Transcript DESCRIPTIVE WRITING

DESCRIPTIVE WRITING
ENGL 1501
WHAT IS DESCRIPTIVE WRITING?
Descriptive writing is a style of writing that allows the
reader to gain a closer view of characters, scenes, or
objects by providing detailed and vivid descriptions.
Characteristics of Descriptive Writing
1. Sensory description(sight, hearing, touch, smell and
taste)
2. Figurative language(i.e. analogies, similes and
metaphors)
3. Dominant Impression
4. Precise language
5. Careful Organization
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Figurative Language: Analogy
 You are as annoying as nails on a
chalkboard.
 Just as a caterpillar comes out of
its cocoon, so we must come out
of our comfort zone.
 Just as a sword is the weapon of
a warrior, a pen is the weapon of
a writer.
Figurative Language: Similes
 Her cheeks are red like a rose.
 He is as funny as a monkey.
 The water well was as dry as a
bone.
 He is as cunning as a fox.
Figurative Language:Metaphors
 My brother was boiling mad.
 The skies of his future began
to darken
 Her voice is music to his
ears.
 He is the black sheep of the
family
Practice 1
Telling vs showing
What’s the difference between showing and telling?
Consider these two simple examples.
Telling: I grew tired after dinner.
VS
Showing: As I leaned back and rested my head
against the top of the chair, my eyelids began to
feel heavy, and the edges of the empty plate in
front of me blurred with the white tablecloth.
TYPES OF DESCRIPTIONS
 Narrative Description(Storytelling)-tells a story, real
or fiction.
 Subjective Description(persuasive) -relates details
from an intentionally biased point of view.
 Objective Description(factual)
Example of a Narrative Description
It was a dark night. All was quiet. I could see lights, or the reflection of them, over
towards Pennsylvania Avenue, but there was no one, not even a straggler, to be seen. I
was almost resolved to attempt to break away. Had I not been hand-cuffed the attempt
would certainly have been made, whatever consequence might have followed. Radburn
was in the rear, carrying a large stick, and hurrying up the children as fast as the little
ones could walk. So we passed, hand-cuffed and in silence, through the streets of
Washington through the Capital of a nation, whose theory of government, we are told,
rests on the foundation of man's inalienable right to life, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of
happiness! Hail! Columbia, happy land, indeed!
Reaching the steamboat, we were quickly hustled into the hold, among barrels and boxes
of freight. A colored servant brought a light, the bell rung, and soon the vessel started
down the Potomac, carrying us we knew not where. The bell tolled as we passed the tomb
of Washington! Burch, no doubt, with uncovered head, bowed reverently before the
sacred ashes of the man who devoted his illustrious life to the liberty of his country(p.57)
Twelve Years a Slave:
Narrative of Solomon Northup, a Citizen of New-York,
Kidnapped in Washington City in 1841, and Rescued in 1853:
Example of a Subjective Description
"Soon after leaving Tempe, I crossed a wide riverbed, slapping my bare
feet on hot river pebbles and soft sticks and delighting in the crunch of
glittering sand between my toes. Then I saw my first sand-hills. This
county had had brushfires through it the previous season, which had
been followed by heavy rains, so the colors of the landscape were now
brilliant orange, jet black and sickly bright lime Day-glo green.
Whoever heard of such a desert? And above all that, everywhere, tracks
and tracks I had not noticed before, patches of burnt bushes sticking up
like old crows feathers from wind-rippled ridges, new bush foods to be
searched for and picked. It was delicious new country, but it was
tiring." (Barnwell & Dees, 1999, p. 119)
Desert Places, Robyn Davison
Example of an Objective Description
"A vast, sparsely populated region covered by dune
fields and gibber plains, the Great Victoria Desert
receives little rain and experiences extreme
temperatures. A highly desert-adapted fauna lives
here and the area is known for its lizard diversity.
Climate and isolation render pastoralism and
agriculture inviable [sic], so the region has suffered
few direct effects of European settlement."
Encyclopedia of the Earth(2010), Mark McFinley
How to write a Descriptive Essay
Find and Explore a Topic
Find a good topic
Study the topic carefully
Draft
Topic Sentence
Describe the subject with
details
Conclusion
Conclusion
Reemphasize the dominant impression
Summarize
Reading Visual Image
Observation
Frame
People
Objects
Contexts
Practice 2
She was nervous as she approached
the staircase.
VS
She used the sleeves of her stained
wool sweater to wipe the sweat from
her forehead before squinting into
the darkness that lay before her. She
rubbed her moist palms against her
jeans before shoving her hand back
into her side pocket and hastily
pulling out her flashlight.
Remember
 Be specific, not vague
 Elaborate
 Use vivid vocabulary
 Include details that relate to your five senses
 Wherever possible, show, don’t tell
YOUR ASSIGNMENT:
Select a picture or scene from a magazine, or your life. (a
real picture you can turn in with your assignment)
 Write a descriptive passage that contains at least 3
metaphors, 2 similes, and multiple adjectives, adverbs,
verbs, and uses of figurative language.
 If your picture has people in it—bring them to life!
