Week02Narration01.doc

Foreign Languages College, SJTU 英语写作（2）
Week 2 Narration
What
1. To narrate is to tell entertaining stories, which are often seen in fiction, drama, newspapers, magazines, legends or myths. .
2. Like description, exposition or argumentation, narration is another type of writing (called creative writing sometimes). It may show up as a whole story; other times, it may appear here or there, serving to support the theme or main idea.

Why
1. To entertain the reader.
2. To bring the reader to a clear understanding of a larger issue, an issue about the world or human life, usually.

Typical example story to entertain the reader:
1. Not Drunk Enough
Tom, a five-year old boy, asks his father why the nurse applies spirits to his hip before she gives him an injection. “She wants to make your hip drunk so that there won’t be pain when she gives you the injection,” his father tells him. “But I can still feel the pain.” “That’s because your hip is too good at drinking to get drunk.”

Typical example story to bring out some larger issue:
2. A Greek Tale of Friendship
Long ago, a cruel king lived in Greece, who was cruel to his own people and even crueler to people from other countries. A fine man named Pythias came to this land with his good friend Damon. The cruel king put Pythias in prison. ”Pythias must die,” said the king. Damon begged the king to change his mind. But the king insisted. Pythias asked for one last thing. “I want to see my wife and baby before I die.” The king laughed. “No! You will never return.” Then Damon offered to go to prison in place of Pythias. “If Pythias does not return,” said Damon, “then I will die.” The king agreed, but he did not believe that Pythias was going to return. Pythias promised to return. He went home to his country. His wife and friends asked him not to return, but he said he must return. He sadly left for Greece. On the way there was a terrible storm, and he arrived in Greece late. On the last day Damon was prepared to die. “It’s better if I die,” he said to himself. “I have no wife and baby.” Just as Damon was ready to die, Pythias appeared. He ran to take Damon’s place.. The king ordered “Stop! I have never seen such a strong friendship. You both must live. I hope some day I can find friends like you two.”

Typical example of the so-called semi-narration, which also looks like a description of a person’s life:
3. Unafraid of the Dark
When Toshiro was a boy in Japan, a soccer ball hit him in the face. He became blind in one eye. When he was older, he became successful in massage and acupuncture. Later he came to the U.S. with his family. He wanted to continue his work, but he needed a license in his new country. So he is now studying at City College of San Francisco. However, because of an unusual condition, he is losing sight in his other eye. Soon he will transfer to San Francisco State University. He wants to earn a degree and get a license. Toshiro is determined and hardworking. He is losing his eyesight, but not his vision to be successful.

How (basic features)
From the above examples, we may find some basic features of narration, which may be applicable to our better story writing this term.
1. Setting: at the beginning, the setting is usually given including main characters, time, place, or the like (called who, when, where, how, or 4W sometimes).
2. Time order: a narration can be a special type of description with details arranged in a chronological or flashback order.
3. Plot: a typical narrative usually involves a happening with initial circumstances, development of conflicts or details, and finally a climax.
4. Dialogue: a typical narrative usually involves turns of dialogues, not casually but carefully designed to propel the plot development towards a climax.
5. Point of view: a first or third person point of view is often taken in narration.
6. Larger issue: from Examples 1 and 2 above, the theme or larger issue of each typical story is either indicated or stated at the end.
7. “Semi-narration”: this is a coined term for us to be aware of a narration without an obvious climax and dialogues.

Traits required for this week’s honorable in-class writing
1. It does amuse the reader, or brings out some larger issue.
2. It includes 1) dialogues, or 2) a plot with climax, as well as 3) the 3rd-person point of view.
3. It sounds or looks more narrative than descriptive.

Homework
· Book 2 starts.
· Bring along Book 1 for next class.
· Reading Unit 2 (南大版）
· Read a short story Salvation written by a Black America’s poet laureate, Langston Hughes (1902-1967)
Appendix-1
"Salvation"
         By Langston Huges

I was saved from sin when I was going on thirteen. But not really saved. It happened like this. There was a big revival at my Auntie Reed's church. Every night for weeks there had been much preaching, singing, praying, and shouting, and some very hardened sinners had been brought to Christ, and the membership of the church had grown by leaps and bounds. Then just before the revival ended, they held a special meeting for children, "to bring the young lambs to the fold." My aunt spoke of it for days ahead. That night I was escorted to the front row and placed on the mourners' bench with all the other young sinners, who had not yet been brought to Jesus.
My aunt told me that when you were saved you saw a light, and something happened to you inside! And Jesus came into your life! And God was with you from then on! She said you could see and hear and feel Jesus in your soul. I believed her. I had heard a great many old people say the same thing and it seemed to me they ought to know. So I sat there calmly in the hot, crowded church, waiting for Jesus to come to me.
The preacher preached a wonderful rhythmical sermon, all moans and shouts and lonely cries and dire pictures of hell, and then he sang a song about the ninety and nine safe in the fold, but one little lamb was left out in the cold. Then he said: "Won't you come? Won't you come to Jesus? Young lambs, won't you come?" And he held out his arms to all us young sinners there on the mourners' bench. And the little girls cried. And some of them jumped up and went to Jesus right away. But most of us just sat there.
A great many old people came and knelt around us and prayed, old women with jet-black faces and braided hair, old men with work-gnarled hands. And the church sang a song about the lower lights are burning, some poor sinners to be saved. And the whole building rocked with prayer and song.
Still I kept waiting to see Jesus.
Finally all the young people had gone to the altar and were saved, but one boy and me. He was a rounder's son named Westley. Westley and I were surrounded by sisters and deacons praying. It was very hot in the church, and getting late now. Finally Westley said to me in a whisper: "God damn! I'm tired o' sitting here. Let's get up and be saved." So he got up and was saved.
Then I was left all alone on the mourners' bench. My aunt came and knelt at my knees and cried, while prayers and song swirled all around me in the little church. The whole congregation prayed for me alone, in a mighty wail of moans and voices. And I kept waiting serenely for Jesus, waiting, waiting - but he didn't come. I wanted to see him, but nothing happened to me. Nothing! I wanted something to happen to me, but nothing happened.
I heard the songs and the minister saying: "Why don't you come? My dear child, why don't you come to Jesus? Jesus is waiting for you. He wants you. Why don't you come? Sister Reed, what is this child's name?"
"Langston," my aunt sobbed.
"Langston, why don't you come? Why don't you come and be saved? Oh, Lamb of God! Why don't you come?"
Now it was really getting late. I began to be ashamed of myself, holding everything up so long. I began to wonder what God thought about Westley, who certainly hadn't seen Jesus either, but who was now sitting proudly on the platform, swinging his knickerbockered legs and grinning down at me, surrounded by deacons and old women on their knees praying. God had not struck Westley dead for taking his name in vain or for lying in the temple. So I decided that maybe to save further trouble, I'd better lie, too, and say that Jesus had come, and get up and be saved.
So I got up.
Suddenly the whole room broke into a sea of shouting, as they saw me rise. Waves of rejoicing swept the place. Women leaped in the air. My aunt threw her arms around me. The minister took me by the hand and led me to the platform.
When things quieted down, in a hushed silence, punctuated by a few ecstatic "Amens," all the new young lambs were blessed in the name of God. Then joyous singing filled the room.
That night, for the first time in my life but one for I was a big boy twelve years old - I cried. I cried, in bed alone, and couldn't stop. I buried my head under the quilts, but my aunt heard me. She woke up and told my uncle I was crying because the Holy Ghost had come into my life, and because I had seen Jesus. But I was really crying because I couldn't bear to tell her that I had lied, that I had deceived everybody in the church, that I hadn't seen Jesus, and that now I didn't believe there was a Jesus anymore, since he didn't come to help me.

Appendix-2 Sample for Peer-learning Report
Week 2 Narration
Week 2, Class英1/英2/国/中

I． Key points of the week
This week we practise expository writing. According to the requirements of TEM 4, we need to write an essay which is formed by introduction, explanation, which includes three (or more than three) details, and the final conclusion. Don't forget that a topic sentence is necessary.

II． Comments or Summary
本次的in-class writing大多数同学都是逻辑关系清晰，表达也较为到位，结构上也满足了thesis statement,details,conclusion的要求，但只有两个同学，一个是还没有弄清楚这次我们要写方的是什么，另一位则是结构不对。但是这次给我一个比较强烈的感觉是凡是题目是God Helps Those That Help others 的同学，不但论点一样，论据也几乎一样（！），给人有一点千篇一律的感觉，希望以后的写作上能有更多出彩的论据与文章。

III． Good examples of cause-effect/ comparison/Narration...
1 (author’s name)

2 (author’s name)

3 (author’s name)

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