Read a narrative essay about the Great Depression. My great-uncle Al was fifteen when the stock market crashed in 1929, ushering in the Great Depression. Al had to quit school and try to find a job. The years of the Great Depression were terrible times for most people, and it was no different for that generation of my family.

Trying to find work was difficult, and Al had to work long hours for very little money. He took whatever jobs he could get. He sold newspapers on street corners. On a good day, he might take home thirty cents. On weekends, he sometimes was hired to wash dishes in a restaurant. In the fall, he was able to pick apples to sell on the street.

Many years later, Al wondered why those times were called the "Great" Depression. He didn't see anything great about it, and he was very glad when it was finally over.

A brainstorming chart that was used to write this narrative essay would have included the phrase “the years of the Great Depression were terrible times for most people” as
the concluding statement.
a supporting detail.
a topic sentence.
the thesis statement.