AP Lang and Comp Ms. Bugasch

November 18, 2013

Goals 1. Students can understand the patterns

of development 2. Students can effectively identify

narration, understand narration, and use narration

FFW•Complete the following in your

notebook:•What is narration?•Write down a list of elements that

make up narration. •Which element governs narration?•What is the purpose of narration?• Discuss

The Rhetorical Mode of Narration

•Any time you “tell what happened” or “tell a story” you are using narration

Narration• Refers to telling a story or recounting a series of events • Based on personal experience or knowledge gained from

reading or observation • Chronology governs narration – often includes flashback

(analpsis) or begin in medias res (“in the middle of things”) • Includes concrete detail, a point of view, sometimes dialogue• Not simply crafting an appealing story – crafting a story to

support your thesis • You can use narration as a way to enter into your topic • Strictly speaking, narration is any writing that lays out the

events of writing that lays out the events of a story in a dramatic and climactic order.

• A narrative essay is usually written to recount a series of events, usually to support a THESIS or THEME.

• Narrative writers don’t just tell a story, but they tell a story to make a point.

• For purposes of a narrative essay, we’ll use the words theme and thesis interchangeably.

• A theme is the central topic of the work that functions like a thesis, but is usually IMPLIED, not stated.

• A thesis is usually stated outright.

• In a narrative, you will typically have to discern the theme on your own; in other words, you will have to figure out what the writer is trying to convey beyond the actual story itself. Skilled writers don’t TELL readers the theme.

• Skilled writers IMPLY a theme; skill readers INFER the theme. • In this AP class, you’ll do BOTH!

• Narratives are usually told in chronological order, for the purpose of coming to a new insight. (“losing” and “finding”) –a discovery about yourself or a truth.

• Examples: Nahirny WSJ article, “Son for a • Examples: Nahirny WSJ article, “Son for a • Season,” and Conniff, NY Times article, • “Manchild Coming of Age.” (We will read in class.)

• Narratives are generally PERSONAL stories.

• In a narrative, your reader should never finish the story and ask “so what?” • Your story should not be POINTLESS • As the narrator/writer, you are obligated

to make your narration meaningful to give it some central theme or topic that justifies time spent reading it.

• In your narrative, avoid the “and then” format. BORING! • Don’t just write your narrative using a series of statements or

declarative sentences. • Vary sentence structure as you write – use short sentences,

long sentences, declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, imperative)

• Write in paragraphs of different lengths • Narrative essays need to be SUPER rich with SENSORY DETAILS• People and places are the lifeblood of a narrative • SHOW ME. DON’T TELL ME• Dialogue should and could be incorporated• Must speak from a consistent perspective or POINT OF VIEW• Use accurate and consistent verb tenses • Use transitions • Incorporate the elements of plot

• Some things to consider in picking your topic for a narrative:• The best narratives aren’t usually “big”

events, they can be profound moments that can occur in everyday life, when participating in a normal event, not an extraordinary one. • Narratives are best when they are SIMPLE,

rather than cluttered and complicated. • Readers shouldn’t have to know a great deal

of “background” or “technical” details to understand your story and the point you’re trying to make.

Exemplar: “Manchild Coming of Age”

•Read•Annotate • Identify elements of a narrative •Discuss

Closure

Narration Discussion

Homework 1. Thanksgiving Baskets 2. Read preface and Chapter 1-2 of

Frederick Douglass