NARRATIVE ESSAY
The narration tells readers what happened. It relates a sequence of events using chronological order: as the events occurred on time. Some pieces of narration deliberately break up chronological order by using flashback: presenting an incident out of sequence to help emphasize or explain some points.
In other words, a narrative essay tells a story or narrates an event. In the story, we relate in detail something that has happened. When a story is sharply detailed, the reader will be able to picture the event and see and understand the experience from the narrator’s perspective.
ELEMENTS OF NARRATION
All narration contains the three elements of points of view, character, and action. Some narratives contain conflict as well as action, and some contain dialogue.
1- POINT OF VIEW
After you have found a story to tell, your next decision is to select the best point of view. Point of view can be first-person (I, we), second-person (you), or third-person (he, she, it, they); however, the second-person point of view is rarely used in a narrative.
Most personal narratives are written from the first-person point of view. Narratives with this I point of view give readers a sense of immediacy and closeness to the story; the reader feels part of the action. The third-person point of view is generally used when the writer is telling a story that happened to someone else. This point of view creates a distance between the reader and the story. The reader feels like a spectator.
2- CHARACTER
All stories have at least one character. Since characters have real feelings, needs, pleasures, and fears, these details make the story more real and exciting for the reader. Sometimes a writer can help reveal character by providing sensory details. For example, if you want to write about helping your uncle work in the garden when you were very young, you might include such sensory details as the heaviness of the bucket of water you carried, how you used to spill some of the water, making mud that you later walked in, or how your uncle looked and sounded.
3- ACTION AND CONFLICT
By definition, narration includes action. It answers the question '' What happened ?'' Often action involves conflict. Action refers simply to a sequence of events. The action might or might not involve conflict: opposition and struggle. A narrative that tells of someone who buys a new shirt with money given as a gift contains action but not conflict. A narrative that tells of someone going shopping and feeling guilty about spending money that should have been saved contains both action and conflict. A character who experiences conflict might be in conflict with himself or herself, with someone else, with society, or with nature.
4- DIALOGUE
Dialogue, using a character's actual words, does not appear in every narrative paragraph, but when it does appear, it brings the story alive for the reader.
If you write dialogue, use quotation marks to enclose the direct speech of a character. For instance; Ahmed said, '' we should go right now.''
Difference Between a Narrative Essay and a Short Story
A narrative essay has a specific format, specific aspect to discover, and a specific motif. It revolves around that motif set by the writer prior to writing the essay. A short story, however, is different from a narrative essay in that it does not revolve around a pre-set motif, and that it does not have a specific format. Also, a short story always leaves readers at a critical juncture with the desire to discover more. In contrast, a narrative essay ends when the readers are fully satisfied. They do not wish to read anymore or do not want to discover anymore.
Basic Format of a Narrative Essay
Paragraph #1-The Introduction
1. Begin with an attention grabber that captures your reader’s interest.
Ex: Sometimes it takes something terrible to realize what is important in life.
2. Follow with 2-3 sentences that lead up to your thesis statement.
3. State your thesis statement-this should clearly state the experience or event that you will describe and its significance. Do not begin telling the details of your story yet.
Example: Although my sister and I have sometimes not seen eye-to-eye at times, it took her being horribly sick to make me realize how much she truly means to me.
Paragraph #2-4 Body Paragraphs-Your story.
- Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence. Begin this sentence with a TRANSITION that shows the order that the events occurred (First, Later, In the end, Second, Third, etc.) and the details of your story.
Examples:
The day first began like any other day.
Later that day, my sister began to feel worse and my family and I began to worry.
After a day of much distress, my sister finally began to feel better.
- This is where you tell your story. Just like any story you read, you need to make sure to have a clear beginning, middle, and an end. Make sure to describe people and places involved with vivid details.
General guidelines:
- A rule familiar to a lot of essay writers is to give one idea per paragraph.
- A story has to follow some logical pattern. Chronological is the easiest one.
- With every new paragraph underline the significance of experience and the universal truth the story brings to the audience. - Use descriptive language. This is made possible by using figurative language (similes, metaphors, personification), sensory words (use your 5 senses to place your reader where you are) and vivid words (smiled brightly, explained softly).
Paragraph #5: The Conclusion
The Conclusion is just as important as the Introduction; It is the last impression your reader will get of your story.
- Begin by re-stressing the importance of your thesis. Be careful not to use the same wording.
Example: Although the day my sister fell ill was a horrible day for my family, it made us all realize how important we are to each other.
- Summarize the basic events of your story.
- Reflect on the larger meaning or importance of the experience described. Basically, what was the point of your story? Explain the new understanding and why/how this experience or event has a permanent effect on you.
Example: This day may have been horrible, but sometimes it is through the horrible events in life that people begin to value the best in life.
let's take an example
A SAMPLE NARRATIVE ESSAY
HOW I LEARNT SWIMMING
Learning something new can be a scary experience. One of the hardest
things I've ever had to do was learn how to swim. I was always afraid of the
water, but I decided that swimming was an important skill that I should learn,
I also thought it would be good exercise and help me to become physically
stronger, What I didn't realize was that learning to swim would also make me a
more confident person.
New situations always make me a bit nervous, and my first swimming
lesson was no exception. After I changed into my bathing suit in the locker
room, I stood timidly by the side of the pool waiting for the teacher and other
students to show up. After a couple of minutes, the teacher came over. She
smiled and introduced herself, and two more students joined us. Although they
were both older than me, they didn't seem to be embarrassed about not
knowing how to swim. I began to feel more at ease.
We got into the pool, and the teacher had us put on brightly colored
water wings to help us stay afloat. One of the other students, May, had already
taken the beginning class once before, so she took a kickboard and went
splashing off by herself. The other student, Jerry, and l were told to hold on to
the side of the pool and shown how to kick for the breaststroke, One by one,
the teacher had us hold on to a kickboard while she pulled it through the water
and we kicked. Pretty soon Jerry was off doing this by himself, traveling at a
fast clip across the short end of the pool.
Things were not quite that easy for me, but the teacher was very patient.
After a few more weeks, when I seemed to have caught on with my legs, she
taught me the arm strokes. Now I had two things to concentrate on, my arms and my legs, I felt hopelessly uncoordinated. Sooner than I imagined, however, things began to feel "right" and l was able to swim! It was a wonderful free feeling - like flying, maybe - to be able to shoot
across the water.
across the water.
Learning to swim was not easy for me, but in the end, my persistence
paid off. Not only did I learn how to swim and to conquer my fear of the water,
but I also learned something about learning. Now when I am faced with a new
situation I am not so nervous. I may feel uncomfortable, to begin with, but I
know that as I practice being in that situation and as my skills get better, I will
feel more and more comfortable, It is a wonderful, free feeling when you
achieve a goal you have set for yourself.
for more explanation, I suggest to watch this video below, it is very helpful, summarized all the steps we mentioned before about narrative essay.
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