English 101

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English 101
Narrative Objectives And
Suggestions
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Primary Objective of Assignment Use a single
extended narrative as the predominant method of
development in an essay that supports a
significant point expressed In an explicit thesis
statement
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Suggestions for using Narration
1. Identify the conflict in the event
Person vs. Person
Physical
Person vs. Nature
Person vs. Self
Psychological/Emotional
Person vs. Society
Moral
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2. Identify the Point of the Story This is the
essays Thesis, which is usually placed in the
Introduction.
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But the other night, an old woman shattered my
belief that a glib response could smooth over the
rough spots of dealing with other human beings.
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3. Use only those details that advance the
Narratives point
What happened?
When?
SPECIFICITY EFFECTS IMMEDIACY!
Where?
Who was involved?
Why did it happen?
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4. Organize the Narrative Sequence
Strict Chronological Order
Flashback Technique
Reduce chance of predictability
Flashforward Technique
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5. Make it easy for the reader to follow
your story Use Effective Transitional
Devices within and between paragraphs
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6. Make the language of the narrative
vigorous and immediate Use vivd sensory
description
(Provide color for your verbal pictures)
Sight
Sound
SPECIFICITY EFFECTS IMMEDIACY!
Touch
Taste
Smell
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Using dialogue also helps to create immediacy. It
gives the reader a better understanding of the
characters in a narrative.
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Use varied sentence structure Mix the four
types
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Dont put the reader to sleep!
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7. Be Consistent with Point of View and
Verb tense
First Person (very effective for allowing reader
to experience the events but doesnt allow writer
to express the thoughts of others) Third person
(allows a much broader scope but doesnt have the
power of subjective immediacy, as with first
person
Past Tense (most predominate in
Narratives) Present Tense (use if story is
intense and fast-paced)