Narration English 1010

Narratives- English 1010

Megan Godwin

Narratives are a type of writing, or rhetoric, used to express a personal opinion or story. Narratives generally are stories that tell “who did what to whom and why.” (Dymock) Story grammars, a structure that can guide any story, help promote the story being told in a fashion that ties all the elements in the text in an organized manner. Elements in a narrative are setting, theme, characters, and plot. Plot can be further broken into episodes that contain a problem, response, action, and outcome. These episodes lead to the conclusion and can be illustrated visually with a story graphs and story webs. Narratives should flow, not be forced, and are more comprehendible when in chronological order. The author’s thesis in narratives most likely tells a lesson learned or supports a larger argument. Research shows that a good comprehension of a narrative text can create a stable foundation for students when they begin reading a more complex text perhaps in high school or college.

                One summer, I journeyed to Holland to compete in the Youth Olympics. At the time, I played basketball and was nominated and chosen to be a sports ambassador for America. I learned a lot while I was there and made many friends that I still talk to up to this day. While I was there, I felt as though I had entered a different world. Marijuana was sold at shops and alcohol was included in many drinks that I, at the mere age of fourteen and very naïve, had no knowledge when it came to what I, or anyone else in my group, was ordering at the restaurants. I am now fully aware that Holland’s apple juice is not quite like the apple juice in America. Another memorable moment was when the program I was with thought it would be a good idea to let us have a fun, relaxing day at the beach. The program thought choosing a beach a little away from the tourist and the packed people would be safer, however we were all shocked at what we saw as we pulled up the beach. This semi-secluded beach was full of people in the nude. None of us were accustomed to this sight. It seemed as though as fast as we pulled into the parking lot, our leader was simultaneously driving away as fast as possible. The trip to New Amsterdam was just amazing. I was able to see many new things, try new foods, and improve my skills in basketball. My coach led my team to the championship game in the tournament where we had the chance to compete for the gold medals against the Dutch. Unfortunately, we had to settle for the silver medals since that was the third game we had to play that day and the Dutch destroyed us. My team and I were still very proud of our silver medals though. On the airplane ride home, I found out that the Irish bowling team got in some trouble for visiting the Red Light District and was asked to leave the program. This was good for America because this took out the competition for America and the American bowling team was able to win the gold medals. My Holland adventure was quite eventful, full of dances, meeting new people, and some friendly competitions.