Page 34 - 2023-bfw-FLL-2e

Essential Elements of Narrative
skill workshop texts differently depending on the genre or mode of text. In this Skill Workshop, you will
As you saw in Chapter 2 , there are different purposes for reading a text: you can read
for understanding, for interpretation, and for craft. But you also read different kinds of

practice how to read narratives, understanding and appreciating how they are crafted
and what they mean. In many ways, narratives are similar to fictional novels and short
stories. They share many of the same essential features, with one important distinction:
they are expected to be true accounts of events that happened in real life.

PREVIEWING Academic Vocabulary
Essential Elements of Narrative
In this section, you will encounter the following terms as you consider how to analyze
a narrative. Working individually or with a partner or small group, think about what you
already know about the meaning of each term.
1. First person point of view 4. Blocking 7. Reflection
2. Characterization 5. Conflict 8. Theme
3. Dialogue 6. Setting 9. Artistic license

Let’s begin our exploration of the tools that writers use to create a narrative (which
can also be called a “memoir,” if it spans a long period of time) by reading the short
piece “Mother’s Tongue.” After you read it, we will walk through each of the significant
features of a narrative by using this one as a model.

Mother’s Tongue

Samuel Autman

Samuel A. Autman is an American essayist, travel writer, and
college professor whose work often focuses on identity, place,
and pop culture. This piece was published in Brevity magazine DePauw University
in 2015.

s the teenager stepped through the first set “Aren’t you? Aren’t you?” he asked, his lips
Aof automatic doors at Target, I was entering quivering with joyful anticipation.
from the parking lot. For a few seconds we stood In the mid 1990s, the sight of a 6-foot-4
in the foyer area between the sets of double 210-pound black man in Salt Lake City caused
doors. many strange reactions. His, however, mimicked

132
Uncorrected proofs have been used in this sample.
Copyright © Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.

06_SheaFLL2e_40926_ch05_130_243_6PP.indd 132 28/06/22 8:56 AM