[PDF] Elements of a Personal Essay
In confessional essays, the writer may focus on trauma they’ve experienced or caused. They can deal with controversial subject matter like addiction and abuse. This genre does more than simply help the writer ease their conscience. By coming to terms with their trauma, they reflect on their efforts to overcome and move on. They also make a point of explaining what they want readers to know about the painful experiences. An addict might want readers to think differently about the role of substance abuse in American culture. A survivor of domestic violence by tell their story in an effort to spread awareness and advocate for reform.
Many different types (or sub-genres) of the personal essay exist. For example, literacy narratives focus on someone’s educational experiences, including reading and writing but also language and communication in general. A literacy narrative could describe someone’s development of basic literacy, but also how they learned another language, or learned to adapt to a new discourse community or environment.
The personal essay has become a powerful and widespread genre. Writers use it to convey their opinions on a range of topics, telling stories in order to explain their views. A personal essay has persuasive qualities, even if it doesn’t make an explicit argument. This genre employs narrative and descriptive detail in order to connect with readers, and help them relate to the author’s circumstances and experiences.
The Difference Between Memoir and Personal Essay
Dearest Jennifer, as in my previous response, again – apologies for only being able to post this comment now! I completely agree with you – personal essays are really just mini-memoirs… And thank you for your kind words about Split.
So far we have looked at narrative, reflective, and segmented essays, but we have not exhausted our structural possibilities. Far from it. Many essays, for instance, are braided, weaving together two or more strands of story line in an interactive fashion. Judith Ortiz Cofer, in her personal meditation “Silent Dancing,” creates a particularly revelatory braid from two strands: a home movie juxtaposed against her own memories of childhood as a Puerto Rican in New Jersey. To help the reader with transitions, she brackets the home movie with white space, putting the text into italics. We look at the italicized home movie for a while, then her memories, then the movie, and so on, letting one strand surface while the other is momentarily submerged.
Spend some time on the passage near the end, when the son puts on the wet swim trunks. Literary folks have been talking about this passage for years. There’s something compelling about it. What do you think is going on? What are we supposed to take from this passage, and from the essay in general?
You can write a personal essay on any subject or issue that matters to you. The main goal is to tell a compelling story through which you reflect on your own experiences and observations. While doing so, you also want to describe your experiences and their significance to your readers, prompting them to reflect on their respective experiences. Readers may come away from your piece with knowledge and insights they didn’t have before. They may also get a window into another way of experiencing and interacting in the world.
Definition and Examples of a Personal Essay
Let’s take these essays one at a time, starting with . E.B. White lived and wrote during a time in which people still thought of literature as a classical art with specific forms. His writing sounds more formal than much of what we read today. And yet, “No one can write a sentence like White,” as once said. Indeed, E.B. White is the “White” of the much-beloved style guide called . More than any other single compositional text, is responsible for the tone and style of much twentieth century writing.
7 Helpful Tips on How to Write A Memorable Personal Essay
As in every genre, some examples are foundational. Below are a few personal essays that have earned wide circulation. You may recognize some of these authors from their longer works.
Exploring Genres: The Personal Essay
As creative non-fiction, personal essays blend together the composition techniques of various genres including narrative fiction, journalism, natural history, and historiography. Multiple points of view may be used, as well as ruminative passages, personal vignettes and philosophical reflections. This flexibility gives personal essays a tremendous range, and is one reason they have been a favorite mode of expression for many writers.
Can a book-length memoir be part of the personal essay format
Our attention to thematic unity brings up one more important dynamic in most personal essays. Not only do we have a horizontal movement through time, but there is also a vertical descent into meaning. As a result, essayists will often pause the forward motion to dip into a thematic well.
What Makes for a Great Personal Essay
A few exceptional personal essays have been sufficiently powerful as to change the literary and cultural landscape. For example, ’s series of personal essays based on his visit to the ruins of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945 (essays such as and ) helped initiate the now long-standing debate about the place and limits of science. Similarly, ’s was instrumental in articulating the philosophy of the current environmental movement. And, more recently, ’s personal essays about his experiences in Iraq have significantly shaped views of the Iraq war.