Assignment: Personal Narrative



Click the image above to download the
"Narrative Characteristics" handout.

Assignment

Genre: Personal Narrative

                A Personal Narrative is a form of writing in which the writer relates an event, incident, or experience in his or her own life. The events of a personal narrative are most often presented in chronological order, the order in which they actually occurred in time. The personal narrative incorporates vivid descriptive details as well as the thoughts, feelings, and reactions of the writer.

Directions: Choose one of the following and write a response that is at least five paragraphs in length (intro, body, and conclusion) and between 1.5 and 2 pages long, double spaced, Times New Roman, 12 point font. Try to demonstrate your best content and clearest organization. Grammar is a priority, so make sure to proofread your work. Include sensory detail that appeal to all five of the senses (taste, touch, smell, sight, and hearing).

Topic 1 – Write a first-person narrative about an experience in your life that has taught you a valuable lesson. Use enough details to recreate the event exactly as you remember it. Be sure to explain what the incident taught you.

Topic 2 – Recount the details of an accident or disaster to which you were a witness or a victim. Try to make your audience experience the emotional impact of this event by including descriptive details in the conflict.

CLICK on the image for the handout: Sample Narrative.


 

Structure: In the intro, describe the setting and “characters” involved in meaningful detail. Try to use figurative language, like similes and metaphors, to engage the reader. The body of the essay should develop the scene, elaborate on the experience, use sensory detail and explain the emotional reaction of the “character” (you). The conclusion should emphasize the lesson learned through this experience or the way that the experience changed you. Make sure to go back to the person you were before this happened and detail the exact change that occurred.