writing a narrative essay
CHAPTER 8
Showing and Telling:
Description, Narration, and Example
“I was this far away when the mailman threw his bag at me and started running. All I could see were legs and letters . . .”
T
he essays you write and the stories you tell come alive when you use description, narration, and example. Descriptive techniques help you show your reader what you see, hear, smell, touch, or taste. Narrative techniques help you concisely tell a reader a story that makes a point. Examples supply specific illustrations and instances in many types of writing. Description, narration, and example provide the foundations for many other types of essay writing.
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CHAPTER 8 • Showing and Telling: Description, Narration, and Example
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Focus on Showing and Telling: Looking at Description,
Narration, and Example
The little gecko pictured here may well be a relative of a more famous gecko featured in commercials. GEICO’s clever commercials make an impact using the appealing lizard, an angst-ridden caveman, and guest celebrities who entertainingly help real people explain their insurance needs.
Advertisers know that the way in to consumers’ minds, hearts, and pocketbooks is through their effectiveness with description, narration, and example. GEICO commercials use cute animals and clever hooks to sell their products, but they also employ description, narration, and example.
The “caveman” commercials illustrate the use of all three techniques. The descriptive element lies in the use of effective visual images that viewers are likely to remember—a cavemen perfectly at home in modern settings like an airport or a therapist’s office. The narrative element rests on his ongoing story: Wherever he goes, he is confronted by GEICO’s portrayals of caveman as primitive and stupid, but even his therapist does not understand why he finds these stereotypes so disturbing. And if viewers need an example of why GEICO is a good choice, they need only
Showing and Telling:
Description, Narration, and Example
“I was this far away when the mailman threw his bag at me and started running. All I could see were legs and letters . . .”
T
he essays you write and the stories you tell come alive when you use description, narration, and example. Descriptive techniques help you show your reader what you see, hear, smell, touch, or taste. Narrative techniques help you concisely tell a reader a story that makes a point. Examples supply specific illustrations and instances in many types of writing. Description, narration, and example provide the foundations for many other types of essay writing.
120
CHAPTER 8 • Showing and Telling: Description, Narration, and Example
121
Focus on Showing and Telling: Looking at Description,
Narration, and Example
The little gecko pictured here may well be a relative of a more famous gecko featured in commercials. GEICO’s clever commercials make an impact using the appealing lizard, an angst-ridden caveman, and guest celebrities who entertainingly help real people explain their insurance needs.
Advertisers know that the way in to consumers’ minds, hearts, and pocketbooks is through their effectiveness with description, narration, and example. GEICO commercials use cute animals and clever hooks to sell their products, but they also employ description, narration, and example.
The “caveman” commercials illustrate the use of all three techniques. The descriptive element lies in the use of effective visual images that viewers are likely to remember—a cavemen perfectly at home in modern settings like an airport or a therapist’s office. The narrative element rests on his ongoing story: Wherever he goes, he is confronted by GEICO’s portrayals of caveman as primitive and stupid, but even his therapist does not understand why he finds these stereotypes so disturbing. And if viewers need an example of why GEICO is a good choice, they need only