What is a narrative essay? (And how is it different from other forms of the essay?) 

When writing a narrative essay, one might think of it as telling a story. These essays are often anecdotal, experiential, and personal—allowing the writer to express themselves in a creative and, quite often, moving ways.

After trying our hand at the narrative form, we conclude our discussion on the narrative essay. 

We prepare to read / listen to the narrative essay, "Shooting an Elephant," which is an essay by English writer George Orwell which describes the experience of the English narrator, possibly Orwell himself, called upon to shoot a run-away elephant while working as a police officer in Burma. Because the locals expect him to do the job, he does so against his better judgment, his anguish increased by the elephant's slow and painful death. The story is regarded as a metaphor for British imperialism, and for Orwell's view that "when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys."

In order to further understand the narrative essay form, we read and/or listen to the essay "Shooting an Elephant."

Helen Keller (1880–1968) was afflicted by a disease that left her blind and deaf at the age of eighteen months. With the aid of her
teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, she was able to overcome her severe handicaps, to graduate from Radcliffe College, and to lead a productive and challenging adult life. In this selection from her autobiography, The Story of My Life (1902), Keller tells of
the day she first met Anne Sullivan, a day she regarded as the most important in her life.

I prompt some thinking for analysis of the essay, "Most Important Day."

I give you some ideas and guidelines for writing your own narrative essay. 

Although not a focus of this course, good grammar is essential for serious, formal writing. I 'pitch' this idea, with a little assistance from "Weird Al" Yankovic (see link).