How the 5 characteristic features of a narrative will be used in the first essay topic.

For the essay topic I chose to write about my grandmother teaching me to read.

The essay will be a personal narrative that begins with my grandmother encouraging me to do hooked-on-phonics. This is a specific event that illustrates the beginning of my literary education. The story takes place in our second living room where I am learning to read and then moves forward into a class room in English class my Junior year. I will use dialogue and descriptive details of where I was and how I was feeling to make the imagery to come alive. I intend to tell the narrative in the first person from my perspective. The main point of the story will be made apparent as it moves to a moment in English class when I realized how much of an impact my grandmother’s efforts to make sure I knew how to read had helped me more than I was aware up until that point.

The Five Characteristics: (As stated in Every's An Author)

1,) A clearly identified event : What happened? Who was involved ?

2.) A clearly described setting: Where does the story take place?

3.) Vivid, descriptive details : What makes the story come alive

4.) A consistent point of view : Who is telling the story ? (the perspective)

5.) A clear point : Why does the story matter ?