Descriptive

Narrative

Expository

Poetry

Literary Analysis

The Modes of Writing

“MODES OF WRITING AND GENRES OF LITERATURE”Jenks Freshman Academy

Descriptive Writing

Descriptive writing describes an object, place, or person in a way that creates a vivid impression in the reader's mind, enabling the reader to visualize what is being described, and to feel that he/she is very much part of the writer's experience. Descriptive writing is characterized by the following:

Elaborate use of sensory details (often those that others might overlook) that enrich or define the central impression.

Details which go beyond the general, e.g., The house was big and nice.

Details which enable the reader to picture or relive what the writer is telling.

Definition of Descriptive Writing

On one corner of my dresser sits a smiling toy clown on a tiny unicycle--a gift I received last Christmas from a close friend. The clown's short yellow hair, made of yarn, covers its ears but is parted above the eyes. The blue eyes are outlined in black with thin, dark lashes flowing from the brows. It has cherry-red cheeks, nose, and lips, and its broad grin disappears into the wide, white ruffle around its neck. The clown wears a fluffy, two-tone nylon costume. The left side of the outfit is light blue, and the right side is red. The two colors merge in a dark line that runs down the center of the small outfit. Surrounding its ankles and disguising its long black shoes are big pink bows. The white spokes on the wheels of the unicycle gather in the center and expand to the black tire so that the wheel somewhat resembles the inner half of a grapefruit. The clown and unicycle together stand about a foot high. As a cherished gift from my good friend Tran, this colorful figure greets me with a smile every time I enter my room.

Example of Descriptive Writing

Descriptive writing appears almost everywhere, from cookbooks to poems. A writer might use a description to introduce a character in a narrative or to create a strong closing to a persuasive essay. Whatever the form, its purpose is to describe.

Forms of Descriptive Writing

No matter how the description is used, the following guidelines for good descriptive writing will help.

Active voice using strong verbsInclude many detailsUse figurative language, if appropriate Organize detailsShow, not tell Use precise language

Guidelines

Narrative Writing

Narrative writing recounts a personal experience or tells a story based on a real event or on an imagined event. All details come together in an integrated way to create some central theme or impression and, in the case of fiction, is created to entertain the reader. Narrative writing is usually characterized by the following:

Use of first or third-person narrator Plot, characters, setting DialogueEvents organized in time-order sequence (although

flashbacks and other organizational patterns are also used).

Definition of Narrative Writing

My eyes open. I strain to see the time on the clock. Another hour or so remains. I realize I have to go to the bathroom, so I reluctantly get up, go, and crawl longingly back into bed, wishing that the one hour was more like two, or three, or four, but grateful for it being better than nothing.

Before I know it, a song is belting itself out of the radio and time is up. My cell phone alarm goes off two minutes later, beckoning me to rise, shine, and stifle the noises that are eager to keep me awake.

I get up, wash my face, brush my teeth, dress in the clothes that I’ve laid out the night before, eat breakfast, and check my e-mail about two or three times before I leave the house for work. It’s an automatic reflex that I can’t disengage myself from doing.

Example of Narrative Writing

Forms of Narrative Writing

Narrative writing appears in poetry, short stories, novels, personal essays, tall tales, and folk tales, to name just a few. It also takes a particular form in scripts and plays. A writer might use narrative writing to make a point in persuasive essay or to give an example in expository writing. Whatever the form, its purpose is to TELL.

No matter how narrative writing is used, the following guidelines for good persuasive writing will help.

Active voice using strong verbsOrganize the events effectivelyDepict characters and setting vividlyCreate a main idea, impression, or theme. Address the “why” in your writing.

Guidelines

Expository Writing

Expository writing gives information, explains something, clarifies a process or defines a concept. Though objective and not dependent on emotion, expository writing may be lively, engaging, and reflective of the writer's underlying commitment to the topic. Expository writing is characterized by the following:

Development of a main idea Support of the main idea using examples, details,

and/or factsPresentation of logically organized informationCommitment to the topic

Definition of Expository Writing

Did you know that 7 out of 10 students have cheated at least once in the past year? Did you know that 50 percent of those students have cheated more than twice? These shocking statistics are from a survey of 9,000 U.S. high school students.

The kids claim that they’re tempted to cheat because of peer pressure and intense competition to get top grades. Many kids also say that their parents are setting a bad example by “fudging” on income taxes, lying about age to pay lower admission prices, or cheating their way out of a speeding ticket. They are sending a message to their kids that it is okay to cheat and lie.

Example of Expository Writing

Forms of Expository WritingExpository writing appears in letters, newsletters, definitions, guidebooks, catalogues, newspaper articles, magazine articles, how-to writing, pamphlets, comparison/contrast essays, cause-effect essays, problem-solution essays, reports, research papers, literary analyses, to name just a few.

Whatever the form, its purpose is to inform, explain, clarify, define, or instruct.GuidelinesNo matter how expository writing is used, the following guidelines for good expository writing will help.

State the main idea Support main idea using examples, details, and/or facts Present information logically organizedShow commitment to the topicActive voice using strong verbs

Poetry

Poetry is an imaginative awareness of experience expressed through meaning, sound, and rhythmic language choices so as to evoke an emotional response. Poetry has been known to employ meter and rhyme, but this is by no means necessary. Poetry is an ancient form that has gone through numerous and drastic reinvention over time. The very nature of poetry as an authentic and individual mode of expression makes it nearly impossible to define.

Definition of Poetry

Poetry Example

The telephone rings endlessly.This is insane!Anxiety hits my stomach,Then rises up through my body.Will he pick up?Butterflies roar.Does he care?Oh, no . . .Breathe.

Click.Someone’s there.Who?His sister maybe?No.It’s him . . .I can’t think straight.

Click.I hope—no, wish(wishing is more desperate)that he can go.Ask.Now!

Click.The words spill out,like a reaction,without thinking.Where is the nervousness?Gone.

His voice is muffled outside of the phone.He is asking.Please let him come.I pray a thousand times in one second.

He can come!My hand puts the phone down.AAAHHH!I scream as I let everything out.I throw my arms around my friend . . .The ultimate girly moment.

Wait.Another problem.What am I going to wear?

The Call

Literary Analysis

A literary analysis is not merely a summary of a literary work. Instead, it is an argument about the work that expresses a writer’s personal perspective, interpretation, judgment, or critical evaluation of the work. A Literary Analysis is characterized by the following:

Use of formal, academic dictionConsideration of your audienceProper organizationA well supported thesis

Definition of Literary Analysis

Of course, chance had a big role to play in the tragedy. For example, the Montagues and Capulets were not always enemies, as there used to be peace in the streets of Verona, before several brawls occurred. This shows that the bitter strife that turned the families against each other was most likely due to a chance misunderstanding, which evolved into a blood feud through the streets. This also shows that chance events can be the cause of bitter, senseless hatred. In addition, if Mercutio's untimely death had been prevented, Romeo's banishment would not have happened. This shows that the events afterwards could most likely have been avoided, including the deaths of Romeo and Juliet themselves. This also shows that any random event is capable of starting a domino effect of events, that can tilt the scales of people's futures in one way or another. Chance events can change people's lives forever. Sometimes they can be prevented, and other times it is impossible to stop them.

Example from a Literary Analysis

Forms of Literary Analysis

•Traditional•Sociological•Mythological/Archetypal•Formal

No matter what form of Literary Analysis is used, the following guidelines for good writing will help.

*Determine your thesis. What is your argument?*Make sure you can support your position.*Provide evidence*Avoid the urge to just write a summary of the story.

Guidelines

Adapted from Oregon State Department of Education publication and McDougal Littell's The Language of Literature and Writer's Craft

DescriptiveNarrativeExpository

PoetryLiterary Analysis

The Modes of Writing