Narration Essay A Sample Structure

Most Essay Include An introduction (with a thesis statement) A body consisting of two or more paragraphs, each one structured around a topic sentence or main idea and containing support for the thesis A conclusion (which restates a thesis statement and offers a final thought)

But What About Narrative Essays? Doesn’t “narrative” mean story? And isn’t a story organized around a plot, not a thesis?

A narrative essay is NOT a story! It is an essay that makes its point by telling a story.

What’s the difference? The purpose of a story is to explain what happens to certain people at certain times. The purpose of a narrative essay, however, is to support and explain a thesis statement, or main idea. Therefore, a narrative essay uses a story to help illustrate or explain a main idea.

Sample Structure for Narrative Essay Introduction: introduce your characters and state your main point (or thesis) Body: tell your story in two, three, four, or more paragraphs. Remember, each part of the story needs to support or help illustrate your thesis. Conclusion: Move the story to the present tense, focusing on what you learned from the events you have just described and offering a final, concluding thought.

Example: Introduction The introduction would introduce myself, the situation (a visit to Burgers & Beer), and the thesis: I will never eat at Burgers & Beer again. The thesis would be followed by a plan of development, listing the reasons why I do not want to go to Burgers & Beer: Too busy Bad service Bad food

Example: Body Because there are three reasons why I do not want to eat at Burgers & Beer, I will include three supporting paragraphs. Since this is a narrative essay, and narratives are usually organized by time, I will organize my three points in chronological order, from the beginning of my visit to the restaurant to the end.

Example: Body (cont.) Too busy: In this paragraph, I would describe going to the restaurant, seeing lines outside the door, having to wait for 45 minutes for a table. I would try to describe as many interesting or unusual things that happened as I could, in order to make the story more interesting.

Example: Body (cont.) Bad service: I would then go on about the waitress spilling drinks on me, mixing up our orders, insulting us, and so on. This paragraph, like the first, would be centered around a topic sentence, and this topic sentence would connect the point of this paragraph (bad service) to the paper’s thesis (I will never go back to this restaurant).

Example: Body (cont.) Bad food: Again, I would tell yet another part of the story, this one focusing on the food itself (hair in it, undercooked, disgusting). Again, I would connect the topic sentence for this paragraph with the essay’s thesis statement.

Example: Conclusion I would conclude the essay by concluding my story: leaving the restaurant, convinced that I should never again return. I would also restate the supporting points I used to make this decision, thereby reinforcing the overall point of my paper.

Now get to work on your very own narrative essay! That’s It! Now get to work on your very own narrative essay!