NARRATIVE TEXT

NARRATIVE TEXT

A. Definition and Social Function of Narrative Text

Narrative Text is a text containing story. It can be in the form of folktale/ folklore, fable, Legend, short story, fairy tale, myth, etc. The main function of this text is to entertain the readers with actual or imaginary experience in different ways. Narrative always deals with some problems which lead to the climax and then turn into a solution to the problem.

B. Generic Structure of Narrative Text

1. Orientation

            It is the background of the story which tells about who, when, where, and what is the story about.

 2. Complication

A problem arises and followed by other problems which lead to the climax of conflict in the story. A story can have complication more than one.

3. Resolution:

It is the problem solving of the problem which can end with happy ending or sad ending or tragedy.

C. Language Features of Narrative Text

1.               Use of noun phrases ( a beautiful princess, a huge temple)

2.               Use of adverbial phrases of time and place ( in the garden, two

            days ago)

3.               Use of simple past tense ( He walked away from the village)

4.               Use of action verbs (walked, slept).

5.               Use of adjectives phrases ( long black hair)

D. Exaple of Narrative Text

BE PATIENT

A man came out of his home to admire his new truck. To his puzzlement, his three-year-old son was happily hammering dents into the shiny paint of the truck.

The man ran to his son, knocked him away, and hammered the little boy’s hands into pulp as punishment. When the father calmed down, he rushed his son to the hospital. Although the doctor tried desperately to save the crushed bones, he finally had to amputate fingers from boy’s both hands.

When the boy woke up from the surgery and saw his bandaged stubs, he innocently said, “Daddy, I’m sorry about your truck.” Then he asked, “But when are my fingers going to grow back?”

The father went home and committed suicide. Think about this story the next time someone steps on your feet or you wish to take revenge. Think first before you lose your patience with someone you love. Trucks can be repaired. Broken bones and hurt feelings often can’t.

Too often we fail to recognize the difference between the person and the performance. We forget that forgiveness is greater than revenge.

People make mistakes. We are allowed to make mistakes. But the actions we take while in a rage will haunt us forever. Pause and ponder. Think before you act. Be patient. Forgive and forget. Love one and all.

“One who cannot benefit by patience will die of grief and excitement.” Imam Ali (AS)

 Task 1.   Analyse the story above by identifying the generic structure, language feature, and social function.

Task 2 Answer the questions based on the text.

I

1.      What is the story about?

2.      Why did the man knock his son?

3.      “The man ran to his son, knocked him away, and hammered the little boy’s hands into pulp as punishment.” (paragraph 2) What does the word ‘knocked’ mean?

4.      What made the man angry?

5.      “When the father calmed down, he rushed his son to the hospital.” (parahraph 2). The word ‘rush’ can be replaced with ….

6.      Why did the man commit suicide?

7.      Did the sun realize his fault? Give a proof.

8.      What moral values can you take from the story?

9.      Do you think the little boy was naughty? Why? Why not?

10.  Do you think the man is a good father? Why? Why not?

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HEART

One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley.

A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen.

The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart.

Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said, “Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine.”

The crowd and the young man looked at the old man’s heart. It was beating strongly ... but full of scars. It had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in ... but they didn’t fit quite right and there were several jagged edges.

In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing. The people starred ... how could he say his heart is more beautiful, they thought?

The young man looked at the old man’s heart and saw its state and laughed.

“You must be joking,” he said. “Compare your heart with mine ... mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears.”

“Yes,” said the old man, “Yours is perfect looking ... but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love..... I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them ... and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart ... but because the pieces aren’t exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared.

Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away ... and the other person hasn’t returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges…giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too ... and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting. So now do you see what true beauty is?”

The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. He walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart, and ripped apiece out. He offered it to the old man with trembling hands.

The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man’s heart. It fit .... but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.

The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man’s heart flowed into his. They embraced and walked away side by side.

Physical perfection is not always beautiful.

Answer the questions based on the text.

1.      Who claimed to have the most beautiful heart?

2.      Why did people venerate his heart?

3.      Why did the young man regard his heart is better than the old man’s heart?

4.      Did the young man finally admit that the old man’s heart is better than his heart? Give a proof.

5.      Suppose you are a good man. Should you proclaim to all people that you are a good man? Why? Why not?

6.  “Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said, “Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine.” (paragraph 4) what is the synonym of the word ‘appeared’?

7.      What are the messages of the story?

8.      What do you think a good heart look like? 

9.      Is it fair to judge someone’s kind heart by looking at his/her physical performance? Wy/ why not?

10.   What should we do to keep our heart better?

A TEACHER’S PROTEST!

There was no timetable nor a room designated for PRAYERS in the School. The School was ‘secular,’ hence prayers were not supposed to be allowed.

After being interviewed and accepted by the school administration, the eager teaching prospect said in protest: “Let me see if I’ve got this right.” You want me to go into that room with all those kids and fill their every waking moment with a love for learning. And I’m supposed to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity, modify their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse and even censor their T-shirt messages and dress habits.

You want me to wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, check their backpacks for weapons of mass destruction, and raise their self-esteem.

You want me to teach them firm belief in God, patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship, and fair play, how and where to register to vote, how to balance a checkbook, & how to apply for a job.

I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, offer advice, write letters of recommendation for student employment and scholarships, and encourage respect for their elders and future employers. And I am to communicate regularly with the parents by letter, telephone, newsletter, & report card.

All of this I am to do with just a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a few books, a bulletin board, and a big smile and on a starting salary that qualifies my family for food stamps!

You want me to do all of this, and you expect me NOT TO PRAY. You expect me not to pray when Holy Quran (Baqarah 2:45) says: “Nay, seek (Allah’s) help with patient perseverance and PRAYER: It is indeed hard, except to those who bring a lowly spirit.”

“O my Lord! Make me and my children among those who establish prayers.” (Ibrahim: 40)

“Indeed it is the Prayers, which helps to refrain from indecent acts and evils.” (Ankabut: 45)

You want me to do all of this and you expect me not to pray when SUCCESS of every one depends on Prayers. Holy Quran (Al-Mu’minuun: 9) says that successful believers are: “...... those who are punctual in their prayers.”

Dear sir, since I am sure that I will not be able to fulfill your expectations, nor I will be successful in my career WITHOUT prayers, “I resign willingly from the post.”

The Administrator looked down for a while then suddenly declared: “Young man, go ahead with your job. You have taught me a very important lesson today: Without prayers and help from God, no work is a success. We shall make special arrangements for prayers from today.”

100 Moral Stories by Akramulla Shed (2005) www.islamoccasion.com

Answer the questions based on the text.

1. Why was there no timetable nor a room designated for prayers in the School?

2.  What did the teacher protest? Why?

3. Why did the teacher want to quit from the post?

4. And I’m supposed to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity, modify their disruptive behavior,… (paragraph 2). What is the synonym of the word ‘instill’?

5.   “You want me to teach them firm belief in God, …. (paragraph 4). What does the word ‘them’ refer to?

6. Did the administrator eventually fulfill the teacher’s requirement? Give the proof.

7. Who are the successful believers?

8. What message does  the writer want to say to the readers?

9. What sura is  in the Holly Quran which declares that pray can help to refrain from rude  acts and evils?

10.  Suppose you are getting a good job with high salary in Singapore, but your boss does not allow you to do the five prayers in a day, what will you do?

MOURNING IN THE MORNING

By :Marrylion Fabian Whizzkid

            I had appointment with Amy to meet her at the second floor of library building in my campus. I promised her to come on time at exactly nine o’clock in the morning. We were going to discuss the introductory chapter of her thesis. I didn’t know why I had so voluntarily eager to help her. In fact, my own thesis was still facing so many troubles, a never-ending serious problem. I leaved my boarding house in Karangmalang area in hurry. There was no figure in my mind but the face of Amy.

Soon after arriving at library, I put my bag in the drawer at the first floor and went up stair. Coming to the second floor. I let my eyes look around at every corner of the room to find her. I walked around restlessly. Finally, my eyes caught a figure of a pretty girl sitting on the chair reading a book. I watched her enthusiastically and then walked approaching her.

“Amy…Have you been long waiting for me?” I said in a soft voice.

“Hi Albert…not yet…just a moment.” Amy answered my question while threw a sweet smile at me.

I had a seat beside her. My heart went on trembling. I didn’t understand why every time I met her, my heart was always beating wildly. To hide my nervousness I tried to have a look at her paper.

“Yesterday I’d tried writing the introductory chapter of my thesis. I found it hard to arrange words into sentence and sentences into a coherence paragraph like yours. Here is the result of my writing. I’m not sure whether it is right or wrong. Anyway, I’d be very happy if you don’t mind lending me a hand to revise it.” Amy talked so provocatively pleading me.

“Let me see…hm…it’s quite well. I catch the ideas that you convey. But…it seems to me that you need to refine your grammar and choice of words.” I tried to give comment, which did not offend her heart.

“What about the title of my thesis, is it alright?”

“That’s ok… you are quite well in relating your content and the title. The ideas are clear enough.”

“Which one should I revise?”

“Sorry Amy …..It’s not an easy task to determine it. I need to think over. I don’t think I can do it here. Any way..….If you don’t mind may I take it home?”

            “Oh…. It’s really no matter but I’m afraid if it’ll disturb your own thesis.” Amy said politely.

            “Never think about it. Make sure that I can divide time fairly for my own interest and yours. You know that my thesis is also in relation to equality. I must be justice even to myself.” I argued provocatively.

            “Thank you very much Albert for your help.”

            “Don’t mention it. Today I help you, but on the other day I certainly need other people help. We are Moslem. We have to help each other. Well… so...when will we meet again?”

            “What about tomorrow morning. I’ll see you at your boarding house about at nine o’clock. Are you convenient?”

            “It’s a good idea. By the way, do you have class now?”

“Yeach… I’m going to down stairs right away. What about you?”

            “So am I, I’ve got another appointment with someone. As you see, to add my pocket money I teach in a college and open a translation service.”

            “OK…. Let’s go.”

            I was really happy. My plan ran well. What a great day I had at library with her. Oh…Amy…I would conquer your heart! You’d be mine forever. You drove me crazy. I couldn’t think of anything but her stature.

 It was really a nice morning. The sun shone like a polished coin. The morning air smelt as fresh as spring. The day was a special gift. I opened it like a child wishing for a surprise. I’d cleaned my room. I’d prepared everything to welcome her, the queen of my heart. By the time of her arrival, I was always restless. What should I do and say? How should I treat her? Oh…. Let it flow!

            “Assalamu alaikum!” a soft voice startled me.

            “Wa alaikum salam” I answered her greeting politely.

            “Oh Amy… It’s really nice to meet you. Come on in and have a seat please. Sorry I cannot provide a place as comfortable as yours.”

            “No..no..no…You’ve prepared everything well for me. I like simplicity and tidy like this. Albert… I do beg your pardon for disturbing you. I’m poor in writing subject so that make you trouble. “

            “Amy… never says such a word anymore. I feel really delighted to be able to help you. Amy… one who cannot help other people by his wealthy will be happy if he can assist others using his ideas and thought.  Isn’t like that our religious teaching?”

            “Firstly I was frustrated by this final task. I almost despaired facing this endless problem. It’s really a good luck for me finding a boy such as you whom voluntarily and kindly offer aid to me. Suppose you don’t want to help me, what will happen to me? Maybe my four years study will be in vain.” She spoke emotionally.

I saw her eyes turning into red and a drop of tear flew slowly behind her beautiful eyeglasses.  I couldn’t stand looking at her. A feeling of pity crept into my heart.

            “Don’t worry Amy. Don’t be upset. We are classmates. I promise I’ll do my best to help you until finish. It’s a duty of a friend Amy. One Moslem and another are like brother. All people need other people. Everyone needs care and attention.”

            The first meeting in my boarding house took a long time. More than three hours we spent time talking about our background of life. I didn’t realize why the topic of our discussion came to family and background of life.

            Day by day went on so quickly. My relation with Amy got closer and closer. She went to my boarding house so often that many people thought she was my girl friend. I never realized that her frequent coming to my boarding house made my next-door neighbors jealous. They provoked me that she really loved me very much, only she didn’t dare to express it since she is a girl. It’s I who had to say it first.

            Firstly, I never had such a feeling like that. Instead, I only intended to help her. That’s all. Nevertheless, I didn’t know why now I felt for her. Most of my friends supported me and encouraged me to express directly my love to her. I doubt whether she really loved me or not. She came from a rich family and I’m from a poor family. I realized who I am.

            It’s quite impossible in present time a girl such as Amy who accustomed living in a materialistic and hedonistic orientation would accept me only because I had helped her.

            My thesis problems mingled with Amy’s affair. In this hard condition even, I received a letter from my sweet heart in Malang. I had known her since I was a senior high school student but we loved each other lately when I was at the edge of my study in University. We had loved each other so deeply. Almost every month I wrote a letter for her but I met her only once at her home in Malang. She was studying in management department.

            What such a complicated problem I faced. In fact, my parents didn’t welcome well my sweet heart, Annie. They consider Annie still need a long time to finish her study. If I married her, it meant that her burden of living and studying would be mine. However, it was impossible for me to betray her since she was an orphan girl and Allah loved her. If I betrayed her, it meant I committed a war against Allah, my creator.

            My heart and my thought fought hardly. I was just like an unmanned boat in the middle of ocean. Doubt drove me crazy. Hamlet, one of Shakespeare works gave me a solution. I didn’t only ever read the drama comprehensively but I ever see the film as well. I thought I was Hamlet. I should not be crazy because of doubtfulness. Finally, I decided to find certainty by expressing my feeling to Amy. My intention was only to know whether she really loved me or not.

            One day, I phoned her and made an appointment to come and see her at her boarding house on the next day.

 I turned on the bell of her boarding house twice as a code of calling her. After a moment, she had appeared in front of the door. She looked pale and sad. I entered into the room and sat besides her.

            “Amy… My coming here is not for doing triangulation of my thesis but I have a very serious problem with you. “

            “What kind of problem do you have?” Amy replied in a soft voice full of astonishment.

            “You know Amy…. Your frequent coming to my boarding house…....in one hand made our friendship closer but on the other hand it has drove me into confusion.”

            “Why can it be like that? What’s wrong with me?”

            “You are not wrong Amy…. To speak frankly Amy….. I…. I…fall for you. “

These words were a thunder in Amy’s ear. She kept silent for a moment.

            “Albert… I appreciate your brevity and your honesty to express your feeling. Nevertheless, I do beg your pardon if my answer cannot satisfy your heart. I want to keep the relation between you and me as it was. I only want to be a friend and not more than that. The relation in friendship is longer than love. Albert… if I collect all of my parents wealthy and I give them all to you, it is not enough to pay your help to me. That is why, I want to be your friend forever….one day …I still need your help.”

Actually, I had guest that it would be the answer and now what I guest was right. My doubt had gone away.

            “Amy it’s your right to make decision like that. It doesn’t really matter. Please forgive me if I have offended your heart.”

            “You are not wrong Albert, every man has right to express his love to woman in the same way as every woman has right to jilt a man.”

I left her boarding house with no burden anymore and it reminded me that now I was in the hospital.

 More than two weeks I was bedridden in hospital. In my weakest condition, I should be forced to grapple with tuberculosis in one hand and to finish my thesis revision on the other hand. I was about to give up. I left everything to the hand of God. If I had to end up my life here, so be it. I’d be happy to take for granted my fate. I was hopeless and helpless. I repented why I expressed my feeling to Amy if only to made her offended. What a great sin I had done. What a poor man I was doing such a fool thing in front of her. My heart was infatuated. It was a slender of my foolish.

            My imagination went flash back to the past event. It’s the first day and the first time I stayed in hospital. It’s also the first time I knew exactly that Amy jilted me. It’s Buddy, my close friend who hospitalized me and brought me news that she didn’t love me.

            “It’s too late Buddy. Your information is useless. I have broken her heart by breaking my own heart. It’s unbearable. Why don’t you tell me at that time?”

            “I’m afraid you’ll be offended. It’s my fault. Please forgive me. “

            “Never mind. It has come to the pass. “Unintentionally, tear dropped from my eyes just like a dew drop from the grass. Again, I went back to my pass memory.

            My desperation made me work so hard. I did my thesis day and night. I hardly ever took a rest. I kept on doing Amy’s thesis even harder and quicker than before. I hoped in this way I could pay my sin to Amy. I forced myself to work overtime. Besides, I also wrote a literary work entitled Birunya Langit Yogya, meant the blue sky above Yogyakarta. It contained my maneuver of love to Amy. If my words that I uttered on that day were poison, I expected that this book would be a honey. I started the first chapter by staying in Parangtritis beach for a day to look for inspiration.

 Finishing this book, soon I gave her as the first and the last present. After working so hard, the day of thesis examination finally came and I could pass it well with “A” mark. It really made me  happy. Feminism was the theme of my thesis. A week after this exam I felt sick. Tuberculoses had destroyed my lung. Then, Buddy took me into this hospital.

            Now I would wait for nothing but dead. This dreadful malady would take my soul away. This great affliction tortured my soul. She visited me in the hospital with her classmates. I was startled, unsure of what I was seeing. She was Amy. I almost couldn’t stand crying when looking at my friends one by one. Amy was among them. She had stolen my heart. And now like an angel she would take my soul away. Her love did not kill me but poisoned my life.

Amy…Once a bright light of our golden age in friendship died, it would die. Amy… you were the light of the east. Once called the queen of my heart, you also had been dabbed the girl of the morning calm.  A sweet-faced girl set your heart at rest. I had not been as good a friend as you had expected, bidding farewell to you. You’re coming here just to have a last look at me. Goodbye and I hope you enjoy long life and good health.

            I lost my appetite. I couldn’t swallow even a spoon of rice. An empty stomach made my body weak. The reflection of the misery I had just experienced and the echo of desperate cries were still lingering in my mind. It made me sick. It’s my own fault. I’d first raised a dust and then complained that I couldn’t see. 18 days in hospital had elapsed. A good treatment of my kind doctor and the help

of Allah had escorted me into a good recovery of my health. I was happy even though I still needed to consume medicine for at least six months to cure my illness.  What such a long journey to get my health back.

At the other place, arriving at home after coming home from campus, Annie in hurry reached the letter lying on the floor under the door. It’s a letter from Albert. She kissed it and jumped for a joy to the bed. Quickly she opened the envelope and read the letter. The letter said: 

Dearest my sweet heart Annie,

With kind regard, I blow the wind of happiness to your town. I hope nothing but you also enjoy my happiness. My sickness is a gold bridge toward your heart. Annie,…I would be very glad if you could come on my graduation day. I’ll share my pride and happiness with you. There is no happiness more joyful to me other than you are besides me forever. My love to you has been deeply planted in my heart that I cannot live without your love.

Please pray for me, May I get a good job soon after I graduated. After that, wait me to engage you. In addition, the hit of all our pride and happiness is when we marry.

I think that’s all from me now, please tell me whether you could manage the time or not.

With love

Albert

Annie was my first and my last love. I had closed all the doors and windows of my heart to other women. I could have said a word when the pretty little girl lay in my arms. Annie said nothing but “never leave me and be my love forever.” Just us and the mountain in Kaliurang witnessed our promise. We rose our pray to the heaven may

Allah blesses our love. No one was happier on this graduation day than me. Annie was besides me.  In life, we had to make love management. The ‘Triangle Love’ made me aware that we had to put on the top, the love to Allah. It was what I called ‘Love Triangle’. Our love to human being is a horizontal love. However, love to God is a transcendental love, which will never be betrayed.  Loving human being without loving his/her creator will lead to disaster. I had passed the long winding way toward her heart. A hard time was over and I still waited for the next harder journey.

The end

1

 Answer these questions based on the short story.

1. How did Albert add his pocket money?
2. How long did it take in the first meeting at Albert’s boarding house and what did they talk about?
3. Why was Albert reluctant to express his feeling to Amy?
4. What did Albert suffer from and where was he treated?
5. How long was Albert hospitalized and how long would he take to recover from his illness?
6. Why did Albert invite Annie to his graduation day?
7. Why did Albert write a book ‘Birunya Langit Yogya’? What was the content of the book?
8. Do you agree with the concept of ‘love Triangle’? Why? Why not?
9. ‘The unfulfilled love is the eternal love’, ‘love is not possession’. What do you think of these expressions?
10. Do you believe that your dead and spouse were the destiny from the God? Why? Why not?

Continue this short story! Use these hints to guide you to discover your ideas. Please do feel free to express your imagination.

1. Does Albert finally marry Annie?
2. Is Amy jealous when she witnessing Albert hand in hand with Annie on the graduation day?
3. What will Albert do to persuade his parents to accept Annie as his wife?
4. Why Amy does not accept Albert’s love?
5. Does Amy know the long distance relation between Albert and Annie?
6. Can Albert forget his love to Amy after Annie besides him?
7. What will happen if Annie knows the relation between Amy and Albert?
8. Suppose you are to be Albert and both Amy and Annie love you, who will be your choice? Why?