Blog Post #7
Chapter two of the Bedford Book of Genres stuck out to me most of all. This chapter covers techniques to use while writing a personal narrative. Most importantly to me, chapter two reviewed ways to get a clear and thoughtful purpose across and convey a very direct message while writing a personal narrative. I tend to stray from my topic and I feel as though the message I am trying to get across to my reader can be blurred and vague at times. The purpose of a personal narrative should highlight a specific and memorable event in one’s life, this event should lead to the molding of the author’s personality and character. More than this, the event should be something that can be fully explained to the reader with fine details. On top of this, chapter two also talked about elements of the personal narrative genre. A detail in this section of the chapter that caught my attention spoke about the author not revealing too much about themselves. This relates directly to staying on task and not straying from the purpose of a personal narrative. You would not want to delve too deeply into your own emotions unless they are imperative to the purpose of your personal narrative. Finally, chapter two spoke about rhetorical appeals and how important it is for an author to establish themselves as a credible source. While a personal narrative is not a research article, the narrator should be respected and able to connect to the audience’s emotions directly. Ultimately, this was an important chapter to me, because I plan on attending law school once I finish my bachelor’s degree. My sister is a few years ahead of me in school, and I saw her struggle with writing her personal narrative for her law school applications. I feel as though most academic institutions do not focus enough on personal narratives, rather most institutions focus more on research papers and essays. This can be detrimental to many students who plan on attending a graduate degree program, however, I have found chapter two of the Bedford Book of Genres to be very helpful.