NARRATION

I took up the river road as hard as I could put. By and by I begin to hear guns a good way off. When I
came in sight of the log store and the woodpile where the steamboats lands, I worked along under the
trees and brush till I got to a good place, and then I climb up into the forks of a cottonwood that was out
of reach, and watched. There was a wood-rank four foot high a little way in front of the tree, and first I
was going to hide behind that; but maybe it was luckier I didn't.

Description

Description of characters, their appearance, mannerisms, and utterances, helps us imagine what people
are like, as in this description of Caroline Meeber by Theodore Dreiser in his novel Sister Carrie: 

Caroline, or Sister Carrie, as she had been half affectionately termed by the family, was possessed of a
mind rudimentary in its power of observation and analysis. Self-interest with her was high, but not
strong. It was nevertheless, her guiding characteristic. Warm with the fancies of youth, pretty with the
insipid prettiness of the formative period, possessed of a figure promising eventual shapeliness and an
eye alight with certain native intelligence, she was a fair example of the middle American class . . .
" (Dreiser 1)

Objective Description:

Description is also used in reportorial and scientific writing, or other writing in which the goal is to
present an objective picture of an object or scene. In these writing situations, the writer attempts to stay
away from emotional impressions or responses, and instead report what is seen, as a video camera
records a scene, as in the following example:

The Acer barbatum is a small to medium-sized, deciduous tree usually ranging from 15–25 m. (50–80 ft.)
tall when mature. Bark is light gray and smooth on younger trees, becoming ridged and furrowed with
age. Leaves are opposite and shallowly to deeply palmately lobed, with a few blunt teeth but no
serrations. The leaf sinuses are rounded, unlike those of red maple (Acer rubrum) which are sharply V-
shaped. Also, the sides of terminal leaf lobes are more or less parallel, while those of red maple are
widest at the base, tapering to the tip.

An objective sample:

The kitchen table is rectangular, seventy-two inches long and thirty inches wide. Made of a two-inch-
thick piece of oak, its top is covered with a waxy oilcloth patterned in dark red and blue squares against
a white background. In the right corner, close to the wall, a square blue ceramic tile serves as the
protective base for a brown earthenware teapot. A single white placemat has been set to the left of the
tile, with a knife and fork on either side of a white dinner plate, around nine inches in diameter. On the
plate are two thick pieces of steak.
(Notice how "objective" the narrator in the piece is; his or her eyes scan the scene, but there is no
emotional response provoked by the scene).

A subjective sample:

Our lives at home converged around the pleasantly-shaped kitchen table. It was the magnet that drew
our family together quite warmly. Cut from the sturdiest oak, the table was tough, smooth, and long
enough for my mother, my two sisters, and me to work or play on at the same time. Our favorite light
blue ceramic tile, stationed in the right corner, was the table's sole defense against the ravages of
everything from a steaming teapot to the latest red-hot gadget from the Sears catalogue. More often
than not, however, the heat would spread quickly beyond the small tile and onto the checkered oilcloth,
which just as quickly exuded a rank and sour odor. Yet no matter how intensely the four of us competed
for elbow room at the table, none dared venture near the lone dinner place arranged securely to the left
of the tile. There was no telling when HE would get home from work, but, when he did, he expected the
food to be ready--steaming hot. He liked to eat right away--steak mostly--two bloody but thick pieces.

(The narrator scans about the scene, but now, objects take on a sense of "utility" and "meaning"--the
narrator explains how certain objects are important, even bordering on the personal and emotional
meaning behind each piece.)

Difference between Subjective and Objective

The major difference between subjective and objective is that subjective information is based on just
one person’s feelings, assumptions, and opinions. It has a viewpoint of that person regardless of
information or arguments it offers. Objective, on the other hand, is the information a writer
or speaker provides outside of his/her personal opinions or feelings. It is based on facts.