Narrative

Narrative

We are told about fantasy worlds in stories, poems, and myths. These are often narrative stories with beginning (orientation), middle (compilation) and ending (resolution).

The following text is the example of narrative text.

Sophie and the giants

When Sophie is kidnapped from home by the BFG ( Big Friendly Giant), the become close friends. Unfortunately for Sophie and the BFG, the other giants are revolting and disgusting. They even guzzle and swallomp nice little childdlers.

Sophie crouched still as a mouse inside the BFG’s pocket. She hardly dared breath. She was terrified she might sneeze. The sightest sound or movement would give her away. Through the tiny peep-hole she watched the giants clustering around the poor BFG. How revolving they were! All of them had piggy little eyes and enormous mouths with big sausage lips. When the Fleshlumpeater was speaking, she got a glimpse of his tongue. It was jet black, like a slab of black steak. Every one of them was more than twice as tall as the BFG.

Suddenly, the Fleshlumpeater shot out two enormous hands and grabbed the BFG around the waist. He tossed him high in the and shouted, ‘Cath him, Manhugger!’

The Manhugger cought him. The other giants spread out quickly in a large circle, each giant about twenty yards from his neighbour, preparing the game they were going to play. Now the Manhungger threw the BFG high and far, shouting ‘Catch him, Bonecruncher!’

The Bonecruncher ran forward and caught the tumbling BFG and immediately swung him up again. ‘Catch him, Childchewer!’ he shouted.

And so it went on. The giant were playing ball with the BFG, vying with each other to see who could throw him the highest. Sophie dug her nails into the sides of the pocket, trying to prevent herself from tumbling out when she was upside down. She felt as though she were in a barrel going over the Niagara Falls. And all the time there was the fearful danger that one of the giants would fails to catch the BFG and he would go crashing to the ground.

‘Catch him, Meatdripper!’…

‘Catch him, Gizzardgulper!...

‘Catch him, Maidmasher!’…

‘Catch him, Bloodbotlter!’...

‘Catch him!... Catch him!... Catch him!...

In the end, they got bored with this game. They dumped the poor BFG on the ground. He was dazed and shattered. They gave him a few kicks and shouted, ‘Run you little runt! Let us be seeing how fast you is galloping!’ The BFG ran. What else could he do? The giants picked up rock and hurled them after him. He managed to dodge them. ‘Ruddy little runt!’ they shouted. ‘Troggy little twit! Shrivelly shrimp! Mucky little midget! Squaggy little squib! Grobby little grub!’

At last the BFG got clear of them all and in another couple of minutes the pack of giant was out of sight over the horizon. Sophie popped her head up from the pocket. “I didn’t like that’, she said.

‘Phew!’ said the BFG. ‘Phew and far between! They was in a nasty crotching mood today, was they not! I is sorry you was having such a whirlgig time.’

‘No worse than you.’ Sophie said.

‘Would they ever really hurt you?

I isn’t ever trusting them.’the BFG said.

How do they actually catch the humans they eat?’ Sophie asked.

‘They do they actually catch the humans they eat? ‘Sophie asked.

They is usually just sticking an arm in through the bedroom window and snitching them from their beds, ‘  the BFG said.

‘Like you did to me.’

‘Ah, but I isn’t eating you, ‘ the BFG said.

How else do they catch them?’ Sophie asked.

‘Sometimes,’ the BFG said, they is swimmeling in from the sea like fishes with only their heads showing above the water and then out comes a big hairy hand and grabbles someone off the beach.’

‘Children as well?

Often chiddlers,’ the BFG said. ‘Little chiddlers who is building sandcastles on the beach. That is who the swimmeling ones are after. Little chiddlers is not so tough to eat as old grandmamma, so says the Childchewing Giant.’

As they talked, the BFG was galloping fast over the land. Sophie was standing right up in his waistcoat pocket now and holding on to the edge with both hands. Her head and shoulders were in the open and the wind was blowing in her hair.

‘How else do you catch people?’ she asked.

‘All of them is having their own special ways of catching the human bean,’ the BFG said. The Meatdripping Giant is preferring to pretend he is a big tree growing in the park. He is standing in the park in the dusky evening and he is holding great big branches over his head, and there he is waiting until some happy families is coming to have a picnic under the spreading tree, the end it is the Meatdripper who is having the picnic.’

‘It’s so awful! ‘ Sophie cried.

From the BFG by Roald Dahl

Exploring the text:

1. As the story begins, where is Sophie and what is she doing?
2. Why was the giants physically revolting?
3. Who are the main characters in this narrative?
4. Why was it dangerous for Sophie when the BFG was being thrown into the air?
5. What evidence can you find to show that the BFG is smaller than the other giants?
6. What is unusual about the language of the BFG and other giants?
7. How do the giants usually catch the human they eat?
8. Why do the giants like to catch little children?