Narrative

A narrative is a type of spoken or written text that tells a story of one character or more who
face certain situations. There are various kinds of narratives such as fairy stories, mysteries,
science fictions, romance, horror, etc. This type of text can be found in short story books,
magazines, novels, movies etc. Narrative is popular because they present a plot which
consists of complications and resolutions. They make people feel curious and anxious with
the ends of the stories. The generic structure of narrative usually has four components (but
the one is optional): (1)Orientation, (2) Complication (3) Resolution and (4) Reorientation (it is optional).
A.Generic Structure of Narrative
1. Orientation : sets the scene and introduces the participants (characters) of the
story, the time and place the story happened (Who, what, when
and where)
2. Complication : a crisis arises. A series of events in which the main character
Attempts to solve the problem
3. Resolution : the crisis is resolved, for better or worse
4. Re-orientation: it is optional. The ending of story. It sometimes contains the
solution
B. Generic Features
1.A narrative focuses on specific participants.
2.There are many action verbs, verbal and mental processes
3.Direct and indirect speeches are often used
4.It usually uses Past Tense
5.Linking words are used, related with time
6.There are sometimes some dialog and the tense can change
7.Descriptive language is used to create listeners or readers imagination
8.Temporal conjunctions are also used.
Now read this text of narrative!

Ways of Organizing a Literacy Narrative

Start by OUTLINING the main events in your narrative. Then think about how you want to tell the story.
Don't assume that the only way to tell your story is just as it happened. That's one waystarting at the
beginning of the action and continuing to the end. But you could also start in the middleor even at the
end. Shannon Nichols, for example, could have begun her narrative by telling how she finally passed the
proficiency test and then gone back to tell about the times she tried to pass it, even as she was an A
student in an honors English class. Several ways of organizing a narrative follow.

When Love is Blind

Orientation:
There was once a beautiful girl living in a city. She was known as Shinta, a nice and friendly
girl. She studied at a popular senior high school in the city. She always followed the trend of
young people life style. She got dressed as how the trend was at the time. In her idea,
western modern life was the ideal model for all people. She thought that everybody should
be free to do anything he or she liked.
She had a handsome boyfriend, Deo. Having a boy or girl friend was like a must for the
young people in the city. Parents advice to get away from western culture was considered
as old-fashioned.
Shinta loved his boyfriend very much. On Saturday evening they made a date, going to a
theatre, caf or party. Shintas parents were worried about her. They have warned her but
she ignored them.
She thought, Though my parents dont agree with me, the show must go on. I love him very
much. Whatever happens to me, I will face it. Yes love was blind. She got blind. Since then,
she often quarreled with her father and mother. She became uncontrolled. She more often
went out at night with the boyfriend. But, her parents could do nothing but only wait, see and
pray.
Complication:
Days went by. One morning, Shinta got a serious stomachache and wanted to throw up. She
got dizzy; she went to the bathroom and threw up some contents of her stomach. Shinta was
very worried. Am I getting pregnant? she asked herself. Her worries grew stronger until she

decided to buy a pregnancy tester in a shop. She tested her urine. And what a shock! The
tester showed a positive pregnancy. Shinta got fainted in her room for some minutes. She
was very afraid that her mother knew what happened.
Shinta tried to hide her pregnancy. Her face got pale every day and looked unhealthy. She
tried to contact Deo. Knowing her girlfriend got pregnant; he was also frustrated and didnt
want to admit that he was the father of the baby. He tried to avoid meeting Shinta. He was
not responsible for the consequence. He asked her to abort the baby, but she refused.
The stomach became bigger and bigger, but she was successful to hide it from others sight.
She was very depressed, and more and more. Four months later, in one evening, when she
could no longer be able to keep the burden, she decided to do abortion. In her bedroom, she
took a chair and jumped from it to the floor. When her feet touched the floor, a bloody clod of
a red fetus covered with placenta was dropped, cried and move several seconds, then
stopped moving. The blood was running out of her skirt, making the floor wet. Shinta could
see what happened in front of her eyes, didnt know what to do. She tried to stand up. But
then she got unconscious.
The next day, in the morning when she didnt get out of the room, Shintas mother called her
name several times. No answer made the mother open the room door and looked inside.
She saw blood everywhere in the floor and walls. The horror was shocking her when she
found her daughter lying near the dead small fetus. She was upset but could control herself.
Resolution:
Shintas mother quickly took her to the hospital. But, its too late. On the way Shinta died
before she got a help. On the same day, the news about Shinta spread throughout the city.
Written by Cahyono

To make it clear, please remember the concept of narrative below:

Purpose:
To amuse or entertain
To deal with actual or imaginative experiences in different ways
Text Organization
Orientation
Complication
Resolution
Language Features

Focus on specific and individualized participants

The use of material process (action verbs)

The use of some behavioral and verbal processes

The use of relational and mental processes

The use of past tenses

The use of temporal conjunctions and circumstances

http://readingforseniorhighschool.blogspot.co.id/2009/01/narrative.html

Narrative Text| Senior High School grade XII

Diposkan oleh Citra Putri Utami di 09.04

The Generic Structure of Narrative Text

Introduces main characters, setting and time
Orientation:
The opening paragraph introduces characters /
(Beginning
or
participants of the story and sets the scene (it answers the
introduction) questions who, when, what and where)
The problem happens among the characters
Complication
It is about the problems which involve the main
:
(Middle)
characters in the story developed
The problem is dissolved
It is about how the problems in the story are solved
Resolution: (better or worse). Here, the main characters find ways to
(Ending)
solve the problems.
The Social Function of Narrative Texts
The purpose is to entertain, create, stimulate emotions, motivate, give and teach
readers.
A narrative text usually has a moral value.
A narrative text may include folktales, myths, legends, etc.
Example:
BANYUWANGI
Once upon a time, there was a king reigned in East Java named
Sindureja. He had a prime minister named Sidapaksa.
Sidapaksa had a very beautiful wife.
Sidapaksa loved his wife deeply. They lived in complete
happiness. However, Sidapaksas mother didnt like her
Orientatio daughter in law. Each day she tried to think a way to separate
n
Sidapaksa from his wife.
One day, King Sindureja asked Sidapaksa to search for a bud of
a magic flower on Mount Ijen. It was a long journey. The
assignment from the king was so important and urgent.
Sidapaksa had to leave his pregnant wife.
Not long afterwards, a son was born. The babys birth gave
much happiness to the young mother.
However, one day, while young mother was bathing, her evil
motherin-law threw the baby into the river. Knowing that her
baby had disappeared, the young mother was very sad. She
could neither eat nor sleep. She became very ill.
Two years passed and Sidapaksa returned from his journey. He
succeeded in doing his duty. Just as he was about to enter his
house, her mother told him that his wife had thrown their baby
into the river. Sidapaksa believed her mothers story. He was
too angry to use his common sense. He drew his keris and
approached her wife who was lying weak on her bed.
Ah, Wicked woman. Tell me why you threw our new-born child
into the river. Tell me! he said in a rough and angry voice.
Oh my dearest husband, I am innocent. I love you, and our
baby. I didnt kill our child. If you dont believe me, carry me to
the river. I will prove that I didnt do it replied his wife calmly.
Sidapaksa took her wife to the edge of the river. Suddenly, his
wife leaped up and threw herself into the river.
Complicati Oh my God! How will I know who killed my child? moaned
on
Sidupaksa.

Then he looked down the water. Suddenly, two pure white

flower buds appeared, one longer and taller than the other. A
sweet fragrance came from them.
Sidapaksa, come and have a look here! Beside me is our
child. He himself will tell you who drowned him, the taller one
spoke.
Father, my mother is innocent. Grandmother threw me into
the river. Now I am happy because my beloved mother has
come with me, The smaller one spoke. Then, the two flowers
vanished into the water. They left their fragrance behind.
Since then, people call the city on its banks of the
river Banyuwangi.Banyu means water and wangi means
Resolution fragrant.
Grammar
Ciri kebahasaan (lexica grammatical) dalam teks naratif di antaranya yaitu:
Menggunakan Past Tense namun dapat pula dengan present tense.
Nouns phrases sebagai subject maupun object.
Content verbs bentuk lampau (past verbs) seperti, reigned, ordered, cursed,

turned, married, dsb.

Adjectives yang menerangkan keadaan kata benda di baliknya dan

membentuk noun phrases, misalnya, long black hair, two red apples, dsb.
Time sequence conjunctions untuk mengurutkan kejadian-kejadian,

misalnya then, before that, after that, soon, when, finally, first, dsb.
Time expressions (ungkapan waktu) seperti once upon a time, long ago,

oneday, dsb.
The Simple Past Tense
The Simple Past Tense is used to talk an action that happened in the past. It is used to
tell a story.
The Simple Past Tense Pattern :
Subject + to be (was/were)
Subject + verb past
To show past events you can use some adverbs of time, such as Yesterday, Last
week/days.month...year, Two months ago, Five years ., A week , This morning,
etc
Examples:
Ratih was here yesterday.
They were my classmates in elementary school.
Lina ate pizza a week ago
I did this homework this morning
Vocabulary
Here are some verbs taken from the text:
Verb base
Verb Past
Believe
Believed
Pass
Passed
Give
gave
Become
Became
Ask
Asked
Love
Loved
Reign
Reigned
Have
Had
Come
Came
vanish
Vanished

Verb base
Throw
Return
Tell
Wick
Say
Take
Leap
Kill
Look
leave

Verb Past
Threw
Returned
Told
Wicked
Said
Took
Leaped
Killed
Looked
Left

Note:
Become = menjadi
Reign = berkuasa
Vanish = lenyap
Wick = jahat
Leap = melompat
Noun Phrases
Noun Phrases are phrases that function in the same way as nouns, (subjects, direct
objects or indirect objects)
The noun phrases in table 1 consist of adjective + noun, meanwhile noun phrases in
table 2 consist of noun + noun
Adjective + Noun
Noun + Noun
complex form
team effort
medical facility
patients welfare
diagnostic procedures
hospital personnels
primary hospitals
specialty hospitals
tertiary instructions
patient population
modern technology
rehabilitation department
acute care
entrance door
restricted group
cash register
fast food
order number

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