1、Foreign Languages College, SJTU 英语写作（2）1Week 2 NarrationWhat1. 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
2、 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
3、to entertain the reader:1. Not Drunk EnoughTom, 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 wont be pain when she gives you the injection,” his father tells him. “But I can still feel
4、 the pain.” “Thats 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 FriendshipLong 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 Pythia
5、s 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 n
6、ever 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
7、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. “Its better if I die,” he said to himself. “I have no wife and baby.” Just as Damon was ready to die, Pythias appeared. He ra
8、n to take Damons 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 persons life:Foreign Languages College, SJTU 英语写作
9、（2）23. Unafraid of the DarkWhen 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
10、 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 h
11、is 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
12、, 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
13、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
14、 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 weeks honorable in-class writing1. It does amuse the re
15、ader, 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.HomeworkBook 2 starts. Bring along Book 1 for next class.Reading Unit 2 (南大版）Read a short story Salvation wri
16、tten by a Black Americas poet laureate, Langston Hughes (1902-1967) Foreign Languages College, SJTU 英语写作（2）3Appendix-1 “Salvation“ By Langston HugesI 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 Reeds church. Every
17、 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
18、 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!
19、 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
20、 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: “Wont you come? Wont you come to
21、Jesus? Young lambs, wont 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
22、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 alta
23、r and were saved, but one boy and me. He was a rounders son named Westley. Westley and I were surrounded by sisters and deacons praying. It was very hot in the church, Foreign Languages College, SJTU 英语写作（2）4and getting late now. Finally Westley said to me in a whisper: “God damn! Im tired o sitting
24、 here. Lets 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 voi
25、ces. And I kept waiting serenely for Jesus, waiting, waiting - but he didnt 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 dont you come? My dear child, why dont you come to Jesu
26、s? Jesus is waiting for you. He wants you. Why dont you come? Sister Reed, what is this childs name?“Langston,“ my aunt sobbed.“Langston, why dont you come? Why dont you come and be saved? Oh, Lamb of God! Why dont you come?“Now it was really getting late. I began to be ashamed of myself, holding ev
27、erything up so long. I began to wonder what God thought about Westley, who certainly hadnt 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 Wes
28、tley dead for taking his name in vain or for lying in the temple. So I decided that maybe to save further trouble, Id 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
29、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 t
30、he 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 couldnt 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 bec
31、ause I had seen Jesus. But I was really crying because I couldnt Foreign Languages College, SJTU 英语写作（2）5bear to tell her that I had lied, that I had deceived everybody in the church, that I hadnt seen Jesus, and that now I didnt believe there was a Jesus anymore, since he didnt come to help me.Appe
32、ndix-2 Sample for Peer-learning ReportWeek 2 NarrationWeek 2, Class 英 1/英 2/国/中 I Key points of the weekThis 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)
33、details, and the final conclusion. Dont 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 (authors name)2 (authors name)3 (authors name)
