Narration
When you organize using the narrative method, the topic is usually being examined in terms of process or chronology (the order in which events take place). Such a method may seem very elementary, but it can allow you to make an argument about how the past informs the present, or how an event came to happen. For example, if you wanted to discuss the emergence of lynching in the post-reconstruction American South or the decline in enthusiasm for the Crusades following the success of the First Crusade, the narrative method, which would permit you to consider the topic as it moves through time, might be an appropriate method of organization.
Essays on causes and effects sometimes take a narrative form as well. In order to discuss the causes of the Rwandan genocide, for example, it might be necessary to examine the topic over time.
When using the narration method, it is essential that the author does not merely tell a story. In narrative essays, as in all essays, it is vital that you have a strong argument, and that the topic statement of every paragraph relates the content of that paragraph to your overall thesis. Never provide a chronological retelling of an event with analysis only at the beginning and end of the essay. The essay must show evidence of your mind at work, selecting the most significant features of the process or discussing how one stage leads to another. When writing your essay, do not get overly caught up in the narrative. The essay must still be organized into logical paragraphs, each with a mini-argument that contributes to the overall thesis. Remember to ask yourself continually how the material you are including relates to your argument. If it doesn't, omit it. Because many students fall into the trap of telling a story or describing events, professors often discourage students from taking a narrative approach.