To have a clear purpose in telling this narrative; that is, to elucidate the valuable lessons you have taken from this experience.
To carefully select narrative details to support these morals or lessons.
To arrange these details in an appropriate narrative order.
CHARACTERISTICS
* CHRONOLGY
time sequence
story with a beginning, middle, and end
make a *TIMELINE*
* MORAL, POINT, LESSONS LEARNED
stated in the thesis & conclusion
Not: “I am going to tell a story about…”
Rather: “This experience taught me a valuable lesson about friendship.”
CHARACTERISTICS
* RELEVANCE (EXCITEMENT)
stress relevant (exciting) parts
shorten irrelevant (dull) parts
* FOCUS on a specific event
day #3 of vacation
* INTRODUCTION and CONCLUSION:
this IS an essay
this is NOT necessarily a 5-paragraph essay
PREWRITING
PREWRITING
MAKE 2 LISTS:
(1) a list of the 5 best times in your life
(2) a list of the 5 worst times in your life
MAKE a TIMELINE for the EVENTS of the MOST SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCE of YOUR LIFE:
chronology
have a clear beginning, middle, and end
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
*As if you were on The Late Show promoting a movie:
quick set up (“Set this clip up for us.”)
then “roll tape”
show a clip from “the movie of your life”
INTRODUCTION PICTURE FRAME
SO WHAT?!
*PURPOSE:
Why are you telling this story?
To satisfy this demand, use the Introduction
and Conclusion to create a “frame” which will
encompass your story.
INTRODUCTION PICTURE FRAME
The Introduction & Conclusion are the frame around your picture. In them, you will only discuss the background and lesson learned. They are not to make up the majority of your essay.
The Body of the essay will be the picture. It will tell a story, and it will make up the majority of your paper.
Further, the narrative elements you choose for the story will clearly illustrate the lesson/s you learned.
INTRODUCTION PICTURE FRAME
INTRO.
STORY
CONCLN.
INTRODUCTION
GENERALIZE:
Regarding the type of lessons you learned
Regarding the type of experience you had
“Death is a painfully inevitable part of life, so most of us have undoubtedly had to face death at some point in our young lives.”
INTRODUCTION
NARROW TOWARDS YOU:
Some
Others
“For some, it may have been the death of a close friend or classmate.”
“For others, it may have concerned the passing of a teacher or an adult acquaintance.”
INTRODUCTION
TO YOU:
Transition to you
Use transitional expressions
Perhaps brief background information
“However, my encounter with death involved the demise of a close family relative when I was 16. In November of 2006, my 22-year-old cousin, Jefferson Miles, whom I had idolized all my life, died of esophageal cancer.”
“During the spring semester of 2004 after I turned 18….”
Thesis: ANSWER 2 QUESTIONS:
1) What kind of story?
2) What kind of lessons learned?
INTRODUCTION
THESIS:
“This tragic experience from that miserable fall taught me valuable lessons concerning my life and family in particular, as well as life and death in general.”
“This frightening experience has taught me valuable lessons regarding me, my family, family in general, and life.”
BODY
BODY: DETAILS
DESCRIPTION is necessary: vivid detail for character development or setting the scene
concrete & specific details
careful selection of details (STORY=LESSON)
CHRONOLOGICAL organization of details
no flashbacking, no omniscience
no Quentin Tarantino
past tense only
BODY: DETAILS
TIME
Year, age, season
NAMES
people, places, occupation titles, stadiums, hospitals, funeral parlors, high schools
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS
Not a descriptive essay
Use description to set the scene
Or highlight your lessons learned
“the blonde male nurse in purple scrubs took my blood pressure at St. Mark’s Hospital….”
BODY: STORY
Extremely FOCUSED
Just a clip from your life-movie
Flows LINEARLY
All verbs should be in the PAST TENSE
PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE: the story should not be all one paragraph; break the narrative into stages (each stage = a paragraph)
BODY: BACKGROUND
In the story through dialogue or thoughts at the time**
In the Conclusion when you are explaining a particular lesson**
In the Introduction, briefly, as you set up the story
*GET TO THE STORY
The 1st Body paragraph = start of the story
Do not make the reader wait until the 3rd Body paragraph for your story to begin.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION: MORAL
Fully explain the morals/lessons you learned from this experience
Lessons concerning yourself, family, friendship, love, life --
Induction: lessons emanate out from the event
CONCLUSION: POV
No “you”
In the Introduction and Conclusion, do not switch to 3rd person POV (“you”)
This is YOUR story-
These are lessons that YOU learned-
So speak from the “I” (1st person POV)
Descriptive Essay VS Narrative Essay
Descriptive Essay VS Narrative Essay
SENSE DETAILS
Dominant Impression
BODY STRUCTURE:
3 Body paragraphs
3 parts of the room/car
Each supported by:
sense details ONLY
metaphors to support DI
Spatial Arrangement
NARRATIVE DETAILS
Morals/Lessons
BODY STRUCTURE:
3 Body paragraphs
start, middle, end
OR grouped by stages
Each supported by:
narrative elements
descriptive details to set scenes, support lessons
Chronological Order
TOPICS
TOPICS
*FOCUSED:
FROZEN MOMENT IN TIME
NOT LIFE STORY
NOT MULTIPLE DAYS
3-4 PAGES IN LENGTH (with sufficient detail)
PART OF A CHAPTER IN YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY
neither a FULL CHAPTER
nor an ENTIRE BOOK
ACHIEVEMENT
MISTAKE
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS in an ADULT LIFE: Family
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS in an ADULT LIFE: Firsts
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS in an ADULT LIFE: Realizations
More SIGNIFICANT EVENTS in an ADULT LIFE
TOPICS
1) TELL THE STORY OF A MAJOR CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE, AN EVENT THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE OR YOUR WAY OF THINKING ABOUT A PERSON, PLACE, OBJECT:
went to college, inspirational story, went out for a sport/club/play
quit bad habit, split with boy/girlfriend, left bad friends
met someone new
death in the family
divorce day
TOPICS
*CONTINUED:
9/11 or anthrax scare
good/bad vacation
dumb action I did
suspended from school
found God, faith was tested, found Alcoholics Anonymous
*met a challenge that neither you nor anyone thought you could do
TOPICS
2) TELL THE STORY OF A SPECIAL OBJECT (trophy, medal, picture, stuffed animal) THAT MEANS SO MUCH TO YOU:
*this is NOT a descriptive essay on the object;
BODY:
rather, tell the story behind the object:
how/when/why did you get it
CONCLUSION:
lessons learned from the experience
why it means so much to you,
how it gives insight into who you are,
and how you would use it to introduce yourself to someone new whom you wanted to see the “real” you
TOPICS
3) OTHER TOPICS:
uncle’s viewing
family member’s (son’s) death—the day of
the day you found Alcoholics Anonymous
bad vacation (focused)
day found out about...diabetes, cancer, pregnancy
*family tradition
sweet 16, hunting trip, accident, robbery
school play or musical (auditions, opening night), nationals or states
responsibility
An EXAMPLE of a NARRATIVE ESSAY
EXAMPLE EXAMPLE SKELETON OF A NARRATIVE ESSAY
*INTRODUCTION:
You’ve got to learn to laugh at yourself.
The best advice my grandfather ever gave me was “Boy, you’ve got to learn to laugh at yourself.”
EXAMPLE (cont’d)
Sane people have learned to laugh at themselves. (or well-adjusted people) (generalizing w/o “you”) The best way for people not to take life too seriously is to tell stories about unpleasant events that happened to them. As a teacher, I have had certain encounters that, had I not laughed at them, would have driven me crazy and forced me to leave the profession. For example, during the spring semester of 2004, I took over a section of Microcomp for an ailing colleague and had one of the most embarrassing experiences of my professional career. That day, this teacher was taught a few lessons about himself and his co-workers.
Oh I heard the man knew "the Bird" like the bible You know the man could blow an educated axe He couldn't see that Christie Lee was a woman Who didn't need another lover All she wanted was the sax It took a while for him to notice It took a while for him to see He was never in control here It was always Christie Lee Christie Lee, Christie Lee (X2)
Oh the man took a calculated gamble Yes the man had the power to perform But Christie Lee was more than he knew how to handle She didn't need him as a man All she wanted was the horn They say that Joe became a wino They say he always drinks alone They say he stumbles like a blind man They say he sold his saxophone Even the band must face the music That's what the moral is to me The only time you hit the high note Is when you play for Christie Lee
“THE BREAK-UP SONG (They Don’t Write ’Em)” GREG KIHN
We had broken up for good just an hour before Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh Now I'm staring at the bodies as there's dancin' 'cross the floor Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh And then the band slowed the tempo and the music gets me down Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh It was the same old song with the melancholy sound Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh
They don't write 'em like that anymore They just don't write 'em like that anymore We'd been living together for a million years Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh But now it feel so strange (out in the atmospheres?) Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh And then the jukebox plays a song I used to know
Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh Now I'm staring at the bodies as they dancin' so slow Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh They don't write 'em like that anymore They just don't write 'em like that anymore Now I wind up staring at an empty glass Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh Cause its so easy to say that you'll forget your past Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh They don't write 'em like that anymore, no! They just don't write 'em like that anymore They don't write 'em like that anymore They just don't write 'em like that anymore
“Paradise By the Dashboard Light” Meat Loaf (1)
I. PARADISE Boy: I remember every little thing As if it happened only yesterday Parking by the lake And there was not another car in sight And I never had a girl Looking any better than you did And all the kids at school They were wishing they were me that night And now our bodies are oh so close and tight It never felt so good, it never felt so right And were glowing like the metal on the edge of a Knife Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife C’mon! hold on tight! C’mon! hold on tight!
Though its cold and lonely in the deep dark night I can see paradise by the dashboard light
Girl: Ain't no doubt about it We were doubly blessed Cause we were barely seventeen And we were barely dressed Ain't no doubt about it Baby got to go and shout it Ain't no doubt about it We were doubly blessed
“Paradise By the Dashboard Light” Meat Loaf (2)
Boy: Cause we were barely seventeen And we were barely dressed Baby doncha hear my heart You got it drowning out the radio I’ve been waiting' so long For you to come along and have some fun And I gotta let ya know No you’re never gonna regret it So open up your eyes I got a big surprise
It’ll feel all right
Well I wanna make your motor run And now our bodies are oh so close and tight It never felt so good, it never felt so right And were glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife C’mon! hold on tight! C’mon! hold on tight! Though its cold and lonely in the deep dark night I can see paradise by the dashboard light Oh its cold and lonely in the deep dark night Paradise by the dashboard light You got to do what you can And let mother nature do the rest Ain't no doubt about it We were doubly blessed Cause we were barely seventeen And we were barely -- Were gonna go all the way tonight Were gonna go all the way tonight's the night
(repeat X3)
“Paradise By the Dashboard Light” Meat Loaf (3)
RADIO BROADCAST: Ok, here we go, we got a real pressure cooker going. Here, two down, nobody on, no score, bottom of the ninth, there’s the wind-up, And there it is, a line shot up the middle, look at him go. this boy can really Fly! he’s rounding first and really turning it on now, he’s not letting up at all, he’s gonna try for second; the ball is bobbled out in center, and here Comes the throw, and what a throw! he’s gonna slide in head first, here he Comes, he’s out! no, wait, safe - safe at second base, this kid really makes Things happen out there. batter steps up to the plate here’s the pitch - he’s Going, and what a jump he’s got, he’s trying for third, here’s the throw, it’s In the dirt - safe at third! holy cow, stolen base! he’s taking a pretty big Lead out there, almost daring him to try and pick him off. the pitcher glances Over, winds up, and it bunted, bunted down the third base line, the suicide Squeeze is on! here he comes, squeeze play, it’s gonna be close, here’s the Throw, here’s th' play at the plate, holy cow, I think he’s gonna make it!
“Paradise By the Dashboard Light” Meat Loaf (4)
II. LET ME SLEEP ON IT
Girl: Stop right there! I gotta know right now! Before we go any further --! Do you love me? Will you love me forever? Do you need me? Will you never leave me? Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life? Will you take me away and will you make me your Wife? Do you love me? Will you love me forever? Do you need me? Will you never leave me? Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life? Will you take me away and will you make me your Wife? I gotta know right now Before we go any further Do you love me !!!? Will you love me forever !!!?
Boy: Let me sleep on it Baby, baby let me sleep on it Let me sleep on it Ill give you an answer in the morning Let me sleep on it Baby, baby let me sleep on it Let me sleep on it Ill give you an answer in the morning Let me sleep on it Baby, baby let me sleep on it Let me sleep on it Ill give you an answer in the morning Girl: I gotta know right now! Do you love me? Will you love me forever? Do you need me? Will you never leave me? Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life? Will you take me away and will you make me your Wife?
“Paradise By the Dashboard Light” Meat Loaf (5)
I gotta know right now! Before we go any further Do you love me? Will you love me forever?
What’s it gonna be boy? Come on I can wait all night What’s it gonna be boy yes or no? What’s it gonna be boy yes or no? Boy: Let me sleep on it Baby, baby let me sleep on it Let me sleep on it And I’ll give you an answer in the morning Girl: I gotta know right now!!! Do you love me?
Boy: Let me sleep on it!!
Girl: Will you love me forever?
Boy: Baby, baby let me sleep on it Girl: Do you need me? Will you never leave me? Boy: Let me sleep on it Girl: Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life? Boy: Let me sleep on it Ill give you an answer in the morning!! morning!!!! Ill tell you in the morning!!!!!
“Paradise By the Dashboard Light” Meat Loaf (6)
Girl: Will you take me away, will you make me your wife? Girl: I gotta know right now Before we go any further Do you love me? Will you love me forever? Boy: Let me sleep on it Girl: Will you love me forever? Boy: Let me sleep on it Girl: Will you love me forever?
III. PRAYING for the END of TIME Boy: I couldn’t take it any longer Lord I was crazed
And when the feeling came upon me Like a tidal wave I started swearing to my God and on my mother’s grave That I would love you to the end of time I swore that I would love you to the end of time!
So now I’m praying for the end of time To hurry up and arrive Cause if I gotta spend another minute with you I don’t think that I can really survive Ill never break my promise or forget my vow But God only knows what I can do right now I’m praying for the end of time Its all that I can do Praying for the end of time, so I can end my time With you!!!
Boy: It was long ago and it was far away And it was so much better than it is today Girl: It never felt so good It never felt so right And we were glowing like A metal on the edge of a knife
“HIGH” TRACE ADKINS
Ain't no whiskey in this glass Try not to smoke too many cigarettes I stay away from Mary Jane These are my choices Ain't gonna judge you if you do So don't you judge me if I don't I got my reasons, my demons and my past But hey the truth is Yeah the truth is I get high Drivin' down the freeway Just knowin' that it's Saturday And I got no place to be I get high Standin' in the spotlight No words for what it feels like When you sing these songs back to me If you ask me now I'll tell you this is how I get high
Sometimes this world can be too much Somedays I feel like bein' out of touch And I see a sunset that takes my breath away And I find hope again Set there and drink it in
I get high Drivin' down the freeway Just knowin' that it's Saturday And I got no place to be I get high Standin' in the spotlight No words for what it feels like When you sing these songs back to me And if you ask me now I'll tell you this is how I get high I get high Standin' in the spotlight No words for what it feels like When you sing my songs back to me And if you ask me now I'll tell you this is how I get high Yeah this is how I get high
Talkin’ ‘bout my t-shirts and how they used to fit me when I’m laughing with the boys Their spirits seemed to lift me we were talking about ‘68 & ‘69 and all the things we did it’s not that now we’re all that old, but then we were just the kids my friends, my friends never got together again but I love my friends, my friends
My memories are happy and my memories are sad But I love to take my pictures out and take the things I had
My songs are not like my life now and it’s always true me and my friends were dreamers
dreaming all we do
my friends, my friends never got together again boy I love my friends, my friends
Oh, my friends, my friends we never got together again but I love my friends, my friends my friends, my friends we never got together again but I really do miss my friends, my friends
WHILE I ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO WRITE ABOUT EXPERIENCES THAT HAD SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED THEIR LIVES—WHICH MAKES FOR BETTER, MORE PASSIONATE WRITING—PLEASE BEAR THE FOLLOWING IN MIND:
1) IF NECESSARY, I WILL BE THE ONLY PERSON TO READ THE ESSAY; IN ESSENCE, I WILL BE YOUR PEER EDITOR
2) YOU WILL NOT BE GRADED ON THE SUBJECT MATTER—ONLY THE GRAMMATICAL AND MECHANICAL ASPECTS OF THE ESSAY—SO DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND THE GRADE AS A VALUE JUDGMENT ON YOU
