frontier days
C. When they try to imbibe creativity in their works
D. When they imitate literary trends from other parts of the world

15. What figurative language is used in the line, “life you’re living”?
A. alliteration C. apostrophe
B. anaphora D. simile

Let’s Extend

Directions: On a separate piece of paper, write a blog entry about a decision

you made which later turned out to be rather “low in your scale of satisfaction.”
Also mention the basis for your choice and the actual results. Mention also the
things that you realized should also be considered when making decisions.

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