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Learn English Through Story

Reading English stories is one of the most effective ways of improving your language skills. We have a lot of story books for all levels to learn English easily and quickly. Each English stories has audio files with subtitles. You can also free download them in PDF book form. We offer you to learn English through stories.

The Young King (for Elementary Levels A2)

Interesting stories in english for students Free Download —  THE YOUNG KING

Watch this story on YouTube and improve your English skills.

Chapter One

The old king’s secret.

There was once an old King. He had no son to be King when he died. His people were very worried.

“Who will be the next King?” they asked. But before the King died he Revealed a secret: his only daughter, the Princess, had a child. In secret, she married an ordinary man and they had a son. Some people said her husband was an artist and some people said he was a musician. But his identity was a mystery and nobody knew about their secret son.

     When the baby was a week old some men took him while his mother was sleeping. The Princess died immediately. Some people said for sadness. Other people said someone gave her poison in a cup of wine. The men left the baby with a very poor family. This poor family lived in the forest and the boy became a shepherd. He looked after goats all day.

     The old King made an important decision: “The boy must be the new King when I die,” he said. He sent his servants into the forest. “Find the boy and bring him here.”

    The servants found the boy and brought him to the palace. When the boy arrived he was very happy. He immediately fell in love with all the beautiful things around him. He took off his old leather tunic and put on his fine new clothes. Then he began to explore the castle. He ran from room to room admiring all the beautiful statues, paintings and jewels in the palace. The people of the city talked about him: “The young King spends all his time admiring statues,” they said. “Beauty and art are the most important things for him.” In fact, the young King was so fascinated with beautiful objects that he wanted more of them. He sent merchants to India to buy ivory and jade. He sent men to Persia for silk carpets, and others to find amber in the north. He sent servants to look for green turquoise in the magic tombs of the Egyptian kings.

   The young King thought about all these things but most of all he thought about his coronation robe.

He was sixteen and it was his coronation day the next day. He was very happy because he had a beautiful coronation robe of gold, a crown of rubies and a scepter of pearls. He ordered men to work night and day to prepare his coronation robes. “Search the whole world for the biggest rubies for my crown and the most beautiful pearl for my scepter,” he said.

    The young King was in his beautiful bedroom and he was thinking about his coronation robes. It was night time and he looked around him. The room was full of silver and gold and beautiful colors. Through the window he could smell the perfume of jasmine, he could hear a nightingale singing and he could see the moon shining. Servants arrived and put flower petals on his pillow. He was very happy. Tomorrow was his coronation day. He played beautiful music on his lute and at midnight he closed his eyes and went to sleep. That night the young King had a dream.

Chapter Two

    This was the young King’s dream:

    He is in a horrible, dark building. There is a terrible smell, the small windows have bars and not much sunlight can enter. But in the poor light the young King sees lots of people working. They are making cloth. They are very thin. Their faces are hungry and their hands tremble because they are tired. Pale, ill children sit in the dark corners of the room. The young King watches them.

    A man speaks to him angrily and asks, “Why are you watching me? Are you my master’s spy?”

   “Who is your master?” asks the young King.

   “A man like me, but I have poor clothes and I am very hungry. He wears beautiful clothes and is very rich. We work for him all day. We make wine and he drinks it. We work on the land but he eats the food. We are his slaves.”

  “But this is a free land,” says the young King. “You are no man’s slave.”

“In war, weak men are the slaves of strong men. In peace, poor men are the slaves of rich men.”

“Are you all slaves?”

“Yes, the women and the children. The old and the young.”

Suddenly the young King sees the cloth on the machine. It is gold. The young King is terrified. “You are making some very beautiful gold cloth.

What is it?”

“It is for the coronation robe of the young King,” the man replies.  When the young King heard this he screamed and woke up. But then he saw the yellow moon at the window and soon slept again. He had another dream.

This was his second dream:

   He is on a long boat. The sun is very hot and a hundred slaves are rowing the boat and working. The master of the boat is giving orders: he is black like ebony and has a red silk turban on his head. In his ears he has big silver earrings. Someone is whipping the slaves while they work.

   Finally the boat arrives in a small bay and the master throws the anchor and a long rope ladder into the sea. Some men take the youngest slave. They tie a heavy stone to him and throw him into the sea. The young slave disappears into the water but returns to the boat many times. Every time he returns he has a beautiful pearl in his hand. The master of the ship looks at the pearls and puts them into a little green bag.

     The young slave returns to the boat for the last time. He is very pale and tired. In his hand he has a very beautiful pearl. The pearl is round and white like the moon. But the young slave’s ears and nose are full of blood. He falls and dies but the master of the boat laughs. He takes the pearl from the young slave’s hand and the other slaves throw his dead body into the sea. “This pearl is for the scepter of the young King,” he says.

     When the young King heard this he screamed and woke up but he saw the stars at the window and soon slept again.

    This was his third and last dream:

He is in a tropical forest. It is full of strange fruit and beautiful, poisonous flowers. There are snakes in the grass, parrots in the trees and monkeys and peacocks all around. The young King sees lots of men working in a dry river. They are digging the ground and cutting big rocks and stones.

   Death and Avarice are in a dark cavern. They are also watching the men.

Death says to Avarice, “Give me one third of your men,” but Avarice refuses.

“No! They are my servants,” she says.

   Death is very angry when he hears this. He sends Malaria to kill one

third of the men.

    “What have you got in your hand?”

   Death asks. “Three grains of corn. But why are you interested?” she asks.

Death says, “Give me one grain of corn to plant in my garden.” But Avarice replies, “No, it is my corn,” and she hides the corn in her pocket.

    Again, Death is very angry when he hears this and calls Fever. Fever comes in a red robe like fire, he touches one third of the men and kills them.

    “Now give me a grain of corn for my garden,” says Death.

“No, never!” replies Avarice. Death is extremely angry and calls Plague. Plague arrives from the sky, flying like a bird and kills the rest of the men. Avarice screams and runs into the forest. Death takes his red horse and rides away, fast like the wind. And then dragons and terrible monsters come out of the rivers and the valleys.

    The young King cries and says, “Who were those men? What were they

“They were looking for rubies for a king’s crown,” replies a voice behind him. The young King turns and sees a man in white. This man has a mirror in his hand.

    “Which king?” he asks.

“Look in this mirror and you will see the king,” replies the man in white. He sees his face in the mirror screams and wakes up. He sees the sun shining at his window. It is his coronation day.

Chapter Three:

The coronation.

A servant arrived with the coronation clothes. They were extremely

beautiful but the young King remembered his dreams. “Take these clothes away. I don’t want to wear them,” he said.

   “Is this a joke, Your Majesty?” asked the servant, but the young King told

him about his dreams.

   “In my robe there is sadness and pain, in the rubies there is blood and in the pearl there is death,” he said.

   The servant replied, “Please forget your dreams. Put on the robe and the crown. The people will not recognize a king without a crown and a scepter.”

    But the young King put on his old tunic from the forest and took his shepherd’s staff.

“I arrived in the palace with these clothes and I will leave the palace with these clothes,” he said. “Now I am ready for my coronation.”

A servant asked him, “Where is your crown?” And he took a briar of Thorns from his balcony. “This will be my crown,” he replied. The young King rode his horse to the cathedral.

The people laughed when they saw him. “This is not the King but the King’s servant,” they said.

He explained his dreams but one man was angry and said, “Do you not know that rich people give poor people work. It is difficult to work for a hard master but it is more difficult to work for no master. Please return to the palace and put on your coronation robes.”

“The rich and the poor are brothers,” he replied, but the people laughed again.

He arrived at the great door of the cathedral but the soldiers stopped him.

“What do you want? Only the King can enter by this door.”

“I am the King,” he replied. The Bishop saw him and asked, “Where is your crown? Where is your scepter?”

The young King told the Bishop of his dreams but the Bishop answered,

“Listen to me, I am an old man. There are many bad things in the world but you cannot change them all. There are thieves and pirates and beggars but you can’t make these things disappear. They are too much for one person.

Go back to the Palace and put on your coronation clothes.”

But the young King passed the Bishop and entered the cathedral. He went to the altar and looked at the image of Christ. He saw the light of the candles and the smoke of the incense. Suddenly a crowd of people ran into the cathedral. They had swords and were very angry. “Where is this King dressed in beggar’s clothes?” they cried. “We must kill him because a beggar cannot rule us. He will be bad for our country.” But the young King prayed silently in front of the altar. Then he turned and looked at the people sadly.

At that moment a ray of sun shone into the cathedral. It illuminated the young King at the altar. The sun made a beautiful robe around him, red roses grew on his dry crown of thorns and white lilies grew on his staff. The roses were redder than rubies and the lilies were whiter than pearls. Music started to play and voices started to sing. The glory of God filled the cathedral. The people knelt down.

“He is crowned by someone greater than me,” the Bishop said and he knelt in front of the young King. The boy came from the altar and passed the people. But they didn’t have the courage to look at his face because it was the face of an angel.

— THE END —

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Narrative Essay Topics

Best Narrative Essay Topics 2024 for Students

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Crafting a Winning Narrative Essay Outline: A Step-by-Step Guide

Many students have a hard time picking interesting topics for their narrative essays.

Without a good topic, their stories can be boring and won't get good grades.

Here we’ve made a list of simple and fun narrative essay topics to help your essay stand out.

So, keep reading to find the perfect narrative essay idea for you!

• 1. Narrative Essay Topics for Students
• 2. Unique Narrative Essay Topics for Students
• 3. Narrative Essay Topics on Different Themes
• 4. How to Choose a Topic for a Narrative Essay?
• 5. Tips for Writing Narrative Essays

Narrative Essay Topics for Students

If you're a student looking for a diverse range of topics, we've got you covered with a diverse selection of narrative essay topics. 

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 3

• My favorite birthday party
• A day at the zoo
• The best trip I ever took
• My first pet
• A time I helped someone
• My funniest school day
• A rainy day adventure
• My favorite family tradition
• The day I learned to ride a bike
• A visit to the park

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 4

• My best friend
• The most exciting day of my life
• A time I got lost
• A memorable sleepover
• A day at the beach
• My favorite holiday memory
• The day I found a hidden treasure
• A special family vacation
• A time I overcame a fear
• An unexpected surprise

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 5

• My First Day at a New School
• The Time I Learned to Ride a Bike
• A Visit to a Haunted House
• The Day I Met a Real-Life Superhero
• My Most Memorable Family Vacation
• A Surprising Encounter with an Animal
• The Mystery of the Missing Homework
• The Best Birthday Party I Ever Had
• When I Lost a Tooth
• My Adventure in a Fantasy World

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 6

• An Unforgettable Camping Trip
• The Day I Discovered a Hidden Talent
• A Mysterious Letter and Its Consequences
• A Time I Had to Stand Up for What's Right
• The Thrilling Mystery of a Forgotten Diary
• A Memorable Encounter with a Famous Person
• My Journey Through a Fantasy Land
• The Day I Learned a Valuable Life Lesson
• An Unexpected Act of Kindness
• A Secret Adventure in an Abandoned Place

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 7

• The Most Exciting Adventure of My Life
• The Day I Overcame a Fear
• A Memorable School Field Trip
• The Strangest Mystery I Ever Encountered
• An Unforgettable Encounter with Wildlife
• A Life-Changing Decision I Had to Make
• The Best Book I Ever Read and Why
• A Day in the Life of a Time Traveler
• The Importance of Friendship in My Life
• A Valuable Lesson Learned from a Mistake

Need help writing on tricky topics? We've got you!

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 8 

• A Time I Faced a Difficult Moral Dilemma
• The Most Memorable Summer Vacation
• The Impact of a Life-Altering Decision
• An Unexpected Act of Kindness I Received
• The Day I Stepped Out of My Comfort Zone
• A Historical Event I Would Like to Witness
• A Special Family Tradition and Its Significance
• A Personal Achievement I'm Proud Of
• A Challenging Obstacle I Overcame
• A Journey Through My Creative Imagination

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 9

• The Transition to High School: Challenges and Triumphs
• A Life-Changing Encounter with an Inspiring Mentor
• My First Part-Time Job and What I Learned
• The Day I Realized the Power of Empathy
• The Impact of a Personal Passion or Hobby
• An Unforgettable Travel Experience Abroad
• A Meaningful Community Service Project I Participated In
• The Role of Technology in My Life
• A Defining Moment in My Cultural Identity
• My Vision for the Future: Dreams and Aspirations

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 10

• The most challenging experience of my life
• A time I stood up for something I believed in
• How I overcame a major obstacle
• The impact of a special teacher or mentor
• A moment that changed my perspective on life
• An unforgettable road trip
• My experience with peer pressure
• A time I failed and what I learned from it
• A significant cultural or family tradition
• A memorable high school event

Narrative Essay Topics for O-Levels 

• The Day I Took a Leap of Faith
• An Unforgettable Journey into the Unknown
• A Life-Altering Decision I Made in High School
• An Encounter with a Stranger That Changed My Perspective
• The Role of Resilience in Overcoming a Personal Challenge
• The Impact of a Cultural Exchange Experience
• A Lesson Learned from a Unique Life Experience
• The Importance of Perseverance in Achieving a Goal
• My Most Memorable Academic Achievement
• A Glimpse into My Future: Aspirations and Ambitions

Narrative Essay Topics for Highschool

• The Moment I Discovered My Passion
• A Life-Changing Journey Abroad
• A Challenging Decision That Shaped My Future
• An Unexpected Act of Kindness That Touched My Heart
• The Role of Resilience in Overcoming Adversity
• A Personal Experience That Shaped My Values
• The Impact of Technology on My Generation
• A Time I Took a Stand for a Cause I Believe In
• A Memorable Leadership Role I Assumed
• A Glimpse into My Ideal Future: Aspirations and Goals

Narrative Essay Topics for College

• The Journey to Finding My Academic Passion
• A Life-Altering Study Abroad Experience
• The Transformational Impact of a Challenging Decision
• Navigating the Transition from College to the Professional World
• An Unforgettable Encounter with a Mentor or Role Model
• The Role of Adversity in Shaping My Personal Growth
• A Significant Ethical Dilemma I Faced in College
• How My College Experiences Have Shaped My Worldview
• The Impact of Technology on My College Education
• A Personal Reflection on My Career Aspirations and Goals

Narrative Essay Topics for University Students

• The Evolution of My Academic and Career Goals at University
• An Eye-Opening Internship Experience That Impacted My Future
• A Transformative Study Abroad Journey
• Navigating the Complexities of Balancing Work, Academics, and Social Life at University
• The Role of a Unique Research Project in My Academic Growth
• A Personal Account of Overcoming a Significant Academic Challenge
• A Meaningful Leadership Role in a University Organization
• The Journey of Self-Discovery Through Elective Courses at University
• The Impact of Peer Relationships and Networking at University
• How My University Education Has Shaped My Perspective on Global Issues

Unique Narrative Essay Topics for Students

We've gathered distinct narrative topic ideas to fuel your creativity. Let’s look at some personal narrative ideas to inspire your narrative writing.

Descriptive Narrative Essay Topics

• A Peaceful Day by the Riverside
• Exploring a Haunted House
• My Favorite Childhood Memory
• A Walk Through an Ancient Forest
• The Perfect Winter Wonderland
• An Evening at a Carnival
• A Visit to a Vibrant Art Gallery
• The Spectacular Colors of Autumn
• A Day in the Life of a Beach
• An Exciting Night in the City

Personal Narrative Essay Topics

• A Life-Changing Decision I Made
• A Moment of Personal Triumph
• Overcoming My Greatest Fear
• A Meaningful Lesson from a Personal Challenge
• The Role of a Special Friend in My Life
• A Time When I Broke a Personal Record
• The Impact of a Mentor on My Life
• My Journey to Self-Discovery

Literacy Narrative Essay Topics

• My Earliest Memory of Learning to Read
• The Book That Sparked My Love for Reading
• A Life-Changing Experience in a Library
• The Impact of a Special Teacher on My Writing Skills
• How Technology Has Shaped My Writing Habits
• A Personal Reflection on My Writing Journey
• The Role of Literature in Shaping My Perspective
• Writing as a Tool for Self-Expression and Healing
• How I Overcame Writer's Block
• The Significance of Storytelling in My Life

Engaging Narrative Essay Topics

• The Mystery of a Lost Treasure Map
• An Unlikely Friendship That Changed My Life
• A Day in the Life of a Professional Athlete
• The Journey of Starting My Own Business
• A Haunting Experience in a Historic Place
• A Memorable Road Trip with Friends
• My Encounter with a Famous Celebrity
• The Day I Conquered My Greatest Fear
• An Adventure in a Foreign Land
• A Life-Altering Decision at a Crossroads

Got a topic? We’ll turn it into a great narrative!

Narrative Essay Topics on Different Themes

Narrative essays allow you to share personal stories on various themes, such as funny moments, childhood memories, vacations, and happy times. Here are some themes with topic ideas to inspire your creativity and reflection:

Funny Narrative Essay Topics

• The funniest thing that ever happened to me
• A time I embarrassed myself in public
• A prank that went hilariously wrong
• The day everything went wrong but turned out great
• My most awkward moment at school
• A silly misunderstanding
• A funny family tradition
• A comical incident with my pet
• The time I tried to cook and failed
• A laughable sports mishap

Childhood Narrative Essay Topics

• My first day of school
• A memorable playdate with friends
• A childhood dream that came true
• A lesson I learned from my parents
• A favorite toy and the adventures we had
• The day I met my best friend
• A family trip from my childhood
• A time I got into trouble and how I handled it
• My favorite birthday as a child
• A special holiday memory

Vacations Narrative Essay Topics

• My best summer vacation ever
• An unexpected adventure during a vacation
• The most relaxing vacation I’ve had
• A family road trip
• A visit to a place I've always wanted to go
• An unforgettable experience at a resort
• Exploring nature on a camping trip
• The funniest moment on vacation
• A cultural experience in a new city
• The day I got lost on vacation

Narrative Essay Topics About Happy Moments

• The happiest day of my life
• A time I felt really proud of myself
• A moment of pure joy with family
• A celebration I'll never forget
• Achieving a goal I worked hard for
• A surprise that made me smile
• The day I made a new friend
• A happy memory with my pet
• A time I helped someone and felt happy
• A fun day at the park

Narrative Essay Topics About Pets

• The day I got my first pet
• A funny incident with my pet
• Training my pet
• The adventures of my pet and me
• A time my pet comforted me
• A day in the life of my pet
• My pet's quirky habits
• A time my pet saved the day
• How my pet changed my life
• A special bond with my pet

Narrative Essay Topics About Favorite Places

• My favorite place in my hometown
• A visit to a place of historical significance
• A place where I feel at peace
• The most beautiful place i've ever seen
• A hidden gem I discovered
• My favorite place to hang out with friends
• A place that holds special memories
• The best vacation spot i've been to
• A place I visit when I need inspiration
• A place that makes me feel happy

How to Choose a Topic for a Narrative Essay?

Choosing the right topic for your narrative essay can be a daunting task. Before you start writing, it is important to invest some time in researching and brainstorming. 

Here are a few tips to help guide you in selecting an interesting and engaging narrative essay topic: 

• Reflect on Your Personal Experiences: If you are writing about a personal narrative topic, consider the impactful moments in your life and think about experiences that have left a strong impression on you.
• Identify a Clear Message or Theme: Determine the central idea or theme of your narrative. Decide what lesson, insight, or emotion you want to convey.
• Engage Your Audience: Consider your target audience and what will resonate with them. Choose a topic that captures their interest and keeps them engaged.
• Play with Different Perspectives: Explore the option of incorporating different viewpoints. Combining personal and external perspectives can add depth to your narrative.
• Test Your Idea: Get feedback from a friend or classmate. Assess if your chosen topic is likely to resonate with your audience.
• Stay True to Your Voice: Balance considering your audience with being authentic. Let your unique voice and storytelling style shine through in your writing

Tips for Writing Narrative Essays

Once you have selected a topic for your narrative essay, it is time to start writing. 

Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you write your story: 

• Start with a Strong Hook: Begin your narrative essay with a captivating hook, such as an engaging anecdote, a thought-provoking question, or a vivid description. 
• Follow a Clear Structure: Organize your narrative essay outline with a clear structure. Most narratives follow a chronological order, but you can also use flashbacks or nonlinear storytelling when it serves your narrative. 
• Build Tension and Conflict:  Create tension and conflict in your narrative to add depth and maintain reader engagement. Whether it's a personal struggle, a moral dilemma, or an external challenge, these obstacles will keep readers eagerly anticipating what comes next.
• Revise and Edit:  After completing your first draft, take the time to revise and edit your work. Review it for grammar and spelling errors, but also examine the overall structure and flow of your narrative.
• Practice, Practice, Practice:  Like any form of writing, improving your narrative essay skills takes practice. Keep writing and experimenting with different topics, styles, and approaches to develop your storytelling abilities.

Before you start writing, make sure you read some narrative essay examples to learn how to organize your thoughts and structure your story.

In summary, no matter the type of essay you are writing about, you need a topic to start with. Our collection of narrative essay topics offers fresh, distinct ideas. 

These topics are crafted to ignite your creativity and captivate your audience. They cover a diverse range of experiences, making it easier for you to connect with your readers on a personal level.

Still, struggling to write a compelling narrative essay? MyPerfectWords.com  is here to help you out!

We stand as the most reliable narrative essay writing service with a specialized focus on crafting exceptional essays designed for high school and college students. Our customer support team is also available 24/7, request do my essay now whenever you need assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How are narrative essay topics different from other essay types.

Narrative essay topics are usually based on personal experiences, so they are more emotional and creative than other types of essays. Also, they are often more open-ended, so you have more freedom to choose what to write about. 

Where can I find good narrative essay topics?

There are a few ways to find good topics for your narrative essay. You can look through books or magazines for ideas, or search online for inspiration. You can also brainstorm with friends or family members to come up with ideas. 

What do I write a narrative essay about?

You can write a narrative essay about anything, but it is usually based on personal experience. Try to recall interesting incidents from your life to develop a narrative about. 

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Narrative Essay Writing

Narrative Essay Examples

20+ Top Narrative Essay Examples by Experts

12 min read

Published on: Apr 12, 2020

Last updated on: Oct 26, 2024

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Share this article

Narrative essays are a common assignment in school, but many students struggle to write them. 

The problem with such essays is that they can be quite difficult to write. They require students to think about their own experiences and to put those experiences into words. This can be a challenge, especially for individuals who are not used to writing about themselves.

The solution to the issue of narrative essay writing is to provide students with examples. By reading multiple samples, individuals can see how other scholars have successfully written about their own experiences. 

In this blog post, we will provide you with examples of narrative essays. By the end of this blog post, you will have a better understanding of how to write a narrative essay.

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Before writing, go through narrative essay examples to ensure that outlining and formatting are done correctly. Moreover, looking at examples will allow the writer to understand sensory details and vocabulary to describe events, settings, characters, and emotions.

Here are some famous narrative essays that you can consider adding to your reading wishlist:

“A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift

“Once More to the Lake” by EB White

“The Fourth of July” by Audre Lorde

“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin

“The Crisis” by Thomas Paine

But it doesn't end here! To help our students, CollegeEssay.org has gathered many other narrative essay sample. These examples will help you learn the correct formation of a narrative essay.

Read on to discover!

Personal Narrative Essay Example

Are you looking for a sample to draft a personal narrative essay ? Go through the example provided below to understand how the first-person and third-person perspectives are used in a narrative essay.

Sample Personal Narrative Essay

Narrative Essay Example for Middle School

A narrative essay is frequently assigned to middle school students to assess their writing and creative skills. If you are a student looking for a sample narrative essay for your middle school assignment, go through the example provided below.

Narrative Essay Example: 7th Grade

Narrative Essay Example for Grade 8

Grade 9 Narrative Essay Example

Sample Narrative Essay Grade 12

Narrative Essay Example for High School

When drafting assignments for high school, professional writing is essential. Your essays and papers should be well structured and written in order to achieve better grades. If you are assigned a narrative essay, go through the sample provided to see how an effective essay is written.

Sample Narrative Essay For High School

Good Narrative Essay Examples for College

College essays are more complex in nature than other academic levels. They require a better understanding of the concept, following a proper writing procedure, and an outline.

Although you are to draft a narrative essay for your college assignment, make sure it is professionally written. Read the sample narrative essay provided below.

Descriptive Narrative Essay Example

If you are to draft a document on the recreation of an event, a descriptive narrative essay is written. It presents an incident that happened to the writer and the backed-up information that supports the story.

The following is a perfect example of a descriptive narrative essay.

Sample Descriptive Narrative Essay

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Literacy Narrative Essay Example

Academic assignments often require students to draft essays on education. Education is the most significant topic of discussion, and for this purpose, almost every essay type and research paper studies it.

If you are drafting a narrative essay on literacy, go through the sample provided.

Fictional Narrative Essay Example

Drafting a fictional piece of document requires a more vivid description and detail. If you are assigned a narrative essay to draft on a fictional theme, read the example provided below.

Sample Fictional Narrative Essay

The Essentials of Narrative Essays

In a narrative essay, the goal is to write a story from one person's perspective. To do this well requires incorporating all of these aspects: 

Below are some golden points that you should keep in mind when writing a narrative essay.

• Chronological order is the most common way to present information.
• A thesis statement has a function in an essay. This is typically evident in the opening paragraph.
• The writer's argument is clearly communicated through the use of sensory details and vivid language.
• This draws the reader in and makes them interested in what the writer has to say. Everything in the passage is somehow related to the main point.

How to Start a Narrative Essay?

When you start writing the narrative essay, you should follow some steps and make your writing process easy.

For your help, we gathered some steps that you should follow when starting writing the essay.

• Choose a narrative essay topic that is engaging and interesting.
• Do some research and then start writing the essay.
• Create an outline.
• Start writing the essay. The way you describe things should be creative and colorful. Thus, the reader can feel as if they are right there with what's happening.
• Proofread the essay before submitting it.

Watch the video below for tips on how to write a narrative essay:

Narrative Essay Writing Tips 

Professional essay writers of CollegeEssay.org have gathered some tips and tricks for you to follow to make your narrative essay remarkable. Even if you are aware of the writing procedure, it is advised to use expert tips to make your documents flawless. 

Follow the tips provided below to draft an exceptional narrative essay.

• Clear Content: The narrative essay content should be clear. All the details and descriptions provided should be readable and understandable by the audience. Avoid using complex words and distribute content into paragraphs.
• Keep it concise: Avoid describing every minor detail or movement. Provide only explanations that are important for the readers to imagine. 
• Use first-person perspective: To make something believable and interesting for the readers, state it from the first-person perspective. Share your personal experiences, stories, and opinions to make the content impactful. 
• Use limited referencing: When drafting an essay, according to the instructed format, avoid using frequent in-text citations. 
• Use Clear Stance: Write your point of view clearly, so the readers feel that it is a genuine piece of writing. 

Keep in mind that a narrative essay is different from an expository essay but the same as a descriptive essay .  

In conclusion,

Using the tips provided by the professionals and going through the narrative essay examples will let you draft an effective paper. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long is a narrative paragraph.

Paragraphs vary in length depending on the content, but a standard 5-sentence paragraph usually isn't enough to tell an interesting story. 

How do I write a narrative essay?

Here are some steps that will help you to write a great narrative essay. 

• Consider the topic 
• Start writing the draft 
• Provide supporting facts 
• Revise your essay 

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43 of the Most Iconic Short Stories in the English Language

From washington irving to kristen roupenian.

Last year, I put together this list of the most iconic poems in the English language ; it’s high time to do the same for short stories. But before we go any further, you may be asking: What does “iconic” mean in this context? Can a short story really be iconic in the way of a poem, or a painting, or Elvis?

Well, who knows, but for our purposes, “iconic” means that the story has somehow wormed its way into the general cultural consciousness—a list of the best short stories in the English language would look quite different than the one below. (Also NB that in this case we’re necessarily talking about the American cultural consciousness, weird and wiggly as it is.) When something is iconic, it is a highly recognizable cultural artifact that can be used as a shorthand—which often means it has been referenced in other forms of media. You know, just like Elvis. (So for those of you heading to the comments to complain that these stories are “the usual suspects”—well, exactly.) An iconic short story may be frequently anthologized , which usually means frequently read in classrooms, something that can lead to cultural ubiquity—but interestingly, the correlation isn’t perfect. For instance, Joyce’s “Araby” is anthologized more often, but for my money “The Dead” is more iconic . Film adaptations and catchy, reworkable titles help. But in the end, for better or for worse, you know it when you see it. Which means that, like anything else, it all depends on your point of view—icon status is (like most of the ways we evaluate art) highly subjective.

So, having acknowledged that there’s no real way to make this list, but because this is what we’re all here to do, here are some of the most iconic short stories for American readers in the English language—and a few more that deserve to be more iconic than they are.

Washington Irving, “Rip Van Winkle” (1819) and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1820)

I agonized over whether I should pick “Rip Van Winkle” or “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” from Irving’s oeuvre. Both have many, many adaptations to their name and are so ubiquitous as to have drifted into the folklore realm. The latter certainly has more memorable recent adaptations, but the former  is the only one with a bridge named after it . Ah, screw it, we’ll count them both.

Edgar Allan Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart” (1843)

Poe’s early stream-of-consciousness horror story, unreliable narrator and heart beating under the floorboards and all, is certainly one of the most adapted—and even more often referenced —short stories in popular culture, and which may or may not be the source for all of the hundreds of stories in which a character is tormented by a sound only they can hear. (Still not quite as ubiquitous as Poe himself , though . . .)

Herman Melville, “Bartleby, the Scrivener” (1853)

Once, while I was walking in Brooklyn, carrying my Bartleby tote bag , a woman in an SUV pulled over (on Atlantic Avenue, folks) to excitedly wave at me and yell “Melville! That’s Melville!” Which is all you really need to know about that .

Ambrose Bierce, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (1890)

I will leave it to Kurt Vonnegut, who famously wrote , “I consider anybody a twerp who hasn’t read the greatest American short story, which is “Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” by Ambrose Bierce. It isn’t remotely political. It is a flawless example of American genius, like “Sophisticated Lady” by Duke Ellington or the Franklin stove.”

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892)

Odds are this was the first overtly Feminist text you ever read, at least if you’re of a certain age; it’s become a stand-in for the idea of women being driven insane by the patriarchy—and being ignored by doctors, who deem them “hysterical.” This is another one with lots of adaptations to its name, including a memorable episode of The Twilight Zone , which concludes: “Next time you’re alone, look quickly at the wallpaper, and the ceiling, and the cracks on the sidewalk. Look for the patterns and lines and faces on the wall. Look, if you can, for Sharon Miles, visible only out of the corner of your eye or… in the Twilight Zone.”

Henry James, “The Turn of the Screw” (1898)

Technically a novella, but discussed enough as a story that I’ll include it here (same goes for a couple of others on this list, including “The Metamorphosis”). It has, as a work of literature, inspired a seemingly endless amount of speculation, criticism, unpacking, and stance-taking. “In comment after comment, article after article, the evidence has been sifted through and judgments delivered,” Brad Leithauser wrote in The New Yorker . Fine, intelligent readers have confirmed the validity of the ghosts (Truman Capote); equally fine and intelligent readers have thunderously established the governess’s madness (Edmund Wilson).” And nothing that inspires so much interpretive interest could escape the many interpretations into other media: films, episodes of television, and much other literature.

Anton Chekhov, “The Lady with the Toy Dog” (1899)

Widely acknowledged as one of Chekhov’s best stories, if not  the  best, and therefore almost no students get through their years at school without reading it. Has been adapted as a film, a ballet, a play, a musical, and most importantly, a Joyce Carol Oates short story.

W. W. Jacobs, “The Monkey’s Paw” (1902)

So iconic—be careful what you wish for, is the gist—that you probably didn’t even know it started out as a short story. My favorite version is, of course, the Laurie Anderson song .

O. Henry, “The Gift of the Magi” (1905)

According to Wikipedia, there have been 17 different film adaptations of O. Henry’s classic short story about a couple’s thwarted Christmas; the essential format—Della sells her hair to buy Jim a watch chain; Jim sells his watch to buy Della a set of combs—has been referenced and replicated countless times beyond that. I even heard Dax Shepard refer to this story on his podcast the other day, and so I rest my case.

James Joyce, “The Dead” (1914)

The last story in Joyce’s collection  Dubliners and one of the best short stories ever written; just ask anyone who wanted to have read some Joyce but couldn’t crack  Ulysses . (Or anyone who could crack  Ulysses  too.) And let’s not forget the John Huston movie starring Anjelica Huston as Gretta.

Franz Kafka, “The Metamorphosis” (1915)

Everyone has to read this in school, at some point—which is probably the reason why it’s been parodied, referenced, and adapted many times in just about every format . And why not? What could be more universal than the story of the man who wakes up to find himself transformed into an enormous insect?

Richard Connell, “The Most Dangerous Game” aka “The Hounds of Zaroff” (1924)

“The most popular short story ever written in English” is obviously the one about aristocrats hunting people. Widely adapted , but one of my favorite versions is the episode of Dollhouse in which a Richard Connell (no relation except the obvious) hunts Echo with a bow.

Ernest Hemingway, “The Killers” (1927)

I was tempted to include “Hills Like White Elephants” because of the number of people forced to read it to learn about dialogue (happily, there are other options ), but “The Killers,” while less often anthologized, is more influential overall, and gave us not only two full length film adaptations and a Tarkovsky short but Tobias Wolff’s “Bullet in the Brain,” which I do think is a very good story to learn from, if not for dialogue, then for story-making.

Zora Neale Hurston, “The Gilded Six-Bits” (1933)

Hurston is most famous for  Their Eyes Were Watching God , but those who know will tell you that this story of love, marriage, betrayal, and love again—which was also made into a 2001 film—is a classic, too.

Shirley Jackson, “The Lottery” (1948)

The short story that launched a thousand letters to  The New Yorker —or if not a thousand , then at least “a torrent . . . the most mail the magazine had ever received in response to a work of fiction.” Still taught widely in schools, and still chilling.

J. D. Salinger, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” (1948)

The very first story to destroy many a young mind. In a good way, obviously.

Ray Bradbury, “There Will Come Soft Rains” (1950)

Bradbury’s work has thoroughly permeated pop culture; plenty of his stories are widely adapted and referenced, so I could have chosen a few others here (“The Veldt” is my personal favorite). But every year, the image of a smart house going on long after the death of its occupants becomes more chilling and relevant an image; we can’t help but keep going back to it.

Daphne du Maurier, “The Birds” (1952)

I know it’s really the Hitchcock film adaptation that’s iconic, but you wouldn’t have the Hitchcock without the du Maurier.

Flannery O’Connor, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” (1953)

Another oft-assigned (and oft-argued-over) story, this one with so many title rip-offs .

Elmore Leonard, “Three-Ten to Yuma” (1953)

I know, I know, it’s “Fire in the Hole” that gave us  Justified , and we’re all so very glad. But “Three-Ten to Yuma” has more name recognition—after all, it was adapted into two separate and very good films, the former of which (1957) actually created contemporary slang : in Cuba, Americans are called yumas and the United States is  La Yuma .

Philip K. Dick, “The Minority Report” (1956)

As a whole, Philip K. Dick’s work has had massive influence on literature, film, pop culture, and our cultural attitudes toward technology. Most of his best-known works are novels, but when a short story gets made into a Steven Spielberg/Tom Cruise film, you’re basically assuring iconic status right there. (Or at least that’s how it used to work…)

James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues” (1957)

Baldwin’s best known short story pops up in plenty of anthologies, and can be thanked for being the gateway drug for many budding Baldwin acolytes.

Alan Sillitoe, “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner” (1959)

Not only is the story itself widely known and read—just ask Rod Blagojevich ( remember him? )—that title has been rewritten and reused thousands of times for varying ends—just ask the reporter who wrote that piece about Blagojevich. Or Adrian Tomine .

John Cheever, “The Swimmer” (1964)

Cheever’s most famous story nails something essential about the mid-century American sensibility, and particularly the mid-century American suburbs, which is probably why everyone knows it (it’s also frequently anthologized). Or maybe it’s more about Burt Lancaster’s little shorts ? Either way.

Joyce Carol Oates, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” (1966)

Another frequently anthologized and unwaveringly excellent short story; and look, it’s no one’s fault that Laura Dern turns everything she touches iconic.

Toni Cade Bambara, “The Lesson” (1972)

Yet another story often assigned in schools (the good ones, anyway), which hopefully means one day we’ll wake up and find out that everyone has read it.

Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” (1973)

As others have pointed out before me , Le Guin’s most read and most famous short story is almost always chillingly relevant.

Donald Barthelme, “The School” (1974)

This one might only be iconic for writers, but considering it’s one of the best short stories ever written (according to me), I simply couldn’t exclude it.

Jamaica Kincaid, “Girl” (1978)

Another staple of a writer’s education, and a reader’s; “are you really going to be the kind of woman who the baker won’t let near the bread?” being a kind of bandied-about shibboleth.

Raymond Carver, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” (1981)

I struggled choosing a Carver story for this list—”Cathedral” is more important, and probably more read, but “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” has transcended its own form more completely, at least with its title, which has spawned a host of echoes, including Haruki Murakami’s What I Talk About When I Talk About Running , and Nathan Englander’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank , to the point that I think it’s recognizable to just about everyone. A quick Google search will reveal that the framing has been used for almost everything you can think of. There’s—and I kid you not—a What We Talk About When We Talk About Books/War/Sex/God/The Tube/Games/Rape/Money/Creative Writing/Nanoclusters/Hebrew/The Weather/Defunding the Police/Free Speech/Taxes/Holes/Climate/The Moon/Waste/Cancel Culture/Impeachment/Gender/Digital Inclusions/Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease/COVID-19 . You see what I’m getting at here.

Stephen King, “The Body” (1982)

Otherwise known, to the general public, as  Stand By Me .

Amy Hempel, “In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson is Buried” (1983)

Want to feel bad about your writing? This was the first short story Amy Hempel ever wrote.

Lorrie Moore, “How to Be an Other Woman” (1985)

A very very good short story that has given rise to so many bad ones.

Mary Gaitskill, “Secretary” (1988)

Bad Behavior  is iconic as a whole , but probably the story to have most acutely permeated the wider culture is “Secretary,” on account of the film adaptation starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader—despite the fact that it totally butchers the ending.

Amy Tan, “Rules of the Game” (1989)

This story originally appeared in The Joy Luck Club , Tan’s mega-bestseller, so probably almost everyone you know has read it. The film version didn’t hurt either.

Tim O’Brien, “The Things They Carried” (1990)

Why, it’s only the most anthologized short story of the last 30(ish) years. That’s why even the people you know who haven’t picked up a book in their adult lives have read it.

Denis Johnson, “Emergency” (1992)

When I left New York to go get my MFA, a friend gave me a copy of Jesus’ Son with the inscription “Because everyone in your MFA will talk about it and you don’t want to be the girl who hasn’t read it. (It’s also really good).” He was not wrong.

Annie Proulx, “Brokeback Mountain” (1997)

Everybody knows this story—even if they only know it from its (massively successful and influential, not to mention the true Best Picture Winner of 2006) film adaptation—and not for nothing, coming out when it did, it went a long way towards making some Americans more comfortable with homosexuality. Open the floodgates, baby.

Jhumpa Lahiri, “A Temporary Matter” (1998)

The story that made Lahiri a household name.

Ted Chiang, “Story of Your Life” (1998)

Otherwise known as  Arrival . (Also technically a novella.)

Alice Munro, “The Bear Came Over the Mountain” (2001)

At this point, almost everyone has read at least some  Alice Munro, right? This story is one of the best from one of the greats, and was also adapted into a fantastic but heartbreaking film,  Away From Her .

Kristen Roupenian, “Cat Person” (2017)

Sure, it’s recent, so it’s not quite as ingrained as some of the others here, but it’s also the story that broke the internet —and quite possibly the only New Yorker  story that thousands of people have ever read.

Finally, as is often the case with lists that summarize the mainstream American literary canon of the last 200 years, it is impossible not to recognize that the list above is much too white and male. So for our future and continuing iconography, your friends at Literary Hub suggest reading the following stories, both new and old:

Eudora Welty, “Why I Live at the P.O.” (1941) Clarice Lispector, “The Imitation of the Rose” (1960) Leslie Marmon Silko, “The Man to Send Rain Clouds” (1969) Ralph Ellison, “Cadillac Flambé” (1973) Octavia Butler, “Bloodchild” (1984) Bharati Mukherjee, “The Management of Grief” (1988) John Edgar Wideman, “Fever” (1990) Sandra Cisneros, “Woman Hollering Creek” (1991) Christine Schutt, “To Have and to Hold” (1996) ZZ Packer, “Brownies” (2003) Edward P. Jones, “Marie” (2004) Karen Russell, “Haunting Olivia” (2005) Kelly Link, “Stone Animals” (2005) Edwidge Danticat, “Ghosts” (2008) Yiyun Li, “A Man Like Him” (2008) Claire Vaye Watkins, “Ghosts, Cowboys” (2009) Ottessa Moshfegh, “Bettering Myself” (2013) Amelia Gray, “House Heart” (2013) Zadie Smith, “Meet the President!” (2013) Carmen Maria Machado, “The Husband Stitch” (2014) Diane Cook, “The Way the End of Days Should Be” (2014) Kirstin Valdez Quade, “Five Wounds” (2015) NoViolet Bulawayo, “Shhhh” (2015) Mariana Enriquez, “Spiderweb” (2016) Ken Liu, “State Change” (2016) Helen Oyeyemi, “Sorry Doesn’t Sweeten Her Tea” (2016) Lesley Nneka Arimah, “What Is a Volcano?” (2017) James McBride, “The Christmas Dance” (2017) Viet Thanh Nguyen, “War Years” (2017) Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, “Friday Black” (2018). . .

Honestly, this list could go on forever, but let’s stop and say: more short stories of all kinds in the hands of the general public, please!

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