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Essay on My Family

List of essays on my family, essay on my family – short essay for kids in english (essay 1 – 250 words), essay on my family – for children (essay 2 – 300 words), essay on my family – paragraph (essay 3 – 400 words), essay on my family –topics (essay 4 – 500 words), essay on my family (essay 5 – 500 words), essay on my family – why i love my family (essay 6 – 500 words), essay on my family – for school students (class 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 standard) (essay 7 – 500 words), essay on my family (essay 8 – 750 words), essay on my family – long essay (essay 9 – 1000 words).

A family is one of the greatest gift god has given to all living creatures on the earth including humans. It is a privilege to have a happy family as not everyone in the world has it.

The joy of living with your parents, fighting with your siblings over petty can just make you smile the moment you think of it. In order to inculcate the values of a family in the students, we have composed some short essays for students.

These essays are suited for students of all ages and classes. Not only these essays shall give an insight on how a family should be but shall also enrich the students with the moral values of a family.

Audience: The below given essays are exclusively written for kids, children and school students.

Family is important to every one of us and we all love our family. Wherever we go in this world and whatever we may achieve, our heart and soul will always be in our home because it is where our beautiful family is. Nothing in this world can be stronger than the bonding of the blood . The members of the same family may have differences of opinions, may quarrel often for silly things but in spite of all these it is our family that supports us during our ups and downs.

As the saying goes, “ Family is the best thing you could ever wish for. They are there for you during the ups and downs and love you no matter what”.

Contrary to this saying, we cannot choose our family as we choose our friends. But I can say that I’m blessed with a wonderful family. My family is very small with four members – my mother, my father, my elder sister and me. My family is a middle class family and my father is officially the bread winner of our family. My mother supports him financially by taking tuitions for school children.

We do not have much money or wealth but what my family has in abundance is love for each other which cannot be replaced by anything else in this world. My father and my mother are the role models to my sister and me. They struggle a lot to give us a better life. More than anything they have taught us discipline and morals of life which is helping us to lead our lives in a righteous path even today.

I cannot ask anything more to God since he has already showered me with my family which I treasure the most every second and will safeguard even in the future.

The family is a valuable god gift which plays a most crucial role in every individual’s life. I love my family very much because all of my family members stand in my good as well as bad times. From moral teachings to love and support, my family has always helped me without any demand. There is no doubt that we experience our biggest triumphs when we really connect to them.

My family is like a strong pillar for me, on which I can rely blindly anytime I require support. From my family, I have learned the social graces of loyalty & cooperation.

My family consists of my grandfather, my grandmother, my mother, my father, two young sisters and myself. My grandparents are the pillars of my family and my grandfather is the head of my family. He is the one whose decision relating to any matter is final and all of us do respect it.

Right from my childhood, my family members have prepared me for the challenges that I’ll face in the years ahead. In addition to this, all of my family members help and serve each other at times of need. These qualities that I have learnt from my family has helped me to shape my adult life in a right manner.

I am really very attached to my grandfather. He holds an excellent life experience because he has already faced so many ups and downs. My Grandfather has helped me to build my perception & vision towards society.

My family has always been there to motivate and encourage me to overcome all difficulties in life and achieve success. The role of every member in my family is unique and important in their own way. I thank God that I have grown up in a family full of love and discipline. My family values will definitely help me in becoming a better person.

A person without family and its love never becomes completely happy in his/her life. I am complete and happy with my family that includes five members. My family is a group of five including me, father, mother, brother, and sister. Family bonding is a unique type of love that gives you every lesson needed to live a harmonious life.

Growing under the supervision of a caring and loving family will increase our social values and overall well-being. Each member of my family carries out equal responsibility in sculpting the strong bonding needed for a better future and develop moral importance in each other.

My father owns a successful business of office stationery store. He uses the money to cover all our expenses and give a better lifestyle to the family. He works hard day and night to get us better education, food, home, etc. He hides all his tiredness when he comes home after a long day to spend quality time with us.

My mother is a talented homemaker who also does a part-time tailoring at home. She does all her duties with at most interest, from taking care of us to all the household chores and finds time to pursue her passion as well. She is a multi-tasker and does all the tasks from helping us in our studies to preparing delicious healthy foods to sculpt us into a better human being.

My brother is an engineering graduate and does a job in a well-known company. He is my best well-wisher and helps me in all ups and downs. My sister is also an engineering graduate and an employee in an IT company. She always finds time to help me with all my difficulties and she is my secret keeper too.

My family is a lifeline to whom I can run to, whatever may be the situation I am facing. My family guides me to be a good person and help me in nurturing good values. We, humans, are animals that live together spreading love and care for each other, and this togetherness is called family. The absence of such a divine bonding make us equal to animals.

Family value and growing in such a caring surrounding helps me to pass all the struggles and hardships that I face in my daily life. Whatever be the situation we are facing, our family will never leave us alone. My family is a blessing for me and I value everyone in my family with equal respect and love.

Most of the people in the world are blessed with having a family. A family, with whom you can share all your joys and sorrows, who is there to guide you through your growing years, who stands by you in the toughest of the situations. I too am blessed to have such a family.

My family is one the most bizarre family in the world. We are four people, my mother, my father, my younger brother and me. While my father is the one who does work for a living, it is my mother who is the boss of the house. My father is a humble person. He is an officer in a government department. My mother is a housewife. It is our mother who takes care of our studies as our father is often busy with his official assignments and even travels for days together. We just miss him when he is not at home.

He never scolds us. But, our mother is just the opposite. She wants us to remain disciplined and we often get scolded by her. However, our father comes to our rescue most of the times. My brother, still in school is the one with whom I love to spend my time the most. Not because I love to play with him, but because, being the elder sister, I enjoy instructing him and showing him who is more powerful at home. He, at a time, seems so helpless when our mother says to obey his sister. I just love that moment. But not all days are the same. I hate having to study all along while he gets to play more than me.

The Atmosphere in my Family:

We largely have a peaceful atmosphere at home. After school, our time is spent on studying, playing and watching television, which of course our mother does not like. Unlike other couples, my mother and father seldom have a fight. In fact, as soon we see an argument brewing up, one of them just withdraws and it is just rare to see a heated conversation between them. This is what I like the most about them as I feel that my parents are so cool. It is only me and brother who love to fight with each other.

However, we know that behind those fights, it is actually our love for each other which binds us together. I just enjoy being at home spending time with my parents and my brother. I just feel how bad it would be when tomorrow I and my brother shall move on for our professional lives and we shall not be able to spend much time together. However, it is the memories of today which shall be with me forever and will bring a smile on my face anytime when I feel low.

The Importance of a Family:

A family is said to be the first school of a child. It is from here you start to learn how to speak, walk and interact with the world. It is important to value the importance of a family in one’s life. At times, people feel that they are grown-ups and that their parent’s advice does not matter anymore, but that is not true. It is the elders of the family who at any given of time would know the world better than us and we should all respect our family members and love our siblings as well. It is the family who builds our character and we should feel fortunate to have a family around us.

Introduction

My family values are what I take so dear to my heart because they have made me what I am today and I plan on passing these great values to my children in future. Every family has those things, acts and values that they hold in high esteem and they cherish so much. These vales have become a part of them: most times, it is what distinguishes the traits in each family and in some ways it makes or mars the future of the family members. Same applies to my family, we have some set values that has become a part of us and it has made my life a lot better because I have become a better person who is not only valuable to himself but also to the society at large. I will be sharing some of these values with you.

My Family Values:

Some of my family values include:

1. Honesty:

This is a principle that is highly protected in my family. My dad has this saying that, “honesty is the best policy.” Ever since I was little, my family has taught me how to be honest and the benefits that lie within. Sometimes, my parents even test us in ways we were not expecting and a reward is given to the person that comes out honest. This is one of my family values that I cherish so much and I am proud that it is what my family hold in high esteem.

2. Kindness to Others:

This is not a common trait to all. My mom has this belief that if the world and everybody in it shows love and kindness to one another, there will be no hatred and wars will be eradicated. This is a family value that we cherish so much. I learnt to show love to everybody. Even when we did not have much, my parents will still give to those who are needy. My dad says that the world is like a river, we would eventually flow into one another later and you do not know the future, the person you helped today might eventually be of help to you tomorrow.

3. Education:

This is a value that has been passed from generation to generation in my family. My dad would say that education is the best legacy you can give to a child. My family does everything in their capacity for you to get a sound and benefitting education. The acquisition of knowledge is also quite important. All of us try to gain more and more knowledge because we all have a family slogan that says “knowledge is power and that power makes me a hero.”

4. Dress and Appearance:

This is a religious value we cherish in my family. My dad would say that you are addressed the way you dress. I do not want to be address wrongly and give out a wrong impression. So, our appearance really matter a lot to us and the way we dress.

Conclusion:

Every family has one thing or the other that they hold in high esteem and tend to pass on from generation to generation. This is what makes a family a united sect not because we are related by blood but because of we share the same values.

Introduction:

Why I love my family is a question that has been floating through my mind for a very long time because no matter how hard I try to pin out a reason why I love them, I just can’t find one. This can be due to fact that they mean the whole world to me and I will do anything for them. I love my family a lot and I would like to share some of the reasons why I love my family and will never trade them for anything.

Why I Love My Family:

I have a family that consists of 6 people: my father, my mother and four children which includes me. For you to understand why I love my family I will tell you a little about each of them and why I love them so much.

My father is the best father in the world: well, that’s what I say. He is a business manager. I look up to my father a lot because I will like to take a lot of his behaviours and make it mine. He taught me to be contented with whatever I have. We did not have much when I was growing up; my dad lost his job and still did not allow anything of the pressure change how he behaved to us at home. He is caring, gentle, accommodating and disciplined.

My mum is the best cook in the world. I do not know where I would be today without my mum. I owe her a lot. She is a teacher by profession and this fascinates me a lot because not only is she inculcating knowledge in the young minds of tomorrow, she is also building the future of our society at large. I want to be like my mum. I remember those times when she had to sacrifice when the most precious of her things just to make me happy. She is loving, caring, understanding, accommodating. In fact, she is everything you can ever wish for in a mother.

My elder sisters are the best. Although they can be frustrating sometimes but that is mostly because of my stubbornness. They pretend they do not really care but deep inside they do. The things they do even subconsciously say otherwise. I remember a day in elementary school, I was being bullied a boy in class. On this particular day, he hit me. Unknowing to me, my sister heard about it and she beat the boy and made him apologise to me, I felt so happy that day because I had someone who had my back.

My brother is one of the best gifts I have received. He is the last child and this gives him an opportunity to be annoying if you know what I mean. He is joyful and always ready to heed correction. There was this day, I heard him bragging to his friends about how awesome I am, and I was the happiest that day.

We all have one reason or the other on why we love our family. I love mine because they are the best gift I could ever ask for and the fact that they have been there for me through the good, bad and funny times.

Importance of family is something that is greatly overlooked and underrated in the world we live in today. The definition that the family had about one hundred years before now was very clear. Back then, a family was believed to be a unit that consisted of the father that was in charge of the finances of the family, a mother whose primary duty was to look after the home and take care of the children and then there were the children. Largely based on the region you are from, a family can also include members of the extended family like aunts, uncles and grandparents. This type of family system is referred to as joint family.

Family Importance:

A family that is important is one that is very strong. If a family is going to be very strong, there is a need for the bond between them to be very strong. Bonds that help in keeping the members of a family with each other are relationships. If there are very strong relationships among all the members of a family, there is going to be stronger commitment between all of them and the family as a unit will be very important.

Better communication is also a result of family relationships that are very strong. If all the family members can take time out to talk and know each other well, the bond between them is bound to be very strong. Even if the conversations are about big things or small things, it does not really matter. The most important thing is that all family members stay connected to one another. It is very important that they all list to each other and understand every member.

How to make Family Bonds Very Strong:

We have various things that can help our family bond to improve.

A few of them include:

1. Love: love is the most important thing we need for our bonds as a family to improve. When we love the members in our family, we will also be able to know all about privacy, intimacy, caring, belonging and sharing. When there is love in a family, the family will prosper.

2. Loyalty: loyalty is something that comes as a result of love. Family members should stay devoted to each other. It is important that we are able to count on our family to have our back anytime we are facing problems.

The importance of family can never be overstated even though we live in a different time now and our attitudes to relationships, marriage and what a family should be has changed. The family is something that we need to help share our problems and be there for us anytime we have issues. A lot of the things that were not acceptable in the past and we now see as normal. Even with all the changes that the society has effected on our family system, the family still remains the major foundation of our society and this will remain the same.

My family is the best gift I have got. A family can be simply said to mean a social group of different people in our society that includes one or more parents and also their children. In a family, every member of the family commits to other members of the family in a mutual relationship. A family is a very important unit and the smallest unit in the society. A family whether a big one or a small one is of very great importance and use to all of its members and is believed to be the unit of our society that is strongest because the society is formed from the coming together and culmination of various families.

In many cultures, the family serves a child’s first school where the child learns all about their traditions and cultures more importantly learn about all the rudimentary values in life. A family is very essential in the teaching of healthy habits and good manners to all the members of the family. It gives the members of the family the opportunity to become people with better character in our society. I feel very lucky to be born into a small and lovely family; I learnt a lot of things from my family.

I am from a middle class and average family with six members (my father, my mother, my grandmother, my grandfather, my younger brother and me). My grandfather is the head of the family and we all respect and listen to him. He is really wise and tries to advise each and every one of us using his many life experiences. He has been involved in many interesting and adventurous activities that he tells me about all the time. Most of the time, he has the final say on all of our family issues and he does his best to make all his decisions impartial.

Any time we are eating today as a family, he sits at the top of the table; we all have designated seats at the dining table. When my brother and I are available, my grandfather teaches us about our traditions and cultures. My grandfather is very friendly and has a cool and great personality and tries to talk nicely and calmly to everyone passing across his message without being rude. He helps my brother and sometimes me with our assignments. He majorly teaches us about all of the tools we need to be successful in life including punctuality, discipline, moral, cleanliness, continuity, honesty, hard work and trustworthiness.

My lovely grandmother is one of the nicest people I know, she tells my brother and I lovely stories every night. My father is a civil engineer and he is very hardworking, sincere and punctual. He is the breadwinner of the family and does his best to provide for every member of the family even if that means he has to work extra hours. My mother is very sweet and takes care of every member of the family even though she works as an accountant at a firm. She wakes up very early in the morning to make preparations for the day. My brother is a funny and jovial person that enjoys sporting activities and I love him so much.

Sometimes I wish my cousins, uncles and aunts lived with us, I love having them around. There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages of having everyone around. I have highlighted some below.

Some advantages are:

1. It gives a better routine of living that can contribute to a proper growth.

2. Having a joint family helps in following the numerous principles of an equitable economy and helps teach discipline and respect. It also teaches us how to share the burden of other family members.

3. There is the understanding of having to adjust to the needs of other family members.

4. The children in a large family get to grow up in a happy environment because they have children of their age around that they can play with.

5. All the members of a joint family are usually very disciplined and responsible as everyone has to follow the instructions of the family head.

Some of the disadvantages include:

1. There is always the chance of a rift or fight between the family members because of the possible imbalance of feelings of oneness, brotherly love and feeling of generosity.

2. There is a chance of the members of the family that earn very high looking down on members of the family that do not.

The concept of family is important in India for every individual. Family defines an individual background in terms of social relations and growth. Families influence the lives of individuals from childhood to adulthood especially in decisions concerning life milestones like marriage and career paths. Indian families live together for up to four generations under one roof and they manage to maintain lose family relations compared to other families across the globe. Indian families tend to stick to their cultural practices as a family and they maintain religious practices that cut across the family. Elders in Indian families are respected by the members of the family and their opinions are considered during decision making.

What Family Really Means :

Basic knowledge defines a family as a group of people who share genetic and legal bonds. However, the concept of family means a lot more for other people than just the bond and it incorporates the concepts of culture and religion. In India, the concept of family differs from what the rest of the world perceives as family.

Families in India go beyond nuclear and extend to wider circles, whereby the extended family lives together and are closely related. The relationships in the family are strong such that cousins are considered siblings and aunts and uncles are considered parents. Family also means the unconditional love among the members of the family whereby there is support in terms of finances and emotions.

Why the Family is so important:

The family plays a central role in lives of individuals in teaching of moral values. Parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents have been known to teach the children on morality and disciplinary issue s in most cultures. Both spiritual and moral values are instilled through family. Family give a sense of belonging to individuals because they are over by the family and supported at all times.

A family will always support its members with needs including financial and emotional needs. In a family, there has been established levels of satisfaction and happiness from the joy of being together. Families also helping community development through contributions and participating in activities in the community. The family is important in the society in maintaining order, discipline and peace.

I come from a big family. My family has not moved to an urban area and so we still live as a wider circle together with the extended family. In my nuclear family, I am the first born of four children. I have one sister and two brothers who are still at school. I have three aunts and two uncles. My cousins are twelve in number and most of them are at school except for the youngest ones.

My grandparents are very old and they do not get out of the house much and are being taken care by my parents and aunts. Most of the children are always at school and the house gets quiet but during holiday, we all unite together as a full house. My family is of the middle class in terms of wealth. Our religion is Hindu and we all practice the Indian cultures and traditions. What I love about my family is that everyone is a good cook and the food is always amazing. Members of my family are kind and respectful and that is why we rarely have disputes. The family support is strong and we all love each other.

Why I love My Family:

Having a big family is interesting because the house always feels warm. As I had earlier mentioned, my family is made of good cooks, which makes me love them. There is always teamwork within the family and good relationships are maintained. I like the adventurous nature of my family because we always have fun whenever we go for holiday vacations or have a family event.

Moral cultural and spiritual values are highly cared for in the society. My family is oriented in good moral values and believe we make a good role model for the society. Despite the influence of education, the family has been able to maintain the culture and traditions of Indian people. The love that exists in my family is precious and that is the most important value of all times because what family without love?

Our Weekend Outings and House Parties:

We do not have many of these in our family because of the different schedules among the members. We only have weekend outings and house parties during holidays. Birthday parties are and weddings are the parties that we frequently have as a family. I love parties at home because the food is usually exceptionally good. Also, the dancing and happy faces. Weekend outings are usually in form of picnics and they are usually full of games.

Cousins Visit during Summer:

My family is young and only three of my cousins are in college. The rest are in high school or elementary schools. Whenever my cousins come home from school, it is a happy moment for the whole family and we host parties to welcome them home. Whenever my older cousins are at home, I enjoy their company and I love to hear stories about college because that is where I will be in a few years’ time.

In the spirit of holidays, we have a vacation or two in a year. During these vacations, plans begin early and when the time comes, it is enjoyable and relaxing. Vacations for us as children tend to be more enjoyable because we have an environment away from home and with minimal parental supervision and we tend to explore and talk among ourselves. Team building during vacations strengthens the bond in families.

Family is a blessing to individuals because that is where they belong and it is what defines them. A good family is built through moral values and team effort. Having family events and parties or vacations re important is strengthening the relationships within a family. A happy individual is definitely from a happy family.

Family , My Family , Relationships

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Essay about Family: What It Is and How to Nail It

Humans naturally seek belonging within families, finding comfort in knowing someone always cares. Yet, families can also stir up insecurities and mental health struggles.

Family dynamics continue to intrigue researchers across different fields. Every year, new studies explore how these relationships shape our minds and emotions.

In this article, our dissertation service will guide you through writing a family essay. You can also dive into our list of topics for inspiration and explore some standout examples to spark your creativity.

What is Family Essay

A family essay takes a close look at the bonds and experiences within families. It's a common academic assignment, especially in subjects like sociology, psychology, and literature.

So, what's involved exactly? Simply put, it's an exploration of what family signifies to you. You might reflect on cherished family memories or contemplate the portrayal of families in various media.

What sets a family essay apart is its personal touch. It allows you to express your own thoughts and experiences. Moreover, it's versatile – you can analyze family dynamics, reminisce about family customs, or explore other facets of familial life.

If you're feeling uncertain about how to write an essay about family, don't worry; you can explore different perspectives and select topics that resonate with various aspects of family life.

Tips For Writing An Essay On Family Topics

A family essay typically follows a free-form style, unless specified otherwise, and adheres to the classic 5-paragraph structure. As you jot down your thoughts, aim to infuse your essay with inspiration and the essence of creative writing, unless your family essay topics lean towards complexity or science.

Here are some easy-to-follow tips from our essay service experts:

• Focus on a Specific Aspect: Instead of a broad overview, delve into a specific angle that piques your interest, such as exploring how birth order influences sibling dynamics or examining the evolving role of grandparents in modern families.
• Share Personal Anecdotes: Start your family essay introduction with a personal touch by sharing stories from your own experiences. Whether it's about a favorite tradition, a special trip, or a tough time, these stories make your writing more interesting.
• Use Real-life Examples: Illustrate your points with concrete examples or anecdotes. Draw from sources like movies, books, historical events, or personal interviews to bring your ideas to life.
• Explore Cultural Diversity: Consider the diverse array of family structures across different cultures. Compare traditional values, extended family systems, or the unique hurdles faced by multicultural families.
• Take a Stance: Engage with contentious topics such as homeschooling, reproductive technologies, or governmental policies impacting families. Ensure your arguments are supported by solid evidence.
• Delve into Psychology: Explore the psychological underpinnings of family dynamics, touching on concepts like attachment theory, childhood trauma, or patterns of dysfunction within families.
• Emphasize Positivity: Share uplifting stories of families overcoming adversity or discuss strategies for nurturing strong, supportive family bonds.
• Offer Practical Solutions: Wrap up your essay by proposing actionable solutions to common family challenges, such as fostering better communication, achieving work-life balance, or advocating for family-friendly policies.

Family Essay Topics

When it comes to writing, essay topics about family are often considered easier because we're intimately familiar with our own families. The more you understand about your family dynamics, traditions, and experiences, the clearer your ideas become.

If you're feeling uninspired or unsure of where to start, don't worry! Below, we have compiled a list of good family essay topics to help get your creative juices flowing. Whether you're assigned this type of essay or simply want to explore the topic, these suggestions from our history essay writer are tailored to spark your imagination and prompt meaningful reflection on different aspects of family life.

So, take a moment to peruse the list. Choose the essay topics about family that resonate most with you. Then, dive in and start exploring your family's stories, traditions, and connections through your writing.

• Supporting Family Through Tough Times
• Staying Connected with Relatives
• Empathy and Compassion in Family Life
• Strengthening Bonds Through Family Gatherings
• Quality Time with Family: How Vital Is It?
• Navigating Family Relationships Across Generations
• Learning Kindness and Generosity in a Large Family
• Communication in Healthy Family Dynamics
• Forgiveness in Family Conflict Resolution
• Building Trust Among Extended Family
• Defining Family in Today's World
• Understanding Nuclear Family: Various Views and Cultural Differences
• Understanding Family Dynamics: Relationships Within the Family Unit
• What Defines a Family Member?
• Modernizing the Nuclear Family Concept
• Exploring Shared Beliefs Among Family Members
• Evolution of the Concept of Family Love Over Time
• Examining Family Expectations
• Modern Standards and the Idea of an Ideal Family
• Life Experiences and Perceptions of Family Life
• Genetics and Extended Family Connections
• Utilizing Family Trees for Ancestral Links
• The Role of Younger Siblings in Family Dynamics
• Tracing Family History Through Oral Tradition and Genealogy
• Tracing Family Values Through Your Family Tree
• Exploring Your Elder Sister's Legacy in the Family Tree
• Connecting Daily Habits to Family History
• Documenting and Preserving Your Family's Legacy
• Navigating Online Records and DNA Testing for Family History
• Tradition as a Tool for Family Resilience
• Involving Family in Daily Life to Maintain Traditions
• Creating New Traditions for a Small Family
• The Role of Traditions in Family Happiness
• Family Recipes and Bonding at House Parties
• Quality Time: The Secret Tradition for Family Happiness
• The Joy of Cousins Visiting for Christmas
• Including Family in Birthday Celebrations
• Balancing Traditions and Unconditional Love
• Building Family Bonds Through Traditions

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Family Essay Example

For a better grasp of the essay on family, our team of skilled writers has crafted a great example. It looks into the subject matter, allowing you to explore and understand the intricacies involved in creating compelling family essays. So, check out our meticulously crafted sample to discover how to craft essays that are not only well-written but also thought-provoking and impactful.

Final Outlook

In wrapping up, let's remember: a family essay gives students a chance to showcase their academic skills and creativity by sharing personal stories. However, it's important to stick to academic standards when writing about these topics. We hope our list of topics sparked your creativity and got you on your way to a reflective journey. And if you hit a rough patch, you can just ask us to ' do my essay for me ' for top-notch results!

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FAQs on Writing an Essay about Family

Family essays seem like something school children could be assigned at elementary schools, but family is no less important than climate change for our society today, and therefore it is one of the most central research themes.

Below you will find a list of frequently asked questions on family-related topics. Before you conduct research, scroll through them and find out how to write an essay about your family.

How to Write an Essay About Your Family History?

How to write an essay about a family member, how to write an essay about family and roots, how to write an essay about the importance of family.

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• Essay Writing on My Family

How Should I Go About Writing My Family Essay?: Examples and Tips

By: Angelina Grin

It can be intimidating to write a paper about family. Essay writing is difficult enough on its own, but you may think, “When writing about my family, essay research and writing will feel so personal.” Our family memories are some of the most personal we have; they shape how we see and interpret the world. How can something so intimate be distilled into a meaningful piece of writing?

In this article, we’ll cover tips for writing an essay about family. We’ll also offer an example essay about family.

Writing a family essay, whether for a class, a personal essay contest , or a memoir, may be a challenging task. So, let's figure out how to write this specific type of essay, and if you need a simple how-to write any essay guide, check out our article.

How to Write an Essay About My Family in English

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Why would someone want to write an essay about family? It could be for a variety of reasons. Perhaps it's for a school project. Perhaps it's a personal essay competition entry. Maybe it's for a memoir. Whatever your motivation for creating a piece about family, essay writing can be difficult, and you may be unsure where to begin.

If you’ve ever wondered, “How can I write an essay about myself and my family?” this section is for you. Read on for some essential steps:

• Research and brainstorm. The first step for any piece of writing should be research. Take some time to interview your family members, or even do some introspection before you start the writing process. If you are writing about an event, you personally experienced, you could read old journal entries or look through old photos to jog your memory.
• Outline your paper. Once you’ve researched and decided on a topic for your essay, it’s time to start working on an outline. Decide how you will present your topic to the reader in the introduction and give some thought to the material that will go into the main paragraph. You should write about memories or family members that relate to your theme.
• Begin writing. With your outline prepared, you can now start writing. Your first draft isn’t going to be perfect, so just try to get everything down on the page. Multiple drafts of your paper are an excellent approach to polishing your work.
• Proofread and edit your work. Once you’ve completed the final draft of your essay, carefully read through it for mistakes. Make whatever edits are necessary, and take the time to see if there are any finishing details you could add to your paper to really make it shine.

Papers about your family can be a useful space to explore your relationship with them and to reflect upon what they mean to you and what they’ve taught you.

So, what comes to mind while considering an essay topic about family? Whatever you choose should be something that you feel strongly about. Personal essays are more than just dry, factual accounts of events; they should also have a deeper meaning or message.

Here are a few examples of the types of topics you can focus on when composing an essay about a family or family event:

A conflict. Conflict can provide us with a greater insight into our relationships. In fiction, all interesting stories are based on some type of conflict. So too personal essays that deal with conflict can be some of the most interesting works of reflective writing.

Example: My father and I get along great for the most part, but we sometimes struggle to reconcile our political differences. He has always been a staunch Republican whereas I am a Democrat; we just can’t seem to agree to disagree. After a particularly bad fight one year at Christmas, we’ve decided it’s better if we stay away from the topic of politics.

An influential family member. Perhaps you have an uncle who helped shape your career or introduced you to a hobby that you’ve grown to love over time. Perhaps a favorite grandparent gave you a life-changing piece of advice that you still carry with you years later. Perhaps one day you got into a fight with a sibling that forever changed the trajectory of your relationship. Essays that talk about your family’s influence on your personality, life, and decisions can be very compelling.

Example: My uncle is a dentist. No one likes going to the dentist, but Uncle Mark can instantly put people at ease, even kids. He heals with a smile and helps the people who come to his office leave feeling confident. It was his attitude and effect on people that inspired me to follow in his footsteps and become a dentist.

Values your family has instilled within you. You might also choose to write about particular values your family placed in you. Our families help shape the fundamental building blocks of who we are and how we think. Exploring this through writing can produce an interesting paper.

Example: My mom has always believed in broken windows theory. As a result, we were taught from a young age how to keep our home clean and safe and were shown how important it was to take care of our surroundings. I may have rolled my eyes at her sometimes when I was young, but now that I’m older and more sensible I appreciate those lessons.

This is just a small handful of ideas to help get you thinking about your essay, but there are many more topics you could choose to write about.

If you’re writing a piece that deals with your lineage, composing a family tree can be a useful exercise before you start writing. You might choose to conduct research on your own or reach out for help. It’s entirely up to you. Just make sure your work is accurate and thorough.

You might choose to build this chart using an online tool. Once it’s completed, you can print it off so that you have a physical copy. You might even write it out by hand. It can be useful to map it out on a large piece of card and pin it to your wall, ideally near where you’ll be doing your writing.

Once your chart is drawn up, you can use it to inspire your essay. Try to come up with stories involving different people that somehow connect to the main theme of your piece. If it’s helpful, you could brainstorm ideas using spider diagrams, making lists, or whatever other option works for you.

When you’re raised in a group of people, it may feel like you know everything about them there is to know. But you’d be surprised to find out all you don’t know! Older ones can be a font of experiences and memories. If you’re comfortable approaching them, and if they’re happy to have their experiences recorded in your work, you might interview them to help flesh out your essay. You could even quote them in your paper.

Once you’ve done all the research you need—assembled your family tree, carried out interviews, consulted public records—it’s time to start writing. But you might wonder how to describe your family in an essay.

Consider the following tips for selecting details about your relatives to add to your family article:

• Remember, your essay should serve a particular theme or idea. Keep this in mind throughout the whole writing process, but especially during the planning phase when you're deciding which details to add.
• Don’t clutter your essay with lots of irrelevant details. For instance, if you’re writing about how your mother motivated you to pursue a career in medicine, it makes more sense to talk about how she influenced you—for example, by being passionate, compassionate, and helpful—rather than having a random piece about an unrelated hobby she has.

Furthermore, how do you know what level of detail is appropriate for your work? Here are some suggestions:

• Especially if you intend for your essay to be published, whether online or in a physical format, you should consider your family’s feelings. Hopefully, you’ve already asked for consent from them to talk about the personal details of your life. But you should also be conscientious during the writing process. If you’re discussing a sensitive part of your family history, make sure to use tact.
• You should also consider how much detail you include from a writing perspective. Think of fleshing out your family members as you would think of fleshing out characters in a novel. You should describe their sensibilities and the personality traits that define them. You could also include physical descriptions if you thought that might add something to your essay.

When you’re writing an essay about the family, or indeed any other kind of personal essay, drawing on personal memories is an invaluable way of bringing your writing to life and making your paper resonate with your reader. Even if you’re writing about a rather unique sequence of events that your reader hasn’t been through, a well-written personal memory can help place them in your shoes.

So, how can you effectively write about a personal memory? Here are some tips to get you started:

Consider how the memory services the overall themes of the essay. Our lives are composed of countless little moments, interspersed with grand, life-changing events. Whether you’re writing about something small and apparently inconsequential or something big that forever altered the trajectory of your life, make sure it’s relevant to your theme.

Example: Pursuing a career in music is not easy, but it’s something I’ve always felt meant to do. Perhaps that’s because I was always surrounded by musicians growing up. My parents both played piano, and I remember coming downstairs on a Saturday morning to the smell of brewing coffee and the sound of my parents dueting on the piano.

Make use of memory triggers. When you’re getting ready to write, make use of memory triggers to put you back in the moment. What do we mean by memory triggers? This can be anything from the music you associate with the memory, photographs taken at the time, or even smells or foods linked with the event.

Example: When I was a young girl, I went on a trip to the beach with my family. I was very young at the time, so I don’t have a very clear memory of it, but I will always associate that seaside visit with the taste of pink lemonade. We passed around bottles of it as we made castles in the sand. To this day, that drink always reminds me of summer.

Use sensory descriptions. To carry on from our last tip, use sensory descriptors when you’re writing personal memories. Always keep the five senses in mind: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. A useful exercise before working on your essay can be to write a couple of paragraphs just focusing on the sensations you remember. Don’t worry about telling a story or recording dialogue. Just place all your focus on remembering how you felt at the time and describing these sensations as vividly as possible.

Example: My uncle and aunt often took my cousins and me hiking when I was growing up. Once, we climbed Ben Lomond. I still remember the view from the top: Loch Lomond lay blue and sparkling below, as smooth as glass. I could smell the fresh grass and taste the salt of my sweat on my upper lip, my legs burning from the climb. But more than that, I remember a feeling of triumph.

Family plays an important role in our development. We are not always cognizant of the wide-reaching impact our parents, siblings, and extended family have on us as we grow—for good or ill. So, in this essay, my family and their impact on me is my chosen subject. It’s difficult to sum up all of my feelings in just one article on my family, but I hope that I am able to do them some small amount of justice.

In an ideal world, everyone would have supportive, unconditionally loving families to hold them up and help them through life. Unfortunately, this is not the case. And this is why I feel so blessed to have grown up in the environment that I did.

When I was younger, everyone used to tell me how much I reminded them of my dad. At the time, it only provoked me; what growing girl wants to be told she reminds people of her stuffy, academic father? But, as time has gone on, I’ve realized what a compliment that is.

Most of my childhood memories of Dad are of him in his study. He is a professor and a historian, and even to this day, he always seems to have his head in a book. I was always a quiet kid, so he didn’t mind it when I sat with him while he read. His study had a window seat that looked over the garden, and I’d curl up there with a blanket and a book and keep myself busy.

We didn’t spend all of our time in silence. He’d tell me about his book and would encourage me to do the same, asking me about my favorite parts and why they stood out to me. More than ten years have passed since those days, and now I find myself with a Master’s in English Literature. I can’t help but think that I owe it all to him. Dad taught me to think for myself and showed me that knowledge is its own reward.

My mom couldn’t be more different from my dad. Where he is quiet and reserved, she is bubbly and extroverted. Where he prefers to stay at home with a good book, she likes to be out and about and gets antsy if she’s left sitting around for too long. Mom retired recently, but before that was a teacher. She complained about the long hours and pay, but she loved the kids she taught and gave them her all.

That’s what I’ve learned from her: if you’re going to do something, give it all you’ve got, even if it’s hard. Despite all their differences, that philosophy is one my parents share and one they impressed upon me from a young age. Even if you fail, so long as you can honestly say you tried, that’s all that matters. I’ll always be grateful to them for showing me that.

I feel lucky to have parents as supportive as mine, as I hope I’ve shown in this essay about our family.

For more essay examples and ideas on family related topics, check these pages:

• Childhood Years in Calamba
• The Power Of My Mother Tongue
• Describe Your Personality
• Family bond/relationships
• Become better human being

Now that we’ve given an example of a short essay about family, we’ll now show you how to simply sum up your family in ten sentences.

• I’m lucky to have a large family with whom I’m very close.
• My family composition includes twelve people besides myself: my grandparents, my parents, my aunt and uncle, my three cousins, and my older brother.
• My mother used to be an air hostess but retired a few years ago to help my father run their B&B.
• My aunt and uncle are both teachers at the same school where they have worked for almost ten years.
• I see both sets of grandparents regularly, as we often have them around for dinner or Sunday lunch.
• I sometimes play football with my brother and cousins in the fields by our house and it’s always a good time.
• For as long as I can remember, we’ve all gone away on an annual trip to a cabin in the mountains where we get to relax and get away from school and work.
• If I ever need assistance with something, no matter what it is, someone can always help.
• My family members love and support me, so I never feel lonely knowing that I have them around.
• I make sure that I never take my loved ones for granted and that I spend as much time with them all as I can.

Now that we’ve considered some tips and essay examples about family, let’s put together a checklist of essentials for writing an essay about your family:

• Do interview family members for more information regarding your lineage or important past events.
• Do brainstorm for ideas and memories you can write on. Dedicate a good portion of time to figure out what you can talk about that will support the theme of your essay.
• Do be honest. When writing a personal essay or memoir, it’s important to stay as honest as you can if you want to craft a meaningful paper.
• Don’t include random facts or bits of information just for the sake of padding out your paper.
• Don’t publicly publish a piece about your family without first having a conversation with them about it.
• Don’t forget to write with respect when you’re writing an essay on your family.

Frequently Asked Questions

Coming up with a strong theme for your essay will draw your readers in. You can also begin your piece with an interesting family story. Essay writing is about capturing the reader’s attention, so focus on saying something unique and interesting.

You may be wondering, “What should I include about my family in my creative writing?” Ultimately, it depends on what you’re comfortable sharing and what best suits the themes of your paper. If your work is going to be published, it would be wise to ask the involved parties for consent first, or at least run it past them.

You might be asking yourself, “How should I begin my article on my family?” Writing a compelling personal essay can be difficult, but you can begin by introducing your subjects. You should also make it clear in the first paragraph of your essay what your theme will be.

The length of your essay depends on what audience you’re writing it for. If you’re writing it for a class, your teacher will likely issue you a word count somewhere between 500 words - 1000 words .

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Despite my relatively young age, I am a professional writer with more than 14 years of experience. I studied journalism at the university, worked for media and digital agencies, and organized several events for ed-tech companies. Yet for the last 6 years, I've worked mainly in marketing. Here, at Studybay, my objective is to make sure all our texts are clear, informative, and engaging.

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Thank you very much. Its great!

Love Angelina Grin and all her blog posts! Writing a family essay is hard but with this article, I took my basic knowledge of my first school and spoke about my world doubts and what I have a keen interest in.

Kity-porshel

I wrote an essay on my family titled Birthday Parties: How I'm a better person when my cousins visit. Thank you for the inspiration.

I spend quality time with my elder sister and parents, but I found that not everyone is able to write about a complete person easily. In my family essay, I wrote about house parties and what I'm proud of. I made my own based on your example.

Once I read the example, I knew I needed to ask for help. My family is a group of loving people who run a successful business together, but they're always busy. However, my cousins visit whenever my younger brother and I have birthday parties (uncommon occurrences??).

A family essay shows the importance of family and with these tips, I was able to talk about the professional lives of my grandparents and how my mum was a housewife.

Mindy in City

Thank you for the example it really helped. We weren't taught in school but were to write about someone asides from our nuclear family that teaches us values. I've never met an uncle, aunt, or cousin in my entire life.

It's hard to talk about my small and lovely family and everything they taught us. I wanted to write about my mother and father with love and respect, and this article helped me =) thanks!!

Thanks for this I made my own essay off the example. I'm an only child, and I love my family so much. I pray to God daily to become a better person like my parents

Helped with my wonderful family essay. They mean the whole world to me! They spent their entire life building a successful business and made me a better human being.

Mary-Annette

To avoid writing about a random group of people, I asked all my family members' permission; not everyone wanted in🥺.

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How Should I Go About Writing My Family Essay?: Examples and Tips

Family is an integral part of every individual's life. Delving into the intricate layers of family relationships and dynamics can yield a captivating essay. Here's a comprehensive guide with examples and tips to guide you through the process.

What Topics Should I Write About for My Family Essay?

Choosing the right topic is essential. Here are some suggestions:

Writing a Family Tree Dive into your roots! A family tree can be more than names and dates; it can narrate stories of ancestors, their challenges, achievements, and legacies. For instance, "When I looked into our family tree, I discovered that my great-grandfather was a sailor who traveled the world and had countless tales of adventures, some of which have become legendary bedtime stories in our family."

Describing My Family in My Essay Discuss each family member in detail. "My sister, with her fiery red hair and matching temper, is the exact opposite of my calm and analytical brother. Yet, when they come together, they create the most amazing music, with him on the piano and her singing."

Writing About a Personal Memory Share a poignant memory. "I remember the time when our cat, Whiskers, went missing. The entire family turned detectives overnight, searching for clues, putting up posters, and even setting up a 'cat trap' with her favorite treats. The adventure ended with Whiskers found sleeping peacefully in the neighbor's shed, unaware of the chaos she had caused."

Dos and Don’ts When Writing a Family Stories Essay

• Be authentic.
• Use vivid descriptions and dialogues.
• Respect privacy; ask permission if sharing personal details.
• Avoid making generalizations.
• Refrain from being overly negative or critical.
• Don't plagiarize; every family's story is unique.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is a good hook for an essay on my family? As Tolstoy once said, 'All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.' Our family, though, has found its unique shade of happiness.
• What should I include in an essay about me and my family? Descriptions of family members, memories, traditions, challenges, and lessons.
• How should I start an essay all about my family? Every time I think of the word 'home,' an image of our old cottage, Sunday dinners, and loud family debates comes to mind.
• How long should my essay about my family be? Length depends on the requirement; academic essays typically range from 500-1000 words, while personal essays can vary.
• How do I make my family essay engaging? Incorporate stories, memories, and emotions.
• Is it okay to discuss family challenges in my essay? Yes, but be sensitive and respectful.
• Can I add humor to my family essay? Yes, as long as it's in good taste.

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How to Write Your Personal and Family Story (Complete Guide)

• Categories: Research for Storytelling , Writing ABC’s
• Tags: featured , Memoir , Writing Narrative

How to write, edit, and publish your personal story and family story.

will present what I have learned from writing personal, individual, and family narratives. This guide is based on my personal and professional experience in interviewing hundreds of people and writing thousands of narratives over the last several decades.

When I first started researching and writing a personal narrative—be it my own or about my mother, family, or others—I wanted to record the profound and thought-provoking experiences that could last for generations. Instead, I found the personal narrative of being about life and how choices determine our course and how our course provides us an opportunity to become the individuals we are and to create the legacy we leave with our ancestral lines. No matter how great or small, every story has value because life was lived, and every life is a gift. The story is about what we did with the gift.

In this “Complete Guide for Writing A Personal Narratives,” I will present what I have learned from writing personal, individual, and family narratives. This guide is based on my personal and professional experience in interviewing hundreds of people and writing thousands of narratives over the last several decades. The following are the topics that will be covered in this guide:

• A Story Worth Writing Begins with an Outline
• Use the “Mapping” Technique for Narrative Outlines
• Writing A Personal Narrative—Draft One
• Ideas for Writing the Paragraph
• Writing A Personal Narrative—Revising the First Draft
• Structure for Writing a Personal Narrativ e
• Support Your Claims in A Personal Narrative
• Include Artifacts, Photos, and Images
• Other Elements to Include in Your Personal Narrative
• How to Organize the Sections of Your Personal Narrative
• Publishing Your Personal Narrative
•   Sharing Your Personal Narrative

Other resources to consider include:

• Complete Guide for Conducting Oral History Interviews
• 7,500-plus Questions About Life to Ask People When Writing Narratives

1. A Story Worth Writing Begins with an Outline

“Why do you need an outline? I already know what I want to say.” These are the words I remember saying in tenth grade as I started my English creative writing course. As I discussed the first writing assignment with my teacher, I assured her that I could finish the story without writing the required outline. She allowed me the opportunity to prove her wrong. After several drafts, I reluctantly told the teacher I could not complete the story in the assigned time. I found myself writing and rewriting. I found myself expanding and deleting sections of each paragraph. It was never wholly what I wanted to say.

The teacher offered me a second chance. This time, I was to use an outline and then write the story. With a new topic, I wrote the outline and finished the story. I don’t remember my grade, but I remember the lesson: a story worth writing begins with an outline.

An outline is a blueprint of your final product—in this case, your narrative. It represents the content of your story, organizing your memories, lessons learned, and supporting details. The outline is all about organization and providing a visual and conceptual design of your writing.

How does an outline help in writing a personal narrative?

The outline helps you expose gaps in your story early in the process and gives you time to fill them in, not to leave out any important events, stories, and ideas that you want to tell. You will understand the full breadth of the story you write, have a clear focus on the detail you want to include with each topic, and always have a reference point to add, rearrange, and delete.

Remember, the outline is a blueprint. Just as blueprints help a builder create a structure, your outline can form the foundation or frame for the first draft.

Writing experience by experience, topic by topic: If your outline is on a computer, you can just click your cursor at any part of the outline you have created and fill in the details. This can help you overcome writer’s block. That is, you can write the third section first if you want. Then simply go back and fill in sections one and two. When you revise, you can make sure all the pieces fit together.

Modifying the design

Outlines are not set in stone. As you write, you may discover that you’ve left out essential information. If you keep a printed copy of your outline handy, you can figure out where in your outline the new information belongs and insert it (don’t be formal about it—just pencil it in). That way, you can see how the addition alters the rest of the story.

Starting again

Sometimes your original outline simply needs to be restructured. If you are careful, this is not a problem, and you can rework the original outline. When you create the new outline (even if it’s simply a sketch), focus on your purpose and who you are writing to.

Using the outline to crosscheck the final draft. Finally, suppose you update your outline as you work rather than abandon it after being created. In that case, you’ll have a handy reference to double-check the organization of the final story. The outline can also provide your section headings and subheadings for a larger story and become the contents table.

What is the outline structure for writing a personal narrative?

Like any good story, a personal narrative has three sections: introduction, body, and conclusion. The outline is designed to indicate levels of significance using major and minor headings. You will organize your information from general to specific. For example, the general headings could be as follows:

• Childhood (0-11)
• Adolescence (11-18)
• Early Adulthood (18-25)
• Prime Adulthood (25-45)
• Middle Adult Years (45-65)
• Senior Adulthood (65-present)

And subordinate headings or topics could include:

• Memories of your children
• Community Service
• Health Record
• Physical Characteristics
• Social Life
• Memorable World Events
• Military Service
• Counsel to Posterity

As you create your subheadings, ensure a clear relationship between the subheadings and their supporting elements. Consider the following example:

• Mary Schreiber Attends High School
• High School Attendance
• High School Activities
• Mary Schreiber Summer Work
• Picking fruit (Cherries, Peaches)
• Working at the Midland Cannery

The most important rule for outlining is to be consistent! An outline can use topic or sentence structure, which is explained below.

Sentence Structure

A sentence outline uses complete sentences for all entries and uses correct punctuation.

•  Advantages . Presents a more detailed overview of work, including possible topic sentences, and is easier and faster for transitioning to writing the final paper.

Topic Outline

A topic outline uses words or phrases for all entries and uses no punctuation after entries.

• Advantages. Presents a brief overview of work and is generally more straightforward and faster to write than a sentence outline. Two simple formats seem to work well with creating an individual narrative outline—roman numeral and decimal. They are explained below:

Roman numeral I. Major Topic

A. Main Idea B. Main Idea

1. Detail of Support a. Broken down further

(1) More details (2) More Details

Decimal 1.0 Major Topic

1.1 Main Idea 1.2 Main Idea

1.2.1 Detail of Support

1.2.2.1 More details 1.2.2.2 More details

Regardless of simplicity or complexity, an outline is a pre-writing tool to help you organize your thoughts and create a roadmap for writing your narrative.

Remember, the outline is for you. It exists to help orient you within the individual narrative and to help ensure a complete answer. You can deviate from it if you wish, and as you write, you may find you have more and more ideas. Stop and take the time to brainstorm and write them down, then reassess and adjust your plan.

How do you create an outline for writing a personal narrative?

I have created a simple system for gathering and managing information when you are writing individual narratives. See the article, Easy 7 Step Color-coded File Organizing System for Writing Narratives.” If you have used the system, start with the first folder and move your way back through the folders. The system makes it effortless to create a personal narrative outline

If you didn’t use the system, start at the beginning and outline the significant events of your life. Start with your childhood years and continue through to the present. For example, the following is a very rough outline, using the roman numeral format, of the “childhood years” life stage for Mary Schreiber:

I. Childhood (0-11) (Years covered)

B. Death of Mother

1. Detail of Detail 2. Detail of Detail

C. Life with Uncle Dean and Aunt Janet

1. Detail 2. Detail

a. Detail of Detail

D. Remarriage of Mary’s Father to Step-mother

a. Detail of Detail b. Detail of Detail

Some individuals prefer to pick topics or life stages and answer predetermined questions from each stage of life to help prompt them through.

Return to list of topics for Complete Guide for Guide to Writing A Personal Narrative.

2. Use the “Mapping” Technique for Narrative Outlines

Whenever I need a little bit—or a lot—of extra help developing ideas that I will write about, I use what is called “mapping.” Mapping refers to organizing your ideas visually by connecting one thought with another. Eventually, the mapping will lead you to a list of ideas and a sequence to use them in.

How to use mapping to generate ideas

Use these steps to generate ideas.

• Write the topic in the middle of the page.
• Draw lines that branch out from that topic to other keywords or phrases you associate with that topic.
• As needed, draw more lines that branch out from each of the keywords (subtopics) that help to develop these ideas.
• Now that you have created a few subtopics, evaluate which subtopics go together and can be linked, if any. Connect the ideas that work together with lines.
• If you need to regroup your ideas, write the topic in the middle of the page again and go through the first steps again with the new groupings.
• Continue this process as many times as needed until you can form the topic groupings into the parts of your story or experience. With the bubbles and branches, you can see how they interrelate and work together as a whole.

How to use mapping to sort out stories, experiences, or paragraphs

Use these steps to expand your ideas.

• Write your topic in the middle of a large piece of paper.
• Take your brainstorming list and circle the central ideas.
• Which of those ideas link to other ideas on your page? What would be the main idea? What would be subsidiary or linked ideas?
• Now transfer the main ideas to the mapping page. Draw a circle (bubble) around the idea and then link the ideas with lines, like tree branches.
• By connecting the ideas with branches, you show concepts and ideas interrelate. Continue to add bubbles and branches as the ideas continue to expand. Use lines and branches to show how any of the large or linked ideas interrelate. Don’t be afraid to add bubbles or branches that weren’t in your original preparation writing. Keep those ideas growing!
• When you have completed the exercise, you can see how the ideas fit together. Once you see how the ideas work together, you can list which ideas to use in your writing.

3. Writing A Personal Narrative—Draft One

By now, you should be ready to start writing. Whether you are writing about yourself or someone else, be honest. I have read many personal narratives over the years, and those with the most meaning include true stories about real life. The stories range from the sad and tragic to the exciting, funny, and simple day-to-day.

Gather your resource materials and find a place to write. Gather your outline and any other resource materials near you for easy reference. Now that you are ready sit down and start writing. When you open the doors of memory, you will probably be eager to capture everything just right. Sit in a comfortable place, relax, and take it one page at a time.

Write your first draft as fast as you can, without concern for style and grammar. You may think this contrary to practical writing style but write your first draft as rapidly as possible. The focus of the first draft is to put your thoughts to paper (or keyboard) as quickly as you can. Be yourself—you’ll write faster and more naturally. Don’t think that the first draft has to be perfect—you’ll probably think it’s awful, but if you worry about writing a great first draft, you’ll never finish.

Don’t spend too much time thinking about style and grammar; just write. Let yourself explore the ideas as you go. If you change your mind about saying something, don’t stop to cross it out; write an improved version. You may have a lot of repetition in your first draft. That’s fine. Only if you find you’ve veered far off-course should you revise what you’ve written before moving on. Otherwise, wait until the second draft to make changes in the first part of the book.

Where should you begin in writing a personal narrative?

Remember: you have an outline, so start wherever you like. Start in the beginning, middle, or end. Just start writing. Start writing with the intent of getting some ideas down on paper.

Use memory triggers

A memory trigger can be a question, photograph, letter, or a discussion with a friend with whom you shared an experience. Think about the times you have looked through the photo album and come across pictures and were able to experience a time past as though it was just yesterday. All your memories are still in safekeeping; it’s simply a matter of finding them.

Write your first draft in the way that’s best for you

If you are a good typist, you will probably use the keyboard. If you write longhand, you can write with pen and paper. If you have a computer and use voice-recognition software (like Dragon Naturally Speaking), then use this software to write your first draft. It is essential to write your first draft as quickly and efficiently as possible, focusing on the words but not the way you produce the words. Assume you will be revising anyway.

Use descriptive words

Think about the who, what, where, when, how, and why of each memory. Use your senses to help describe your stories. These details will help bring your stories to life.

Make a note of any ideas

One experience you will have as you write about one topic is receiving inspiration and ideas. Your thoughts will range from a new topic to add to the outline or a piece of information to add to a topic that you just finished. You may get an idea to call Aunt Peggy to ask a specific question or look for a photograph in the scrapbook. Whatever the thought, write it down or capture it electronically. When I am writing, I will keep a digital recorder (or a notebook and pen) with me not to miss those moments.

Bracket the to#ugh to write sections

Put brackets around sections that are tough to write or require further information. When you write your first draft, it’s common to either not has all the information you need or be stumped. You may be writing about a specific memory and think to put in a text from an obituary. Simply use brackets to denote that more information is needed and keep moving. For example, [Need text from Mary Schreiber Obituary] or [Need to confirm the statement made by Uncle George on Midland city project during Depression.] By using brackets, you will save a lot of time and keep your train of thought moving. When you move on to the revision phase of the writing, you can go back and work through the bracketed sections one at a time.

Need help writing?

If you are not confident of your writing ability, join a local or online writers group to learn about the craft of writing or take a writing class at a community college.

4. Ideas for Writing the Paragraph

Sometimes the paragraph you are writing doesn’t seem to want to flow. The following is a simple look at constructing a paragraph, which may help you grow your ideas and write better, easier paragraphs.

A well-written, cohesive paragraph communicates one complete thought. To organize your subtopics into clear, concise thoughts, the following outline of paragraph structure is helpful.

A paragraph begins with the topic sentence, followed by supporting details and ending with closure.

• Topic sentence. The topic sentence states the main idea of the paragraph. The topic sentence is usually the first sentence of the paragraph but can be in the middle of the end.
• Supporting details . Once you have the topic sentence, it needs to have supporting details, which can be explained, examples, stories, facts, or a combination of these things. The supporting details will develop your topic statement and show your idea.
• Closure. This is where you bring your ideas to a close and link your ideas to the next point or paragraph.

How can I p#lan paragraphs for writing a personal narrative?

You have plenty of ideas, you kind of know what to say, and you know the basic structure of your writing. What do you do now? You need to work out what goes where. Look at all your ideas and identify logical sequences. Consider the following points when planning your paragraphs:

• Choose the first idea. Choose which idea the reader should know first. If all of the ideas seem equally relevant, choose the one you feel will provide the best “hook” for the reader. Choose the idea that will bring your reader into the story and guide them to what you’re thinking and answer. Choose one that will pull the reader in and orient them to your thinking and your answer. Don’t put the most dramatic ideas first. If the idea is the most dramatic, you should build-up to it.
• Choose a second idea. After choosing the first idea, decide which idea should go second. Which one would naturally come after? Is there an idea that belongs to or is an extension of that first one?
• Save the explanation for last. If you have an idea that needs to be explained, save it until the end so that the sentences leading up to that idea can explain your meaning more clearly.

Making the actual plan

Here is a simple outline for planning a paragraph.

• Make a list of the order in which you want the ideas to flow. This can be as simple as one word for each idea.
• Look at your list and ask yourself if the ideas flow naturally. If not, rearrange your thoughts until you have a plan you like.
• Double-check that there are enough ideas written down to support your topic sentence fully.
• If you want a more detailed plan, include smaller ideas next to each idea (subtopic or heading). You’ll use these smaller ideas to expand your thoughts. Also, include any examples you may want to use.

5. Writing A Personal Narrative—Revising the First Draft

Your first draft is done—congratulations! That’s a good beginning. Now it’s time to revise and edit. The difference between a mediocre individual narrative and a tremendous individual narrative often comes in the revising and editing stage. I can’t stress this phase of writing enough! I have had the sad experience of writing and printing a newsletter, brochure, or flyer where thorough editing was not done, and an error (such as a misspelling) slipped by. No matter how great the work, a simple error is like a splash of mud on clean windows. Editing is like hoeing the garden: it may not be pleasant at the time, but the result is wonderful. It’s also much cheaper to catch the error now than after you have printed and bound your work.

Toward the end of my father’s life, he began to reflect upon his life and write his memoirs. He wrote well over one thousand pages in longhand. He desired to have his writings published for all of his family to read. As I read over the lines and pages, I found many beautiful stories, examples, and lessons learned, but the writing was very rough. I was willing to work with my dad to edit and prepare the writings for publication, but it was no use; he was adamant that the first draft is the way it should be because it was his story. The 1000-plus handwritten pages are now filed away and on my to-do list.

Plan on at least two edits for your narrative. In the first edit, concentrate on the organization and content. Is the story in the correct order? Did you include all the characters and events you intended? Is it clear to readers who these people are and why they do what they do? Flesh out the characters, descriptions, and dialogue (if you have included it).

In the second edit, work on grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and transitions to polish the story. Edit the story as many times as necessary to make it the best you can, but realize that it will never be perfect. You have to stop editing your work and finish it at some point. You may not achieve the “perfect” individual narrative—there will always be something to add and tweak—but you will have the story you want. Remember, you can always add additional volumes. Complete the individual narrative and share it.

After you’ve edited the manuscript several times, ask other people to read it. A professional editor can make a big difference; if you plan to publish for an audience more significant than your family, professional editing is essential.

Who does the editing?

Editing is a team exercise. You will probably do most of the writing and editing and plan on at least two other people to review and assist with the editing. If you are not interested in or don’t have the skills for editing, then definitely enlist the help of others. Editors can also be for hire.

Consider using Grammarly

One of the tools I use to help me in editing is an online tool called Grammarly. Grammarly’s writing app makes sure everything you type is correct and precise and easy to read. Grammarly’s algorithms flag potential issues in the text and make context-specific suggestions to help with grammar, spelling and usage, wordiness, style, punctuation, and even plagiarism. Our software explains the reasoning behind each suggestion, so you can make an informed decision about whether and how to correct an issue. Grammarly is also easy to use. There is a free version and a professional version. I use the professional version and love it.

Three types of edits

During the revision and editing process, you will engage in the following three types of editing:

• Restructuring or reorganizing—this involves reflecting on what has been written and making significant improvements in the way parts fit together.
• Acquiring new information—adding photos, maps, exhibits, or further research on topics to understand better topics discussed or eluded.
• Sharpening—adding clarity by going over what is written and smoothing it out.

The Revision Stages Requires Restructuring and Reorganizing

Restructuring and reorganizing is the essential part of the revision stage. It requires that you step back and look at your writing with a fresh eye, as if you were a person fifty years from now, reading your narrative for the first time. The following are a few ideas that will help you in the editing and revising process.

Read your narrative aloud and make notes

One of the hardest things you will do as a writer is seeing your work from an outsider’s perspective. “Being too close to the forest to see the trees” is a good idiom to describe what is happening. When I read my writing, I have misspellings and usage errors that I simply gloss over or don’t see. When my wife edits my work, I’m surprised that I missed the errors she finds. I overlook many errors because I remember what I meant to say and don’t necessarily look at what I wrote. Three techniques will help you to focus on the words you have written.

Read your writings aloud at every stage of revision

Read what you have written aloud so you can hear the words. When I read what I have written aloud, I force myself to focus on what I am reading and the flow of my sentence structure. I will often catch grammatical errors or flawed writing styles when I read it aloud. When you first begin your revision, read through the whole draft of a section—start to finish—before revising the parts.

Print out a draft of your narrative before you start editing

If you wrote your first draft on the computer, print it out before editing on the screen. By printing out what you wrote, it is much easier, for example, to evaluate the lengths of paragraphs and overall flow. You can write directly on the draft, make notes, and list changes that need to be made. You can circle sentences and draw a line to where they might fit better. With a printed copy, you can physically note which passages sound weak, need more evidence, or could benefit from more examples.

Read your essay aloud with a pencil or pen in hand

As you read aloud, make notes about what you think might need to be changed. When you read the draft the first time, make notes in the margins. If you see spelling mistakes or grammatical errors, simply circle them so you can come back to them when you start your revision and editing.

Look at your writing through a reader’s eyes

When I first started writing, I became very defensive when someone edited or commented about the writing. I took it very personally. That “filter” was keeping me from seeing how others were receiving my writing. The editing and suggestions others made were minor, but they made a difference in how the writing would be received. Even if I disagreed with the recommendation, it gave me a chance to rewrite a sentence or paragraph and make it much more straightforward. Thus, when you read your writing, you must see the writing through the reader’s eyes. The following are a few techniques to consider:

Read as if you had no interest in the personal narrative

Read your writing from the perspective of someone who has no interest in what you wrote. Writing the personal narrative is something you care about. Your first draft is essentially writing to yourself. It’s easy to skip essential facts simply because you already know them. When you read your writings from the point of view of someone who has no interest in the subject, you start asking questions or making comments—”Where’s the proof?” “That’s a lame statement.” “Why is that important?” “What was the date?” “What was it like to live in the city at that time?” You can more easily see any omissions, and this process gives you a direction of what to do to strengthen your writing.

Read your writing from the perspective of a doubter

Our personal narratives are filled with experiences that are personal, spiritual, and sensitive. When you read your writing from the perspective of a doubter, you find areas where you can add more proof and expand on details. If you wrote something negative about someone, when you read as a doubter, you take on the opinion of defending the person who was not shown in the greatest light. I have found myself “toning down” or simply leaving out my own opinion in some instances and instead just presenting the facts.

Have someone who will give you honest feedback read your writing s

The two techniques above are based on you pretending to be the audience. This technique focuses on giving your writing to someone else and having them give you honest feedback. The first level of feedback that is most important is their reaction to your writings. Were they bored? Intrigued? What did they like the most and why? What do they wish you would have expanded on or simply left out? When you ask people for their genuine, honest feedback, do so to understand that you will take their feedback seriously. You may disagree with what will be said, but you will listen, not be offended, and view it as an opportunity to write a grand individual narrative that generations will cherish.

6. Structure for Writing a Personal Narrative

Your first draft was an exercise of getting your thoughts on paper. One of the first tasks you will address when reviewing your writing is to look closely at the body of the personal narrative and decide if the reader will see and follow the flow. An excellent narrative is not simply a collection of good paragraphs; it doesn’t start and stop at random—it moves in one direction. Good structure comes about through restructuring—moving, deleting, and adding sentences, paragraphs, or even whole sections. When you focus on the structure of your writing, you are not too concerned about transitions before and after the paragraph or even about detail in spelling and grammar because you’re not sure if that word, phrasing, sentence, or paragraph will even be in the final draft.

Reorganize and rewrite personal narratives from the top down

Look at the overall organization of your ideas first, and then work your way down to the details. If your paragraphs need to be moved around, settle on the order, you are going to put them in before you rewrite them. If you need to add new material, decide where it will go before writing it. Do not waste your time revising and inserting sentences until you know where every paragraph for a section of your narrative belongs. It is easier to start revising by inserting a sentence where you need one and correcting errors in your paragraphs.

Look at how the main parts of the body are connected

Whether you developed an outline or simply started writing, look at your writing to see how the information flows. One way to analyze the flow of your writing is to write down the topic sentence and see how the information flows and holds together from one topic to the next. The main task of this exercise is to see if your paragraphs are in good order. Does one paragraph lead to the next, or do you seem to be jumping around? Are you missing material? Are questions left unanswered?

Look at the way your paragraphs begin and end

Once you have the overall flow of your writing figured out, then examine your paragraph transitions. Does one paragraph lead to another? Are you answering the questions that were discussed in the previous paragraph or providing needed information? Or are you just changing subjects at random? Look for accidental or unintended breaks in the flow that are distracting and confusing for the reader.

Look for gaps

Look for those places where your thoughts seem to jump from one point to another without linking information. As a researcher, I find that I left gaps in writing when I chose not to explain or expand an idea that I already understood and knew the background information for. I have to remember that my reader doesn’t know the detail behind the story and that I need to include the information to have the same understanding that I have gained.

7. Support Your Claims in A Personal Narrative

When writing a personal narrative, most individuals will take your word on what you write concerning experiences and stories or about instances that are “common knowledge.” If your narrative is engaging, you should tell the reader something they don’t already know. When you write about other people, you will need a backup—beyond your word—to help develop and support what is being said. This type of backup would include newspaper articles, photos, certificates, letters, and history books. Evidence is information that tells how you know about the claim you have made. It would help if you took this very literally. It is often hard to tell the difference at first between telling readers what you know and telling them how you know it. A compelling narrative is credible by the answers you give, both about what you know and your sources for that knowledge.

Discover what claims in your personal narrative need supporting evidence

It is fair to assume that readers will accept claims about your own experiences—assuming they sound reasonable—without further evidence. If you make a claim that is not common knowledge and is not from your own experience, it requires that you add supporting information. As a researcher, keep in mind that not everyone knows everything you know.

Tell your readers how you know the claim is valid

Your narrative is devoted to answering the question, “How do you know?” When revising your personal narrative, take that question very literally. It would help if you let your reader know why you believe a claim is valid. This can be done by letting them know what you saw, read, or heard. If you believe that a claim you are making is valid, let your readers know what you saw, read, or heard that convinced you it was true. Sometimes you are going to have to do further research to confirm what you believe to be true. The following are a few examples of ways I have told readers how I know something to be true:

•  The experience is based on personal experience. Tell your experience in a way that your readers will understand how you learned what you know. When I wrote about my mother’s physical abuse during her marriage to my father, I described what I observed. If I were to make the statement that my father abused my mother, there would be no reason for the reader to accept my statement or conclusion.
• The experience you relate is not your own direct experience. When you write a personal narrative, many of the experiences you relate will be those shared by others in oral or written format. Simply tell the reader how you found out about the experience and how it illustrates your point and how you found out about it.
• The experience and claims you are making are about a larger group of people or a famil y. If you are making claims about a group of people, it is essential to provide more than one experience to support the point you are trying to make. For example, if I were to claim that my Schreiber ancestry came from a rich history of raising cattle, I would then show examples of how members of the Schreiber ancestry raised cattle from several generations, gather proof of brands, articles from newspapers, photographs of the family with cattle, and so forth.

Explain your sources and cite them where necessary

To tell us how you know something, you need to tell us where the information came from. If you observed the case you are telling us about, you need to tell us that you observed it, including when and where. If you read about an experience, tell us where you read about it. If you accept the testimony of another person, you need to tell us who the person is and why or how she has the information you are providing.

Remember, the question your readers will always be asking is whether what they are reading is accurate. Your narrative will be a compilation of your personal experiences and those of others. You are always answering the question, “How do you know?” When you tell the experiences and stories of others, you are answering the question, “How do they know?” If you care about the truth you are writing about; readers need to have some way to check the reliability of your sources.

Use examples

The easiest—and usually the best—way to keep your readers interested in your writing is to use examples. All other things being equal, examples are more entertaining and involving than generalizations. In almost every case, what readers remember best from an individual narrative is an example, usually a detailed and fully developed one. In such an example, we see and hear something that happened; it shows us people (or animals or machines) acting as we see them act all the time. When I read a detailed example story, it’s like being there. It relates to a personal experience that I haven’t had but that I might have had if I had been in the right place at the right time.

Dates and places don’t have to be dull

You can increase the interest in dates and places by adding a short description. Rather than saying, “Grandpa Jones had an eighty-acre farm,” you could say, ” When he was just 25 years old, Grandpa Jones bought an eighty-acre farm located four miles from town, next to the Spanish Fork River.” Dates can tell stories, but few readers will stop to notice when they are used without the description. When you have an important day you want to draw attention to, add definition. For example: “At the age of 32, his wife died from a black widow bite, leaving him four small children under the age of 7,” or “At the age of 17, just three months shy of his eighteenth birthday, he joined the Navy as a radioman at the beginning of WWII.” These phrases are much more interesting than “His wife died in 1933” or “He joined the Navy in 1942.”

8. Include Artifacts, Photos, and Images

As you write, edit, and prepare your narrative for publication, you will continually refer to or want to include images in your writing. The following is an overview of the types of artifacts, photos, and images you will want to consider in helping to write and tell the individual narrative.

How do I used photos and scanned images for my personal narrative?

As part of preparing your writing for publication and distribution, adding photos and scanned images is a critical consideration. What images will you choose to help tell the story? In addition to photos of people, including photos of significant buildings or other locations, including homesteads, churches, family cemeteries, or places of business. Images of certificates (such as birth, marriage, and death certificates), letters, and other personal documents will add significant value in telling the individual narrative.

I have found that the most challenging part of using images is choosing which one to use. It is a common desire to use as many images as possible, but you should choose the best images to help you tell the story. If you are talking about a family, try to find a photo of the family rather than individual photos of each person. Consider the following list of suggestions when choosing images for your narrative:

• With your digital archive or paper archive, you created such as the one I introduced in the article, “Easy 7 Step Color-coded File Organizing System for Writing Narratives,” in front of you. Review each folder about your written story. I have organized and sorted all my images into electronic folders that match the physical paper organization I have created.
• Place a sticky note on each photo that fits the text of the personal narrative you have written. Mark on the sticky note the section title and paragraph you believe the image would be suitable for.
• Review each item you have tagged with a sticky note and ask the following questions: • Would I find that valuable item or interesting if it were in someone else’s narrative? • Would it be as effective to describe the item rather than include it in the book? • Is the item representative of the period in which it will be included?

Note 1: If the answer to any of the above questions is “no,” remove the sticky note and place the item back into the narrative archive. Only those items with a sticky note will be considered for use in the final, personal narrative.

Note 2: If you are using photos of persons who are still living, it is essential to gain their permission for use.

Note 3: At no time is it permitted to include vital record certificates (birth, marriage) or any related types of records of living persons.

• Choose the best quality and most typical images to use in the narrative. Often you won’t have the opportunity to choose the photo because it’s the only one you have, but if you do have a chance, consider the following when choosing photos:

• Get Close. Choose photos that get close. Photos, where the subjects fill the frame with only the most basic image, are just better.

• Are Not Centered. Choose photos that do not have your subject right in the center of the photo. Photographs are uninteresting and static when centered, so having an un-centered photo lends more interest to the subject.

• Aren’t rushed . Choose from photos where you have a series to choose from. You can choose where the photo will be on the page and then look for the one that best fits the space and is composed well.

• Explore all angles. Choose photos that give you a change in perspective (such as a photo shot up from an angle or down from a higher angle). The photos help eliminate distracting backgrounds, telephone poles, or other obstacles that would otherwise negatively affect your photo.

• Focus on the eyes . If possible, choose photos that have the subject looking directly at the camera. There is nothing more inviting than looking into the eyes of our friends and loved ones.

• Use the richness of the sunrise and sunset. Some of the best photos are taken during the first and last hour of sunlight each day. During these times, the light is warm and soft, lending a beautiful quality to the photograph. Choose photos that are taken during these hours.

• Shoot photos on overcast days . Photos taken on overcast days are great to use because you don’t have harsh shadows, and the colors are overall better. • Don’t use direct flash . Choose photos taken without flash. Direct camera flash often causes flat lighting and red-eye.

• Use window light . Choose photos that take advantage of soft, natural light.

• Don’t have the midday look. Midday photos are among the worst photos because the sun is bright, which creates harsh shadows on faces and objects, squinting eyes, less appealing skin tones, and overall muted colors.

• Stay away from the scrapbook look. This is where you trim images and documents with special cutting scissors, add stickers, and write on the photo or any related activities. While it might look cute, it simply destroys the artifact and is not seen as providing any real value to what you are trying to display. Instead of scrapbooking your artifacts, spend your time writing a good and descriptive caption.
• When you have more than one photo for a specific section, and you can’t decide which one to use, ask others for their opinions about your final selections.

Can I use maps, documents, letters, and other artifacts in my narrative?

In addition to photographs, you can effectively use a wide variety of artifacts to help expand and bring meaning to your writings. For example, you can do the following in your personal narrative:

• Maps. Use maps to show current boundaries for counties, states, or other areas and the boundaries that existed when your family lived there. Use a map to show the migration path of your ancestors. Use different styles of lines and a legend to show historical and current boundaries and routes of migration. When using photocopies of actual historic family documents, also include a typed transcription.
• Grid Format. The use of documents and maps usually fits into the same grid format (explained below) for your photographs.
• Drawing and handwritten documents. In addition to historical documents, you may find it valuable to include drawings or handwritten stories from youth, as well as newspaper clippings or notations about current activities of living family members.
• Blank pages. Add a few blank or lined pages for future family members to make additional notes as the family grows.
• Scanned signatures . Scanned signatures (taken from wills, letters, and so forth) placed next to photographs can be an excellent addition.
• Note: Any works published more than seventy-five years ago are no longer covered by copyright so that you can use the pictures, but you should give credit. Be aware of copyright issues when using maps, illustrations, and other materials that are not your own.

What image layout should I use for my personal narrative?

As you begin to combine your writings with images, the following lessons that I have learned will help improve the layout and readability of your narrative:

• Develop a layout grid for your narrative. A layout grid denotes where you will put images and text on the pages to help maintain visual consistency throughout the book. Where possible, place photos near the text (narrative or charts) describing the individuals in the picture. Accompany narratives with photos of the key people in that story.
• Group photos from the same branch of the family tree on the same page or group of pages.
• Create a photographic timeline, such as a series of group shots from family reunions taken over successive years. For example, pair a wedding photo of a couple with a photo from their fiftieth anniversary.
• Enhance an otherwise dull chart with a headshot of the “head” of each primary branch of the family.
• Instead of an initial drop-cap (a large, two- or three-line tall capital letter at the beginning of a chapter), place a photo at the start of a narrative rather than placing it “tombstone” style over the top story.

How do I prepare photos and images for my personal narrative?

You will most likely be using digital images in the final preparation of your personal narrative. Take the time to enhance your photographs using editing software. The following are a few thoughts about photo editing. I encourage you to seek more detailed how-to advice for your specific needs.

Remember. Your original photos are your negatives

Never make changes to these—always work with a copy of the photo. When you load a photo into your image manipulation program, always do a “save as” to make a copy of the photo, and then work with that copy. If you make a mistake, you can always go back to the original and try again.

What to do with photo-editing software

The most common photo-editing tasks you will perform include the following:

• Reassemble large documents that have been photographed in sections.
• Correct the effects of poor lighting conditions or remove shadows from your photos.
• Compensate for distortion of the document photo caused by a poor shooting angle or curled pages.
• Enhance the quality of document photos suffering from low contrast or hard-to-read text.

An example of editing a document

Below I’ve outlined the steps I go through in editing an image with poor lighting. This is a simple process that has worked well for me. (I use Adobe Photoshop or Elements.)

• Import image.
• Create a duplicate image.
•  Rotate image, if necessary.
• Use a cropping tool to trim the image.
• Use an auto level, auto color, and auto contrast. Use the manual versions of these tools if needed.
• Save as a new file with a different name.

9. Other Elements to Include in Your Personal Narrative

Where you are writing your personal narrative, there are no limits to what you can include. For example, you can add

Ancestry or family tree charts

Ancestry charts show family relationships. Careful consideration should be used when deciding to include them in your narrative because they can take up too much space, or their format might not fit the book’s layout. Most individuals will start with a common ancestor, show all descendants, or start with a current-generation and show linkage to the common ancestor. Charts do not have to be extensive. A two- to the five-generation chart can be an excellent addition. There is no right or wrong way to include ancestry charts, as long as they fit the format of your book. As a rule of thumb, use standard, commonly accepted genealogy formats. While genealogy publishing software may automatically format charts and other family data suitably, when formatting data from scratch, consider these tips:

• When listing generations and descendants, it’s a good idea to indent bullets and numbering because it makes the information more readable.
• Use the same formatting throughout the book when listing dates such as birth, marriage, and death.
• When continuing information to another page, end on one individual and start the next page with a new individual.
• Be consistent with the way you connect family lines with boxes and lines.

Chronology sheets

These sheets allow you to detail, in date order, the schools you attended, the jobs you have had, homes you’ve lived in, and so forth, as well as any other details you may wish to include. Remembering exact dates can be difficult, so indicating the year is usually sufficient.

Dedication. You may have decided before you start writing your narrative to who you want to dedicate your work. I would advise that you wait until you have completed it until you decide. Working on your narrative will stir up many old memories, feelings, and emotions, and you may change your mind about your dedication by the time you are finished.

Documentation

The first rule of genealogy is to document your resources. Should you use documentation in your narrative? Many prefer not to use footnotes or endnotes because they find them distracting. However, I believe that you should include documentation in your narrative.

You include documentation because it provides the reader with important information about your source and credibility in your writings. If readers have conflicting information, it becomes easy for them to compare their notes with yours and correct their data. When you talk about families and what they did or did not do, having the source of information makes the truth easier to understand. When you expand your research about separate topics, you give readers a place to go for further reading, such as a book, website, or article. Documentation will save you a lot of argument and time.

Once you have completed writing your narrative, take some time to reflect on the completed project. Write down your thoughts and feelings about the experience in an epilogue.

A preface is a place for you to put a few of your thoughts before you start your narrative, such as why are you writing your autobiography, what you hope to achieve by writing it, what you hope others will get out of it, any worries, fears or concerns about reliving the past, and so forth.

The index is an essential addition to your narrative. An index provides the listing of where to find mentions of topics, people, and images. If you are using a genealogy program to assist with the production of your book, you can also do indexing or use your word processing program to develop and edit it. Note: It’s a good idea to index a woman under her maiden as well as married name.

Table of contents

Next to the index, the table of contents is a necessary element of your writing. The table of contents helps others understand how the writings are organized and provides a map of your work. Use the table of contents to show general sections, such as chapters and subheadings.

Vital statistics

A listing of your vital statistics—such as your name, address, and age—is the information needed to identify the work as your own and serves as a point of reference later on. Anyone who reads your narrative will also know who the writer is.

10. How to Organize the Sections of Your Personal Narrative

The following is an example of organizing your narrative into chapters and sections for a cohesive presentation.

This is the first page after the cover, and it contains the title (and sub-title) in as few words as possible. It may also include the edition number if there is more than one edition. The title page is the place to list your name and the names of other authors and editors, as well as the place and date of publication. Copyright statement. The copyright statement is usually on the back of the title page. It includes information about the publication, such as the publishing date and who to contact for more information.

Example: Copyright 2021 by Author B. Schreiber. All rights reserved.

This is a list of chapters and sections with accompanying page numbers. It provides an outline and guides for readers to find sections that are of most interest to them.

The dedication contains the person or people to whom you are dedicating the personal narrative and why. It is usually written on the page after the copyright page.

List of illustrations

This contains the name and page number of each picture, map, or illustration in the individual narrative.

A foreword is a statement about the personal narrative written by someone other than you or the editor.

This statement, written by you, describes why you wrote the personal narrative, provides an overview of the personal narrative’s scope, content, and organization; and outlines the research methods you used. It also provides an address for readers who wish to contact you.

Acknowledgments

An acknowledgments page is a place to show gratitude to people or institutions who helped you research, compile, edit, or otherwise put together your narrative.

List of abbreviations

This reference contains the abbreviations you have used in your personal or family narrative and their meanings.

Introduction

An introduction contains background or historical information that may be needed to understand the personal or family narrative.

List of contributors

This lists the names of people who helped write the personal or family narrative.

A chronology provides dates and descriptions of important events in a personal or family narrative. It gives readers an overview of the events that shaped the person’s life and provides a quick reference to critical events. Including a chronology is handy if your history is not arranged chronologically.

The main text of your narrative is usually divided into several sections or chapters and can also be divided according to the period. You can use divider pages to separate the chapters. The text may contain footnotes, endnotes, and so forth, as well as illustrations, photographs, maps, or copies of records and certificates.

Appendix or appendices

An appendix contains information that is not essential to the main body of the text but may be helpful to readers who want more specific information about a topic. An appendix can also list the sources used in writing your history.

Family group sheets, pedigree charts, and similar items Bibliography. A bibliography lists the sources you used in compiling your narrative.

This list of individuals, place names, and subjects mentioned in your history, with page numbers of where the topic is mentioned.

11. Publishing Your Personal Narrative

When writing your personal narrative, there are many options of how to publish the narrative. However, before you start talking about publishing, you need to ask yourself a few questions, such as the following:

How good is my material?

• How thorough has your research been?
• Are you satisfied with the accuracy of the information you have acquired, and have you documented your sources?
• If your research contains hypotheses or conclusions that are based only on conjecture, are you willing to state them as such? This will help other researchers put your work in context and, hopefully, encourage additional research.
• If there are gaps or questionable data, you should probably conduct additional research to make your publication the best it can be.

Does the information present a cohesive picture of the family?

• Are there significant chronological gaps in your research, missing individuals, or missing important dates?
• Do the family stories relating to historical events fit with documented historical facts? Can you prove them?

Are you a good writer?

• You may want to enlist the writing or editorial assistance of someone good with words, sentence construction, punctuation, and writing engaging text.

Are you sure you want to share your research with others?

• Suppose you plan to publish material on the Internet (see below). Are you ready to extend your research range and invite other researchers and family members to contribute more material or challenge your publishing?
• You are always sure to receive feedback in some form or another. If you receive corrections to your data or additional data, are you prepared to publish a revised edition of your work?

All of these issues influence your decision about when to publish. As you proceed with the desire to publish, you will have multiple options for publication, including the following formats:

Individuals will sometimes use a blog to publish their narratives or the narratives of their families. The format is much like that of an online journal. The process of posting to a blog is relatively simple. It becomes an easy and inexpensive way of sharing your personal narrative. A typical blog includes the following elements:

• Short, informational entries—generally arranged in reverse chronological order
• A time or date for each post
• Links to other blogs or websites for additional content
• Archives of all previously posted content, sometimes arranged into categories

If you decide to use a blog to publish your personal or family narrative, focus on telling stories about individuals. You can include photographs, video, audio, and scanned images such as a newspaper article or letter. You can organize your posts into individual or family groupings. Include your documentation where appropriate. If you are in the process of researching a family line, you can tell the stories as you discover them.

Family newsletter

Family newsletters usually focus on happenings of the family that is usually spread far and wide. Many family newsletters also become a medium to share family narratives and include documents, stories, photos, and newly discovered facts with all interested researchers. Newsletters are usually published two to four times a year by printing, photocopying, or electronically posting.

Family narrative thumb-drive, CD or DVD

A family narrative thumb-drive, CD or DVD can hold large amounts of data in a small space. It can include photos, sounds, scanned document images, and even video—something a printed personal or family narrative can’t do. And since they are compact and relatively inexpensive, you can easily share them with other personal or family narrative researchers at family reunions, genealogical conferences, or through the mail. One of the biggest challenges in creating a family narrative thumb-drive, CD or DVD is to decide what information you’d like to present and how to organize the information. Suppose you’ve spent years studying the genealogy of a particular family or surname. In that case, you probably want to include the results of that research in the form of lineage-linked family trees or register reports. You may also want to include a written family narrative or photographs of your ancestors, their houses, headstones, and so on. Or perhaps you have video or sound recordings of ancestors or family members you would like to showcase.

What are my options for printing and publishing my personal narrative?

Of all the options, printing and publishing is usually the first option you consider when sharing your research and personal narrative. Self-publishing your personal narrative is a relatively simple process with the available technologies. Options range from a simple printout of a word-processing document to a book layout in a desktop publishing program. If you chose to do a book layout, you can then print your book at a quick-copy, bind it with a spiral ring, or print at an offset press and have it professionally bound. You can print a few copies and distribute them to a few families or publish and sell many copies to the public.

Google search

I would encourage you to do a Google search on “How to self-publish a person narrative or history.”

The following are a few lessons learned by others about publishing their narratives with publishers.

Quick copy versus book publisher

If you plan to print under two hundred copies, you are probably better off going to a quick-copy, although specialty publishers take on “short-run” projects. Most commercial publishers prefer a print “run” of more than five hundred books. Printed books are usually well designed and of good quality.

If you’re publishing a few copies of the book for your family only, you can lay the book out in a word processor and have it printed at a local printer or even print the pages on your home printer and insert them in loose-leaf binders.

If you’re publishing for a wider audience, you’ll need to hire professionals for the interior and cover design and printing. You can contract with individual vendors for the various services you need or hire someone to handle everything. Be wary of publishing companies that charge you hefty fees to publish your narrative and then purchase the book copies. Check the credentials and references of professionals you use and interview them to ensure you’re comfortable working with them.

Talk to publishers before you start. Start talking to publishers when you start writing a personal narrative. They will help walk you through design and formatting options that will affect what you write and format.

Review other personal narratives to gain ideas

Take the time before you start writing your book to browse through other personal or family narrative books to see how others have done it. Photocopy pages from the book you like so you have them as a reference when planning your book. Factors to consider include the paper type and quality, print size and style, number of photos, and binding. A little extra time and money can go a long way toward making your book as attractive as possible—and keep it within your budget parameters.

Compare costs. Call a few potential publishers and printers to compare costs and quality of service and find out their requirements for publishing a personal narrative. To obtain an estimate for a whole life story, plan for a book of two hundred pages, including images, with enough copies to distribute to your parents, siblings, children, and grandchildren (and a few extras). If you want to be more exact, provide the publisher exactly how many pages are in your manuscript. It is always a good idea to take your finished manuscript with you, including the mockup of picture pages, introductory pages, and appendixes. If you want to spend more, you can have your narrative printed by an offset publisher. The quality will be better, but the high additional cost may not justify the additional quality.

How to fund publishing

It is unnecessary to spend a lot of money completing a personal narrative, but it should look good and read well if you are going to do it. It’s not uncommon for individuals writing family narratives to have the total project funded by family members, provided you are doing the work.

Ask for samples

Ask your publisher to see samples of the types of binding they offer. Most publishers will show you a variety of bindings. Having your narrative hardbound with a sewn binding is not a requirement; however, it will last longer than other types of binding. Your goal is to publish and distribute your narrative, regardless of how it is bound.

Work with the publisher

If available, have your publisher archive your narrative for you. Many publishers will offer a one-time storage fee and keep it for you in digital form, which you may use later to make additional copies.

Use electronic files

Use a publisher that prints copies from a file you’ve saved to on your computer. Each copy will then be as good as the original. Contact your publisher to find out what file format they prefer. Most publishers will accept files in recent versions of Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect, and other widely used word processing programs. Extra care should be taken to ensure that the end product is acceptable and correct.

Paper makes a difference

20 lb. paper is acceptable (but too thin to print on both sides of the page), but 24 lb. is better and 60 lb. is best. Double-sided printing is preferable. The standard paper will discolor and become brittle within fifty years, so always have your narrative printed on acid-free paper.

Black-and-white photos are bes t

All photographs and images should be copied into black and white images. Black and white images will preserve much longer than color images, and printing black and white images is much cheaper than printing full-color photos.

Layout considerations and options

There will be many details to remember when defining how your narrative will appear on the page. For example, you will need to think about the book’s size. The standard paper size is 8.5 by 11 inches and will be the most cost-effective to duplicate. Smaller page sizes may be more attractive but will require more pages and will be more expensive as the pages will have to be cut to smaller. Other layout considerations include the following:

•  Stay away from trying to use a fancy-type face. Use fonts like Helvetica, Times New Roman, Arial, or members of serif text families. These fonts are easy to read.
• It’s always a good idea to use a large face such as 10 to 12 point types with average margins for one or two-column formats.
• When you align your text, you can justify your text (aligning your text on the left side of the page with a ragged right) or justify the text with a flush left and right.
• There are many different types of binding available for your narrative. Search the one that best fits your budget and at the same time fulfills the purpose you have in mind for the book.
• Remember, you must make the side you will bind to be V4″ more significant than the outside edge when you are laying out the page. For example, your binding edge will need your binding edge if your outside edge is V2″ 314″ wide.
• Take great care in writing the captions in your book. For example, try to the best of your ability to include the name of every person in the photograph. When you have large groups of people and cannot identify everyone, give the photo’s date.

12. Sharing Your Personal Narrative

Throughout the writing of your personal narrative, keep your eyes focused on the completion and distribution. The following are a few ideas to consider:

Publish several extra books for future generations. Posterity should have easy access to your narrative.

• Donate copies to libraries or other institutions.
• Post it on the Internet.
• Donate a copy to your local library.
• Donate a copy to the Salt Lake Family History Library.
• Permit microfilm using the Family History Library’s “Permission to Duplicate” form.
• Send a letter of permission with your manuscript.
• Send an unbound copy as it’s easier to microfilm.
• Plan ahead for the publishing and marketing of your book.
• Be alert for contacts and opportunities for promotion as you research and write.

Keep good records of anyone who has been contacted or helped with the book. You will contact them as potential buyers or persons who will help publish and distribute the personal narrative book.

When I first started researching and writing a personal narrative—be it my own or about my mother, family, or others—I wanted to record the profound and thought-provoking experiences that could last for generations. Instead, I found the narrative of being about life and how choices determine our course and how our course provides us an opportunity to become the individuals we are and to create the legacy we leave with our ancestral lines. No matter how great or small, every story has value because life was lived, and every life is a gift. The story is about what we did with the gift.

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20 Engaging Essays About Family You Can Easily Write

Discover 20 essays about family for your next essay writing project.

From defining the family to exploring problems within modern families, this personal topic lends itself well to essay writing. If you are preparing a personal essay or were assigned to write one on this topic, good news. You can easily draw on a wealth of sub-topics and themes about the family, as you develop your piece. But if you have trouble getting started, here are 20 ideas for essays about the family.

For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers .

1. Why Siblings Should Be Your Best Friends

2. what is a family, 3. how family culture is established by a nuclear family, 4. the importance of family in child rearing, 5. how my family made me a better person, 6. why i love my family, 7. why my mom/dad/grandparent is my role model, 8. the effect of dysfunctional families on teenagers, 9. a sociological approach to defining family, 10. the influence of extended family on a child’s life experiences, 11. how popular culture portrays the happy family, 12. how my dysfunctional family defined my character, 13. how family has changed in american society, 14. is family changing or facing a state of decline, 15. the role family holds in everyday life, 16. comparing the family dynamics between two different cultures, 17. how my multi-cultural family gave me the best of both worlds, 18. unique challenges faced in single-parent families, 19. my most vivid family memory, 20. the challenges of being the youngest or oldest in the family.

A loving family is a beautiful gift, and with it often comes the gift of siblings. You could develop an essay on why siblings should be an individual’s best friends. When the relationship between them is loving and supportive, siblings are always around and able to help individuals through challenging life experiences.

This stands in stark contrast to the friends made in high school and even college. While some people will walk away with lifelong friends, life’s circumstances often pull friends apart. Family is forever, and people should work to develop those relationships. Looking for more? See these essays about brothers .

The dictionary defines a family as “a social group made up of parents and their children” or “a group of people who come from the same ancestor.” Yet this is a very narrow definition of family. Could you define it in another way? Are there people who you consider “family” who are not actually related to you by blood?

This essay idea gives you quite a bit of room for interpretation. Decide how you will define family, and then use the essay to support your choice. Then, discuss different ways family can look in society.

If you need some inspiration, check out our guide to the best parenting books .

The nuclear family is the most basic family structure: parents and their children. This family system is critical to developing a family culture and passing it down to the next generation. Do you find that you highly value having a family night on Fridays? It is likely because that is something your parents showed you in your own family when you were growing up.

Your essay can define family culture and show how family life helps establish that and pass it down to children. This family essay can discuss the nuclear family’s role in teaching children about cultural and religious values. Finally, the essay can establish why family culture and passing it along to children is so important.

For more help with this topic, read our guide explaining what is persuasive writing ?

Can children grow into reasonable and ethical grown-ups without a family? While it is possible, the reality is the most stable adults typically come from loving and supportive families. One of the primary roles of the family is the development and rearing of children.

The family is the child’s primary social group . Through the family, they develop socially, emotionally, physically, and intellectually. In some ways, the family is the first school that teaches them the most important principles of life for young children. In your essay, establish the fact that family is the foundation for strong adults because of its role in child-rearing and child development.

If you need to write a personal essay, you can look at your family’s role in making you who you are. Your family played a vital role in your upbringing, from teaching you your core values to supporting you as you developed into the adult you are today.

Remember that you don’t have to have a happy family to write this essay. Even if your family circumstances were challenging, you can find ways that your family of origin helped you improve yourself and become a better person.

This is another personal essay topic. On the surface, it seems easy, but if you are going to write a quality essay, you need to dig deep. What makes your family unique and special, and why do you love that?

Keep in mind that all families have quirks and even problems. Yet you love your family in spite of these and sometimes even because of them. Don’t be afraid to include these in your essay.

Think of your family and the leaders in it. Is there one that stands out for a particular reason? Have you modeled some of your own life on how that person lived theirs?

Whether you choose a parent or a grandparent or even an extended family member, look more closely at what makes that individual so important in your life. Then, in your essay, you can outline how you are trying to emulate what they did in their life to make you more successful in yours.

When families go through difficult times, the effect is not limited to those struggling the most. The whole family will suffer when parents are fighting or financial problems arise. Teenagers are particularly vulnerable to dysfunctional family dynamics. They may act out, experience depression, or feel pressured to lead the family when their parents are facing conflict.

This essay explores the effect of family problems on teenagers and their emotional or social development. Consider providing solutions that can help teens manage their challenging emotions even while dealing with the unique challenge of a dysfunctional family.

The definition of family is constantly evolving, but what does sociology say about it? This question could lead to an exciting and engaging essay as you dig into sociology to find your family definition. Based on most sociological definitions , a family is a group of related individuals connected by blood, marriage, or adoption. It may also mean people who live under the same roof.

Based on this definition, the word family has a distinct boundary. While close friends might be something you consider as family personally, sociologists will not define family in this way. Looking at the way sociologists, specifically, define family will give you quite a bit for your essay.

Much has been written about the nuclear family and its impact on the child’s development, but the whole family can have a role to play. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other extended family members can contribute to the life experiences of a child, and you can turn this into an interesting essay topic.

Use your essay to explore what happens when the extended family lives close by and what happens when they do not. You can look at how much of an influence the extended family has on a child’s development, and what increases or decreases that influence.

What does the happy nuclear family look like in television shows and movies? Is it usually a mother, father, and child, or are same-sex couples shown regularly? Do single-parent households get equal representation, or not?

This topic could be a fascinating one to explore in your essay. Once you establish the facts, you can discuss if this portrayal reflects real life or not. Finally, you can talk about whether or not the cultural portrayal of the family represents the type of family values the average family embraces.

Not everyone grows up in a happy, stable family, but sometimes bad times can improve someone’s character and give them the drive to be better. If you grew up in a dysfunctional family, you could show how that helped define your character.

In this essay, work to make a positive spin on your difficult situation. This topic can work well for a personal essay for college entrance or employment purposes.

Is the definition of family changing in American society? Some would argue that it is. While the mother, father, and children style family is still common, many other families exist now.

For example, we have an increasing number of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren . Single-parent families are also on the rise, as are families with a single parent who was never married to the other parent to begin with. Families with same-sex parents are becoming more common as well. Take your essay and define this change and how the nuclear family may look in the future.

Another take on the idea of the changing family dynamic s discussing whether or not families are changing, or if the state of the family is in decline. This essay topic will require some research, but you can explore whether families are breaking down or if they are simply changing.

If you decide that the family is breaking down, you can explore the reasons for this breakdown and its impact on society.

From bringing in the income that the family members need to live on to giving direction for the growth and development of children, the family holds a significant role in everyday life. You can explore this role in your essay and talk about the different components of life that the family controls.

For people who grow up in a stable environment, the family provides emotional support and improves overall well-being. It is also the source for moral development, cultural development, and work ethic development. It also provides for the physical safety and needs of the children. All of these lend themselves well to an essay topic.

While the main definition of family is nearly universal, the nuances of family dynamics change significantly from one culture to the next. For example, some cultures are highly patriarchal in nature, while others focus on maternal leadership. Pick a very different culture from your own, and then compare and contrast them in your essay.

For this essay, make sure that you look at differences as well as similarities. Do not disparage either culture, either, but rather focus on their differences positively. This essay works well if you have contact or knowledge of both cultures so that it can be a great choice for someone growing up in a multi-cultural family.

This essay topic is a twist on the previous one. In addition to comparing and contrasting the family dynamic of the two cultures, you can look at how that directly impacted you. What did you gain from each of the two cultures that merged in your home?

The personal nature of this essay topic makes it easier to write, but be willing to do some research, too. Learn why your parents acted the way they did and how it tied into their cultures. Consider ways the cultures clashed and how your family worked through those problems.

Single-parent families can be loving and supportive families, and children can grow well in them, but they face some challenges. Your essay can expound on these challenges and help you show how they are overcome within the family dynamic.

As you develop this family essay, remember to shed some positive light on the tenacity of single parents. There are challenges in this family structure, but most single parents meet them head-on and grow happy, well-balanced children. Remember to discuss both single fathers and single mothers, as single-parent families have both.

You can use this personal essay topic when writing essays about the family. Think back to your childhood and your most vivid family memory. Maybe it is something positive, like an epic family vacation, or maybe it is something negative, like the time when your parents split up.

Write about how that family memory changed you as a child and even in your adult years. Discuss what you remember about it and what you know about it now, after the fact. Show how that memory helped develop you into who you are today.

Are you the family’s baby or the oldest child? What challenges did you face in this role? Discuss those as you develop your family essay topic.

Even if you were the middle child, you can use your observations of your family to discuss the challenges of the bookend children. Do you feel that the baby or the eldest has the easier path? Develop this into a well-thought-out essay.

If you are interested in learning more, check out our essay writing tips !

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Essay Samples on Family

This area of study will be relevant to students majoring in Education, Psychology, Healthcare, and Sociology. Those learners who must compose essays on family may deal with anything from legislation and divorce issues to domestic abuse and family relations all over the world. In case you are not able to provide an excellent paper on family, consider exploring your grading rubric again and think about something that inspires you. Think about family values and provide your readers with interesting facts or statistical information that is worth researching. When all else fails, take a look at our free family essay examples. These cover a wide range of subjects that will be suitable for educators, legal specialists, sociologists, and psychologists, among others. We even have case studies and family examples from famous literary works. Combine several examples as you compose your own to provide an even greater scope of a subject. Remember to provide citations for every idea that is not yours as a way to avoid plagiarism issues. When you explore our free family essay samples, see how to structure your writing by using the final part as a place to set a moral lesson or create a call to action.

How Does Family Influence Your Identity

Family is a powerful force that weaves the threads of our identity. The relationships, values, and experiences within our family unit play a significant role in shaping who we become. This essay delves into how family influences our identity, from the formation of core beliefs...

• Personal Identity

Cause and Effect of Broken Family: Exploring the Impact on Individuals and Society

A broken family, characterized by divorce, separation, or strained relationships among family members, can have profound effects on individuals and society as a whole. This essay delves into the cause and effect of broken families, and examines the far-reaching consequences on emotional well-being, academic performance,...

What Does Family Mean to You: A Lifelong Treasure

Family is more than just a group of people who share a bloodline or a last name. It is a profound and intricate web of connections, emotions, and shared experiences that shape us into who we are. When asked, "What does family mean to you?"...

• Family Values

My Family: Exploring the Roots of Love and Unity

Family is the cornerstone of our lives, the haven where we find solace, support, and unconditional love. As I reflect upon the significance of my family, I am reminded of the deep bonds that tie us together and the invaluable lessons I've learned from each...

• Family Relationships

How I Celebrate Christmas: One Holiday, Two Celebrations

Christmas is a cherished time for my family, where we celebrate the season in two distinct ways. In this essay I want to share how I celebrate Christmas and discuss the intricacies of each tradition, as they hold a special place in our hearts. Celebrating...

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A Reflection on What Family Means to Me

Most of us have the same description of the family, we describe it as a group of people with a relationship by blood or they are biologically connected to each other. The ideal family always starts with father and mother then followed by one or...

• Marriage and Family

Ethnographic Study Of One’s Family Origin

One may ask the question, exactly what is a family? A family is like a house, build on a strong foundation. The foundation is like the ancestors and grandparents, built to hold everything together. If the foundation breaks, then so does the family. The teachings...

• Ethnography

The Novel "Everyday Use" By Alice Walker: A Literary Analysis

In the story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker introduces two sisters with opposite personalities and unique views on heritage. The purpose of this essay is to conduct a literary analysis of the story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker.  Maggie and Dee -  different personalities, contrast...

• Alice Walker
• Everyday Use

My Experience Of Savoring Traditional Guatemalan Breakfast During The Family Visit

The last Sunday morning before I came to MSU my family and I decided to get together for breakfast. Since it was one of the last days that I was going to be in Guatemala we decided to make the traditional Guatemalan breakfast, the “Desayuno...

• Cultural Identity

Semiotic Analysis Of The American Family Image In Family Guy

The idea of family shifts as currently construed significantly differs from the notions held for the typical 50s family. For anybody who has watched the popular TV show Family Guy, representation of ideal family behaviors are but a façade. The expectations for a perfect family...

Mixing Reality with Dreams in Inception

Apart from Cobb’s own family, Saito plays a critical part in suggesting that in the ending, Cobb has returned to reality. This can be shown through the repetition and the correlation of few scenes. To start off, the lines “...to become an old man, filled...

Best topics on Family

1. How Does Family Influence Your Identity

2. Cause and Effect of Broken Family: Exploring the Impact on Individuals and Society

3. What Does Family Mean to You: A Lifelong Treasure

4. My Family: Exploring the Roots of Love and Unity

5. How I Celebrate Christmas: One Holiday, Two Celebrations

6. A Reflection on What Family Means to Me

7. Ethnographic Study Of One’s Family Origin

8. The Novel “Everyday Use” By Alice Walker: A Literary Analysis

9. My Experience Of Savoring Traditional Guatemalan Breakfast During The Family Visit

10. Semiotic Analysis Of The American Family Image In Family Guy

11. Mixing Reality with Dreams in Inception

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• Perseverance
• Bucket List
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• Benefits of Volunteering

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109 My Family Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Family is one of the most important aspects of our lives. They are the ones who support us, love us unconditionally, and are always there for us no matter what. Writing an essay about your family can be a great way to reflect on the relationships you have with your loved ones and the impact they have had on your life. If you're struggling to come up with a topic for your family essay, don't worry - we've got you covered. Here are 109 family essay topic ideas and examples to help you get started:

• The importance of family in my life
• My family traditions and customs
• A day in the life of my family
• Lessons I've learned from my family
• The role of siblings in shaping who I am
• How my family has influenced my career choices
• The impact of divorce on my family
• The challenges of being a single-parent family
• The bond between grandparents and grandchildren
• The importance of communication in a healthy family dynamic
• How my family celebrates holidays and special occasions
• The role of family in shaping my cultural identity
• The struggles and triumphs of being a blended family
• How my family has supported me through difficult times
• The role of family in shaping my values and beliefs
• The dynamics of sibling rivalry in my family
• The importance of forgiveness in family relationships
• The influence of birth order on personality development
• The impact of technology on family communication
• The role of family in shaping my educational goals
• The challenges of balancing work and family life
• The importance of family dinners in fostering connection
• The impact of social media on family relationships
• The role of extended family in my life
• How my family has influenced my hobbies and interests
• The impact of family vacations on bonding
• The importance of family support in achieving goals
• The role of family in dealing with mental health issues
• The influence of family dynamics on romantic relationships
• The impact of sibling relationships on social development
• The role of family in teaching empathy and compassion
• The importance of family history and traditions
• The impact of family size on individual development
• The challenges of being a caregiver for a family member
• The importance of setting boundaries in family relationships
• The influence of family values on decision-making
• The impact of divorce on children's emotional well-being
• The role of family in teaching responsibility and independence
• The challenges of maintaining long-distance family relationships
• The importance of family game nights in bonding
• The influence of family expectations on personal goals
• The impact of family conflicts on mental health
• The role of family in teaching conflict resolution skills
• The importance of family bonding activities
• The influence of family relationships on self-esteem
• The impact of family dynamics on academic performance
• The role of family in teaching resilience and perseverance
• The importance of family rituals in creating memories
• The influence of family on career choices
• The impact of family trauma on emotional well-being
• The role of family in promoting healthy habits
• The importance of family support in times of crisis
• The influence of family on financial decisions
• The impact of family dynamics on sibling relationships
• The role of family in shaping gender roles
• The importance of family meals in fostering connection
• The influence of family on friendship choices
• The impact of family history on health outcomes
• The role of family in shaping personality traits
• The importance of family vacations in creating memories
• The influence of family on social skills
• The impact of family dynamics on emotional intelligence
• The role of family in fostering creativity and innovation
• The importance of family support in pursuing passions
• The influence of family on self-expression
• The impact of family rituals on mental health
• The importance of family game nights in fostering connection

These are just a few ideas to help you get started on your family essay. Remember, the most important thing is to reflect on your own experiences and relationships with your loved ones. Happy writing!

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Free Family, Life & Experiences Essay Examples & Topics

How would you define family life? There are numerous ways to explain this notion. Let’s make it as simple as possible. In essence, family life is the set of routine activities that a family has together daily.

The importance of family life can’t be underestimated. It is essential to create a positive environment within the household. Building trusting relationships between all the family members is necessary for happiness and comfort. From the very first days of life, kids absorb the behavioral model of their parents. Thus, a happy family is a key to a child’s positive growth and emotional development.

Of course, a warm and supportive relationship is not a feature of every family. However, while writing a family life essay, everyone will have something to discuss. Our experts have collected tips and ideas for completing this task. Also, below you will find examples of family life writing.

Everyone has their own situations and problems at home. For some, they can be predominantly negative. That is to say, describing personal experiences in the family can be challenging for many students. Yet, anyone can complete such a task with at least a bit of sincerity. Here we have provided tips that can help you with this.

To write an essay about family life, you should adhere to the following structure:

• Introduction

In the first paragraph, speak about general family issues that would set the scene for your essay. Try to engage the readers with your topic. You can introduce your family or briefly describe the problem you are going to explore. Also, there are some ways to start your essay dynamically. For example, you can find some statistics that would fit your topic or select a memorable quote.

• Thesis statement

It is an essential element of your essay about family. Here, you need to formulate your position clearly and precisely. There are plenty of ideas on what to include in the thesis. It depends on the topic you selected for your essay. Just be creative! Or create a perfect one with our thesis generator online.

• Body Paragraphs (1-3)

In this section, develop each point you mentioned in the thesis statement. Each paragraph should have a topic sentence at the beginning. It will guide your readers through your ideas. Also, find appropriate supportive details and examples for each of your arguments. This will make your ideas solid.

For instance, your thesis statement is the following:

Three key features of a strong modern family are trust, support, and commitment.

In this case, your topic sentences of body paragraphs will be:

• Trust is one of the main characteristics of a strong family.
• Support plays an essential role in building a warm relationship in a family.
• Commitment is a crucial trait of a strong family.

Wrap up your essay by concisely summarizing your key points. Our conclusion generator can help you with that. Make your paper memorable by concluding it with a final thought or a call for action. You can ask your readers to reflect on their families’ personal experiences, for example. Another way to finish your essay is to create a space for further investigation of your topic.

16 Topic about Family Life

For any essay on family, you need an appropriate topic. Completing such a task requires sincerity. So, you need to find an idea that you feel comfortable writing about. In this section, pick one that will help you compose all the necessary paragraphs about your family.

Take a look at the following family life essay topics:

• Why communicating with family members can be stressful sometimes, and how can you overcome this problem?
• The significance of maintaining family traditions.
• The effects of divorce on children’s mental health.
• Is there an appropriate age for marriage in America?
• A fun story about my family as the warmest memory from my childhood.
• Negative effects of technology on family life and possible ways to deal with this problem.
• Family in modern society: how to maintain a healthy work-life balance in the quick-fastened world.
• Changes in family life traditions throughout the time: compare yours and your grandparents’ family.
• The role of psychologists in sharing and discussing personal experiences about family problems.
• How can rapid changes in family life affect children?
• The importance of remembering and sharing family history from generation to generation.
• The most heartwarming story about my family.
• The importance of family support in overcoming tragedies.
• Is sharing your family experience with the people outside of your family worth doing?
• How does sociology explain the effect of country of origin on family traditions?
• From the life perspective, should parents be strict or more like friends to their kids?

Thanks for reading! You can now check our free family life essay examples below. Learn some wonderful stories about other students and their loved ones.

1325 Best Essay Examples on Family, Life & Experiences

Travel: personal experience.

• Subjects: Personal Experiences

Personal Experience of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Are parents responsible for their children’s behavior.

• Subjects: Parenting
• Words: 1428

Are Women Better Parents Than Men? Essay

• Subjects: Family Members
• Words: 1904

Old Life Style and Modern Life Style Differences

• Subjects: Lifestyle
• Words: 1162

Describing a Person Who Influenced You: Personal Experience.

• Words: 1037

The Advantages of Living Abroad: Analysis

Work life balance essay, a memorable visit to the nairobi national park, should screen time be limited for children, big cities vs. small cities: compare and contrast.

• Words: 1139

My Values in Life

Personal birthday speech, relaxation and its importance, the death of my grandmother and lessons learnt, what is happiness essay.

• Subjects: Emotions

Leisure Time: The Types of Activities

Life of the future, impact of videogames on children.

• Words: 1652

10-Year Life Plan Essay

• Words: 1100

Practice Makes Perfect Essay

• Words: 1087

Why Beautiful Women Prefer Unattractive Men

• Subjects: Romantic Relationship
• Words: 1140

An Adventure with My Pet Pit-Bull Dog “Tiger”

• Subjects: Pets

Importance of Family in Society

• Words: 1129

Watching a Movie at Home or Theater: An Exciting Adventure or the Ideal Place

Divorce: agreement or disagreement.

• Subjects: Marriage
• Words: 1169

Hobbies and Their Importance in People’s Lives

• Words: 1394

My First Work Experience and Knowledge I Gained

• Words: 1163

Christian vs. Muslim Marriages Comparison and Contrast

• Words: 1202

Effects of Divorce on Children

• Subjects: Relationships
• Words: 1419

Single Life vs. Married Life Essay

Can money buy you happiness, dealing with the death of a grandfather.

• Words: 2141

Big City Life: Advantages and Disadvantages

Grandparents-grandchildren relations then and now.

• Words: 2350

An Event That Had a Significant Influence on My Life

How does kamasutra teach to become a better woman.

• Words: 2017

Living In A Big City Essay: Lifestyle

Grief and loss: personal experience.

• Words: 1670

Comparison Parenting Between Asian Parents and Western Parents

• Words: 2214

Why I Am a Good Son to My Parents

Negative effects of cohabitation.

• Words: 2140

Family and Its Structure Classification

• Subjects: Family Formation

Emotions and Their Value for Us

Comparison and contrast: the nuclear family vs. the traditional family, early marriage advantages.

• Words: 1099

Working While Going to College: Pros and Cons

Good friends and their characteristics.

• Subjects: Friends

Importance of Self-Care: Healthy Eating

Life as a human’s struggle for happiness.

• Words: 1134

Balancing work and family

• Words: 1682

Laughter: Personal Experience Example

• Words: 1133

Exam Magic: Spells and Rituals

My inspiration for reading, islamic marriage and divorce.

• Words: 1839

Log Book for Internship With Merrill Lynch Bank

• Words: 3904

Family Genogram Analysis Factors

• Words: 1319

The Impact of Socialization on My Life

• Words: 1076

The Meaning of Home

Why you prefer living in an apartment, i do not believe in ghosts.

• Words: 1900

Communication Between Parents and Teenagers

• Words: 2312

Spoiled Children and Parenting Mistakes

Balancing studies, work, and family life, parental rejection and its severe consequences.

• Words: 1477

Defining Characteristics of a Healthy Family

Horizon restaurant experience, personal motto “learning, believing, and winning”, pets keeping: benefits for children.

• Words: 2204

A One-Time Life Experience

Relationships. to my beloved spouse on how to love.

• Words: 1011

Mothers: To Work or Not to Work?

Polygamy: disadvantages and social impact, cats make better pets than dogs, peer pressure: positive and negative effects, early marriage and its impact on education.

• Words: 2330

Why We Should Encourage People to Use and Value Traditional Lifestyles

• Words: 1184

Raising a Child

• Words: 1435

Painfulness and Happiness of Childbirth

Personal experience with the covid-19 pandemic, the three parenting styles, death, dying, and bereavement: reflection.

• Words: 1149

Relationships’ Types and Differences

• Words: 1675

Statement for Marriage and Family Therapist Applicant

Dream family vacation and its benefits, a workview and lifeview reflection, learning to ride. personal experiences.

• Words: 1268

Lobby Sport Bar and Restaurant: Internship Experience

• Words: 1636

Parenting Styles: Advantages and Disadvantages

Perseverance is the mother of success in learning, a house divided: structural therapy with a black family. case conceptualization, pros and cons of growing up as an only child.

• Words: 1599

Individual Leadership Philosophy

The unique feeling of “home”.

• Words: 1110

Reaction to Attending Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting

Interviews comparison between with a child and with an elderly person.

• Words: 1509

Environmental Autobiography: Cities and Career

• Words: 1177

“Public and Private Families” by Andrew J. Cherlin

• Words: 1448

African American Family in the “Soul Food” Movie

• Words: 2198

Why Gay Marriage Should Not Be Legal

Review of “on going home” by joan didion.

• Words: 1171

Qualities of Successful Marriages

• Words: 1387

Creating a Healthy Loving Relationship

The strengths of my best friend girl, parenting education programs: pros and cons, the effects of humor and persuasion, my ideal career: personal dream, significance of family in self-development.

• Words: 1399

Marriage and Family Challenges

Temporary marriage in lebanon: pros and cons, english as foreign language learning experience, on personality and qualities: why do i admire steve jobs.

• Words: 1389

Classification of Friendship

Personal leadership profile analysis.

• Words: 2085

Why People Choose a Healthy Lifestyle Compared to Unhealthy Lifestyle?

• Words: 2226

My Visit to the Great Rift Valley

Family categories schema: family strengths analysis, the key to happiness and satisfaction with life, family life definition and identification.

• Words: 2185

My Own Classroom Management System

• Words: 1769

English Compositions

Short Essay on My Family [100, 200, 400 Words] With PDF

Writing essays on Family has always been in trend in many English comprehension tests around the world. In this lesson today, you will learn how you can concisely write short essays on ‘my family’ within the recommended word limit.

Short Essay on My Family in 100 Words 

Family is an important part of everyone’s life. I live in a joint family with my grandparents, parents, uncle and aunt as well as my siblings and cousins. We also have a pet dog whom we consider a part of our family. All the members of my family love, respect and care for each other. No matter how busy everyone is, we make sure to sit down and have dinner together every night.

We share our happiness and discuss our problems with each other. The elders always give us good advice and guide us in our lives. We also love going out for family picnics and outings during holidays. I love my family. 

Short Essay on My Family in 200 Words 

A person’s family is an integral part of his or her life. Some people have a small family while others are blessed with a large family. I live in a joint family with my grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts as well as my siblings and cousins. All the members of my family love, respect and care for each other. My siblings, cousins and I go to the same school and are always there for each other.

My parents are teachers while my uncles are in the police force. Despite being busy with their jobs, all the elders share the responsibility of doing household chores and do not leave all the burden on the women of the house. My mother also helps us with our studies and homework. 

We have a huge dining table and every night, all the family members sit together to dine. We share our happiness and troubles with each other. If a family member is in some kind of difficulty, other members do their best to help him or her.

The elders always share their wisdom with us and show us the right path. We also love going out together and we go for family outings every once in a while. I am thankful that I am blessed with such a wonderful family. 

Short Essay on My Family in 400 Words 

A family can mean different things to different people. In a traditional sense, it is a group of people related by blood, marriage or adoption living together. Some people have a small family while some others are blessed with a large family. I live in a joint family. My parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts all live together. I also have two siblings and three cousins. We go to the same school and get along very well. 

My parents are teachers while my uncles work in the police force. One of my aunts is a nurse and the other is a housewife. My grandfather used to work in a steel factory and is now retired. All the members of my family love, respect and care for each other. No matter how busy everyone is, we make sure to spend quality time with each other.

All the members share the responsibility of the household chores and do not let the entire burden fall on the women of the house. Being teachers, my parents also tutor us children at home and help us with our homework. 

We have a huge dining table in our living room and every night, all the family members sit together to dine. We share our happiness and discuss our problems with each other. The elders always share their wisdom and guide us in our lives. Whenever my parents or uncles are in some sort of difficulty, they consult my grandparents for their advice.

My grandfather loves to talk about politics and my father and uncles often join him. Oftentimes their opinions don’t match, yet they are very respectful of each other and the difference in their views. My family has taught me how to always be respectful and polite. 

My family loves to go out together and we often go for family outings. Our favourite is a picnic spot near our house where we go almost every two weeks. We also have good relations with our other relatives and they visit us during the holidays. Having a large family is amazing. Even when our parents are busy or out of town, we are never left alone.

There is always someone to take care of us when we fall sick and there is always someone to rely on when we need help. It is said that a person’s family influences their nature, character and personality a lot. I am blessed to have such a wonderful family. It is because of their good influence that I have become a good person. 

That was everything about writing short essays on ‘My Family.’ In these essays, I have adopted a very simplistic approach with easy words and sentences for easy understanding of all kinds of students. If you still have any doubts regarding this session, kindly mention that in the comment section below. To read more such essays on various important topics, keep browsing our website.

Join our Telegram channel to get all the latest updates on our upcoming session. Thank you.

Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Family Relationships — Importance of Family Relationships

Importance of Family Relationships

• Categories: Family Relationships Parent-Child Relationship

About this sample

Words: 515 |

Published: Aug 31, 2023

Words: 515 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Table of contents

Emotional support and security, healthy development and identity formation, nurturing communication skills, shared traditions and cultural heritage, crisis support and resilience, socialization and moral development, interpersonal skills and conflict resolution, elderly care and generational exchange, building strong communities and societal cohesion, conclusion: the enduring significance of family bonds.

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18 Writing Tips: Tell Family Stories with Confidence

Seventeen years after my Grandpa Bob passed away, my dad planned a family reunion at a park in Northern Utah. Prior to the reunion, he invited his four siblings and their children to email him their favorite memories of Grandpa Bob. He compiled the memories in a 16-page document and printed copies for everyone.

One of my favorite entries came from my cousin, Natalie, who signed off with an apology: “I’m not a good writer, so hopefully this all made sense. I’m sad my memory isn’t better.” I was surprised. The stories Natalie shared were interesting and specific, full of fun details and sayings Grandpa was known for. Her words painted a vivid picture of him that made me miss him acutely. I didn’t once notice an ungrammatical sentence in that collection of memories. That’s not what matters. What matters is authenticity, voice, and perspective. What matters is that our stories get told , in all of their imperfect glory.

Would you like to make 2018 a year to tell your family stories ? Let these simple tips inspire you to put pen to paper. No one is more qualified to tell your family’s story than you are.

Get Started

1. own your story.

You are absolutely the best person in the world to write your story and your family history . You are the only human being ever born to this earth who has your unique perspective and life experiences. You know all the details. You were there. J.K. Rowling couldn’t tell your stories better than you can.

2. Tell Favorite Stories Aloud

One of the reasons my cousin’s words came so alive for me is because her family members are all great verbal storytellers . They get together and reminisce and repeat some of the same stories over and over. This practice adds structure to fragmented memories, making it easier to write them down later.

3. Make a Time Line of Major Life Events

In a notebook or a computer document, write down each year you’ve been alive. Leave a page or two between each year. Now start adding in all of the big turning points that divide your life into chapters: being born, going to school, moving, changing schools, reaching religious milestones, learning to drive, graduating, getting a job, changing jobs, getting married, having children. Unhappy events like divorces and deaths will make the list too. Jot down names, places, dates. If all you ever complete in your personal history is this list of major life events , that’s a lot better than nothing. If you’re inspired to keep going, you’ll have a great framework for writing a thorough personal history.

4. Be Specific

Add as many relevant details as you can when sharing a memory . If you make a general statement, think about the evidence you’d include if you had to prove you’re telling the truth. For example, my cousin Natalie wrote, “I remember Grandpa always took very nice care of things.” If she had stopped there, it still would have been a true statement about Grandpa, but it became much more memorable when she added this detail: “If he used the weed eater, he'd wipe it off and put it back in the box.” Now that tells a story about just how careful and meticulous Grandpa was. Not only did he keep the original box for years and years, he also took the time to wipe off dirty lawn equipment before putting it away. I loved that detail; I can picture him doing exactly that.

5. Just Start

It doesn’t matter how far behind you feel you are in capturing your personal history . Start somewhere , and start today. Even if you don’t have time to delve deeply into the past right now, make a regular habit of capturing and collecting current thoughts and memories. The important thing is to capture them while they’re still fresh; you can always organize and rearrange your memories later.

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Trigger Memories Authentically

6. make a list of stories to tell.

Not sure where to start with your personal or family history ? Start by making a list of stories you want to write down eventually. Then elaborate on each of them, one by one. Think about the anecdotes you find yourself telling over and over—like that disaster you narrowly avoided, that crazy coincidence, that one time you ran into a famous person. If anyone ever says, “Yeah, you told me that one before,” that’s a clue the story is important to you. Add it to your list.

7. Forget About Chronology

I know I told you to make a time line, but there’s no rule that says you have to write your life story in chronological order. You can use the time line for reference only, then write your stories in any order you want . After all, you don’t remember your life in chronological order. Memories tend to pop up at random, triggered by the strangest things. As you write your stories down, you can add whatever structure to your memories you want. Leave them in random order. Group them by person or place. I have an encyclopedia-style document on my computer where I gather memories under alphabetized topics: “Adventures with Jori,” “Body Quirks,” “Cheese,” etc. (Yes, I really do have a story about cheese.)

8. Use Memory Triggers

Photos, keepsakes, clothing, and other objects can be wonderful memory triggers . Look through photo albums at relatives’ homes and see what stories come to mind. Then add them to your list of stories to tell. Plan a visit to a neighborhood or city where you once lived. Walk around, notebook in hand, and see what memories surface. You can also use questions or writing prompts, like the #52stories project , to trigger memories and stories.

9. Let Your Thoughts Percolate

It’s hard to summon stories on demand; our memories just don’t work that way. If you’re using writing prompts or trying to answer a list of questions, read through them at the beginning of the week. Then set them aside, and go about your life. You’ll be surprised what you can remember after you let a question marinate in your mind for a few days.

10. Gather Memories from Other People

Consult siblings, cousins, children, and other relatives to help round out your memories of a person or event. Natalie talked to two of her sisters before typing up the final list of memories she sent to my dad. I’m so grateful to all of my cousins and aunts for contributing their perspectives, despite any writing insecurity they might have felt. Now we have a well-rounded picture of this man we all loved, from those who knew him as a young father and those who knew him as an aging grandfather, from those who saw him daily and those who visited a few times a year.

Keep It Simple

11. use your handwriting.

I already know what some of you are going to say. “But I have ugly handwriting. I hate my handwriting. Typing is so much easier.” Let me just ask you this: Have you ever encountered a recipe written in your grandmother’s hand and thought anything other than, “Wow, I miss her.” Your handwriting is unique to you. Your family will want to have some of your words written in your own hand. They won’t judge you for sloppy or imperfect handwriting. They’ll treasure it as a piece of you.

12. Write the Way You Speak

Forget about formality and the rules of writing. Just do your best to allow your authentic voice to shine through. The more your written words reflect the way you speak, the better. It can take years for even professional writers to find their own “voice” and feel truly at home with their style, so don’t worry if you feel awkward with writing at first. If you still feel stuck, pretend you’re telling the story out loud to a friend. Actually say each sentence out loud, and then write down what you said. It’s that simple.

13. Don’t Stress about Grammar and Spelling

There’s a saying I want you to repeat to yourself over and over: Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. What does that mean? Perfection is not the goal. If that’s what you’re aiming for, you won’t get anything done at all. An imperfect life story that’s written down is infinitely more valuable than a perfect story that’s never told. So don’t worry if you struggled diagramming sentences in school and can’t distinguish a subject from a predicate. If you know how to speak in coherent sentences, you’ll be able to write a coherent history, too.

14. Write in List Form

Lists are a great way to break up your prose, making it both easier to write and more fun to read. The options are endless. Here’s a brief list of things you could make lists about in your journal:

• Cities you’ve lived in
• Schools you attended
• Songs that remind you of high school
• Favorite books or movies
• Quotes or sayings your grandfather always said
• Traits you inherited from your grandma
• Recipes that remind you of home
• Personal injuries and hospitalizations
• Childhood mischief that you got away with
• Pets your family owned

Make It Last

15. make it a regular practice.

The more you exercise your writing muscles, the easier and more naturally your words will flow. Set aside a block of time once a week for journal writing, as the #52stories project encourages you to do. If that sounds overwhelming, write every other week or once a month instead. You could also pick one month a year (maybe your birthday month) where you write briefly every day—either about your current life or about your past or your family history. Do what you have to do to remove barriers and make journaling fit your lifestyle, even if that means carrying a small journal in your purse or writing your entire journal in a Notes file on your smartphone.

16. Keep Multiple Journals

Long-form, paragraph-style writing is just one way to capture memories about your life. I have a journal like that, but I have other kinds of journals, too. I have a file on my smartphone where I capture spiritual insights and a-ha moments. I have miniature notebooks where I capture funny things my kids say. Several times in my life, I’ve used a blank wall calendar as a journal, writing one tiny memory a day inside those little squares. I did this for my daughter from the day she was born until her first birthday. I’m doing it now for my infant son.

17. Curate Your Own Writing

Everything you write about yourself counts, so collect it all together . If you give a presentation at work and you share a personal anecdote, pull that out of the presentation and save it in your personal history. If you share a personal experience in a Sunday School lesson, save it. If you speak at a family funeral, definitely save that. Comb through social media for stories you’ve already shared and save them in a more archival format.

18. Make Some of Your Stories Permanent

Some of the writing you do will be just for you, and that’s okay. But some of your writing will really matter to someone else, like your account of the birth of your child, or your recollections of a beloved grandparent. Save your most important memories in the FamilySearch app , in the Stories section, where all of the data is archived and backed up to the cloud. If it’s a story about your grandfather, save it to his profile. If it’s about your life, save it to your own profile. All stories remain private while the person is still living, but they’ll eventually be visible to the entire extended family.

It’s Up to You

Don’t let your self-doubts get in the way of preserving the important stories of your life. Don’t let your insecurities keep you from helping your children—and their children—see your parents and grandparents the way that you saw them. There’s no better time to start preserving your most important family stories . There’s no better person to do it than you.

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• Knowledge Base
• How to write a narrative essay | Example & tips

How to Write a Narrative Essay | Example & Tips

Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A narrative essay tells a story. In most cases, this is a story about a personal experience you had. This type of essay , along with the descriptive essay , allows you to get personal and creative, unlike most academic writing .

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Table of contents

What is a narrative essay for, choosing a topic, interactive example of a narrative essay, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about narrative essays.

When assigned a narrative essay, you might find yourself wondering: Why does my teacher want to hear this story? Topics for narrative essays can range from the important to the trivial. Usually the point is not so much the story itself, but the way you tell it.

A narrative essay is a way of testing your ability to tell a story in a clear and interesting way. You’re expected to think about where your story begins and ends, and how to convey it with eye-catching language and a satisfying pace.

These skills are quite different from those needed for formal academic writing. For instance, in a narrative essay the use of the first person (“I”) is encouraged, as is the use of figurative language, dialogue, and suspense.

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Narrative essay assignments vary widely in the amount of direction you’re given about your topic. You may be assigned quite a specific topic or choice of topics to work with.

• Write a story about your first day of school.
• Write a story about your favorite holiday destination.

You may also be given prompts that leave you a much wider choice of topic.

• Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself.
• Write about an achievement you are proud of. What did you accomplish, and how?

In these cases, you might have to think harder to decide what story you want to tell. The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to talk about a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.

For example, a trip where everything went according to plan makes for a less interesting story than one where something unexpected happened that you then had to respond to. Choose an experience that might surprise the reader or teach them something.

Narrative essays in college applications

When applying for college , you might be asked to write a narrative essay that expresses something about your personal qualities.

For example, this application prompt from Common App requires you to respond with a narrative essay.

In this context, choose a story that is not only interesting but also expresses the qualities the prompt is looking for—here, resilience and the ability to learn from failure—and frame the story in a way that emphasizes these qualities.

An example of a short narrative essay, responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” is shown below.

Hover over different parts of the text to see how the structure works.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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If you’re not given much guidance on what your narrative essay should be about, consider the context and scope of the assignment. What kind of story is relevant, interesting, and possible to tell within the word count?

The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to reflect on a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.

Don’t worry too much if your topic seems unoriginal. The point of a narrative essay is how you tell the story and the point you make with it, not the subject of the story itself.

Narrative essays are usually assigned as writing exercises at high school or in university composition classes. They may also form part of a university application.

When you are prompted to tell a story about your own life or experiences, a narrative essay is usually the right response.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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Caulfield, J. (2023, July 23). How to Write a Narrative Essay | Example & Tips. Scribbr. Retrieved July 6, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/narrative-essay/

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• My Family Essay

Essay on My Family

A family is God’s greatest gift to all living beings on earth including human beings. A person without family and its love is never complete and happy. A family is one with whom you can share all your joys and sorrows. Family stands by you at the toughest situations in life. Family gives you the warmth and affection that you may not get anywhere else. I too am blessed with such a family. My family has always been my strength. My mother, father, sister and I complete my family.

My Mother 

My mother is the strongest woman I have ever seen in my life. She is a super woman. She can manage everything at the same time so beautifully and confidently. She is a fine individual with poise and dignity. She is the pivot around whom our family revolves. She has raised us with important values in life. She explained to us the true essence of love and compassion. She also tells us the importance of spirituality. She has given utmost importance to our education. She coordinates with our teachers in school and helps us with our weaknesses. My mother is an amazing cook and takes care of what we like to eat. She’s  just not a housewife. She is an entrepreneur too. She owns a restaurant managing a staff of 30 boys. It is indeed not an easy job but she manages everything very efficiently. She is an inspiration to all of us. She is indispensable to our family.

My father is a man of strong principles. His presence at home itself gives us a sense of security and hope. He is very gentle, disciplined and strict. He is a software engineer by qualification and works for a multinational company. Since the headquarters of his company is in The United States of America, he frequently needs to travel. I know he feels very sorry that he is not able to spend much time with us due to work pressure and travel but whenever he is at home he makes the best of it. He has a good sense of humor. He makes us laugh with his jokes and keeps telling us about his work experience. I get a lot of insight from it and clarity of what field I can take when I grow up. I have learnt a most important and valuable lesson from him that is being content in life with whatever I have. The atmosphere in our home becomes so cheerful and joyful when he is around. It gives a feeling of a complete family. He is a dutiful son towards his mother. Even though my grandmother doesn’t live with us, my father carries all his duties and responsibilities for her very diligently. I feel proud to be his son. I want to grow like him and take care of my parents the way he does.

My sister is three years older than me. She is a very soft and gentle girl. She is my best friend and a confidant. We fight on silly things but I know she really cares for me and loves me a lot. She always protects me from getting scolded by my mother. She is an artist and helps me with all my drawings. My sister supports and stands by me when seniors in my school bully me. I feel very secure around her when I am away from my parents.

To Conclude

My family has taught me to be a better person. I am blessed and fortunate enough to have such a wonderful family who has taught me important values in life. I am very grateful and I thank God for the most precious gift.

The childrens who live with a mother and a father are known as a small discern family. A couple in which more than two children reside is referred to as a huge discern family. And a family in which mother, father and youngsters, besides grandparents, uncles and aunts, a circle of relatives stays together is referred to as a joint family . My family is a small joint family. Apart from siblings, mother and father, grandparents also stay with us. Our family plays a crucial role within the making of any development. With the increase in the circle of relatives, India climbs the ladder of improvement. The country is formed by way of its own family and global fashion with the aid of nations. This is why it's far stated, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” means the entire world is our circle of relatives. And it had superb importance in ancient India, which is slowly becoming extinct with time. A primary purpose for this is the conversion of the joint family into the unique circle of relatives.

Significance of Family in My Lifestyle

My own family, despite being a joint own family, is a happy family. And I am glad that I was born in this joint circle of relatives. wherein it became simplest through our own family that we had been able to study the critical things of existence in our children which we could rarely analyze thru books. each of my parents ' paintings in faculty. At some point during my stay at home, my siblings and I spoke many topics with our grandparents, which is quite exciting. Other than this, we also have one of our dogs, who is a part of our circle of relatives.

Family as Safety Clause

A family provides safety from outside evils and risks, that is, the man or woman is protected from all varieties of outside failures within their own family, in addition to the physical, mental and highbrow improvement of a character is due to the circle of relatives. The circle of relatives creates a secure environment for the kid and all our expectations and wishes are met via the family. My circle of relatives is a middle-class family, still my mother and father try their best to fulfill each of mine and my siblings wishes. The love from the circle of relatives towards me takes me closer to my family and helps me recognize my obligations in the direction of my own family. A person additionally will become a responsible citizen of society by the habit of spitting out his responsibilities. Every family individual faces hassle collectively during their difficult time.

Importance of Elders Inside the Family

A joint family in which our elders (grandparents, grandparents) stay with us, is the most important thing to focus on as they are not part of the authentic circle of relatives so that kids are deprived of understanding many critical beliefs and values. In advance, children used to play on time and additionally concentrate on the tales of grandparents, which gave them information, however the kids of the prevailing time use mobile from their adolescence to play. The authentic family has additionally taken away the kid’s formative years.

What the child will become inside is the destiny that depends totally on the child’s own family. With the help of the proper steerage, even a susceptible baby kisses is a brand new dimension of achievement inside the future. On the contrary, a brilliant student forgets his intention due to wrong steering and is left at the back of inside the race of life.

FAQs on My Family Essay

1. How can you Define a Family?

A family is a group of people who are related and live together in every situation. Family normally comprises mother, father, sister, brother, grand parents, uncles and aunts.

2. Why is Family Important?

Family is important to us because it gives us the warmth, love and affection that you may not get anywhere in the world. Family teaches the high moral values in life and makes you a better human being.

3. How does your father inspire you?

My father inspires me with his hard work, honesty and diligence. He is very loving and caring and binds the entire family together.

4. Why should you thank god for giving a family?

I thank God and am very grateful for the most precious gift of family because family members give unconditional love, care and affection. I am what I am because of my family. My family completes me.

Essay on Importance of Family for Students and Children

500 words essay on importance of family.

In today’s world when everything is losing its meaning, we need to realize the importance of family more than ever. While the world is becoming more modern and advanced, the meaning of family and what stands for remains the same.

A family is a group of people who are related by blood or heritage. These people are linked not only by blood but also by compassion, love, and support. A person’s character and personality are shaped by his or her family. There are various forms of families in today’s society. It is further subdivided into a tight and extended family (nuclear family, single parent, step-family, grandparent, cousins, etc.)

Family – A synonym for trust, comfort, love, care, happiness and belonging. Family is the relationship that we share from the moment we are born into this world. People that take care of us and help us grow are what we call family, and they become lifelines for us to live. Family members have an important role in deciding an individual’s success or failure in life since they provide a support system and source of encouragement.

It does not matter what kind of family one belongs to. It is all equal as long as there are caring and acceptance. You may be from a joint family, same-sex partner family, nuclear family, it is all the same. The relationships we have with our members make our family strong. We all have unique relations with each family member. In addition to other things, a family is the strongest unit in one’s life.

Things That Strengthens The Family

A family is made strong through a number of factors. The most important one is of course love. You instantly think of unconditional love when you think of family. It is the first source of love you receive in your life It teaches you the meaning of love which you carry on forever in your heart.

Secondly, we see that loyalty strengthens a family. When you have a family, you are devoted to them. You stick by them through the hard times and celebrate in their happy times. A family always supports and backs each other. They stand up for each other in front of a third party trying to harm them proving their loyalty.

Most importantly, the things one learns from their family brings them closer. For instance, we learn how to deal with the world through our family first. They are our first school and this teaching strengthens the bond. It gives us reason to stand by each other as we share the same values.

No matter what the situation arises, your family will never leave you alone. They will always stand alongside you to overcome the hardships in life. If anyone is dealing with any kind of trouble, even a small talk about it to the family will make ones’ mind lighter and will give them a sense of hope, an inner sense of strength to fight those problems.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Importance of Family

One cannot emphasize enough on the importance of family. They play a great role in our lives and make us better human beings. The one lucky enough to have a family often do not realize the value of a family.

However, those who do not have families know their worth. A family is our source of strength. It teaches us what relationships mean. They help us create meaningful relationships in the outside world. The love we inherit from our families, we pass on to our independent relationships.

Moreover, families teach us better communication . When we spend time with our families and love each other and communicate openly, we create a better future for ourselves. When we stay connected with our families, we learn to connect better with the world.

Similarly, families teach us patience. It gets tough sometimes to be patient with our family members. Yet we remain so out of love and respect. Thus, it teaches us patience to deal better with the world. Families boost our confidence and make us feel loved. They are the pillars of our strength who never fall instead keep us strong so we become better people.

We learn the values of love, respect, faith, hope, caring, cultures, ethics, traditions, and everything else that concerns us through our families. Being raised in a loving household provides a solid foundation for anyone.

People develop a value system inside their family structure in addition to life lessons. They learn what their family considers to be proper and wrong, as well as what the community considers to be significant.

Families are the epicentres of tradition. Many families keep on traditions by sharing stories from the past over the years. This allows you to reconnect with family relatives who are no longer alive. A child raised in this type of household feels as if they are a part of something bigger than themselves. They’ll be proud to be a part of a community that has had ups and downs. Communities thrive when families are strong. This, in turn, contributes to a robust society.

Q.1 What strengthens a family?

A.1 A family’s strength is made up of many factors. It is made of love that teaches us to love others unconditionally. Loyalty strengthens a family which makes the members be loyal to other people as well. Most importantly, acceptance and understanding strengthen a family.

Q.2 Why is family important?

A.2 Families are very important components of society and people’s lives. They teach us a lot about life and relationships. They love us and treat us valuably. They boost our self-confidence and make us feel valued. In addition, they teach us patience to deal with others in a graceful and accepting manner.

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Exploring and Sharing Family Stories

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

In this lesson, students are encouraged to explore the idea of memory in both large- and small-group settings. Students access their own life experiences and then discuss family stories they have heard. After choosing a family member to interview, students create questions, interview their relative, and write a personal narrative that describes not only the answers to their questions but their own reactions to these responses. These narratives are peer reviewed and can be published as a class magazine or a website.

From Theory to Practice

• The topic of memory can engage students in both reading and writing, especially if those activities act as a bridge between school and family.
• Students can be encouraged to view their own life history and that of other family members as a composition that is created through memory and that is therefore subject to constant revision and documentation.
• Requiring students to pay attention to and craft both their own memories and those of other people can help them become more thoughtful readers and writers in other contexts.

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
• 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
• 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
• 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

• Video or tape recorders (optional)
• Chart paper
• Note to Families
• Personal Narrative Assignment Sheet
• Oral History Questions worksheet
• How to Interview a Relative worksheet
• Peer Review Worksheet
• "Mixing Memory and Desire: A Family Literacy Event" by Mark Faust
• Family Memories Narrative Rubric

Preparation

Student Objectives

Students will

• Access personal and family memories by discussing them in large- and small-group settings
• Demonstrate comprehension by reviewing other personal narratives and discussing how they might apply some of the same techniques to their own work
• Apply critical-thinking skills by translating what they see in these narratives into potential interview questions
• Practice knowledge acquisition by learning how to best conduct an interview and taking notes during their interview to use for their future personal narrative.
• Work collaboratively by peer reviewing each other's work
• Practice synthesizing information and writing by assembling their notes into a personal narrative

Homework (due by Session 3): Students should bring home the Note to Families and talk about interviewing an older relative. With help, they should determine whom they are going to talk to for this assignment and how the interview will be conducted (for example, over the phone or email or by visiting the relative). Students should contact the relative and should come to Session 3 with a name and the format their interview will take.

Homework (due before Session 4): Write at least five interview questions.

Note: Students need to have finalized their interview questions by this session. You may need to leave time for them to turn in several drafts.

Homework: Students should complete their interviews and write drafts of their personal narratives by Session 5. The amount of time you give students to complete this work is up to you, but it should be a minimum of a week.

Sessions 5 and 6

Homework: Students should revise their personal narratives using the feedback from the peer review sheets. They should turn in these sheets along with their interview questions and notes when they hand in their final personal narrative. You may want to give them time (and encourage them) to contact their relatives for further questioning or clarification after the peer review sessions.

Bring the class back together for a final discussion about memory and what they learned by interviewing their relative and writing the personal narrative. Questions for discussion include:

• When reading other people's narratives, did you see any similarities with your own narrative? What were they?
• What was unique to your own narrative?
• Did you see any differences in experiences based on where people lived?
• Why do you think it is important for people to share their life stories?
• If you were writing your own life story, what are some things you would include?
• Publish the student narratives as a magazine or website. If you do this, you might collect family photos from each student. Allow students time in class to review the publication.
• Have students share their stories with younger classes. A class "author's night" could also be arranged to share stories with family members (including interview subjects).
• Have students read the novel The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest Gaines (Bantam, 1982). Have students compare this fictional personal narrative with the ones they wrote.

Student Assessment / Reflections

• Assess student participation during both whole-class discussions and small-group work using your observations and anecdotal notes.
• Evaluate the interview questions and the notes from the actual interview. How well were students able to use the materials you provided (the Oral History Questions worksheet and the How to Interview a Relative worksheet) to develop their interview questions and conduct their interviews? Did students choose thoughtful and appropriate questions? Did they use these questions during the interview? Did they take opportunities to ask related questions while interviewing their relative?
• Use the Family Memories Narrative Rubric to evaluate the completed personal narratives and peer review forms.

Students imagine they have been asked to participate in a museum exhibit, take photos/videos of a significant location, and write or record reflections. Students can also create an exhibit from something they have read.

Students interview a parent or another adult about the Challenger and hypothesize about differences. Students can also write about the Columbia disaster in 2003.

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The Grapes of Wrath: a Tale of Resilience and Social Injustice

This essay is about John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” a novel that captures the heart-wrenching story of the Joad family as they are forced to leave their Oklahoma farm due to the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. It highlights their challenging journey to California in search of a better life emphasizing the broader social injustices and economic hardships of the era. The novel focuses on the relentless fight for dignity and justice showcasing the systemic inequalities that migrant workers faced. It also highlights the strong sense of community and solidarity among the migrants which provides hope and strength. Steinbeck’s rich symbolic prose combined with his social commentary makes “The Grapes of Wrath” a powerful indictment of the socio-economic inequalities of the time with themes that remain relevant today.

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One of those books that grabs you by the heart and won’t let go is “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck. A story about the Joad family who have to leave their Oklahoma farm because of the Dust Bowl. It takes place during the hard times of the Great Depression. They have to leave everything behind and go west to California in search of a better life. Steinbeck’s book is more than just a story about one family’s battle; it’s also a strong attack on the unfair social conditions and hard economic times of the time.

For the most part “The Grapes of Wrath” is about the never-ending fight for justice and respect. There are many problems on the Joads’ trip. They lose their land and face abuse and hatred when they get to California. Steinbeck paints a clear picture of their physical and mental pain making readers feel every failure and small win. The book sets a sharp light on the unfair systems that make their lives so hard. The fact that foreign workers don’t have legal security and big landlords who take advantage of them paint a dark picture of the American dream turned into a nightmare. The Joads’ story shows us how important it is to understand and how badly things need to change.

One of the most interesting things about the book is how the refugees feel like they belong to a group. Even though they are all having problems they form a strong tie of unity. Along with other immigrant families the Joads help each other through good times and bad. This sense of community gives people hope by showing that working together can help them fight back against the systems that are making life hard. Steinbeck does a great job of showing that even in the worst times human connection and unity can make us strong and able to handle anything.

There are also greater themes of morals and people in Steinbeck’s writing. Tom Joad and Jim Casy are two characters who have deep thoughts about fairness suffering and the greater good. A big part of the story is how Tom changes from someone who only cares about themselves to someone who sees how important it is to fight for social justice. Jim Casy a former preacher is the book’s moral guide. He fights for social change and shows how we all have similar experiences. The moral and psychological issues these characters bring to the story make it more than just about pain. It’s also about the struggle for a better world and the state of people.

“The Grapes of Wrath” is also famous for the way it was written. Steinbeck uses both story chapters and chapters that happen between the story chapters. The parts that come between the main story give more background information and show how the refugees’ experiences are shared which gives the story more meaning. This method lets readers see a lot of the social problems of the time while still focusing on the Joads’ own story. Steinbeck’s rich beautiful writing which is full of symbols and images makes the book more powerful on an intellectual and emotional level.

It’s a metaphor that the book’s title “The Grapes of Wrath” comes from “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” It makes me think of a coming end and justice which is in line with Steinbeck’s message that the refugees’ pain and unfair treatment are not just individual tragedies but part of a bigger moral problem. The “grapes of wrath” represent the rising anger and frustration of those who are mistreated and they hint at the chaos that could happen if their complaints are not heard.

At its core “The Grapes of Wrath” is a timeless tale about strength social unfairness and the search for honor. Steinbeck’s sharp social criticism and colorful descriptions of the Joad family’s problems make this book a strong attack on the economic and social injustices of the time. Its themes of unity morals and justice are still relevant today telling us of how strong people are and how important it is to stick together when things go wrong. This is Steinbeck’s work and it makes us think about the moral and social effects of our actions and the ways that society shapes our lives.

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Love Beyond Bars: Miguel and Silvia

While miguel solorio did 25 years for a crime he didn’t commit, his wife, silvia, was right by his side. here’s their california love story in pictures..

In 1998, at the age of 19, Miguel Solorio was arrested for the murder of an elderly woman who was shot during a gang-related drive-by in Whittier, California . In a case plagued by flawed eyewitness identifications and police perjury, he was convicted of murder and assault and sentenced to life without parole two years later.

Over the next two decades , Solorio fought the wrongful conviction: He filed (unsuccessful) appeals. He built a relationship with a state public defender, who would eventually represent him pro bono. He worked with multiple innocence projects in the state. And Solorio’s wife, Silvia, did her part, working with his family and legal team, and even obtaining a statement from a woman who might have pointed police to another suspect.

In July 2023, with new evidence in hand, lawyers from the Northern California Innocence Project filed the state writ of habeas corpus that would set Solorio free. He walked out of Mule Creek State Prison that November, at age 44.

In this first installment of our new series, “Love Beyond Bars,” Miguel describes the visit with Silvia that almost made him forget he was in prison.

Miguel and Silvia have hundreds, if not thousands, of photographs from their prison visits. Silvia has kept almost all of the photos.

S ilvia and I started dating nine months before my arrest, but my love was genuine from the gate. With her, I felt an instant connection. The words “I love you” just came out naturally.

We got married at Calipatria State Prison back in 2004, surrounded by friends and family. She drove to the prison to see me every weekend, but it wasn’t until 2019 that we had our first family visit, at Mule Creek State Prison. On family visits, you stay in a little miniature apartment from Friday to Monday. You can almost forget that you’re in prison.

For the first time, we got to act like a normal married couple. We were able to cook for each other, with food from an outside grocery store. There were fresh vegetables, like tomatoes and bell peppers, but I ate so many chicken nuggets I made myself sick. Silvia told me to slow down, but I didn’t listen. She couldn’t really blame me.

We got to watch movies together, dance together. They had a little radio, and we listened to oldies, blues and rap music. I remember one song’s lyrics, “I’ll testify for you.”

Now that I’ve been exonerated, every day is like that. Because of Silvia, I know that life is precious, and I don’t take it for granted.

Silvia and Miguel attend a Jehovah’s Witnesses service online on a Sunday morning. Silvia converted while Miguel was incarcerated because she felt that the congregation was the family she needed for support. The group welcomed Miguel when he was released.

Miguel’s marriage vows to Silvia. The couple wed on September 25, 2004. Silvia has kept the vows in her wallet for the past 20 years.

Silvia and Miguel share a funnel cake, one of Silvia’s favorite desserts.

Camille Farrah Lenain is a French-Algerian documentary photographer who grew up in Paris. She relocated to New Orleans in 2013. Her photographs have been exhibited internationally, including at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the Arab World Institute, Photoville and Les Rencontres d'Arles.

Carla Canning is an engagement journalist and contract editor at Prison Journalism Project. She previously worked on Life Inside as The Marshall Project's Tow audience engagement fellow. At the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, she created a website guide for people visiting loved ones incarcerated in New York State prisons.

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Gathering of 10,000 hippies in forest shut down as Rainbow Family threatened with jail

A longtime counterculture festival now in its fifth decade and set to be held over the July Fourth holiday is being shut down, with U.S. Forest Service officials citing a lack of appropriate permitting and concerns over environmental impact.

The Rainbow Family of Living Light gathering was set to be held the first week of July in California’s Plumas National Forest. On June 25, however, the U.S. Forest Service officials issued an order asking people to leave the area, with those who refuse to go facing fines of up to $5,000 or a six-month jail sentence.

“The Forest is concerned about the 500-plus individuals already dispersed camping in a concentrated area. We are always willing to work with any organization or group interested in recreating on the national forest. There are existing and projected impacts on natural and cultural resources and other authorized uses. Our priority is maintaining public health and safety and the appropriate stewardship of public lands and natural resources,” Plumas National Forest Supervisor Chris Carlton said in a statement on Wednesday.

While the current retro wave may be more focused on the 1990s and 2000s , the Rainbow Family gathering is a self-described hippie commune that gathers once a year in the first week of July.

Meet the Rainbow Family: 10,000 hippies and one (illegal) gathering in a remote Colorado forest

Rainbow Family roots go back more than 50 years

First started in Colorado in 1972, the Rainbow Family gathering was founded in part by military veterans struggling with alcoholism, drug dependence and post-traumatic stress disorder; camping out on public land in an environment like Burning Man or a Grateful Dead concert is a central part of the experience. Exactly how many people attend is unknown and varies from year to year, but the U.S. Forest Service this year estimated that the event could draw as many as 10,000 visitors.

This year, the U.S. Forest Service has described the gathering as having an “unauthorized noncommercial group use incident,” that “can have significant impacts on traffic, communities, local resources, residents, and visitors.”

That particular brand of lawlessness has often brought the gathering into conflict with local law enforcement over drug use, sanitation and damage to forests.

As USA TODAY has previously reported , many attendees will work to minimize their impact on the environment, but as with any gathering of this size previous iterations have involved incidents and arrests.  

“Every year, the Plumas National Forest sees a large surge in visitors in late June and early July, enjoying not only summer recreation in the forest, but also numerous events in our communities around the July Fourth holiday,” said Plumas National Forest Supervisor Chris Carlton in a press release earlier this week. “We understand the addition of the Rainbow Family Gathering on the Plumas National Forest raises concerns about additional impacts to our local communities, natural resources and environment and we will be working with the incident team to minimize adverse effects as much as possible.”

On Wednesday, Lassen County Supervisor Jason Ingram praised the U.S. Forest Service’s decision on social media, writing on Facebook that, “my concerns with this gathering were always the illegality aspect, the increased fire risk this would have created, the environmental impact, and the blatant disrespect shown to our local tribes. Events are fine, but not events that blatantly disregard the law and endanger our land and community fire safety.”

Max Hauptman is a Trending Reporter for USA TODAY. He can be reached at [email protected]

Opinion: As conservatives target same-sex marriage, its power is only getting clearer

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It’s been two years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Dobbs case that overturned the federal right to an abortion, and the troubling concurring opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas in which he expressed a desire to “revisit” other landmark precedents, including the freedom to marry for same-sex couples, codified nationally by the Obergefell Supreme Court decision, nine years ago Wednesday

Since that ruling, the LGBTQ+ and allied community has done much to protect the fundamental freedom to marry — passing the Respect for Marriage Act in Congress in 2022; sharing their stories this year to mark the 20th anniversary of the first state legalization of same-sex marriages, in Massachusetts; and in California , Hawaii and Colorado launching ballot campaigns to repeal dormant but still-on-the-books anti-marriage constitutional amendments.

California Democratic Party endorses ballot measures on same-sex marriage, taxes, rent control

The party’s executive board voted Sunday on which measures they would endorse.

May 19, 2024

This winter, I worked with a team at the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law to survey nearly 500 married LGBTQ+ people about their relationships. Respondents included couples from every state in the country; on average they had been together for more than 16 years and married for more than nine years. Sixty-two percent married after the court’s 2015 Obergefell marriage decision, although their relationships started before before that. More than 30% of the couples had children and another 25% wanted children in the future.

One finding that jumped out of the data: Almost 80% of married same-sex couples surveyed said they were “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the Obergefell decision being overturned. Around a quarter of them said they’d taken action to shore up their family’s legal protections — pursuing a second-parent adoption, having children earlier than originally planned or marrying on a faster-than-expected timeline — because of concerns about marriage equality being challenged. One respondent said, “We got engaged the day that the Supreme Court ruled on the Dobbs decision and got married one week after.”

World & Nation

Same-sex marriage ruling creates new constitutional liberty

The Supreme Court’s historic ruling Friday granting gays and lesbians an equal right to marry nationwide puts an exclamation point on a profound shift in law and public attitudes, and creates the most significant and controversial new constitutional liberty in more than a generation.

June 26, 2015

As we examined the survey results, it became clearer than ever why LGBTQ+ families and same-sex couples are fighting so hard to protect marriage access — and the answer is really quite simple: The freedom to marry has been transformative for them. It has not only granted them hundreds of additional rights and responsibilities, but it has also strengthened their bonds in very real ways.

Nearly every person surveyed (93%) said they married for love; three-quarters added that they married for companionship or legal protections. When asked how marriage changed their lives, 83% reported positive changes in their sense of safety and security, and 75% reported positive changes in terms of life satisfaction. “I feel secure in our relationship in a way I never thought would be possible,” one participant told us. “I love being married.”

The evolution of same-sex marriage

I’ve been studying LGBTQ+ people and families for my entire career — and even still, many of the findings of the survey touched and inspired me.

Individual respondents talked about the ways that marriage expanded their personal family networks, granting them (for better and worse!) an additional set of parents, siblings and loved ones. More than 40% relied on each other’s families of origin in times of financial or healthcare crisis, or to help out with childcare. Some told of in-laws who provided financial assistance to buy a house, or cared for them while they were undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.

Analysis:: Antonin Scalia’s dissent in same-sex marriage ruling even more scornful than usual

The legal world may have become inured to wildly rhetorical opinions by Justice Antonin Scalia, but his dissent in the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decision Friday reaches new heights for its expression of utter contempt for the majority of his colleagues.

And then there was the effect on children. Many respondents explained that their marriage has provided security for their children, and dignity and respect for the family unit. Marriage enabled parents to share child-rearing responsibilities — to take turns being the primary earner (and carrying the health insurance), and spending more time at home with the kids.

The big takeaway from this study is that same-sex couples have a lot on the line when it comes to the freedom to marry — and they’re going to do everything possible to ensure that future political shifts don’t interfere with their lives. As couples across the country continue to speak out, share their stories — and in California, head to the ballot box in November to protect their hard-earned freedoms — it’s clear to me that it’s because they believe wholeheartedly, and with good reason, that their lives depend on it.

Abbie E. Goldberg is an affiliated scholar at the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law and a psychology professor at Clark University, where she directs the women’s and gender studies.

More to Read

Your guide to Proposition 3: Affirming gay marriage in California’s Constitution

July 5, 2024

Opinion: Interracial marriage went from criminal to commonplace. Could it go back?

June 9, 2024

Newsom urges California voters to protect same-sex marriage amid Supreme Court distrust

June 7, 2024

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Defendants Acquitted in Panama Papers Money-Laundering Trial

The case focused on the law firm at the heart of the 2016 scandal, in which leaked documents revealed a vast network of offshore tax havens.

By Leila Miller

Reporting from Mexico City

In a striking verdict for a money-laundering case associated with the Panama Papers scandal, a Panamanian judge on Friday acquitted all 28 defendants, among them former employees of the law firm Mossack Fonseca, the source of the leaked documents that set off a worldwide furor in 2016.

The verdict came eight years after a partnership of media outlets published an explosive investigation into 11.5 million documents leaked from the Panama-based firm. The leak exposed the offshore banking industry, prompted international tax investigations and brought down heads of state.

Among the original 29 defendants were the shuttered firm’s co-founders, Jürgen Mossack, 76, and Ramón Fonseca, who died in May at age 71 while awaiting the verdict. In her 339-page ruling, the judge, Baloísa Marquínez, said that the case against Mr. Fonseca was dropped because of his death.

Prosecutors had alleged that Mossack Fonseca had created shell companies with the purpose of hiding money earned in illicit activities, and that the firm failed to act with due diligence and take the necessary care when reviewing its clients.

In a written statement published Friday evening, Panama’s judicial branch said that the judge had found that electronic evidence presented by prosecutors did not meet chain of custody protocols and had suffered from authentication issues. It also said that the judge had not found sufficient evidence to hold the accused responsible.

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'Stop shooting!' 11-year-old boy injured by bullet shot into air Fourth of July

INDIANAPOLIS — Out of at least nine people shot in what was a violent Fourth of July night, an 11-year-old boy was the city's youngest victim.

Jataeviuos Ragsdale is recovering at a local hospital after being struck by a stray bullet shot into the air while visiting family for the holiday, his father said Friday.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police said the shooting happened in the 1100 block of North Tuxedo Street. Family members said Ragsdale was struck around 10:15 p.m. and they rushed him to a hospital where police arrived more than 30 minutes later.

Jataeviuos and his family traveled from their home in Terry, Mississippi to celebrate the Fourth with family. They saw family members and others in the neighborhood setting off fireworks when the boy was hit, said his father Arthur Ragsdale.

"We hadn't been there for two minutes when my son said, 'Dad, my back hurts! Something's hit me in my back!'" Ragsdale said. "I lifted up his shirt and there's what we later figured out was a 22 caliber bullet lodged right under this skin. My son was in so much pain."At first the family could not tell where the bullet came from.

"It was so many things popping off, you couldn't tell fireworks from a gunshot," Ragsdale said. "We didn't know where it came from and police told us later on that it could have been shot from three or four blocks away."

Indianapolis has violent Fourth of July: At least 9 people shot, police use curfew to bust up groups downtown

Ragsdale loaded his son back in the car and immediately drove to Community East, the nearest emergency room.

One day later, the boy was in stable condition as the family weighed his options.

"The bullet is still in his back. Doctors here said we can either have it taken out or keep it in and his mother and I agree that we want it out," Ragsdale said.

In a news conference Friday afternoon IMPD Chief Chris Bailey called the actions of those who shoot aimlessly into the air "stupidity."

"That poor kid did not have to be impacted by bullets yesterday. It's 100% preventable. Someone's reckless behavior, and you know who you are, you're reckless. You have no business owning a gun. You have no business possessing a gun," Bailey said.

The police chief said this is something that officers have told the community, "over and over and over and over again," that shooting into the air is reckless behavior. Bullets come down once they go up.

"You can imagine what an 11-year-old must feel like trying to enjoy Independence Day and being hit by a bullet," Bailey said. "It's just disturbing and unnecessary."

'What goes up, must come down:' Woman loses brother to falling bullet, then has house hit

The 11-year-old is still in the hospital, but Ragsdale said the family will leave the city soon to go back home. He wants people to know that they should not be shooting their firearms in the first place.

"I just want people to be aware of these guns," Ragsdale said. "Stop shooting! My son was just standing around."

Contact Jade Jackson at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON