Reflective Paper Steps

Steps in writing a reflective paper that compares two works based on a common theme/specific incident.

1. Choose two literary works that have a common theme or a specific incident in common.

Example: The play A Doll House by Henrick Ibsen and the play M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang have a common theme: the struggle for women’s self-definition.

2. Create a thesis statement that will allow you to organize your paper around a central idea that argues a point about the two works.

Example: “Each play represents a woman who initially seems to be without a strong identity as she attempts to conform to her partner’s ideals of the perfect woman in an effort to be accepted and loved. However at the same time, Ibsen’s Nora Helmer and Hwang’s Song Liling are resourceful, cunning, and manipulative.”

3. Determine the best method for organizing the comparative paper. (e.g., the subject-by-subject method, the point-by-point method or a combination)

Example:  a combination of the point-by-point method and subject-by-subject method will be used for the reflective paper

4. Make an outline to show your organizational scheme and determine the content of the paper.  Be sure to include the points of comparison and examples that will be used from both works to illustrate each point.

        Example of an outline

Thesis statement: “Each play represents a woman who initially seems to be without a strong identity as she attempts to conform to her partner’s ideals of the perfect woman in an effort to be accepted and loved. However at the same time Ibsen’s Nora Helmer and Hwang’s Song Liling are resourceful, cunning, and manipulative.”

1.        Both plays seem to be about the emergence of each person’s identify

a.        Nora’s refusal to be dutiful

b.       Song’s refusal to be a woman at all

2.        Nora

a.        Her husband’s treatment of her/helpless child

b.       Her  husbands ideal for a perfect a wife/showpiece

c.        Nora’s inner strength and deceptiveness

3.        Song

a.        Her husband’s treatment of her/dominated and controlled

b.       Her husbands idea for a perfect wife/“beautiful” and “brave”

c.        Song’s deception of her husband

4.    Both woman come to terms with their situations

                a.    Nora leaves to peruse her true self

                b.   Song’s identity as a woman disappears 

5. Write a rough draft. Edit and write a final draft.