How to Start a Reflection Essay?

Categories: Short Story

Of all the genres of composition, a reflection essay is one of the most difficult. What is a reflection paper and what are its difficulties? The main trick of this work is that it requires from the writer not only to express his thoughts correctly but also to have his own position and ability to substantiate it. Secondly, this involves knowing the actual material used as arguments.  The question of how to write a reflection essay is one of the keys when studying in a college.

Paper Structure

  • An introduction containing a thesis that is a position requiring a proof;
  • Arguments: at least 2-3 proofs of the thoughts stated in the thesis;
  • The last part is a conclusion, which finally confirms the thesis.

How to Start an Introduction for a Reflection Paper

The introduction of a reflection essay should lead the reader to the disclosure of the topic, which, as a rule, is formulated in the form of a question or contains a quotation.

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All these topics suggest the reader's reflections on a certain problem, therefore in the introduction, it is important to show what caused the interest to this topic, its polemical nature, suggesting the presence of several points of view. The main thesis should be formulated, which will be revealed in the composition.

How to Write a Reflection Paper Example

The main part of this work is an argumentation of the thesis. Since this essay implies a personal opinion, you should express your thoughts primarily and then strength them with facts, citations, logical reasoning, well-known statements and so on.

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It can be applied to all topics so you should not face difficulties with how to write a reflection paper on an article/ book/ class/ movie.

Thinking about reflection paper definition and how to write this essay correctly, one should not forget about the way of writing a conclusion. Here outcomes should be drawn and the results of the discussion summed up.

General recommendations are as follows.

  • Begin with the concluding phrase: "Thus, the author makes it clear to the readers that ...", "So, concluding our thoughts about ... we come to an outcome", "Summing up what has been said, I want to remind you once again of the importance of the problem ...", etc.
  • It is not necessary once again to list things that were considered above: the conclusion is a generalization, the quintessence of the most valuable thing that was discussed in the work.
  • Reflection as a genre does not presuppose final conclusions. You act as a researcher, putting forward a hypothesis and selecting evidence for it, but the categorical position here is inappropriate. The best option is a conclusion in which you encourage the reader to think.

 Reflection Paper Outline

We have looked through the essay structure and main tips on how to write it, so it's time to see real examples of reflection papers. Since it is a standard type of work that is required to do in all colleges and universities, MLA format reflection paper will always be suitable as well as you can easily write sample reflection paper in APA format.

I probably should be ashamed of the fact that I have not yet read Hemingway. In connection with the great love of the sea and the melancholic mood, the choice was made in favor of the story "The Old Man and the Sea." And I do not regret this choice.

This book is adorable, and the story is simple. What is unusual about Hemingway's story? This is at least an amazing relationship between the boy and the old man. These relationships amaze and touch to the very depths of the soul.  This relationship is an example of how people need to live together. In such small villages, there are always difficult times. The population is quite old; the catch is correspondingly small. But here people, on the contrary, support each other. Everything is based on trust and love for one's neighbor. Many developed countries can only dream about this. But this is not the most important thing in the story.

Everyone dreams of his own big fish. We all know that someday we will catch it. The difference between all of us is only how and when we will do it. Someone will rush on his way from the smaller to the larger, and someone will wait for the prey to come to hand. But the persistence of this old man is amazing. All his life he is engaged in one thing, there was almost no one near him who could support him, except for the boy, and he lives and still does not give up. He piously believes that his finest hour will come when fate will repay him for all the burdens that he has brought. And he puts his whole life and all his faith in this big fish. The actions of the old man should serve as an example to all who want to achieve something.

Reading about how he let the fish carry himself farther and farther from the shore, I realized that I would never have been able to act in the same way. I would surely be scared, cut the woods and went back to a familiar quiet place. And he, catching the slightest sign of the cosmos, forgot about everything in the world and rushed for his luck. He did not have food, extra gear and an assistant nearby. But he had faith in himself, and he constantly reminded himself, for what he was doing all this. It is always necessary to go firmly and confidently to your dream, sometimes giving in to the current, but without forgetting to adjust the course.

But he swam too far. And you need to be especially careful in foreign waters. In my opinion, it's the most terrible thing to watch the sharks take away your big fish and, in the end, leave nothing but a skeleton, and you are unable to do something.

Updated: Nov 01, 2022
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How to Start a Reflection Essay?. (2017, Sep 04). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/how-to-start-a-reflection-essay

How to Start a Reflection Essay? essay
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