a character defining moment essay

Life Changes

What are your defining moments, by dr. ryan niemiec.

Reflecting on Important Moments in Time

We all have moments in our lives that can be considered “defining moments”– times when a certain thing happened that changed our life trajectory. Taking time to reflect and focus on these moments can improve your life.

Consider this first date I had 14 years ago. After a stagnant and uncomfortable dinner, we walked out of the Mexican restaurant together. I had many thoughts swirling around as I held the door for my date: “This is it. I’ll never go out with this beautiful woman again,” and I ruminated, “All my efforts to find the courage to ask her out in the first place are down the drain. I guess I blew it.”

But, among the negativity, I had another thought floating around in my mind. It was a small but persistent thought: “Give it one more try.” I listened to that thought. And so, as we walked to the car, I kicked a stone into the bushes and with my chin at my chest, I mumbled, “Um, do you want to go get some coffee or something?” She replied, “Sure!” I was flabbergasted. The evening and coffee shifted into high gear and a wonderful connection ensued. That woman later became my wife.

That moment – my kicking the stone and deciding, “Don’t give up just yet. Give it one more try. Just one more” – was a defining moment for me. One of the character strengths at play was perseverance (a mid-level strength for me, but one I can bring forth powerfully when I need to), and another strength was hope (one of my signature strengths which drives most of what I do in life). Both of these strengths played a life-changing role for me.

This defining moment impacted my identity – who I am. I learned that when something is really important to me I give things that extra push and effort. And I have my hope strength always looking for possibilities and opportunities in my life, even if it is only one thought among a cloud of detractors.

As I examine the situation, I see that there are meta-strengths, often called “virtues,” also at play. Courage is a virtue that helps us to step up during these moments. I had to overcome the thoughts of “I can’t,” “but I might fail,” and “what’s the point?” At the least, I had to act courageously, even if I didn’t feel so brave in that moment.

This story represents the 4 steps of a positive intervention called the Defining Moments Exercise. Want to give it a try?

Here are the 4 steps to practice the Defining Moments Exercise:

1.) defining moment:.

Name one moment in time that has had a positive effect on you. Preferably, choose a moment in which you took action in some way. This moment doesn’t have to be dramatic, simply any moment that has had a meaningful impact on you.

2.) Character strengths:

List the character strengths you used in that situation. Which character strengths did you bring forth? How did you express them?

3.) Identity:

Explore how this moment has shaped who you are. How has this moment contributed to your identity? No matter how small, how has it affected your view of yourself?

4.) Courage, Wisdom, Humanity, or other virtues:

Step back and view the bigger picture. Were you enacting virtues that helped you mobilize your strengths in that moment? Many individuals rally their courage in order to take action in their defining moment.

While the Defining Moments Exercise has not been fully tested, it has been used with success around the world in workshops, courses, and in Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice (MBSP) groups. Future research will bear out the potential benefits. In the meantime, my anecdotal evidence reveals the following benefits:

• Increases savoring. Individual understand their past more clearly and cherish impactful moments in their life.
• Builds self-efficacy. Individuals realize past successes are connected to their internal strengths and therefore move forward in future endeavors with greater confidence.
• Improves positive memory recall. While every defining moment might not be positive, the opportunity to see the positive in core events of the past is always present in this exercise (helps with access of positive autobiographical memory).
• Enhances positive self-perception.

Niemiec, R. M. (2014). Mindfulness and character strengths: A practical guide to flourishing. Boston, MA: Hogrefe.

Learn more about the author

Dr. ryan niemiec.

Defining Moments: Exploring the ‘Significant Experience’ Essay Prompt

In the span of our lives, we sometimes experience events that forever change who we are and turn us into something new well-being. These turning points have the power to alter us by shedding light on our core values, assumptions, and goals.

The “significant experience” essay prompts, a typical writing assignment that tests our ability to go into the depths of our personal story and portray the significance of a specific event or encounter, is a potent tool to capture and reflect on these deep events.

In this blog, let’s discover the essay prompt’s true meaning, “significant experience.” We will examine how you can write significant experience , some application essay ideas , and the approaches to successfully completing it.

Whether you are a student assigned to write a college entrance essay or a person seeking self-reflection, this blog will offer you insightful tips to help you negotiate the complexities of this essay prompt.

Let’s begin, but first, get to know about defining moments.

What are Defining Moments?

Defining moments are significant occasions or encounters that can form and define a person, group of people, culture, or even an entire era. These events leave a lasting impression, changing a person’s life path, forming identities, or determining the course of bigger entities.

Positive or bad defining moments can happen on a variety of scales. A life-changing decision, such as selecting a professional path, getting married, or taking on a significant challenge, might be a defining event on a personal level. Determining moments for organisations might include significant strategic choices, ground-breaking inventions, or significant failures that result in dramatic change.

These defining moments are important because they frequently exhibit traits of tenacity, character, and ideals. They push people or things to make decisions, take chances, and face their own strengths and flaws. Defining moments may put one’s determination to the test, requiring reflection and development. They can also operate as catalysts for individual or group development, bringing about changes in perspective, priorities, and course of action.

Additionally, pivotal events might have an impact beyond the people or organisations directly engaged. They have the power to motivate people, launch social movements, or alter the course of history, politics, or culture. Defined moments can leave a lasting imprint and contribute to communal awareness by influencing narratives and changing views.

Unveiling the Purpose of the ‘Significant Experience’ Essay Prompt

The “significant experience” essay prompt is among the application essay ideas given to students, particularly those seeking scholarships or college. This essay prompt is meant to inspire people to think about and share a particular experience that has profoundly impacted their life and shaped their personal development, beliefs, or objectives.

The essay prompt seeks to accomplish the following goals:

# Self-reflection

The prompt promotes contemplation and self-awareness by letting people dive into a memorable event. People are prompted to reflect in depth on their history and the occasions that have moulded them, promoting a deeper knowledge of their ideals, virtues, and flaws.

# Personal Development

The essay prompt challenges people to specify and explain how their major experience has influenced their personal development. It gives people a chance to show off their capacity to overcome obstacles, adapt to novel situations, and exhibit perseverance.

# Communication Abilities

Strong communication abilities are necessary when you write significant experience in your college entrance essay. Individuals can get practise speaking properly, structuring their ideas, and presenting them in a logical and interesting way by responding to the question.

# Character and Values Demonstration

The essay prompts allow a student to show who they are and what they stand for. People can demonstrate their integrity, compassion, tenacity, or other qualities that make them who they are by talking about the effects of a significant experience.

# Differentiating Oneself

The noteworthy experience essay prompt gives people an opportunity to stand out from other applicants in competitive situations like college or scholarship applications . It enables applicants to offer distinctive experiences and viewpoints, showcasing their distinctiveness and possible value to a given group or organisation.

Also read: Overcoming Obstacles: Using The ‘Challenge You’ve Faced’ Essay Prompt To Your Advantage

Effective Strategies for Crafting an Effective Essay

Planning carefully, reflecting deeply, and writing well is necessary to create a successful essay, especially one that responds to a “significant experience” challenge. Here are some tips to assist you in writing an engaging and effective essay:

• Think of the Experience: Take some time to seriously consider your big event and how it has affected your life. Think about the feelings, difficulties, and lessons you’ve learnt. Ask yourself why it was important and how it influenced your development, principles, or goals.
• Create a Main Theme: Decide on a main idea or statement that best captures the spirit of your memorable event. Your essay’s central subject will act as its compass and aid in giving it cohesion and focus. It could involve fortitude, sympathy, internal change, or any other pertinent quality.
• Create a Captivating Introduction: Your essay should begin with a strong introduction that captures the reader’s interest. You can utilise anecdotes, challenging questions, or evocative descriptions to create the scene and entice the reader into your tale. Indicate the experience’s importance and its main subject in clear terms.
• Give Context: Give the reader adequate background information to enable them to comprehend the setting of your noteworthy event. Give details about the situation’s surroundings, participants, and any other pertinent information.
• Craft a Compelling Story: Create an engaging tale by structuring your essay as a narrative and inviting the reader to share your memorable experience. Use dialogue, sensory elements, and descriptive language to make the tale come to life. Show, not tell, how the event has affected your life.
• Showcase Its Significance: After you’ve described the incident, consider its relevance and the lessons you learnt from it. Describe how it has affected your beliefs, objectives, or worldview. Reflections should be sincere and self-reflective.
• Highlight Your Personal Growth: Showcase your progress by emphasising how the noteworthy event has helped you grow personally. Talk about the difficulties you encountered, the steps you took to overcome them, and the abilities or traits you acquired as a result.
• Build a Link with the Future: Link your meaningful experience to your hopes and goals for the future. Describe how your future decisions, activities, or contributions to your community or field of interest will be impacted by the lessons you have learned and the values you have gained.
• Make Your Words and Examples Vivid: Making your essay memorable requires the use of vivid language, striking imagery, and precise examples. This makes your tale more relatable and powerful, and it also helps to interest the reader.
• Proofread Your Essay: After writing the first draft, edit and revise your essay. Verify your writing for grammatical, punctuation, and clarity faults. Make sure your essay makes sense and that you can clearly explain your thoughts.

It’s important to remember that your essay should be real and honest, allowing for the expression of your viewpoint and voice. By using these techniques, you can write an essay that conveys the importance of your experience and leaves the reader with a lasting impression.

Also Read: The Value Of The Right Advice In College Admissions: Guiding Your Path To Success

Examples and Inspiration

Let’s take a look at examples of some significant essay prompts related to application essay ideas that can you consider for practising:

Example 1: Overcoming My Fear of Public Speaking

I experienced a debilitating fear of speaking in public during my high school years. Every time I had to present a project or speak in front of my classmates, my hands would sweat profusely, my heart would race, and my words would get jumbled up. However, I knew that confronting this fear was crucial for my personal growth and future success.

To tackle my fear, I enrolled in a public speaking course and made a commitment to work through it. I finally conquered my fear through constant practice, preparation, and determination, delivering polished and confident presentations. The experience taught me the importance of stepping out of my comfort zone and the value of hard work.

Key Takeaways:

• Conquering one’s fears can lead to self-improvement and personal growth.
• Hard work and dedication can yield great results.

Example 2: Finding My Passion for Community Service

While in college, I was constantly searching for opportunities to make a difference in the community. Then, I stumbled upon a local non-profit organization whose mission was to assist underprivileged youth. After signing up to volunteer, I was immediately struck by the children’s joy and enthusiasm, and I knew right then that community service was my passion.

Over time, I became more involved with the organization and even started my own initiative to raise funds and awareness for their cause. Through this experience, I learned the power of community service and how helping others can bring meaning and fulfilment to one’s life.

• Finding one’s passion and purpose is crucial for personal fulfilment.
• Assisting others brings happiness to both the helper and the beneficiaries.

Example 3: Getting through Adversity

Unexpected difficulties and barriers might come along in life, and how we respond to them shapes who we are. In my instance, I had to step up and assume additional obligations due to a challenging family circumstance. Initially, I felt overwhelmed and unsure, but I knew I had to get the courage to keep going. I was able to conquer these obstacles with courage and dedication, coming out stronger and more resilient than before. This incident taught me the value of tenacity and the necessity of depending on our inner strength while facing challenges.

Key conclusions

• We can be defined by how we respond to hardship.
• The importance of tenacity and inner fortitude.

Summing It Up

To sum up, the “significant experience” essay prompts offer a potent forum for people to consider and discuss the pivotal events that have affected their life. Through this introspective practice, one develops self-awareness, clarity of purpose, and a better comprehension of their values and ambitions. These pieces promote self-improvement, resiliency, and the cultivation of a growth mindset. People can engage with others, arouse empathy, and create lasting connections by creating fascinating tales around these important experiences. Accepting the chance to think back on our defining experiences gives us the ability to draw lessons from the past, appreciate the present, and sculpt a future that is in line with our true selves.

Get in Touch With Rostrum Education Today!

Rostrum Education comes highly recommended to anybody looking for help writing compelling essays. We offer priceless advice and help during the writing process because of their extensive essay writing experience. Our staff of knowledgeable mentors assists students in idea generation, effective essay structuring, and composition revision to produce engaging and compelling narratives. Your essays will be interesting, skillfully written, and specifically designed to highlight your own voice and experiences, thanks to Rostrum Education’s devotion to individualised attention and commitment to quality.

With Rostrum Education, improve your essay writing skills and leave readers with a lasting impression. Contact us Today !

Here is an example of a college essay question that demands you discuss challenges and how you overcame them:

“Describe a significant hardship or obstacle you have faced in your life. How did you confront and overcome it? What did you learn from this experience, and how has it shaped you as an individual?”

  Essay Answer:

I can clearly remember the heartbreaking day my family learned of my father’s cancer diagnosis. We were surprised and terrified as the word resonated across the space. Our lives were abruptly flipped upside down, and the difficulties we encountered felt insurmountable. But this struggle turned into a turning point that put my fortitude to the test, gave me priceless life lessons, and helped me become the person I am today.

I had to stand strong for my family while we dealt with my father’s illness. I assumed obligations that were above my years, helping with housework, scheduling appointments, and offering emotional support. It was difficult to juggle my academic obligations with my newly acquired duties, but I refused to let my situation define who I was. I turned to my passion for studying for comfort, utilising it as a way to manage my emotions and keep things in perspective.

A mindset change was necessary to overcome this adversity. I chose to concentrate on our happy and grateful times rather than dwell on the bad. I came to understand how crucial it is to treasure each special moment and look for the positive aspects of even the most trying circumstances. With this new perspective, I was able to develop resilience because I approached each obstacle with tenacity and a firm conviction that we could conquer it.

My father’s sickness taught me the value of compassion and empathy. Seeing his fortitude and bravery in the face of suffering motivated me to be compassionate to those going through similar struggles. I started a support group at my school to offer a secure environment for kids going through various difficulties. My grasp of the human experience has grown due to this event, and I now desire to guide people through their own difficulties.

The journey we went on together as a family taught me the importance of harmony and unwavering love. In the course of supporting one another through the highs and lows of the treatment process, we developed an unbreakable friendship. My mother became my pillar of strength, exhibiting unflinching fortitude and giving me the conviction that love and support could overcome even the most difficult challenges.

This struggle has completely changed who I am. I’ve come out with a greater capacity for empathy, a fortitude that helps me move ahead, and a profound understanding of how fleeting life is. Additionally, having personally seen the positive effects of caring and committed professionals on the lives of patients and their families has strengthened my desire to pursue a career in healthcare.

This well-written essay answer shows how the student encountered a huge challenge, overcame it with tenacity and persistence, gained important lessons, and was moulded by the encounter. It demonstrates the growth and development that resulted from conquering the challenge by incorporating personal tales, thoughts, and a link to future objectives. When replying to a similar prompt, keep in mind that your essay should reflect your individual experiences and writing style.

How Rostrum Education Can Help You?

Rostrum Education, one of the best consultant for ivy league admissions, can help you succeed in creating successful college application essays with the assistance of. They help students select engaging themes, create well-structured essays, and highlight their individual traits with their knowledge and tailored assistance. Your chances of getting into your preferred school are improved by their understanding of Ivy League admissions standards. Count on Rostrum Education to help you succeed in the challenging college admissions process.

Don’t look around for ivy league admissions consultant India ; contact us today !

JOIN THE ROSTRUM COMMUNITY

Contact us today.

• Freelancing

Join over 40,000 people who have taken our 6 part freelance writing course. Sign up below and let’s do this together.

By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from Location Rebel. We'll respect your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time.

12 Defining Moments in Life (and the Importance of Each)

When I originally wrote this post in 2010,  I was sitting on a ferry from Koh Phi Phi, Thailand to Railay Beach. I was floating in the Andaman Sea in the middle of a Wednesday.

The same Wednesday that used to be spent in an office, dreaming  of the day where I could go off gallivanting around the world for an indefinite period of time.

Here at Location Rebel I play up my ability to do this quite a bit.

We shoot videos from all over the world , and post those fun laptop photos. Like this one from Cabo last month:

Getting some work done in my hotel room at Pueblo Bonito in Cabo San Lucas.

Not because I’m trying to brag, but because this is my life.  This is my reality. When I started the site, I was very honest about my cluelessness about life and where I was going.

I continue that same honesty and openness now as well.

So for those of you who have called me out for bragging or don’t believe everything I write here, very politely: go somewhere else if you don’t like what I have to say.

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, I’ve come to realize there are ten very important life-altering moments that I’ve experienced in the last few years which have made my dream into a reality.

Ten very specific moments, which I remember vividly that have helped shape who I am.

What is a Defining Moment?

A defining moment in your life is an occasion where your life’s path has undeniably changed.

It could be something that changes within yourself. Maybe you experience and injury or illness that changes your perspective in life.

It could be an external factor like a career or relationship change.

But a defining moment is one of those times that you know you’ll look back on and say “If it weren’t for that, things would be different.”

As you go on your own path, you undoubtedly will have similar defining moments.  In fact, I’m sure you already have. Sometimes it just takes a while to realize how important these moments are.

Defining Moment Examples

Before I jump into my  defining moments, I think it’s important to look at what a defining moment is and what different kinds of them are out there.

The dictionary definition of a defining moment is an event that influences or changes all subsequent related occurrences.

To put it more simply a defining moment is a fork in the road. It’s one of those times where depending on the moment, and how you react to it your life could go one direction  or  another.

Here are some common defining moment examples:

• Getting married or divorced
• Starting a new job or leaving an old one
• Beginning a new business partnership
• Taking a big trip
• Paying of debt
• Finishing school
• Losing a Loved One
• Having a baby

The list goes on, but these are some of the most common examples you’d expect.

Now, with those in mind, I want to share with you 12 of my most important  “defining moments” in life.

These are the things that have put me on the path that I’m on, and frankly it was some of these decisions that have shaped not only my life, but Location Rebel and this business as well.

My Ten Defining Moments in Life

#1: backpacked through europe – without the backpack.

This was my first global adventure.  It was a two-month backpacking trip that was not only cut down to 3 weeks due to employment reasons, but it also had to be experienced with next to nothing.

The fine folks over at Air Canada had lost my bag when I arrived in Rome.  It subsequently returned to my home in the U.S. two days before I did.

For as angry as I was about this, it had a very profound impact on who I am and how I travel.   This was the trip where I realized that I need very little to get by.

Along with that, I learned that all of these mishaps are all part of the adventure .  Whether you’re at home or traveling, shit happens.  When you can go with the flow, you’ll be far better off.

Think about this as you go on your entrepreneurial journey.   I promise you, things will go wrong.  There will be times that totally suck.  You will make it through, and chances are, you’ll have a hell of a story at the end of the day as well.  And if you know anything about me, you know that’s what I’m all about – having good stories.

Related: How Backingpacking Through Europe (Without a Backpack) Changed My Life

#2: Began Location Rebel Blog

Originally this point was “made my first dollar online” but I realized if it weren’t for starting this blog, I never would have made that money.

I began Location Rebel to hold myself accountable for doing the things I wanted to do in my life.  To be honest, I didn’t expect the site to live past the first month.

I’m awesome at starting things. You want to get a project off the ground? Get me involved.  I’m full of ideas and enthusiasm, and I always stay positive.  That said, when it comes to seeing long term projects through, I struggle a bit.

That’s why it’s so remarkable that we’re still going strong in 2018! This post was  originally  written in 2011…

Working at the Bhu Nga Thani on Railay Beach, Thailand less than 7 months after starting this blog.

To see that this is the 245 th post on the site, I can’t help but think about the lessons this blog has taught me.  Not the least of which is persistence.  By staying persistent and continuing to blog, I’ve shown myself that I can indeed see things through to the end, and I’ve seen first hand just how valuable that persistence can be.

All of that said, it was that first $22 commission off an ebook called Source Control that I realized the potential of the internet.  To see that commission come in opened up a whole world of possibility that I knew nothing about – but I was damn sure going to learn about it.

Your takeaway? Persistence pays off.  If you’re working hard and aren’t seeing the benefits you want – keep working.  It’s all a matter of having the right combination of things come together.  For some people this happens right away, for others it takes longer, but in the end, it will work out.

Related: The Very First Blog Post I Ever Published at Location Rebel

#3: Quit My Job

I still remember this day like it was yesterday.  It was quite possibly the most terrifying yet exciting day of my life.  It was the first day in my life where I didn’t know what was going to happen next.

I went from being terrified of the uncertainty to embracing it, and eventually turning it into an asset.

I may be one of the few people who actually benefitted from the tanking economy in 2009-2013.  Had we seen a bull run in 2008 and 2009, I’d be willing to bet that I’d be preparing to put my suit on here in a few hours.

Entrepreneurs see opportunity in a poor economy – many men and women have made their fortunes in such times.

I’ve made mine.

While it may not be a monetary fortune, it’s one much more important than that – I’ve built a fortune in time and opportunity.  I wish I could say that’s how I’d planned it from the beginning.

But rather I just look back and say, “wow that worked out better than I expected!”

Anything worth doing will terrify you.  There will be uncertainty.  However, taking the leap can (and probably will) be the best choice you’ve ever made – assuming it’s what you want.

This is all just as relevant these days we we enter into year 3 of the pandemic. It’s made things very difficult for a lot of people, but if you embrace the uncertainty we’re facing, it could turn into a wonderful chance to make a change.

• My Last Day
• How to Quit Your Job (Without Burning Bridges)

#4: Moved to Thailand

This was the first time in my life where I first consciously thought about the idea of a “defining moment.”

In fact, I remember the  exact  date and time.

January 5th, 2010.

I was sitting at the Portland airport, about to board a flight to Thailand – where I’d live for the next 7 months.

Victory Monument, taken on my last day living in Thailand. This was about 5 minutes from my apartment.

I even wrote a post about it: “Embrace Life’s Defining Moments.”

Never in my life had I lived more than an hour from my family.

I’d never even been to Asia.

This was the biggest, scariest thing I’d ever done in my life up to that point. And honestly? It may  still  be the scariest thing I’ve ever done.

#5: Ran a Marathon

It wasn’t until the last 200 meters of my marathon that I:

• Actually believed I would finish
• Realized what I profound impact it would have on me moving forward.

Running a marathon was without a doubt the hardest thing I’ve ever physically done.  I’m not a runner, and will never claim to be.  This was the one thing on my bucket list that I actually thought may never happen (ok, Virgin Galactic may be a bit of a long shot as well).

So when I entered Hayward Field for the last 200 meters of the Eugene Marathon I was overcome with emotion.  I wasn’t sure if I was fighting back tears or if it was the last 26 miles catching up with me, but I hit an emotional point I’d never experienced.  To know that I was seconds away from actually accomplishing something that I never thought possible, was so eye-opening.

Strangely, this was one of the most emotional moments of my life.

All of a sudden, my reality shifted.  If I could do this, what else could I do? What couldn’t I do?

Maybe it’s a false sense of self-assuredness, but I really do believe I can do pretty much whatever I want.  If it weren’t for the marathon I don’t think I’d have anywhere near the confidence I have now.

Confidence is everything.  If you’re confident in what you do, other people will gravitate towards you and share in your confidence – whatever it may be directed towards.

Go accomplish your impossible . Afterwards? You’ll never look at life the same again.

Related: How to Run a Marathon with (Almost) No Training

#6: Released Location Rebel Academy

Location Rebel Academy is the culmination of the last 11 years of my life.  It incorporates everything I’ve talked about in this post.  Overcoming fears, building a blog , starting a business , and living life on your own terms.

I was able to take all of the skills that I learned along the way, and share them with others in hope you can do a similar thing in your own life.

This was the week I officially launched Location Rebel Academy. I spent 2 months living in Bali while I did it.

The best part? That’s exactly what happened. Thousands of members and success stories later, I truly feel like the Academy has made an impact.

I knew it was a good program.  But it wasn’t until releasing it and seeing the success that everyone is having that I realized I was on to something.

This program has given me more confidence to continue putting out content and going farther down the rabbit hole and seeing what’s truly possible.

If you haven’t checked it out yet, I really hope you will.  Whether you join our community or just grab the free Arsenal ebook , I promise you will get value out of it.  I know I and many others have.

The five defining moments above I first wrote in 2011 when this was first published. They’re still  major milestones in my life.

But since then there have been 5 more that have had equally as large of an impact as those.

Related: Location Rebel Academy

#7: Got Engaged and Bought a House

I lump these two together, because they happened on the same day.

On April 4th, 2014 when I both bought my first house and got engaged, I was terrified of what that would mean for my brand and business. After all, I was the  location rebel!  The guy that travels and works from anywhere.

In front of our new house – 30 seconds before I proposed.

So to be settling down with both a house and a wife? I wasn’t sure how people would react…how  I  would react.

What I realized though is that building a lifestyle business is  not  about being able to work from anywhere. Rather it’s about being able to  do the things you want to do.  For some that might be travel (I still travel 3-4 months out of the year), for others it may not look that different than their current life with a day job.

But the fact I was able to do these things and  still  grow this brand and business was huge.

Related: A House, an Engagement, and a Huge Kick in the Ass

#8: Got Married

My wife Tate and I on our wedding day.

It’s one thing to get engaged, it’s another to get married.

The extra level of commitment and support, is huge. The intertwining of finances, the discussions about kids and futures.

It’s no longer just  you. 

And in my case having someone else to both share in the defining moments  and  the day to day moments as not only helped me to become more successful, but to be more fulfilled as well.

Related: Sudden Loss, New Beginnings, and Three Simple Words

#9: Started The Eighty Club

At the beginning of 2017 I finally decided to try and monetize my golf site Breaking Eighty . I did this through creating a community called The Eighty Club, which I created for members of private golf clubs around the world.

Me at Merion Golf Club – one of the top 10 courses in the world.

Previously, while I’d had success here with Location Rebel Academy, and a bit of niche site success with HDR Software, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d be able to build another business in another industry.

Seeing how well this has grown (we’re up to over 250 members), and the people it has brought together has fundamentally altered much of how I travel and how I approach my businesses these days.

Related: Rogue Financial Analyst Makes $34,000 a Year from Golf Business

#10: Began My Golf and My Bar Quest

For most people, these might seem at best a little odd, and at worse downright shallow.

Let’s face it elite golf courses and expensive cocktails aren’t exactly making the world a better place.

“Cashew Everything Around Me” – 28 Hong Kong Street is one of the top 100 bars in the world.

However for me, these two things have taken me to places I’d never expect to go, introduced me to wonderful people, and helped me to add purpose and direction to my travels and websites.

As of this writing, I’ve played 52/100 of the Top 100 Golf Courses in America, 45/100 Top 100 Golf Courses in the World, and at it’s peak, I hit 59 of the top 100 bars in the world (based off the 2017 list).

Since adopting these I’ve changed how I travel, where I travel, who I travel with, and it’s made the journey that much more exciting and rewarding in the process.

#11: Shot the Desk

Of everything I’ve done at Location Rebel, the most interesting and the most defining may have been the video we shot called “The Desk”.

When we shot it, I had no idea how iconic it would become, or frankly, how much of our branding would be built around this concept.

The video proved to me that it’s worth it to do things a bit differently, and it also ended up being a once in a lifetime journey I got to take with my Dad and good friend, Jamie.

#12: Had a Baby

I tried really hard to keep this list to 10, but honestly? I’ve had 12 major defining moments in life, and this most recent one?

It’s by far the biggest.

Our daughter was born on January 5th, 2021. I had no idea what I was in for, how much my life would change, or how much love I was capable of giving. It’s been one of the ultimate defining moments in my life.

More than anything else, Elliot has changed my routines, my habits, and my thoughts.

I can’t wait to see the woman she becomes, and I’m more thankful than ever for these previous 10 moments. Because it was this path that has allowed me to spend so much time with her during the first year of her life.

Related: Turning 36 and Some Advice for New Parents

What is Your Most Defining Moment?

These are the moments that have shaped my life more than any others.  If it weren’t for these things I have no idea where I’d be.

So what are your life defining moments?   What’s led you to where you are? Or if you don’t feel that you’ve had a defining moment yet, what will it be? What do you need to do to make that happen?

Thank you for following along with me on my journey, as I continue to explore just how much is possible in life.

Want help building a lifestyle business that will help you do the exact same thing I’ve been able to do over the past 11+ years? I’d love to help you. Grab our free 6 day course and we’ll get started TODAY.

Keep Reading

How to Create a Bucket List in 10 Easy Steps

Want to do more with your life? Then start with writing a bucket list. This post shows you exactly how to create a bucket list of your own.

How to Actually Cross Things Off Your Bucket List in 2017

Want to Know How to Actually Cross Things Off Your BUCKET LIST in 2017? Want to Do Cooler Things than All Your Friends? THIS Post is All You Need.

The Best Bucket List Books for Doing More in Life

Wanting to do more cool stuff in life? Or maybe make a major change? These are the best bucket list books we've found for helping you do exactly that.

17 comments on " 12 Defining Moments in Life (and the Importance of Each) "

Great moments, Sean. A few of mine:

– The first day I picked up a basketball at my cousin’s house as a 13 year old. Little did I know that I would become obsessed with the sport, and that obsession would lead me to become a web designer (so I could create a website about my favorite team), and live in New Orleans for three years (home of my favorite team, and one legendary city).

– Moving to the US on my own seven years ago. I knew nobody and I was extremely shy. My time there changed me immensely.

– Quitting my day job last December. I don’t think I could ever go back to being an employee now.

– Tomorrow, when I leave Ireland again and take my biggest leap yet. The plan is to circumnavigate the globe in three years, without flying. Should be one hell of an adventure 😉

Here’s to many more life defining moments for you, me, and all the other location rebels out there!

Great post. There’s nothing so validating as looking back on your decisions and realizing just how far you’ve come.

Quitting my job & traveling around the world alone are on my list… now on to the business opportunities!

Wow, this is an interesting thing to go back and think about (especially when you’re at the relatively-young age of 25). Here’s what I would say:

1) Transferring out of business school after 1 semester – I was unhappy and a little scared to make a big change, but I knew I had to do it. This taught me that it’s okay to take a leap sometimes, and that things can turn out okay even when we don’t know where we’re headed.

2) Discovering the world of internet business – I’m not how it even happened, but I stumbled across a blog about making money on the internet (in legit ways) about a year and a half ago. It’s changed my way of thinking and my life since.

3) Taking a whole summer off after grad school – Summer 2010 was literally the first summer in 11 years that I wasn’t employed in some way. And I loved it! I really enjoyed making plans on a whim and traveling to wherever I wanted to enjoy the great weather. It’s really what’s motivated me to out of the working world and unchain myself from a desk. I hope to repeat this in 2012.

Hey Sean, Great reflective post. Nice to see the progressive moments to living the lifestyle you always wanted.

A few of mine: 1) Backpacking through Europe, then become a tour guide in Munich for three months. This helped me come out of my shell (I never was into public speaking), made me realise the type of people I want to be around, and expanded my thinking.

2) Exchange program in Japan which opened my eyes to a completely different culture and way of thinking, and solidified my passion for languages

3) Travelling to Africa last year. I can’t quite describe how this changed me yet, but I think about it most days and feel so lucky to have had the chance to go there.

Look forward to reading others’. Cheers, Trisatn.

Nice! It’s been awesome to get to know you and be a part of your transition Sean.

A few of my life altering moments: 1) Meeting my wife online then 4 months later taking my first International trip to Indonesia to marry her. People thought I had gone off the deep end but we’ve been happily married 10 years now. 2) The birth of my boys – definitely life changing! 3) Reading Location 180 from the beginning and realizing there is so much more to life than what I’ve been experiencing. 4) Deciding to make the big move with the family to Indonesia where my wife and I plan to start a bakery (among other things).

I have to say I’m really interested to be following the global adventures of Niall.

haha well its nice to see #3 on that list – but I have a feeling all of those other ones were much more defining moments than reading my blog haha. It’s been awesome to see your progress as well, and looking forward to seeing many more adventures in the coming months!

Loving your journey, too Matt! Some great moments you’ve had there. Here’s to many more 🙂

Sounds like you’re having fun!

My most defining moment was getting a position at one of the companies I most wanted to work at after 55 interviews. I knew if I just survived for 10 years, I would be set. Being able to do what you want to do and earn a living is priceless.

That’s awesome to hear – there’s few great accomplishments than being able to make a living doing what you love in life.

My decision to move from Michigan, where I’d lived my entire life, to Tahoe so I could ski more was definitely a defining moment. I’ll be giving this more thought; thank you for inspiring me to think about this.

Glad I could help Jill! Sounds like a move I’d love to make someday as well 🙂

Without a doubt, my biggest moment was my double-lung transplant.

But, more than that, what really focussed me on life was discovering that death held no fear. I feared – dreaded – the process of dying, the idea that were my transplant not to come I would have endured a slow, suffocating death in a hospital bed with the anguished faces of my family looking on. Death itself had no sway over me.

Knowing that, and knowing now that this second chance is here to be grasped, helps motivate me to do even more with my life.

I want to know that the person who died and let me live with the most selfless choice one can make is looking down on me with pride at all I’m trying to do, whether or not I succeed or fail.

My defining moment was when I had the courage to say to my colleague (in our mutual startup) out loud that I wanted to live location independently – and he responded: “Sure!”

That moment I knew I couldn’t turn back.

My defining moments hmmm. . . I’ve perhaps had a few more than you younger counterparts as I’ve been around the marble a few more times, LOL. This is what comes to mind:

#1 – at age 21 quitting my job working for another photographer (who shall remain nameless but suffice to say I learned how NOT to run a business from him). Going full-time at my own photography business (with my then boyfriend/husband) in the early 90’s during that recession. And we rocked it!

#2 – getting a divorce from above husband/partner in 2001 and leaving behind the studio I spent 12 years building. Having no idea what I’d do for income, a contract job being a rep for an international photography album supplier fell in my lap. Spent 9 years with them, travelling the world for them but meeting some great people and having a great time. Was my first real international travel when they took me to NZ to the offices there.

#3 – quitting the above job/contract (which paid a high 5 figures) in 2009 when I got remarried. Renting out our house for 6 months and travelled Canada/US in an RV.

#4 – now! reinventing myself yet again as a photography teacher this time. Once again I sort of fell into doing workshops locally and it’s given me confidence that I can do this and a possible ebook is in the works as well.

awesome and though-provoking post. my defining moments so far

-quitting my job to work and live in America -quitting that job to follow my heart all the way to Europe -quitting another job to go backpacking through Asia

wow, so far what has defined me as a person has been quitting to travel. thanks for the realization!

• Pingback: A Network Marketing Story: We're You a Rockstar?
• Pingback: Carpool Karaoke: The Songs Ed Sheeran Performed on the Show – Conor Maynard

Comments are closed.

Writing a Character Analysis Essay | Step-by-Step Guide

I’m also going to give you a ton of examples.

This post is split into four parts for easy navigation:

• What is a Character Analysis Essay?
• What is the best Format to Use?
• 11 Character Analysis Example Ideas
• Template, Checklist and Outline for Your own Piece

In this post, I’m going to explain to you clearly and in a step-by-step way how to conduct a character analysis.

1. What is a Character Analysis Essay?

Let’s get you started with some really simple details about what a character analysis is:

• A Quick Definition: A character analysis essay zooms-in on a character in a book, movie or even real life. It provides what we sometimes call a ‘sketch’ of a character.
• The Purpose of a Character Analysis: The purpose of a character analysis is to reveal interesting details about the character that might contain a broader moral message about the human condition. For example, Atticus Finch is not just a lawyer in To Kill a Mockingbird. Rather, he provides us with a moral message about the importance of doing what you believe is right even though you know you will likely fail.

2. What is the best Character Analysis Essay Format?

Character analysis essays do not have just one format.

However, let me offer some advice that might act as a character analysis essay outline or ‘checklist’ of possible things you could discuss:

1. Start with the Simple Details.

You can start a character analysis by providing a simple, clear description of who your character is. Look at some basic identity traits such as:

• Race (if relevant)
• Social class (if relevant)
• Protagonist or Antagonist? A protagonist is the character who is our central character in the plot; the antagonist is often the protagonist’s opponent or challenger.
• Major or minor character?

2. What are the character’s distinctive personality features?

Your character might have some really clearly identifiable character traits. It’s best to highlight in your character analysis the exact traits that this character possesses. Some common character traits include:

I recommend you take a moment to write down what you think the top 3 to 5 words are that you’d use to explain your character’s personality traits. These will be important to discuss throughout your character analysis.

Sometimes a character may start out with some personality traits, but change over the course of the text. This is quite common; and one clear example of this is Lady Macbeth she deteriorates from a cutthroat power player to a guilt ridden shell of a person roaming the halls of the castle. This dramatic character change is something that makes her very interesting, and is worthy of discussion!

3. What are the character’s key relationships?

Does your character have a close relationship with a certain person in the storyline?

You might want to discuss the character’s relationships as a part of your character analysis. These relationships may reveal some key personality traits of your character.

For example, in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Horatio is the loyal offsider to Hamlet. Through his actions in staying by Hamlet through thick and thin, we learn that he is a deeply loyal character.

Examining the character’s relationships with their friends and foes therefore is very useful for digging deeper into who this character actually is, and what personality traits they have when they are put to the test within the narrative.

4. What are the character’s motivations?

Another thing you might want to examine are the character’s motivations . What do they desire most in the world? Some common motivations for characters in stories are:

• A simple life
• To serve others

This list really could be endless, but I hope the above examples give you a bit of an idea of the sorts of traits to look out for. By mentioning and examining the motivations of the character, we will come closer and closer to learning exactly what moral message this character might be able to tell us.

5. What are the character’s key conflicts?

Stories tend to have a beginning, a complication, and a resolution.

The complication involves conflicts and challenges that need to be overcome. For Edmund in Narnia, it’s cowardice. For Romeo and Juliet, it’s the conflict between love and family loyalty. Here’s some other common conflicts for characters:

• Whether to stay loyal to a friend;
• To overcome obstacles to love;
• To seek a way out of a challenging situation;
• To escape war or poverty;
• To persevere through imprisonment;
• To overcome personal fear

Again, this list is endless.

Knowing the character’s core conflict gets us even closer to knowing the moral that the character is trying to teach us.

For example, in Romeo and Juliet, the challenge of Romeo and Juliet being together despite their families’ objections teaches us something. Personally, I believe it teaches us the importance of letting go of old grudges in order to let love bloom.

This moral lesson was taught to us through conflict: namely, the conflict that Romeo and Juliet were right in the center of.

6. What are the character’s epiphanies?

Sometimes a character has an epiphany. This often happens towards the end of the story and helps the character overcome the challenge or conflict that we discussed in the point above.

Here’s an example of an epiphany:

• In the Lion King, Simba runs away from his tribe to live in exile. After a chance encounter with his childhood friend Nala, he has an epiphany that he has a duty to his tribe. This leads him back home to fight Scar and return freedom to Pride Rock.

Not all characters have an epiphany. But, if they do, I strongly encourage you to write about it in your character analysis.

7. Examine the moral message the character teaches us.

Finally, conclude by examining the moral message behind the character. Nearly every character has something to teach the reader. Authors put a lot of thought into creating complex characters with whom we can relate. We relate to the character and say “wow, they taught me a lesson about something!”

The lesson might be something like:

• Money doesn’t buy happiness;
• Loyalty to family comes above all else;
• Love gives life meaning;
• Honesty is always the best policy

This is the core of your character analysis essay. If you can pick out exactly what moral message the character teaches you, you’ll be well on your way to writing a strong character analysis.

Below I’m going to give you some examples to help you out. I know it can be hard to really get your head around a character, so sometimes the best thing is to look at some samples!

3. Here’s 13 Example Character Analysis Essay Ideas.

Most times when we create a character analysis, we’re exploring the deeper moral stories / aspects of humanity. Here’s some example ideas. I’ve tried to outline in less than a paragraph exactly what your key point will be about each character:

• Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird: A character who teaches us a lesson about standing up for what’s right, even if you know you’re likely to lose.
• Huckleberry Finn from Huckleberry Finn: A character who reveals our inner desire for freedom from the elements of society that constrain us.
• Dudley from Harry Potter: A character whose personality tells us a cautionary tale of the perils of middle-class narcissism, parents’ desire to wrap their children in cotton wool, and the lack of discipline we perceive in contemporary childhoods.
• Jack from Lord of the Flies: A character who represents the innate desire for power that seems to lurk not too far from the surface of the human condition. When social structures are stripped away, he quickly reverts to violence and superstition to assert control over his peers.
• Lady Macbeth from Macbeth: Lady Macbeth teaches us a valuable lesson about the perils of contravening our own morality. She starts out a cutthroat killer but is increasingly consumed by the guilt of her own actions. While we may be able to escape full punishment from outside forces, it is the inner guilt that might eat us away to our last.
• The Boy who Cried Wolf: The boy who cried wolf is a character whose fatal flaw is his desire for attention and adulation. His repeated attempts at gaining the attention of others leads the townspeople to no longer take him seriously, which causes him harm when he actually needs the villagers to take him seriously to save his life. He teaches us the virtue of honest and humility.
• Nick Carraway from the Great Gatsby: Nick shows us all the inner conflict between the trappings of wealth, glamor and spectacle; and the desire for simplicity, honesty and community. He is drawn by the dazzling world of East Egg, New York, but by the end of the novel sees live in East Egg as shallow and lacking the moral depth of his former life in small town Minnesota.
• Alice from Alice in Wonderland: In many ways, Alice represents the child within all of us. She is a character of goodwill to all and who looks upon the world (or, rather, Wonderland) with awe. Travelling with a cadre of flawed characters, she learns with them the importance of seeking strength from within.
• The Nurse in Romeo and Juliet: Like many Shakespearian characters, the nurse’s role is both as loyal confidante to a central character and comic relief. Shakespeare uses minor characters to regale his crowd and sustain viewer interest between scenes.
• Lucy in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Lucy represents a surprising character whose youthfulness and small stature make her an underrated character by all around her. Nonetheless, she possesses within the bravery and loyalty necessary to carry out the quest for Aslan. Lucy represents the goodness in children and, by extension, all of mankind.
• Anne in Anne of Green Gables: Anne occupies the typical literary role of young girls in many classical novels: she represents innocence and wonder, and her contraventions of rules are seen through a prism of childhood innocence. This frames Anne not as a deviant but as a precious soul.
• Simba from The Lion King: Simba’s story follows his struggle with growing up, embracing his destiny and duty to his family, or fleeing towards freedom and a ‘no worries’ lifestyle. Simba flees Pride Rock and goes through an existential crisis with his existentialist friends Timon and Pumba. When he runs into an old childhood friend, he realizes how shallow his new carefree life has become and reflects upon his obligation to his community back home.
• Woody from Toy Story: Woody starts out Andy’s favorite toy, but when Andy gets a new flashier toy, Woody’s status amongst the toys falls apart. Woody’s key character challenge is to learn to be humble and inclusive living within the group. By the end of the movie, Woody realizes his duty to love and serve Andy is more important than his own status within the group.

4. Here’s an Example Template for your own Character Analysis Essay

Feel free to use this brainstorming template to get you started with your character analysis essay. I recommend filling out as many of these key points as you can, but remember sometimes you might have to skip some of these points if they’re not relevant to your character.

Once you’ve brainstormed the ideas in Table 1, follow the character analysis essay outline in Table 2 to stay on track for your character analysis essay. Do remember though that each assignment will be different and you should adjust it based on your teacher’s requirements.

Here’s Table 1, which is a brainstorming template for your character analysis essay:

And here’s Table 2, which is an example character analysis essay outline. This is for a 1500 word character analysis essay. Change the word count according to how long your essay should be:

Read Also: 39 Better Ways to Write ‘In Conclusion’ in an Essay

Character analyses can be really tough. You need to know your character really well. You might even need to re-read (or watch) your book or movie a few times over to get to know the character really well.

I recommend when you re-read or re-watch the text before you write your character analysis, have the checklist I provided above handy and take notes. Then, use the essay outline I provided above to put all of those notes together into a clear and thorough final character analysis essay.

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 5 Top Tips for Succeeding at University
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 50 Durable Goods Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 100 Consumer Goods Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 30 Globalization Pros and Cons

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

How to Write a Character Analysis Essay

A character analysis essay is a challenging type of essay students usually write for literature or English courses. In this article, we will explain the definition of character analysis and how to approach it. We will also touch on how to analyze characters and guide you through writing character analysis essays.

Typically, this kind of writing requires students to describe the character in the story's context. This can be fulfilled by analyzing the relationship between the character in question and other personas. Although, sometimes, giving your personal opinion and analysis of a specific character is also appropriate.

Let's explain the specifics of how to do a character analysis by getting straight to defining what is a character analysis. Our term paper writers will have you covered with a thorough guide!

What Is a Character Analysis Essay?

The character analysis definition explains the in-depth personality traits and analyzes characteristics of a certain hero. Mostly, the characters are from literature, but sometimes other art forms, such as cinematography. In a character analysis essay, your main job is to tell the reader who the character is and what role they play in the story. Therefore, despite your personal opinion and preferences, it is really important to use your critical thinking skills and be objective toward the character you are analyzing. A character analysis essay usually involves the character's relationship with others, their behavior, manner of speaking, how they look, and many other characteristics.

Although it's not a section about your job experience or education on a resume, sometimes it is appropriate to give your personal opinion and analysis of a particular character.

What Is the Purpose of a Character Analysis Essay

More than fulfilling a requirement, this type of essay mainly helps the reader understand the character and their world. One of the essential purposes of a character analysis essay is to look at the anatomy of a character in the story and dissect who they are. We must be able to study how the character was shaped and then learn from their life. 

A good example of a character for a character analysis essay is Daisy Buchanan from 'The Great Gatsby.' The essay starts off by explaining who Daisy is and how she relates to the main character, Jay Gatsby. Depending on your audience, you need to decide how much of the plot should be included. If the entire class writes an essay on Daisy Buchanan, it is logical to assume everyone has read the book. Although, if you know for certain that your audience has little to no knowledge of who she is, it is crucial to include as much background information as possible. 

After that, you must explain the character through certain situations involving her and what she said or did. Make sure to explain to the reader why you included certain episodes and how they have showcased the character. Finally, summarize everything by clearly stating the character's purpose and role in the story. 

We also highly recommend reading how to write a hook for an essay .

Still Need Help with Your Character Analysis Essay?

Different types of characters.

To make it clear how a reader learns about a character in the story, you should note that several characters are based on their behaviors, traits, and roles within a story. We have gathered some of them, along with vivid examples from famous literature and cinema pieces:

Types of Characters

• Major : These are the main characters; they run the story. Regularly, there are only one or two major characters. Major characters are usually of two types: the protagonist – the good guy, and the antagonist: the bad guy or the villain. 
• Protagonist (s) (heroes): The main character around whom most of the plot revolves. 

For example, Othello from Shakespeare's play, Frodo from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Harry Potter from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, and Elizabeth Bennet from 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen.

• Antagonist (s): This is the person that is in opposition to the protagonist. This is usually the villain, but it could also be a natural power, set of circumstances, majestic being, etc. 

For example, Darth Vader from the Star Wars series by George Lucas, King Joffrey from Game of Thrones, or the Wicked Queen from 'Snow White and Seven Dwarfs.'

• Minor : These characters help tell the major character's tale by letting them interact and reveal their personalities, situations, and/or stories. They are commonly static (unchanging). The minor characters in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien would be the whole Fellowship of the ring. In their own way, each member of the Fellowship helps Frodo get the ring to Mordor; without them, the protagonist would not be a protagonist and would not be able to succeed. In the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, minor characters are Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. They consistently help Harry Potter on his quests against Voldemort, and, like Frodo, he wouldn't have succeeded without them.

On top of being categorized as a protagonist, antagonist, or minor character, a character can also be dynamic, static, or foil.

• Dynamic (changing): Very often, the main character is dynamic.

An example would also be Harry Potter from the book series by J.K. Rowling. Throughout the series, we see Harry Potter noticing his likeness to Voldemort. Nevertheless, Harry resists these traits because, unlike Voldemort, he is a good person and resists any desire to become a dark wizard.

• Static (unchanging): Someone who does not change throughout the story is static.

A good example of a static character is Atticus Finch from “How to Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. His character and views do not change throughout the book. He is firm and steady in his beliefs despite controversial circumstances. 

• Foils : These characters' job is to draw attention to the main character(s) to enhance the protagonist's role.

‍ A great example of a foil charact e r is Dr. Watson from the Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle.

How to Analyze a Character 

While preparing to analyze your character, make sure to read the story carefully.

• Pay attention to the situations where the character is involved, their dialogues, and their role in the plot.
• Make sure you include information about what your character achieves on a big scale and how they influence other characters.
• Despite the categories above, try thinking outside the box and explore your character from around.
• Avoid general statements and being too basic. Instead, focus on exploring the complexities and details of your character(s).

How to Write a Character Analysis Essay?

To learn how to write a character analysis essay and gather a more profound sense of truly understanding these characters, one must completely immerse themself in the story or literary piece.

• Take note of the setting, climax, and other important academic parts.
• You must be able to feel and see through the characters. Observe how analysis essay writer shaped these characters into life.
• Notice how little or how vast the character identities were described.
• Look at the characters' morals and behaviors and how they have affected situations and other characters throughout the story.
• Finally, observe the characters whom you find interesting. 

Meanwhile, if you need help writing a paper, leave us a message ' write my paper .'

How Do You Start a Character Analysis Essay

When writing a character analysis essay, first, you have to choose a character you'd like to write about. Sometimes a character will be readily assigned to you. It's wise to consider characters who play a dynamic role in the story. This will captivate the reader as there will be much information about these personas.

Read the Story

You might think that if you already have read the book, there is no need to do so again; however, now that you know the character you would like to focus on, reading it again will have plenty of benefits. It will give you an opportunity to be more precise while reading the scenes that relate directly to your character and are important for his/her analysis. While reading the book, pay attention to every tiny detail to make sure you grasp the whole array of your character's traits. 

Consider the following things:

• What specific descriptions does the author provide for each character?

For example, when J.K. Rowling describes Harry Potter for the first time, she describes his clothes as old and oversized, his hair untidy, and his glasses as broken. It might seem just like a simple description, but she expresses compassion and pity for an orphan neglected by his only relatives. 

• What kinds of relationships does your character have with others?

Think about how Harry builds up his friendships with others. First, he and Ron do not like Hermione because she acts like a know-it-all, but when she gets stuck in the dungeons with a horrendous troll, he rushes to save her regardless. 

• How do the actions of the character move the plot forward?

In 'The Philosopher's Stone,' Harry is very observant of any events taking place at school. He analyzes people's actions, which builds up the plot around the stone and its importance for the magical world.

Get help with your character analysis from our experts.

Choose a Dynamic Character

Choosing a dynamic character is a great idea. This does not necessarily have to be the protagonist, but a character that undergoes many changes has grown throughout the story and is not boring and/or static. This gives you a perfect advantage to fully show the character and make your paper entertaining and engaging for the reader. If you choose a character that is not very dynamic, your essay might seem monotonous because your character will not end up doing much and will not be very involved in the story.

While you are reading, it is useful to take notes or highlight/underline any of the critical elements of the story. This will add depth to your character description(s). By providing vivid and specific examples, you connect your reader to the character, and the character comes alive in their eyes. Review your notes and formulate the main idea about your character when you're finished reading with your character in mind.

Make an initial draft while taking note of the character analysis essay outline provided by your instructor. You may follow the recommended character analysis essay format if you have not been provided with a sample.

Choose a Main Idea

While reading the story, make sure you keep track of your notes. It is a good idea to look at them, choose the ones that are the most representative of your character and find patterns. This will be your thesis. Then, you must support this idea with examples and situations involving your character. 

If your character were Jem Finch from 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee, the main idea would be how his personal character is shaped through racial conflicts, social inequalities, and internal struggles between public opinion, his own views, and what is actually right. Essaypro offers you history essay help. Leave us a notice if you need to proofread, edit, or write your essay.

Character Analysis Questions

Now that you have jotted down some main concepts about your character, here is a list of questions that can help you fill in the blanks you might still have:

• Where do the events involving your character take place?
• What are the relationships between your character and other significant characters?
• What is the primary change your character has gone through throughout the story?
• What is your character's background?
• What is your character's occupation?
• What kind of emotions does your character go through?
• What are your character's values?
• What is your character's value?
• Does your character have friends?
• Is there a lesson your character has learned by the end of the story?
• Does the character achieve the goals he/she has set for himself/herself?

Make a Character Analysis Essay Outline

When you're unsure how to write a character synopsis, remember that creating a literary analysis outline is one of the most critical steps. A well-constructed character analysis outline will keep your thoughts and ideas organized.

Character Analysis Essay Introduction:

Make the introduction to your paper brief and meaningful. It should hold together your entire essay and spark your audience's interest. Write a short description of the character in question. Don't forget to include a character analysis thesis statement which should make a case for the character's relevance within the narrative context.

Character Analysis Essay Body:

Subdivide your body paragraphs into different ideas or areas regarding the character. Look at your professor's rubric and ensure you'll be able to tackle all the requirements. You should also be provided with questions to be answered to formulate your analysis better. The body should answer the following questions:

• What is the character's physical appearance, personality, and background?
• What are the conflicts the character experiences, and how did he/she overcome them?
• What can we learn from this character?
• What is the meaning behind the character's actions? What motivates him/her?
• What does the character do? How does he/she treat others? Is he/she fair or unjust?
• What does the character say? What is his/her choice of words? Does he/she have a rich vocabulary?
• How does the character describe themself? How do others describe him/her?
• What words do you associate with the character? Perhaps a word like 'hope,' 'bravery,' or maybe even 'freedom'?

Character Analysis Essay Conclusion:

It's time to master the secrets of how to write character analysis essay conclusions. Your ending should also hold your ideas together and shape a final analysis statement. Mention things about the character's conflicts that we could experience in real life. Additionally, you can write about how a character should've reacted to a certain situation.

Character Analysis Essay Example

Read our blogs ‘Character Analysis of Jem Finch', 'The Great Gatsby Book Through Daisy Buchanan Character,' 'Analysis of Characters in Beowulf,' or simply use these character analysis essay examples to reference your paper. You might also be interested in a synthesis essay example .

Now that you know what is character analysis, it might be time to choose a character to write about. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to type ' do my homework for me ,' you should contact our writers. You also get a free plagiarism report, formatting, and citing when  buying an essay from us!

STRUGGLE with Writing an Essay?

Address to our professional writers and get help asap!

Related Articles

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Personal Growth and Development — Defining Moment in My Life

Defining Moment in My Life

• Categories: Education Goals Personal Growth and Development

About this sample

Words: 686 |

Published: Mar 20, 2024

Words: 686 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

The setting, the lasting effects.

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Dr. Karlyna PhD

Verified writer

• Expert in: Education Life

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

1 pages / 588 words

3 pages / 1267 words

1 pages / 621 words

2 pages / 694 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Personal Growth and Development

Advantages of living alone essay delves into the liberating and transformative experience of residing independently. Living alone provides individuals with a unique opportunity to embrace autonomy, personal growth, and [...]

Help.open.ac.uk. (2019). Friends and family: When study gets difficult - Help Centre - Open University. Available at: Jou

Kohlberg, Lawrence. 'The Philosophy of Moral Development: Moral Stages and the Idea of Justice.' Harper & Row, 1981.Rest, James R. 'Development in Judging Moral Issues.' University of Minnesota, 1979.Turiel, Elliot. 'The [...]

In the pursuit of personal development, there exists a powerful yet paradoxical notion: getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. This essay delves into the concept of stepping out of one's comfort zone and the [...]

Academic goals for college students are targets they set for themselves to achieve, which help them strive throughout their college journey. Although college can sometimes be challenging, I have set an academic goal to obtain my [...]

The Strengths Finder Analysis has revolutionized the field of personal and professional development by shifting the focus from weaknesses to strengths. By uncovering an individual's unique combination of talents, the analysis [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

How to Write a Character Analysis Essay: Examples & Outline

A character analysis is an examination of the personalities and actions of protagonists and antagonists that make up a story. It discusses their role in the story, evaluates their traits, and looks at their conflicts and experiences. You might need to write this assignment in school or college. Like any other essay, your character analysis should contain an introduction, a conclusion, and a thesis.

Our specialists will write a custom essay specially for you!

Want to know how to write a character analysis essay? Not sure how to start? We understand. Whichever piece you choose – Lady Macbeth, A Rose for Emily, or something else, – analyzing a character for the first time might be challenging. No worries, we are here to help! In this guide by our custom writing experts, you will find a step-by-step guide, outlining and writing tips, as well as a number of character analysis examples.

• 📔 Character Analysis Definition
• 🧙 Types of Characters
• 📝 Writing Guide
• 🖥️ Formatting Tips

📑 Character Analysis Essay Examples

📔 what is a character analysis essay.

A character analysis essay is an assignment where you evaluate a character’s traits, behaviors, and motivations. It requires critical thinking and attention to detail. Unlike descriptions, analyses focus on a character’s personality and internal drives. It explains how those factors shape the narrated events.

So, what you need to do is to see the characters as if they were real people who feel and act just as we do. Ensure there are no baseless assumptions and interpretations: the ideas you present should be supported by quotes from the text.

Character: Definition (Literature)

How do you define a character? It is a person, a creature, or an animal that makes up the story’s world. A character can be based on a real-life person, or it can be entirely fictional. It is someone who thinks, feels, and acts.

We use the word “character” in many different contexts. For instance, it can denote someone eccentric or worthy of our admiration. In both contexts, the term “character” means a distinctive personality. Similarly, in an analysis, your task is to show what makes a character stand out.

Just in 1 hour! We will write you a plagiarism-free paper in hardly more than 1 hour

Characterization: Literary Definition & Examples

Characterization is the process by which a character’s personality is revealed. It presents characters’ traits, feelings, and motives to the reader. For this reason, characterization is closely connected to character analysis. It helps us to understand the characters better throughout the reading process.

Characterization can be direct and indirect .

• Direct characterization is when the narrator directly tells the audience what the personality of a character is.
• In contrast, indirect characterization shows things that hint at a character’s nature.

Here are some examples of direct characterization taken from Patti Smith’s Just Kids :

“But he always suppressed his real feelings, mimicking the stoic nature of his father.”

Here we see a direct description of a character. The author straightforwardly talks about Robert’s feelings. In comparison, look at the description of a woman taken from John Steinbeck’s The Snake :

“He looked around at her again. Her dark eyes seemed veiled with dust. She looked without expression at the cat’s open throat.”

These lines don’t directly reveal anything about the woman, but the reader can understand that she is cold and dangerous. It’s an indirect characterization that focuses on looks and actions to convey the message to the reader.

Receive a plagiarism-free paper tailored to your instructions. Cut 20% off your first order!

🧙 Types of Characters for Your Essay

When it comes to characters, they can be divided into several groups. For example, characters can be:

• Protagonists or antagonists,
• Static or dynamic,
• Flat or round.

These types define how much the characters change through the course of the story and their role in it.

Character Type: Definition

In psychology, a character type is defined by a combination of personality traits that coexist in an individual. Authors incorporate different types of characters into their works to convey the message and make the story more exciting or relatable to the reader.

There are three ways to categorize a character type:

• by archetypes,
• by their role in the narrative,
• by their ability to change throughout the story.

If you are about to write a character analysis essay, being familiar with character archetypes is essential. They have been categorized by a generation of writers, including the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung and the American literary theorist Joseph Campbell. A lot of characters we see in today’s literary works are rooted in them.

Get an originally-written paper according to your instructions!

Archetypes include the Trickster, the Ruler, the Lover, the Sage, and others. The Hero is one of the most notable archetypes. Hercules or Achilles can be good examples of heroic protagonists. They are strong and courageous; they meet challenges and save the day by helping others.

Main Character: Definition & Examples

The main character and the protagonist often get mixed up. Most narratives also have the figure of the antagonist , whose actions affect the plot and stimulate change. Let’s have a look at the similarities and differences between these types.

The main character is central in the narrative. We experience the story through their eyes. They don’t necessarily have to be protagonists, though it happens in many cases.

The crucial difference between the main character and the protagonist is that the protagonist goes through changes throughout the story. The main character, however, is there to guide the reader through the experience. Often they help to show a different, darker side of the protagonist.

To understand the difference better, let’s turn to some examples.

What’s a Static Character?

Now that we’ve learned about the main character and the protagonist, we will closely look at other types of character classifications. One of the ways to categorize a character is by their ability to change throughout the story.

A static or simple character is someone who undergoes little or no significant changes. They often exist for comedic purposes. Here are some examples:

Complex Character: Definition & Examples

Complex or dynamic characters are the opposite of static characters. Characters of this type change as the book progresses. They display different qualities, emotions, and motives. They become more complicated and interesting to the reader as the story unfolds.

Check out these examples of dynamic characters:

Other Kinds of Characters

You already know about several ways to define a type of character. Now, let’s go over some other types, starting with flat and round characters.

Similar to dynamic and static ones, round and flat characters represent two different ends of a spectrum. Round characters usually come with an in-depth background. They are traditionally protagonists, antagonists, or those close to them. In contrast, flat characters are two-dimensional, and there is not much depth to them.

For the examples, we will turn to the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Finally, here are some bonus character types for you:

• Stock characters have a fixed set of traits and are flat. Most of the time, they exist for comical relief.
• Symbolic characters represent a concept or a theme that goes beyond them. They can be round and flat as long as they symbolize a particular notion or phenomena.
• Sidekick is a secondary character who supports the protagonist.
• The love interest is someone with whom the main character is infatuated.
• Foil is someone who’s set in contrast with the protagonist, thus putting more emphasis on the latter’s qualities.

Characterization Essay: Which Character Type to Choose

Before you start writing a paper, it essential to decide on the character you’re going to analyze. There are different types of characters in every story, so you need to choose which one suits your essay topic the best.

Usually, it’s best to choose a dynamic and round character . With static and flat ones, there may not be enough substance for you to analyze. However, some such personalities can be interesting to work with. For instance, a flat character such as Mr. Collins can be symbolic of something. Then, you can talk about how it embodies a specific idea or notion. You can also look at how they affect other characters in the story.

📝 How to Write a Character Analysis Step by Step

Now, we’re going to discuss how to write your paper step-by-step. But first, here are some pre-writing steps for you to consider:

• Choose a character for analysis.
• Take notes while reading;
• Define the type of the character and their role in the story;
• Pay attention to their descriptions and actions.

How to Analyze a Character: Description Examples

Knowing how to organize your work is an essential skill. Certain things need special attention if you are describing a character:

• physical appearance,
• emotional state,
• how the character speaks,
• behavior and personality traits,
• relationships with other characters.

When you analyze a character, try to look at them as if they were a real-life person. You want to know their motive, learn about how they feel, and understand why they think in a certain way. Ask yourself:

• How did the character change throughout the story (if at all)?
• What do other characters say about them? Can their words be trusted?
• Where is the character physically and emotionally? What brought them here?
• What is the character ready to do to achieve their goal?

Now, let’s look at the character of Franklin from the short story Just Before the War with the Eskimos by J.D. Salinger:

Character Profile Template for Writing

When writing your essay, use this character analysis template:

In the following sections, we’ll discuss each step in detail.

Character Analysis Outline: How to Start a Character Analysis

The beginning of your essay is its crucial part. It sets the mood and grabs the reader’s attention. There are many different ways to write a character analysis introduction, but here are the most effective ones:

• Use a quotation. It’s a great way to make a catchy hook. If it relates to the character and reflects their nature, it can also help to set the tone for analysis. In case you are using a quotation from somewhere else, mention the source in parentheses.
• Talk about the book or story. Mention the author, the name of the story, and the genre. Briefly describe the main events that are taking place in the story.
• Introduce the character. State their role in the story (define whether they are a protagonist, an antagonist, etc.) Then, explain whether the character is static or dynamic. Finally, describe them in 2-3 sentences.

The final part of an introduction is a thesis statement.Read on to learn how to write one!

Character Analysis Thesis Statement & Examples

A thesis is the key component of every essay, and character analysis is not an exception. It’s crucial to develop a good and clear thesis statement that includes all the aspects of your paper. For instance, if you plan to write a 4-paragraph body, including 4 points in your thesis.

What should a character analysis thesis include? Well, try to think of any trait that the character possesses that has to do with their downfall or somehow influences the story. Think about how this trait affects the character’s relationship with others or how it contributes to their motive or aspiration.

Take a look at the following examples:

How to Write Character Analysis Paragraphs for the Main Body

The main body of your essay can include as many paragraphs as you need. In this part, you introduce the character and analyze them. We have already talked in this article about what kind of questions should be answered in these paragraphs. The most important points are:

• Describe the character and their role within the story.
• Give the audience an explanation of the character’s motives.
• Show what message the author wanted to convey through this character.

Keep in mind that every paragraph should have a topic sentence that captures its main idea.

Tsukuru Tazaki’s spiritual rebirth also affects his physical appearance.

Character Analysis Conclusion: How to Write

The conclusion part of your essay summarizes all the information you have mentioned and restates the thesis. Here is some advice for your conclusion paragraph:

🖥️ Character Analysis Essay Format

Most college assignments and essays are written according to the APA or MLA format. Both styles have the same formatting, which requires:

• a double-spaced paper with 1-inch margins,
• a page header with page numbers flush right,
• an 11-12-point font.

While writing an essay on characters, pay special attention to quotations. Here are some tips for APA in-text citations:

• When you summarize or paraphrase the information, mention the author’s name and publication date in brackets. Example: According to Collins (1997.)
• When you quote directly from the source, add the number of the page, as well. Example: “There is a view that…” (Collins, 1997, pp. 134-135.)
• If the source includes three or more authors, use the abbreviation “et al.” after the first author’s name. Example: (Collins et al., 1997)

As for MLA format:

• You can write the author’s name in the sentence. Example: As Collins mentions in his essay<…>.
• You can mention the author’s name in the parentheses at the end of the sentence. Example: (Collins, J.K.)
• The last option is to use either footnotes or endnotes.

Below you’ll find a collection of character analysis essay examples and a downloadable sample to inspire you even more.

• The Grandmother in A Good Man Is Hard to Find: Character Analysis
• Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman: Character Analysis
• Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway: Character Analysis
• Prospero in The Tempest: Character Analysis
• Agamemnon in the Iliad: Character Analysis
• Lord Pococurante in Candide: Character Analysis
• Andromache in the Iliad: Character Analysis
• Character Analysis of the Knight from The Canterbury Tales
• Essay on Soldier’s Home: Analysis of the Characters

Character Analysis Example (Downloadable)

Roald Dahl’s  Matilda  is one of the most famous children’s novels of the 20th century. The protagonist of this tale is Matilda Wormwood, a five and a half-year-old girl with a brilliant and lively mind that distances her from the rest of the family. Matilda’s character is particularly interesting as she has a powerful personality with extraordinary mental abilities, and she manages to overcome all the obstacles that surround her.

Character Analysis Essay Topics

• Character analysis of Abbas from A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge .
• Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
• Beowulf and Hamlet : similarity and diversity of the characters.
• Personal and social failures of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.
• Character analysis of Othello .
• Analyze the characters of Stanley and Blanche from A Streetcar Named Desire .
• The tragedy of Mathilde Loisel from The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant.
• Character analysis of Huck Finn from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn .
• Moral force of Kate Lipton from Double Helix by Nancy Parker.
• Character analysis of Thorvald and Nora in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House .
• Discuss the character of king Creon in Antigone .
• Analyze the personality of Lydia from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice .
• Compare Nick Carraway and Tom Buchanan from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
• Describe the peculiarities of Lord Pococurante in Candide .
• Sarty Snopes in William Faulkner’s Barn Burning : character analysis.
• Analyze the character of Biff Loman in Death of a Salesman.
• Personality of Nora in A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen.
• Examine the main characters of The Yellow Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
• Personality change of the main character in Edgar Alan Poe’s The Black Cat .
• Analyze the characters of E. Hemingway’s A Clean, Well-Lighted Place .
• Describe the main characters of the novel The Overstory by Richard Powers.
• Controversial personality of Vladek in Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman.
• Character analysis of Victor Frankenstein in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley .
• Discuss the character of Creon in Oedipus the King .
• The manipulative character of Iago in Willian Shakespeare’s Othello .
• Analyze the characters of Nil and Kristine in A Doll’s House .
• Eccentricity of Grendel’s character in Beowulf .
• Describe the main characters of Four Summers by Joyce Carol Oates.
• Examine the characters of Harold Krebs and his mother in Ernest Hemingway’s Soldier’s Home .
• Analyze common and different traits of the characters in The Monkey’s Paw .
• Character peculiarities of Rostam and Sohrab in Shahnameh by Ferdowsi Tousi.
• How does the character of Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen differ from the rest of her family?
• The behavior and meaning of the characters in Nicholas Rowe’s The Tragedy of Jane Shore.
• Compare the characters of Victor Frankenstein and the monster in Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley.
• Discuss the differences of main characters in Everyday Use by Alice Walker.
• Examine the character of Connie in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been by Joyce Carol Oates.
• The influence of social pressure on the characters of Chopin’s Desirée’s Baby and Sedaris’ A Modest Proposal .
• Dynamic feminist characters of Delia and Jig in Sweat by Z. Hurston and Hills Like White Elephants by E. Hemingway.
• Analyze the personality traits of Emily in William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily .
• Examine the characters of The Quiet American by Graham Greene.
• Henry ΙV by William Shakespeare : analysis of main characters.

Now you know everything necessary for writing an excellent character analysis. What character would you like to analyze? Let us know in the comments!

Further reading:

• How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay Step by Step
• Literature Review Outline: Examples, Approaches, & Templates
• Library Research Paper: Example & Writing Guide [2024]
• How to Write a Critique Paper: Tips + Critique Essay Examples
• 435 Literary Analysis Essay Topics and Prompts [2024 Upd]
• How to Write a Literature Review: Actionable Tips & Links

❓ Character Analysis FAQ

A character analysis involves:

1. description of a character; 2. explanation of how they change throughout the story; 3. their role in the narrative; 4. relationships with other characters; 5. what idea the author wanted to convey through the character.

A character analysis creates a description that contains their most important qualities. It provides a new perspective of a character that reveals more about what it’s like to be human. It can also point to a moral or a lesson.

Literary analysis uses the technique of tracing the character development. This technique is usually used to understand the theme of the work better. Through tracing a character’s development, we can learn more about the story’s message and how it’s conveyed.

A summary paragraph in a character study should include answers to the questions “what,” “who,” “where,” and “why.” You should mention who narrates the story, where the story is set, its theme, and the message it conveys.

• Critical Concepts: Character and Characterization: Kansas State University
• Analyzing Novels & Short Stories: Texas A&M University
• Guidelines for Writing a Character Analysis Essay: Tidewater Communite College
• Literary Criticism: Thesis Examples: The University of Texas at Arlington
• Writing a Literary Analysis Paper: Germanna Community College
• Flat and Round Characters: Encyclopedia Britannica
• Literature: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• How to Write a Book Analysis: Kean University
• Elements of Literary Analysis: Alamo Colleges District
• Defining Characterization: Read Write Think
• APA Style: General Format: Purdue University
• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to LinkedIn
• Share to email

Any critique is nothing more than critical analysis, and the word “analysis” does not have a negative meaning. Critical writing relies on objective evaluations of or a response to an author’s creation. As such, they can be either positive or negative, as the work deserves. To write a critique, you...

If you are assigned to write a rhetorical analysis essay, you have one significant advantage. You can choose a text from an almost infinite number of resources. The most important thing is that you analyze the statement addressed to an audience. The task of a rhetorical analysis essay is to...

Any literary analysis is a challenging task since literature includes many elements that can be interpreted differently. However, a stylistic analysis of all the figurative language the poets use may seem even harder. You may never realize what the author actually meant and how to comment on it! While analyzing...

As a student, you may be asked to write a book review. Unlike an argumentative essay, a book review is an opportunity to convey the central theme of a story while offering a new perspective on the author’s ideas. Knowing how to create a well-organized and coherent review, however, is...

The difference between an argumentative and persuasive essay isn’t always clear. If you’re struggling with either style for your next assignment, don’t worry. The following will clarify everything you need to know so you can write with confidence. First, we define the primary objectives of argumentative vs. persuasive writing. We...

You don’t need to be a nerd to understand the general idea behind cause and effect essays. Let’s see! If you skip a meal, you get hungry. And if you write an essay about it, your goal is achieved! However, following multiple rules of academic writing can be a tough...

An argumentative essay is a genre of academic writing that investigates different sides of a particular issue. Its central purpose is to inform the readers rather than expressively persuade them. Thus, it is crucial to differentiate between argumentative and persuasive essays. While composing an argumentative essay, the students have to...

It’s not a secret that the reader notices an essay title first. No catchy hook or colorful examples attract more attention from a quick glance. Composing a creative title for your essay is essential if you strive to succeed, as it: Thus, how you name your paper is of the...

The conclusion is the last paragraph in your paper that draws the ideas and reasoning together. However, its purpose does not end there. A definite essay conclusion accomplishes several goals: Therefore, a conclusion usually consists of: Our experts prepared this guide, where you will find great tips on how to...

A five-paragraph essay is one of the most common academic assignments a student may face. It has a well-defined structure: an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Writing an introduction can be the most challenging part of the entire piece. It aims to introduce the main ideas and present...

Exemplification essays, also called illustration essays, are one of the easiest papers to write. However, even the simplest tasks require experience and practice. It is a good idea to find and analyze free exemplification essay examples. You can also ask your teacher to give you some sample exemplification essays from...

During their school years, students may not always have the opportunity to select a topic for their essay or research paper. Instructors tend to assign one or offer a list of ideas that might not seem engaging. Moreover, even the topic that you choose yourself can sometimes end up being...

• Free Samples
• Premium Essays
• Editing Services Editing Proofreading Rewriting
• Extra Tools Essay Topic Generator Thesis Generator Citation Generator GPA Calculator Study Guides Donate Paper
• Essay Writing Help
• About Us About Us Testimonials FAQ
• Studentshare
• People Come Across Defining Moments

People Come Across Defining Moments - Essay Example

• Subject: Sociology
• Type: Essay
• Level: High School
• Pages: 3 (750 words)
• Downloads: 34
• Author: gutkowskidamian

Extract of sample "People Come Across Defining Moments"

During my senior year in high school, I had defining moment for myself. I had hoped and dreamed to become a sports prefect, and it was a highly regarded position in my high school. This was my dream for my high school sports career, and it was the high goal I set for myself to achieve. I felt that through hard work, dedication, and perseverance, I could fulfill this dream.

However, my dream was cut short, and an unfortunate reality sunk in I was utterly disappointed when the position I had long sought after was given to somebody else, I could not believe I had not received it.  I was extremely upset and felt like I deserved the honor, not the person who everyone else must have thought deserved it, and most of all I was angry with myself. “Had I not been good enough, and had the work I have not been enough for this honor?” I asked myself. Ever since the first moment, I stepped foot inside the doors of the high school, I devoted my soul to these sports, and now I felt as if everything I worked for was for naught. It was as if all the hard work, time, and passion I had given to this sporting family was for nothing, and I felt unappreciated and unwanted. I felt this was extremely unfair, and was not happy with this decision at all.

Ironically, however, my team support, support for the coaches, and even the perfect elect became all the more strong. I learned and tried to show that it wasn’t all about the title and that I was there to devote myself fully to the team, and I continued to do so. That was the real reason I had worked all those years, and I continued to let my hard work and dedication shine. Perfect or not, I was still going to give one hundred and ten percent of myself to the team I had grown to love. I had shown this team the kind of person I was, and the tough stuff I was made of, and I wasn’t going to let one little bump in the road offset my love for the team.

This hard work finally was noticed one day in the second semester. It was then, that my Coach told me something I could not believe. He told me that he regretted not making me the sports prefect! I was so happy and felt appreciated again. Nobody expected me to keep giving all I had to the team, and in my determination to do so, my love for the sport came through to people even more. I did work that was not my responsibility, and because of this, my heart and spirit came out. As I continued to keep working hard, this became noticeable, as I found out when my coach talked to me.

During the next semester, I had another shocking surprise. I was walking down the hall and saw my name posted on the notice board for receiving an award. This was two weeks before the year’s speech and award ceremony, and I couldn’t believe my name was up there for an award. I was a little excited and wondered what award I was receiving. I got slightly excited as well, wondering exactly what honorable award was to be bestowed on me. Later that day my coach told me I was receiving the best all-around student award, on behalf of my extreme dedication to the team, as well as my good academic standings. I was so excited to finally see all my hard work pay off and be appreciated.

I feel I learned a lot throughout this experience, and I think that award means more to me than Prefect ever could, because I worked hard, and learned that through hard work I can achieve and soar to any dream I want. The feeling I felt when my coach talked to me, and when I got to walk up and receive the award is a feeling I will remember for the rest of my life. Stepping up to receive that award, I finally felt all my dreams come true, and my passion and love for everything I had worked for came together. I feel this was my defining life moment, and had the greatest effect on the person I am today.

• manifesto for boys prefect
• Cited: 3 times
• Copy Citation Citation is copied Copy Citation Citation is copied Copy Citation Citation is copied

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF People Come Across Defining Moments

Performance analysis between told by and idiots, fashion designs by gabrielle coco chanel, power and social movements, jules and jim and the 400 blows - changes introduced by french new wave cinematic movement, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants first must be your slave, street photography - witness fleeting life moments, contemporary online practices to enhance digital memory, the application of circuit of culture theory in oprah winfreys social cause.

• TERMS & CONDITIONS
• PRIVACY POLICY
• COOKIES POLICY

Andre Cardoso

(415) 397-1966

Finished Papers

1(888)499-5521

1(888)814-4206

Finished Papers

• Our process

We suggest our customers use the original top-level work we provide as a study aid and not as final papers to be submitted in class. Order your custom work and get straight A's.

Calculate the price

Minimum Price

Finished Papers

"The impact of cultural..."

Meeting Deadlines

We hire a huge amount of professional essay writers to make sure that our essay service can deal with any subject, regardless of complexity. Place your order by filling in the form on our site, or contact our customer support agent requesting someone write my essay, and you'll get a quote.

Customer Reviews

Sharing Educational Goals

Our cheap essay service is a helping hand for those who want to reach academic success and have the perfect 4.0 GPA. Whatever kind of help you need, we will give it to you.

Jam Operasional (09.00-17.00)

+62 813-1717-0136 (Corporate)                                      +62 812-4458-4482 (Recruitment)

Andre Cardoso