T HE N ARRATIVE E SSAY : I T D IFFERS F ROM A S IMPLE S TORY ! Catherine Wishart Literacy Coach Adjunct Instructor Burlington County College Copyright 2007 by Catherine Wishart. All rights reserved.

C ORNELL NOTES You will need to take Cornell Notes on this presentation (own paper) You will be graded on the completeness of your note-taking Remember, you may abbreviate or even use symbols/pictures for your note-taking

W HAT IS A N ARRATIVE E SSAY ? A narrative is a story also could be considered reflection or an exploration of the author's values told as a story. has a specific point A narrative essay strives to teach a lesson or A narrative essay strives to make a specific point A narrative essay is not a diary entry – the story is linked to the purpose of the essay

W HAT S HOULD B E I NCLUDED IN A N ARRATIVE E SSAY ? Often written in 1 st person – I or we – because it is based on a personal story Can also be written in 3 rd person Can never be written in 2 nd person Has specific sensory details to get the reader hooked on the story Is developed in chronological order Has verbs that help paint a picture and draw in the reader

W HAT IS 2 ND PERSON POINT OF VIEW ? The second-person narrative is a narrative mode in which the protagonist or another main character is referred to by employment of second- person personal pronouns and other kinds of addressing forms, for example the English second-person pronoun "you".narrative modeprotagonistpersonal pronounsyou

E XAMPLE OF 2 ND PERSON "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go." (Dr. Seuss, Oh! The Places You’ll Go! 1990)

W HAT E LSE D OES THE N ARRATIVE E SSAY N EED ? Since this is a story, the narrative essay needs everything a story needs (these are known as the story elements): Has a plot Has characters Has a problem Has a climax Has dialogue Has a lesson learned in conclusion

N ARRATIVE WRITING (Penguin) (STARR production)

P LANNING THE N ARRATIVE E SSAY Brainstorm for a personal story or observation that illustrates or proves the thesis statement Outline or web the important parts of the story to be told Write an introductory paragraph that includes the hook, and then write the story Because this is a story, use as many paragraphs as necessary to tell the story Write the conclusion that reflects on a lesson learned or theme.

S TEP ONE : B RAINSTORM