What Is a Reflective Essay?
Farrand1
Reflective Essay
What is a reflective essay?
According to the Oklahoma State Department of Education, a reflective essay presents the writer’s personal reflections on or reactions to a quotation or an idea. The writer may choose to write about literature, about a life experience, about a person who has had an impact on the writer’s life, or even about an inanimate object—as long as the writer can reflect about it, the subject is appropriate. Usually, a narrative essay presents a series of events and lets them speak for themselves. In a reflective essay, the writer presents a series of events and goes on to explain (or reflect on) what those events mean to him or her.
Where did the prompt come from?
The following prompt is from the tenth annual student essay contest sponsored by the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. The April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City occurred because one person chose violence as a means to express disagreement and effect change—and 168 innocent people were killed.
How can I win money with this essay?
Mr. Stephenson will select five essays from his ninety-one students to submit to the essay contest. First place wins $100. Second place wins $75. Third place wins $50. Honorable mention wins no money but does earn a trip to the capitol for recognition. All winners will be recognized at the state capitol in February.In 2008, two of Mr. Stephenson’s students placed third and fourth in this contest.
What is the prompt for the reflective essay?
I was literally trapped under six feet of rubble. however, all of us are trapped under the rubble of life at onepointor another. I believe it is not what happens to us in life that defines us, but rather how we deal with what happens to us.
–Amy Petty, Survivor (of the Oklahoma City Murrah bombing)
We all experience defining moments beyond our control. Reflect on one of your own experiences with adversity (hardship, misfortune) or suffering which was beyond your control. How did you respond? What impact did this response have in shaping the kind of person you are today?
Are there any other requirements?
- To protect identities, you may change the names of people in your story if you wish.
- Format your essay by MLA guidelines.
- The suggested word count, according to the contest rules, is 500 words.
- If you contest, essays will be judged on originality, adherence to topic, and proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Sam Farrand
Mr. Stephenson
Pre-AP English II
5 November 2010
Friday the Thirteenth
Last November on Friday the thirteenth, my mother sent me a text message with her biopsy results. The lump on her neck wasn’t just a lump. It was indicative of chronic lymphocitic leukemia. My mom had cancer, and I could do nothing about it. As I sat helpless in my parked car, rereading the message, fear gripped my heart. I had no idea how bad the cancer was. Did she only have a few months left to live? Was her cancer the same kind of leukemia that her mother had died from?
In the midst of my worry, I found my thoughts drifting to the formal dance taking place the following night. As the student council sponsor, I would normally be expected to be there. I felt ashamed that in such a terrible moment I was thinking about the Fall Ball, a high school dance, instead of how Mom must be feeling about her diagnosis.
Taking a deep breath, I called her. She answered after the first ring, and I only croaked out “Hi” before tears began to drip down my cheeks. Mom explained that she would not have to start chemotherapy until much later. Her future held visits to the oncologist, who would monitor her blood every few months. “The doctor said most people my age have many years until they have to begin treatment,” she tried to assure me. Upon hearing the word treatment, I imagined her frail and hairless.
“Well, I’m coming home to see you,” I said, knowing I could get some of my friends to cover for me at Fall Ball.
“What about the dance?” Mom asked. “You should stay. We’ll be fine.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. Everything will be all right.” Her smooth voice seemed confident. I agreed to wait and see her the following week when my schedule wasn’t as hectic.
My friends urged me to ignore Mom’s request, but I respected her wishes and chaperoned Fall Ball. Throughout the night as teenagers arrived in suits and glittering dresses, I thought about my parents, together in their home. Dad probably had a fire blazing in the fireplace, and Mom had probably cooked dinner. Looking back, I can see why they didn’t need me there the night of the diagnosis. They needed time with one another to gather their thoughts and form a plan.
Now, almost a year later, my mom still has leukemia, but her trips to the doctor are less frequent because her blood is getting better on its own without any medical treatment. Her scar on her neck has faded, just like my fears. Although Mom’s diagnosis terrified me, I did not allow it to rule my life. I persevered, taking one day at a time, using Mom as my role model. If she could continue life into the unknown, I needed only to gather my courage and follow her. And I am a stronger person with each step I take.
(FYI: This essay is 490 words.)