Types of Papers: Narrative/Descriptive - Essay Example

 Types of Papers: Narrative/Descriptive Essay writing is done for variant reasons, a number of people take to it as a hobby whereas others do it as a means of attaining the necessary academic qualifications. Sometimes, a writer can arbitrary determine the form of the essay; however, the greatest determination of an essay’s form is its purpose and context. For instance, when a writer is recounting his life’s experience he cannot employ the same style of writing like one who is seeking a grant or applying for a position in an office. This is because the general tone and the general purpose of the essay are different. It is such different contexts and purposes that translate to different forms of essays. In as such as there are many purposes of writing essays there are as many forms of essays. In this study, we delve more into two types of essays, descriptive and narrative essays. In analyzing and discussing these essays we will try to bring out the differences and the similarities as we also attempt to look at the different aspects of each of the essays. It is hoped that at the conclusion of this discussion a deeper understanding of these two forms of essays and clear knowledge of their application will be acquired. Descriptive essays This is perhaps the most forthright type of essay as it is a fashioned to describe or provide an account of something. In an academic sense, descriptive essays are used to test one’s conceptualization or understanding of a given topic, issue or subject (Ravid et al 2005). In descriptive essays, the writer is not required to describe or analyze anything else beyond what they saw or read about. It is a very plain type of essay that requires only that which can be conceptualized through our senses (Richardson, 2002). To bring this into perspective, we can think of on goings in a company. For this purpose, one can be asked to dwell on the role of one employee for instance “describe the role of an accountant in a company set up”. In this case, one is not being asked about their opinion on an accountant’s job, they are simply being asked to recount what an account does or is expected to do in an office set up. Similarly, it does not ask a writer to determine the accountants effectiveness in driving forward a company, this is subjective and beyond the scope of a descriptive essay. Rather, the question seeks a clear detail on what an accountant in an office does. As part of writing this essay, a writer can start out with writing about the necessary qualifications of an accountant, this way; they help orient the readers mind on what makes an accountant. This is an important aspect of understanding what a person does. At the same time, the writer can explain the position of an accountant in the office hierarchy, describe their responsibility and enumerate their roles and the importance of these roles or duties to the company. It would also be helpful to note down what deems an accountant as successful or what gauges their effectiveness. As a means of helping in conceptualization, one may explain an accountant’s role in handling an actual problem such as their role in the budgeting process. Unlike most other forms of essays which require a clear order, as they may be dictated by a timeline and require progression, descriptive essays require no such order (Ravid et al 2005). Their appearance is guided by the subject and organization of writer’s thoughts. Narrative essay Narrative essays are arguably the most common forms of essays as we encounter them on a daily basis. Any novel or story book we read to children at home or in school are likely to be in narrative form. A narrative form is the type of essay one adopts when they want to give a personal account of an event or an experience. Largely, narratives are mostly subjective and personal they are characterized by a writer’s emotion and imagination. A narrative is laden with one’s personal view of an experience and often represents a great detail of what happened during a particular event. In most cases, narratives represent first hand experiences and form the bulk of writings where one seeks to express their views or share different experiences (Richardson, 2002). For instance, when one seeks to put across their feelings and thoughts regarding their first flying experience they will adapt a narrative form of storytelling. This is where they start telling the reader about the anxiety, joy, and satisfaction that comes along with the flying experience. They take the reader through all the steps from when they were first given the chance to fly to the last minute where they actually completed their flight. Narrative essays help one share in the narrator’s experience and connect with their feelings (Ravid et al 2005). In terms of structuring, a narrative essay structure is determined by the actual progression of events being described by the writer. Notably, it is through step by step recount that a writer is able to draw and keep the reader’s attention. Similarities The similarity between the two essays mainly lies in their format. The two forms of essays employ the same structure where the first part is the introduction, the essay’s body and a conclusion as the last part (Ravid et al 2005). The content of these parts should have the same theme where in the introduction the writer gives a brief explanation of the subject matter, in the body they explain the subject or event in detail and in the conclusion they explain the effect or give remarks. Differences The main difference between the essays is the fact that a narrative is personal and thus requires the use of first person; it is likely to employ such words as “I”. A descriptive essay does not use first person and often employs second or third person (Richardson, 2002). Another major difference is that in a narrative the theme is mainly action based while in a descriptive essay it is a chronological account of events, place or thing. These two types of essays are employed in different situations. It is important to understand what circumstance warrants what type of essays so as to effectively match the context with the form a prerequisite to great writing. References Ravid, D. D., Shyldkrot, H. B.-Z., & Berman, R. A. (2005). Perspectives on language and language development: Essays in honor of Ruth A. Berman. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic. Richardson, B. (2002). Narrative dynamics: Essays on time, plot, closure, and frames. Columbus: Ohio State University Press. Read More