Premium Essay

Reflective Essay-Personal Narrative

Submitted By
Words 429
Pages 2
Writing has continuously been a challenge for me. When I was in elementary school, I was assigned to a writing specialist because I had immense difficulty spelling. Although, my reading retention was very good, which made me somewhat of a mystery for the teachers. As I progressed, I mastered spelling— for the most part. My spelling got exceptionally good when I was given a computer because then, whatever word I had in my head, the computer knew how to spell it; we became the best of friends. In early high school, I was confident in my writing, but I knew I had not mastered it: My main struggle with writing was sentence fragments. Essentially, the content was there but the grammatical structure wasn’t. Despite these struggles, I made it into the Advanced English class sophomore year, Advanced Placement Language junior year, and Advanced Placement Literature my senior year. Going into senior year, I had made impressive grades and had a few of my pieces published in school newspapers. Needless to say, I was feeling confident as ever. Unfortunately, I wrote my first literary analysis paper and I got a C. I was shocked at first, mostly because I had never gotten a C on anything in my entire life—except almost in phys ed one time, which my mother never lets me forget. Anyways, at that point I was, to say the least, pissed. The next class, I met with Mr. …show more content…
So, I typed my little fingers off and picked up a few grammatical textbooks along the way. Every essay my grades got a little better, maybe he was going easy on me but I’ll never know. Concluding the year, I had to do my senior research paper, which I chose the topic of “The Brain in Love.” Precisely 15 pages later, I passed in my paper and earned an A. I honestly don’t know who was more surprised, him or me—or my mom. Regardless, I proved that I was capable of producing great pieces of

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Essays

...Personal Essay Assignment Write a personal essay on a topic or experience of your choice (either narrative or reflective.) Review the handout on personal essays and the examples we studied. Remember: ➢ a narrative essay deals with an experience of some importance to you. You must convey not just the play-by-play of events, but the meaning of tose events. What did you learn from the experience? What might others learn? Choose the details that will support this perspective. ➢ a reflective essay deals with a topic/issue of importance to you. Your aim is to present the reader with a glimpse inside your mind as you consider that subject. ❖ The difference: narrative essays tell “what happened” to the writer; reflective essays tell what the writer thinks/feels about a subject Take note: 1. Use the English Essentials for both assignment formatting and essay guidelines (note: because this is a personal essay you may use personal pronouns (I, we) and some contractions (I’m, don’t) if it is appropriate. 2. You are not bound by the “five paragraph essay” format. Use new paragraphs as you see fit. Requirements: 1. Writing Variables 2. Outline 3. Rough draft (with evidence of peer editing and revision) 4. Final typed copy Suggested length: 2 – 3 pages (typed, double-spaced) Due date: PERSONAL ESSAY OUTLINE 1. Topic or experience: 2. Main point about topic or experience (implied...

Words: 322 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Compare and Contrast: the Advantage of Narratives over Descriptive

...and Judy Brady’s “I want a wife”, both authors write on personal encounters they experienced. The author chooses two different methods of writing styles. E.B. White utilizes a nostalgic reflective descriptive piece, whereas Brady uses a more sarcastic narrative. Arguably both writers do a great job in their story telling skills. Both stories are respected and pleasing, yet similar but different at the same time. The authors’ choice of writing style is what gives one story more of an advantage to the other. Though descriptive and narrative essay have identical intent – to tell the reader a story- narratives are more effective in capturing the audience because the uses of different voices, they bring ideas into perspective and they are relatable. There are special components that both style of writing possesses. Narrative writing usually does not stress adjectives to give the physical details of characters, setting or events in the story. Nothing like descriptive writing, narrative writings are written in the first person in order to convey the author's attitudes, beliefs and memories. Narratives are conventional, while descriptive writings content often emphases on a single event, object or place. Occasionally, writers utilize narrative writing style to tell about the past or the future in broad terms. A narrative often reflects personal experience, clarifying what happened during some sort of incident. Narrative essay topics include recounting an experience where the learned...

Words: 1576 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Literature & Essay

...non-fiction—and two major techniques—poetry and prose. Literature may consist of texts based on factual information (journalistic or non-fiction), as well as on original imagination, such as polemical works as well as autobiography, and reflective essays as well as belles-lettres. Literature can be classified according to historical periods, genres, and political influences. The concept of genre, which earlier was limited, has broadened over the centuries. A genre consists of artistic works which fall within a certain central theme, and examples of genre include romance, mystery, crime, fantasy, erotica, and adventure, among others. Important historical periods in English literature include Old English, Middle English, theRenaissance, the 17th Century Shakespearean and Elizabethan times, the 18th CenturyRestoration, 19th Century Victorian, and 20th Century Modernism. Important political movements that have influenced literature include feminism, post-colonialism, psychoanalysis, post-structuralism, post-modernism, romanticism, and Marxism. ------------------------------------------------- Essays An essay consists of a discussion of a topic from an author's personal point of view, exemplified by works by Michel de Montaigne or byCharles Lamb. "Essay" in English derives from the French word for "to attempt," essayer.[citation needed] Thus, one can find open-ended,...

Words: 458 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

How-to-Write-a-Critical-Literary-Analysis-Essay

...Write a Critical Literary Analysis Essay When writing a literary analysis essay, your main objective is not to write a simple summary. Rather, your goal is to write an essay that discusses your interpretation and critique of the literature. There are a few general guidelines you should keep in mind when writing a literary analysis essay. Remember, there often is no right or wrong answer – what really matters is proving your thesis with evidence! One tip you should keep in mind while writing a literary analysis essay is that you should always write in the present tense and never in the past tense. For example, you might write “In George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm,’ the animals take over the farm and develop their own independent society” rather than “In George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm,’ the animals took over the farm and developed their own independent society.” Another tip is you should also avoid putting yourself into the literary analysis. This means you should write in the third person and never use the words “I” or “you.” There may be exceptions to this rule, however, depending upon your instructor. In fact, some will request a more informal literary analysis that will include the usage of these words. When in doubt, however, it is safer to use the third person. Since literary analysis essays are not meant to simply be a book review or summary of the book, you should not retell the story in your essay. Rather, you need to form a thesis about the piece of literature and then...

Words: 805 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Social Work Theory Essay

...Social work Theory Essay Introduction This essay will explain how Social work is about dealing with various problems within society and how Social work theories provide a framework which enable Social work practice find an effective solution to the issue at hand. It will explain how Social work theory draws on linking those theories and putting it into practice and that the relationship between the two aspects are imperative. The interrelationships between Theory and Practice. Social work is about dealing with society and the issues they have in their daily life. Society is complex and therefore having theories to work with can empower the Social worker as much as a client. The theories shape the course of action taken or the practice. Theories are described in Payne (2014) as generalized ideas that can describe our knowledge of situations and the world in which we live in an organised manner (p.3). Specifically in relation to social work theory, Payne (p.5) simply states it helps us do or understand social work. Nash, Munford & O’Donoghue describe how theory informs practice which in turn informs theory in action and describes it as a ‘map’ (p.15). Without being able to understand Social work, let alone do it in practice you would not assist the client and therefore is a key piece within the jigsaw of Social work. According to Payne (p.9) there are four different ways to approach theory; Perspectives which allows you to look at situations from different points...

Words: 1802 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Yep This Is It

...We write: Essays Research Papers Coursework Thesis Dissertations Term Papers UK Essays # Count of pages: Number of words: Choose your academic level: Term: Discount Code (optional): Discount: 0% Price: $0 Official PayPal Seal website security Types of Essays A big problem that most students and new essay writers run into is “How to write an essay.” usually roughly all essays follow a common structure of writing which comprises of an introduction, the body, and the conclusion. Once the writers are lucid about the technique of writing an essay and how to write an essay outline, the next step that they face up to is how to move toward a particular research paper topic. And what type of writing works best? Students often complain about a certain type of essay they have been assigned with. It seems to them that writing within essay type boundaries doesn’t allow them to think out the box, limits their potential. But writing a paper without any directions could be even more confusing than the class assignment you got. Do not think about the limitations as of the prison walls, but as of the walls in your room where you feel free to paint murals or change nothing whatsoever, simply being in control of it, being yourself. Tweet Quick Navigation through the Types of Essays Page Basic Types: Narrative, Descriptive and Persuasive How Can We Help Personal Essays Argumentation Essays Information Essays Analysis Essays ...

Words: 2955 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Professional Journal in Nursing

...appropriate conclusions supported by the data. The concept of profesional journal as a means of developing reflective practice has become a popular topic in classrooms, professional journals, conferences, and continuing education programs (Boud & Walker, 1998). Many other names for profesional journal appear in nursing literature, including log, journaling, narrative pedagogy, dialogue journals, reflective practice, and reflective writing. Whatever people says, reflective profesional journal requires writing, a great deal of it. However, journals are an integral part of the teaching/learning in many nursing programs as well as in allied health programs and education in general. The purpose of this essay is to review the literature related to profesional journal and reflective practice and how it can be beneficial in the teaching/learning process. Reflective practice is a means of self-examination that involves looking back over what has happened in practice in an effort to improve performance or to encourage professional growth (Ruth-Sahd, 2003). Profesional journal is a method that is frequently used in nursing education as an active learning technique to enhance reflective practice. Why is reflective practice so important? The literature cites numerous reasons for utilizing profesional journal/reflective practice in the academic setting. According to Pinkstaff (1985), students find that ideas become clearer...

Words: 3686 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Living with Strangers

...happiness? In the essay “Living With Strangers” by Siri Hustvedt, we hear about a woman's move from the countryside of Minnesota, to the Big Apple in New York City. Her move is described with many comparisons with her previous life and experiences, and a lot of humor, which underlines her situation and her attitude to urban life. In the following essay I am going to analyze and comment on Siri Hustvedt’s essay “Living With Strangers”. Part of my essay will focus on the genre, the attitude to urban living and the contrasts between Siri’s life in Minnesota and her new life in New York City. As said, the essay is based on Siri Hustvedt’s own life and experiences. Siri Hustvedt grew up in Minnesota, where everybody knows and greets each other. Now she lives in New York City where nobody seems to care about each other, and where greeting strangers would be “impractical and unsound”. This is a big change for her, and she uses an overwhelming amount of detailed descriptions to describe her situation in the Big Apple. She uses many personal experiences and examples, which characterizes the essay genre. Furthermore, she is very reflective, descriptive, subjective and very personal in her way of writing the essay. “It didn’t take long for me to absorb the unwritten code of survival in this town (..). This simple law, one nearly every New Yorker subscribes to whenever possible, is: PRETEND IT ISN’T HAPPENING”. This quote shows her stream of consciousness and her personal way of writing...

Words: 1138 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Crossing - Essay

...Essay- Crossing The short story ”Crossing” by Mark Slouka, written in 2009 is about a father and his son who is on a trip. The title of the short story is "Crossing" And this title is up to what the story is about. My interpretation of this story is that the message is to rebuild trust in relationships can be difficult. The main character tries so hard to rebuild his relationship with his son by making him trust him when the cross the river. Because it could happen that he slips on the rocks in the river, so actually the son let his life depends on a trust to his father. The main character is a man who has a young son and he were married once. The text does not tell us directly that he is divorced but there are things that leads up to the fact that he was for example, it says on page 1 line 15 “For a long time he hadn't wanted her back”. This tells us that he is separated from a woman but not that they are divorced. Another example could be when he looks at the yard page 1 line 14 “the azaleas he'd planted” This tells us that he once had lived there and planted an azaleas. Based on these facts about the man I would guess that he is around his thirties. The main character has hope for getting his son’s trust back and therefore he arranges a trip to an old barn across the river. The main character is the one who has destroyed the relationship with his wife because on page 4 line 135 is says, “My God, All his other fuckups were just preparations for this.” The main character has...

Words: 938 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Essay Formats

...Essays are generally scholarly pieces of writing written from an author's personal point of view, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of an article, a pamphlet and a short story. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. Almost all modern essays are written in prose, but works in verse have been dubbed essays (e.g. Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism and An Essay on Man). While brevity usually defines an essay, voluminous works like John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Thomas Malthus's An Essay on the Principle of Population are counterexamples. In some countries (e.g., the United States and Canada), essays have become a major part of formal education. Secondary students are taught structured essay formats to improve their writing skills, and admission essays are often used by universities in selecting applicants and, in the humanities and social sciences, as a way of assessing the performance of students during final exams. The concept of an "essay" has been extended to other mediums beyond writing. A film essay is a movie that often incorporates documentary film making styles and which focuses more on the evolution of a theme or an idea. A photographic essay is an attempt to cover a topic with a linked series of photographs; it may or may not have an accompanying text or captions. Contents...

Words: 1269 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Children of the Holocaust

...For other uses, see Essay (disambiguation). Essays of Michel de Montaigne Essays are generally short pieces of writing written from an author's personal point of view, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of an article, a pamphlet and a short story. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. Almost all modern essays are written in prose, but works in verse have been dubbed essays (e.g. Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism and An Essay on Man). While brevity usually defines an essay, voluminous works like John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Thomas Malthus's An Essay on the Principle of Population are counterexamples. In some countries (e.g., the United States and Canada), essays have become a major part of formal education. Secondary students are taught structured essay formats to improve their writing skills, and admission essays are often used by universities in selecting applicants and, in the humanities and social sciences, as a way of assessing the performance of students during final exams. The concept of an "essay" has been extended to other mediums beyond writing. A film essay is a movie that often incorporates documentary film making styles and which focuses more on the evolution of a theme or an idea. A photographic essay is an attempt to cover a topic with a linked series of photographs;...

Words: 1245 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Premed Essay

...SUGGESTED TOPICS * Why do you want to be a physician (or dentist, or veterinarian)? What experiences have motivated and reinforced your desire to pursue this profession?  Something to think about – but not necessarily state – is what can medicine offer that other professions do not. For instance, you can help people by being a teacher or social worker.  What draws you specifically to medicine? * What experiences have allowed you to develop the skills necessary to be successful in medical school and to become an effective physician? * What have you learned about medicine and what do you want to learn more about? * What individuals have shaped your life and influenced you to pursue medicine? * What will you contribute to the medical school community? * What do you want admissions committees to know about you that is not addressed elsewhere in your application? QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF ABOUT YOUR CHOICE OF TOPIC * Why is it important for me to tell admissions committees about this topic as it relates to me? * What does this topic choice tell admissions committees about me?; How does my choice of this topic reflect on me? * How is this topic relevant to my pursuit of the health professions and to my application to health professions school? QUALITIES TO PORTRAY Maturity                         Compassion and empathy Reflectiveness               Genuineness and sincerity Honesty and integrity     Leadership Clarity of thought           Insightfulness ...

Words: 755 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Good Essay

...acronyms, how to do a close reading, literary elements and rhetorical devices. Students also review the SOAPSTONE (subject, occasion, audience, purpose, speaker, tone, organization, narrative style and evidence) strategy for use in analyzing prose and visual texts along with three of the five cannons of rhetoric: invention, arrangement and style. ▪ Students learn the format of the AP test, essay rubric and essay structure. ▪ Students take a full-length AP test for comparison purposes in the spring. Reading: The Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne Writing: Answer the following question in one paragraph. Use quotes from the novel as evidence. Some readers believe that the elaborate decoration that Hester embroiders on the scarlet letter indicates her rejection of the community’s view of her act. Do you agree or disagree? Explain your position using evidence from the text. (test grade) Writing: Write a well-developed essay addressing the following prompt. Document all sources using MLA citation. Compare Hester to a modern day person who has been shunned. Provide at least two research sources for the other person. (project grade) Reading: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” Jonathan Edwards Analyzing: SOAPSTONE and cannons of rhetoric Reading: Teacher Introduction Essay Writing: Students and teacher evaluate where each student’s writing is and where it needs to be by analyzing students’ introductory...

Words: 3064 - Pages: 13

Free Essay

Summarize Joining the Conversation

... * Writer is OBSERVER * Kinds of documents: Memoir, photo essays, short stories, literacy narratives, reflective essays * HOW TO WRITE: * Find a conversation and Listen in: Explore ur experience -> Ask questions abt promising subjects -> Conduct an observation * Reflect on Your Subject: Examine ur subject ( explore processes, consider implications, examine similarities and differences, trace causes and effects, consider value, identify challenges and difficulties, reflect on ur experience ) -> Collect detail ( compare ur subject with something else, discuss ur ideas) -> Find significance * Prepare a draft: Convey your main idea (P137)-> Tell a story ( Setting, character, plot, conflict, climax, resolution, point of view) -> Go into detail -> Choose your point of view (third-person pronouns or first-person pronouns) -> Consider genre and design (readable font, double –spacing, using illustrations) -> Frame your reflections (Organization, Introduction and Conclusion) * Review and Improve ur draft: Ensure that ur main idea is clear -> Examine the presentation of ur observations -> Review dialogue -> Show, don’t tell. CHAPTER 6 – Writing to inform * Writer is REPORTER. * Kinds of documents: Brochures, Websites, Articles, Profiles, Informative essays. * HOW TO WRITE: * Find a conversation and Listen in: Explore ur interests (Personal interests and hobbies, Academics, Work, Reading) -> Use ur library...

Words: 982 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Yohuru Williams Reflection

...Williams discussed that writing is a reflective process and that your wounds produce an effective narrative. I also learned that, “the core of writing is communication”. For example, Dr. Williams is very passionate about civil rights and justice and communicated his thoughts through books and the Huffington Post to touch people. He further discussed how important social media is as a form of sharing and writing one’s opinions and thoughts about anything you care about, “Be a part of the conversation”. Dr. Yahuru asked us to write five things that we care about and then elaborate on one of the topics. I wrote a paragraph about the crisis in Syria because...

Words: 1008 - Pages: 5