It's true - everybody does have a story. Some stories are sad, while others are uplifting; some stories make us laugh, and yet others make us pause and think. What's your story? Relax. Have something cool to drink, and tell me all about it.
Narrative writing is simply telling a story. Now, there are at least two ways to do that, right? You can tell only the important points - the bare outline - or you can embellish it with details. Which one would you rather hear? Narrative writing isn't like writing a report or an outline; narrative writing depends on those lovely details that enliven the facts and make us lean in closer so we don't miss a word. Of course, there has to be a point. And that point should be made clear to the reader. Some writers make that point early on, while others save it until the very last so it can make a definite impact. Bear in mind, though, that without making the point clear to the writer, why bother to tell your story at all? It's like the bad joke teller who forgets the punchline. All that effort was pointless , reminding me of Oblio in the Pointless Forest. Oh, you don't know the story? Click here and enjoy a little nostalgia about making a point.
Blog Assignment: On page 88 in the textbook, select either #2, #10, or #13 and write a narrative paragraph. Be sure to provide a topic sentence that clearly states your point.
My Response: To look at me, most people would never guess that I have Latino blood. Taking only my last name into consideration, people think I am just a white girl of Irish descent, but McDonald is my married name. Few people know that my family name of birth is Diaz, and because of this lack of knowledge, and the incorrect assumption that I am just a "white girl," they feel free to spout their prejudices in front of me. They really are surprised, however, when my true identity is revealed. Let me confess a rather unusual incident. I was shopping one Saturday with my mother in Miami's "Garment District" when I was in my twenties. We were in a certain manufacturer's shop looking at dresses and we had made several trips back and forth between the racks and the fitting rooms. By the time we were ready to check out, we both had three or four items apiece that we were planning to buy. We weren't the only ones in line, but we were clearly the second and third customers at the checkout. We were also the only ones not chattering away in Spanish. The sales ladies at the registers were plainly ignoring us, calling out in Spanish to the obviously Latin women in line around us and beckoning them to bump us and come up to the register. My mother, who was in every sense of the word a lady, patiently stood her place in line, but when the women at the register began laughing at us and calling us ignorant "gringas," my regal mother replied back in perfect Spanish that they were the ignorant ones for assuming we did not understand their rude comments just because we didn't look like the other Latin women in the store. She directed me - in Spanish - to drop the designer clothes that we were planning to buy on the floor (easily worth several hundred dollars) and leave before paying customers could be insulted any further. You should have been there to see the horrified looks on their faces as we promptly left the store. Prejudice, in whatever form it comes, is a monstrous creature that should be slain with a silver bullet before humans get hurt.
Your Turn:
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On the first day of school, the announcements came on to inform the students of what activities would be taking place throughout the year. As the news crew started naming sports teams, a particular one struck me. The name of this sport was Cross-Country. Yes, I enjoyed running since a young age when I would play tag, but little did I know what I was signing up for. I showed up on the track precisely at 3:00PM, in a pair of old sweat shorts, and a Guy Harvey T-shirt. I looked to my right and saw a crew of girls matching head to toe in Nikey Brand Clothing. They looked like a force to be reckoned with. Our coach announced the task we were supposed to perform as a “team.” The task was to run a mile on the track, then run another 3 miles outside the school and onto ever winding paths. I wondered to myself, “Why do people receive pleasure from doing this?” It is Florida for Pete’s Sake with weather that reaches the 90s. From that day on I knew it would be hard, but I pledged myself allegiance to not back down. I was also going through a hard time in my life so a good workout wouldn’t hurt, it’d release endorphins. For three months, rain or shine I ran those three miles. I always came second to last. It was a humbling experience. Then the day of the big meet came. All high schools throughout Palm Beach County came to Carlin Park’s run/bike trail. I told myself that I couldn’t stop. All my new friends, including the Nikey Crew Gang wished me luck and gave me a hug. We got to the line, and anticipated those minutes waiting to hear the gunshot. BOOM, went the gunshot, and we were all off. I kept telling myself in my head don’t stop, I said the ABC’s in my head, I told myself that everything is beautiful and nothing hurts to all pass time. I then saw the strangest thing; I was running next to the Nikey Crew for they slowed down. That’s when I started booking it. Soon before I knew it, I saw the finish line. I looked at my time on the board. I decreased my running time by 9 minutes and 50 seconds. This was my triumphant moment. From that very day on; I’ve ran 5ks, and for fun I run in my neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteMy first experience with low temperature weather happened when my husband and I were relocating to Atlanta, GA, from South Florida. It was two days before Christmas and we were planing on spending the holiday with his family. After tying up all our loose ends and packing our work van with everything that fit in it, including my favorite potted plant and a bowl with a Beta (fish). OH, and I had a pea in the pod. Because we had been occupied getting ready for the move, we only found out about a blizzard on the way south, the night before we were schedule to leave. No big deal, I thought. Lots of warm cloth and a few blankets at arms reach would do the trick, case needed. We got up bright and early and drove north from Deerfield Beach, toward our final destination. We only had to go a few miles and traffic was slowing down. And as unexpected to me, it got really cold. The road was a bumper to bumper, and to our demise, the heater in the car wasn't working...So, we started to put on every piece of clothing we had, and bundle up with with the blankets that I thought I wasn't going to need. At that point I had given up on the plants and decided to put the fish bowl close to my body for warmth. Only when we saw cars sleeting in front of us because of the ice on the road, and when it started to build up ice on the windshield inside and out to the point we had to stop to scrape it, we realized we were in real danger, and in it for the long haul. At times, it would take us hours to move 10 miles. In fact it took us about 10 hours to get to Orlando, Florida. It was dark, cold, we were tired and hungry. I remember it being really late at night and we stopped for gas and to look for a place to stay. The word was that there were no hotels rooms available for another hundred and fifty miles. I wanted to cry; I, literally, thought I was going to die. With a few nice, warm words from my husband, we had to go on and find a heated room to defrost our bodies. Resiliently, we pressed on. Arriving in Valdosta, GA, about 4 am, we found a place to stay. What a relief! We were going to sleep on a real warm bed... A few hours later we woke up kicking off the covers because it was too hot, nicely hot! The next day, was a bright sunny day. I saw snow for the first time on the remainder of our journey. The only casualty was the frozen fish left in the bowl inside the car. A few hours later we arrived in Atlanta, felt how toasty it was in the house, at the same time, felt the warmth from family welcoming us in with smiles and Christmas spirit.
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ReplyDeleteThe interview with Hilda Santana at the law firm of Robert M. Montgomery, Jr., and Associates changed my life. In 2006, I finally made the decision to go to an interview for a secretary position for an attorney. I was not happy with my current job at the accounting firm, I was not getting along with my argumentative co-workers, and I was always fighting with the staff members because they had seniority over me to take time off. At the interview, first I was stressed out by my nerves because I wanted this position terribly. Hilda was the office manager at the law firm; she asked a lot of questions throughout the interview. Meanwhile, I tried my best to stay calm, answer directly with the perfect answers I thought she wanted. She mentioned I passed the back ground check; therefore, I was already selected out of her list of potential candidates. Hilda spoke very low and eventually said, “I want you to meet with Mr. Montgomery.” When Mr. Montgomery walked in, he shook my hand and congratulated me, and said welcome aboard. After that I was shocked; I was hired on the spot. After the interview, Hilda gave me her card and a date. That would be the date I would start to work at the law firm. Hilda said to me you will work for my son, Michael Santana. He is a new law graduate from Florida International University. He is starting the same day as you. I said,” Thank you,” and went back to work to give my notice to my present employer. After the interview I felt invincible! I nailed the interview and got the job of my dreams! Moving on into that new chapter of my life did completely changed my outlook on life. Later while working at Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. and Associates that job gave a higher paying salary, better health benefits, and career goals of where I wanted to go professionally. It was the best job interview thus far in my life.
ReplyDeleteI have always been a shy and self-conscious person. Whenever I have somewhere to go I check myself more than once to avoid any kind of embarrassment. Saturday I was out with some friends and was properly dressed as always; whenever I have plans I always prepare my outfit in advance. I was wearing a shirt and a nice long skirt with a split in the back. It hugs my body because of the type of fabric, but it was not tight. Since there were many of us traveling, we decided to car pool to avoid difficulty finding parking space when we reached our destination. I don’t know why, but I chose to ride in the SUV; which was about two feet off the ground. As I lifted my leg up to climb in the vehicle, I completely forgot about the opening on my skirt, as I know to hold the split part together in case there is a situation where I have to do any type of power walk or run. As a result, my skirt tore in half, exposing my backside to the public. Some passerby’s stared at me in astonishment, while others were too embarrassed to look. My friends in the car didn’t know what was going on with me since all I was doing was standing there frozen like a statue, with my eyes popped out, gaping in disbelief, my heart pounding out of my chest 100 miles per hour, with sweat rolling down my forehead. I looked like Jim Carrey in the movie Mask when he turned into the cartoon character and saw Cameron Diaz performing onstage. I don’t know how I managed to find courage to tell the guy that was driving that I had an accident and I needed go home to change. No matter how hard one may try, accidents do happen.
ReplyDeletePaula Donaldson
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October 07, 2011
Narrative Paragraph
May 2002, was the day I met my husband. I met him over the telephone while on vacation, in Jamaica. Although this event was risky, it paid off since I have a husband, a happy life, and also a beautiful daughter.
First, I can remember talking on the phone to a friend of mine while lying on my bed one evening. We talked about how sad and lonely I felt since my previous relationship did not work out in my favor, which ended after four years. I felt like being alone, and had no intention of getting involved again in any other relationship in the future. During our conversation, my friend told me that he thinks that my mind will be changed after I talk to his friend that was standing beside him. Next, I heard a captivating and stern male voice on the phone. Now, I tried hard to control my overwhelming emotions of joy and happiness. However, I was not going to give in to the smooth talk and carefully chosen words of another person. After the phone had hung up, there were mixed feelings within me. One part of me wanted to be stubborn and be left alone, yet the other side of me was curious to find out what the future held for me with this individual called Shawn. In addition, I decided to give this person a chance in my life.
A few months later, he was deployed to Iraq for war. I was now left with so many questions in my mind that needed answers. However, I wondered if he would return alive or not. I even thought about if he would find another friend instead of me. Also, I prayed for his safe return home to me. Also, I wrote letters to him every week, and he did the same whenever he got the chance. He even contacted me via telephone from Iraq, which is so many miles away. Moreover, I was willing to spend the rest of my life with someone I barely knew because it felt right, and it seemed like I had known him for a long time.
Next, the phone rang and I knew it was Shawn. Even my heart would tell when he was calling. Now this conversation warranted my critical thinking skills. I discovered that he was expecting a baby girl to be born soon. Yes, there were questions in my mind which needed honest answers. After the conversation, I was left feeling shocked, but I also felt the trigger of emotional maturity within me. I depended upon the faith I had in God to bring me through this time, and to help me make the right decision. Meanwhile, I knew that nothing in life that is worth keeping comes easily since there are always challenges to overcome. Therefore, I was prepared to embrace this challenge with an open mind and a positive attitude.
Finally, he returned home from Iraq after six months of deployment. Then, I got engaged shortly afterwards. Next, I was married to him in April 2005. After two years of being happily married, I conceived a beautiful, smart, and blessed daughter.
In summary, these risks paid off in a life of happiness. I have no regrets even up to this day; therefore, risks are worth taking sometimes after the pros and cons are adequately evaluated.
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ReplyDeleteThe architectural design for a house is structurally intended to be built from the foundation up. A design assembled any other way is headed for disaster. A risk that paid off was the investing in the foundation of my children’s future through guidance, discipline, and love. Some people invest in the stock market, invest in stocks and bonds, and invest in the Florida’s Pre Paid College plan. What is it to invest in the future when your children are struggling in one area or another? You must secure the foundation of that individual by get them the proper tutoring program to strengthen their weaknesses and build confidence. It cost a lot of money to put three girls in a tutorial program for a time span of six years. If I had not the individual probably would not have completed their senior year in high school. Now that individual is not afraid to go forth to become a well rounded, well structured and well educated individual. I taught the importance of studying hard and completing all required courses. Passing the FCAT, SAT and ACT is required by all Universities to allow an individual to even apply to a facility of higher learning. One must be discipline in what ever you do, in the classroom-on the track-on stage, and on the basketball court; you must always give a hundred percent in order to be successful and achieve your goals that we have set as a family. As a family we all sacrificed money, time and ourselves to help and encourage each other in what ever that person was trying to accomplish. I’m thankful for my inter strength guiding me every step of the way; a risk that paid off.
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