we all love a good story… - mr. murphy's...
TRANSCRIPT
What is Narration?
Whenever you…
Recount an event
Tell a story or anecdote to illustrate an
idea
…you are using narration!
What is Narration?
While many of us associate narration only
with short stories and novels, narration is
also effective and useful in nonfiction
writing as well.
Narration is a very useful technique for
academic and/or professional tasks.
What is Narration?
A science writer, wishing to make the
point that many important scientific
discoveries have been made by accident,
one could tell the story of how Sir
Alexander Fleming happened to discover
penicillin one day when he saw that a bit
of mold that had fallen from a culture
plate in his laboratory had destroyed the
bacteria around it.
What is Narration?
A minister, in writing a sermon about
charity, could illustrate and emphasize the
point that charity should not always be
measured in monetary terms by telling
the story of the old woman who spent
hours every week visiting hospital
patients.
What is Narration?
A politician, taking a cue from comedians,
could engage the audience by starting off
with a humorous story, either true or
fictitious.
What is Narration?
A good narrative essay has four essential
features…
1. CONTEXT – The writer makes clear
when the action happened, where it
happened, and to whom.
What is Narration?
A good narrative essay has four essential
features…
2. POINT OF VIEW – The writer
establishes and maintains a consistent
relationship to the action, either as a
participant or as a reporter simply
looking on.
What is Narration?
A good narrative essay has four essential
features…
3. SELECTION OF DETAIL – The writer
carefully chooses what to include,
focusing on those actions and details
that are most important to the story
while merely mentioning or actually
eliminating others.
What is Narration?
A good narrative essay has four essential
features…
4. ORGANIZATION – The writer
organizes the narrative into an
appropriate sequence, often a strict
chronology with a clear beginning,
middle, and end.
Why Do Writers Use Narration?
To ENTERTAIN
Children love to tell stories and have
stories told to them.
Adults read novels and watch dramatized
stories on television, at the movies, and at
the theatre.
Why Do Writers Use Narration?
To REPORT
Give the facts and tell what happened.
Journalists and historians, in reporting
events of the near and distant past,
provide us with information that we can
use in different ways.
◦ To form an opinion on a current issue
◦ To understand why the world is as it is
Why Do Writers Use Narration?
To REPORT
Biographers give us another person’s life
as
◦ A document of an individuals past
◦ A portrait of more general human potential
Scientists recount their experiments so
that we may judge for ourselves whether
their conclusions are to be believed.
Why Do Writers Use Narration?
To INSTRUCT
May represent a straightforward moral.
May make a more subtle point about
ourselves and the world we live in.
Why Do Writers Use Narration?
Narration can be used for several of
these purposes at once.
The goal of the best storytellers is to
report on what happened in such a way
that the reader is entertained and at the
same time comes to a new understanding
of a larger issue.
What to Look for in Reading a
Narrative Essay First, make sure that you can follow the
events of the narrative, that you
understand what’s happening.
Then, define the writer’s purpose and
how the various features of the narrative
work together to support this purpose.
What to Look for in Reading a
Narrative Essay Example #1: Willie Morris’s “On a
Commuter Train”
Notice how Willie Morris uses the four
essential features of narration so
effectively!
What to Look for in Reading a
Narrative EssayHe establishes a clear CONTEXT from the
very beginning:
WHEN: “One afternoon in late August”
WHERE: On the railroad where it
crosses from Manhattan into the Bronx
WHO DID IT HAPPEN TO: The
passengers on the train, including himself
What to Look for in Reading a
Narrative Essay He establishes a first-person point of view
by using the pronoun “I”.
He allows the readers to take in the
events of the narrative directly, as if
through his eyes and ears.
What to Look for in Reading a
Narrative Essay
He chooses his details carefully and well.
He provides just enough information about
the train, the passengers, and the accident so
that readers know what they need to know
without being overwhelmed or bored.
He does not bother with needless data such
as the name of the railroad or the precise
time.
Gives significant details about the boy’s
corpse and the other passenger’s reactions.
What to Look for in Reading a
Narrative Essay
He organizes his story chronologically,
so that the events follow each other
as they naturally occurred.
He uses words such as suddenly, then,
momentary silence, and after the pause
that help transition the piece.
What to Look for in Reading a
Narrative Essay
Morris’s purpose in telling this story is
to make a point.
He doesn’t state his point directly, but
it comes out in the closing sentences
where he reports the bridge players’
reactions to the grisly sight of the
boy’s corpse.
He does not tell his readers what to
think.
What to Look for in Reading a
Narrative EssayWilliam Allen White’s obituary for his daughter
Third-person point of view keeps the focus squarely on his daughter and her activities
Helps the reader mourn her death just as he did
States the point of the story in the first sentence – determining what events he will tell and how he will arrange them