All those processes define reading comprehension, but none of those processes can define reading comprehension by itself. Together they give an exact
definition of the process that required for fluent reader. From the explanations above, it can be summarized that reading
comprehension is a complex process in comprehending a written text. The reader needs to relate the text with his or her background knowledge, past experiences,
information from the text, reading strategies, and so on which can lead to the reader to comprehend the exact meanings of the text.
B. Narrative Text
1. The Understanding of Narrative Text
Reading English texts is very important for students, because it is not only part of English curriculum in Indonesia, but it is also
useful to improve students‟ language acquisition and to provide good models for English writing.
11
There are nine types of English texts that should be learned by Senior High School students
which are descriptive, announcement, recount, analytical exposition, hortatory exposition, factual report, news item, procedure, and narrative.
12
Each text types have different characteristics and difficulties to be comprehended by its readers,
including narrative text. Pardiyono defined narrative as a text type which appropriate to tell an
activity or experience in the past using problematic experience and resolution.
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Narrative relates to human life since a long time ago. It is the oldest structure of human communication. People always tell stories for the rest of their lives, for
instance, parents use stories to teach their children good lessons, people use story to tell a folklore in one society, a greatness of someone, or even they told their
11
Jeremy Harmer, How to Teach English, Cambridge: Pearson Education Limited, 2007, p. 99.
12
Kemendikbud, Kompetensi Inti dan Kompetensi Dasar Bahasa Inggris SMA, 2016, https:filekemendikbud.files.wordpress.com
.
13
Pardiyono, Pasti Bisa Teaching Genre-Based Writing, Yogyakarta: C.V Andi Offset, 2007, p. 94.
own experiences in the form of stories, etc. It can be called that life is a narrative which involve stories with chronological events.
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Based on some theories elucidated by some experts above, it can be summed up that narrative text is text type which tells a story in the past with
chronological order. It contains series of events with some conflicts and resolution that relates to people‟s lives, like how people behave through one event or
conflict. Thus, people live by telling stories even based on their own experiences or telling their ancient stories which relate to legend or folklore.
2. The Purposes of Narrative Text
Every text genres has their own purposes. Different with descriptive or others genres, the purpose of narrative, according to Pardiyono, is to amuse and
often to teach a lesson or moral value to the reader.
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It could be said that besides giving much entertaining to the readers, narrative stories also contain good lesson
that could be applied in the readers‟ real lives. Moreover, Andersons mentioned that the purpose of narrative is to inform
or to entertain the reader or listener by showing a view of the world.
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Narrative tells stories which may relate to societies or conditions in some countries in order
to inform or to entertain the readers or listeners. For instance, Asian romance and Western romance may hav
e different setting, plot, characters‟ characteristics, etc and even different values. The differences could give some new information to the
readers or listeners through reading or listening stories besides it could entertain them.
Based on the statements above, it can be concluded that there are various purposes of narrative text depend on the stories which are provided. Narrative text
is a text which tells a story in the past about how the world works, how people
14
Donald Pharr and Santi V. Buscemi, Writing Today, New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005, p. 174.
15
Pardiyono, Pasti Bisa Teaching Genre-Based Writing, Yogyakarta: C.V Andi Offset, 2007, p. 94.
16
Mark Anderson and Kathy Anderson, Text Type in English 2, South Yarra: McMillan Education, 2003, p. 6.
behave and how the events develop in order to amuse, to inform, and to give moral values to the reader.
3. The Generic Structures of Narrative Text
The generic structures of narrative text are orientation, sequence of events, resolution, and coda.
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For more explanation has been explained by Anderson who argued that the generic structures of narrative text include:
a. Orientation It tells the topic of the story and the basic information like the characters, the
time, and the place of the story. b. Complication
It tells something that will begin the sequence of events which influence the characters.
c. Sequence of events It tells the feelings or reactions of the characters related to the complication.
d. Reorientation It contains problem solving, how the conflicts are being solved.
e. Coda It contains moral lesson that may be taken from the story.
4. The Language Features of Narrative Text
The language features usually found in narrative text are: a. The use of past tense
b. The use of conjunction c. The use of direct and indirect speech
d. The use of adjective and adverb e. The use of noun, noun phrases, and pronoun.
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17
Ibid., p. 12.
18
Th. M. Sudarwati, and Eudia Grace, Pathway to English for Senior High School Grade X, Jakarta: Erlangga, 2013, p. 246.
