WRITING ASSIGNMENT: NARRATIVES
CCSS.ELALiteracy.W.1112.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, wellchosen details, and wellstructured event sequences.
Narrative: a story or an account of a sequence of events in the order in which they happened
Assignment: This assignment requires you to write a narrative as a variation of one of the stories we have read in class. You should choose ONE of the two options outlined below.
Please keep in mind that you may eventually be sharing your story in class. Regardless of which option you select, you should also consider and include the following elements of good storytelling, or narrative:
● a significant problem, situation, or observation is introduced ● a narrator and/or characters are introduced ● a smooth progression of experiences or events; a clear and coherent sequence of events (your story has a clear beginning, middle and end) ● dialogue, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines ● character development ● sensory details that create good descriptions of the setting, characters, and events ● precise language ● a specific desired outcome (a problem is resolved, a character learns a lesson, a mystery is made clear, a resolution results!); a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative
ALL OF THESE ELEMENTS SHOULD BE CLEARLY LABELED IN YOUR NARRATIVE, AS WELL AS YOUR THEME, OPTION, AND GENRE (Folktale, Myth, Legend, Personal Narrative).
ALL narratives should be typed using Times New Roman or Arial 12point font, double spaced, and with oneinch margins on all sides of the page. All narratives should have original titles, but should include a subtitle that includes the name of the original (“A Variation of TITLE OF ORIGINAL”). Be sure to also include your name and “Option 1” or “Option 2” at the top of page 1.
OPTION 1: Write a variation of “Anani,” “Prometheus,” or “Dr. Faust.” This variation should be fiction and should include a similar plot line to the original storyenough so that the audience can still have a “sense” of the original story. Focus on keeping the protagonist’s journey, but perhaps changing other motifs of the story. You may and should change things such as the following: the time and place (setting), the character names, the initial problem or situation that the protagonist is facing, and the ultimate resolution of the problem. This option should be written in third person.
Example of a simple plot outline for variation of “Anansi”: (Folktale) Protagonist is a trickster and an animal or a child Protagonist is presented with a need from someone Protagonist must take a journey to meet the need Protagonist comes across a mysterious stranger who can possibly meet the need Protagonist must make a choice regarding how to meet the need Protagonist tries to trick the stranger to get need met Protagonist loses something valuable as a result of tricking the mysterious stranger Protagonist momentarily realizes his mistake or flaw A clear lesson is learned and presented
Example of a simple plot outline for variation of “Prometheus”: (Myth) Protagonist is a trickster Protagonist is upset about something an authority figure does or threatens to do Protagonist is confronted by authority Protagonist rebels against authority Protagonist is punished by authority Protagonist is “rescued” or wins out in the end by outsmarting the authority A clear lesson is learned and presented
Example of a simple plot outline for variation of “Dr. Faust”: (Legend) Protagonist is someone with an admirable quality and someone of historical or celebrity status Protagonist despises his own admirable quality and desires something strongly Protagonist makes a deal (with the devil) with an antagonist Protagonist lives a long time having his desire and his “part of the deal” fulfilled Protagonist has change of heart and wants out of the deal Protagonist is confronted by an antagonist and warned that he must fulfill the other part of the deal Protagonist realizes his mistake but it is too late Protagonist dies A clear lesson is learned from the mistakes of the protagonist
OPTION 2: Write a variation of the story “What Men Live By.” This variation should be nonfiction, based on events from your personal experience. It should contain three maxims, or truths, that you value or that you have seen lived out in your own life or the lives of others. You might consider three values that you admire in a role model and tell the story of how you have seen them displayed in that person’s life. Or you might consider three lessons that you have learned and tell the story of how you learned each one. Your narrative should have three distinct parts that each tell the story of a different truth. Since this is a personal narrative, it should be written in firstperson.