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Descriptive vs Narrative

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Descriptive vs. Narrative Jamie Godard ENG 121 English Composition 1 Abby Forster December 23, 2013

Both styles of writing are great examples of what narrative and descriptive should be, but a narrative allows you to live within the story for just a moment. By the end of this you will see why in my mind narrative is superior, how it draws the reader in as if they were a part of the story, instead of just being a spectator. I am speaking of the entertainment aspect as well as key writing essentials, and I will do so by using to great stories, Caged Bird by M. Angelou and I want a wife by J. Brady.
First we will start with the detail, both share a style of being able to paint a vivid picture in a reader’s mind. Whereas Angelou’s writing of a Caged Bird paints a great picture of a free bird gliding on the wind, Brady is able to cast you as the woman/wife that seems to only live with the purpose of pleasing her spouse. Brady made it possible for you, the reader, to almost know how it feels to be the one standing at the door when your husband comes in and says, “I need dinner for me and several of my co-workers, and for you to play hostess/server while he entertains”. But, with Angelou’s story you get a description that sort of reminds you of an oil painting, with a picture of a bird as their wings dip through sunrays. With Brady, you get emotion that gives you a sense of the writer’s mental state. How, in order to deal with their situation, they see the humor in it, with phrases like “at times I wish I had a wife”. With a Caged Bird, you don’t feel their pain; again you only picture it with phrases like “he can seldom see through his bars of rage”. I mean I can picture what Angelou is saying, but at the same time I cannot truly feel it.
Like I said, these are both great examples, but a narrative adds another aspect that descriptive does not. In this instance, the narrative “I want a wife” is easier to understand. When you start reading this story, within a few lines you are able to understand the meaning as being the plight of a wife. But when some people read “Caged Bird” it takes a little longer to decipher the meaning through metaphors and mental comparisons. While Angelou speaks of a bird that sings to the hills as he thinks of fat worms on a fresh lawn, Brady clearly puts you in the mist of the life of cooking dinners, raising kids, folding laundry, and catering to a husband’s beckoning command. Although she does it in a comical/sarcastic manner, the meaning is still somewhat simple to grasp. Please do not think I do not respect the profoundness of Ms. Angelou’s work, for I understand the thought that her writing inspires, it makes you think deeper than the slide show her words paint for you. Yet you must respect the fact that with Brady’s piece of work you can almost picture yourself cleaning a table while saying in your head sarcastically I wish I had a wife to pick up after the children, cook meals, grocery shop, and keep everything in its proper place. Yeah, I wish I had a wife; it must be nice to have one of those. With phrases like that, who wouldn’t want a wife or servant as it is somewhat depicted in the story that Brady has so easily put the reader in the midst of.
Then there is the entertainment value of Brady’s story compared to Angelou’s. Consider when you start watching a movie or any program for that matter. If it does not keep you interested in the beginning, chances are that you will probably not finish the show. Same goes for any reader, we want a story that’s going to keep our attention throughout the entire story and keep us on the edge of our seats with anticipation. If I may stray from these two stories for just a moment, but it is the entertainment aspect that made such modern stories like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings thrive so much in our culture. People in general like to be scared, for the story to tug at the strings of their heart, or that simply make them laugh uncontrollably. While a descriptive story can be entertaining, sometimes the person reading does not want a story that requires such in depth thought. Sometimes we just want something to distract us from the everyday monotony of life, for we all know that life itself sometimes supplies us with all the inner thought we require at times. I don’t know about you, but when I come home from work after a long day, I would much rather read something that is going to help me forget the stresses of the day. Not a story that may cause me to compound even more thought on to what may have already been a stressful day. Brady leads you to learn something without all the in depth thought that a story like Angelou provides that requires you to sift through all the metaphors provided in a descriptive story.
We all are able to form our own opinions, as far as what we like and what we don’t like, but I’m asking you to think about this. It’s fine to gain knowledge through deep thoughts and metaphors that we probably would not have thought of normally if it had not been written so beautifully. I’m saying it’s the entertainment value at times that keeps you interested. It’s when you’re able to walk in that person’s shoes, to be able to almost know the attitude they carry, to know the slight gestures they would make, to hear the underlying sarcasm that goes with the emotion of the moment. It is all those elements and plenty more that make a narrative superior, while at the same time providing you with a new perspective on a situation or idea.

References
Brady, J. (1971). I want a wife. Retrieved from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/everythingsanargument4e/content/cat_020/Brady_I_Want_a_Wife.pdf
Angelou, M. (1983). Caged bird. Retrieved from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/178948

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