essay on a strange person

• Listening Tests
• Reading Tests
• IELTS Writing Checker
• IELTS Writing Samples
• Free IELTS Speaking Test Online
• Speaking Club
• Vocabularying
• 2024 © IELTSing
• free ielts Listening test practice 2024 with answers
• free ielts Reading tests online 2024 with answers
• Free IELTS Writing Checker
• Check IELTS Speaking Test

The Strange Person I've ever met

IELTS essay The Strange Person I've ever met

• In the past, the main role of teachers was providing information. Today with various sources of information available to students, teachers have no role in modern education. At the present of advancements in technology, the way of studying has changed drastically. Most of the physical classroom activities have been reduced because of the modern education system and internet-based studies. However, I completely disagree with this statement, that teachers are no longer as ...
• WRITING TASK 2: Some people think the increasing business and cultural contact between countries brings many positive effects. Others say it causes the loss of national identities. . The world today is characterized by the free flow of information and commodity. The frequent interaction and growing interdependence among countries have ended the days of regional isolation and absolute national sovereignty, but they have also sparked off heated controversies over the positive and ...
• Some people think that changing people’s attitude to other countries and cultures is an important factor in reducing world poverty. Others, however, feel that the most important method is trade. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion Some people suppose that the the change of people’s perspective to the culture of others countries is a major factor in decreasing worldwide poverty. Differ from that, others think that trading between countries and regions is more essential measure. In this essay, both these opinions will be discus ...
• Some areas of the US imposed a curfew in which teenagers are not allowed out of the door after a particular time at night unless they are accompanied by adults. What is your opinion about this? Nowadays, crime is a debatable topic. In this era, most teenagers are moving towards criminal activities or some of them are addicted to smoking, bears, etc. In this condition, the government should take a certain step. Additionally, to ensure the safety of teenagers some areas of the UK imposed a c ...
• In many countries, mainly tourists, but not local people visit museums and local sites, does this happen, and what can be done to attract more people to visit these places? Many countries around the world have witnessed colossal growth over the past several years and momentous changes have been the bedrock of this all-round progress. Tourist attraction to a particular area or a country is a very important phenomenan in this modern era. However, rural dwellers are less ...
• the road front of your house got damaged a long time ago and nothing has been done about it. write a letter to the municipal authority complaining about the damaged road Dear Sir, I am writing this letter to make a complaint about the road in front of my house which was damaged a long time ago and nothing has been done about it. First I would like to introduce myself. I am Carly Rae Jepsen and I have lived on Green street since my birth. The road in front of my ho ...
• Some people say modern children's games do not develop a wide range of skills, while traditional games can be much better for developing such skills. Many people hold the belief that classical games, instead of modern ones, can improve children's wide range of abilities. From my perspective, while I think some soft skills can be developed by playing traditional games, I disagree with this view for several reasons. It is undeniable that classical ...
• The diagram below shows the production of electricity using a system called Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC). The diagram illustrates the process of electricity generation using Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion(OTEC) system. Overall, it can be discerned that the technique produces electricity as well as drinking water. The main components of the process are an evacuated evaporation chamber, a turbine, and a ...
• Some people think that higher institutions should concentrate more on academic subjects such as history and physical sciences while others think that they should concentrate more on practical subjects such as car mechanics and cookery and so on. Irrefutably, in this contemporary era, education is become indispensable part of humans life. Few masses believe that, higher coching classes should pay more attention on history and physical science subjects. However, others oppose with this and says that, they should pay more attention on practica ...
• Some people think that women are generally more peaceful than men as their characters are naturally more nurturing than aggressive. Every human being is different than other one in body structure, face and characteristic. There are primarily two types, Men and Women. Generally, men are impatient and aggressive. However, on the other side women are more nurturing and peaceful. In this essay, I will outline few points and discuss ...
• Nowadays young people have to make the decision about their future career. Some people, however, believe that teachers and parents can make a better choice for their future career. In modern world young generation ought to make the decision for their future and getting better job. While others think guardians and mentors know easy and better ways to achieve for great future career, I would argue that without experienced knowledges it is complicated to choose the right alternat ...
• Nowadays celebrities are more famous for their glamour than for their glamour and wealth than for their achievements and this sets a bad example to the young people. Today, more and more notorious individuals are recognized for their fashion lifestyles rather than their skills. Such an attitude represents a thorny issue, being these dangerous role models for younger generations. I agree with this statement since teenagers are always more superficial, as well as ...

8th grade English

Wednesday, september 29, 2010, a strange person final essay, no comments:, post a comment.

12 Creative Descriptive Essay Prompts

by Suzanne Davis | Dec 12, 2019 | Writing Essays and Papers , Writing Prompts | 13 comments

“Description is what makes the reader a sensory participant in the story.”  –Stephen King

Stephen King wrote about description in stories. But the same advice is correct for descriptive essays.  Get your readers engaged by making them sense and connect with everything you’ve written in your essay.  How can you do that?  Begin with descriptive essay prompts that inspire you to write more.

Then add important details and characteristics or features about the person, place, object, or experience in your essay.  The more detail and elements you add to a descriptive essay, the better it will be.

So, check out these descriptive writing topics and find the one that will work best for you.

How to Select a Descriptive Essay Prompt

Before you select a descriptive essay topic, see if you can show and not tell your readers about the characteristics, actions, and emotions in that essay.

Maybe you’ve heard writers say, “ Show Don’t Tell .”   This motto is an approach some writers use to make their writing more descriptive.  The word “show” means to portray or illustrate feelings and actions.  And “tell” is when a writer says what the emotions and actions are.

For example, “ The black poodle snarled and growled.” (showing) vs. “The black poodle was angry and fierce.” (telling)

In the example above, the first sentence shows that the black poodle was angry because it snarled and growled.  The second sentence says or tells us that the dog was angry and fierce.

Use the “ Show Don’t Tell”  approach in your descriptive essay by asking these questions about the 5 senses:

• What did you see?
• What did you hear?
• What did you touch?
• What did you smell?
• What did you taste?

You probably won’t have answers to all these questions.   (Or at least if you write about a mountain, I hope you can’t describe how tastes.) But write “Show Don’t Tell ” content wherever you can in your essay.

The 12 descriptive essay prompts here, give you the freedom to develop your content in different ways, and with a lot of sensory details. They are divided into 4 categories: person, place, object, and experience.  Each type has 3 descriptive essay writing ideas.   For each writing prompt, brainstorm how you can develop that essay.

Descriptive WritingTopics About a Person

# 1 describe the strangest person you ever met.

Strange people are easy to remember, and if you remember a different, odd, or unique person, you’ll have a lot of information you can write on.  Before you choose this topic, brainstorm a few ideas about this person.

Questions to develop this essay topic : What seemed strange about this person?  What characteristics did he/she possess? How did you feel about this person?

# 2 Describe a person you envied .

Envy or jealousy is a powerful emotion.  When you focus on a person you were jealous of, there are reasons and characteristics for why you felt that way.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What traits or characteristics did this person have?  How did that person look? How did this person act?  What made you envy him/her?

# 3 Describe an inspiring friend or family member.

We remember people who inspire us.  And people love to read about inspiring individuals.  If you describe an inspiring person, think about the impact that a person made on you.

Questions to develop this essay topic:   What did this person do that was inspiring?   How did that person act toward others?

Descriptive Writing Topics About a Place

# 4 describe a spooky or haunted place ..

If you describe a scary place, include a lot of sensory details.  Spooky and haunted places are memorable.

Questions to develop this essay topic:   What did this place look like?  Where was it located?  What did you see, hear, smell, or feel at this place?  Did you find someone or something that scared you?  Why is this place, spooky?

# 5 Describe a place you loved as a child.

People love to know things about another person’s childhood. A great way to show who you are is to describe a place that was important to you.  If you select this writing topic, make sure you remember this place well.

Questions to develop this essay topic : How did this place look? What did you do at this place?  Was anyone else at this there?  How did you feel about the area?

# 6 Describe a beautiful location in nature.

You could describe a mountain, body of water, campground, desert, etc.  Or any other place that is outdoors and part of nature.

Questions to develop this essay topic:   What did this place look like?  How did you feel when you were there? Did you hear, smell, taste, or touch anything at the location? Was there anyone else with you?  What did you do at this place?

Descriptive WritingTopics About an Object

# 7 Describe a lucky object.

It can be any lucky object, a good luck charm, an heirloom object, etc.  Select something you believe brings you good luck.

Q uestions to develop this essay topic:   What are the characteristics of this object? How is it used?  What makes this a lucky object?

# 8 Describe a piece of art.

It can be a photograph, painting, sculpture, etc.  There are a lot of sensory details you can include in a descriptive essay about a piece of art.

Questions to develop this essay topic:  What does this work of art look?  Can you touch it?  If so, how does it feel?   What are the emotions you have when you see this sculpture, painting, photograph, etc.?

# 9 Describe an object used in your favorite sport or hobby.

If you have a favorite sport or hobby, describe an object that is relevant to that sport.  For example, if you play tennis, describe a tennis racket.  Or, if you collect coins, describe a unique coin from your collection.

Questions to develop this essay topic:   What are the characteristics or features of this object?  How is it used?  What is significant about this object?  What are some sensory details you can add?

Descriptive Essay Topics About an Experience

# 10 describe the first time you drove a car or rode a bicycle..

First-time experiences are emotional and significant to people.  If you haven’t driven a car or ridden a bicycle, write about another first-time experience.

Questions to develop this essay topic:   What did you see, hear, touch, smell, or taste during this experience?  What did you do?  Were others involved?  If so, what did they do? How did you feel during this experience?  How do you feel about it now?

# 11 Describe a hike or special walk you took .

Do you recall a hike you took or a walk on a trail, path, or street? If so, describe that memory.

Questions to develop this essay topic:   What was the place you were at like? What did you hear, see, smell, taste, or touch during this experience?  What did you do?  What did anyone else do?

# 12   Describe a happy memory.

Write about a happy experience you can remember clearly.    This topic involves remembering what occurred and how you felt during that experience.

Questions to develop this essay topic:   What made this experience happy? What happened?  Who else was there?  Can you describe them?

Writing a Descriptive Essay

The key to writing a descriptive essay is to show or portray to a reader the significant elements of a person, place, object, or experience.  So, select an essay topic that you connect with, and develop it with sensory details.  If you do this, you’ll achieve what Stephen King does in his writing and “make the reader a sensory participant.”  When you do that, your readers will want to keep reading until the end.

Make them wish your essay continued so that they could read even more!

So which descriptive essay prompt inspires you?  And if you want more creative writing prompts, check out my blog post, “13 Thought-Provoking Personal Narrative Prompts” https://www.academicwritingsuccess.com/13-thought-provoking-personal-narrative-prompts/.

Suzanne,I enjoy reading your articles. Loved your sense of humour ‘(Or at least if you write about a mountain, I hope you can’t describe how tastes.)’. I tried to share this article in my Pinterest account, but somehow something went wrong and it did not allow me to do it.

I’m glad you enjoyed the article. I do try to be funny whenever I can. I’m having a problem right now with my article pinning. I’m working on it.

Loved the “show, not tell” explanation. It really made sense. I’m a visual learner, so I really liked the visual for the 12 descriptive essay prompts in both written form and as a image. You gave me a lot of good ideas for starting a descriptive essay!

Terri, I’m glad you liked my infographic for the post. I love designing visual images for articles. Let me know if you use one of the descriptive essay prompts. I’d love to know how it worked for you.

Excellent. I like the sensory detail questions. It brings the writing to a new level.

Raven, thank you. Sensory details are great for developing writing. They really help writers of all ages.

Nice article, Suzanne. I love using prompts with my students. I might be nervous of the prompt “Describe the strangest person you ever met.” For many of my students I would have the starring role in that one! 🙂 Using the basic five senses to help students expand upon their writing is also very good. So many students write one sentence and then get stuck. Prompting questions can really help them broaden their thoughts.

Ron, thank you. I might be nervous about the “strangest person you ever met” prompt too. But, I’m hoping there are other strange people students could write about too!

Love these! In this generation of “just getting the point across”, it is so difficult to get some students to be descriptive in their writing.It would be hard for any student to not be descriptive using these prompts. When working on writing with students, I always use the five senses to show them how their writing will be more interesting to any reader when it is descriptive. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you,Randy. Descriptive writing is a challenge, but finding a good descriptive writing prompt and using the 5 senses makes a huge difference.

Also, that is a great quote by Stephen King!

Hi Suzanne! Excellent post! I love the creative prompts. They’re helpful, whether one is writing fiction or non-fiction.

You have a great site. Will stop by again. I know I’ll learn lots here.

P.S. Thanks for stopping by my site. I appreciate your feedback.

Hi Nadine, Thanks so much. I am glad you stopped by and checked out my post on descriptive writing prompts. I love prompts because they can make you think about writing in different ways. And sometimes I just need help getting started. I enjoyed your post on writing spaces. I’ll be visiting your site again.

Session expired

Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.

Privacy Overview

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Writing Tips Oasis - A website dedicated to helping writers to write and publish books.

How to Describe a Creepy Person in a Story

By Isobel Coughlan

Do you need some help with writing a character that freaks others out? The 10 words we’ve included below will give you some ideas. Read on to get some advice on how to describe a creepy person in a story.

Something or someone who is unexpected or unusual and makes people feel afraid or nervous.

“The man in the shadows was strange , to say the least. There was something undeniably creepy about him.”

“That strange woman has been lingering outside the shop for hours. I think it’s quite creepy, to be honest.”

How it Adds Description

You can use the word “strange” to describe a creepy person, as this adjective shows that the person is acting in an unusual way that might make other characters scared or anxious. If a character notices a “strange” person, they might alert others to see whether anyone else feels the same way.

2. Terrifying

Someone who makes you feel extremely frightened .

“The masked man creeped most people out, but to Julia, he was terrifying .”

“Anna knew she shouldn’t be bothered by the old maid, but she found her terrifying . There was something about her creepy, old-fashioned actions that kept Anna up at night.”

While creepy characters might make most people unsettled, characters with an anxious disposition might find them “terrifying.” This word shows that your character is frightened of the creepy character to the point that they avoid them or can’t sleep because of their fear. This is a great word to use if you’re writing a thriller or horror novel.

Someone who has an eerie or ghostly vibe.

“Every time David looked into the graveyard, the spooky groundskeeper was standing there looking directly at him.”

“Bella didn’t like traveling through the woods alone. She was afraid that she’d bump into the spooky old woman with the dead eyes again.”

“Spooky” can be used to describe creepy characters that have an eerie or ghostly appearance or vibe to them. If a character believes that someone is “spooky,” they might associate them with ghosts or other horror-themed tropes. This mindset is more likely for characters with an active imagination or a belief in the supernatural.

Someone very strange or odd .

“The teacher told the class to ignore the bizarre homeless woman, but he secretly agreed that she was creepy.”

“Everyone found the horror movie villain creepy, but Fern just thought he was bizarre . She’d watched too many scary films to be frightened by a man in a mask.”

If you want to show that a character thinks a creepy character is simply unusual or odd, you can use “bizarre.” This adjective shows that they’re more focused on the character’s different appearance or behavior rather than how scary they are.

Someone who is different in an unconventional or unpleasant way.

“The freaky clown walked towards Heather, and she squealed. She’s always thought clowns were creepy, and this confirmed it.”

“Billy watched as the freaky child approached his best friend. He knew he needed to intervene, but he wanted to see what the creepy tot was going to do.”

You can use “freaky” to describe a creepy character that is different from the norm in a negative or unpleasant way. Characters who are “freaky” might draw attention to themselves because they have an unconventional attitude about them. This might unnerve other characters, especially if they follow conventional rules.

6. Sinister

Someone who seems harmful or evil .

“The sinister woman peeped through her neighbors’ windows in the evenings despite having the police called on her.”

“Okay, that old man isn’t even creepy anymore. He’s being downright sinister . Make him stop following us!”

When a creepy character seems like they’re going to harm another, you can use the adjective “sinister.” This word has negative connotations and is a great way to describe villains or creepy characters who have a more threatening aura.

Someone who is different from normal expectations.

“Matthew’s mama called him offbeat , but everyone else thought he was creepy. There was something about him that made the girls feel uneasy.”

“Throughout his days in the office, Maxine has tried to be as normal as possible. But it was obvious that everyone thought she was offbeat when they avoided her in the cafe.”

“Offbeat” is a way to describe a character who doesn’t fit the normal expectations. This can be applied to creepy characters, as they usually stand out against the grain due to their strange actions.

8. Mysterious

Someone who isn’t understood by others.

“The mysterious detective had a bad habit of watching his suspects at night.”

“Anna tried her best to be mysterious at school, but her quietness and inability to make eye contact came off as creepy.”

Typically, characters who are creepy aren’t often understood. Therefore, you can use “mysterious” to describe them. An inquisitive character might try to figure out a “mysterious” character, but this might be difficult as creepy or “mysterious” characters tend to be very closed off.

Someone who acts in an embarrassed or shy way.

“Jenna tried not to be creepy, but her awkward nature often made others avoid her.”

“Toby knew the girls thought he was a creep. But he didn’t have enough confidence to tell them he was just awkward .”

A creepy character could be described as “awkward” if they feel shy around others or lack typical social skills. This might make it hard for them to make friends, and thus, others might start ignoring them or not include them in social events.

Someone who makes little or no noise.

“Naomi thought the quiet bus driver was sweet, but her friends deemed him creepy when he refused to speak.”

“The creepy young girl never spoke. She was quiet all the time and spent her days collecting dead flies.”

Sometimes, creepy characters don’t speak or avoid making noise. Therefore, you can use “quiet” to give extra definition to any strange or creepy people. Being “quiet” might make it difficult for the character to communicate with others, and thus, it makes other characters find them even creepier.

• Essay Samples
• College Essay
• Writing Tools
• Writing guide

↑ Return to College Essay

Narrative Essay: I Saw the Weirdest Thing

In my narrative essay, I explain how I had a paranormal experience, and then I debunk my own story as I show how my paranormal experience was actually a simple technical glitch.

If you look on social media and on websites, you will find plenty of examples of ghosts and such. Some of them are obviously doctored photos, and others are simply flashes of light that have reflected within the camera lens. Then there are lights in the sky, which may be explained by anything from drones and Chinese lanterns, to experimental aircraft and balls of lightening. My story revolves around my CCTV system that is set up in my house.

I have a total of eight cameras, with some in rooms within my house and some outside pointing at my garden. In my living room, I have two monitors that show me what is going on within my house and outside.

As I was looking over the footage of myself sat in my living room, I noticed balls of light that circled me and moved around me. I was in the dark when I was being recorded, and the only light source was my TV. My cameras have night vision on them that create a grayscale image of what is going on. On the grayscale images, I could clearly see lights circling me and moving in front of and behind me.

After reviewing the images over and over again, I was sure I had proof of some form of ghost. There were no light sources in the room at the time, no holes in my curtains, and nobody else was in the house. I finally had proof of ghosts on video.

Just to double check, I checked my camera. It is mounted on the roof in my living room. I checked the camera and it was fine, so I replaced it and turned off the light. I tried to recreate the same situation again and again, but I failed to spawn any ghosts right away–until one night when I was staring at my monitor.

While staring, I noticed the lights appear in the corner of the room, even though there were no lights in that location. I waved my hands near the lights, but they simply moved away. I then moved closer to my camera and noticed–midges.

When my cameras switch to night vision, they give out a very distinct blue and red light. It is only a shallow light that doesn’t really illuminate. What had been happening is that the tiny flies had been attracted to the light because it was the only light source in the room. As they flew past the camera, it picked them up and projected them onto the image. The camera couldn’t focus on something that was so close, in the dark, and so small, so it interpreted them as small balls of light.

When the lights were circling me on the first piece of footage, they were not actually circling me; it was the midges flying in tight circles around the CCTV lights. Even when you are sure you have proof of something, you have to check and keep checking. You have to use a negative bias and continually try to prove yourself wrong, but there is usually a simple explanation for most paranormal experiences.

Follow Us on Social Media

Get more free essays

Send via email

Most useful resources for students:.

• Free Essays Download
• Writing Tools List
• Proofreading Services
• Universities Rating

Contributors Bio

Find more useful services for students

Free plagiarism check, professional editing, online tutoring, free grammar check.

• Link to facebook
• Link to linkedin
• Link to twitter
• Link to youtube
• Writing Tips

How to Write a Descriptive Paragraph About a Person (With Examples)

4-minute read

• 7th January 2023

Describing a person or character is difficult for even the most successful authors. It requires a balance of words to make sure they shine through without the language being too heavy. In this article, we’ll look at how to write a descriptive paragraph about a person, share some examples, and talk about different strategies.

1.   Brainstorm Your Ideas

Brainstorming is crucial to any writing process. It’s the process in which you think of ideas for what you’d like to write about. In this case, you’re writing a descriptive paragraph about a person. It’s important to use adjectives to describe the features or characteristics you want to focus on.

One way to come up with ideas for a descriptive paragraph about a person is to go through the five senses. Use the questions below to get some ideas for what you want to highlight about your person.

Appeal to your reader’s senses – smell, taste, sound, sight, and touch

Smell: How does the person smell? Do they wear perfume? Are they doing an activity that would make them have a certain smell?

Taste: Do you associate a certain food with this person? Does it make you think of a specific taste? Can you taste something due to a certain smell they have?

Sound: Do they have a unique voice or laugh? Are they doing an activity that has distinctive sounds?

Sight: What prominent features do they have? For example, think about their dressing style, their smile, or their surroundings. What do you see them doing in your mind when you see a photo of them? What memories do you have of this person? Does this person remind you of something or someone?

Touch: What textures do you see? For example, imagine their skin or clothing. How does it feel if you hug them?

2.   Begin With a Short and Snappy Sentence

Like with any type of writing, you want to hook your reader so that they want to continue reading. In this case, you can use a topic sentence, if appropriate, to introduce your reader to the person. For example:

Or, if you want to be more creative, you can reel them in with a short and snappy sentence about this person. This is called a writing hook . This sentence should focus on a stand-out detail or characteristic about the person you’re describing. For example:

3.   Describe the Person

Now, this is the hard part. But, if you’ve brainstormed plenty of ideas and know which ones you want to focus on, it will be easier. Let’s look at some examples to get a better idea of how to write a descriptive paragraph about a person using the prompt “describe a person you admire.”

Comments: This paragraph is pretty typical of most students. It gives lots of visual details of the person and uses a simile or two (“ Her eyes are like the color of honey” and “Her smile shines like the sun” ). While this strategy gets the job done, it’s not very exciting to read. In fact, it can be quite boring!

Let’s look at how we can rewrite this to make it more exciting.

Find this useful?

Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox.

Comments: In this example, we focused on one defining characteristic of the person we are describing — her laugh. This strategy places more focus on the person you’re describing, rather than the adjectives you use to describe them.

4.   Edit and Revise

After you write your descriptive paragraph, be sure to read it over. Read it out loud. Read it in a funny voice. Doing this will help you to hear the words and identify which parts do not work or sound awkward.

5.   General Tips for Descriptive Writing

●  Avoid using too many descriptive words.

●  Remember to show the reader, not tell.

●  Appeal to the reader’s five senses – smell, touch, taste, sight, and sound.

●  Focus on a striking or defining characteristic.

●  Use contrasting details from other people or surroundings for emphasis.

●  Use literary devices (metaphors, similes etc.) sparingly and with intention.

●  Use a hook to reel your reader in.

●  Use a variety of short and long sentences.

●  Practice creative writing exercises to improve your descriptive writing skills.

●  Always edit and revise your writing.

If you need more help with writing a descriptive paragraph or essay , send your work to us! Our experts will proofread your first 500 words for free !

Share this article:

Post A New Comment

Got content that needs a quick turnaround? Let us polish your work. Explore our editorial business services.

9-minute read

How to Use Infographics to Boost Your Presentation

Is your content getting noticed? Capturing and maintaining an audience’s attention is a challenge when...

8-minute read

Why Interactive PDFs Are Better for Engagement

Are you looking to enhance engagement and captivate your audience through your professional documents? Interactive...

7-minute read

Seven Key Strategies for Voice Search Optimization

Voice search optimization is rapidly shaping the digital landscape, requiring content professionals to adapt their...

Five Creative Ways to Showcase Your Digital Portfolio

Are you a creative freelancer looking to make a lasting impression on potential clients or...

How to Ace Slack Messaging for Contractors and Freelancers

Effective professional communication is an important skill for contractors and freelancers navigating remote work environments....

3-minute read

How to Insert a Text Box in a Google Doc

Google Docs is a powerful collaborative tool, and mastering its features can significantly enhance your...

Make sure your writing is the best it can be with our expert English proofreading and editing.

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 3 great narrative essay examples + tips for writing.

General Education

A narrative essay is one of the most intimidating assignments you can be handed at any level of your education. Where you've previously written argumentative essays that make a point or analytic essays that dissect meaning, a narrative essay asks you to write what is effectively a story .

But unlike a simple work of creative fiction, your narrative essay must have a clear and concrete motif —a recurring theme or idea that you’ll explore throughout. Narrative essays are less rigid, more creative in expression, and therefore pretty different from most other essays you’ll be writing.

But not to fear—in this article, we’ll be covering what a narrative essay is, how to write a good one, and also analyzing some personal narrative essay examples to show you what a great one looks like.

What Is a Narrative Essay?

At first glance, a narrative essay might sound like you’re just writing a story. Like the stories you're used to reading, a narrative essay is generally (but not always) chronological, following a clear throughline from beginning to end. Even if the story jumps around in time, all the details will come back to one specific theme, demonstrated through your choice in motifs.

Unlike many creative stories, however, your narrative essay should be based in fact. That doesn’t mean that every detail needs to be pure and untainted by imagination, but rather that you shouldn’t wholly invent the events of your narrative essay. There’s nothing wrong with inventing a person’s words if you can’t remember them exactly, but you shouldn’t say they said something they weren’t even close to saying.

Another big difference between narrative essays and creative fiction—as well as other kinds of essays—is that narrative essays are based on motifs. A motif is a dominant idea or theme, one that you establish before writing the essay. As you’re crafting the narrative, it’ll feed back into your motif to create a comprehensive picture of whatever that motif is.

For example, say you want to write a narrative essay about how your first day in high school helped you establish your identity. You might discuss events like trying to figure out where to sit in the cafeteria, having to describe yourself in five words as an icebreaker in your math class, or being unsure what to do during your lunch break because it’s no longer acceptable to go outside and play during lunch. All of those ideas feed back into the central motif of establishing your identity.

The important thing to remember is that while a narrative essay is typically told chronologically and intended to read like a story, it is not purely for entertainment value. A narrative essay delivers its theme by deliberately weaving the motifs through the events, scenes, and details. While a narrative essay may be entertaining, its primary purpose is to tell a complete story based on a central meaning.

Unlike other essay forms, it is totally okay—even expected—to use first-person narration in narrative essays. If you’re writing a story about yourself, it’s natural to refer to yourself within the essay. It’s also okay to use other perspectives, such as third- or even second-person, but that should only be done if it better serves your motif. Generally speaking, your narrative essay should be in first-person perspective.

Though your motif choices may feel at times like you’re making a point the way you would in an argumentative essay, a narrative essay’s goal is to tell a story, not convince the reader of anything. Your reader should be able to tell what your motif is from reading, but you don’t have to change their mind about anything. If they don’t understand the point you are making, you should consider strengthening the delivery of the events and descriptions that support your motif.

Narrative essays also share some features with analytical essays, in which you derive meaning from a book, film, or other media. But narrative essays work differently—you’re not trying to draw meaning from an existing text, but rather using an event you’ve experienced to convey meaning. In an analytical essay, you examine narrative, whereas in a narrative essay you create narrative.

The structure of a narrative essay is also a bit different than other essays. You’ll generally be getting your point across chronologically as opposed to grouping together specific arguments in paragraphs or sections. To return to the example of an essay discussing your first day of high school and how it impacted the shaping of your identity, it would be weird to put the events out of order, even if not knowing what to do after lunch feels like a stronger idea than choosing where to sit. Instead of organizing to deliver your information based on maximum impact, you’ll be telling your story as it happened, using concrete details to reinforce your theme.

3 Great Narrative Essay Examples

One of the best ways to learn how to write a narrative essay is to look at a great narrative essay sample. Let’s take a look at some truly stellar narrative essay examples and dive into what exactly makes them work so well.

A Ticket to the Fair by David Foster Wallace

Today is Press Day at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, and I’m supposed to be at the fairgrounds by 9:00 A.M. to get my credentials. I imagine credentials to be a small white card in the band of a fedora. I’ve never been considered press before. My real interest in credentials is getting into rides and shows for free. I’m fresh in from the East Coast, for an East Coast magazine. Why exactly they’re interested in the Illinois State Fair remains unclear to me. I suspect that every so often editors at East Coast magazines slap their foreheads and remember that about 90 percent of the United States lies between the coasts, and figure they’ll engage somebody to do pith-helmeted anthropological reporting on something rural and heartlandish. I think they asked me to do this because I grew up here, just a couple hours’ drive from downstate Springfield. I never did go to the state fair, though—I pretty much topped out at the county fair level. Actually, I haven’t been back to Illinois for a long time, and I can’t say I’ve missed it.

Throughout this essay, David Foster Wallace recounts his experience as press at the Illinois State Fair. But it’s clear from this opening that he’s not just reporting on the events exactly as they happened—though that’s also true— but rather making a point about how the East Coast, where he lives and works, thinks about the Midwest.

In his opening paragraph, Wallace states that outright: “Why exactly they’re interested in the Illinois State Fair remains unclear to me. I suspect that every so often editors at East Coast magazines slap their foreheads and remember that about 90 percent of the United States lies between the coasts, and figure they’ll engage somebody to do pith-helmeted anthropological reporting on something rural and heartlandish.”

Not every motif needs to be stated this clearly , but in an essay as long as Wallace’s, particularly since the audience for such a piece may feel similarly and forget that such a large portion of the country exists, it’s important to make that point clear.

But Wallace doesn’t just rest on introducing his motif and telling the events exactly as they occurred from there. It’s clear that he selects events that remind us of that idea of East Coast cynicism , such as when he realizes that the Help Me Grow tent is standing on top of fake grass that is killing the real grass beneath, when he realizes the hypocrisy of craving a corn dog when faced with a real, suffering pig, when he’s upset for his friend even though he’s not the one being sexually harassed, and when he witnesses another East Coast person doing something he wouldn’t dare to do.

Wallace is literally telling the audience exactly what happened, complete with dates and timestamps for when each event occurred. But he’s also choosing those events with a purpose—he doesn’t focus on details that don’t serve his motif. That’s why he discusses the experiences of people, how the smells are unappealing to him, and how all the people he meets, in cowboy hats, overalls, or “black spandex that looks like cheesecake leotards,” feel almost alien to him.

All of these details feed back into the throughline of East Coast thinking that Wallace introduces in the first paragraph. He also refers back to it in the essay’s final paragraph, stating:

At last, an overarching theory blooms inside my head: megalopolitan East Coasters’ summer treats and breaks and literally ‘getaways,’ flights-from—from crowds, noise, heat, dirt, the stress of too many sensory choices….The East Coast existential treat is escape from confines and stimuli—quiet, rustic vistas that hold still, turn inward, turn away. Not so in the rural Midwest. Here you’re pretty much away all the time….Something in a Midwesterner sort of actuates , deep down, at a public event….The real spectacle that draws us here is us.

Throughout this journey, Wallace has tried to demonstrate how the East Coast thinks about the Midwest, ultimately concluding that they are captivated by the Midwest’s less stimuli-filled life, but that the real reason they are interested in events like the Illinois State Fair is that they are, in some ways, a means of looking at the East Coast in a new, estranging way.

The reason this works so well is that Wallace has carefully chosen his examples, outlined his motif and themes in the first paragraph, and eventually circled back to the original motif with a clearer understanding of his original point.

When outlining your own narrative essay, try to do the same. Start with a theme, build upon it with examples, and return to it in the end with an even deeper understanding of the original issue. You don’t need this much space to explore a theme, either—as we’ll see in the next example, a strong narrative essay can also be very short.

Death of a Moth by Virginia Woolf

After a time, tired by his dancing apparently, he settled on the window ledge in the sun, and, the queer spectacle being at an end, I forgot about him. Then, looking up, my eye was caught by him. He was trying to resume his dancing, but seemed either so stiff or so awkward that he could only flutter to the bottom of the window-pane; and when he tried to fly across it he failed. Being intent on other matters I watched these futile attempts for a time without thinking, unconsciously waiting for him to resume his flight, as one waits for a machine, that has stopped momentarily, to start again without considering the reason of its failure. After perhaps a seventh attempt he slipped from the wooden ledge and fell, fluttering his wings, on to his back on the window sill. The helplessness of his attitude roused me. It flashed upon me that he was in difficulties; he could no longer raise himself; his legs struggled vainly. But, as I stretched out a pencil, meaning to help him to right himself, it came over me that the failure and awkwardness were the approach of death. I laid the pencil down again.

In this essay, Virginia Woolf explains her encounter with a dying moth. On surface level, this essay is just a recounting of an afternoon in which she watched a moth die—it’s even established in the title. But there’s more to it than that. Though Woolf does not begin her essay with as clear a motif as Wallace, it’s not hard to pick out the evidence she uses to support her point, which is that the experience of this moth is also the human experience.

In the title, Woolf tells us this essay is about death. But in the first paragraph, she seems to mostly be discussing life—the moth is “content with life,” people are working in the fields, and birds are flying. However, she mentions that it is mid-September and that the fields were being plowed. It’s autumn and it’s time for the harvest; the time of year in which many things die.

In this short essay, she chronicles the experience of watching a moth seemingly embody life, then die. Though this essay is literally about a moth, it’s also about a whole lot more than that. After all, moths aren’t the only things that die—Woolf is also reflecting on her own mortality, as well as the mortality of everything around her.

At its core, the essay discusses the push and pull of life and death, not in a way that’s necessarily sad, but in a way that is accepting of both. Woolf begins by setting up the transitional fall season, often associated with things coming to an end, and raises the ideas of pleasure, vitality, and pity.

At one point, Woolf tries to help the dying moth, but reconsiders, as it would interfere with the natural order of the world. The moth’s death is part of the natural order of the world, just like fall, just like her own eventual death.

All these themes are set up in the beginning and explored throughout the essay’s narrative. Though Woolf doesn’t directly state her theme, she reinforces it by choosing a small, isolated event—watching a moth die—and illustrating her point through details.

With this essay, we can see that you don’t need a big, weird, exciting event to discuss an important meaning. Woolf is able to explore complicated ideas in a short essay by being deliberate about what details she includes, just as you can be in your own essays.

Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin

On the twenty-ninth of July, in 1943, my father died. On the same day, a few hours later, his last child was born. Over a month before this, while all our energies were concentrated in waiting for these events, there had been, in Detroit, one of the bloodiest race riots of the century. A few hours after my father’s funeral, while he lay in state in the undertaker’s chapel, a race riot broke out in Harlem. On the morning of the third of August, we drove my father to the graveyard through a wilderness of smashed plate glass.

Like Woolf, Baldwin does not lay out his themes in concrete terms—unlike Wallace, there’s no clear sentence that explains what he’ll be talking about. However, you can see the motifs quite clearly: death, fatherhood, struggle, and race.

Throughout the narrative essay, Baldwin discusses the circumstances of his father’s death, including his complicated relationship with his father. By introducing those motifs in the first paragraph, the reader understands that everything discussed in the essay will come back to those core ideas. When Baldwin talks about his experience with a white teacher taking an interest in him and his father’s resistance to that, he is also talking about race and his father’s death. When he talks about his father’s death, he is also talking about his views on race. When he talks about his encounters with segregation and racism, he is talking, in part, about his father.

Because his father was a hard, uncompromising man, Baldwin struggles to reconcile the knowledge that his father was right about many things with his desire to not let that hardness consume him, as well.

Baldwin doesn’t explicitly state any of this, but his writing so often touches on the same motifs that it becomes clear he wants us to think about all these ideas in conversation with one another.

At the end of the essay, Baldwin makes it more clear:

This fight begins, however, in the heart and it had now been laid to my charge to keep my own heart free of hatred and despair. This intimation made my heart heavy and, now that my father was irrecoverable, I wished that he had been beside me so that I could have searched his face for the answers which only the future would give me now.

Here, Baldwin ties together the themes and motifs into one clear statement: that he must continue to fight and recognize injustice, especially racial injustice, just as his father did. But unlike his father, he must do it beginning with himself—he must not let himself be closed off to the world as his father was. And yet, he still wishes he had his father for guidance, even as he establishes that he hopes to be a different man than his father.

In this essay, Baldwin loads the front of the essay with his motifs, and, through his narrative, weaves them together into a theme. In the end, he comes to a conclusion that connects all of those things together and leaves the reader with a lasting impression of completion—though the elements may have been initially disparate, in the end everything makes sense.

You can replicate this tactic of introducing seemingly unattached ideas and weaving them together in your own essays. By introducing those motifs, developing them throughout, and bringing them together in the end, you can demonstrate to your reader how all of them are related. However, it’s especially important to be sure that your motifs and clear and consistent throughout your essay so that the conclusion feels earned and consistent—if not, readers may feel mislead.

5 Key Tips for Writing Narrative Essays

Narrative essays can be a lot of fun to write since they’re so heavily based on creativity. But that can also feel intimidating—sometimes it’s easier to have strict guidelines than to have to make it all up yourself. Here are a few tips to keep your narrative essay feeling strong and fresh.

Develop Strong Motifs

Motifs are the foundation of a narrative essay . What are you trying to say? How can you say that using specific symbols or events? Those are your motifs.

In the same way that an argumentative essay’s body should support its thesis, the body of your narrative essay should include motifs that support your theme.

Try to avoid cliches, as these will feel tired to your readers. Instead of roses to symbolize love, try succulents. Instead of the ocean representing some vast, unknowable truth, try the depths of your brother’s bedroom. Keep your language and motifs fresh and your essay will be even stronger!

Use First-Person Perspective

In many essays, you’re expected to remove yourself so that your points stand on their own. Not so in a narrative essay—in this case, you want to make use of your own perspective.

Sometimes a different perspective can make your point even stronger. If you want someone to identify with your point of view, it may be tempting to choose a second-person perspective. However, be sure you really understand the function of second-person; it’s very easy to put a reader off if the narration isn’t expertly deployed.

If you want a little bit of distance, third-person perspective may be okay. But be careful—too much distance and your reader may feel like the narrative lacks truth.

That’s why first-person perspective is the standard. It keeps you, the writer, close to the narrative, reminding the reader that it really happened. And because you really know what happened and how, you’re free to inject your own opinion into the story without it detracting from your point, as it would in a different type of essay.

Stick to the Truth

Your essay should be true. However, this is a creative essay, and it’s okay to embellish a little. Rarely in life do we experience anything with a clear, concrete meaning the way somebody in a book might. If you flub the details a little, it’s okay—just don’t make them up entirely.

Also, nobody expects you to perfectly recall details that may have happened years ago. You may have to reconstruct dialog from your memory and your imagination. That’s okay, again, as long as you aren’t making it up entirely and assigning made-up statements to somebody.

Dialog is a powerful tool. A good conversation can add flavor and interest to a story, as we saw demonstrated in David Foster Wallace’s essay. As previously mentioned, it’s okay to flub it a little, especially because you’re likely writing about an experience you had without knowing that you’d be writing about it later.

However, don’t rely too much on it. Your narrative essay shouldn’t be told through people explaining things to one another; the motif comes through in the details. Dialog can be one of those details, but it shouldn’t be the only one.

Use Sensory Descriptions

Because a narrative essay is a story, you can use sensory details to make your writing more interesting. If you’re describing a particular experience, you can go into detail about things like taste, smell, and hearing in a way that you probably wouldn’t do in any other essay style.

These details can tie into your overall motifs and further your point. Woolf describes in great detail what she sees while watching the moth, giving us the sense that we, too, are watching the moth. In Wallace’s essay, he discusses the sights, sounds, and smells of the Illinois State Fair to help emphasize his point about its strangeness. And in Baldwin’s essay, he describes shattered glass as a “wilderness,” and uses the feelings of his body to describe his mental state.

All these descriptions anchor us not only in the story, but in the motifs and themes as well. One of the tools of a writer is making the reader feel as you felt, and sensory details help you achieve that.

What’s Next?

Looking to brush up on your essay-writing capabilities before the ACT? This guide to ACT English will walk you through some of the best strategies and practice questions to get you prepared!

Part of practicing for the ACT is ensuring your word choice and diction are on point. Check out this guide to some of the most common errors on the ACT English section to be sure that you're not making these common mistakes!

A solid understanding of English principles will help you make an effective point in a narrative essay, and you can get that understanding through taking a rigorous assortment of high school English classes !

Melissa Brinks graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 with a Bachelor's in English with a creative writing emphasis. She has spent several years tutoring K-12 students in many subjects, including in SAT prep, to help them prepare for their college education.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Improve With Our Famous Guides

• For All Students

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points

How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section:

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading

Score 800 on SAT Writing

Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section:

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading

Score 600 on SAT Writing

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For?

15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points

How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section:

36 on ACT English

36 on ACT Math

36 on ACT Reading

36 on ACT Science

Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section:

24 on ACT English

24 on ACT Math

24 on ACT Reading

24 on ACT Science

What ACT target score should you be aiming for?

ACT Vocabulary You Must Know

ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide

Should you retake your SAT or ACT?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Looking for Graduate School Test Prep?

Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here:

GRE Online Prep Blog

GMAT Online Prep Blog

TOEFL Online Prep Blog

Holly R. "I am absolutely overjoyed and cannot thank you enough for helping me!”

Essay on A Stranger

Students are often asked to write an essay on A Stranger in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on A Stranger

Who is a stranger.

A stranger is a person we do not know. We meet strangers every day. They could be in the park, at the store, or on the street. It’s normal to feel curious about them. We might wonder about their lives, their jobs, or where they come from.

Interacting with Strangers

It’s okay to talk to strangers in safe places. Always be polite and kind. But remember, it’s important to keep personal details private. Don’t share your name, address, or phone number. It’s best to talk about simple things like the weather or a favorite sport.

Strangers and Safety

Safety is crucial when dealing with strangers. Always stay in public areas. If a stranger makes you feel uncomfortable, it’s okay to walk away. Tell a trusted adult if something feels wrong. Remember, your safety comes first.

Strangers Can Become Friends

Sometimes, strangers become friends. You might meet someone at school or a club who starts as a stranger. Over time, as you get to know them, they might become a good friend. It’s a beautiful part of life.

250 Words Essay on A Stranger

A stranger is a person who is unknown or unfamiliar to you. This person could be someone you see in a park, at the bus stop, or in a store. You don’t know their name, where they live, or anything about their life. They are just like a book you haven’t read yet.

Meeting a Stranger

Meeting a stranger can be an interesting experience. You might feel curious about them. You might wonder about their life, their interests, and their story. Every person has a unique story, and a stranger is no different.

It’s important to remember that not all strangers are friendly. Some might mean harm. This is why it’s crucial to be careful. When you’re a kid, you should always stay near trusted adults and never go anywhere with a stranger.

Sometimes, strangers can become friends. Think about your best friend. There was a time when you didn’t know them, right? They were a stranger to you. But then, you got to know each other. You shared laughs, stories, and maybe even secrets. And just like that, a stranger became a friend.

The Beauty of Diversity

Strangers show us the beauty of diversity. They come from different places, have different cultures, and different ideas. This diversity makes our world more vibrant and exciting.

In conclusion, a stranger is someone unknown to us. While we should be careful around them for safety, they can also become our friends. They help us appreciate the diversity in our world.

500 Words Essay on A Stranger

Introduction.

A stranger is a person we do not know or recognize. We often meet strangers in public places like parks, buses, schools, and markets. Some strangers may become our friends, while others remain unknown. This essay will explore the concept of a stranger in a simple and easy-to-understand manner.

When we meet a stranger, we usually feel a mix of curiosity and caution. Curiosity because we want to know more about the person, and caution because we are unsure about their intentions. It’s natural to feel this way. We should always be careful when dealing with strangers, especially if they approach us in a way that makes us uncomfortable.

The Stranger’s Role

Strangers play an important role in our lives. They can teach us new things and introduce us to different cultures, ideas, and perspectives. For example, a stranger from a different country can tell us about their traditions, food, and way of life. This helps us learn about the world outside our own experiences.

While strangers can be interesting, we also need to remember safety. Children are often taught about “stranger danger”. This means they should be careful around people they don’t know. They should never go anywhere with a stranger or take anything from them. It’s good advice for everyone, not just children. We should always trust our instincts. If something doesn’t feel right, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Strangers Becoming Friends

Every friend was once a stranger. It’s a strange thought, isn’t it? But it’s true. We meet new people, get to know them, and over time, some of them become our friends. This is one of the most exciting parts about meeting strangers. You never know who might end up being an important part of your life.

Strangers in the Digital World

In today’s digital world, we meet more strangers online than in person. We should be just as careful online as we are in real life. It’s easy for people to pretend to be someone they’re not on the internet. Always remember to protect your personal information and never share it with strangers online.

In conclusion, strangers are a part of our daily lives. They can offer new insights and perspectives, but we should always be careful and prioritize our safety. Remember, every friend was once a stranger, and who knows, the next stranger you meet could end up being a good friend. But always remember to be safe, whether you’re meeting strangers in person or online.

This essay has explored the concept of a stranger in a simple way. We learned about meeting strangers, their role in our lives, safety considerations, and the possibility of strangers becoming friends. We also discussed the role of strangers in the digital world. Remember, it’s okay to be curious, but it’s also important to stay safe!

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on A Stormy Day
• Essay on A Soccer Match
• Essay on A Scenic Place

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Harry's English Blog

• assessment (13)
• Final Project (3)
• outlines (1)

Monday, September 27, 2010

A strange person essay final draft, no comments:, post a comment.

Descriptive Essay

Descriptive Essay About A Person

Crafting an Authentic Portrait: A Guide to Writing a Descriptive Essay About a Person

People also read

Descriptive Essay - A Complete Guide

Descriptive Essay Examples & Writing Tips

Top 250+ Descriptive Essay Topics & Ideas

Creating a Descriptive Essay Outline - Format & Example

Writing a Descriptive Essay About Myself - Tips and Tricks

Writing a Descriptive Essay About A Place - Guide With Examples

How to Craft the Perfect Descriptive Essay About A Person You Admire

Descriptive Essay About My Mother - A Guide to Writing

Delicious Descriptions: A Guide to Writing a Descriptive Essay About Food

Write A Descriptive Essay About Nature With This Guide

Learn Tips to Write a Descriptive Essay About Autumn - Step into the Golden Season

Have you been assigned to write a descriptive essay about a person but don't know how to begin?

Writing a descriptive essay about someone can be an intimidating endeavor. It's hard to know where to start, what details to include, and how to capture the essence of the person in words.

This guide will provide you with the basic guidelines and tips to help you craft an effective, descriptive essay about a person. You'll get sample essays to get inspired by and easy tips to follow.

So let's dive in!

• 1. Writing Tips for Descriptive Essay About a Person
• 2. Descriptive Essay About a Person Examples

Writing Tips for Descriptive Essay About a Person

Descriptive essays can be written on a range of themes. For instance you can write a descriptive essay about a place , food or even nature . It's common to write these essays about people, which paints a vivid picture of their appearance, personality, evoking a clear mental image for the reader.

Now that you've seen what a descriptive essay about a person looks like, you're ready to start crafting your own.

Here are some writing tips to help get you started:

Tips for Pre-Writing Phase

The prewriting phase is a crucial stage of the writing process, where you lay the foundation for a successful essay or document. Here are some tips for this stage:

• Choose Your Subject

Before you start writing, take some time to think carefully about who you want to write about and why. Is it a family member, close friend, celebrity or public figure? What do you want to say about them? Who would be the ideal reader for this essay?

Want to write a descriptive essay on other topics? Check out 100+ descriptive essay topics !

• Brainstorm Ideas

Once you've chosen the subject, take some time to brainstorm ideas. Think about their physical appearance, personality traits, hobbies, likes and dislikes, goals and dreams. Make notes of what comes to mind so that you can refer back to them during the writing process.

• Describe Physical Features

Once you have your ideas in place, start by describing the person's physical features. Give a detailed description of their facial features, body type, clothing style and other elements that make up their overall appearance.

• List Personality Traits

Now, move on to listing the person's character traits. Talk about how they act in different situations and what makes them unique as a person. Describe their different personality traits, how they think and how others perceive them.

• Explore Their Interests

Next, focus on their interests and hobbies. Talk about what they like to do for fun, how they spend their free time, or any other activities that make them unique. Here, you may also include their achievements or other important events in their lives.

Tips for Writing Phase

As you transition from the prewriting phase to the actual writing stage, these tips will help you navigate the writing process more effectively:

• Follow Your Outline

Now that you've brainstormed and outlined your essay, it's time to start writing. Stick to the points that you have listed in your outline or notes. Don't get too distracted with other aspects of the person that are not related to your topic.

Getting started on your essay? Check out this in-depth guide on how to create a descriptive essay outline !

• Be Specific

When writing about a person, it's important to be as specific and concise as possible. Don't use general statements or cliches; instead, focus on giving the reader a vivid image of who this person is by using concrete examples and tangible details.

• Show Don't Tell

Weave stories into your essay to give it more depth and make it come alive. Instead of just saying that the person is generous, tell a story about how they donated their time to help out in a charity event. This helps the reader paint a clearer picture of who this person really is.

• Draw Conclusions

Once you've written the essay, it's time to draw some conclusions . What have you learned about this person from the essay? What makes them special? How would you sum up the overall portrait of this person?

Tips for Editing/Revising Phase

The editing and revising phase is where you refine and polish your work. Here are some tips to help you make your content clearer, more coherent, and error-free:

• Check Your Facts

Before you submit your essay, make sure that all of the details that you have provided are accurate. Double-check any facts or dates to ensure accuracy.

• Check Grammar and Clarity

Make sure to review your essay for any grammar, spelling, or punctuation mistakes. Read through it several times to check for clarity and readability. This will help make sure that your essay is as polished and professional as possible.

• Get a Second Opinion

Getting another opinion on your essay is always a good idea. Ask an expert essay writer to read it over and give you honest feedback. They will be able to point out any mistakes or areas where the essay could use some improvement.

These are just some basic tips to help get you started with writing a descriptive essay about someone. Allow yourself to be creative and write from the heart. With some practice and patience, you'll be able to create an essay that truly captures who this person is.

Descriptive Essay About a Person Examples

A descriptive essay is an essay where you describe something in detail. A descriptive essay relies on facts and information to describe a subject as it is.

A descriptive essay about a person is often written to describe a particular person. It can be about a person you admire , an acquaintance, family member like mother , friend, or even a celebrity.

Here are some examples to give you a better idea. Download and read them for free.

Descriptive Essay About a Person PDF

Descriptive Essay About a Person Example PDF

Descriptive Essay About a Person You Admire

Descriptive Essay About a Person You Love

Descriptive Essay About a Person Who Changed My Life

Descriptive Essay About a Famous Person

Need more examples? Check out these descriptive essay examples on other topics as well!

Do you need more help writing your descriptive essay? No worries, we're here to help you out!

MyPerfectWords.com is a professional descriptive essay writing service  that specializes in helping students write essays.

Our team of expert descriptive essay writers will work with you to craft a perfect essay. We also offer a range of other services, including editing and proofreading, so that your essay is as high-quality and error-free as possible.

Contact us and buy custom essay online today!

Write Essay Within 60 Seconds!

Caleb S. has been providing writing services for over five years and has a Masters degree from Oxford University. He is an expert in his craft and takes great pride in helping students achieve their academic goals. Caleb is a dedicated professional who always puts his clients first.

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That’s our Job!

Keep reading

15+ Examples of Descriptive Essays About a Person

Examples of Descriptive Essays About a Person – Descriptive essay is one type of essay that aims to describe a specific object (animal, person, or other thing) specifically. This text type has a slight difference with report text written based on common terms.

The following essays are some examples of descriptive essays about a person, family members, and famous people.

Table of Contents

Essay 1: My Best Friend Laura

Laura J. Bernal, whose nickname is Laura, is my best friend from my childhood. She has a small body and is quite slim. She has oval face with bright brown eyes and thin lips. Laura J. Bernal has long brown straight hair, but she usually makes her hair with horse ponytails. She looks very beautiful, especially when she smiles. She is always cheerful and looks in a good mood. She is a very positive person. We have almost the same hobby of singing. Sometimes our opinions are the same. She is always energetic and brings positive energy for everyone around her. She is like a part of my family. I trust her just as I trust members of my family. She is a very honest type of friend. She always speaks as she is even though it’s bad. Laura always says what she thinks. We are very close to each other. She can even know whether I lie to her or not. I’m very lucky to have a friend like her.

Essay 2: Larry Page

Lawrence “Larry” Page is one of the most influential people in the world. Page is an American computer scientist; he is also an Internet entrepreneur. He was a co-founder of Google with his friend, Sergey Brin, in 1998. Now, he plays a role as a chief executive officer (CEO) of Alphabets, Google’s parent company. Larry Page was born on 26 th  March 1973 in Michigan. By 2019, his age is 46 years old. His hair is dark brown while his skin is fair. About his family, a research scientist named Lucinda Southworth is his wife. Now, he is a father of two children.In November 2016, he becomes the 12th richest person. Larry’s last education background is a Ph.D. from Stanford University. Here, he met Sergey Brin. Then, they incorporated Google in order to make world’s information easy to access. This company makes him to be one of the successful people in the world.

Essay 3: My Father

My father’s name is David P. Kent. He is a hardworking man. He works as a government employee. His body is tall, like my youngest brother. His hair is black and straight, same as mine. He has brown complexion because he likes working under the Sun. I love talking to my father. He is a wise man who always gives me great advices. We learn about being a hard-worker from him. We love him very much. He is a great father for us.

Essay 4: Bill Gates

William Henry “Bill” Gates III is one of the richest & influential people. In 1975 together with his friend, Paul Allen, he co-founded Microsoft which became the world’s largest PC software company. That is why his name exists in the list of world’s wealthiest people by Forbes. Bill Gates or Trey as his nickname was born on 28 th  October 1955 in Seattle, Washington, USA. By 2019, he is 64 years old. His hair as well as eye color is same, light brown. Bill Gates’ weight is 64 kg with 5′ 9″ height. With his wife named Melinda Gates, they have three children. Besides being the best-known entrepreneur, Bill Gates is also known as a philanthropist. In 2000, he & his wife created Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It was identified as the world’s wealthiest charitable foundation in 2013. Through this foundation, Bill Gates donates large amounts of money to many charitable organizations and scientific research programs.

Essay 5: My Mother

This one is about my mother. Her name is Margaret N. Craft. She has brown complexion and blonde hair. Her height is as same as mine, 5′ 11″. My mother is a tailor. She sews some clothes for women such as shirt, jeans, and skirt. I learn many things about sewing from her. She is a great teacher for me. Every morning, she wakes up earlier than other members in my family. She prepares breakfast for us. She is a tough and patient mother. We love her very much.

Essay 6: Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American computer programmer & internet entrepreneur. He is a co-founder of Facebook, a famous social media. His name was in the list of 100 wealthiest and most influential people since 2010 by Time Magazine. About his physical appearance, Mark’s body is 170 centimeters tall with 76 kg weight. His hair color is red while his eyes are blue. Mark Zuckerberg was born on 14 th  May 1984 in New York, USA. Therefore, he is 35 years old by 2019. Mark Zuckerberg has married to Priscilla Chan; they have one daughter named Maxima Chan Zuckerberg.

Essay 7: My Sister

My sister is four years older than me. Her name is Jennifer P. Todd. I usually call her Jennifer. She has the same hair like my mother, black and quite curly. My sister, mother and I have almost the same body tall. Her height is about 5′ 1″. Just like our father, she is a government employee. She wears glasses for helping her see clearly. She occasionally wears contact lenses. We fought a lot when we were kids. She is a kind sister though and I love her so much.

Essay 8: J. K. Rowling

J. K. Rowling is a British novelist who writes phenomenal fantasy book series of Harry Potter. The books have got worldwide attention. They have become the best selling book series in history. They were sold more than 400 million copies. Joanne Rowling was born on 31 th July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England. So, she is 54 years old by 2019. About her physical appearance, her height is 5′ 5″, while her weight is 54 kg. She has blonde hair & blue eyes. She’s married two times; she’s got three children. JK. Rowling is a terrific & successful novelist that becomes the richest woman in England. In fact, once she had become unemployed with a destitute life. By writing Harry Potter books which are loaded with spectacular high imagination, she turns to be very famous and wealthy.

Essay 9: My Brother

My brother’s name is Charles O. Joy. I call him Charles. He is the youngest child in my family. He is five years younger than me. I can say that he has fair skin, round brown eyes and small lips. His hair is black and short like our father. He was graduated from English Education Department in University of Pennsylvania a year ago. He loves music very much. He is very good at playing a guitar. Together with his friends, he plays music and creates songs. I believe that he will be a successful artist in the future.

Essay 10: Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Gail Winfrey is a great talk show host from America. Her well-known talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show was the highest-rated television program from 1986 to 2011. Because of this phenomenal talk show, she dubbed as the “Queen of All Media”. She has also been ranked the richest African-American and greatest black philanthropist in American history. Oprah was born on January 29, 1954 in Mississippi, United States. By 2019, her age is 64 years old.  She has 5′ 7″ tall while her weight is 77 kg. During her career, she successfully lost her weight. But then, she gained much weight again. She has brown eyes & black hair. Oprah Winfrey was born into poverty in rural Mississippi. She was molested by her cousin, uncle, as well as a family friend when she was nine years old. At 14, she became pregnant but her son was born prematurely and died shortly after birth. Then, she moved to her father’s house and landed a job in radio. Her consistent efforts led her into the successful African-American.

Essay 11: Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp was born on June 9, 1963 in Owensboro, Kentucky, U.S. He is now 54 years old. He started his career on movie in 1984. His first movie is A nightmare on Elm Street and his last movie is Untitled Fantastic Beast Sequel that would be released in 2018. A long his life, he had been an actor in 48 movies. It means that he had been playing more than 40 characters during his life. Thus, seeing his achievement, he is proper to be the winner of the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for the best actor. Before he became a famous actor, Depp was a musician. The first genre he played was rock music. He is good in playing guitar and writing songs. A long his life, he wrote so many songs for bands, solo vocalist or for movie such as Sweeney Todd.

Essay 12: My Grandmother

I have a grandmother, her name is Mary M. Lewis. I usually called her Granny Mary. Her hair isn’t gray like other grandmothers, but blonde. Her body is quite short, about 5′ 1″. She has brown and bit wrinkly skin. Granny Mary lives in a house with my uncle and aunt. I visit her twice a week. I think she is not that old, because she is 70 years old. However, she still looks fit and strong. She usually goes to the backyard to help my uncle. Sometimes, I go to the backyard with my brother as well and help her pick flowers. We love our grandmother so much.

Essay 13: Taylor Swift

Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer & song writer. She is known for narrative songs about her personal life. Her songs are very popular, namely Shake It Off, Blank Space, Bad Blood. Taylor Swift has appeared as one of the most influential and powerful women by Forbes as well as Time Magazines. By 2019, Taylor Swift’s age is 30 years old. She was born on December 13, 1989 in Reading, Pennsylvania, United States. This beautiful girl has 5′ 10″ tall & weighs 54 kg. Her hair is blonde while her eye color is blue. Her lips are usually red as she likes red color very much. Taylor Swift is a famous wealthy woman but her life was not always so sweet. She suffered bullying in Junior High School. She said that she got dumped by a group of popular girls in the school. They thought that she was weird because she liked country music. This changed after she moved to Nashville; she becomes a successful singer.

Essay 14: My Grandfather

This one is about my grandfather, my father’s dad. His name is Wayne D. Smith. I usually called him “Gran Wayne”. He lived in a house with my uncles and aunties. He has 10 children, including my father. That’s why we have a very big family. Gran Wayne used to jog every morning. When I was just a kid, I loved to wake up early and went to jog with him. After arriving in one small shop, he bought us a milk and an ice cream. We were so happy at that time. We love our grandfather so much.

Essay 15: A Stranger at Every Morning

I see that mysterious person at every morning walking in front of my home in this last two weeks. I never see him before. Perhaps he is a new comer in this village. He always walks slowly with his two big Doberman dogs as he seems like having a total control of his dogs. He is big and tall man with a long hair and full body tattoo on his skin. I think anybody will be afraid of him. He always uses single shirt and shorts and also black sports shoes when he is walking around with his dog. Usually, he is passing in front of my home around 6 in the morning. He always using headset and put his iPhone or something like MP3 players in his pocket shorts.

Essay 16: Vincent van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch painter that was classified as a post-impressionist painter. He was born on March 30, 1853 in Zundert, Netherlands and died on 29 July in Auvers-sur-Oise, France. At his life time, he was stated as a stupid person who tried and failed to learn painting. Not only that, he was totally poor and suffered. At first, he failed in love and thus made him suffered in life. He failed to be anything like normal people. His failure in love broke his mental and confidence. Before he became a painter, or let say liked painting, he was a protestant missionary in Southern Belgium. His duty was in the coal mine and there he saw the truth about suffering and the truth about his own God. Seeing human suffer he also wanted to experience the same in the name of humanity. He lost his faith and started to paint. Traveling from one place to another, Van Gogh lived in poverty. His life was spent to paint even people said that his art work was a bad art. He also suffered from psychotic and delusion. At the last time of his life, he was at the mental hospital, Auvers-sur-Oise, France. He was depressed and finally shot himself and died two days after that. After his death and the popularity of the discourse on madness, especially the knowledge of the psychotic, his painting became popular and categorized as a high art of post-impressionist painting. Unfortunately, Van Gogh never knew that the prices of his painting are now billions.

These are the 15+ examples of descriptive essays about a person. If you’re looking for descriptive essay ideas about family members, friends, or famous people (such as CEO, writers, or celebrity), then you were coming to the right place.

We hope this helps and thanks for reading!

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

One thought on “ 15+ Examples of Descriptive Essays About a Person ”

i want to describe me.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Update: Make sure to checkout the new Familiar Stranger mobile phone application: Jabberwocky

How to Write an Essay about a Person

In this tutorial you will learn how to write a biographical essay – an essay about a person.  

This method will work for writing about anyone:

• Your friend or a loved one
• A public or historical figure
• Anyone else you respect and admire.

How to Structure a Biographical Essay 

The biggest challenge in writing a biography essay is coming up with material. And the easiest way to keep your ideas flowing is to break your topic into subtopics.

Do you recall the saying, “Divide and conquer?” This military concept states that in order to conquer a nation, you must divide it first. 

We’ll use this idea in our approach to writing about a person. Remember, a person, a human being is our main subject in a biographical essay. 

And to discuss a person effectively, we must “divide” him or her. 

How would we go about dividing our subject into subtopics?

The Power of Three

The easiest way to break up any subject or any topic is to use the Power of Three. 

When you have just one subject, undivided, that’s a recipe for being stuck. Dividing into two is progress. 

But three main supporting ideas, which correspond to three main sections of your essay, are the perfect number that always works. 

Note that the three supporting points should also be reflected in your thesis statement . 

Let’s see how it would work when talking about a person.

What does any person have? What are the aspects of any human being?

Any person has emotions. 

In fact, humans are very emotional creatures. This part deals with how the person feels. 

This section or part of the essay will answer some of the following questions: 

“How emotional is this person in her decision making?”

“What emotions predominate in this person? Is this person predominantly positive or negative? Calm or passionate?”

You can discuss more than one emotion with regards to this person.

Any person has an intellect.

The intellect is the ability to think rather than feel. This is an important difference. 

Something that is very important to remember when dividing your topic into subtopics is to make sure that each subtopic is different from the others. 

Thinking is definitely different from feeling , although they are related because they are both parts of human psychology. 

This part of the essay will answer the questions:

“How smart is this person?”

“How is this person’s decision making affected by her intellect or logic?”

“What intellectual endeavors does this person pursue?”

Any person has a body, a physicality.

This sounds obvious, but this is an important aspect of any human being about whom you choose to write. 

This part of your essay answers these questions:

“What are this person’s physical attributes or qualities?”

“How do this person’s physical qualities affect her and others?”

“How do they affect her life?”

“Is this person primarily healthy or not?”

And there are many more questions you can ask about this person’s physicality or physical body. 

As a result of dividing our subject into three distinct parts, we now have a clear picture of the main structure of this essay.

Another Way to Divide a Subject – Change

Another great way to talk about a person is to discuss a change, any kind of a change. 

Change as an idea lends itself very well to the Power of Three because it involves three parts. 

Think of a person who has lost weight, for example. What are the three parts of that change?

First, it’s how much the person weighed in the past, before the change. Second, it is the agent of change, such as an exercise program. And third, it is the result; it’s how much the person weighs after the change has happened. 

This structure is applicable to any kind of a change. 

In this part of the essay, you can discuss anything that is relevant to the way things were before the change took place. It’s the “before” picture.

Some of the questions to ask are:  

“How did this person use to be in the past?”

“How did the old state of things affect her life?”

The Agent of Change

This can be anything that brought about the change. In the case of weight loss, this could be a diet or an exercise program. In the case of education, this could be college. 

Some of the question to ask are the following:

“What happened? What are the events or factors that made this person change?”

“What actually brought about the change in this person?”

Maybe the person went to college, and college life changed this person.

Maybe this person went to prison. That can change a person’s life for the better or worse. 

Maybe she underwent some interesting sort of a transformation, such as childbirth or a passing of a loved one. It could even be a car accident or some other serious health hazard. 

The Present

This is the “after” picture. In this section, you would describe the state of this person after the change has taken place. 

This part of the essay would answer the questions: 

“How is this person now?”

“What has changed?”

Note that the resulting change doesn’t have to be set in the present day. This change could have happened to a historical figure, and both the “before” and “after” would be in the past. 

And there you have it. You have three parts or three sections, based on some kind of a change. 

This is a wonderful way to discuss any person, especially if you’re writing a biography of a public or historical figure.

A Third Way to Divide a Subject – Personal Qualities

A great way to discuss a person, especially someone you know personally, is to talk about their qualities of character. 

A person can have many character qualities. And in this case, the Power of Three helps you narrow them down to three of the most prominent ones. 

Let’s pick three personal qualities of someone you might know personally.

In this section, you could simply provide examples of this person showing courage in times of trouble. 

Here, you would talk about the goals and dreams this person has and how she plans to achieve them. 

Here, just provide examples of acts of kindness performed by this person. 

Three major qualities like these are enough to paint a pretty thorough picture of a person. 

Discussing personal qualities is a great way to add content to your biographical essay. And it works in a discussion of any human being, from a friend to a distant historical figure. 

How to Write a Longer Biography Essay

At this point, you have all the building blocks to write an excellent essay about a person. 

By the way, if you struggle with essay writing in general, I wrote a detailed guide to essay writing for beginners . 

In this section, I want to show you how to use what you’ve learned to construct one of those big papers, if that’s what you need to do. 

If you have to write a basic essay of about 600-1000 words, then just use one of the simple structures above. 

However, if you need to write 2,000 – 5,000 words, or even more, then you need a deeper structure. 

To create a deeper, more complex structure of a biography essay while still keeping the process easy to follow, we’ll simply combine structures we have already learned.   

Combining Change and Human Attributes

Let’s say that you decided that your main point will be about this person’s change as a result of some event. 

Then, you will have three main sections, just like I showed you in writing about any change. 

In effect, you will be discussing:

• How this person was in the past (before the change)
• The actual change
• What happened as the result

You now have divided your essay into three parts. And now, you can use the Power of Three again to divide each main section into subsections.  

Section 1. You can talk about how this person was in the past, in terms of:

• Physicality

Section 2. When you talk about change, you can still use the Power of Three.

You can ask the question, “What were the drivers of change?”

You can be even more specific here and ask, “What were the three drivers of change?”

And then you answer that question.

For example, if this person went to college, some of the factors of change could have been:

• The pressure of having to submit work on time.

And those factors changed this person.

Section 3 . As a result of the change, how is this person now, in terms of:

Other Ways to “Divide and Conquer”

Note that there are many more aspects of any person that you can discuss.

Some of them include:

• Outer vs Inner life.
• Personal vs Professional life. 
• Abilities or Skills. 

You can pick any other aspects you can think of. And you can use the Power of Three in any of your sections or subsections to write as much or as little as you need. 

Tips on Writing a Biographical Essay

You can apply any of these techniques to writing about yourself..

When you’re writing about yourself, that’s an autobiographical essay. It is simply a piece of writing in which you reveal something about your life. 

You can take any of the ways we just used to divide a human being or her life into parts and apply them to yourself. 

This can work in a personal statement or a college admissions essay very well. 

Here’s a list of things to narrow your autobiographical essay topic:

• One significant event in your life
• A change that you decided to make
• A person you met who changed your life (or more than one person)
• The biggest lesson you’ve ever received in life
• Your goals and aspirations (talking about the future)

Structure your essay as if it is an argumentative essay.

Most of the research papers and essays you’ve written up to date have probably been expository. This means that you stated an argument and supported it using evidence.

A biographical essay is not necessarily expository. You don’t always have something to argue or prove. You could simply tell the reader a story about yourself or describe a period in your life. 

But you can and probably should still use the structures presented in this tutorial because this will make it much easier for you to organize your thoughts. 

Stay focused on your subject.  

Once you know your structure, just stick to it. For example, if you’ve chosen to talk about a person’s courage, ambition, and kindness, these three qualities will carry your essay as far as you want.

But don’t sneak in another quality here and there, because that will dilute your argument. Be especially careful not to write anything that contradicts your view of this person.

If you use contradictory information, make sure it is a counterargument, which is a great technique to add content. You can learn how to use counterarguments in this video:

Hope this helps. Now go write that biography essay!

How to Write a 300 Word Essay – Simple Tutorial

How to expand an essay – 4 tips to increase the word count, 10 solid essay writing tips to help you improve quickly, essay writing for beginners: 6-step guide with examples, 6 simple ways to improve sentence structure in your essays.

Tutor Phil is an e-learning professional who helps adult learners finish their degrees by teaching them academic writing skills.

Recent Posts

How to Write an Essay about Why You Want to Become a Nurse

If you're eager to write an essay about why you want to become a nurse, then you've arrived at the right tutorial! An essay about why you want to enter the nursing profession can help to...

How to Write an Essay about Why You Deserve a Job

If you're preparing for a job application or interview, knowing how to express why you deserve a role is essential. This tutorial will guide you in crafting an effective essay to convey this...

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde — Mr. Utterson Character Analysis in “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”

How Utterson is Presented in Jekyll and Hyde

• Categories: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

About this sample

Words: 1126 |

Published: Jul 17, 2018

Words: 1126 | Pages: 2 | 6 min read

Table of contents

Dr. jekyll and mr. hyde, utterson character analysis.

• Comitini, P. (2012). The Strange Case of Addiction in Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Victorian Review, 38(1), 113-131. (https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/133/article/546074/summary)
• Danahay, M. (2013). Dr. Jekyll's Two Bodies. Nineteenth-Century Contexts, 35(1), 23-40. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08905495.2013.770616)
• Rago, J. V. (2006). Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: A. Men’s Narrative” of Hysteria and Containment.” Robert Louis Stevenson: Writer of Boundaries. Eds. Ambrosini, Richard and Richard Dury. Madison, WI: The U of Wisconsin P, 275-85. (https://studylib.net/doc/8040192/rago--jane-v.--dr.-jekyll-and-mr.-hyde--a--men-s-narrativ…)
• Gaughan, R. T. (1987). Mr. Hyde and Mr. Seek: Utterson's Antidote. The Journal of narrative technique, 17(2), 184-197. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/30225181)
• Frank, C. O. (2010). Privacy, character, and the jurisdiction of the self: A “Story of the Door” in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. English Language Notes, 48(2), 215-224. (https://read.dukeupress.edu/english-language-notes/article-abstract/48/2/215/136024/Privacy-Character-and-the-Jurisdiction-of-the-Self)

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Dr Jacklynne

Verified writer

• Expert in: Literature

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

2 pages / 856 words

4 pages / 1725 words

7 pages / 3092 words

7 pages / 3276 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde is a novel which is arguably entirely about duality. The most obvious example is of course that of Jekyll and Hyde duality discussed in this essay, but [...]

Robert Louis Stevenson's novella, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," delves into the moral duality of human nature. The story follows the respected Dr. Jekyll and his sinister alter ego, Mr. Hyde, as they navigate [...]

With his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson presents encounters between several upstanding members of Victorian society and Mr. Hyde, a man who seems to disregard all social conventions in favor of selfishness and [...]

The novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson elaborates the ideas of the duality of human nature and the nature of good and evil. The story revolves around Dr. Jekyll and a strange character [...]

The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was written by Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson and was set in the 19th century during the Victorian-era London, where expectations are high and reputations are valued. This [...]

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn once said “The battle between good and evil runs through the heart of every man”. This problem is presented in the novel Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley and the novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

• Writing task 1
• General Reading
• Ielts reading
• IELTS cue card
• writing Task 2
• Cambridge ielts
• Ielts Reading 2023

Describe a strange person you have met cue card

Due to my talkative nature I have met many different kind of persons, some of them are generous some are extrovert and some are introvert personalities. but here I would like to talk about a person who is very different. He is my cousin brother, and I know him since my childhood. His nature is very different. Whenever I met him

Whenever i meet him he always talks about strange things such as from where we originated, is god really present or where will we go when we will die .and for a fact i would like to tell his age is only 19 .at this age he talks a person who is 50 or 60. Sometimes even i get scared listening to his talks

But on the other hand he is also a very very kind person. He Also has a very good sense of humor . Due to his serious talks no one see his funny nature. Sometimes he opens up about his life to me and believe me he has a lot of experience even at this small age . Some people gain a lot of experience at an early age he is one of those

His behaviour is also very different but not in a bad way we can say in a strange way. So all in all ,he is a very good person and i enjoy spending time with him even if sometimes i get scared listening to his talks . Moreover he always takes me out to eat whenever i vist him. So all in all this is the person i find strange .

Describe a magazine that you like cue card

You may like these posts

Post a comment.

Search your query by single word

Daily listening full hd.

latest post

Popular posts.

ielts reading practice test pdf 2023-24 with answers

50 ielts General reading practice test pdf 2023 with answers

The thylacine reading answers

• a skill you learned (2)
• Academic reading tests (4)
• Academic-Writing-task-2 (39)
• Cambridge-16 (1)
• CambridgeReading (3)
• coronavirus cue card (1)
• describe a challange (1)
• Describe a job not like (1)
• describe a uniform (1)
• General reading (3)
• gt-reading (1)
• IELTS cue card (99)
• ielts reading answer (149)
• Ieltscuecard (29)
• Listening (14)
• Listening Answers (3)
• person taught you (1)
• PREPOSITION (1)
• reading answers (9)
• speaking part 1 (2)
• speaking part 2 (8)
• visted a hill station (1)
• vocabulary (1)
• Writing task 1 (3)

Footer Menu Widget

• Privacy Policy

Copyright (c) 2022 ielts trendinggyan All Right Reserved

• Fact Of The Day
• Animals & Nature
• World Culture
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• Submit Your Content

15 People Recall the Strangest Person They’ve Ever Met

Trending Now

I think the strangest person I ever met was a guy who used to come into the taco place I worked at in high school.

His name was Gary. He was incredibly bizarre and had special instructions for how he wanted his tacos made. He also drank the hot sauce like it was Coca-Cola.

Ahhhh, memories.

AskReddit users shared similarly weird stories about the weirdest people they’ve ever met in their lives. Got any contenders for this list?

1. A rich fantasy life

“Years ago when I worked at a shipping and copying place (similar to Kinko’s) a guy would come in every so often with stacks of newspapers. He would cut up parts of different articles and tape the sections together to form his own stories, then run what he made through the copier to make it look like it was one actual article. He would then show them to me and tell me they were about him. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-10"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-11"); }); } Usually the finished article was a combination of world news about terrorism and the sports section. The overall story was that he is a CIA agent fighting terrorism and his cover was being the quarterback for the Chicago Bears.”

2. Nice and strange

“I used to work the drive through at a Del Taco that was open 24 hours a day. I had several odd experiences with a regular who came in about once a week towards the end of my employment there. Experience 1: Man comes to window and asks if our bean and cheese burrito is organic. I say “probably not but I’m not sure.” He decides that this means they absolutely must be 100% organic and orders 3 of them. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-9"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-12"); }); } Experience 2: Same man comes to window shirtless. He explains that he is only shirtless because he was sweating profusely moments earlier (at 2am) and proceeds to hold a soaking wet shirt up to the window for me to touch as proof. Experience 3. Same man comes to window, does not order anything, but tells me he is very happy that we are open 24 hours a day because “he is only awake at night.” Experience 4. Same man comes to window to tell me about a yoga studio he has been frequenting because they are open until 3am. He suggests I check it out. He does not order his usual “organic” bean and cheese burrito but rather our fish tacos because “he has decided to only eat fish.” if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-8"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-13"); }); } Very nice man. Very strange man.”

“I went to a wilderness survival school and there was this guy there named Charlie who never wore a shirt, rode this really beat-up motorcycle everywhere, and mined Bitcoin for a living. He didn’t bring a tent so he slept on a tarp on the ground for the whole week and ate canned beans even though we provided meals. He cried a lot and hugged everyone at the end of the week. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-7"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-14"); }); } Charlie was pretty cool tbh.”

4. The poet

“When I lived in Hawaii I used to meet a lot of weirdos. It’s hard to pick a winner out of all of them but I’ll go with the crazy Welsh guy for this entry. I was sitting at a bus stop reading when he approached me. “LIKE TO READ, EH?” The caps lock is appropriate here because he always spoke like he’s just barely refraining from going completely ballistic. “Uh yeah,” I said. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-10"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-11"); }); } “I HAVE A BOOK OF POEMS I’VE WRITTEN. WOULD YOU LIKE TO READ THEM?” “I guess so,” I said. He then thrust a manila folder at me, then added “THEY’RE WRITTEN BACKWARDS BECAUSE THEY’RE ABOUT WHO THE JEWS STOLE TIME.” “Uh thanks,” I said. “I HOPE YOU LIKE THEM,” he said, then walked away. According to the writing on the packet he was the co-president of the Hawaiian-Welsh Astral Society, which met weekly at a nearby park. The poems began with photocopies of a bunch of news articles he had annotated with comments I couldn’t make any sense of before getting into the poetry itself, which made no reference to Jews anywhere that I could see but were dated in reverse chronology, which I guess is what he meant by them being written backwards. They were not very good poems.” if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-9"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-12"); }); }

5. Shouting and touching

“George. The first day I met him, he was rubbing his tummy. Under the shirt. It was weird, but not scary. I didn’t think he was trying to be weird, just that he wanted to rub his tummy and this was the time to do it, mere coincidence that we were speaking. One time he was shouting in his office, “SHUT UP SLAVE, SHUT UP SLAVE” over and over. We couldn’t tell what he was saying at first, but he left quickly towards the elevators and still shouting in the lobby. He would try to touch your elbow with his instead of a high five or anything. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-8"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-13"); }); } He’d have random outbursts, similar to the “shut up slave”, but more contained. Like, he’d know his reaction was uncalled for, however he wasn’t able to control what he was saying. As I got to know him more, I could tell that he was working on it and trying to get himself under control, however I don’t know if he’s ever been diagnosed with anything.”

6. I can’t take this anymore

“I called him John the liar…he was a coworker of mine in college at a sporting goods store. He lied about everything not just embellishing stories or adding a few extra details… just straight up lies. He would lie about what he ate for lunch even though I saw him eat it. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-7"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-14"); }); } He told our manager that his dad was a 6’5 marine who helped take down Osama Bin Laden and then an hour later he told me his dad was a quadriplegic and had been for 30 years. Then he told me he got an override from the administration to take 24 credits one semester as a biology major…then I found out he was still in high school. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-10"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-11"); }); } It was absolutely psychotic, I finally had to confront him about it when he started telling customers the completely wrong specs on all the guns we carried. He just lied some more and said that I was wrong or that I misunderstood him. Eventually I had to ask my supervisor to schedule me on a different shift because I couldn’t take it anymore.”

7. Bookstore psycho

“I managed a bookstore for a long time and you run into your share of weirdos, there. I could tell a million stories. One of the weirdest was this lady who came in a few times who would get dozens of books, browse through them, ask us to hold them, and then never ask to see them again or buy them, so we began just reshelving stuff immediately. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-9"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-12"); }); } One day she came in and took over this one sitting area. She had probably close to a hundred books piled on the coffee table and the floor, and the other customers sitting there were clearly starting to get annoyed. I went over with a library cart and offered to take some of the books to the front of the store to hold onto them while she “shopped”. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-8"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-13"); }); } She said no. I said at the very least I needed to put the books on the cart because it was hazardous to have piles of books in the aisle, but when I knelt to pick them up, she grabbed my hands and slammed them on the table, pinning my wrists down, and legit snarled at me. I managed to stay calm and told her to get her hands off of me, and told one of my co-managers who was nearby to call the police. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-7"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-14"); }); } When the police came, they asked me if I wanted to press charges for assault, but I said no: I just wanted her trespassed from the property. He wrote out a trespass order and she pulled a folder out where she had a stack of trespass orders from various local businesses and filed it alphabetically – I guess she got banned from so many places, she found it hard to keep track. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-10"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-11"); }); } The police ended up having to stay for a while because she kept circling her car through the parking lot and screaming obscenities at me. I don’t remember everything she said, but I do know at one point she said “F*CK YOU. YOU’RE NOT THE REAL PRINCESS DIANA. I KNEW THE REAL PRINCESS DIANA AND YOU AREN’T HER, MOTHERF*CKER!” It took us over an hour to reshelve all her goddamn books. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-9"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-12"); }); } I looked up her name online later when I got home. Turned out she was a prominent real estate agent the next city over. I cannot imagine showing up to an open house held by that lunatic.”

8. No kidding

“The cemetery groundskeeper in our hometown. He did a very good job (the grounds were immaculate and perfectly landscaped), but he’d hover over people when they’d visited a grave – as if he didn’t want anyone in his cemetery. People wondered why he’d have his lunch inside the mausoleum on the grounds on sunny days instead of being outdoors. He’d say, “I prefer being with the dead than with the living.” if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-8"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-13"); }); }

9. Not a fan of Dan

“I’ll call him Dan. Dan was my roommate in a military school. Military school is already full of weirdos but Dan… Dan owns it. Here’s a slight list of the atrocities I had with my man, Dan; Dan kept a dead bird he found outside in his desk. He wanted to get its bones and sell it to a museum. Dan was filling up a half gallon bottle with dip spit. He plan was to one day use the collected amount and “repackage” it into empty dip cans to sell to people. I almost threw up twice remembering this. One day, he didn’t tighten the lid and it spilled into his footlocker. Three times almost threw up. In six months of knowing Dan, I saw him shower three times. He was quite stinky fellow. I was his roommate. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-7"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-14"); }); } He thought he was a vampire. I asked him why. He said he didn’t like sunlight. I explained that he never went into the sun so that’s why it bothered him. He said his mom had to file his fangs when he was born. I explained to him newborns do not have teeth usually. He told me he drank blood and liked it. I asked if it was his. He said no. I asked who the f*ck gave him blood. He said he was sworn to secrecy. I said the name of another weirdo at the school because I just f*cking knew it. He was basically like “lol, that’s him.” if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-10"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-11"); }); } We had these giant bed cover things we called bed condoms. It was a large cloth like bag that you put over a twin mattress in our barracks bunk beds. Nobody used them because it made it harder to make your bed for inspections. Reason I bring this up? Dan never did his laundry. We had pickup service. Literally you just leave a bag of clothes out your door someone picks it up and folds it. Dan never did his laundry. Dan’s laundry was too much for his laundry bag. Dan starting using his bed condom. Dan filled his bed condom. One day, I threaten to beat his ass if he didn’t get his laundry done. I woke up him up in the morning prior to the pickup and went to go shower. As I was leaving, I witnessed him pouring his dirty ass laundry onto his bed. I went to shower. When I came back, Dan was cocooned in a massive pile of dirty laundry on his bed that he was sleeping naked in. He did not emerge from his sacred slumber as a beautiful butterfly. He was still Dan. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-9"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-12"); }); } Dan would masturbate at my computer at night when he thought I was asleep to weird anime flash games. I only caught him once and changed my PW. Who knows how many times he stroked that vienna sausage till his eyes rolled back. One time, my buddy and I went out. We came back to watch a movie and Dan had like three beers or whatever so was laying in his bed. There was a beer bottle on my desk in which my buddy asked if it was mine and I said no. He said it was almost empty so he was going to spit in it as he put a dip in. After about 15 minutes, he said he didn’t want to spit in it anymore because it was warm. I said something about it was on top of my computer hard drive so maybe the computer warmed it up. Buddy left for a minute. Dan proceeds to tell me that the bottle is warm because he peed in it. He left it it on my desk. I beat up Dan. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-8"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-13"); }); } Dan left boogers under my desk. Dan was morbidly obese and disgusting. Somehow Dan’s mom was fine. Shockingly attractive. Dan bought a Russian trench coat and a gas mask.He would sometimes sleep in them. Dan snored loudly. People were not fond of Dan. One night he was sprayed with the fire extinguisher while watching stuff on his computer… and hallucinating on Robitussin. He fell down and busted his head. Dan got written up because the sow that he drank blood from and Dan were caught repeatedly playing around the dumpster by the cadet chain of command. We do not know why they liked the dumpster. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-7"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-14"); }); } One time I walked into the room and there was a strange gold tint to it. I had been gone all weekend and was confused. I walked into my room and was like basically what the f*ck. I looked over and I see Dan and blood donation idiot smiling at me with gold paint on their mouths. I noticed the spray paint can on the desk. I left the room. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-10"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-11"); }); } Ever heard of pouring Listerine through slice of bread will filter the alcohol out so you can drink it? Dan heard this rumor too. Dan got sick that day after growing frustrated and eating the slice of bread. Ever heard that if you leave oranges out, the mold can make you hallucinate? Me neither. Dan did! He grew frustrated and ate the orange. Dan was sick again. I am forgetting things about Dan. I know it. I may add if I remember some other ones. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-9"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-12"); }); } I was not fond of Dan.”

10. I say…

“An old lady that used to live in my town who was usually just known as the “I say!” lady. She was usually seen accompanied by a large dog. She was called that because she started all conversations with adults with “I say….”. She was an absolute terror to children. If a child came within a few feet she would berate them for being near and say the dog would attack them (the dog seemed more terrified of her and I never heard of it attacking anyone). We kids all knew to just leave her alone. With adults, she was a totally different person and would be extremely friendly. Adults knew to avoid her too because she would talk to them for hours if you let them and literally chase after you if you tried to leave.” if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-8"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-13"); }); }

11. Waving Dave

“In my small home town, there was this guy called Waving Dave. Waving Dave would walk the 15 mile stretch between the 3 towns we had in the area on the highway and wave at all of the cars. Back in the 1970’s, WD’s parents died and he inherited tons of money. Not knowing how to be responsible with said money, he went and boiled his brain on drugs. He was left in a permanent state of bliss and because he couldn’t keep a job, he spent his days walking and waving.” if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-7"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-14"); }); }

12. Marigold

“In Norwich, England. In the 1980s a black dude used to wear bright yellow rubber gloves and stand by the road waving and directing traffic. Everyone knew him as Marigold because it was a popular brand of yellow gardening gloves. Rumour had it that he found his wife in bed with another man and the other guy struck him in the top of the head with an axe. He was lucky to survive and suffered brain damage. Which lead him to either think he was a traffic warden or just enjoy directing traffic. He died in the early 1990s.” if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-10"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-11"); }); }

13. Old friend

“An old classmate who I met after 20 years. We talked for 1 hour and exchanged numbers. The next day he called me and yelled at me. He accused me of calling his sister in the night to frighten her. I was like: “Dude I don’t even have her number! How and why should I call her?” I convinced him that it wasn’t me and told him to delete my number.” if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-9"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-12"); }); }

14. Smuggler

“I was flying out of South Africa one evening and sat next to this big older fellow from Europe. We proceeded to drink together and trade some stories. He began his story with his work as a tour guide in the region. Didn’t think much of it until he specified it was specifically for European tourists. Thinking that that comment was a bit odd, I asked why and he told me that he did this work during apartheid in South Africa, and these were the only tourists that would be allowed in. Out of nowhere he drops the bombshell that he did this guided driving tour strictly as a means to smuggle weapons into South Africa to arm the ANC in their fight against the apartheid regime. He didn’t really care much about giving tours, but it was kind of his side gig apart from the smuggling. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-8"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-13"); }); } He proudly defined himself as an ethical weapons smuggler. The drunker he got the more interesting anecdotes he’d provide. So yeah, I met a South African weapons smuggler on a plane.”

“It has to be Miguel. Miguel was from Quebec and I met him in Portugal while studying same film classes. He was super friendly in a weird way, like not understanding social rules and being way too expressive at times. He picked up the language very quickly and he also spoke English, Spanish and a bit of Russian. He was mostly stoned during the years I was friends with him. if (Theme.Settings.isDesktop) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-7"); }); } if (Theme.Settings.isMobile && !display_mm) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1506042951058-14"); }); } He had the craziest ideas for making movies but he always did a lousy job. Once he decided to build a giant lobster.. just because. I never understood his mind.. plus he was always begging for money. I met him a few years later in different cities and he was the same. Clearly out of this world..”

Share This Article

Sign-up and get smart.

Our skimmable newsletter is delivered to your inbox each week, giving you 5 things you need to read and get smarter.