You might think of a reflective essay as a much shorter version of an autobiographical novel. These types of essays are meant to focus on one memorable incident or person in the writer's life and help readers understand why it was so important.
Throughout this module, you have written journal entries about memorable events in your life and then reflected on the meaning of those events. In the last two lessons of the module, you used your journal entries to create a rough draft of a reflective essay. Use these questions to review what you learned about writing reflective essays.
Besides sharing an important event in your life, what else should a reflective essay include?
What are some organizational structures that can be used in reflective essays?
What kinds of details can be added to reflective essays to bring events to life and to add meaning to the narrative?
What is the best way to choose a focus for a reflective essay?
At what point in a reflective essay should a writer include his or her reflections?
Why is context, or background, important in a reflective essay?
details that show what the event meant or means to you |
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chronological, compare/contrast, cause and effect, and problem-solution |
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sensory details that appeal to the five senses; figurative language such as metaphors, similes, hyperbole, and analogies; examples, descriptions, and direct and indirect statements of themes |
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Consider a past episode of your life that is meaningful to you. |
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Writers can include reflections at the beginning of the essay and again at the end, they can include them throughout the essay, or they can only include them only at the very end. |
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Providing background details about your story will help your audience understand what happened and why the story is meaningful to you. |
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