Writing Prompt #2

    A narrative is an account of a story conveying what happened, who was part of it, when it happened, how it happened, and why it happened. However, an effective narrative contains details that go beyond answering these basic questions. These details paint a more vivid scenario for the reader than if he were left with a mere sketch that only contained the main ideas. For example, when describing my trip to the park, I can just state that "I went to the park and noticed it was a hot, summer day" or I can embellish the story by saying that "As I sprinted to the park, skidding through the crisp, summer green leaves that grazed my face, I could feel the sun's rays scorching my back." An effective narrative can be used to simply share a story with a friend, or even establish the premises for an argument.   

        In her personal narrative, "The Sanctuary of School," Lynda Barry argues in support of maintaining art classes for school and providing higher salaries for teachers. She does so by detailing the miserable conditions of her household and going on to explain how she used her school as a refuge to immerse herself in the joys of drawing. After extracting the reader's sympathy, she presents her views by stating that "We all know that a good education system saves lives, but the people of this country are still told that cutting the budget for pubic schools is necessary, that poor salaries for teachers are all we can manage and that art, music and all creative activities must be the first to go when times are lean." She then directly asserts her argument by stating that she was "lucky" to have had her teachers and creative activities, but that those that did not have such passions would have had nothing but misery. Lynda Barry used her personal narrative to demonstrate the danger of not having art classes in school, thus setting up her argument. After all, what would have became of her if not for the "sanctuary" that her school provided her?

         Lynda Barry uses the symbolic phrase, "points of light" to refer to sanctuaries. For example, she referred to a television as the light of her life because it offered a sliver of happiness in a household plagued with a financial crisis. She also depicted her school as a point of light by stating how she rolled up the window shades, and watched it "slowly come to life" as the building lit up. By stating that the points of light in a child's life can be "as far away as stars," she argues that there are many needy children that yearn for a sanctuary that they cannot reach. The purpose of this statement was to convince the reader to believe in the importance of nurturing the country's children. Lynda Barry would like all children to be entitled to their own "point of light" which she was fortunate enough to have.

        I,too, am fortunate enough to have my own sanctuary; the weight room. When I enter this room, it does not matter that my grades are dropping, parents are arguing, or that the girl I am in love with hates me. At that moment, I only need to focus on lifting weights until I feel that it is physically impossible for me to do so anymore. I cherish the next few hours in which my only concern is to do something so practical. Just like how Lynda Barry's sanctuary was her school, my own, personal light resides in a room full of dumbbells.