1. Reflective Essay

2. ◦The sight of a kite sailing overhead recalls the neighbor who explained to you the principles of aerodynamics when she found out that you wanted to be a pilot. She made you feel your dreams were important. ◦Today you play forward for your high school ice hockey team, but once upon a time you could not even stand up on ice skates. You remember the uncle who spent hours teaching you to ice skate at the nearby rink. All of us have been affected by the words/actions of others—people who taught us something valuable about life or about ourselves. REFLECT FOR A MOMENT. Who are the people who have had an effect on your life?

3. ◦To REFLECT means to contemplate. It also means to mirror, or give back, and image. ◦A Reflective Essay does both. ◦You contemplate about the person and then give an image on him/her to readers. ◦WHY? Reading and writing such essays can help us in two ways: ◦To understand ourselves and others better ◦To see how much we touch one another’s lives

4. Get out a piece of paper and answer these questions: ◦What effects do people have on one another’s lives? ◦Why do you think people often talk and write about these effects? ◦Where do you read, see, or hear people reflecting on these effects?

5. Who would make a good subject for this reflective essay? You may decide to write about someone you know well, like a family member or a friend. Alternatively, you may also decide to write about someone you don’t know as intimately, but who has had a profound effect on your life nonetheless—such as a music teacher who encouraged you to play the guitar.

6. You don’t just simply describe their subject; you also explore your own thoughts and feelings about your subject’s significance in your life. ◦For example, a writer describing how his dad taught him to throw a boomerang wants to give readers a clear picture not only of his father, but also of his relationship with his father and its importance to him. He may even want readers to reflect on ways their fathers—or any loved ones—are important to them.

7. ◦Now that you have analyzed WHAT your subject’s significance is to you, think for a minute on HOW he/she became significant. ◦Most likely, your subject’s effect on your life is the result of things he/she has said or done. So you will need to show your subject in ACTION—saying and doing things that have had a profound effect on your life. ◦You won’t be able to describe every little thing, so instead pick anecdotes (brief stories) that will most effectively convey to readers your subject’s significance. ◦Make sure your list is narrowed down to no more than THREE anecdotes.

8. ◦A reflective essay comes alive when the writer includes vibrant details. ◦Different kind of details: ◦Narrative details: describe actions and events ◦Descriptive details: describe people, places, and objects ◦Sensory details: narrative and descriptive details that appeal to the senses. They help readers see, hear, feel, taste, and smell what is being described.

9. ◦Chronological Order: tell in the order that it happened. You can even insert flashbacks or flash-forwards. For example, you may begin your essay in the present, flashback to a memory of the past, and then flash-forward to some projected future at the end. ◦Order of Importance: tell in order of least important to most important, or vice versa.