Narration Essays

English1101

Mrs.Weddle

NarrationEssay

3/25/13

FirstTimeHomeAloneJustabouteveryteenagerachesforhisorherfirstchanceofstayinghome alone.Thethoughtofbeinghomewithoutanyparents,withoutanyauthorityisamazing.Iusedto beoneofthoseteenagersIwasgiventhechancetohavethewholehousetomyselfmysophomore yearofhighschool.Itwasabigstepinresponsibilityatthetime.Ihadneverbeenhomewhilemy parentswentoutoftownforafullweekendsoIwasexcited.Ididtheonethinganykidinhigh schoolwoulddoandIcalledeveryoneIknewandtoldthemtocomeover.Isoonfiguredoutthat wasnotsuchagoodidea.ItwasalateSundaynightabout9pminOctober,Iwas...showmore content

ItstartedgettingreallyhotandIfeltlikeIwassweatingbutitwasjusttheintensityofthesituation athand.IknewIwascaught,notsurehowtheyfoundoutbutIjustcameoutwiththetruthandtold themeverything.IstartgoingonabouthowIhadplannedthisalloutbeforetheyevenleftandthatI knewIwasdoingwrongbutdidnotcareabouttheconsequencesatthetime.Iwasjusttryingto haveagoodtimeIhadthehousetomyselfandIcoulddowhateverIwantedwithitsoIchoseto throwaparty.Itwasabaddecisiontodisobeymyparentsbutinthemomentofhangingwith friendsyoudon'treallycare.Mydadstartslaughingandsays,"IknewyouweregoingtoscrewupI justknewit,"butmymombeginstocryAtthatmomentIrealizedthatIhurtherShewashoping thisonetimeIwouldfollowtherules.Shestoodupforme,toldmydadthatIwasresponsible enoughnowtohavethehousetomyselfandIstabbedherintheback.Shetriedtotalkbutshecould notgetthewordsout.TheonlywordsIheardcomefromhermouthwas,"I'mdisappointedinyou son.".Ihearditclearly,itwassharplikethetipofafineknife.Iwantedtokillmyself.Whenyour parentstellyouthattheyaredisappointedinyouit'sworsethanbeingyelledatAsachildyou neverwanttohearyourparentssaythattoyou,evenasanadultithurts.Itsasifapieceofyouis cutoffandlostforever.SowhenIwassittingtherewatchingmymother

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NARRATIVEANDNARRATION

Narrativeandnarrationinfilmsarethewayinwhichtheaudiencefollowstheplot.Thedifference betweennarrativeandnarrationisonlyreallyclearwhenbothareunderstoodproperly.

Narrativeisbasicallythewayweseealltheeventsinafilmunfold.E.g.'BlairWitchProject'.A groupoffilmstudentsgointothewoodstofilmadocumentaryaboutthemythoftheBlairWitch. WhatweseeisthepeoplefilmeverythingthattheydoWesee(inanutshell)themgetlost,get scaredandthenlookingatawall.

Narrationistheprocessthroughwhichafilmconveysorwithholdsnarrativeinformation,theway thestoryistold.Narrationconcernstheactualarrangementandpresentationofthestoryin theshowmorecontent

Ohno.Todorovalsoarguesthatnarrativeinvolvesatransformation.Thecharactersorthesituations aretransformedthroughtheprogressofthedisruption.E.g.Halloween.InthisfilmLaurieStrode startsoutasageekyteenagerwhoismoreconcernedwithherlessonsthanboys."Shit,what,I forgotmychemistrybook"."HeyLaurieIjustgotyouadatewiththatboyyoulike.Ohnoplease tellmeyoudidn'tIsuredidOKthenyougottaringhimonthemorningandcancelthewhole thing".Butthenattheendofthestory(whichconcludesattheendofthesequelHalloween2)sheis amuchstrongercharacter.ThisisemphasisedwiththecharacterinHalloweenH20wherewesee howmuchshehasmovedonfromgeekyteenagertoaconfident,strong,energeticmum

VladimirProppbelievesthatthecharactersinafilmhaveanarrativefunctioninthetext.Characters aretheretohelpprovideastructureforthetext.Hefoundeightbasiccharacterswhoperforma certainfunction.Followingaretheeightcharactersandwithexamplesoftheircounterpartsinsome famousfilmsTheHEROIn'TheMatrix'Neoisthepersonwhoonaquestforsomethinggets drawnintoaworldofUN–realityandcomesouttheunlikelyheroafterbeingtrainedtorealisethe truth.Thisisacommonaction/thrillergenrefilmtechnique,becauseithelpstheaudiencefeel relatedinawaytotheherobecauseyourealisethatitcouldhappentoanyoneofusThisisused

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AtthispointinmylifeIfindmyselfinaninterestingpredicamentregardingmyattitudestoward readingandwriting;moresotowardsreading.YearsagoIusedtolovereadingbooksforpleasure butnowadaysIfindmyselfreadingthingsthatlittletonoefforttodigest.Thisincludesthevery basicpostsonfacebookexpressingone'sopiniononsomethingorarticlesandthreadsonreddit discussingtopicsIfindintriguingPerhapsit'stheseveresenioritisthathasovercomemeasIenter mylastsemesteratChapmanUniversity.AsI'vegottenlazierIcanseeitstarttoreflectinmy everydaylife.DeepdownIstilllovetoreadbutIrarelyfindmyselfgettingtrulyinvestedintothe actionunlessitrelatestosomethingIamveryshowmorecontent

Youcanfeedthemindasmuchasyouwantanditwillnevergetfullofreading.Sadly,I'mnotthe samepersonthatIwas.Iguessyoucouldsayit'spartofgrowingup.Itneverreallywasintentional butit'sjustthewayhowitendedup.Ontheotherhandmyattitudestowardwritingarevery different.FirstletmesaythatdeepdownItrulydonotliketowrite.Imyselfdon'tpersonallyliketo writeforleisureorpleasurebutratherIwritebecauseIbelieveitisoneofthemostimportant aspectsofbeingabletocommunicatewiththosearoundyou,bothpersonallyandprofessionally.To putdifferently,myattitudetowardswritingisthatIwritebecauseIneedtowriteandsurviveinthe worldaroundme.IwritebecauseIhaveto,notbecauseIwantto.Hopefullythissomewhatmakes sense.Tobetterexplainletmemakeacomparison.WhenIamassignedawritingassignmentorI amwritingbecausetheactionisbeingforceduponmeIfindmyselfnotenjoyingtheprocessand overalltheendresultissubpar.Theperfectexampleofthiswouldbemyjunioryearinhighschool whenIwasenrolledinAPenglishliterature.Idreadedthemajorityoftheclasssimplybecause therewassomuchwritinginvolvedintheentirecourseandthereforeIwasconstantlywritingjustto getagrade.Beingforcedtowriteinsuchhighvolumeeveryweekforanentireschoolyearwasnot enjoyableformyselfandasaresultthe

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Thenarratorevent'sheusesIthinkisn'tverycredibleIthinkit'sunusualandunreliableonhowhe hasn'ttalked.Alsohehasn'tevenheardhisownvoice.Myunderstandingofthenarratordefinitely addedsomesuspenseformyselfbecauseIwasthinkinglike,"Howwouldhereact?"whenhewent tothatparty"Icannotevenhintwhatitwaslike,foritwascompoundofallthatisunclean, uncanny,unwelcome,abnormal,anddetestable"Ithinkthattheauthordidagoodjobonpicking whatthenarratorwouldbelikebecauseIfeltlikehewasgoingtodosomethingunpredictable.

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Larsen'sstyleisatrickyone;inPassing,Larsen'snarrationishighlyunreliable.Toldfromthe viewpointofIrene,manyaspectsareskewed,especiallyinregardstoClare.Inthebeginningofthe novel,IrenerecallseventsfromClare'schildhood:"IreneRedfieldseemedtoseeapalesmallgirl sittingonaraggedbluesofa,sewingpiecesofbrightredclothtogether,whileherdrunken fatherragedthreateninglyupanddowntheshabbyroom,bellowingcursesandmakingspasmodic lungesather..."(9),yetlatersheremembersClarebeing"selfish,andcold,andhard"(10).Ifthe readerlookspastthebias,weseethatClare'slifehasbeenespeciallydifficultandthatIrene's strangedislikeforheriscompletelyunwarrantedLarsen'sstyle

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Thefirst–personnarrativeisastorytoldfromthefirst–personperspective.Thenarratorisspeaking directlyabouthimorherself.Thefirst–personnarratorcanbeeithersubjectiveorobjective.The third–objectivenarrativeisastorytoldbyanonparticipatingcharacter.Thenarratorisusually detachedfromthestory.Sometimes,thenarratorcompletelypenetratesthemindofacharacter. Third–personnarrationisoftenusedindocumentariesTheomniscientnarratorsareoftennotpartof thestorybutareall–knowingobservers.Thesenarratorstellthereaderallthefactsweneedtoknow tofullyunderstandthestory.Sincethewomanthinksthatsheisseeingaghost,Iwouldusethe first–personnarrationThiswaythecameracancapturealltheactionthroughhereyesand emphasizesherfear....showmorecontent...

Thestorymightbetoldbyagroupofpeopleorjustoneperson.Forinstance,thestorycanbe createdbytheproducers,thedirectors,andthewritersworkingtogether.However,inafilmwith voice–overnarrative,theoff–screennarratorisusuallyalsoacharacterinthestorybutnotalways. ThenarrationinrealistmoviesisalmostinvisibleThestoryunfoldsbyitselfinachronological order.Thenarrationinclassicalmoviesismoreobvious.Thereisadiscreetstorytellerwhohelp directthestoryandkeepeverythingontrack.Informalistmovies,thenarratorismanipulative.The narratoroftendestroysthechronologicalorderofthestoryandrestructureseventstoemphasizea point.ThenarrationinTheUsualSuspectsisconspicuous.VerbalKintisthenarratoraswellasone ofthemaincharactersinthefilmHeismanipulativebecausethestoryistoldfromVerbal'spointof

TipsforEffectiveNarration

RhetoricalmodeNarrationNarrationisusuallyusedtotellastoryoraseriesofeventsortodescribe somethingthatoccurred.Itisusedaswayofvivifyinganincidentandis,therefore,closetothe rhetoricaltoolof'description'.Tipsforeffectivenarrationaretoputaccountsinchronologicalorder withthebeginningsegueingintothecontinuance,theclimaxcomingtowardstheendandtheending bringinganunexpectedandusuallysatisfactorydenouementtothewholeNarrationhastobe logical,usuallychronological.Genresincludethefollowing:anecdote,autobiography,biography, novel,shorthistoryandoralhistory.IllustrationUsingexamplestosupportandvivifyapoint.These includefacts,statistics,quotations,stories,poems,andsoforthExamplesshouldbedirectlyrelated tothepointonewishestomake.Thebestexamplesarethosethatleavethedesiredimpact(e.g. emotional),arenottoolongortedious,arecomprehsibleandsuitabletoaudience,andcontaingood descriptionDescriptionDescriptioninvolvesvisuallyrecreatingacertainincidentinawaythatit engagesthereader'ssensesandbringstheincidenttolifesothatthehearercanidentifywithand experiencetheeventassthoughhehimselfhasseenitoccurDescriptivewritingisoftena subcategoryofotherrhetoricaldevices.Tipsforeffectivedescriptionaretogainasintimatea familiarityofdescriptiveobjectaspossible,todescribeitsnuances,andoftentozonein

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Narrative:Amemorableevent.

Iwoketomybodyjitteringwithanxiety.Itwas7o'clockonaSaturdaymorning,anditwastheday thatIhadbeenawaitingfor.IwasalmostreadywhenmyDadshouted''Yabettagetya'selfmoving Kertesha,we'regonnabelate!''.

Ipaused,andtookonelastlookatmyselfinthemirrorMyhairwasscrapedback,mypolonecked fleecewassuffocatinganditchy,myblackribbedjodhpursweretightaroundmymidriff,butthere wasonethingmissing.Itwasonethingwhichallthegirlsontheinternet,inthemovies,andinall theequestrianmagazineshad–AgiletMinewasapinkAbercrombie&Fitchone,withribbed salmontrimsaroundthewaistbandandcollar;itwasnotarealequestriangilet,...showmore content

Althoughthesmellofthemanurewasstrong,overtimeIbegantoappreciateit,andsoitbecame moreofanaroma,thananodour.ButthisissomethingmyDadneverseemedtogetused,tolet aloneappreciateTheentirestablehadaratheroddsmell;itwasamixtureofhay,cutgrass,dust, manure,andoddly,ahintofleather.ThiswasasmellwhichIsoonbecameveryfondof.

Thereweresixofusinthegroup,wewereallnewtoDulwhichRidingSchoolandfilledwith enthusiasm.Afterbeinghandedourridinghats,wewerealphabeticallypermittedtochooseahorse, andasalways,Iwaslastinthealphabet.Iwasleftwithachoiceoftwo,onewasablueroanfilly. ShewasayoungslatecolouredhorsewhoremindedmeofEeyore(fromWinniethePooh),andwas alsoalotsmallerthantheotherhorses.ThenIsawtheattractivesorrelcolouredgelding,hestood glaringatmewithhisheadpokingoutofthebarngate.Hismanewasdarkandsilky,andhehada strikingwhitebirthmarkonthebridgeofhisnoseIhadaninstantconnectionwithhim,and proclaimedhisnameasCashmere.

AsIleadCashmeretowardstheindoorridingarena,myheartraced.Theinconsistentsoundhoofs trottingalongthecobbledgroundwereintensifying.AsIstrokedCashmere'smuzzleandgavehima mintpolo(he'sfavourites),Ibegantomentallypreparedmyselftomount,andridehim. Cashmerewas

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Forthisnarrative,Iinterviewedmymom,AmandaLopez.Atfirst,sheseemsmean.That'svery bluntbutit'strue.Mymomisaveryguardedandself–reservedperson.Shedoeshavemannersand sheisnicebut,shewon'topenupimmediatelytoanewperson.Sheisalsoveryhardworkingand independent.Shewasn'tbornwiththesequalities,shewentthroughalotofdifferentstruggles,but that'showsheendedupwheresheistoday

Mymomdidn'thaveaverygoodhighschoolexperience.Hermomalwaysmoved,whichcaused hertomoveWhichcausedhertohavefewfriendsSheneverparticipatedinsportsorartsShe mostlyfocusedonherhomelifeandschool.Hermomneverreallysupportedher.Whenaskedabout thefuture,shestate"Ineverthoughtaboutthefuture,itwasmoreofadaybyday,momentby momentkindofthing.HowamIgoingtopayforthisandwhenwillIgetmyhomeworkdone?"My momhadtobuyherownclothes,paytherentathermom'shouse,andjuggleschoolwork.So,as youcanimagine,shehadalotonherplateAlthough,shedidhavesupportfromherauntanduncle But,shestillhadtodoalotofthingsonherown."AuntTerriandIwouldgotoherparent'shouse andhangoutonthefarm.Wewoulddoeverydaynormalstufflikebakingandknitting." Essentially,AuntTerriwasthemomsheneverhad,shetaughtherbasicskillsandgavehertipson differentthings."Theyweretheonesthatcametomyvolleyballgamesandmadecupcakesforthe