Narratives I’ve read so far:
Visual Description – “The hall had no windows; only fluorescent lighting
illuminated the large space.”
Lydia’s Story, p.128, paragraph 2
Dialog – “Greater
by far than the responsibility to comrades in arms is the responsibility to
friends, family and self, responsibility to the one life each of us gets to
live.”
Bidding
Farewell to Arms, p.121, paragraph 2
Sensory descriptions –
Smell: “Entering the large VFW hall, we were struck by the chemical
odor of a cleaning solution so strong that it seemed toxic.” Lydia’s Story, p.128, paragraph 2
Sounds: “The cackle of the television was the only sound.” Lydia’s Story, p.128, paragraph 2
Touch: “…she woke up to find that her feet and the sleeping bag were
soaking wet.” Lydia’s Story, p.129,
paragraph 2
Emotion: “…the enormity of the double hurricanes became clear only
after witnessing so many people left without homes.” Lydia’s Story, p.131, paragraph 3
Topics for my narrative:
·
Learning to read in K4 with Mrs. Lacy
·
My English class freshman year with Mrs. Gentry
·
Cursive with my mom
·
Memorizing
poems throughout my childhood with my sisters and mother during my homeschooled
years
CONSIDER YOUR RHETORICAL SITUATION:
Purpose – I want to tell this story because it is a memory that takes
up a huge place in my heart. Memorizing poems with my family helped me in the
future with studying and being able to memorize facts fast.
Audience – I think my readers will have had a similar experience, but
not in the same way. In my narrative I expect I will have to give a lot of
background to let my audience know why I memorized poetry and why I enjoyed it
so much. This part of my life is not something I want to hide, it was a fun and
bonding experience with my family that also benefitted me in literacy.
Stance – My attitude will be affectionate and hopefully humorous, for
it is a fond memory. I wish with this paper my readers will see me as a girl that
loves learning and that had a family that made it fun for her to do so.
Media / Design – My paper will be in print and will be 1200 – 1500 words
long. I do not plan on presenting photos or illustrations in my paper, but
publishing it on my writer’s blog.
DESCRIBE THE SETTING
What do you see? I see
myself sitting on a rug in our upstairs living room looking into a fireplace.
The walls around me are a light olive green and cream lighted by fluorescent lights.
What do you hear? I hear my
mom reading a stanza of a poem repeatedly. A cat occasionally scratching the furniture.
My older sister whimpering when she doesn’t memorize a line quite right. The
noise of the heaters going off.
What do you smell? I smell the
remnants of sticky buns that we had for breakfast and the GAIN smell of my clothes.
How and what do you feel? I
feel exhausted, for memorizing took place every morning at 8:00 AM. I am
nervous for when it will be my turn to say the poem, knowing I will never be as
good at memorizing as my older sister. I’m in my pajamas, so I am very comfy
while sprawled on the rug.
What do you taste? I taste
leftover walnuts from the sticky buns.
THINK ABOUT THE KEY PEOPLE
Describe each person:
My mom has a joyful and uplifting spirit. She loves to play on words
and always encourages. For as long as I can remember she has had short brown
hair and the whitest teeth which I envy. She is very clear in her statements,
and has a good vocabulary. She has an easy smile and loves to look for the fun
in situations.
My older sister Beryl has always been a genius. I’m quite positive she
has a photographic memory. Her hair is bright blonde with little wave in it.
She is more reserved than my mom and me, and doesn’t express herself very
often. But when she does express herself, she never stumbles over her words like
I do, but knows exactly what she is saying. Beryl has always had the best style
out of our family, and is also the most conscious of it. She also has had a
very strong passion for coffee since she was very young.
My little sister Ariel loves to be different. She takes joy in being
opposite from us, and has a fiery temper. Her hair is red like mine but she and
I are as different as ice and fire. She would always try to be memorize poetry
with us, but would eventually end up dancing around the room to try to distract
us. Her smile is rare but when she does her face lights up like fireworks.
Recall (or imagine) some
characteristic dialog:
Me (Leah): “Why don’t I have it memorized?! Beryl had it weeks ago!”
Mom: “It’s OK, Leah! You’ll have it memorized by tomorrow.” She said
flashing a smile.
Me (Leah): “Yeah, I just wish I could be as fast as Beryl is… it’s no
fair.”
Mom: “Leah, you and Beryl are very different. When you memorize
something it is something you have worked very hard at, which I admire almost
more than if you were able to memorize right off the bat.”
Me: “Mm-hm, thanks Mom.”
WRITE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED
Summarize the action: Over
the school year that I was homeschooled, my mom, sister and I worked at
memorizing various poems which took much effort. One the school year was over we
had memorized over 15 that I presented in front of my family in a mock
classroom.
Consider the significance of the
narrative: This narrative is significant because memorizing helped me in
school later on with studying and memorizing facts. This is also a huge memory
for me as it is one of the key things I look back to as I was growing up.
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