Narrative

Narrative   A narrative tells a story. A narrative engages with and requires a personal investment from its audience. “Narrative involves audiences in ways that other forms of discourse do not because they are intersubjectively //sharable// (Foss, 2008, p. 309).” As such, any vehicle that tells a story, such as a novel, play, song, poem, speech, or even a visual artifact such as a fresco or a sculpture, can serve as an artifact for narrative analysis so long as it contains four characteristics.

**A Narrative Must...** **1) Be comprised of at least two events, which may be**
 * ===== Active, that is, expressing action and/or =====
 * ===== Stative, that is, expressing a condition of action =====

**2) Have temporal order**

 * ===== The events are not random; the events do not have to be chronological, but must be clearly connected in time =====

**3) Have events that have some kind of causal or contributing relationships**

 * ===== An event must cause or contribute to another event =====

**4) Be about a unified subject**

 * ===== The subjects of a narrative are not random and must be connected =====

//Example:// "The dog howled its protest at the sound of the fire alarm. Its owner yelled at him to be quiet." //The owner is not disconnected from the subject, the dog.//
**Conducting the Analysis…** To conduct a narrative analysis, after selecting an appropriate artifact, the critic should follow two primary steps, with a third optional one.

**1) Identify the objective of the narrative**

The **objective** is the critic’s best guess as to what situation or condition the narrative is really addressing (Foss, 2008). An objective of a narrative can be to incite or to soothe, to challenge authority or encourage obedience, to entertain or to provoke deep thought. __ To discern the objective, identify: __
 * **The Storyteller**
 * Who is the storyteller?
 * Does the storyteller tell the reader the objective?
 * Is the storyteller trustworthy?
 * **The Audience**
 * Who is the audience?
 * If the story is directed at a specific audience, the objective may be more direct.
 * A story directed to "everyone" may have an objecitve more open for interpretation.
 * **The Story**
 * What is the context of the story?
 * One may infer the objective by the "kind" of story (e.g. humorous, didactic, serious) being told.

** 2) Identify the features of the narrative **
 * **Characters **
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**Flat** characters are more one-dimensional.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**Round** characters are multi-faceted and more complex.
 * **<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Setting **
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">How important is the setting to the story?
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">How does the narrator create the setting?
 * **<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Narrator **
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What role does the narrator play?
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What is the point of view of the narrator?
 * **<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Events **
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**Kernels** are major events in the story.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**Satellites** are minor events in the story.
 * **<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Causal Relations **
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What causes the action in the story?
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What does the story emphasize more: cause or effect?
 * **<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Temporal Relations **
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What is the speed of the story?
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Is the story told in the present or past tense?
 * **<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Theme **
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">How does the story express the theme?
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Is the theme obvious?

** 3) Assessing the narrative **
 * Evaluation
 * Was the objective the appropriate one for the narrative?
 * Did the narrator employ the features of the narrative in a way that accomplished the objective?
 * Was the information useful in providing strategies that might work in the lives of the audience?



<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">The opposite of a correct statement is an incorrect statement. The opposite of a profound truth is another profound truth (Niels Bohr)." By this, he means that we require a larger reading of the human past, of our relations with each other, the universe and God, a retelling of our older tales to encompass many truths and to let us grow with change.” ~Neil Postman

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">According to Foss, (2009) narratives organize the stimuli of our experience so that we can make sense of the people, place, event and actions of our lives (pg. 307). They permit us to decode reality by helping us decide what particular experience is about and how the numerous elements of our experience are linked. Narratives are found in many kind of artifacts; for example, short stories, navels comic stripes, films, songs, speeches, and paintings (pg. 307). A narrative criticism has //four// characters that compose of a clear narrative criticism. The four characteristics are: 1) events that may be active and are expressing an action or static and expressing a condition 2) the event is organized in a time order, in other words, the statement is recounted clearly 3) the narrative must include relationship among the events in the story 4) the narrative must be about a unified subject (pg. 308) =====

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Any artifact is a narrative or includes a story can be criticize. Yet, the key is to first identify the dimension of the narrative piece and then critic and explain the discovered story behind the artifact. How can we identify the dimensions of our artifact? Well, to be able to identify the dimensions, we need to fine the prime features of the narrative. These sources can be: setting, characters, narrator, events, temporal relations, causal relations, audience and theme (pg. 311). Discovering an explanation for the narrative can be a critical task, but not impossible. The first step is to identify which character of the narrative are the most interesting and significant that will give the critic the most explanatory value of the artifact. Second, the features selected of the artifact should have various explanations that describe the artifact in a clear descriptive method, basically, story telling that makes sense. =====

<span style="background-color: #ffff00; color: #800000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 180%; text-align: left;">Tell Me a Story As a group, we conclude that the best artifact that fits well with our criticism experience was a painting by Diego Rivera........



** Identifying the features of the Narrative **

The Diego’s Rivera San Francisco Art Institute Fresco was inspired by the modern industry of San Francisco in 1931(Rochfort, 1993). Keeping away from the political display that Rivera tended to implement on his murals, Rivera captured the American people by surprise with his humble talent of creativity. His fresco using his vivid experiences during his stay in San Francisco replicated the modern industrial world of that time and gave the construction workers the admiration that they deserved (pg.125).

** Setting **

The scene is a description of prosperity, something that Rivera did not perceive or hold in Mexico, his native country. The mural was created in a school of Fine Arts in the state of California. Presently, the building is the San Francisco Art Institute. The piece is an inspiration to present and future artist that attend or visit the building.

** Character **

The characters of our artifact are construction workers working hard in different factories, yet Rivera also implemented some religion and himself on the mural. However, the main character of Rivera’s fresco mural is the reflection of America’s growth and development in the 1930’s. The characters seem secure of their economy and portray a social stability.

** Narrator **

Rivera was the narrator in our artifact. His muted murals told the story to the world with hints of color. The mural is telling the story behind the scene. Every element implemented on the mural has a message. For example, the three men holding a wide paper, those three men are city developers that are planning the growth and development of the city. The three men have a more mannequin that human expression, which gives an analytical storyline that anyone can contemplate. Rivera behind every character addresses the hard working people of America from the 1930’s who’s goal was to create jobs, constant developing growth and keeping America’s money in America.

** Events **

Rivera’s mural has many events going on at the same time and each event speak for it self, for example construction workers, religious ceremony, painters, city developers and Rivera himself contemplating his own work. Yet, the main event on the artifact has to be America’s industries and hard working society of the 1930’s in San Francisco (pg.126).

** Audience **

Rivera’s had two audiences in mind. One, the Mexican political groups who were wasting their time fighting and killing each others for their government positions and the second audience was the middle class American that hold hope and prosperity of their country. Rivera’s mural reflected how one country was so solid and optimistic with their booming industries, yet the neighboring country uncertain and behind on technology.

** Theme **
The theme on the Diego Rivera artifact is a theme of hope, prosperity and growth. His work manifest both ideological and cultural components that reflected man in control (Scott, 1977).

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">In the 1930s, money was scarce due to the aftermath of the depression. People strived to find happiness in the little things, which contributed to the heightened interest in art, film, and dance. “Rivera’s growing identification with peasants and industrial workers was strengthened” due to his ability to relate to the time period and what people were going through (Scott, 2006). This is subtly touched on in this artifact when you look closely at the apparel of the workers, the labor they were portraying, and the fast age range of people working on this particular fresco. He was successful in conveying the time period struggles through the minor details of the artifact. =====

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Rivera also faced his own struggles throughout his life. Rivera arrived in California in 1930, after a long period of controversy took place about whether or not such an undesirable person should be admitted, and some considerable protest by artists who argued that California walls should be painted by California painters (Scott, 2006). Knowing that Rivera faced roadblocks as he struggled to follow what he was passionate made him even more relatable in this artifact as he painted the workers and portrayed the many parts that went into building a fresco. =====

<span style="background-color: #ffff00; color: #800000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">**How the artifact connects to a broader rhetorical vision**
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> In this artifact, the narrative helps the audience that it was intended for adjust to the condition of the workers and the events taking place during this time period. As the title indicates, there is a fresco within the fresco showing the building of a modern city, including portraits of many of the individuals who worked directly on the fresco or indirectly as advisors and patrons. This not only indicates the depth of the artifact, but also the underlying layers of the working people.

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">There are several examples of how this artifact provides the viewer strategies that might work in the lives of audience members today. The first example that you see are three men in suits, smoking pipes and looking over what appears to be a map. These men not only appear to be in charge, but seem to have a relaxed persona about them. These men symbolize hierarchy in the work place. We all have a boss, and/or someone that we report to, and some do more work than others to contribute to the overall goals of the business. Audience members can also relate to the hard construction workers to the right of the artifact. Although some might not have had the opportunity to work in an physical bearing job, we have all seen and benefited from their work. Whether driving over a bridge, or seeing construction taking place in our neighborhoods, we can relate to the intensive labor that it takes to construct something beautiful. In this case, the audience can see the details of what goes into building something that most take for granted, and relate personally to the workers that labored creating it. =====

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">These aspects of the narrative constitute ways of adjusting to a situation, going from the depression of losing everything, to pulling yourself back up. This provides the audience members “equipment for living” for adjusting to loss (Foss, 2008, p316). =====

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** References: **
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Foss, S. K. (2008). //Rhetorical criticism: Exploration and practice (4th ed.)//. Long Grove, IL: Waveland.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Roch, D. (1993). Mexican Muralists: Orozco, Rivera and Siqueiros. San Francisco, Ca: Chronicle Books.
<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Scott//,// R//.// (2006)//.// Diego Rivera at Rockefeller Center: Fresco Painting and Rhetoric.Western Journal of Speech Communication 41 (Spring 1977): 70–82.