The Universality of Narrative, Article Review Example

“Narrative can be, and often is, an instrument that provokes active thinking and helps us work through problems, even as we tell about them or hear them being told.”

Personal experience:

When I was a child I often stayed at my grandparents’ house in the summer. At those times I often went through their drawers and found interesting objects. Once I found a professional portrait of my grandfather. He looked very proud on the picture, his head up high, his eyes expressive and I wanted to find out more about when this picture was created. I made up a story about the picture thinking that my grandfather was indeed a very important person at the time (the picture was dated about ten years before I discovered it) I assumed that my grandfather had a lot of influence and led the village before he retired.

When I asked my grandmother she told me that there was a now famous artist who went around the little villages of the area and saw my grandfather. She asked him if she could draw him, as the features of his face were very traditional and expressive. Hearing this, my grandfather agreed and received a copy of it in exchange. As he was told that he had traditional features and a very characteristic face, my grandfather’s expression showed confidence and pride. Therefore, the statement of Abbott is confirmed: “…narrative can be used to deliver false information…”. (Abbot, p.11.) The expression of pride and confidence was clearly present in the picture, however, the background information was not. That is why there was a need to create a narrative for me as a child; to attempt to understand the context. Even though the attempt for creating a narrative leads the individual to the wrong conclusion, it still promotes the understanding of the things around them.

References

Abbott, H, Porter (2008) Narrative and Life. In: The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative.        Cambridge University Press. The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative, Second Edition