Lecture 11

1. Lecture 11 Sharing Personal Narratives

2. Review of Lecture 10 • In lecture 10,we learnt how to • Recognize a narrative text • Analyze the structure of narrative texts • Comprehend the contents of the narrative texts • Reflect on and share personal response to the narrative texts

3. Objectives of Lecture 11 • After completing lecture 11, you should be able to • Understand what personal narrative is • Analyze some personal narratives • Write your own personal narrative

4. Personal Narrative Genre Personal narratives are a form of writing in which the writer relates one event, incident, or experience from his/her life. Personal narratives allow you, the writer, to share your life with others, vicariously experiencing the things you describe. Your job as a writer is to put the readers in the midst of the action, letting them live through an event, incident, or experience. Personal narratives also incorporate vivid descriptive details, as well as the thoughts, feelings, and reactions of the writer.

5. Personal Narrative Genre A good personal narrative, like a good story, creates a dramatic effect, makes us laugh, gives us pleasurable fright, and/or gets us on the edge of our seats. Although personal narratives capture true events, sometimes writers embellish or use hyperbole to illustrate a point or for dramatic effect. A personal narrative has done its job effectively if the readers can say, “Yes, that captures what living with my mother feels like,” or “Yes, that’s what it felt like to lose the championship game.”

6. My First Talent Show Standing backstage, I could feel my heart thumping in my chest. “Just relax,” my friend Jenny whispered. “You’re ready for this.” I nodded. Jenny was right. I’d been practicing my song for the school talent show for six weeks. Still, picturing an audience packed with kids, parents and teachers made me want to run out the door. “Too late for that,” I thought, as Mr. Peterson announced my song. Jenny gave me a nudge, and suddenly I was on the stage. Standing in the spotlight, I grasped the microphone and belted out the lyrics. I heard my voice pour through the speakers and fill the room. “It’s going well,” I thought to myself. “Don’t mess up.”

7. My First Talent Show I looked out at the sea of faces. The auditorium was dark, but I could see hundreds of eyes staring back at me. The smell of candy bars and popcorn filled the room. “I hope Jenny is saving some for me,” I thought, as I started the chorus one last time. As I finished the song, the audience began to clap. “Yeah, Katie!” one kid yelled. “You rock!” screeched another. I took a bow and walked offstage with a smile plastered across my face. “How many days until next year’s talent show?” I asked Jenny.

8. Writing a Personal Narrativeby Lindi M. of Jenks East Middle School in Tulsa, Oklahoma Conquering Your Fears Everyone, well almost everyone, I’ve ever known has thought of their years in elementary school as their favorites. I, on the other hand, do not feel so fondly about elementary school, especially third grade. That was a year I will never forget. I was only eight, but I remember it like yesterday. I was sitting in the doctor’s office when they gave my parents and me the shocking news. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but your daughter’s condition is getting worse. The only way to fix it is by surgery.”

9. Conquering your Fears (Cont…) Those words ripped into me like a serrated knife into a crisp, cold apple. It was a horrible sinking feeling that seemed to possess my whole body—a feeling so terrifying that even the bravest person alive could not possibly endure it. I knew I had been “sick,” and I knew it had been serious, but never, even in my nightmares, did I think of surgery. You see, I was born with a condition that affects your kidneys; it is called bilateral reflux. The only way I would live was to have reconstructive surgery.

10. Conquering your Fears (Cont…) The next thing I remember, it was seven o’clock in the morning and I was at the hospital. I met with the doctors; rather, the doctors met with me. Everyone tried to comfort me, but nothing helped. As far as I was concerned—and I was concerned!—I’d be a nervous wreck for the rest of my life; that was, if I had a “rest of my life.” It was now time for surgery. They sent a surgical nurse down to my room with a gurney. Being the scared little girl that I was, I thought the moment I got up on it, they would hurt me. So I decided that my teddy bear, Rainbow, and I would follow along behind it, very defiantly, with my parents. When the doctors saw me walk in, they started to laugh, and I realized that everyone else who had seen me probably had laughed too. What was comic relief to them was no comedy at all to me. So I simply put my nose into the air and kept walking.

11. Conquering your Fears (Cont…) The nurse prepped me and had me lie down on the operating table. The doctor asked me what “flavor” of anesthesia I wanted; I thought for a while and answered, “Strawberry.” He then asked me to count backward from one hundred as he lifted the mask over my face. I woke up a few hours later, feeling woozy and very sore. I saw my parents and drifted back to sleep. I remained at the hospital for one more week. It was not the best time I ever had, but it wasn’t the worst either. The highlight of my recovery was a special visit from two of my favorite cartoon characters. That was wonderful.

12. Conquering your Fears (Cont…) My experience has taught me a lot. I discovered that, in order to reach the top, you must learn to climb the mountain and, in order to conquer your fears, you must face them first. In a way I am thankful for my surgery, because I conquered a lot of my fears. I’m not telling you to go out and have surgery, but if you do, it’s probably not going to be as bad as you expect it to be.

13. Practice Situation • Write a Personal Narrative that • Has an introduction that makes the topic clear, while engaging the reader with a known strategy • Has paragraphs organized by time and manipulates pacing • Uses strong descriptive language and visual imagery (uses vivid verbs, strong adjectives, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, etc.) • Uses metaphors and similes to give details • Uses a strong reflective close • Has all no excuse words and conventions correct • Has exemplary presentation (neat writing that is pleasant to read)

14. Summary of Lecture 11 • In lecture 11, we learnt how to • Demonstrate knowledge of personal narrative genre • Analyze some personal narratives • Write our own personal narrative