The Narrative Essay

Welcome!
Narration
Recounting Events
What is Narration?
• Relates a series of events, real or
imaginary, in an organized
fashion
• A story that makes a point
Characteristics of Narrative Essays
Makes a Point
• Makes a point or supports a
thesis by telling about an
event/series of events
• Point may be directly stated
– (explicit thesis statement)
• Point may be implied
– (implied thesis statement)
• Details of story support the point
the author is trying to make
Conveys action and detail

• Gets the reader involved

– Dialogue
– Physical description
– Recounting action
Presents a conflict & creates tension

• Conflict
– Struggle, question, problem the
characters try to resolve
• Tension
– Suspense created as the story
unfolds and reader tries to figure
out how the character will solve
conflict
• Climax
– Point just before the conflict is
solved
Sequences events
• Arranged in an order easy for
readers to follow
• Often chronological
• Non-chronological
– Flashback
• Returns reader to events happening in
the past
– Foreshadowing
• Hints at events that MAY happen in
the future
Uses dialogue
• Should resemble everyday
speech
 Told from a particular point of view
• 1st person
– Key participant talks directly to reader
– Allows personal tone & sharing of attitudes,
feelings, etc.
– Good when narrating an event from your own
life
• 3rd person
– Narrator is unknown and describes what is
happening to others
– More distance from the action, and generally
more objective
– Allows narrator to reveal insights about a
character’s actions & personality
Graphic Organizer for a Narrative
Essay
See p. 100, figure 5.1
Writing a Narrative Essay
Planning the essay
Choose topic
• Select an experience that is
memorable and that you would
feel comfortable talking about
• Decide whether you will use 1st
or 3rd person
Gathering Details
• Replay the experience in your mind
– Write down notes (sights, smells, sounds,
tastes, touch, dialogue, emotions)
• Describe the incident to a friend
– Write down any questions they might
have
• Describe the experience aloud
• Consider different aspects of the
incident by asking who, what, where,
when, why, and how questions
Key details to include
• Scene
– Choose RELEVANT sensory details that
direct your readers to the main point of
the narrative
• Key actions
– Choose actions that create tension, build it
to a climax, and resolve it
• Why did the conflict occur?
• What events led up to it?
• How was it resolved?
• What were its short- and long-term
consequences?
• What is its significance now?
Key details to include, cont.
• Key participants
– Appearance and action of people
directly involved in story
• Key lines of dialogue
– Interesting, revealing, & related to
main point of story
– Make sure it sounds natural
Develop your thesis
• After looking at all of the key
details, decide what point you
will be making with your
narrative
Drafting a Narrative Essay
Guidelines for writing
Introduction
Should…
• Capture the reader’s attention
• Provide useful background
information
• Set up the conflict
• Include the thesis (if you are
going to directly state it)
Body of Narrative
• Build tension as it leads up to the
final resolution or climax
• Devote a separate paragraph to
each major action or distinct part
of the story
• Use transitions to connect events
 Conclusion of Narrative Essay
Do not summarize – instead…
• Make a final observation about the
experience or event
• Ask a probing question
• Suggest a new, but related direction of
thought
• Reveal a surprising piece of information
• Refer back to the beginning
• Restate the thesis in different words (use
this method sparingly)
Analysis, Revision, & Editing
Revision
• Let your essay sit for a day or
two
• Reread and analyze, focusing on
the overall effectiveness of the
narrative
• See revision flowchart 5.3 on pp.
105-6
Editing & Proofreading
• Check for errors in grammar,
spelling, punctuation &
mechanics.
 Editing Tips & Troublespots
• Check for varied sentence structure
– Different length & word order
• Check punctuation on dialogue
• Use strong, active verbs
– Active verbs (use these)
• The subject performs the action
– Lisa told me…
– Passive verbs (avoid)
• The subject is acted upon
– It was told to me by Lisa…
• Use consistent verb tense
– Most narratives are told in the past tense
Reading a Narrative Essay
• Don’t forget the value of
previewing and rereading a
narrative so that you can follow
the events and action as well as
concentrate on its meaning.
What to Look for, Highlight and Annotate
• Understanding the Reading
– What is:
• The role of the participants
• The conflict
• The climax
• Conflict resolution
What to Look for, Highlight and Annotate
• Examining the Characteristics of
Narrative Essays
– Main point of the writer?
– Writer’s thesis? Direct or implied?
– Does writer create tension? How?
– Sequence of events?
– Purpose and intended audience?
– What is the lasting value of this essay
and what does it say about life, people,
jobs, friendship, etc.?
– How does the writer achieve his/her
purpose and is he/she successful?
Building Critical Thinking Skills
• Inferences
– “a reasoned guess about what is
not known based on what is
known.”
– Writers do not always directly
state the ideas they intend to
communicate about, so you must
infer or read between the lines to
understand the message.
Building Critical Thinking Skills
• Point of View
– The perspective from which an
author tells a story
– Writers generally use the first or
third person P.O.V. when writing a
narrative.
Building Critical Thinking Skills
• Connotative Meaning
– The meaning of a word that
expresses a feeling or idea that is
associated with the word
(generally a positive or negative
association)
Building Critical Thinking Skills
• Symbolism
– Use of things, ideas, or words to
represent something else.
– Analysis of symbols used in
writing can allow a reader to better
understand the writer’s themes.
Building Critical Thinking Skills
• Colloquial Language
– A style of conversational and
informal writing
– Can be very useful in fiction and
less formal types of writing in
which a character’s use of slang,
dialect, or “colorful” language can
reveal a lot about his/her thoughts,
attitudes, and ideas.
The End
• Only the beginning of Narrative
Essay Writing