Personal writing can take several forms, descriptive and narrative being two examples. The two essays, "I Want a Wife" by Judy Brady and "Sister Flowers" by Maya Angelou are prime examples of such writing. Both stories were able to capture my attention and entertain me throughout their entirety. Choosing a preference is always going to be subjective; it is all a matter of how you like to take in information. In fact, personal choice is what inclines you towards a certain title as opposed to another. Some may like to envision their own details, while some rather the images chronicled for them. In fact, the crystal clear details given in a descriptive essay as compared to a narrative, set the two far apart. Although narrative essays can give details without as much wording, the vivid pictures painted by a descriptive essay such as "Sister Flowers" is a superior read since the details make the story come alive.
The story “I Want a Wife”, is a narrative essay signifying the demand placed on females during the 1970's. The author goes on to demonstrate the expectations that our male counterparts placed on women during that era. The way in which the author brought this issue to the surface was enthralling. As described by the author, a wife was to be seen and not heard, she is to cater to every impulse her husband has.Written out in sequence, a woman's duties were overwhelming and needed to be brought to the light. Men were treated like royalty by their wives, while showing little appreciation. A wife was expected to take care of the family while nothing was required of the husband. In addition, a wife was expected to look her best while tackling all of life's problems. The essay does not provide a notable amount of detail, yet the s...
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...ed product. "I Want a Wife" is an excellent story with just enough revealed to get the main point across. There was no need for overly expressive language, as used in a descriptive essay. "Sister Flowers" got its point across, however, the use of elucidating language is heavily apparent. I love to read, yet it is most amusing when the words carry you away into a new world. A world where what you read comes to life and you never want to put the story down for fear of missing out on what happens next. In my opinion, that is exactly what a descriptive essay does and is why I find it superior to a narrative essay.
Works Cited
Angelou, M. (1969). Sister flowers. Retrieved from http://ux1.eiu.edu/~madwiggins/sister_flowers.htm
Brady, J. (1971). I want a wife. Retrieved from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/everythingsanargument4e/content/cat_020/Brady_I_Want_a_Wife.pdf
There are four main modes of discourse: expository, narrative, descriptive, and persuasive. In Mary Rowlandson’s A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, it is apparent in the title that it is a narrative. Like Mrs. Rowlandson’s literature, Olaudah Equiano’s From Africa to America is a narrative. A narrative form of literature is a story, account of events, or experiences, whether it is true or fictitious. In this case their stories were their real experiences and they gave the reader actual facts and information, also making it expository. "The closeness of the place and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the ship, which was so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us." (73) This is a perfect example showing that Olaudah Equiano’s narrative is also descriptive, giving the reader vivid images in his mind, whereas Rowlandson’s narrative rarely has descriptive content. These works of literature may also be portrayed as persuasive by the quote of, "..Overwhelmed with the thoughts of my condition.." (7) Mary Rowlandson was overwhelmed with her emotions. This quote may persuade the reader ...
For class we read “The Death of the Moth” by Virginia Woolf and “The Death of a Moth” by Annie Dillard. This was the first time I had read either of these essays and I have found a new respect for their style of writing. I think that the amount of detail that they put into the two essays was astonishing. But, what impressed me the most was the difference between the types of detail.
The first narrative I’ve chosen Is “The Look” by Larry Lehna. One part in the book where the author uses descriptive language (From “The Look”) “The burning pain of bullet wounds (they really do burn). The agony of stitches going into a fresh knife wound. The nearly immobilizing ache of broken ribs.” (196) The image of the “the burning pain of a bullet wound” and “the agony of stitches going into a fresh knife wound.” appeals to the sense of touch and feeling. I selected this particular passage because the author was able to describe the physical pain of a bullet wound and also the pain of the healing process. This passage gives me the reader a more personal experience to the story and connects you to the character, I had a feeling of empathy for the character and the experiences he had in prison.
The examples used in the essay are the main contributions to the message. Without examples or really without a fine overall story the text simply can't be interesting. Even a very awkward structure and complex words can make a for a good and easy read if the story can enthrall the reader. The story and the examples given are the most important variables in a personal
The book and movie “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl is about a young man called Billy Weaver who is looking for a bed and breakfast to stay for the night. He comes across a low priced hotel with a peculiar landlady who knows how to make an eerie night for her customers. The book and movie have two key differences and one important similarity. The setting in both the book and movie are different, changing the mood. The resolution is different which gives the reader/viewer an opposing view. Billy’s choice in the beginning of the story and movie gives the same plot. If any of these ideas had been the same between the movie and book, or had been changed, there would be contrasting thoughts from the reader/viewer.
In this particular essay I chose to write about “A&P” by John Updike. This story to me seems to have an interesting transformation about the main character Sammy. He is able to provide us with his thoughts and actions because it is told in first person point of view. The story “A&P” gave me an outlook that was based on Reality because I was able to understand his reactions to the series of events that occurred throughout the story. We were able to see from the beginning to the end how Sammy was transforming without him possibly knowing of the changes himself.
Some people think that if they could only change one aspect of their lives, it would be perfect. They do not realize that anything that is changed could come with unintended consequences. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs and “The Third Wish” by Joan Aiken both illustrate this theme. They demonstrate this by granting the main character three wishes, but with each wish that is granted, brings undesirable consequences. The main idea of this essay is to compare and contrast “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish.” Although the “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” are both fantasies and have similar themes, they have different main characters, wishes, and resolutions.
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...e author actually lived through it, and as you are reading his story it is much easier to picture yourself in his shoes. The other great thing about a narrative, is that it leaves much less room for misunderstanding or misinterpretation allowing you to absorb the maximum amount of information the author has to offer his reader. When given a choice between a multi directional interpretation based descriptive essay, or a clear life reflective narrative essay, I am pleased to say, with taking all of these points into consideration, that I would choose a narrative essay every time.
A successful descriptive narrative gives the necessary information for a reader to know the material of a text. For instance, narrating the text of a story allows the audience to connect with the feelings of the narrator. A description incorporates visuals so that the audience can recognize the image being portrayed. “Shooting an Elephant” and “The Lottery” are both descriptive narratives. Descriptive narratives give the reader a clearer understanding of the passage. “Shooting an Elephant” is the stronger descriptive narrative because of vivid sensory detail, manipulating the perception of the reader, and Orwell’s use of conflict.
Through most of my time in high school, I always found myself writing more of exploratory writing for two simple reasons; it took a shorter amount of time, and relating writing to my personal experiences was something I had no need to look up. Exploratory writing is a time to take advantage to relate your own personal experiences and an attempt to make a connection with a certain reading. The experiences you have will not be exactly the same as you’re classmate and might be very enjoyable to read. Lamott and Hairston both use explanatory and exploratory writing in their essays by explaining the techniques of what good writers do and applying their own personal experiences. By applying both explanatory and exploratory in their essay they are able to provide the reader with new ideas they can adopt to improve their writing skills.
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In her classic essay first published in feminist magazine Ms., “I Want a Wife” Judy Brady declares the role of women in the 1970’s as viewed from a man’s point of view. This essay by Judy Brady is written from a feminist point of view portraying how men perceive women in their minds and how life is difficult as a wife: