In the narrative, author Nailiah Lamont, a freshman student at City College of New York and current dancer, asserts that hard work is essential to feel accomplished and suggests that not winning doesn’t equal a total loss. She backs up this claim by doing the following: first, she describes the problem of how her dance team wasn’t focused on the competition; next she describes their struggle to come together as a group and work hard, last, she resolves the problem by concluding that even though her team lost, she was still grateful for the experience knowing that she and her team gave their all. Throughout her narrative, Lamont represents rhetorical strategies that enhance her writing, and story development and intrigue her audience. This analysis will assess Nailiah Lamont’s narrative by applying purpose, tone, audience, and setting to the contents to gain a better understanding of how these tools are used.

Purpose, defined as the reason for writing the narrative, is identified by the author as writing in hopes of teaching others that hard work does pay off and helps you learn along the way to drive more people into the dance community.  The purpose of her story aligns with her morals as Lamont believes that pushing forward is the most important thing when it comes to any situation. This is clear in the narrative as she explains the constant struggle of trying to get the dance team on track and focused at the beginning of the narrative, but later being able to come together as a team and learn and perfect the choreography in time for the competition. Nailiah Lamont, being a dancer herself, wrote about dancing and stated “I am a dancer and dancing is my escape from reality and all the problems that the world brings. I want to take it to the next level”. She calls out to people who are interested in dancing to try it out.” Just go for it! Even if you’re bad at it. It just takes a lot of patience and confidence”, she states. Because of dance, she believes she developed more social skills and confidence both on stage and in her personal life. When asked about the themes and messages that she wants the audience to take away, she proceeds to say “A message someone can get from reading my narrative is to never give up on your dreams, keep pushing forward no matter what happens, and to stay strong”.

Following purpose, the author also implements the use of tone, which refers to the author’s attitude. Throughout the narrative, Lamont expresses her thoughts of not only herself but of the team. Her narrative, although in first person, isn’t the typical first person that simply uses “I” or “me” the majority of the time. Rather, she emphasizes the words “we” or “us” which is very important considering in this case, dancing is a group activity. Because of her tone, it seems as if she writes for those interested in the dance lifestyle and considering the conflict within the story, for those struggling to achieve their goals. Her narrative may seem more directed to dancers, or those in fields of performance art, but she believes her audience, defined as who the narrative is intended for, is widespread, in both careers and ages. Nailiah Lamont, in her powerful and descriptive narrative, wants her audience to be confident and passionate in her career, similar to herself.

Finally, the author incorporates the setting in her narrative, which is the place and time in which the story takes place. The setting of this story is identified as a dance competition. Although this occurred around 4-5 years ago, Lamont recalls this competition as a turning point in her dancing career. This competition impacted her to be the strong dancer and woman she is today. The significance of the competition is essential to the story’s development as it portrays an intense and emotional event that many people might not be able to experience. “A lot of people don’t know how it feels to compete or at least how to recall their feelings when under pressure,” states Lamont. 

Through the application of purpose, tone, audience, and setting in the narrative, Nailiah Lamont provides a captivating and effective message. Overall, incorporating all these elements into the narrative invites readers to build an intellectual and emotional connection with the narrative.