Write a comparative analysis essay

The Comparative Analysis/ Reflective Essay:

An Exploration in Language, Learning and Identity ___________________________________________________________

Purpose

Consider some of the course readings. Determine which essay you identify with the most, and use this essay as a springboard for sharing your own experience. Explore your personal thoughts and perceptions of your experience and challenges you faced. Your essay can provide entertainment, provide insight or psychological healing.

Structure: 5-6 paragraphs

Introduction-catches the reader’s attention and includes thesis

Description- tell the reader about the incident/event Response- share your immediate thoughts and feelings towards incident Reflection- consider the importance significance of event after time passed. Conclusion- reveals significance of incident and provides a satisfying conclusion

Write a 3 page essay on one of the following topics:

1. Write about a time when you struggled to learn or understand something. Compare this experience to one of the author’s challenges. What challenges did you face that were similar to the author’s? How did you overcome them?

2. Write about a time when someone made an assumption about you based on your use of language. Compare this experience to one of the authors. What assumption did someone make about you? How did your experience compare with the author’s? How did this assumption affect you?

3. Write about a time when you encountered challenges in a language classroom or had a difficult relationship with a particular teacher. What was your experience? How did it affect you? Compare your experience with an author’s.

Type your essay using MLA format, double-spaced, 12 point Times Roman Font. State your comparison in your introduction. Quote the author you are comparing in each of your body paragraphs. Conclude by restating your thesis and leaving the reader with a final thought.

Writing a Self-Reflective Essay

“A self-reflective essay is a brief paper where you describe an experience and how it has changed you or helped you to grow. Self-reflective essays often require students to reflect on their academic growth from specific projects or assignments, though others might require you to think about the impact of a specific event in your life. By describing your overall experience for readers, discussing your current strengths and weaknesses as they relate to the experience you wrote about and sharing your future plans for using this new information, you can paint a vivid picture of how you have grown and changed.”

Understand the Requirements

“Before you start writing, read through the assignment sheet several times, taking special note of the essay prompt and what kind of experience you're asked to discuss. For example, you may be asked to reflect on the development of an essay in English class, or to describe a personal challenge. Careful focus on the prompt will be critical to your essay's success. Pay attention to the length requirement as well; a reflective essay will typically be two to three pages and therefore require a summary of events rather than a descriptive, lengthy narrative.”

Write an Event Log

“Write a description of events without inserting any personal judgments or emotional language. You can then use the log to note how the experience changed your thought process or behavior. For example, you may be writing about your challenges as a non-Native English speaker and how learning English helped you grow as a person and become a more effective communicator.”

Write a Thesis Statement

“Like any academic essay, a reflective essay needs a thesis statement, a sentence placed near the beginning that gives an overview of what you'll be discussing. One way to structure your thesis is by previewing your analysis of your experience and how you changed as a result. For example, if you're writing a reflective essay about a science project, your thesis might read, "Although my experiment helped me to better understanding the scientific method, my ability to design an effective hypothesis still needs improvement." Be prepared to revise your thesis as you craft the actual essay and obtain new ideas.”

Make an Outline

“A reflective essay typically includes an introduction, at least three body paragraphs that both detail your experience and evaluate your response to it, followed by a conclusion. To structure a well-organized paper, make an outline with notes about the details of the experience, what progress you've made and what evidence illustrates your development.”

First Person

You will use the first person -- I, me, my -- in your reflective essay. This is a story about your experience, including your thoughts on the event. Caveat: Do not overuse the word “I” in a first person account. “Avoid distancing language, such as “I saw” or “I heard,” in which the “I” comes between the reader and a direct account of what happens. In most cases, directly stating what you observed or heard (without the “I”) makes for much stronger writing.”

Past Tense

“Most reflective essays should be written in past tense, about an event that the author has already experienced.” The reflection portion of the essay may be in present tense – However, avoid vague terms such as “I think,” “I believe.” “If the author is presenting new or current thoughts, or it may be in the past tense -- “I realized,” “I understood” -- if the author is presenting reflections that occurred in the past. In either case, the difference in time between the event and the reflections should be clear.”

Concrete and Abstract Language

“Use concrete language (sensory details) to describe the experience that forms the heart of your reflective essay. Concrete language refers to anything that you can literally see, hear, smell, taste or touch. Examples of concrete language include “her high voice,” “the basket of oranges,” “a metallic smell,” etc. The point is to bring your reader as close to the experience as possible. In your reflections on this experience, you will most likely need to use abstract language, that is, language that talks about ideas. Examples of abstract language include “honesty,” “goodness,” “emptiness,” etc.”

Adapted from classroom.synonym.com