Modes of Discourse
Introduction & Narration
Modes of Discourse
• Mode = method (HOW)
• Discourse = communication / discussion
• In terms of written communication, we
classify 9 main modes of discourse
– Narration, Illustration, Description, Process
Analysis, Definition, Division and
Classification, Comparison and Contrast,
Cause and Effect and Argument.
Narration
To narrate is to tell a story or to recount a series of
events. Whenever you relate an incident or use an
anecdote (a very brief story) to make a point, you
use narration.
In its broadest sense, narration is any account of
any event or series of events.
We all love to hear stories; some people believe that
sharing stories is a part of what defines us as
human beings. Good stories are interesting,
sometimes suspenseful, and always instructive
because they give us insights into the human
condition.
Although most often associated with fiction, narration
is effective and useful in all kinds of writing.
Narration
Good narration has five essential features:
1. a clear context
2. some well-chosen and thoughtfully
emphasized details
3. a logical, sometimes chronological
organization
4. an appropriate and consistent point of view
5. a meaningful point or purpose
Consider, for example, the following narrative,
titled “Is Your Jar Full?”
Narration Example #1
One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of
business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those
students will never forget. As he stood in front of the group of highpowered overachievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz,” and he pulled out
a one-gallon mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. He also
produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one
at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more
rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?”
Everyone in the class yelled, “Yes.”
The time management expert replied, “Really?” He reached under the table
and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel in and shook
the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces
between the big rocks. He then asked the group once more, “Is the jar
full?” By this time the class was on to him.
“Probably not,” one of them answered.
“Good!” he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of
sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the
spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.
Narration Example #1 Continued
Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?”
“No!” the class shouted.
Once again he said, “Good.” Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and
began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked
at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”
One eager beaver raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter
how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit
some more things in it!”
“No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point. The truth this illustration
teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get
them in at all. What are the ‘big rocks’ in your life—time with your
loved ones, your faith, your education, your dreams, a worthy cause,
teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these big rocks in
first or you’ll never get them in at all.”
So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short
story, ask yourself this question: What are the “big rocks” in my life?
Then, put those in your jar first.
Narration Continued
This story contains all the elements of good narration.
The writer begins by establishing a clear context
for her narrative by telling when, where, and to
whom the action happened. She has chosen details
well, including enough details so that we know what is
happening but not so many that we become
overwhelmed, confused, or bored. The writer
organizes her narration logically with a beginning
that sets the scene, a middle that relates the exchange
between the time-management expert and the
students, and an end that makes her point, all
arranged chronologically. She tells the story from the
third-person point of view. Finally, she reveals the
point of her narration: people need to think about
what’s important in their lives and put these activities
first.
Narration – Non-Chronological
• Non-Chronological Narration is where
the writer does not simply tell the
events in the order that they happened.
• Writers use non-chronological narration
to provide clues – or foreshadow – what
will happen in the story.
• Assignment – Read “The Scarlet Ibis”
and focus on how the writer uses nonchronological narration.
Narration
Day Two
• Last class, we discussed the concept of nonchronological narration. The story that we read was
written with “non-chronological narration” – the
writer did not simply tell the events in the order that
they happened.
• We begin by hearing from the narrator as a grown
man, remembering his childhood. The story then
flashes back to when he was 6 years old and his
brother was born. This opening section is necessary
for setting the tone of the story. It gives us many
clues that something sad will happen as we are
given the impression that Doodle is no longer alive.
• This non-chronological narration allows the writer to
set up the tone of grief and sadness before we even
begin to read the story of Doodle.
Your Turn
Be sure to give some thought to the
organization of your narrative.
Chronological organization is natural in
narration because it is a reconstruction of
the original order of events, but it is not
always the most interesting.
To add interest to your storytelling, use
non-chronological narration. Begin your
narration at the end of the story with an
important or exciting event, and then use
flashback to fill in what happened earlier.
Classroom Activity ~ Using Narration
Assignment:
Choose a significant event from your life – one
that you attach some emotion to…happy, sad,
scared, angry, etc. It could be a wedding, a
birth, a vacation, a competition, a tournament,
Christmas (a specific one), starting a new
school, moving, etc.
•
Think about the usual demands of narration
but especially the requirements that your
narration have some meaningful point or
purpose and a non-chronological organization.
When you have chosen your event, break it down into four
chronological steps. For example:
Soccer Game
1 – We changed in the locker room
2 – We walked onto the field
3 – I scored a goal
4 – Final whistle blew. We won the game.
You will now write a 4 paragraph narrative of your event. Each of
your steps will be included. Your paragraphs will go in this order:
4,1,2,3. If I was writing up the event above I would BEGIN with a
paragraph that described the final whistle blowing, how excited I was
and how my team-mates reacted, etc. In my 2nd, 3rd and 4th
paragraphs I would then go back and describe the details that led up
to that moment.
Please write detailed paragraphs, remembering all we have
learned recently about parallel structure, active voice,
modifiers, and using the 5 senses in your writing.
Narration Example #2
One afternoon in late August, as the summer’s sun streamed into the
[railroad] car and made little jumping shadows on the windows, I sat
gazing out at the tenement dwellers, who were themselves looking out
of their windows from the gray crumbling buildings along the tracks of
upper Manhattan. As we crossed into the Bronx, the train unexpectedly
slowed down for a few miles. Suddenly from out of my window I saw a
large crowd near the tracks, held back by two policemen. Then, on the
other side from my window, I saw a sight I would never be able to forget:
a little boy almost severed in halves, lying at an incredible angle near the
track. The ground was covered with blood, and the boy’s eyes were
opened wide, strained and disbelieving in his sudden oblivion. A
policeman stood next to him, his arms folded, staring straight ahead at
the windows of our train. In the orange glow of late afternoon the
policemen, the crowd, the corpse of the boy were for a brief moment
immobile, motionless, a small tableau to violence and death in the city.
Behind me, in the next row of seats, there was a game of bridge. I heard
one of the four men say as he looked out at the sight, “God, that’s
horrible.” Another said, in a whisper, “Terrible, terrible.” There was a
momentary silence, punctuated only by the clicking of the wheels on the
track. Then, after the pause, I heard the first man say: “Two hearts.”
Narration Model Essay
• Read the model essay entitled, “White Lies” and take
notice of the use of an interesting technique called
‘perhapsing’:
This essay uses what the writer Lisa Knopp calls
“perhapsing.” Sometimes when we’re writing, we can’t
recall the exact details of our experiences. In this case,
we can “perhaps” or speculate about what actually
happened. In the final paragraph of “White Lies,” I
speculate about whether I saw or dreamt about Connie
and her mother in the convenience store. The result of
this rhetorical strategy is two-fold: it establishes me as
a reliable narrator and allows me to question my own
motives in “remembering” the past.
• In your notes, answer the following question: How well
does this strategy (perhapsing) work for Murphy in her final
paragraph? Explain.
Your Turn
• Ask yourself why you are telling your story
• Your purpose will influence which events and
details you include and which you leave out
• Include enough details about the action and its
context so that your readers can understand
what’s going on
• Don’t get so carried away with details that your
readers become confused or bored by an
excess of information. In good storytelling,
deciding what to leave out is as important as
deciding what to include.