...Descriptive versus Narrative Chris Hathaway ENG121 Michelle Terashima January 27, 2014 Descriptive versus Narrative This essay is to compare-contrast a narrative and descriptive essay The essays I chose were, “Are the Rich Happy?” written by Stephen Leacock (1916) for the narrative essay and “Homeless” written by Anna Quindlen (n.d.) for the descriptive essay. The title of both essays is what caught my eye and the reason why I read them. Although, I enjoyed reading both essays, I felt the descriptive essay “Homeless” had more value and was the better read. Therefore, in this essay, I am going to compare/contrast the author’s purpose, the difference in their use of descriptive language, and the impact on the reader’s that each author intended to accomplish through the essay that they wrote. I also plan to show why, in the case of these two essays, I felt that the descriptive essay “Homeless” was the better read. One comparison of these two essays is the descriptive language they use. A narrative essay is written to tell a story. In the essay “Are the Rich Happy?” the author Leacock tells a story of his encounters with people he thought to be rich. He sarcastically tells the story using some vague descriptive language. His descriptions are not such that you can see or feel but, so that you understand who he is talking about, their expressions, and their lifestyles so that you can see the comparison he is making between the rich and the poor. In his essay he speaks of a...
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...Descriptive versus Narrative This essay is to compare-contrast a narrative and descriptive essay The essays I chose were, “Are the Rich Happy?” written by Stephen Leacock (1916) for the narrative essay and “Homeless” written by Anna Quindlen (n.d.) for the descriptive essay. The title of both essays is what caught my eye and the reason why I read them. Although, I enjoyed reading both essays, I felt the descriptive essay “Homeless” had more value and was the better read. Therefore, in this essay, I am going to compare/contrast the author’s purpose, the difference in their use of descriptive language, and the impact on the reader’s that each author intended to accomplish through the essay that they wrote. I also plan to show why, in the case of these two essays, I felt that the descriptive essay “Homeless” was the better read. One comparison of these two essays is the descriptive language they use. A narrative essay is written to tell a story. In the essay “Are the Rich Happy?” the author Leacock tells a story of his encounters with people he thought to be rich. He sarcastically tells the story using some vague descriptive language. His descriptions are not such that you can see or feel but, so that you understand who he is talking about, their expressions, and their lifestyles so that you can see the comparison he is making between the rich and the poor. In his essay he speaks of a man who makes fifty thousand dollars a year and has told him with great frankness that it is impossible...
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...Descriptive versus Narrative This essay is to compare-contrast a narrative and descriptive essay The essays I chose were, “Are the Rich Happy?” written by Stephen Leacock (1916) for the narrative essay and “Homeless” written by Anna Quindlen (n.d.) for the descriptive essay. The title of both essays is what caught my eye and the reason why I read them. Although, I enjoyed reading both essays, I felt the descriptive essay “Homeless” had more value and was the better read. Therefore, in this essay, I am going to compare/contrast the author’s purpose, the difference in their use of descriptive language, and the impact on the reader’s that each author intended to accomplish through the essay that they wrote. I also plan to show why, in the case of these two essays, I felt that the descriptive essay “Homeless” was the better read. One comparison of these two essays is the descriptive language they use. A narrative essay is written to tell a story. In the essay “Are the Rich Happy?” the author Leacock tells a story of his encounters with people he thought to be rich. He sarcastically tells the story using some vague descriptive language. His descriptions are not such that you can see or feel but, so that you understand who he is talking about, their expressions, and their lifestyles so that you can see the comparison he is making between the rich and the poor. In his essay he speaks of a man who makes fifty thousand dollars a year and has told him with great frankness that it is impossible...
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...Descriptive vs. Narrative Essays Camille Hall English 121 Instructor James Welch March 17, 2013 Descriptive vs. Narrative Essays Descriptive essays are much more detailed and expressive than narrative essays and are more apt to hold the reader’s attention by ejecting more emotion. The narrative essay uses detail to advance the story, while the descriptive uses to detail to describe an unfamiliar subject. The ability to describe something convincingly is always important to both the writer and their audience. Both descriptive and narrative essays use detail but for different purposes. In this essay I will compare and contrast two essays; “I Want A Wife” and “Caged Bird” in order to give insight into each type of essay. The aim of a narrative essay is to describe a course of events from a subjective point, is usually told in chronological order, and is usually written in first person. Narrative essays are used to tell a story in a way so that the reader learns a lesson or gains insight, much of this is done through lots of detail about the subject that is being written about. The best narrative essays are those inducing images in the reader’s minds about what's happening by using concrete, specific verbs and nouns rather than a lot of adverbs and adjectives. To write a narrative essay you will need to tell a story (usually about something that has happened to you) or it could be fiction. The purpose is for your reader to learn a lesson or gain insight of...
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...Amanda Church Compare and contrast draft Professor Elizabeth Parks English 121 May 19, 2014 I. Introduction- The Narrative, “This Old House: The Heart is a Lonely Menagerie” leaves more to the readers imagination than the Descriptive essay, “Once More to the Lake”. II. First Difference: Specific word usage and paragraphs A. The narrative has dialogue and uses action to get the reader’s attention. The paragraphs can be short even one word, depending on if the writer is showing a conversation between two or more people. For example in the Narrative, “This Old House: The Heart is a Lonely Menagerie”, David has multiple conversations with people throughout the essay giving you an idea of what is actually taking place and helping to put you into the situation. B. Descriptive essays normally have longer paragraphs which include a lot of detail. These types of essays also require carefully chosen words so that the reader can visualize what the writer is intending to say. For example in “Once More to the Lake” He makes it a point to tell you every detail you could possibly imagine about the lake. III. Second Difference: The Structure of the essay A. A narrative should have a plot, setting and characters. It should also cover all important events. In the Narrative the plot is about how David wants the little things in life to be of importance and not have to worry about all the hub bub of showing off your belongings. He wants to relax and lead a simple life...
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...Compare-Contrast Essay The thought of doing an essay for most people can at be quite intimidating because of the need to be technically proficient, following the mandatory expectations outlined and some might find them boring because they feel like it is too restrictive in nature. That is merely just a common misconception though, there are several different styles of essays and the two that are going to be discussed are descriptive and narrative essays. The narrative essay's main purpose is to tell a story using characters and a plot, where perhaps a problem is given, and the events that unfold eventually explain a solution to the problem or issue presented. In contrast the descriptive essay can be very powerful in the fact it is written using the five senses (visual, audible, taste, tactile sensations and smells) this allows the author to bring a scene or object to life in the mind of the reader. While narrative essays are almost like a movie that is played out in the judgment of the reader, the descriptive essay paints a vivid photograph or place the reader can experience and this is why descriptive essays are the superior of the two styles. One of the best qualities that narrative essays are able to offer over descriptive essays is they are structured to appeal to the simplest of mankind's urge to share a good story. There are various forms in which we can find a narrative writing example such as a poem, play, novel and the obvious essay. There are times...
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...We write: Essays Research Papers Coursework Thesis Dissertations Term Papers UK Essays # Count of pages: Number of words: Choose your academic level: Term: Discount Code (optional): Discount: 0% Price: $0 Official PayPal Seal website security Types of Essays A big problem 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 ...
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...When comparing Paul McHenry Roberts narrative essay "How to Say Nothing in 500 Words" and Maya Angelou's descriptive essay "Sister Flowers", Roberts essay holds superior because he uses 2nd point of person, relate-able topics, and problem solving strategies in his essay. By using descriptive language, an author has the power to tantalize their readers simply by word usage. Descriptive language "refers to words that are vivid, expressive, and highly specific to the topic" (Connell & Sole, 2013). For example, in the essay "How To Say Nothing in 500 Words", the author sets the mood by stating, "It's Friday afternoon, and you have almost survived another week of class" (Roberts, 2013). All college students, the author's intended audience, can relate to anticipating the weekend, and a break from the stresses of college coursework. In speaking directly to the reader, second-person point of view, the author, Paul McHenry Roberts, establishes an intimate connection. Roberts uses humor within the body of the essay as well, furthering the connection between himself and his audience. Roberts states, "All subjects, except sex, are dull until someone makes them interesting." (Roberts). He further goes on about how to set up a unique paper. Roberts lists examples of different topics throughout this essay. He creates an informative essay about writing on much-debated topics by thinking outside the box. As Roberts illustrates by stating" Picture poor old Alfy coming home from football...
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...English Literary Essay In 1993 popular Australian author Jackie French wrote the novel 'Walking the Boundaries.' The idea of writing the book came to mind when she was walking up the gorge one day on her property and she suddenly thought that she could be walking up the gorge 1000 years from now or in the past, and so that's when she started writing the book. She said in an interview, "I think ‘Walking the Boundaries’ is one of the books closest to my heart." Modern day Australians have become familiar with the idea that a journey only consists of physical work, but in the text, French manipulates the reader to also see that a journey can consist of a spiritual aspect too. Throughout the novel French gives a clear insight into the physical...
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...connotation Connotation refers to the emotional associations and overtones related to a word. For example, a person who is underweight might be described as slight, or scrawny. "Slight" has a fairly positive emotional connotation, while "scrawny" has a negative connotation. paradox A paradox is a statement that first appears to be contradictory but actually states a truth. "History teaches us that we learn nothing from history informational text Informational text is non-fiction text that conveys or explains information. The text can appear in a wide variety of forms, such as a non-fiction narrative, charts or graphs, articles, or reports. propaganda Propaganda refers to a message designed to promote an institution, a cause, or a person through persuasive techniques. Advertisement strategies are called "commercial propaganda." denotation "Denotation" refers to the literal dictionary definition of a word. expert testimony Expert testimony is information about a particular issue, product, or idea given by people qualified to comment based on their authority on the subject statistical evidence Statistical evidence refers to statistics or numerical data that support an observation. persuasive technique Persuasive techniques refer to a variety of emotional appeals, or a sequence of logical reasoning that is used to influence an audience analogy Analogy is the relationship between certain aspects of one thing that are comparable to something else, even though there...
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...sentence structures to get inside Ellie’s head and describing everything in a way that shows she is very distracted. It is like a running view of what is inside her head and helps us understand that she is on drugs. We are almost reading her thoughts and are witnessing her search for freedom, a theme in the story. The type of writing used in this story may seem like it is messy and unfocused, but it is actually very effective in showing the reader what it is like in Ellie’s head as her thoughts and actions are blended together and told by the narrator - “She’s going to have to work through the night, but it’s fine.” Here, we see her thoughts about having to work on an essay. She is also extremely distracted and constantly changes her mind and thoughts. After thinking it would be “fine” to work on the essay, she thinks back to whether or not she has any cocaine - “Coke” - left. The writer jumps through different thoughts and uses slang like “blah blah blah” and swears words to show how a teenage girl thinks, especially a teenage girl on drugs. This shows us how the language in this story is influenced by how a teenager would talk. The writing is also very personal, telling us when she has to use the “toilet”. This...
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...“Sunlight Over the Well” - A Metaphor for Conflict A key merit of the essay “Sunlight over the Well” is the brilliant beginning which captures the imagination of the reader, making us feel we are a part of the scene. The vividness of the author’s descriptive vocabulary draws in the reader, making the storyline increasingly interesting. The essay takes the reader on a journey through the author’s various emotional, spiritual, and internal struggles by conveying various aspects of his life, taking the reader down memory lane. The author keeps the reader in suspense by combining flashbacks with present day events to pique the reader’s interest in what might come next. In “Sunlight and the Well,” Sam Guthrie skillfully uses metaphors to represent...
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...I first thought about my English 11 class I was thinking about how I wanted to better myself in the future. I was hoping that I would get a teacher that would help me improve my writing skills and help me improve my SAT score and I received my wish. I ended up getting Mrs. Miles as a my English teacher and I was very excited to get her as a teacher because I wanted to see how fun she makes English and it was a lot of fun.Writing is like cooking you can only have a few ingredients but, you can make something actually mouth-watering out of it. Overall, I have greatly improved my writing skills for the future. The first essay that I would like to talk about is my Romanticism Fictional Narrative that I made in my 10th grade English class. The reason why I chose to talk about this essay is because it shows how creative I can without an outline. What I liked about this essay is how creative and descriptive it is. I made this essay by basically going off what my brain imagined. What I learned from this essay is when I do not use an an outline my ideas are more artistic....
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...DESCRIPTION is one of four rhetorical modes (also known as modes of discourse), along with exposition, argumentation, and narration. Each of the rhetorical modes is present in a variety of forms and each has its own purpose and conventions. Description is also the fiction-writing mode for transmitting a mental image of the particulars of a story. Description as a fiction-writing mode Fiction is a form of narrative, one of the four rhetorical modes of discourse. Fiction-writing also has distinct forms of expression, or modes, each with its own purposes and conventions. Agent and author Evan Marshall (agent) identifies five fiction-writing modes: action, summary, dialogue, feelings/thoughts, and background (Marshall 1988, pp. 143–165). Author and writing-instructor Jessica Page Morrell lists six delivery modes for fiction-writing: action, exposition, description, dialogue, summary, and transition (Morrell 2006, p. 127). Author Peter Selgin refers to methods, including action, dialogue, thoughts, summary, scene, and description (Selgin 2007, p. 38). Currently, there is no consensus within the writing community regarding the number and composition of fiction-writing modes and their uses. Description is the fiction-writing mode for transmitting a mental image of the particulars of a story. Together with dialogue, narration, exposition, and summarization, description is one of the most widely recognized of the fiction-writing modes. As stated in Writing from A to Z, edited by Kirk...
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