The Comparison of the Narrative and Descriptive Essay Topics
Being a student requires one to excel in many things and experience some tough challenges. One of the most common tasks the students get throughout their studies is writing an essay. There are many kinds of written assignments, but teachers and professors prefer to give the following types of writing: narration, description, argument, and exposition. All of them are suitable for elaborating a particular thought or idea, explaining an event, or providing an opinion. However, there are significant differences between these modes. A paper written on one of the descriptive essay topics will be unlike the other one on the expository or argumentative topics. For example, a narrative essay recounts a story about an episode in someone’s life, whereas a description helps the reader to get a complete picture of a certain person, thing, place, or event.
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Narration
The main peculiarity of a narrative is its reflective nature. Usually, this type of writing shares a personal experience, which somehow impressed the writer or had a lasting effect on his or her life. In such a way, it reminds of a story told to inform a reader about some events. As can be seen from any narrative essay example, the experience at the center of the writer’s attention should be meaningful and relevant. It is often something that had a significant impact on the writer and led to some important conclusions or life-changing decisions. For instance, it could be the first day at school, the best birthday present, the worst job interview, a terrible accident, etc. A narrative essay should not necessarily have a personal character. It could be a book report too as it simply recounts the plot of a novel or short story.
Description
There are many various descriptive essay topics, which illustrate the distinctive features of this type of writing. To describe a person, feeling, or scene and create a strong impression on a reader, a descriptive paper uses all possible sensory details – sounds, sights, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations. It is crucial to make the reader perceive the content as a three-dimensional phenomenon. The such projection will enable a person who is reading the description to indulge in the unknown world of new experiences and emotions. Descriptions can be instrumental when creating a portrayal of the most memorable art exhibition, an ideal job, a perfect daily routine, a dream house, a best friend, a favorite place to hide out, the most precious possession you have ever had, or the saddest memory of your lifetime.
Similarities
The aspects that narrative and descriptive essays have in common are quite limited. Actually, both of them share the essay structure, which should be devised according to a universal standard. It means that narration and description have to be organized in an essay that has an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction should present the main idea of the writing and introduce the topic. It has to end with a strong thesis statement that reveals the aim and purpose of the paper. Usually, descriptive essay topics provide many ideas for developing an interesting and comprehensive thesis. It is essential to justify your essay by explaining the importance of writing about that particular person, place, or event. The reader should see clearly why the theme of your paper is important to you and was worth sharing. That is why, it is appropriate to state that the subject of your essay contributed to your personality greatly, or you expect the reader to learn a valuable lesson from your painful experience. The body paragraphs of both description and narration must contain the relevant details and examples that support your thoughts and ideas expressed in the thesis statement. The conclusion has to summarize all the discussed points and restate the thesis.
Differences
The main difference between the abovementioned types of writing lies in using personal pronouns. The first-person narrative is not used in the description but is widely employed in the narration. In descriptive essay examples, you will not see personal pronouns ‘me’ and ‘I.’ Conversely, the writer of a narrative essay will exploit the first-person perspective to involve and excite the reader. Moreover, you can notice that descriptions do not have as much action as narration does. The plot of a narrative essay is constructed in a chronological and logical manner. Such a characteristic is not typical for a descriptive paper as it does not include time elements at all. Therefore, descriptions are organized according to the writer’s preferences and perceptions. For instance, you can describe the aspects of your paper by exploring them with a different sense or perspective in every new paragraph.