Narrate an experience you have had or heard about which illustrates the saying: 'Honesty is the best policy'

Answer Details

How to approach this question: This is a narrative composition built around a proverb. It must tell a single, well-organized story with a beginning, a rising conflict and a resolution, and the events must clearly prove that honesty pays. Below is a model narrative.

HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY

It was a busy Saturday morning at Oja-Oba market, and I had been sent by my mother to buy foodstuff for the week. The crowd was thick, the traders were shouting their prices, and I clutched the money in my palm as I moved from stall to stall. Little did I know that the day held a lesson I would never forget.

As I turned into the poultry section, my foot struck something soft. Looking down, I saw a fat brown wallet lying half-hidden in the mud. My heart skipped. I picked it up quickly and stepped aside to examine it. Inside was a thick bundle of naira notes, far more money than I had ever held in my life, together with an identity card bearing the name and picture of a middle-aged man.

For a moment, a voice whispered in my mind that no one had seen me and that the money could solve many of my family's problems. But another voice, the voice of my conscience and of my parents' training, reminded me that the money was not mine. I remembered my father's favourite saying: honesty is the best policy. I made up my mind at once to find the owner.

I took the wallet to the market association's office and reported my find. Barely an hour later, a worried man rushed in, describing the wallet and its contents exactly. It was the very man on the identity card. When his wallet was handed to him, tears of relief filled his eyes. He explained that the money was meant for his daughter's school fees and a hospital bill, and that he had been searching everywhere in despair.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, he insisted on giving me a generous reward, and he took my address so that he could thank my parents. A week later, he visited our home and, impressed by my honesty, offered to sponsor my education till the end of secondary school.

That single act of honesty changed my life. It brought me a benefactor, honour for my family and a peace of mind that no stolen wealth could ever buy. From that day, I understood, beyond any doubt, that honesty is truly the best policy.