Narration Description Terms to Know Narration a way

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Narration & Description

Narration & Description

Terms to Know • Narration = a way or mode of communicating a point/message/thesis

Terms to Know • Narration = a way or mode of communicating a point/message/thesis • Narrative = the actual story you produce

What are we trying to do? Every time we write or speak, we are

What are we trying to do? Every time we write or speak, we are sharing a message or point with a certain audience. • Thesis Statement: a sentence that states the main point in an essay. • Also known as: controlling idea or main idea

In a Narrative Essay: • Thesis statement states the point of the story •

In a Narrative Essay: • Thesis statement states the point of the story • Story events back up/support thesis Example Thesis Statements: The phrase, “mind over matter, ” finally made sense for me during a 12 -mile hike on Mount Elbert. What do you expect the story to be about?

Narratives: • Include action and detail: Masses of stars glittered in the dark, 5

Narratives: • Include action and detail: Masses of stars glittered in the dark, 5 am sky as my brother Julio and I shouldered our backpacks and locked our car. The mountain we aimed to climb loomed in the distance. As Julio and I passed the trailhead sign, a rustling sound arose from the trees to our left. We tensed up, fearing a bear. Suddenly, “Ha, ” Julio laughed. An owl elevated itself above the trees; its wings swooshed as it flew.

Narratives: Present a conflict and create tension • Conflict: struggle, problem, question • Tension:

Narratives: Present a conflict and create tension • Conflict: struggle, problem, question • Tension: How is it going to end? How will the conflict be resolved?

Conflict and Tension By now, the sun sat just above the Eastern horizon. We

Conflict and Tension By now, the sun sat just above the Eastern horizon. We had been climbing, footfall after footfall, for more than three hours. With determination, Julio led us up the trail. Lurching forward after my toe snagged on a tree root, I struggled to stay upright. My mood struggled, too, for my legs felt heavy and weak. Could I manage the distance and the altitude? A little voice in my head began to chant, “Quit, quit. ”

Narratives: Sequence Events • Chronological order – beginning, middle, end • Flashback – takes

Narratives: Sequence Events • Chronological order – beginning, middle, end • Flashback – takes readers to past events • Foreshadowing-takes readers to future events Essays in English 101: Most often, you will use narration to advance your point. We are not writing fiction.

Narratives: Use dialogue “The summit is too far, ” I told Julio. “I will

Narratives: Use dialogue “The summit is too far, ” I told Julio. “I will never make it. You keep going. I’m turning around. ” Julio turned and stared me down. “Change your thought process right now. You are talking yourself out of this. Repeat after me, “Step by step. ” He began to chat his mantra over and over. I joined the chant. My mind entered a zone of determination. “Step by step, ” I repeated.

Narratives: Are told from a particular point of view • 1 st person: I,

Narratives: Are told from a particular point of view • 1 st person: I, We, Us (personal, speaks directly to audience, only the narrator’s thoughts) • 3 rd person: He, She, They (more objective, reader sees thoughts of all characters)

Narratives Need Description: • Presents information that appeals to our five senses: sight, sound,

Narratives Need Description: • Presents information that appeals to our five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch • Gives the reader “a feel” for a place or event or mood

Description in Essays: • Uses sensory details Uses active verbs Pain pierced my knees

Description in Essays: • Uses sensory details Uses active verbs Pain pierced my knees as I fell upward on the steep trail. A small rocked embedded itself into my right kneecap. Ruby red blood seeped from the rock’s edges. Julio plucked the jagged stone from skin. Grabbing a moist baby wipe from my backpack, I swiped at the blood; then, I cast my eyes on the summit, where a few hikers celebrated like triumphant Olympians.

Effective Description: • Varies sentence length and type • Creates an impression – dominant/overall

Effective Description: • Varies sentence length and type • Creates an impression – dominant/overall At last, our final stumbling steps took us to the windy summit. A crinkle-faced hiker with salt -and-pepper hair handed Julio a laminated paper that read “Mt. Elbert. 14, 433 ft. ” My eyes consumed the view: distant, gray mountain peaks, the green valley bisected by the flowing, brown stream, and the tan stripe of trail that zigzagged down the mountain. Beautiful.

Descriptive techniques: • Connotative language-words with an attitude • (vs. denotative words – precise

Descriptive techniques: • Connotative language-words with an attitude • (vs. denotative words – precise definition) We rested on the mountaintop along with other hikers. A father and son munched peanut butter sandwiches. They chatted about the benefits of saving their apples for later. Nearby, some college students chilled, using their backpacks as pillows. Strong and fit, they sipped microbrews while they laughed. For them, the summit was a party.

Description Uses Comparisons Similes • One thing is “like” another or “as” another Metaphors

Description Uses Comparisons Similes • One thing is “like” another or “as” another Metaphors • One thing is another a few hikers celebrated For them, the like triumphant summit was a party. Olympians