Narrative Text

Summary                

-          The  purpose:

To amuse/entertain the reader with actual/vicarious experience

-          Generic Structure

§  Orientation

Set the scene and introduce the participant

(Who/What, When , Where)

§  Complication

Ø  A problem arises

§  Resolution

Ø  A problem is resolved

(for better/worse)

-          Language Features

a.       Past tense

b.      Nouns, e.g. lion, mouse, etc

c.       Pronouns, e.g. it, you, etc

d.      Noun Phrases, e.g. a sleeping lion, etc

e.      Adjectives, e.g. small, beautiful, etc

f.        Adverbs, e.g. angrily, sadly, etc

g.       Direct Speech, e.g. “Please don’t eat me!” begged the mouse

h.      Indirect Speech, e.g. The mouse begged the lion not to eat him.

Example

A long time ago in Bangka Belitung lived a husband and a wife. They were poor and they did not have any children yet. Days and nights they prayed to God. They really wanted to have a child.

“God, please give us a child, even though he is only as big as a little finger,” prayed the husband.

Their dream came true! The wife was pregnant.

However they were surprised when they saw the baby. He was so small. He was as big as a little finger.

“You prayed to God to give us a child, although he is as big as a little finger right? Be thankful to God. Let’s love him. How will you name him then?” asked the wife.

“You are right. We have to be grateful. Well, I will name him Kelingking,” said the husband. Kelingking means little finger.

Time passed by and Kelingking did not grow much. His body was still physically small compared to other kids. Though he was so small, Kelingking ate like adults. He ate much food. And that made his parents really worried. They were poor and sometimes they could not eat because they had to give their food to Kelingking.

“I cannot hold it anymore. I want to put Kelingking in the jungle. Let him live there. I think he can survive,” said the father.

In the morning, Kelingking and his father went to the jungle. When they arrived, the father asked Kelingking to cut down a very big tree. When Kelingking was busy cutting down the tree, his father silently went home. The father thought that Kelingking could not cut down the big tree. The father was sure that Kelingking would be lost in the jungle. But he was wrong! In the morning Kelingking suddenly showed up in front of the house. And he brought the big tree also!

“Father, where do you want me to put this big tree?” asked Kelingking.

The father was surprised. He asked Kelingking to put the tree in the backyard. Kelingking then went inside the house. As always he ate all the food and that made his father got angry. He then had another idea.

“Kelingking, let’s go to the mountain. I need a big stone from there.”

Kelingking was an obedient kid. He followed his father to go to the mountain. When they arrived, his father pointed a big stone. The stone was as big as their house!

“I want you to bring that big stone to our house,” asked the father.

When Kelingking was trying to bring the stone, the father immediately ran home. At night, when the father was sleeping , suddenly he heard Kelingking’s voice.

“Father, I’m home. Where do you want me to put this big stone?”

This time Kelingking’s father realized his mistake. It was true that Kelingking’s body was small and he ate much food. But he was a nice kid and he had great power. With that power, they could get a job and had a lot of money. The father then apologized to Kelingking. Since then they always worked together. ***

Exercises

Let Me Love You

        Once upon a time, there was a guy who was very much in love which this girl. This romantic guy folded 1.000 pieces of paper cranes as gift to his girl. Although, at that time he was just a small executive in his company, his future doesn’t seem too bright, they were very happy together.

       Until one day, his girl told him she was going to Paris and will never come back. She also told him that she cannot visualize any future for the both of them, so let’s  go their own ways there and then…hearth broken, the guy agreed. When he regained his confidence, he worked hard day and night, just to make something out of himself. Finally with all these hard work and with the help of friends, this guy had set up his own company.” You never fail until you stop trying. “He always told himself. “ I must make it in life!”

      One rainy day, while this guy was driving, he saw an elderly couple sharing an umbrella in the rain working to some destination. Even with the umbrella, they were still drenched. It didn’t take him long to realize those were his ex-girlfriend’s parent. With a heart in getting back at them, he drove slowly beside the couple, wanting them to spot him in his luxury saloon. He wanted them to know that he wasn’t the same anymore, he had his own company, car, condo. He had made it in life! Before the guy can realize, the couple was walking towards a cemetery, and he got out of his car and followed them and he saw his ex girlfriend, a photograph her smiling sweetly as ever at him from  her tombstone and he saw his precious paper cranes in a bottle placed beside her tomb. Her parents saw him. He walked over and asked them why this had happened. They explained that she did not leave for France at all. She was stricken ill cancer. In her heart, she had believed that he will make it someday but she did not want her illness to be his obstacle therefore she had chosen to leave him. She had wanted her parents to put his paper cranes beside her, because, if the day comes when fate brings him to her again he can take some of those back with him. The guys just wept.

Answer these questions

1.       What is the type of the text?

2.       What is the main idea the first paragraph?

3.       Who is the main character of the story?

4.       Why did  the guy break up with his girl friend?

5.       What is actually the cause of the girl’s death?