All reflective narratives answer three basic questions: What happened? Who did it happen to? What did they learn or what can be learned from the experience? Stories, whether they portray real or imagined events, need a plot, a narrator or main character, and an overall message.
Click through the tabs to review these three essential narrative elements.
Plot
Narrator/Characters
Theme
A narrative requires a storyline, or sequence of events, consisting of the characters' actions. Writers most often use chronological order to present these events exactly as they occurred. However, some writers choose to arrange the events of the plot differently, perhaps beginning in the middle or even at the end of the story and then circling back to the beginning later. Other writers structure their narratives as a series of snapshots with a common thread linking them all together. As long as the choice of structure is intentional and the events build upon one another in a coherent way, any of these can be effective in holding a reader's attention.
Read the two excerpts of narratives in the table below. The first is from John Winthrop's A History of New England. The second is from Olaudah Equiano's The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Which excerpt is organized using the more traditional chronological order? Click on your choice to check your answer.
| Excerpt | Which uses more traditional chronological order? |
| The wolves did much hurt to calves and swine between Charles River and Mistick. At the last court, a young fellow was whipped for soliciting an Indian squaw to incontinency. Her husband and she complained of the wrong, and were present at the execution, and very well satisfied. At the same court, one Henry Linne was whipped and banished, for writing letters into England full of slander against our government and orders of our churches. Mr. Shurd of Pemaquid sent home James Sagamore's wife, who had been taken away at the surprise at Agawarn, and wrote that the Indians demanded wampampeague and skins for her ransom. |
The events in this narrative are not presented in chronological order. Instead, Winthrop seems to jump from event to event, recording observations of importance, but not necessarily in time order. The events are grouped together in Winthrop's journal simply because they are all significant occurrences in the colony. |
| Soon after I had a fan put into my hand, to fan the gentleman while he slept; and so I did indeed with great fear. While he was fast asleep, I indulged myself a great deal in looking about the room, which to me appeared very fine and curious. The first object that engaged my attention was a watch which hung on the chimney, and was going. I was quite surprised at the noise it made, and was afraid it would tell the gentleman anything I might do amiss: and when I immediately after observed a picture hanging in the room, which appeared constantly to look at me, I was still more affrighted, having never seen such things as these before. | This narrative recounts the events in chronological order. Notice the transitional phrases that show time order: soon after, while, and immediately after. |
All narratives include a narrator, who "speaks" to readers and recounts the events in the story. When writers draft true personal stories, such as reflective narratives, they often use the first-person point of view (the pronoun I). Of course, writers of fictional stories may choose a first-person narrator as well. Different points of view generally achieve different effects. For example, the third-person omniscient point of view, which uses the pronouns he and she, allows the writer to reveal the thoughts and feelings of all characters, not just a single narrator or character.
Developing a character (including the narrator of a story) is called characterization. Effective characterization makes the characters in a narrative seem realistic because of their actions, speech, thoughts, and appearance.
Read these two excerpts from early American literature. After you read each excerpt, answer the question beneath it in your own mind before clicking the question to compare your answer to ours.
| Captain John Smith's Generall Historie of Virginia | from the Sioux trickster tale "Iktomi's Blanket" |
| The new President and Martin, being little beloved, of weak judgment in times of danger, and even less helpful in times of peace, committed the managing of all things abroad to Captain Smith, who by his own example, good words, and fair promises, set some men to mow, others to bind the building thatch, some to build houses, others to thatch them, himself alwayes bearing the greatest task for his own share, so that in short time, he provided most of them lodgings, neglecting any for himself. | Iktomi was troubled. At length, stooping over the white dried bones, he took hold of one and shook it. The bones, loose in their sockets, rattled together at his touch. Iktomi let go his hold. He sprang back amazed. And though he wore a blanket his teeth chattered more than ever. Then his blunted sense will surprise you, little reader; for instead of being grieved that he had taken back his blanket, he cried aloud, "Hin-hin-hin! If only I had eaten the venison before going for my blanket!" |
| Question: What actions of Captain Smith help develop the character? What do the actions reveal about him? |
Question: What thoughts and speech of Iktomi help develop his character? What do the thoughts and speech reveal about him? |
| Smith orders the men to mow, bind thatch, build houses, and thatch the houses. He always saves the hardest work for himself and is the one mainly responsible for providing everyone with lodgings. These actions make him sound hard-working and self-sacrificing. | He is troubled, amazed, and in his "blunted sense" says, "Hin-hin-hin! If only I had eaten the venison before going for my blanket!" These thoughts and speech show his foolishness. |
Narratives generally communicate a message or theme as they reveal plot points and develop characters. However, these themes are rarely stated directly. Instead, the reader has to "read between the lines" to understand the writer's reflection on the events. A theme may be a lesson the writer has learned from the experience or a simple truth about what it means to be human.
Read two more excerpts from early American literature. After you read each excerpt, answer the question beneath it in your own mind before clicking the question to compare your answer to ours.
| Read this excerpt from William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation. | from Olaudah Equiano's The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African |
| Though this had been a day and night of much trouble and danger unto them, yet God gave them a morning of comfort and refreshing (as usually he doth to his children), for the next day was a fair sunshining day, and they found themselves to be on an island secure from the Indians, where they might dry their stuff, fix their pieces, and rest themselves, and gave God thanks for his mercies, in their manifold deliverances. | I remember in the vessel in which I was brought over, in the men's apartment, there were several brothers, who, in the sale, were sold in different lots; and it was very moving on this occasion to see and hear their cries at parting. O, ye nominal Christians! might not an African ask you, learned you this from your God, who says unto you, Do unto all men as you would men should do unto you? Is it not enough that we are torn from our country and friends to toil for your luxury and lust of gain? Must every tender feeling be likewise sacrificed to your avarice? |
| Question: After narrating a series of hardships the pilgrims suffered, what does Bradford reflect on in this passage? |
Question: What theme does Equiano communicate by directly addressing his Christian audience? |
| He reflects that God has protected them through everything. | He shows how un-Christian the practice of slavery is, especially the purposeful separation of loved ones. |
