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Jillian Frost Mrs. Brosius AP Language/Period 4 12 September 2010 Open Note Test on Narration Define the following terms: Narration: piece of writing that is open-ended: can be long or short, factual or imagined, instructive or informative, to divert or to regale; narration is only part of what is being said; they usually serve a higher purpose Anecdote: short, entertaining, account of a single incident; add color and specifics to history Argument: brief statement that summarizes main points or the purpose/issue the author is trying to debate Thesis Statement: assertion of the idea behind the story; can be excluded or stated at the end of the story with a dramatic ending or saving the best for last Lead: beginning with the conclusion, placing the main event in the opening paragraph so the readers can get the essentials up front Conclusion: what a writer builds up to, ending the story; where the thesis may be implicitly or explicitly stated Narrator: the person telling the story; can be first person (someone actually in the story) or third person (telling the story from the outside); makes decision of past/present tense Subjective: details and language chosen to express the writers personal feelings Point of view: writers angle of seeing the story, differs based on type of narrator Objective: nonparticipant narrator set forth events in an unbiased, accurate and dispassionate way Scene: visualize each event as vividly and precisely as if you were there, as if seeing in a movie scene, portray characters rather than mention Summary: relate events concisely, setting down just essentials of what happened, takes less time and fewer words Description: included when telling story by scene, details that define the character or event Chronological order: the order that the events occurred

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In Media Res: Latin for in the middle of things; used to capture readers attention right away, may be a colorful or dramatic event Flashback: returning to earlier events, or recalling earlier events Transitions: used to clarify the sequence of events in time especially needed when departing from chronological order Questions: 1. An author may deviate from chronological order to create suspense by saving the most impressive or extreme event for last, even if it happened earlier in time. Also, changing the order can capture attention or build dramatic effect for the ending. Changing the point of view provides a different opinion on the events happening in the book. A different point of view may change how the reader sees different characters or interprets events in the story.

2. Summary is used to tell only the simple, necessary events. Taking less time and fewer words, summary is used to appropriately address the audience when they only need the facts or information. Instead of using scene, the audience gets only the details they need.

3. Compression is using only the details necessary to the writing. When considering the audience in details, the following questions should be asked: what happened, who took part, when, where, why did this take place and how did it happen? Also, consider if the reader needs background information about the characters or a previous event. The details would be different when telling the story to a stranger rather than a close friend.

4. Verbs in narration are used to clarify and strengthen events. They are used to sharpen the meaning of the sentence and emphasize details. Forms of the words make and be are verbs that should be avoided in narration, as they do not add any power to the sentence. Using the passive voice should also be avoided because it takes away the action in the story.

5. Narration is useful to relate a personal story or to tell a story about characters. It engages and holds the attention of readers and listeners. They are often used to demonstrate a deeper purpose, implicitly stated within the writing. Narration should be avoided when writing reports of incidents or simply stating the facts of a situation.