Transcript The Narrative Paragraph and the Narrative Essay

The Narrative Paragraph
and
The Narrative Essay
What specific types of narrative
reports have you written in other
courses?
What specific types of narrative
reports might you write in your
career?
As a witness to an accident, a
crime, or some other incident, you
might report what took place.
Whenever readers need to
understand what happened,
narrative reporting is essential.
Narration is a piece of writing that
tells a story of an event or
experience.
The events you include and the way
you describe them create a story
that is based on your point of view.
A good Narration
Reveals something of importance to
you (your main point)
Includes all of the major events of the
story.
Uses details to bring the story to life
Presents the events in a clear order,
usually according to when it
happened.
Common time transitions
Before
After
During
First
Next
Second
Then
Finally
while
Later
At last
Last
Eventually
Meanwhile
Since
Now
Soon
when
Guidelines of a Narrative Paragraph
Write out the topic sentence and circle the
point of view.
List any background information
Briefly summarize the incident (write
several sentences telling what happened in
your own words)
Do all of these sentences support your
point of view?
Are the events in the story in chronological
order?
Read the following paragraph.
My twelfth birthday was originally a disappointment that turned
into my best birthday ever. For five or six months preceding the
big day, I begged my parents for a certain new bicycle. I had
seen one in a medium price range that I figured my folks could
afford. I hinted and even pleaded outright, promising to do extra
chores if I got it. Pointing out that the only bike I had ever had
was a hand-me-down from my older brother. I showed them
how rusted the frame was. Meanwhile, my brother was begging
for a set of tires for the car he had bought. When my birthday
finally came, my hopes were so high. Instead of the bicycle,
though, I got a new shirt, a pair of sneakers, and an envelope.
At first, I thought it was just a card, but it turned out to have
enough money for the bike in it. It also contained five “contracts”
for extra work around the house that I could do to earn enough
money for a much nicer bicycle. My parents gave me the gift of
upgrading from the bike I settled for. I ended up getting a great
new bicycle that I helped to buy with money I had earned myself.
1. What is the topic sentence?
2. Which sentence is not in
unity with the rest of the
paragraph?
3. What do you think is the
writer’s reason for writing this
paragraph?
-IIGuidelines for a Narrative Essay
1. Set the scene immediately.
Place readers right at the center of
the action. If you open with some
sort of background explanation,
keep it short and sweet.
2. Convey your main point.
If you simply report, then there
is no main point. You need to
have a main point to help you
present or explain the major
events of the story.
In a narrative essay, the Thesis
introduces the action that begins
in the first paragraph.
Now, as I watched the bus driver
set my luggage on the airport
sidewalk, I realized that my
frustration had only just begun.
These major events will become
the topic sentences for the body
paragraphs in your essay.
The paragraphs in the body will
develop the story.
3.Choose details that directly
advance your story in your support
and bring the experience to life for
the reader.
4. Choose details that are concrete
and specific enough to show clearly
what happened.
5. Order details in a clear
sequence. Chronological ordering
often works best in a narrative
because it enables readers to follow
events as they occurred.
6. Control your tenses and
transitions. Indicate a clear time
frame for each event: present, past,
past perfect, or even future. If you
move from one time frame to
another, be sure to keep the tense
consistent within each frame.
Transitions will help signal the end
of action in one paragraph, and
provide a link to the action of the
next paragraph. They give your
story unity and allow the reader to
follow the action easily.
7. Tell us what all this means and
what we should remember about it
You finish describing the action in
the essay in the concluding
paragraph. The final sentence can
have two functions:
1. It can deliver the moral of the
story, or tell the reader what the
characters or you learned from
the experience.
2. It can make a prediction or a
revelation about future actions
that will happen as a result of
the events in the story.
Moral:
The little boy had finally learned
that telling the truth was the most
important thing to do.
Prediction/revelation:
I can only hope that one day I will
be able to do the same for another
traveler who is suffering through a
terrible journey.
Every Christmas Eve, my wife and I
return to that magical spot and
remember the selfless act that
saved our lives.
When you think of a topic for your
narrative essay, try to remember
something exciting, difficult,
wonderful, or frightening that has
happened to you. Can this event
be developed into an interesting
narrative essay?
Ask yourself questions:
When was an important time in my life?
What has happened in my experience that I would
enjoy writing about?
Is there an event in my life that other people would
enjoy hearing about?
How did I feel about a particular experience?
Who was involved?
Why do I remember this event so strongly?
What effect did it have on me?
Did anything change because of this experience?
What interesting experiences do I know of that
happened to other people?
If you are answering some of these
questions about a specific
experience that you or someone
else had, then you may have a
topic for a narrative essay.
Write a narration paragraph or
essay on one of the following
topics.
1.Explain the most important or
interesting event that has happened
to you in college.
2.Tell about a recent experience or
incident you witnessed that left a
strong impression on you.
3. Write about an event when you
were proud of someone in your
family.
or
Write about an event when you
were proud or ashamed of your
behavior.
4. Think of a time when you had to
do something against your wishes.
Or
Think of a memorable experience
you have had – it could be
frightening, sobering, or amusing.
5. Talk about an interesting,
incredible story you heard on the
news recently.
6. How did you meet your
sweetheart?
After you have a suitable topic,
brainstorm some ideas about your
topic.
Organize your ideas. Remember
that it’s not necessary to tell every
detail of the story. Include only the
most important actions or events
that move the story forward.
Introduction:
What is the basic idea of the story?
Where is the story taking place?
When is the story taking place?
Who is in the story?
a) lead-in
b) connecting information
c) Thesis statement
Body:
What feeling or atmosphere do you
want to create in the story? What
will happen in the plot?
A) Paragraph 2 – Topic sentence
1.
2.
3. transition sentence
Conclusion:
What will happen last in the story?
How will you finish the plot?
Will your narrative essay have a
moral or make a prediction or a
revelation?
A) close of the action
B) final sentence (moral, prediction
or revelation
The End!