Thursday, December 11, 2008
Example of Narrative Text; The Smartest Parrot
The man felt excited having the smartest parrot but he could not understand why the parrot would not say Catano. The man tried to teach the bird to say Catano however the bird kept not saying the word.
At the first, the man was very nice to the bird but then he got very angry. “You stupid bird!” pointed the man to the parrot. “Why can’t you say the word? Say Catano! Or I will kill you” the man said angrily. Although he tried hard to teach, the parrot would not say it. Then the man got so angry and shouted to the bird over and over; “Say Catano or I’ll kill you”. The bird kept not to say the word of Catano.
One day, after he had been trying so many times to make the bird say Catano, the man really got very angry. He could not bear it. He picked the parrot and threw it into the chicken house. There were four old chickens for next dinner “You are as stupid as the chickens. Just stay with them” Said the man angrily. Then he continued to humble; “You know, I will cut the chicken for my meal. Next it will be your turn, I will eat you too, stupid parrot”. After that he left the chicken house.
The next day, the man came back to the chicken house. He opened the door and was very surprised. He could not believe what he saw at the chicken house. There were three death chickens on the floor. At the moment, the parrot was standing proudly and screaming at the last old chicken; “Say Catano or I’ll kill you”.
Notes on Narrative Text
It is important to know that the social function of the narrative text is to inform and entertain. Narrative text will tell the story with amusing way. It provides an esthetic literary experience to the reader. Narrative text is written based on life experience. In literary term, experience is what we do, feel, hear, read, even what we dream.
Narrative text is organized focusing at character oriented. It is build using descriptive familiar language and dialogue. There are some genres of literary text which fit to be classified as the narrative text. Some of them are:
- Folktales, it includes fables, legend, myth, or realistic tales
- Mysteries, fantasy, science or realistic fiction
Commonly, narrative text is organized by the story of grammar. It will be beginning, middle and end of the story. To build this story grammar, narrative text need plot. This plot will determine the quality of the story. Plot is a series of episodes which holds the reader’ attention while they are reading the story.
Conflict is the main important element of the plot. This conflict among the characters will drive the story progress. In this conflict, readers will be shown how the characters face the problem and how they have ability to handle that problem
Analysis the Generic Structure
Orientation: It sets the scene and introduces the participants/characters. In that parrot story, the first paragraph is the orientation where reader finds time and place set up and also the participant as the background of the story. A man and his parrot took place once time.
Complication: It explores the conflict in the story. It will show the crisis, rising crisis and climax of the story. In the parrot story, paragraph 2, 3, 4 are describing the complication. Readers will find that the man face a problem of why the parrot can not say Catano. To fix this problem, the man attempted to teach the bird. How hard he tried to teach the bird is the excitement element of the complication.
Resolution: It shows the situation which the problems have been resolved. It must be our note that “resolved” means accomplished whether succeed or fail. In the last paragraph of the smartest parrot story, readers see the problem is finished. The parrot could talk the word which the man wanted. The parrot said the word with higher degree than the man taught the word to it. That was the smartest parrot.
Tuesday, February11, 2009
Story of Narrative Text
Once upon time, there was a handsome man. His name was Batara Guru Sahala. He liked fishing. One day, he caught a fish. He was surprised to find out that the fish could talk. The fish begged him to set it free.
Batara Guru could not bear it. He made the fish free. As soon as it was free, the fish changed into a very beautiful woman. She attracted Batara Guru so much. He felt in love with that fish-woman. The woman wanted to marry with him and said that Batara Guru had to keep the secret which she had been a fish. Batara Guru aggreed and promised that he would never tell anybody about it.
They were married happily. They had two daughters. One day Batara Guru got very angry with his daughter. He could not control his mad. He shouted angrily and got the word of fish to his daugters. The daughters were crying. They found their mother and talked her about it.
The mother was very annoyed. Batara Guru broke his promise. The mother was shouting angrily. Then the earth began to shake. Volcanoes started to erupt. The earth formed a very big hole. People believed that the big hole became a lake. Then this lake is known as Toba lake.
Note on Narrative Generic Structure
ORIENTATION: The first paragraph presents information about the participant of the story. In literary term, the participant is called as character. Orientation commonly introduces information about WHO, WHERE and WHEN.
COMPLICATION: Paragraph two explores the niche of the story. That is conflict among the characters of the story. This conflict will involve physical and psychological conflict. The conflict is actually the heart of any narrative text. It will drive the participant to make effort in solving the crisis.
RESOLUTION: The last paragraph closes the story with solving the crisis. However it can be better or worse.
Tuesday, February 11, 2009
CINDERELLA STORY; the Clearest Example of Narrative Text
CINDERELLAOnce upon a time, there was a young girl named Cinderella. She lived with her step mother and two step sisters.
The step mother and sisters were conceited and bad tempered. They treated Cinderella very badly. Her step mother made Cinderella do the hardest works in the house; such as scrubbing the floor, cleaning the pot and pan and preparing the food for the family. The two step sisters, on the other hand, did not work about the house. Their mother gave them many handsome dresses to wear.
One day, the two step sister received an invitation to the ball that the king’s son was going to give at the palace. They were excited about this and spent so much time choosing the dresses they would wear. At last, the day of the ball came, and away went the sisters to it. Cinderella could not help crying after they had left.
“Why are crying, Cinderella?” a voice asked. She looked up and saw her fairy godmother standing beside her, “because I want so much to go to the ball” said Cinderella. “Well” said the godmother,”you’ve been such a cheerful, hardworking, uncomplaining girl that I am going to see that you do go to the ball”.
Magically, the fairy godmother changed a pumpkin into a fine coach and mice into a coachman and two footmen. Her godmother tapped Cinderella’s raged dress with her wand, and it became a beautiful ball gown. Then she gave her a pair of pretty glass slippers. “Now, Cinderella”, she said; “You must leave before midnight”. Then away she drove in her beautiful coach.
Cinderella was having a wonderfully good time. She danced again and again with the king’s son. Suddenly the clock began to strike twelve, she ran toward the door as quickly as she could. In her hurry, one of her glass slipper was left behind.
A few days later, the king’ son proclaimed that he would marry the girl whose feet fitted the glass slipper. Her step sisters tried on the slipper but it was too small for them, no matter how hard they squeezed their toes into it. In the end, the king’s page let Cinderella try on the slipper. She stuck out her foot and the page slipped the slipper on. It fitted perfectly.
Finally, she was driven to the palace. The king’s son was overjoyed to see her again. They were married and live happily ever after.
Notes on Generic Structure of Narrative Text
Orientation: it means to introduce the participants or the characters of the story with the time and place set. Orientation actually exists in every text type though it has different term. In this story, the first paragraph is clearly seen to introduce the participants of the Cinderella Story. They were Cinderella her self as the main character of the story, her step mother which treated Cinderella badly, and her steps sister which supported her mother to make Cinderella was treated very badly. Cinderella was introduced as a hero in this story. She struggled against the bad treatment from her step mother and sisters.
Complication: it is such the crisis of the story. If there is not the crisis, the story is not a narrative text. In a long story, the complication appears in several situations. It means that some time there is more then one complication. In this Cinderella story, we can see clearly that there are Major Complication and Minor Complication.
The second paragraph is the major complication of this Cinderella story. Cinderella got bad treatment from her stepmother. It is the bad crisis which drives into several minor complications which Cinderella has to overcome.
Resolution: it is the final series of the events which happen in the story. The resolution can be good or bad. The point is that it has been accomplished by the characters. Like complication, there are Major Resolution and Minor Resolution.
In the last paragraph, it is said that finally Cinderella lived happily. It is the happy resolution of the bad treatment.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Building Narrative Text with Complication
In simple word, narrative text has generic structure as orientation, complication and resolution. This complication is the heart structure of narrative text. The complication will determine whether the text "lives" or not. If the narrative text consider as the "live" text, it will arouse the reader. It will intrude to the emotion of the reader. Commonly narrative text appears as story text. In literary term, the complication structure is called conflict. Basically, conflict is divided into three kinds. In any writing, each type will not take place with its own type. Each often combines to other type in building the story.
Physical conflict, or in other word as elemental conflict, is description of man's struggle to his physical word. It represents man versus nature force, difficulty and danger. How man survives from flood, exploding mount is clear example of physical conflict.
Social conflict is the second type. It will show the struggle of man against his society. It is description of struggle between man and man. Cinderella wants to go to party but her step mother and sisters do not permit her. She eagerly to have the opportunity to meet the prince but her step mother and sister try to block this opportunity and take it for them selves. It is a perfect picture of social conflict.
Internal or psychological conflict is a conflict which happens inside the participant. A man struggles against him self, his conscience, his guilty. He wants to steal money in the other hand he knows that stealing is not good. The fight of stealing money against having good deed is a psychological conflict
The struggle among these conflicts includes verbal and physical attempts. Narrative text will be perfectly composed by these kinds of conflict. Some time it will apply one type but it often combines these three kinds of conflict.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Between Recount and Narrative
Something which happened in the past is the main resource to compose both recount and narrative text. In writer's point of view, the thing is an experience. It can be what the writer has done, hear, read, and felt. Composing recount and narrative is retelling the experiences of the past event to be a present event.
What does recount differ from narrative?
Saturday, March 15, 2008
The Smartest Animal; a narrative text
Once there was a farmer from Laos. Every morning and every evening, he ploughed his field with his buffalo.
One day, a tiger saw the farmer and his buffalo working in the field. The tiger was very surprised to see a big animal listening to a small animal. The tiger wanted to know more about the big animal and the small animal.
After the man went home, the tiger spoke to the buffalo; “you are so big and strong. Why do you do everything the man tells you?” The buffalo answered; “oh, the man is very intelligent”.
The tiger asked; “can you tell me how intelligent he is?”. “No, I can’t tell you”, said the buffalo; “but you can ask him”
So the next day the tiger asked to the man; “Can I see your intelligence?”. But the man answered; “it at home”. “Can you go and get it?” asked the tiger. “Yes” said the man; “but I am afraid you will kill my buffalo when I am gone. Can I tie you to a tree?”
After the man tied the tiger to the tree, he didn’t go home to get his intelligence. He took his plough and hit the tiger. Then he said; “Now you know about my intelligence even you haven’t seen it.
Generic Structure Analysis
1. Orientation; introducing specific participants; farmer and his buffalo, once in Laos
2. Complication; revealing a series of crisis: the tiger wanted to know more about the farmer and the buffalo, the tiger wanted to know about the farmer’s intelligence.
3. Resolution; the crisis is resolve: the farmer hit the tiger
Language Feature Analysis
o Using saying verb; answered
o Using thinking verb; saw, was surprised to
o Using action verb; tie, hit
o Using time conjunction; once, one day
o Using connectives; after, the next day
o Using past tense; there was a farmer, the man tied the tiger.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Snow White; a narrative text
Once upon a time there lived a little, named Snow White. She lived with her aunt and uncle because her parents were died.
One day she heard her aunt and uncle talking about leaving Snow White in the castle because they wanted to go to America and they didn’t have enough money to take Snow White with them.
Snow White didn’t want her uncle and aunt to do this. So she decided to run away. The next morning she run away from home when her aunt and uncle were having breakfast, she run away into the wood.
In the wood she felt very tired and hungry. Then she saw this cottage. She knocked but no one answered so she went inside and felt asleep
Meanwhile seven dwarfs were coming home from work. They went inside. There, they found Snow White woke up. She saw the dwarfs. The dwarfs said; “What is your name?”. Snow White said; “My name is Snow White”. One of the dwarfs said; “If you wish, you may live here with us”. Snow White told the whole story about her. Then Snow white ad the seven dwarfs lived happily ever after.
Generic Structure Analysis
1. Orientation; introducing specific participants; Snow White
2. Complication; revealing a series of crisis: Snow White’s aunt and uncle would leave her in a castle, Snow White run away, Snow White felt hungry in the wood.
3. Resolution; the crisis is resolve: the dwarfs permitted Snow White lived in their cottage lived happily
Language Feature Analysis
o Using saying verb; answered
o Using thinking verb; decided
o Using action verb; run away
o Using time conjunction; once upon a time, one day
o Using connectives; then, meanwhile
o Using past tense; she heard her uncle
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Cinderella; a narrative text
Once upon a time there was a girl called Cinderella. She lived with her stepsisters. They were very bossy. They made Cinderella do all the housework.
One day an invitation to the ball came to the family. Her stepsisters would not let her go. Cinderella was sad because she wanted to go to the ball too. Her stepsisters went to the ball without her.
Fortunately, the fairy Godmother came and helped her to get to the ball. At the ball, Cinderella dance with the prince. The prince fell in love with her then married her. They lived happily ever after.
Analyzing the Text
Generic Structure Analysis
Orientation; introducing participants, Cinderella and her stepsisters. They lived together once time
Complication; describing the conflict among the participants. Cinderella wanted to come to the ball but her stepsisters did not let her go
Resolution; stating a problem solving, a happy ending. A fairy Godmother helped her to come to the ball
Language Feature Analysis
Process verb; did, helped, fell in love, lived
Simple past tense pattern; there was a girl, she lived, an invitation came to the ball, etc
Sunday, December 2, 2007
What is Narrative?
Narrative Text
Definition of Narrative
Narrative is a text focusing specific participants. Its social function is to tell stories or past events and entertain the readers.
Generic Structure of Narrative
A narrative text consists of the following structure:
1. Orientation: Introducing the participants and informing the time and the place
2. Complication: Describing the rising crises which the participants have to do with
3. Resolution: Showing the way of participant to solve the crises, better or worse
Language Features of Narrative
· Using processes verbs
· Using temporal conjunction
· Using Simple Past Tense
Understanding Types of Text
Friday, March 14, 2008
Snow White; a narrative text
Once upon a time there lived a little, named Snow White. She lived with her aunt and uncle because her parents were died.
One day she heard her aunt and uncle talking about leaving Snow White in the castle because they wanted to go to America and they didn’t have enough money to take Snow White with them.
Snow White didn’t want her uncle and aunt to do this. So she decided to run away. The next morning she run away from home when her aunt and uncle were having breakfast, she run away into the wood.
In the wood she felt very tired and hungry. Then she saw this cottage. She knocked but no one answered so she went inside and felt asleep
Meanwhile seven dwarfs were coming home from work. They went inside. There, they found Snow White woke up. She saw the dwarfs. The dwarfs said; “What is your name?”. Snow White said; “My name is Snow White”. One of the dwarfs said; “If you wish, you may live here with us”. Snow White told the whole story about her. Then Snow white ad the seven dwarfs lived happily ever after.
Generic Structure Analysis
1. Orientation; introducing specific participants; Snow White
2. Complication; revealing a series of crisis: Snow White’s aunt and uncle would leave her in a castle, Snow White run away, Snow White felt hungry in the wood.
3. Resolution; the crisis is resolve: the dwarfs permitted Snow White lived in their cottage lived happily
Language Feature Analysis
o Using saying verb; answered
o Using thinking verb; decided
o Using action verb; run away
o Using time conjunction; once upon a time, one day
o Using connectives; then, meanwhile
