How to Write Narrative Essay Format and Samples

How to Write Narrative Essay Format and Samples

Follow us to learn How to Write Narrative Essay Format and Samples. A narrative essay is defined as a type of essay that has a single motif, or a central point, around which the whole narrative or story revolves. It is a story about a personal experience or an event but the writer also makes a point. When writing a narrative essay, one might think of it as telling a story. The purpose of a narrative essay is not merely storytelling or an entertainment tale but also shows the reason for the story and the importance of the experience.

A writer of narrative essays applies descriptive and expository techniques to get the readers involved in the elements and the story line, especially descriptive details. A narrative essay is fun and interesting ways to convey personal experiences, however, they are not ‘short stories’ and should not be written as such. Read also: How to Write Descriptive Essay, Format and Samples.

It is similar to other forms of essays, in that it has the same format. It is only different in that it is a narrative, having characters, incidents and dialogues. The best narrative will leave the readers with something to think about. How to Write Narrative Essay Format and Samples.

How to Write Narrative Essay Format and Samples

•  SAMPLES OF A NARRATIVE ESSAY

Example #1:  Write a story ending with this saying; at last, we arrived safely                 

                                              At last, we arrived safely

I was a border at Ikeogbu Girls’ Grammar School. There was this experience I had which I will never forget. In one of the long vacations, I told grandma I needed to spend the holiday with my parents and siblings in Lagos which she obliged. She was an exceptional caring grandma. She never said no to any of my good requests.

As early as 5.30am, we set out to the Onitsha – Lagos Motor Park. The park housed mini and luxurious buses. The bus owner hailed from Uchula, my hometown. He taught it wise to situate the park in his home town. His decision was wise. The saying goes that when wealth reaches home, the owner will be mentioned. See Speech Writing, Format and Samples.

The giant bus usually left Uchula at 6.30am with any number of Lagos travellers and Onitsha passengers whose destination ended at Onitsha. When it discharges the Onitsha passengers, it picks Lagos passengers who purchase tickets at the Onitsha Park.

That morning, the luxurious bus left Uchula at 8.30am to Onitsha. Onitsha passengers were discharged at Upper Iweka. We headed to the luxurious Park where other passengers who bought Lagos fare tickets from the transport company were waiting for us. The tickets clearance, arrangement of the passengers, unloading, reloading and loading of travellers’ luggage and goods took us another two hours.

By the time we left Onitsha, I was worn out. I had begun to sweat like a Christmas goat meat. When we crossed the River Niger, I heaved a sign of relieve. I thought the journey had begun. Across the bridge, our driver who looked massive parked at a corner and there was massive influx of passengers into our already filled bus, mostly young men. They called it “attachment”. It was the driver and the conductor’s business. Whatever money that is accrued from it is not accounted to the transport company. Their fares were three times lesser than ours and they were issued no receipts. They were standing because there were no more vacant seats. The wood chairs which were made for the attachment business had been exhausted. We were like packed sardines.

At last, the bus moved when the legitimate passengers began to grumble loudly; “driver una wan kii pesin for inside here? We no be broom oh. Igbo man and moni, no go carry ghost.” They threatened. I wouldn’t say whether the driver and his conductors planned to carry passenger on the tyres of the bus. It was unfair.

The driver was determined to speed in order to make up for the time wasted. But the problematic passengers would not let him. Two men in the bus had runny stomach. We stopped over and over for them to defecate in the bush. A woman too had urine disease. What a journey!

Finally, we hit Oyingbo Park at 8.45pm. I saw great fear on the faces of my parents. They looked pale too. They had feared for my life. I was still very young to be at the road alone at that time. It was an unpalatable journey. But thanks to God, at last, we arrived safely. (How to Write Narrative Essay Format and Samples). Read also: Methylated Spirit Vs Chlorhexidine Gel for Newborn Umbilical Cord Care, Which is Better?

(Culled from “The Rainmaker and the Psalmists” by Njide Mkparu)

 

 

 Narrative Essay Samples

Example #2: Write a story ending with this saying; The devil makes works for idle hands. 

                                                   The devil makes works for idle hands

The devil makes works for idle hands is the same saying as ‘an idle mind is the devil’s workshop’. This saying reminds me of what happened during my primary school days.

There was a boy in my class. His name is Ken. He was nicknamed ‘Ken the Cat’. He was given this name because of his attitude. He is very lazy and avoided every physical exercise in the school. He always made a cat move whenever he was needed in a strong task. The teachers and the headmaster would always asked; ‘where is pussy-cat’? We would all laugh and chorused. “He has dodged”.

Every Friday, all the pupils from primary three to six came to school with craft-works. The girls and few boys came with palm leaves. We used blunt knives to trim the leaves and extract beautiful long brooms. The brooms were finely tied and submitted to the teachers as crafts and handi-works.

The boys came with palm twine for local baskets and chair weaving. The stronger and the talented ones came with tree stems for caving of mortar and pestles. These too they submitted at the end of the craft week. Marks were awarded to us and the best is awarded with prize at the end of every academic session.

Ken never participated in this craft and handi-work exercises. He preferred idleness and perambulations. One day, the devil made works for him and he nearly put his life in it. One day, our teacher came to school with salt, sugar and a bottle of Sprite. At the period of Health Education; she used the items to teach us how to fight dehydrations when we have diarrhoea at home. She experimented with salt and sugar and water. She experimented again with sprite and salt. Later, she gave us little to sip. The taste was good. We begged for more but we were denied and she took the rest to the Headmaster’s office.

Two days later we had our usual hand-craft day. Ken did not join us as he usual. But when we came back to the class, we saw his lifeless naked body on our teacher’s table. All the teachers gathered in our class and were pacing up and down the classroom, muttering some prayers. In no time, an Ambulance drove into our school with the headmaster. They carried him into the Ambulance and sped off.

The story was that Ken came to school with a scroll driver and master keys. When everybody was busy doing craftwork; he broke into the Headmaster’s office. He was searching for the Oral drip bottle. He saw a white bottle that looked similar and drank the contents. The bottle was a poisonous chemical.

Ken spent the whole term in the hospital battling for his life. He was known for idle hands. So, the devil made works for him. (How to Write Narrative Essay Format and Samples)

 

How to Write Narrative Essay Format and Samples

Example #3:  Write a story ending with; We apologised to each other and reconciled.

 We apologized to each other and reconciled

Most time, it is funny to think about things which have caused misunderstandings between you and your friends and others you do not know. Some of those things are meaningless occurrences. Others still are caused by ego in us. Even when we know that we are at fault we still maintain our ground. The ego in us will not allow us to apologise.

This was the case between me and one of my in-laws. She is a family member where my elder sister was married. There was scandal about a man of God going viral in the social media. It was a sex scandal and it has already caused a lot of division and damaged among his followers. This issue was about to die when another unverified news of similar case came up again on the social media against another reputable man of God from an unknown source.

My in-law shared this post in his Facebook timeline. When I saw the post I commented this way; ‘shame on you, idle poster. Next fake news please’.

I was actually referring to the original poster not my in-law who shared it. She misunderstood my comment and began to call me names. What pained me most was how she involved my sister in the matter. In calling me names, she included; ‘like sister like sister; bad mouth family’.

Initially, I wanted to inbox her privately to let her know I was referring to the original poster who was trying to rubbish the image of the mentioned man of God, but the ego in me did not allow me. I fired back at her. I called her ‘dullard family who lack the ability to construct a simple message rather prefers to copy and paste other people’s views’. I ended my own mouth lashing with ‘copy cat’.

Moment later, her message beeped in my inbox. When I opened it; she wrote; ‘I used to see you as a well trained girl. But now I am very disappointed at you’.

I replied immediately and said; ‘I used to know you as someone who is intelligent. I didn’t know you are not bright enough to read a simple comment and understand I wasn’t referring to you. After all, I used ‘he’ in my comment. Are a ‘he’ now’?

I did not get his reply again. I went back to the post and saw that she has brought it down. I felt sorry for her and for myself. I blamed myself why I didn’t explain earlier to her. This was a meaningless issue and should not be dragged this far.

I remembered who I am. I remembered what I have been taught. I went back to her inbox and type; ‘I am wrong. I should have explained earlier. Very sorry’.

A minute later, my phone rang; it was Joy, my in-law. I knew she would call. She is not troublesome. When I picked it, she said in our dialect; ‘Nne, sorry please. I am not like this …’

I did not wait for her to end her statement. I accepted immediately and admitted my own fault.  We apologized to each other and reconciled. (How to Write Narrative Essay Format and Samples).

( Njide Mkparu)

 

 Narrative Essay Samples

Example #4: Write a story ending with this saying; Pride goes before a fall.

 Pride goes before a fall

 

It is true of the saying that pride goes before a fall. I have seen many people whose lives were full of pride. Their lives were ended in miseries. One of them was the arrogant rainmaker in my village. He had arrogated himself with the gods and challenged God. He carried his shoulders so high and called himself “the god of the rain”. You may read: How to Write Articles for Publication, Format and Samples.

Ajuana was the name of the rainmaker. He terrorized the whole community with his rain making charms. Anyone who did not have the resources to settle him was in great trouble. It was just like the day Ukanwa, the childless widow, was buried. She was a poor widow and had no one to pay off the rainmakers. On the day of her burial, Ajuana did what he was known for. He made sure the sky wept water and blood. The poor widow’s grave was flooded.

But the members of St. Joseph’s parish managed to bury Ukanwa under the rain. Men and women, old and young, worked tirelessly to see that the flood was drained from the grave. Hastily, the parish priest blessed the grave and ordered them to lay her coffin down the grave. They were drained beyond measure, including the priest and the servants.

Ajuana did not believe his ears when he heard that a family in Uchula had vowed not to pay him homage for their burial preparations. To be sure, he went to the family to find out why they have not come to settle him. They were not afraid to tell him off. They told him that heaven and earth belong to God. He left the family humiliated. But he promised them a bleeding and moody sky on the day of their brother’s funeral and they made a bet.

On the burial day, the family brought home some men who called themselves “The Psalmists”. Theirs were to pray prayers continuously. At the back of Ajuana’s house, he was at his rain-making corner. He stood and went into his kitchen and gathered additional dry tendrils and dry coconut fronds. With these two items and kerosene, making fire was as easy as a snap of the finger. When the fire produced flames, he sat down at his usual sitting position, his goat-skin bag already by his side.

He was in a haste to bring down the rain. So, he doubled his charms and tactics. Like, instead of placing the fresh herbal leaves one at a time, he doubled each leaf. He stuffed his nostrils with double scoop of snuff simultaneously and took deep breath to send the deadly tobacco into his brain. This method of snuffing gave him uncontrollable sneezing which caused his nose and eyes to cry tears. When he noticed that there was a strange force hampering the rainmaking, he jumped into his goat barn and slaughtered a pregnant goat. He poured the blood like libertion on the rain-stone and rain finally came.

He went into his house pacing about. He bragged and hailed himself. He did not end there, Ajuana aimed to mock his contenders. He was determined to defy the flood in order to publicly shame and laugh at the bereaved family. He left his house amidst the heavy rain.  At a bend where he would cross a bridge, he tripped. He fell into a surged bridge. The rainmaker was drowned and carried into the river by the flood. His corpse was not found up till date. Pride goes before a fall! (How to Write Narrative Essay Format and Samples)

(Culled from “The Rainmaker and the Psalmists” by Njide Mkparu)