Narrative text is story, mostly, narrative are imaginary stories but sometimes narratives can be factual too. Narrative text is to tell something in the past. Narrative includes fairy stories, fables, mystery, science, fictions any romance and horror.
The generic structure of the narrative text :
- Orientation : The setting of the story. The starting point of a narrative story to make readers understand what the story talking about. Describing the main character of the story.( it answers the question : who, what, when, and where )
- Complication : The problem raises in the story. It usually involves the main characters.
- Resolution : The thing happens after the problem raises. Main character find a way to solve the problem.
Kind of Narrative Text :
- Myth
- Legend
- Fable
- Folklore
Characteristic of Narrative Text :
- Entertain the reader
- Language features : Nouns, adjective, time conjuction and conjuctions, adverb and adverbial phrases, action verbs, saying verb.
- Use Past Tense
The Example of Narrative Text:
The Smartest Parrot
The man felt excited having the smartest parrot but he could not understand why the parrot would not say Catano. The man tried to teach the bird to say Catano however the bird kept not saying the word.
At the first, the man was very nice to the bird but then he got very angry. “You stupid bird!” pointed the man to the parrot. “Why can’t you say the word? Say Catano! Or I will kill you” the man said angrily. Although he tried hard to teach, the parrot would not say it. Then the man got so angry and shouted to the bird over and over; “Say Catano or I’ll kill you”. The bird kept not to say the word of Catano.
One day, after he had been trying so many times to make the bird say Catano, the man really got very angry. He could not bear it. He picked the parrot and threw it into the chicken house. There were four old chickens for next dinner “You are as stupid as the chickens. Just stay with them” Said the man angrily. Then he continued to humble; “You know, I will cut the chicken for my meal. Next it will be your turn, I will eat you too, stupid parrot”. After that he left the chicken house.
The next day, the man came back to the chicken house. He opened the door and was very surprised. He could not believe what he saw at the chicken house. There were three death chickens on the floor. At the moment, the parrot was standing proudly and screaming at the last old chicken; “Say Catano or I’ll kill you”.
Analysis the Generic Structure:
Orientation: It sets the scene and introduces the participants/characters. In that parrot story, the first paragraph is the orientation where reader finds time and place set up and also the participant as the background of the story. A man and his parrot took place once time.
Complication: It explores the conflict in the story. It will show the crisis, rising crisis and climax of the story. In the parrot story, paragraph 2, 3, 4 are describing the complication. Readers will find that the man face a problem of why the parrot can not say Catano. To fix this problem, the man attempted to teach the bird. How hard he tried to teach the bird is the excitement element of the complication.
Resolution: It shows the situation which the problems have been resolved. It must be our note that “resolved” means accomplished whether succeed or fail. In the last paragraph of the smartest parrot story, readers see the problem is finished. The parrot could talk the word which the man wanted. The parrot said the word with higher degree than the man taught the word to it. That was the smartest parrot.
