english reflection ideas

“dramatic school fight” anecdote

• engages readers

• draws them in to my discussion about conformity

Solomon Asch conformity experiments

evidence that brings credibility to the idea of conformity as something that has real impacts

identity anecdote

• opens up to the reader, giving them trust in me as the writer

• another personal angle to the story

“The Power of the Word” section

• becomes an antithesis to conformity

• shows how words can change people in a positive way

• refutes the idea of conformity being “normal” and inescapable

inherit the culture and traditions of your family unit

• I chose “inherit” because it presented the idea that conformity begins the moment you are born, meaning that you need effort to escape it

For others, it really does still affect them greatly.

• Says that my experience isn’t really the norm

• Many people are trapped within the cycle of conformity

Words can destroy people, but they can rebuild them too.

• introduces the idea of conformity being broken by the power of language

• it is on its own in a paragraph to make in stand out.

They can build you up and leave clues.

• kind of contrasting with the idea of Paulo Coelho that words are the most dangerous weapons of humanity.

• this doesn’t eliminate the idea of words being destructive (in fact, I point this out earlier in the paragraph) but it highlights how the positive features of language can often be overlooked.

Speech to the Israeli Knesset (Anwar Sadat, 1977)

Mentor text that inspired me, as Anwar Sadat broke conformity and tradition with his speech.