Narration

Narration in Chronological Order
Action appeals to us. Not only do we love to take part in and watch actions, we enjoy telling what we have done and what we have seen others do. We likewise listen and read eagerly what other people have done and seen. Histories, autobiographies, biographies, novels, short stories, narrative poems, and plays thus give us much joy and satisfaction. In fact, narration, which consists of telling an event or a series of events, makes up most of our reading.
There are a great many events waiting to be told and written. How do we begin? A good narrative answers clearly the six questions When? Where? Who? What? Why? How? In other words, in relating an event, we must inform our readers as to the time (When?) and the place (Where?) at which the event takes place; we must let them know the people (Who?) that are involved in the action and the incidents that make up the narrative (What?); and we must indicate the cause (Why?) of the action and tell in what way (How?) the outcome is brought about. And the incidents that make up the story are usually told in the order in which they occur, that is, narration in chronological order.
The following is a paragraph narrating the Jewish legend of the creation of the world. Note how rigidly it keeps to the chronological order. True, it adheres to the principle that a narrative should move rapidly from beginning to end, but the factors that stimulate interest, and the suspense that tries to hold the events from occurring too soon are lacking. Further, descriptions of the actions are lacking, making the narrative dull and monotonous.
The world was created by Jehovah. In the beginning the world just floated in space, with no land, only endless waters. One day, Jehovah came and brooded over the sea, somberly silent and dark. He was unhappy about this. So he commanded light, which he called Day and the end of it Night. Heaven was made the next day for the clouds to float on and the winds to blow across. On the third day land emerged from the waters with grass, trees and shrubs growing on it. Then Jehovah said: “Let the Heavens be filled with stars so that the seasons and days and the years may be marked.” This was done, thus ended the fourth day. The fifth day saw the creation of fishes in the waters and birds in the sky, among them the mighty whale and the tiny minnow, the giant ostrich and the little sparrow. Then came the most important creation of all ---after Jehovah ordered the world to be full of creatures that creep and those that walk on legs, he took some of the dust of the soil and molded it into an image just like himself. He gave it life and called it Man. This was the sixth day, and Jehovah was contented. The next day he took a rest. The eighth day saw the man, Adam, feeling lonesome, as all other creatures had been given the companionship of their own kind but he was alone. Jehovah took a rib from his body and out came Eve. Thus Jehovah completed his great mission of Creation.
The narration above is too rigid to be appealing because of the lack of details. The following is another narrative which is about the life of Christopher Marlowe, a contemporary dramatist of William Shakespeare’s.
In the year when William Shakespeare was baptized, another great dramatist, Christopher Marlowe, was born to a Canterbury shoemaker. It is certain that he had a regular education and attended Cambridge University. However, we become less certain when we come to the exact period when he started writing plays, probably on leaving Cambridge. He associated himself with a theatrical company of nobleman, and , in the meantime, became acquainted with the leading men of letters. He has been greatly commended upon for his great contribution to enriching the blank verse. Some of the scenes of his plays are still among the most dramatic in English literature. It has in fact been suggested that he had a share in the writing of Shakespeare’s plays. Unlike Shakespeare, whose life remains a mystery, Marlowe is known to have le a stormy life. He was arrested in 1593 for spreading atheistic opinions. He was also suspected of being a government agent. Though these seemed to be nothing doubtful about his life history, there have been puzzles about him——was he indeed a government agent? Was his death purely the result of a mere quarrel? Maybe we’ll uncover more facts about the man who was reputed to have exerted the most
important influence upon William Shakespeare, or had he?
This passage is also in chronological order, but quite some details of the life Christopher Marlowe are also given, such as his father being a shoemaker, his Cambridge University education, his being associated with a theatrical company of a nobleman, his becoming acquainted with the leading men of letters, his great contributions to enriching the blank verse, etc. what is most interesting is that Marlowe might have a share in the writing of Shakespeare’s play. Though there remain quite a lot of mysteries about him, people cannot help but become curious about him and want to read his works. Some questions are asked at the end.
Planning a Piece of Narration
Write about a farewell or reunion you have experienced following the steps below.
Prewriting: choosing a topic and exploring ideas
1. List all the occasions of farewell and reunion you have experienced.
2. Think for a while and circle the one that comes back to your mind more often than others.
3. Close your eyes and recall what happened and how you felt.
4. Write down as many details as you can remember about the experience.
Drafting: getting your idea on paper
1. Narrate your experience in a group of three or four.
2. Ask questions about each other’s experience, and list the details of your answer.
3. Decide what idea you want to communicate to your readers.
4. Select details that could help to recreate the scene and serve your purpose.
5. Make a plan for your narrative.
Topic:__________________________________________________________________
Tentative title: ___________________________________________________________
Place: ___________________________Time: __________________________________
People involved: _________________________________________________________
Details to be included (what happened)：
No.1 ___________________________________________________________________
No.2 ___________________________________________________________________
No.3 ____________________________________________________________________
Thesis (中心思想a complete declarative sentence, usually in the affirmative, expressing controlling idea) ____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Sample reading
What a Change!
During the winter vacation, I was invited to a party which I was told, many of my junior middle school classmates would attend. I hadn’t seen some of them for more than three years, so I was very excited and anxiously looked forward to the day. I thought of the happy days we had spent together and wondered how they had been doing, and if they had changed a lot.
The day finally came and I went happily and hopefully. But when I arrived, I was overwhelmed by the changes I saw. A former dwarf had turned into a giant; a once talkative, outgoing and sociable boy now seemed an introvert; some of the girls who used to wear baggy uniforms seven days a week were so fashionably dressed that I could hardly recognize them. I wondered how circumstances could have changed people so much, from appearance to character.
I found the atmosphere a bit awkward. We were talking, but we seemed to be talking about nothing. I wanted to ask some of them how they had been, but found it hard to open my mouth, not knowing whether I would offend them. I realized that the past three years had changed us so much that it was impossible for us to
communicate. We no longer had the same goals to strive for, and our concerns and interests were no longer the same. When it was time to say good-bye, we exchanged addresses and telephone numbers, promising to keep in touch. Then we went our different ways, not knowing whether we would be able or willing to meet again.
I know I shouldn’t feel sad about the passing of the good, old days. What I should do is to cherish my happy memories, but live in the present and look to the future.
Developing a Piece of Narration
The Old Oak Tree is a fairly popular story in the United States, a narrative arranged according to the sequence of events, while the characters are only the man, Vingo, and a group of young people. The character of Vingo is presented through the contrast between him and the group of young people.
The following are details of the story. Working in groups of two or three, decide which of these details fall under the setting, the general circumstance, the rising action, the climax, and the denouement.
—bus left New York heading for Florida
—group of young people dreamed of beaches, surfs
—gray cold New York disappeared
—young people too excited, not seeing Vingo until passing through New Jersey
—Vingo, plain, ill-fitting suit
—chewing inside of lips
—no movements, no sound, rooted to seat
—not leaving for a snack at night
—contrast: boisterous young people vs. Vingo
—young girl curious, striking up an acquaintance, made Vingo talk
—Vingo in jail in New York past four years
—sorry for wife, wrote to ask if too much for her, forget him ,not write to him
—she didn’t write back for the past three and a half years
—Vingo wrote of his release the week before, now going home, not knowing if she still would take him back —in letter: if taking him back, tie yellow handkerchief onto oak tree leading to Brunswick, if not, he would go on through
—bus approached Brunswick, young people excited, took windows seats, waited for old oak tree
—bus acquired dark , hushed mood, full of the silent lost yeas
—Vingo, face tightened, stopped looking
—Brunswick, ten miles, five miles
—young people, screaming, shouting, crying, doing small dances of exaltation
—Vingo, looked at tree, stunned
—tree, yellow handkerchiefs, 20, 30, hundreds, tree banner of welcome, billowing in the wind
—thunderous cheers from young people
—Vingo, rose, made way to front of bus, went home。