Narrative Essay Instructions

Format MLA FORMAT – Times New Roman – 12-pt font – Double Spaced Rough Draft due: Friday, September 14 th (50) Final Draft due to Turnitin.com (NO LATE WORK ACCEPTED) – Sunday, September 23 rd 8:00 p.m. (100)

The Essay 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 the elements 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 as the last sentence in the opening paragraph.

The Essay Since a narrative relies on personal experiences, it often is 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 embellish the story. All of the details relate to the main point the writer is attempting to make.

Summary It is told from a particular point of view It makes and supports a point It is filled with precise detail It uses vivid verbs and modifiers It uses conflict and sequence as does any story It may use dialogue

Features 1. The story should have an introduction that clearly indicates what kind of narrative essay it is (an event or recurring activity, a personal experience, or an observation), and it should have a conclusion that makes a point. 2. The essay should include anecdotes. The author should describe the person, the scene, or the event in some detail. It's okay to include dialogue as long as you know how to punctuate it correctly and as long as you avoid using too much. 4. The point of view in narrative essays is usually first person. The use of "I" invites your readers into an intimate discussion. 5. The writing in your essay should be lively and show some style. Try to describe ideas and events in new and different ways. 6. Avoid using clichés. Again, get the basic story down, get it organized, and in your final editing process, work on word choice. (ie. Dumb as bricks; happy as a clam; dime a dozen)clichés

Specific and Concrete Detail Dan went to the store Saturday night. Dan walked to the store on Saturday night. Dan staggered to the store on Saturday night. Each sentence gives much more information to the reader, even though no more words are added. The difference is the use of hyponyms — a special set of synonyms, in which the meaning of the more specific word includes the meaning of the more general words. For example, the word staggered (to walk with some difficulty, a temporary difficulty induced by a short term chemical or physical cause) includes the idea of walked (locomotion on two feet) and the idea of went (to transport oneself in some manner). Thus, sentence (3) above allows the reader to "see" what Dan is doing in the mind's eye, whereas sentences (1) and (2) fail to do so as clearly simply because they are more abstract.

Three Wishes All of us have probably head the story about the Genie in the bottle that would grant the person who opened it three wishes. We have all probably wished, at some time in our lives, that we would come across such a bottle and be granted three wishes of our own choice. Assume that you have found such a bottle and the Genie will grant you three wishes. There is one catch to this Genie. He will not grant wishes that are destructive or hurtful to you or to others. Write a five-paragraph essay and tell us what those three wishes would be and the effects that they would have on your life or the lives of others who would be involved or named in the wishes. Be specific.