...CLRC Writing Center Structure of a Personal Narrative Essay “Narrative” is a term more commonly known as “story.” Narratives written for college or personal narratives, tell a story, usually to some point, to illustrate some truth or insight. Following are some tools to help you structure your personal narrative, breaking it down into parts. The “Hook” Start your paper with a statement about your story that catches the reader’s attention, for example: a relevant quotation, question, fact, or definition. Introduction Set the Scene Provide the information the reader will need to understand the story: Who are the major characters? When and where is it taking place? Is it a story about something that happened to you, the writer, or is it fiction? Thesis Statement The thesis of a narrative essay plays a slightly different role than that of an argument or expository essay. A narrative thesis can begin the events of the story: “It was sunny and warm out when I started down the path”; offer a moral or lesson learned: “I’ll never hike alone again”; or identify a theme that connects the story to a universal experience: “Journeys bring both joy and hardship.” “Show, Don’t Tell” Good story telling includes details and descriptions that help the reader understand what the writer experienced. Think about using all five senses—not just the sense of sight—to add details about what you heard, saw, and felt during the event. For example, “My heart jumped as the dark ...
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...CLRC Writing Center Structure of a Personal Narrative Essay “Narrative” is a term more commonly known as “story.” Narratives written for college or personal narratives, tell a story, usually to some point, to illustrate some truth or insight. Following are some tools to help you structure your personal narrative, breaking it down into parts. The “Hook” Start your paper with a statement about your story that catches the reader’s attention, for example: a relevant quotation, question, fact, or definition. Set the Scene Provide the information the reader will need to understand the story: Who are the major characters? When and where is it taking place? Is it a story about something that happened to you, the writer, or is it fiction? Thesis Statement The thesis of a narrative essay plays a slightly different role than that of an argument or expository essay. A narrative thesis can begin the events of the story: “It was sunny and warm out when I started down the path”; offer a moral or lesson learned: “I’ll never hike alone again”; or identify a theme that connects the story to a universal experience: “Journeys bring both joy and hardship.” “Show, Don’t Tell” Good story telling includes details and descriptions that help the reader understand what the writer experienced. Think about using all five senses—not just the sense of sight—to add details about what you heard, saw, and felt during the event. For example, “My heart jumped as the dark shape of the brown grizzly lurched...
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...Africa through Theatre This paper sets out to explore how processes of theatre making employed by The Mothertongue project, provide spaces for women to remap their personal narratives. Mothertongue works from the premise that the development and subsequent performance of stories in theatrical processes affords women the opportunity to re-write and remap their personal narratives and in so doing insert their voices into the landscape of South African Theatre. In an attempt to redress the gender imbalances and androcentricism prevalent in post-apartheid theatre, this paper speaks to the relationship between theatre, liminality and communitas. I am interested in unpacking how collaborative processes of theatre-making provide spaces for women to remap their personal narratives. Remapping in this instance refers to processes of transforming lived experience through story. I address how, through engaging in ritual activities that are central to the stories performed, actors, audiences and the owners of the source stories are invited to physically participate in remapping and transforming lived experience. Linked to this is the choice of form(s) and how this affects or impacts on the performed stories as well as on the construction of performed rituals and ultimately on the processes of remapping personal narratives. I focus specifically on Mothertongue’s 2004 production, Uhambo: pieces of a dream. The production was an integration of theatre and visual art in the form of performances...
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...Catalysts act on obstacles an individual faces which assists in overcoming personal and social boundaries. This is significant as it induces growth and transitions which bring new insights and understandings about themselves, others and the world around them. The bildungsroman novel “The story of Tom Brennan” written by J.C Burke and the speech ‘From Death Row To Law Graduate’ by Peter Ouko both follow the transitions of young men who face personal and social boundaries, challenging beliefs and attitudes of both protagonists and the situations they are in resulting in growth and new perceptions. An individual’s personal and social boundaries have an impact on the perceptions of themselves, others and the world around them. The ‘Story Of Tom Brennan’...
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...that most students and new essay writers run into is “How to write an essay.” usually roughly all essays follow a common structure of writing which comprises of an introduction, the body, and the conclusion. Once the writers are lucid about the technique of writing an essay and how to write an essay outline, the next step that they face up to is how to move toward a particular research paper topic. And what type of writing works best? Students often complain about a certain type of essay they have been assigned with. It seems to them that writing within essay type boundaries doesn’t allow them to think out the box, limits their potential. But writing a paper without any directions could be even more confusing than the class assignment you got. Do not think about the limitations as of the prison walls, but as of the walls in your room where you feel free to paint murals or change nothing whatsoever, simply being in control of it, being yourself. Tweet Quick Navigation through the Types of Essays Page Basic Types: Narrative, Descriptive and Persuasive How Can We Help Personal Essays Argumentation Essays Information Essays Analysis Essays Description Essays Structural Essays Download Free Sample of Essay Essay Sample Essay Free Sample (Click the image to enlarge) Essay Free Sample Basic Types: Narrative, Descriptive and Persuasive The most valuable skill when writing an essay is to know exactly what you are dealing with. That’s why...
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...Work/life balance is at best an elusive ideal and at worst a complete myth, today's senior executives will tell you. But by making deliberate choices about which opportunities they'll pursue and which they'll decline, rather than simply reacting to emergencies, leaders can and do engage meaningfully with work, family, and community. They've discovered through hard experience that prospering in the senior ranks is a matter of carefully combining work and home so as not to lose themselves, their loved ones, or their foothold on success. Those who do this most effectively involve their families in work decisions and activities. They also vigilantly manage their own human capital, endeavoring to give both work and home their due over a period of years, not weeks or days. That's how the 21st century business leaders in our research said they reconcile their professional and personal lives. In this article we draw on five years’ worth of interviews with almost 4,000 executives worldwide, conducted by students at Harvard Business School, and a survey of 82 executives in an HBS leadership course. Deliberate choices don't guarantee complete control. Life sometimes takes over, whether it's a parent's dementia or a teenager's car accident. But many of the executives we've studied men and women alike have sustained their momentum during such challenges while staying connected to their families. Their stories and advice reflect five main themes: defining...
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...set the precedent earlier that you, Keith, “are a good pupil” and set on a fairly good track (68). It’s still very relatively early within the schema of story branches to foresee what type of genre this section could emerge into. However, we reach moment of resound realism, a fork in the path that resonates with many readers. Keith’s friend Stephen, also described as the “best behaved boys at Marlings” offers Keith and his friends a cigarette (68). Mickey and Norman do not hesitate to take the offering, and the pack is raised like a “gun” at Keith and in turn it is you who decides how to react. This is a crucial moment, a gateway to partake in society’s pressures. You are given three choices: to turn down the cigarette, try to fake smoke it as demonstrated by your friend Mickey, or do better than the guys next to you and smoke it properly like your friend Stephen. Most choices given by the novel can be labeled as the easy, moral decision like the first choice given or bad choices like the last. Other choices can be described as neutral...
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...Survivor’s Tale, Art Spiegelman presents not only his father’s Holocaust narrative but also his own personal narrative, especially with regards to his relationship with Vladek. Readers learn that Artie and Vladek do not always get along, and there is a palpable tension between them. Vladek seems frugal and argumentative, while Artie appears self-centered and uncaring. In both cases, the characters’ faults are not glossed over. They are portrayed realistically, with positive and negative traits on full display. These portrayals accomplish two different goals for Spiegelman: one, they emphasize Artie’s interest in accuracy as opposed to sentimentality, and two, they allow the audience to discover Artie’s own personal trauma—namely,...
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...Synthesis *Disclaimer: the views represented in the synthesis essay may not necessarily represent my personal opinions (I won’t write this disclaimer on the AP test). To live a meaningful life is awfully vague, for it can mean a life of happiness, of financial superiority, and of success. But the reason behind why the definition remains vague is clear: we become too obsessed with external factors and often forget ourselves--our character and our individuality. Thus, the prospect of a meaningful life continues to run away from us as we grow jealous of others who have more resources than we. To live a truly meaningful life that embraces both controllable and uncontrollable factors, we must resist trying to please others by avoiding the tendency...
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...The Narrative Life of Fredrick Douglass an American Slave The tone of this book is cool and reserved yet enraged and overly emotional. How can he’s tone be both cool yet emotional? Overly emotional biographies are not usually considered reliable or accurate. However, since the author wants to convince us the readers, that what he’s saying is truth and accurate he tries to contain his anger about slavery, yet at the same time the reader knows that Douglass is really angry about slavery and he wants us to be angry as well. Though he mostly keeps in anger under control, every once in awhile he lets the reader know how he really feels In the book Douglass gives an emotional speech when he looks out at the Chesapeake Bay and wishes he could be as...
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...The Boy at the Top of the Mountain is a story of lost innocence in the face of terrible evil. It's a tale of innocence corrupted as Pieter's personal devotion to Hitler changes him from a kind 7-year-old with a Jewish best friend into a self-important bully who betrays his friends and is proud and boastful of his membership in the Hitler Youth. Back in 2006, same author John Boyne had introduced us to Bruno, the 9-year-old whose father is Commandant at Auschwitz where the boy becomes friends with the Jewish hostage Shmuel after whom The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is titled. Reflecting that title, the authors new novel seems to be like a sequel but it's more an assistant piece telling an entirely new story through the eyes of Pierrot, a French/German...
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...format prevail. You will also need to review your own citations and references since WritePoint capability in this area is limited. NOTE: WritePoint comments are computer-generated writing and grammar suggestions inviting the consideration and analysis of the writer; they are not infallible statements of right/wrong, and they should not be used as grading elements. Also, at present, WritePoint cannot detect quotations or block-quotes, so comments in those areas should be ignored. Please see the other helpful writing resources in the Tutorials and Guides section of the Center for Writing Excellence. Thank you for using WritePoint. University of Phoenix Material Thesis Statement and Informal Outline Worksheet In this course, you [Eliminate second person (you, your) in academic documents and avoid addressing the reader directly. Prefer third-person pronouns (he, she, they, it)] will write a 700- to 1,400-word Personal Responsibility Essay [This title could be more inspiring. Labeling it a "paper" or an "essay" is redundant (what else could it be?), and only a few words as a title are not very explanatory (or intriguing to the reader). An ideal title has between six and a dozen words ] , due in Week Five, which includes the following: • Definition of personal responsibility and what it means to you. [second person] • Explain the relationship between personal responsibility and college success. • Include a preliminary plan to practice personal...
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...historically, academics, such as Henry James, formed the foundation of modernism through deterministic theories on the validity of science as distinguishing factor on the development of higher human civilizations. However, the paradigm of determinism and scientific inquiry has been co-opted by the subjective sciences, such as social and cultural studies, which deny these terms as being too simplistic a narrative to define the development of human progress by science in and of itself. The major pioneer of post-modernist theory, Jean-Franc Lyotard (1984), defines the “nostalgia” of scientific realism as a barrier to the study of...
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...Women’s Empowerment in Beloved and “The Yellow Wallpaper” Women today are still facing the same types of oppression that they did in the nineteenth century. However, the oppression that women faced two centuries ago was by far worse than it is currently. “The Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in the late nineteenth century speaks to women because of the oppression and unequal treatment the heroines received. The story also shows that women no matter race were oppressed. Beloved, written by Toni Morrison in the late twentieth century, is a neo slave narrative that discusses a woman who ran away from slavery. The novel’s present takes place soon after the thirteenth amendment was passed. As a piece of historical fiction, Beloved shares several themes such as women’s empowerment with “The Yellow Wallpaper” and displays the white male’s dominance over women and its detrimental impact on their mental state. Jane, the protagonist in “The Yellow Wallpaper,” conveys to readers her oppression due to being a female. Since her husband will not let her express her ideas openly, writing in her diary is Jane’s only...
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...Video games today have evolved from the basic structures of Pong and Space Invaders to have complex and film-like narratives. In many ways, games and film are very similar. Despite the similarities, how do video games approach storytelling differently than film, and does this affect the audience? The critical difference between storytelling in games and movies is how each medium engages its audience. Games transform the simple observer to a grand director. With active engagement, versus passive engagement, follows a number of other differences, including interaction, variable outcome, and player agency. The horror game Until Dawn is an applicable example of how the active engagement makes a game stand out from horror films with its outstanding...
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