Narrative Topic

For my narrative, I have chosen to write about my first experience with Pablo Neruda’s poem “Tonight I can write the saddest lines”.

Characteristic Features

1.       A clearly identified event

a.       The narrative is solely about me, as no one else was involved at the time I read the poem. I will try to describe the poem, how I felt, and how it affected me when I read it.

2.       A clearly described setting

a.       The narrative took place in my room. I will describe my room, where I was in relation to it, and how I felt being there as it is important to the overall tone of the narrative. The transition in feeling from before the reading to after, are incredibly important when describing how I was affected.

3.       Vivid descriptive details

a.       The sounds I heard around me including the weather outside, and the footsteps above me, the feeling of sheets on my skin and cold feet, the smell of familiar fabric detergent, and the dim lighting provided by my phone screen, will all hopefully serve as details that will provide a type of reality and feeling to the narrative, and make it more accessible to other people.

4.       A consistent point of view

a.       The narrative will be told solely through my own point of view in first person. The actual experience is very personal so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me to be describing it through an outside perspective, where details may be left out or forgotten.

5.       A clear point

a.       The story matters because it was my first real experience with literature that changed who I was. It changed how I viewed the world, and also how I approached different experiences, including literature. The experience shaped my relationship with literature and writing and is absolutely necessary when explaining my journey to literacy and the relationship I have with it.