Emulating Murakami’s craft to write a descriptive opening
I can write an engaging descriptive opening paragraph using an omniscient perspective and extended metaphor.
Emulating Murakami’s craft to write a descriptive opening
I can write an engaging descriptive opening paragraph using an omniscient perspective and extended metaphor.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Using an omniscient perspective allows the reader to be more immersed in a scene description.
- An unusual choice of narrative perspective can make your omniscient perspective more engaging.
- An extended metaphor is an opportunity to add detail and depth to writing.
- An extended metaphor is most effective, when explored in multiple layers, e.g. using comparison and personification.
Keywords
Omniscient - all knowing
Immersive - allowing someone to become completely absorbed or involved in something
Extended metaphor - a metaphor that extends several lines of text
Personification - attribution of human characteristics to non-human things
Common misconception
Students may find it difficult to harmonise their perspective choice with appropriate metaphors.
Spend time discussing less effective pairings e.g. a tree would would not perceive people in a city as 'ants' but an airplane might.
Equipment
You may want access to a copy of the opening paragraph from Chapter 1 of Haruki Murakami's 'After Dark' for this lesson.
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
gives an insight into a character's feelings
makes the reader feel as if they are involved in a text
creates a vivid image and wide scope of a scene
The flower swayed like a dancer.
The flower was a beacon of hope.
The flower lifted its face to the sun.
Exit quiz
6 Questions
it has known different centuries
it offers a perspective on nature's seasonal changes
it offers a heavily zoomed out perspective