Nonfiction Examples

There are two main categories of prose writing-fiction and nonfiction. Fiction is writing that is not true-it is made up. Fairy tales and novels are examples of fiction.

Nonfiction is all prose writing that is not "made up" or imaginary is nonfiction (not fiction). There are many different genres of nonfiction writing. Here are a few of the more common genres.

Nonfiction Genres

Writers of nonfiction write for a variety of purposes. They write to give information, to explain, or to express an opinion or argument. The purpose of nonfiction goes beyond entertainment, which is often the purpose for fiction.

Excerpts from Nonfiction

Twelve Years a Slave is the memoir of Solomon Northup. Northup was a citizen of New York who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. and who spent 12 years as a slave on a plantation in Louisiana. His memoir gives details about his experiences being sold into slavery and working as a slave on a plantation. He outlines the purpose for his memoir in the first few paragraphs:

Since my return to liberty, I have not failed to perceive the increasing interest throughout the Northern States, in regard to the subject of Slavery. Works of fiction, professing to portray its features in their more pleasing as well as more repugnant aspects, have been circulated to an extent unprecedented, and, as I understand, have created a fruitful topic of comment and discussion.

I can speak of Slavery only so far as it came under my own observation-only so far as I have known and experienced it in my own person. My object is, to give a candid and truthful statement of facts: to repeat the story of my life, without exaggeration, leaving it for others to determine, whether even the pages of ficceive the increasing interest throughout the Northern States, in regard to the subject of Slavery. Works of fiction, professing to portray its features in their more pleasing as well as more repugnant aspects, have been circulated to an extent unprecedented, and, as I understand, have created a fruitful topic of comment and discussion.

I can speak of Slavery only so far as it came under my own observation-only so far as I have known and experienced it in my own person. My object is, to give a candid and truthful statement of facts: to repeat the story of my life, without exaggeration, leaving it for others to determine, whether even the pages of fiction present a picture of more cruel wrong or a severer bondage.

This excerpt is from John F. Kennedy's speech at Rice University in which he declares that the United States will go to the moon. His purpose was to outline the plan and build momentum and motivation for the space race:

There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?

We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.