Pengertian dan Contoh Narrative Texts

Functional Text Narrative Texts, Pengertian dan Contoh - yang akan kita pelajari kali ini adalah salah satu jenis teks fungsional bahasa Inggris atau yang sering disebut dengan "functional text". Masih ingat dengan materi tersebut? Ada yang masih ingat, ada yang sedikit lupa dan ada yang tidak tahu.

Kita bahas saja lebih jauh. Yang akan kita bahas dalam belajar kali ini adalah materi bahasa Inggris tentang narrative texts. Narrative adalah merupakan salah satu jenis functional text tersebut. Lalu apa saja yang akan dipelajari?

Kita akan mempelajari lebih jauh mengenai dua hal penting yang berkaitan dengan materi tersebut. Hal yang akan dibahas yaitu meliputi pengertian atau definisi dari narrative text. Yang kedua, yang tak kalah penting adalah contoh dari narrative text tersebut. 

Dari mempelajari pengertian atau definition maka kita akan lebih memahami apa yang dimaksud dengan teks naratif bahasa Inggris. Selain itu kita bukan hanya akan berusaha memahami mengenai pengertiannya karena di dalamnya kita juga akan mempelajari mengenai hal lain seperti social function dan juga generic structure dari narrative text tersebut.

Today we will learn about the "narrative text". In this discussion we will learn about the notion of narrative text, generic structure, and also some examples. For those of you who are learning English I suggest to follow the discussion of "Functional Text: Narrative Texts" until the end of the discussion.

A. Definition (Pengertian) 

Pertama mari kita dalami mengenai definisi atau pengertian dari narrative text ini. Jadi jika nanti kita diminta untuk menyebutkan pengertian narratve text kita bisa dengan mudah menjawabnya. Contohnya jika kita ditanya dengan pertanyaan apakah yang dimaksud dengan narrative text. Ya sudah, kita pelajari saja langsung penjelasan dalam bahasa Inggris berikut.

"A narrative text is a text that entertains and instructs the readers. It entertains because it deals with the unusual and unexpected development of events. It instructs because it teaches readers that problems should be confronted, and attempts made to resolve them. The text incorporates patterns of behavior that are generally highly valued."

Dari kutipan di atas bisa kita pahami bahwa teks naratif adalah sebuah teks yang menghibur dan memberikan instruksi kepada pembaca. Di kutipan dijelaskan juga mengapa teks ini bisa menghibur dan juga memberikan instruksi.

Yang dimaksud intruksi dalam teks ini adalah bahwa teks ini mengajarkan kepada pembaca bahwa masalah haruslah dihadapi dan juga berusaha untuk dipecahkan atau diselesaikan. Bagaimana, sedikit ada gambaran?

Every text has its own structure. The structure of narrative text consists of three parts: orientation, complication, and resolution. Orientation describes scene and introduces the participants of the story. Complication begins when there is a problem in resolution. The structure of narrative text occurs in the text variously. A text may have only one complication and resolution but another text may have more than one complication and resolution.

Bagaimana dengan struktur kebahasaan dari teks ini? Di kutipan di atas dijelaskan bahwa teks ini terdiri dari tiga bagian yaitu orientation, complication, dan resolution. Orientation menggambarkan tempat kejadian dan juga memperkenalkan karakter atau pemain yang ada dalam cerita.

Complication dimulai ketika cerita menampilkan permasalahan. Yang terakhir, resolution adalah dimana masalah dalam cerita tersebut telah diselesaikan, kurang lebih seperti itu. Itulah tadi beberapa bagian dalam sebuah teks naratif. 

Generic Structure

- Orientation: sets the scene and introduces the participants.

- Complication: a crisis arises.

- Resolution: the crisis is resolved, for better or for worse.

Social Function

to amuse, entertain and to deal with actual or vicarious experience in different ways.

There are many types of narrative. They can be imaginary, factual or a combination of both. They may include fairy stories, mysteries, science fiction, romances, horror stories, adventure stories, fables, myths and legends, historical narratives, ballads, slice of life, personal experience.

Source: www.english.unitechnology.ac 

B. The Examples of Narrative Texts

Now; after knowing and understanding the generic structure of Narrative Texts, time to learn more about this material through examples. Learn examples of Narrative Texts that I have provided below!

Readmore Examples

Blind Listening

A stupid man was sent by his father to sell salt. He first went to a mining area but nobody there wanted his salt. When he returned home, his father told him that if he had helped the miners to dig, they would have bought his salt.  

The man next went to a house where a wedding was taking place. There he dug a huge hole. This made the people angry and they chased him away. When he returned home, his father told him that if he had beaten a drum and danced instead, the people there would have bought salt from him.

Then, he went to a village where there happened to be a fire. Rushing to the place, he started drumming and dancing, only to be thrown out by the people. His father told him that he should have poured water on the fire instead, if he wanted to sell salt there.

In the next place he went to, a couple was fighting with each other. The foolish man poured a bucketful of water on them, again to be chased away. His father later told him that he should have tried to settle the quarrel, in which case they would have bought salt from him.

In the final event, the man saw two bulls fighting with each other. He stepped in to stop the fight and was gored to death by angry bulls. (Taken from English Bestseller 12, 2001)

Three Foolish Sons

There was a rich man who had three sons. They lived in a large house in the town of Keelung in northern Taiwan.

One day, he said to his sons, "You are no longer children. You must do something to earn your own living. When I die, I am not going to leave you very much money. I started with nothing and made a fortune by working hard. You must do the same. Now, here is two hundred dollars for each of you. You can use it to start your own business."

The three sons went off separately. The eldest son met a hunter. He thought that hunting would be fine so he bought a gun from him for two hundred dollars.

The second son met a basket maker. He bought a set of tools from him so that he could make baskets.

The third son met a doctor who told him that he had a medicine which could cure all diseases. He bought it from him for two hundred dollars. When the rich man heard what his sons had done with the money he had given them, he was very angry. "What stupid sons I have!" He said.

One day, the eldest son tried to shoot a fly on his father's forehead. Instead, he killed his father. The second son picked up his tools and tried to repair the damage to his father's head. The third son tried to cure his father with medicine which he had bought. Everyone said that the three sons were very foolish. They had spent all their money uselessly. (Taken from Favourite Stories from Taiwan, 2000)

The Fortune Teller 

In the great city of Taipei, there lived a man called Lin and his wife. They had no children. Because of this, they were very unhappy. One day, they found a baby boy outside their door. He was wrapped in a blanket and crying. They took the baby into their house and called him Sau Ling. They loved him very much.  

When Sau Ling was a young man, a fortune-teller came to the house. "You must send your son away," he said. "One day he will become a thief and cause you a lot of trouble."

Mr and Mrs Lin were very sad to hear this. They believed what the fortune-teller said. They gave Sau Ling some clothes and money and sent him away.

Several years later, Sau Ling was having a meal in an inn several miles from Taipei. He put his bag on the floor near his table. After finishing his meal, he picked up his bag. "That's strange!" he thought, "It feels so heavy."

He looked inside. It was full of small gold bars. Then he realized that someone had taken his bag by mistake and left another bag, in its place.

That evening, a young man came to the inn, "Has anyone seen my bag?" he asked. Sau Ling was very honest. He returned the bag to him. The young man thanked him. "You are really very honest," he said, "I shall ask my father to give you a job." The young man's father was a rich merchant. He gave Sau Ling a good job. "But go home first," he said, "and take a holiday." Sau Ling returned to Taipei. Mr and Mrs Lin were delighted to see him again.

The fortune-teller was also present. Sau Ling told them what had happened. The fortune-teller did not know what to say. He left the house without saying a word. Mr and Mrs Lin never believed in fortune-teller after that. Sau Ling took them to live with him and they were very happy and contented until the end of their lives. (Taken from Favourite Stories from Taiwan, 2000)

Di atas selain mempelajari tentang materinya kita juga sudah disediakan contoh yang bisa dipelajari. Dengan begitu maka sudah selayaknya kita dapat memahami materi pelajaran ini dengan lebih baik lagi. Mudah-mudahan dengan mempelajari pengertian dan contoh narrative text tersebut kita bisa lebih pintar lagi belajar bahasa Inggris.

Itu saja, silahkan lanjut dengan beberapa contoh lain di bawah. Ada banyak contoh lain yang juga sudah disiapkan untuk mendalami materi tersebut. Silahkan dilanjutkan sampai benar-benar menguasai materi ini.

Pustaka:

Priyana, Joko dkk. 2008 BSE. Interlanguage: English for Senior High School Students X: SMA/MA Kelas XI Jakarta: Pusat Perbukuan, Departemen Pendidikan Nasional