narrative essay engl 153

7/27/2019 narrative essay engl 153

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Professor Hayde Cruz Rivera

ENGL 153


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What is a Narrative Essay?As a mode of expository writing, the narrative

approach, more than any other, offers writers a chance

to think and write about themselves. We all have

experiences lodged in our memories, which are worthy

of sharing with readers. Yet sometimes they are so

fused with other memories that a lot of the time spent

in writing narrative is in the prewriting stage.


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When you write a narrative essay, you are telling

a story. Narrative essays are told from a defined

point of view, often the author's, so there is

feeling as well as specific and often sensory

details provided to get the reader involved in theelements and sequence of the story. The verbs

are vivid and precise. The narrative essay

makes a point and that point is often defined in

the opening sentence, but can also be found asthe last sentence in the opening paragraph.


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Since a narrative relies on personal experiences, it oftenis in the form of a story. When the writer uses this

technique, he or she must be sure to include all the

conventions of storytelling: plot, character, setting,

climax, and ending. It is usually filled with details that

are carefully selected to explain, support, or embellishthe story. All of the details relate to the main point the

writer is attempting to make.


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To summarize, the narrative essay:

is told from a particular point of view

makes and supports a point

is filled with precise detail uses vivid verbs and modifiers

uses conflict and sequence as does any story

may use dialogue


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Once an incident is chosen, the writer should

keep three principles in mind:

Remember to involve readers in the story. It is muchmore interesting to actually recreate an incident forreaders than to simply tell about it.

Find a generalization, which the story supports. This isthe only way the writer's personal experience will takeon meaning for readers. This generalization does nothave to encompass humanity as a whole; it canconcern the writer, men, women, or children of various

ages and backgrounds. Remember that although the main component of a

narrative is the story, details must be carefully selectedto support, explain, and enhance the story.


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Conventions of Narrative Essays

In writing your narrative essay, keep the followingconventions in mind:

Narratives are generally written in the first person, thatis, using I. However, third person (he, she, or it) canalso be used.

Narratives rely on concrete, sensory details to conveytheir point. These details should create a unified,forceful effect, a dominant impression. Moreinformation on the use of specific details is available onanother page.

Narratives, as stories, should include these storyconventions: a plot, including setting and characters; aclimax; and an ending.


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Here are some popular essay topic examples foryour narrative essay type:

First Day at College

The Moment of Success

A Memorable Journey

The Biggest Misunderstanding

The Difficult Decision

The Trip of Your Dreams

The Day You Decided to Change Your Life


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A lesson learned

A lesson learned I wonder, is it at all possible to learn harsh lessons of our life?

Indeed, in most spheres of human activity we can hope to take our previousmistakes into consideration and avoid them in the future. But concerning human

feelings, is it right to blame ourselves if it turns out that we had made a mistake by

sincerely investing a part of us into a wrong person who has lead us into the

devastating emotional state? And can we avoid such mistakes in the future without

becoming desensitized? Confusion over these questions constitutes the

kaleidoscope of my memory of Kim, the relationship with whom ended with the

shattering argument over one of the most important questions what is the nature ofcommitment between man and woman?

How fitting was her glowing red pullover when she blazed up in response to my

question about whether she had spent the Saturday`s night at the Chicago Blues

Club and had left with Craig: You better care about your own leisure as mine isdefinitely much cuter! This phrase was the last one between us as a couple, and,truly, care about your own whatever is probably the epitome of the fundamental

problem that any couple face in one way or another. I am even grateful to Kim forsuch an exact formulation. Despite the great time that we had together, this ending

of our relationship was in no need of talk. Earlier, when we had petty quarrels words

channeled negative emotions, but this time words suddenly turned into the

irreversible verdict.

I


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I only could respond in my mind: How funny, here we have two peoplewho cannot in principle understand each other. The realization of thiskilled in me all desire to engage into mutual accusations, and made me

feel fully implicated in this unpleasant situation.

Now that time has passed, I of course remember well the emotional

turmoil that accompanied me after our break-up. But while being perhaps

less naive now, I am no longer too pessimistic. Yes, as I have said

before, it is a daunting task to learn all lessons of our life because we

tend to forget them. But if we manage to leave a trace of our emotional

experiences, then probably we can overcome even arguments without

the principal solution. Well, this is exactly what I have tried to do, and

while I think that ordering of human emotions may dissolve the essence

of human experience, I believe that it is necessary to turn our

experiences into words that represent them as close as possible, so that

we and others could relive them upon reading.


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Space Mountain

It was a hot sunny day, when I finally took my kids to the Disney Land. My son Matthew and mydaughter Audra endlessly asked me to show them the dream land of many children with Mickey

Mouse and Snow-white walking by and arousing a huge portion of emotions. Somehow these fairy

tale creatures can make children happy without such small presents as $100 Lego or a Barbyshouse in 6 rooms and garden furniture. Therefore, I thought that Disney Land was a good invention

for loving parents.

However, I can ensure anybody that Disney can turn out to be a remarkable place for adults too.

Two years have already passed, but I still can not forget my experience at the roller coaster with amysterious name Space Mountain. Tired of the smell of sweet popcorn and heroically washingthe ice-cream off Audras pink dress, I decided to change the settings. Along with Audra, Mathewpleaded to go to the roller coaster, and, having no other better idea, I finally had to give up. I

thought that my wife would be proud of me. Besides, I have never had such an experience before,

and thought of having such a ride was quite intriguing.

However, when I saw this big Mountain, the first signs of doubt started to appear in my confusedconscience. A
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man at the age of 30, I felt terrified by the thought that we have to ride down.

It is inhuman, suicidal experience I would have felt much better if we setdown in the caf and ate ice-cream. I thought about my children and looked

at Mat. To my surprise, he was too preoccupied with Space Mountain to beworried about life safety. I also took a moment to appreciate the courage of

Audra, who light-heartedly followed Mat. Finally, I rejected all doubt and

climbed into this killing machine, where well qualified Disney personnel

checked the safety belts, encouraged the suicides, I mean all who wanted toincrease their adrenaline level, and wished a pleasant ride.


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At that moment, the only person that looked exited was Matthew. As for Audra,

her eyes were full of fear, and once again I could not decide for myself whether

I did right or not. The only thing that I new for sure was that my blood turned

cold and I could not stop thinking that this entire mechanism could break in a

second. So, there was nothing a man could do but close his eyes and quickly

leave the place of torture. I heard other people scream and even laugh, but

could not make a sound myself. When I opened my eyes, I understood that

Audra fully shared my feelings. And unfortunately even more. In several

minutes, looking at my poor daughter, I thought that pop corn and ice cream

was far not the worst thing. Especially, if kept inside

I was somehow no longer proud of myself as I could not get rid of the thought

that I did something wrong again.

narrative essay engl 153

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