1. Narration Essay A Sample Structure

2. Most Essay Include • An introduction (with a thesis statement) • A body consisting of two or more paragraphs, each one structured around a topic sentence or main idea and containing support for the thesis • A conclusion (which restates a thesis statement and offers a final thought)

3. But What About Narrative Essays? Doesn’t “narrative” mean story? And isn’t a story organized around a plot, not a thesis?

4. A narrative essay is NOT a story! It is an essay that makes its point by telling a story.

5. What’s the difference? • The purpose of a story is to explain what happens to certain people at certain times. • The purpose of a narrative essay, however, is to support and explain a thesis statement, or main idea. • Therefore, a narrative essay uses a story to help illustrate or explain a main idea.

6. Sample Structurefor Narrative Essay • Introduction: introduce your characters and state your main point (or thesis) • Body: tell your story in two, three, four, or more paragraphs. Remember, each part of the story needs to support or help illustrate your thesis. • Conclusion: Move the story to the present tense, focusing on what you learned from the events you have just described and offering a final, concluding thought.

7. Example: Introduction • The introduction would introduce myself, the situation (a visit to Burgers & Beer), and the thesis: • I will never eat at Burgers & Beer again. • The thesis would be followed by a plan of development, listing the reasons why I do not want to go to Burgers & Beer: • Too busy • Bad service • Bad food

8. Example: Body • Because there are three reasons why I do not want to eat at Burgers & Beer, I will include three supporting paragraphs. • Since this is a narrative essay, and narratives are usually organized by time, I will organize my three points in chronological order, from the beginning of my visit to the restaurant to the end.

9. Example: Body (cont.) • Too busy: In this paragraph, I would describe going to the restaurant, seeing lines outside the door, having to wait for 45 minutes for a table. I would try to describe as many interesting or unusual things that happened as I could, in order to make the story more interesting.

10. Example: Body (cont.) • Bad service: I would then go on about the waitress spilling drinks on me, mixing up our orders, insulting us, and so on. This paragraph, like the first, would be centered around a topic sentence, and this topic sentence would connect the point of this paragraph (bad service) to the paper’s thesis (I will never go back to this restaurant).

11. Example: Body (cont.) • Bad food: Again, I would tell yet another part of the story, this one focusing on the food itself (hair in it, undercooked, disgusting). Again, I would connect the topic sentence for this paragraph with the essay’s thesis statement.

12. Example: Conclusion I would conclude the essay by concluding my story: leaving the restaurant, convinced that I should never again return. I would also restate the supporting points I used to make this decision, thereby reinforcing the overall point of my paper.

13. That’s It! Now get to work on your very own narrative essay!