Descriptive VS. Narrative, You Decide Essay

Many think that narrative and descriptive styles of writing are one in the same, but they are not. Although they complement each other for a complete news report you burn downward(a) successfully write using one style without the other. The authors Connell, C.M. & Sole, K. define narrative writing as, Narration is storytelling from the perspective of a narrator, and the story may be true, false, imaginary, or a combination. (2013, chapter 6.3). When you tell a story you want your readers to experience it through your words as if they were there when it happened. Connell, C.M. & Sole, K. define descriptive writing as, Description is a pattern of writing that can be defined as painting pictures with words. (2013, chapter 6.4). A descriptive story leaves no position unrevealed and appeals to all of your senses. When comparing Maya Angelous descriptive poem Caged snigger and Judy Bradys narrative move I Want a married woman, it is loose that there many similarities and differences between the two styles of writing.However, because Maya Angelous poem has descriptive language that appeals to your five dollar bill senses, specific detail descriptions and uses figurative language to compare the strange with something more familiar it makes it a superior piece of literature. In the narrative style essay written by Judy Brady (1971), I Want a Wife, she uses out right sarcasm and exaggeration with a s unclouded humorous tone. This demonstrates her stance on the unrea tiltic demands that were placed on women in that era. She starts off her essay stating I belong to that classification of people known as wives. I am A Wife. And, not al-together incidentally, I am a mother (1971). As if beingness a wife and a mother was almost an undesirable task to bear in life. I suppose that in the 1900 century it comely much was to an extent.The stylus Brady goes on to list the expected duties of her wife, makes her sound more like a servant than anything else. She even menti ons her wife performing things like party catering, financially supporting the family and goes so far as to say, I want a wife to go along when our family takes a vacation so that soulfulness can continue to care for me and my children when I need a rest and change of snap (1971). Bradys narrative essay uses a block arranging structure, with a priority style order. Brady (1971) begins her story by stating, Not too long ago a male friend of mine appeared on the scene fresh from a recent divorce. He had one child, who is, of course, with his ex-wife. He is looking for another wife. As I thought approximately him while I was iron oneevening, it suddenly occurred to me that I, too, would like to save a wife. Why do I want a wife? then she proceeds with an exaggerated list of tasks for her wife to fulfill.From the wife working full time, to caring for her and her children, cooking, cleaning, counseling, playing, pleasing, catering parties, shopping, planning and entertaining, all w hile Brady just goes to school and lives a carefree and extremely egotistical life. In the descriptive poem Caged Bird, written by Maya Angelou in 1983, she uses her talent of vivid and eloquent writing to express her stance on being African-American and living in the United States during segregation and the Civil Rights movement. Although she never actually mentions race in her poem the metaphors that she uses makes it lighten uply evident. Angelou starts her poem talking about a free bird and his arrogance referring to the Caucasian race. According to Angelou (1983) in Caged Bird, she starts off with a free bird riding the winds back, and hes floating as long as the current will take him when he dips his wing in the orange sun rays and has the brass to claim the sky.Now when she goes on to her second stanza she speaks about the African-American race as the caged bird. She writes, But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom check up on through his bars of hysteria his travel are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his trout to sing (1983). In Angelous poem, she uses a dramatic order in a point-by-point type structure to describe experiences she witnessed as an African-American person living in America. One way that the descriptive is different from the narrative writing is figurative language. Figurative language is the comparison of something unfamiliar to something familiar in order to paint a clear picture. Cages Bird (1983) has a clear example of this in the second stanza, which says, But a bird that stalksdown his narrow cagecan seldom see throughhis bars of ragehis wings are clipped andhis feet are tiedso he opens his throat to sing.From this quote, you can see that the bird stalks down his narrow cage like a prisoner in a cell and the bird can seldom see through his bars of rage alsorefers to a prisoner in a cell. Much like how slaves were imprisoned on the plantations in the south. On the other hand, the narrative essay I Want a Wife does not rely on fugitive language instead it just uses concrete language without the extra detail that appeals to the five senses. Another way descriptive writing is different from narrative writing is the use of specific detail description. It is clearly visible in the fourth stanza of Caged Bird. Angelou (1983) writes, The free bird thinks of another breezeand the great deal winds soft through the sighing trees and the plank worms waiting on a pervade bright lawn and he name calling the sky his own. In her description of the trade winds soft through the sighing trees and the fat worm on the dawn bright lawn.However, in I Want a Wife Brady (1971) merely writes, but without detail. Instead she says, I want a wife who is agood nurturing attendant to my children, who arranges for their schooling, makes sure that they have an adequate favorable life with their peers, takes them to the park, the zoo, etc.As you see Brady doesnt use specific detail in her writing just simple concrete words. Another spotlight to Angelous writing style was her use of alliteration which is defined in Essentials for College Writing as repetition of initial consonants in words in a series Connell, C.M. & Sole, K. (2013). An example of her alliteration would be, The free bird thinks of another breeze and the trade winds soft through the sighing treesand the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn and he names the sky his own.But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams his vestige shouts on a nightmare scream his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.The free bird thinks of another breeze and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn and he names the caged bird sky his own. But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreamshis shadow shouts on a nightmare scream his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing. You see it in the trade winds soft through the sighing trees and in his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream (1983). With Angelous careful selection of words you can almost savor the pain and despair of the caged bird as well as see the free bird floating through the air in the warm orange sunlight. Although Brady also uses alliteration she uses mostly the same words which are I Want a Wife Who Will (1971). Then she follows with naming a chore of some kind but mostly cooking or cleaning.In conclusion, when considering which of the two forms of literature was superior to the other, not just for personal preference. I would have to deem the descriptive style of Angelous writing to be a better overall polished piece of work. Not only does it provide all-embracing language to portray its message with detail to the most important parts of its story. Like bringing the characters to life and shining light on important social issues, but also submitting a few subtle details in the technique used to compose the text. Like alliteration and met aphors so that parts of her little(a) poem stick out and stay with you more so than others. I believe the more magnificent and detailed the picture is that your words paint, the more concern it will have on its audience. This is something that she was well aware of, so the way Maya Angelou selected her words helped to give her audience a sense of pathos. It also helped to shine light once again on the views and opinions she felt so strongly about in society.