stereotype narrative essay

113 Stereotype Essay Topics & Examples

Looking for good stereotypes to write about? Look no further! This list contains only the best themes about stereotypes in society for your college essay or project. Whether you need research questions about stereotypes, essay writing tips, or free samples, you will find them here.

❓ How to Write a Stereotype Essay: Do’s and Don’ts

🏆 best stereotype topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay themes about stereotypes, 📌 most interesting stereotype topics to write about, 👍 good research topics about stereotype, ❓ research questions about stereotypes.

All people are different, which makes living without some ingrained assumptions difficult. From discrimination to mere harmless expectations, stereotyping plays a prevalent part in people’s interactions, often imposing particular behavior on them.

Thus, writing a stereotype essay is only as simple as recognizing both the every-day and the society-wide patterns of thinking, finding the connections between them, and writing them down.

Think of a specific topic before you begin writing or outlining your paper. Do so by penning a thesis statement, which will not only help you stick to your central theme but also remove any irrelevant ideas. Since there are multitudes of stereotype essay topics, this action will help you focus your thoughts on a single issue.
Brainstorm your problem beforehand by drafting an outline. Whether you are writing a stereotype threat essay or creating a comprehensive list of anti-female education beliefs, you should create a smooth narrative that flows with ease from one point to another. Furthermore, an outline saves you time, which you would have spent on rewriting those parts of your stereotype essay that are lacking in information or structure.
Read sample essays. An outstanding stereotypes essay example can act as an excellent incentive to begin writing by demonstrating writing tactics and ways of presenting information to the audience. You may even uplift some of those techniques to your own work to increase the quality of your paper.
Give your essay an eye-catching title. Stereotype essay titles should not only give the audience a glimpse of what the central theme is but also invite them to read further. The more hooks you have at the beginning of your paper, the higher the possibility of a reader going beyond the first paragraph.
Generate a comprehensive bibliography. With the number of studies on this topic, there exists a vast amount of book and journal titles that can help you find plenty of interesting themes about stereotypes.
Pick a broad problem. An essay has a specified word count, and your instructor will not reward writing over the set limit. Choose an issue that you are sure you can adequately cover in the specified pages, and remember to adhere to your received instructions. There is nothing worse than writing an excellent essay and losing marks for not following directions.
Plagiarize from others’ essay examples. Copying and pasting sentences is an academic offense, as is merely rewording them, and you should avoid discrediting your hard work. Getting your paper disqualified is not worth a small increase in marks.
Attempt to subvert every stereotype you come across. While deconstructing some issues is a noble endeavor, this work may be extensive and exhausting, as well as not the main point of your paper. Remember your thesis statement, and work in those facts that relate to it.
Make light of your chosen problem. Just as with your title, your writing should remain respectful and academic, using only credible information and referencing trusted sources. Remember that, as with any humanities issue, stereotypes are a societal byproduct that affects living people, who deserve fair treatment.
Skip the pre-writing stages. Doing so may lead you to write an essay, which is not only off-point but also overwhelmingly one-sided. Your paper should give adequate attention to different sides of one issue, presenting different viewpoints, studies, and academic opinions, which brainstorming helps achieve.

Need more tips? Let IvyPanda guide your writing process!

Stereotypes and Their Effects Three common stereotypes include the perception that Muslims are terrorists, Christians are ignorant, and that women are less intelligent than men.
The “Welfare Queen” Stereotype in the US Reagan’s portrayal of these ladies was used to justify real-world policy changes and contributed to the shrinkage of the social safety net.
Stereotypes in United Kingdom A stereotype is a common or popular belief about certain people or behaviors of certain individuals. People from different cultures have different stereotypes.
Stereotype of a Black Female In the following paper, three stereotypes that I have faced in my life will be addressed in terms of the reasons for their formation and the mistakes that lie at the heart of these stereotypes.
To Be Disabled: Stereotype Analysis The purpose of this paper is to examine, how the stereotype is reinforced in the world, and how disabled people experience it.
Common Stereotypes and Reinforcing Rhetoric It is safe to assume that due to this stereotype of lies, the members of the public are not willing to listen to politicians anymore because they expect these politicians to be feeding them with […]
Perception, Stereotype and Empathy As a result, most of the people have believed that this is the case. The purpose of this activity is to illustrate that we all have different perceptions and explore the reasons associated with this.
High Design, Stereotype, Postmodernism What is the most complicated about the heavenly goods is that one and the same object cannot be changed in a way which would distinguish it greatly from the objects of the same kind.”Beyond a […]
The Dynamics of Stereotype Priming and Assimilation The activation of a mental representation of a social group leads to behaviour corresponding to specific attributes of the stereotype. For priming a stereotype some researchers have held that accessibility of the information and the […]
The Male Bashing Stereotype: Formal Critique All of the mistakes and lack of social molding that they show women during their youth are not the stuff that dictates the kind of men they will be in the future.
Traditional Stereotype of Female Characters Analysis The methodology used by the author is a first content analysis of the video games, identification of the protagonists, and then studying the effect it has on girls.
Racism Issues: Looking and Stereotype In order to find the answer to this question, it is important to introduce the concept of ‘looking’ supporting with the writing of Sturken and Cartwright, Hall, Goodwin, and Gooding-Williams.
Women and the Industry of the Trap Music: Empowering or Succumbing to the Stereotype? Indeed, on the further scrutiny of the problem, one will see that the issue of female DJs in the trap music domain In light of the specified argument, one may infer that abandoning the trap […]
Stereotype of Video Games Being for Boys In the article author speaks about the problem of different video games that designed for boys and for girls. In this article author explains that gender difference in the video games is a marketing strategy […]
Stereotype Threats and Social Psychology Pickren defines social norm as “The rules of behavior that are considered acceptable in a group or society”.to the society, it was acceptable to treat the immigrants differently from the rest of the population because […]
Stereotype of Aboriginals and Alcohol in Canada Therefore, it is necessary to research whether the given prejudice has certain grounds to base on, track the measures that are being currently undertaken to eliminate the stereotype and offer other efficient ideas that will […]
Stereotype-Conductive Behavior The notion that fat people are lazy is because many of them avoid doing activities that would require them to spend a lot of energy and movement. In many cases, the speed of fat people […]
Chinese Stereotypes Reflected in Movies The main research objective will be to: “Analyse Chinese stereotypes in movies” The specific objectives will include: To identify the various stereotypical depictions of the Chinese in movies To determine the relationship between Chinese stereotype […]
White Female Stereotypes in Media In most instances, the images that are in the media are of exceptionally slim white girls and women, and this sends a negative image to those women that have bigger bodies.
Review of Stereotype Threat and Arousal: Effects on Women’s Math Performance The variables used in the study were gender, difficulty of the tests, and the perception of stereotype threat. The results of the data were that the implication of stereotype threat did in fact negatively affect […]
Stereotypes in the media Media has continued to group people by their tribes and the effects of the tribal stereotype is mostly felt in the less developed world.
Influence of activating implicit gender stereotypes in females The results revealed that the participants who were subjected to the gender based prime performed relatively poorly compared to their counterparts on the nature prime.
“Stereotype Threat: Effects on Education” by Smith, Cary Stacy, and Li-Ching Hung In some cases, only the topic of these sources is similar to that of the article and not their subject matter.
Stereotypes of Islam and Muslims in the West This was evident after Shadid made analyses of various publications which analyzed the threat of Islam and the Muslim community to the western countries and fashion such stereotypical messages in the realm of myth.
How Anthropology Helps to Evaluate Stereotypes The recent study on leadership shows that women have been enlightened and they are up to take their positions in leadership.
Towards Evaluating the Relationship Between Gender Stereotypes & Culture It is therefore the object of this paper to examine the relationship between gender stereotypes and culture with a view to elucidating how gender stereotypes, reinforced by our diverse cultural beliefs, continue to allocate roles […]
Stereotypes people have toward Chinese Most of these studies focus on the major stereotypes held about the Chinese but forget to address the effects of these stereotypes to the Chinese students especially the ones studying in other countries.
Importance of Stereotypes in Communication People are eager to use their prior knowledge about different ethnic groups to be ready for communicating, still, the impact of stereotypes cannot be pure negative or pure positive, and this is why it is […]
How contemporary toys enforce gender stereotypes in the UK Children defined some of the physical attributes of the toys.”Baby Annabell Function Doll” is a likeness of a baby in that it that it has the size and physical features of a baby.
Stereotype Threat: Women’s Abilities in Math On the other hand, in study 2, they demonstrated that it is possible to reduce the performance differences when elimination of the stereotype that is descriptive of the anticipated performance is done to ensure that […]
Hoodies and the stereotype. Bad or not? The hoodie marches had a lot of racial undertones, but it is clear that the victim’s piece of clothing was the centre of attention in these campaigns.
Gender Studies: Gender Stereotypes From what is portrayed in the media, it is possible for people to dismiss others on the basis of whether they have masculinity or are feminine.
Gender stereotypes of superheroes The analysis is based on the number of male versus female characters, the physical characteristic of each individual character, the ability to solve a problem individually as either male or female and both males and […]
Cross-Cultural Interaction: Prejudices and Stereotypes In this regard, the concept of stereotype also influences social categorization and information sharing in the course of cross-cultural communication. One of the most effective ways to exterminate stereotypic and linear thinking is to change […]
Aspects of Rhetoric and Stereotype Image It is clear then, that feminists are found to be of negative stereotypes from the start. The stereotypes in this group are a complete revelation of both positive and negative image.
African-American Students and Mathematics Achievement Gap: Stereotype or Reality? The purpose of this research is to find whether there is the evidence of the math performance gap between Black and White students and, if we find that it exists, to throw ling upon its […]
Sex, Lies, and Stereotypes: Being Prejudiced Because of Inequalities Is Not Always Correct The exhibition under consideration, Sex, Lies and Stereotypes, is aimed to prove how unfair but still constant discrimination of people is; and several illustrative posters like Women Are Not Chicks or Oh, So That Explains […]
Canadian Stereotypes On the cover of the novel Canadian stereotypes, there will be the image of the maple leaf bag. The image of the maple leaf bag will represent both the flag and the history of the […]
Learning to Stereotype: The Lifelong Romance One of the most enchanting novels in the American literature, the piece by Cahan offers a plunge into the world of the usual.
Stereotypes of American Citizens McAndrew and Akande lament that in the United States, African Americans are the most stereotyped due to racial discrimination and the dark history of slavery.
Gender Stereotypes on Television Gender stereotyping in television commercials is a topic that has generated a huge debate and it is an important topic to explore to find out how gender roles in voice-overs TV commercials and the type […]
The Stereotype Of A Smart High Achieving Asian American
Racial Stereotyping : A Stereotype, As Defined By The Merriam
Prejudice, Stereotype, Discrimination, and In-Group Vs. Outgroup
The Sports Media and the Marketing Advertisers a Hypermasculine Stereotype
Think like a Monkey: Borrowing from Animal Social Dynamics to Reduce Stereotype Threat
The Metamorphosis Of The Schemer Stereotype
How Stereotype Threat May Cause Poor Performance In Women
Women Are Worse Drivers than Men Stereotype
What Is The Function Of Racist Stereotype In Blackface Minstrelsy
How Race And Stereotype Can Affect Justice Being Served
The Imposition of Gender Stereotype by Society Today
Women’s Oppression In Hurston’s “Sweat”: The Stereotype Of Women’s Role In Society
Understanding the Gender Stereotype of the Macho-Man Myth
Use Of A Stereotype Cue On The Perceived Level Of Mathematics
The Stereotype of Women in a Patriarchal Society
The Stereotype of Female Taming in Shakespeare’s Time in the Taming of the Shrew
The Stereotype of the Dumb Blonde in Legally Blonde, a Movie by Robert Luketic
Americanization : The Creation Of The Indian Stereotype
The Impact of Stereotype Threat on Age Differences in Memory Performance
Sexually Driven Media Advertisements Objectify And Stereotype
Advantage and Disadvantage of Fitting Into the Stereotype
An Analysis of the Stereotype of Masculinity in the Early 1800s
Analyzing How a Conventional or Stereotype Character Functions to Achieve Authors Purposes
Perspective and Stereotype in Western Detective Novels
The Stereotype Of Criminally Disposed People In Poverty
Women ‘s Portrayal Of Women Essay – Brand, Marketing, Stereotype, Gen
Feminine Autonomy and Erasing the Male Stereotype in Juno and the Paycoc
The History of Chief Illiniwek as a University of Illinois Mascot and Racist Stereotype
Women ‘s Role For Society ‘s Stereotype Towards Women
Why Stereotype Based on Blood Type Genotype or Body Type?
Do Television Advertisements Stereotype the Roles of Men and Women in the Society
An Analysis of Stereotype Italian American in Sopranos the Cable Show in United States
Women: Does Stereotype Threat Affect Their Ability?
American Cheerleader: The Icon, The Stereotype, And The Truth
Alice Sebold And The Stranger Stereotype
An Analysis of the Negative Stereotype of the Jewish Race in Jewbird and The Last Mohican
The Stereotype African Characters in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
The Impact Of The Violent African American Stereotype In Rap Music
The Teenage Driver Stereotype in Society
Breaking the Stereotype: Why Urban Aboriginals Score Highly on Happiness Measures
An Analysis of the Macho-Men Stereotype Plaguing Today’s Man
The Problems of the Aboriginal People and the Average Media Stereotype
How Racialized Stereotypes Determine a Community’s Value?
What Is a Cultural Stereotype?
How Advertising Reinforces Gender Stereotypes?
How Stereotypes for Women Came to Be?
How Do Contemporary Toys Enforce Gender Stereotypes?
What Are Social Stereotypes?
Are Continuum Beliefs About Psychotic Symptoms Associated With Stereotypes About Schizophrenia?
How Do Hispanic Bilinguals’ Cultural Stereotypes Shape Advertising Persuasiveness?
How Do Racialized Stereotypes Determine a Community’s Value?
How Does Drag Affect Stereotypes About Gay Men?
How Refugee’s Stereotypes Toward Host Society Members Predict Acculturation Orientations?
Why Are Female Stereotypes in Advertising Still Effective?
Can Gender Quotas Break Down Negative Stereotypes?
Does Mainstream Media Have a Duty to Challenge Gender Stereotypes?
How Have Gender Stereotypes Always Been a Part of Society?
How Do Attitudes and Stereotypes Develop?
Are Sexist Attitudes and Gender Stereotypes Linked?
Are Gender Stereotypes Perpetuated in Children’s Magazines?
What Are Gender Stereotypes?
How Gender Stereotypes Warp Our View of Depression?
How Are Class Stereotypes Maintained in the Press?
How Can Bob Dylan and Wolf Biermann Be Employed to Make Students Aware of Stereotypes and Prejudice?
How Do Racial Stereotypes Affect Society?
How Did Photography Reflect the Values and Stereotypes That Underlay European Colonialism?
How Can Stereotypes Contribute to Inequality?
What Makes People Have Certain Stereotypes?
How Can Stereotypes Negatively Affect Listening?
Why Are Stereotypes Dangerous and What Can Be Done to Reduce Them?
How Are Stereotypes Used to Racially Profile People?
How American Minorities Are Stereotypes in American Drama Series?
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Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

How to Beat Stereotypes by Seeing People as Individuals

In 1983, a white man walked into an all-white music venue in Frederick, Maryland, and he noticed that a black man was playing in an otherwise all-white country band.

He approached the musician and told him, “I really like y’all’s music. This is the first time I ever heard a black man play piano like Jerry Lee Lewis.” The piano player, a musician named Daryl Davis, replied that Jerry Lee Lewis was inspired by black musicians.

The man didn’t believe Davis, but liked his music so much he was willing to have a drink with Davis and talk about their shared love of piano music. He told Davis he had never had a drink with a black man before. Davis wanted to know why, and that’s when the man admitted he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).

Despite being a Klansman, the man became a regular at Davis’s performances, because he learned to see him as a great individual piano player, rather than through the lens of group stereotypes. Ultimately, Davis discovered, the man was kicked out of the local KKK chapter.

This story reveals a crucial skill for building bridges between different kinds of people: focusing on individual characteristics rather than group identity. The encounter set Davis off on a crusade—he went on to befriend and convince over 200 members of the KKK to leave the organization. The entire effort was primarily based on Davis’s ability to connect with them one on one.

It might seem hard to argue with the idea that we should focus on what individuals say and do and believe, instead of unthinkingly inferring those things from their group membership—but, in fact, we use group affiliation to evaluate individuals all the time. What psychological forces drive us to do that, even when stereotyping other people is against our values? How can we teach ourselves to overlook group stereotypes and instead listen to individual stories?

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We can find some answers in the research—and today we can see those scientific insights being put to the real-world test by bridge-building organizations around the United States.

Why we stereotype

Psychologists call our mental shortcuts “heuristics”—and we need them to help our brains navigate the world. If you see a creature with feathers sitting on a tree branch, it probably does fly and eat worms. If you are planning a trip to upstate New York in the winter, it’s not a bad idea to bring snow boots.

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But heuristics can lead us to make potentially damaging assumptions about other people. Racial stereotyping, for instance, comes from the belief that membership in a racial group defines someone on a range of characteristics, including their behavior. This idea that group membership determines innate qualities is called “essentialism.”

Racial segregation results from a widespread belief in racial essentialism. Many whites in the Jim Crow South, for instance, falsely believed that skin color and race determined someone’s character, behavior, and intelligence.

That’s why the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., famously said during his 1963 speech at the March on Washington that he dreamed that his “four little children will one day live in a world where they will be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” King was arguing that his children should be evaluated as individuals rather than as archetypes of a racial group. If we want to understand people, we need focus on individual words and actions, not their group identity.

But how? If stereotyping is so powerful that it can serve as the basis of an entire social system that required a Civil Rights movement to overturn, what can we do as individuals to see other people without prejudice?

Deflating essentialism

That’s a question social scientists have been tackling for a long time.

Recently, Skidmore College psychologist Leigh Wilton was part of a team that tested out two different approaches to tackling essentialism. In one study, they gave participants a pair of readings (in addition to a control-condition statement) promoting a diversity component of a potential university strategic plan.

One reading emphasized the distinctiveness of different groups with sentences like this one:

Each group has its own talents, as well as its own problems, and by acknowledging both these strengths and weaknesses, we validate the identity of each group and we recognize its existence and its importance to the social fabric.

The second highlighted individual characteristics: “We must look beyond skin color and understand the person within, to see each person as an individual who is part of the larger group.”

Participants were then asked to complete a survey based on the Race Essentialism Scale , which seeks to assess “participants’ agreement with the view that race is unchangeable and biologically determined.”

The results? Participants who read the passage that emphasized group differences were more likely to report beliefs in race essentialism than those who got the individual-oriented message. In other words, focusing on individuals helped the participants see people from different cultures as individuals, rather than as groups with essential characteristics.

Wilton emphasizes that this doesn’t mean that it’s never useful to think in terms of groups. However, we need to be aware that this way of thinking does lead to more essentialist beliefs. “Challenges come up when people think about people in terms of their group identity, or they make assumptions about people…based on what they look like, or what their background is,” she explains.

Imagining vegetables

Essentialism isn’t the only force that prevents us from seeing people as individuals.

Many of our social divisions stem from reacting to out-groups—people who do not belong to the social group we psychologically identify with—differently than we respond to our in-groups. Racial essentialism, for instance, can be driven by the belief that people from different racial groups have essential and categorical differences from us that make our co-existence difficult or impossible.

This reaction against out-groups is not always conscious or intentional. Research shows, for instance, that when people see someone from another group, their brains may automatically respond as if they’re confronting a physical threat. We quickly place people into a group category without even really thinking about it.

“When you simply categorize the person, you’re not attributing much of a mind to them ”

One neuroscience study performed by Princeton psychologist Susan Fiske found that when white participants saw photos of black faces and had two seconds to judge whether the people in these photographs were over the age of 21, they showed activity in the area of the brain called the amygdala, which indicates a high level of alertness and emotional arousal. In other words, they saw the face as a threat.

But the same study found that there was an easy way to maneuver around this automatic response.

In some cases, Fiske’s team asked the white participants to judge what sort of vegetable the people in the photos would prefer to eat. In those cases—when they were prompted to see the people as individuals, with their own tastes and preferences—the amygdala activity looked the same as when the participants saw white faces, suggesting that they were able to individuate—see the faces as individuals—rather than quickly group them into a category and see them as a threat.

Fiske explains that people often tend to quickly categorize people into group categories, but that learning more about a person can help you individuate them by thinking about what goes on in their individual mind.

“When you simply categorize the person, you’re not attributing much of a mind to them,” she says. “But when you’re trying to figure out what kind of human being they are, what their dispositions are, you have to think about their mind.”

By focusing on the characteristics of individuals, rather than their group identity, we can maneuver around segregating perceptions of out-groups that drive us apart rather than bring us together.

“What’s good about the vegetable task is it creates the most minimal possible goal it would take to get you to go beyond the category,” Fiske says.

Building empathy through storytelling

Late last year, a group of kids from University Heights High School in New York City walked into a giant inflatable room and sat down to talk to a group of students sitting almost 700 miles away.

More on Healing Divisions

Download a guide on how to bridge differences by focusing on individuality, not group identity.

Jamil Zaki argues that we need empathy in a time of division .

Joshua Greene explores how to close the gap between "us" and "them."

Zaid Jilani explores what makes for good interactions between groups .

Zaid Jilani suggests ways to find what Americans have in common .

On the other side of the screen were students from Floyd Central High School in Eastern Kentucky, a mining region that couldn’t look more different than the South Bronx.

Yet the two groups of students quickly became friends, learning that there isn’t as much separating them—despite deep demographic, cultural, and political differences—as you might expect.

The project was put together by Narrative 4 , an organization that works around the world to connect diverse groups of people through sharing their personal stories.

“We got these kids sort of hooked on each other through story exchange,” Lee Keylock, director of global programs at Narrative 4, told Greater Good . “It breaks down all these stereotypes and perceived biases.”

The foundation of libertarian-conservative billionaire Charles Koch funded part of the initiative . A classroom in Tampico, Mexico, also participated, making the project international.

What makes us unique?

Like many bridge-building organizations, Narrative 4 strategically avoids discussing issues that might trigger negative intergroup dynamics.

Keylock explains that the students at University Heights come from many different faith backgrounds, as opposed to the more homogenous Catholic school in Tampico. So Narrative 4 advises the participants to avoid starting conversations by immediately asking about their opposite’s faith background—which would lump them into a group category—but instead to ask them to tell stories about what they personally believe.

“So, they already meet each other on a very personal plane,” Keylock says, “before they start talking about some of these big issues.”

The Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom takes a similar approach, working to build bonds between women in these two faith communities: Muslim and Jewish. For instance, the organization instructs participants to avoid discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—a polarizing issue that often quickly divides Muslims and Jews—until they have known each other for an entire year. This allows the women to see each other as individuals rather than as partisan representatives of one side of a conflict.

The People’s Supper applies this insight to fostering ties between many different kinds of Americans. It has hosted over 900 dinners across the country, bringing together participants from diverse social and political backgrounds to talk about themselves and build companionship with people on the other side of major divides. “For us, the starting place is to not talk about politics,” Lennon Flowers, who helped launch the project, told Greater Good last year. “So often our conversations are limited to our positions, rather than our stories, rather than who we are.”

Through both research and the experience of practitioners in the field, we know that focusing on individual characteristics rather than group identity can be a powerful bridge-building tool.

Just ask Gary Nigh, a former KKK leader who was convinced by Davis to leave the organization. In a documentary called Accidental Courtesy , which features Davis’s anti-racist work, interviewers asked Nigh to explain his transformation. He gestured at Davis and replied: “I met him.”

About the Author

Zaid Jilani

Zaid Jilani is Greater Good 's Bridging Differences Writing Fellow. A journalist originally from Atlanta, he has worked as a reporter for The Intercept and as a reporter-blogger for ThinkProgress, United Republic, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and Alternet .

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What is Stereotype? Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples

Stereotype definition.

A stereotype (STEH-ree-oh-tiep) is a generalized belief about a group of people. These generalizations are assumed to be true about every person within the group and typically revolve around traits, beliefs, behaviors, and skills.

Stereotypes play a significant role in social categorization, or the way people organize themselves and others into groups. For example, cats are widely considered aloof and independent, while dogs are judged to be sociable and affectionate. These generalizations are stereotypes.

Characteristics of Stereotypes

Stereotypes can be explicit or implicit. People are aware of explicit stereotypes and acknowledge that they use them to judge or categorize others. One example is the way that different generations perceive and discuss each other. For older generations, the common stereotype is that they are out of touch and technologically inept. Younger generations, on the other hand, are characterized as cynical or unmotivated.

Implicit stereotypes are unconscious, meaning people are not aware of making or using these generalizations. Consider this common riddle: A father and son are in a car accident, and they are rushed to the hospital. The boy is taken into surgery, where the doctor sees him and proclaims “I can’t operate on him. This is my son.” Many people don’t come to the right answer—that the boy’s mother is the surgeon—because unconscious stereotyping has them envision the doctor as a man.

Stereotypes can also be positive or negative. Take these examples:

Americans are loud and arrogant.
Women are warm and maternal.

The first example is clearly derogatory and rude. The second example evaluates women in a positive light, associating them with favorable traits. However, while the generalizations in that example seem complimentary, they can be just as inaccurate or harmful as any other stereotype. This is because stereotypes hold an entire group to one standard or expectation, dismissing the diversity within groups. In fact, positive stereotypes often correspond with negative ones. For example, the notion that women are warm and maternal corresponds with the idea that women are overly emotional and weak.

How Stereotypes Affect Readers

Authors should be careful about writing with stereotypes, as characterization based on stereotypes can seem lazy. People are largely aware of cultural and social generalizations, and using them can play into expectations, which is unimaginative and cliché . It can also imply a lack of effort or empathy.

Stereotypes are often flawed or flat-out wrong, and these inaccuracies can reinforce prejudiced ideas about a group. Because stereotypes are commonly based on sexism, racism, ableism, xenophobia, and other forms of discrimination, they can be hurtful and offensive. In addition to boring readers, stereotypes can alienate them too.

Consider older books written in historical periods with different cultural values and scientific understandings. Ideas that were once commonly accepted now seem ignorant or prejudiced, causing modern audiences to read these texts more critically. Readers of Rudyard Kipling must confront his staunch imperialism, for example, as his works often glorify British colonialism and uses ethnic stereotypes that minimize the diversity and complexity of Asian cultures.

Why Writers Use Stereotypes

Though there are many pitfalls to using stereotypes, they can be a powerful literary tool.

Generalizations are a fact of life. They exist in people, and so they affect our cultures and social systems, from government to education. Writers can use stereotypes in the process of worldbuilding to create a more complex, authentic setting , or they can use them to provide conflict that the protagonist must confront.

Some genres, particularly science fiction and fantasy , use stereotypes to establish new worlds, cultures, and communities. While this quickly familiarizes readers with a wholly unfamiliar setting, it often results in homogenization that some criticize as bland, uncreative, and unrealistic. The elves in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels are one such example.

Stereotypes can also figure into characterization. We all carry preconceived notions, and these assumptions can be incorporated into a character’s beliefs or worldview, giving them greater nuance. These stereotypes may exist within the protagonist as something they must overcome, or they may exist in the antagonist to showcase how they act as a foil to the main character

There’s also the matter of stock characters. These stereotypical characters appear in stories so frequently that readers immediately recognize their personality traits and narrative purpose. Authors use them to avoid writing unnecessary backstory or character development and to evoke a certain effect, usually comedy.

Writers can also subvert stereotypes to make a point or provide social commentary. Breaking a stereotype can criticize damaging or dismissive generalizations by providing a more accurate and nuanced alternative. Also, a character with highly exaggerated prejudices can emphasize the absurdity or injustice of a certain stereotype.

Examples of Stereotypes in Literature

1. Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale is a feminist dystopian novel about a world in crisis. The planet has been devastated by some environmental catastrophe, and an authoritarian regime has overthrown the US government to establish a theocratic state called Gilead. This new government enforces a highly stratified society that subjugates women while placing men at the top of the hierarchy. Women are stripped of their rights, including physical autonomy and self-determination. The text follows protagonist Offred as she grapples with this new world order founded on misogyny and gender inequality, providing critical commentary on the sexism that perpetuates gender roles and stereotypes in our own society.

2. Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie

This classic children’s book demonstrates how literature is a product of its time—and can age poorly as a consequence. This series of semiautobiographical novels depicts Laura Ingalls’s childhood in the American Midwest. The third book, Little House on the Prairie , follows the Ingalls family as they move from Wisconsin to Kansas, near the Osage tribe. The characters express a range of opinions about Native Americans: Ma is scared of them, while other settlers are outright hostile, with one asserting, “The only good Indian is a dead Indian.”

These reactions reflect attitudes at the time, but the novel has been also criticized for problematic language in the prose . In the original text, for example, Pa wants to move somewhere “there were no people. Only Indians.” This implies that Native Americans are not people, a sentiment that dehumanizes them and reinforces white superiority. Ingalls’s publisher later changed the line to read “no settlers.”

3. Amy Waldman, The Submission

Set two years after the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center, this novel follows a controversy that unfolds after a Muslim American wins a blind Ground Zero memorial design competition. The novel delves into the characters’ personal lives to challenge the stereotypes about gender, ethnicity, and immigration that prevailed during this period of increased racism and xenophobia. This is best exemplified by Mohammad “Mo” Kahn, the main protagonist and winner of the contest.

Once his ethnic heritage hits the tabloids, Mo is subjected to a range of ethnic stereotypes. For example, a news article uses a photo of an Arabic man in a balaclava, rather than a picture of Mo, to play on stereotypes about radical Islamic terrorists. This is just one of many incorrect generalizations applied to Mo, and the novel explores how these stereotypes conflict with Mo’s true identity and complicate his life.

4. J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

The Harry Potter series is mostly set at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The student body is divided into four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Hogwarts students are said to embody virtues that reflect their house; Gryffindors are brave, daring, and chivalrous, for example, while Slytherins are cunning, ambitious, and shrewd. These generalizations fuel house rivalries, particularly between Gryffindors and Slytherins, whose stereotypical traits are structured as foils in the text.

Further Resources on Stereotypes

Looking for stories that break pervasive stereotypes? Check out this list of 13 books compiled by Atlassian.

This lesson plan provides tips for teaching students about stereotypes in literature.

Related Terms

Characterization
Stock Character

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Journal of Narrative Theory

“Racial Stereotypes as Narrative Forms: Staging the English Gentleman in Joseph Conrad’s Lord Jim ” 1

Marta Puxan-Oliva
Eastern Michigan University
Volume 45, Number 3, Fall 2015
pp. 333-369
10.1353/jnt.2016.0000
View Citation

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Stereotypes

Essays on Stereotypes

Your stereotypes essay may define stereotypes as a relatively stable and simplified image of a social group, person, event, or phenomenon. Some stereotypes essays note that a stereotype is an established pattern of thinking. This word derives from the Greek words “στερεός”, which means “firm, solid” and “τύπος”, which means “impression”. Not many essay-writers mention that in the old days, stereotypes were useful – they made the world more predictable and consistent, which reduced innate anxiety, associated with survival. However, essays on stereotypes render modern stereotypes mostly harmful, as they're leading people to assume false ideas about the world. Many stereotypes are rooted in early childhood, instilled by family and community. Nowadays disregarding stereotypes is the task of every independently thinking person and citizen. We listed informative stereotypes essay samples for you to learn from. Find samples of our best essays below.

Stereotypes on Campus Stereotype refers to the common and widely held ideas and conventional images of particular kind of people (Banchefsky and Park 1). On campus, there are certain stereotypes held for people of every major. For instance, films majors keep quoting television shows and movies in their conversations. People seen...

Discrimination remains a global challenge. Stereotyping can be defined as the oversimplified attitude that individuals hold towards others persons who are outside one’s experience. The act happens due to incomplete information being accepted as a fact without question. The issue persists both within the society and in the country as...

Words: 1817

Human beings have different stages of life. It starts from childhood, then into adulthood and finally comes the old age. Every period of life has its own opportunities and challenges. If we look deeply into different phases of our lives, the old age is considered to be more difficult and...

Words: 1043

Media s Influence and Positive Campaigns Media, in general, has been hailed for being pertinent in enabling globalization and easing communication. Moreover, different forms of media have been quite instrumental in allowing for positive campaigns such as campaigns pertaining to environmental conservation, creating awareness about various issues such as healthy living...

There have been many cases of people being defensive of their cultures and races where people try to appropriate them. A section of individuals has interpreted the increased level of protest against appropriation and defense of one's culture as being people in the modern day being “easily offended.” The paper...

The world is changing and becoming more diverse. Globalization has encouraged the movement of people into different parts of the world away from their home countries. The American society, for example, consists of people from different nationalities, numerous races and ethnic communities, distinct sexual orientations, and a variety of skills. The...

Words: 1576

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I know someone who has been the object of racial and stereotype misconception based on her race. People identified her as a quiet and reserved girl, and she studied a lot with while spending most of her time playing her musical instrument. I do imply that none of these identifications...

According to Social psychologists, a stereotype is an over-generalized belief concerning a certain group of people. The reason for being generalized is because stereotypes are taken to be true for every individual person within the group. Despite the fact that stereotypes can be both negative and positive, they are, in...

Words: 1293

A stereotype is a widely held but unchanging belief about a specific kind of person or object. Stereotyping typically has an adverse effect on the sufferers sense of self. One of the ways a Latina can break the stereotype is by becoming more conscious of her inner emotions and...

Segregating certain social classes and groups of individuals is a common practice in society. It has a number of detrimental effects on people's quality of living in society. (Bennett, Janet, 293). Individuals and marginalized groups endure as a result of stereotype behavior. Since they lack access to society's essential goods and have...

We may have deliberately or unknowingly resisted conventional roles throughout our lives. Based on what we have learnt about society, stereotypes have been developed in our thoughts. In other words, our conceptions of feminism and masculinity have been greatly influenced by society conventions. I've looked up to my father as...

Ageism: Stereotypes and Prejudice Against the Elderly Ageism is the stereotypical attitude or prejudice that exists in society against the elderly. In fact, ageism in the various American communities mostly takes the shape of false beliefs or derogatory preconceptions about senior citizens. The emphasis on American youth culture and production, uncontrolled...

Essay on Stereotypes: Gender, Racial & Cultural. How-to Guide

All Italians are flirty. Blondes can’t count. Women adore cooking, and men are crazy about cars. Flirty mathematically-challenged Italian blondes that cook a lot must be having a hard time coping with all the stereotypes. Are you having a hard time writing an essay about them? Rest easy, fellow writers. We’ve got you covered!

Welcome to our essay on stereotypes writing guide. In this article, you’ll find the following:

Tips on writing 3 essays: a gender stereotypes essay, a racial stereotype essay, and a cultural stereotypes essay
91 stereotype essay topics
Tips on coming up with a perfect outline/plan
Three essay examples.

Let’s get started!

🤔 What Is a Stereotype?

📝 Types of Essays

💡 91 Stereotype Essay Topics

🔖 Outlining Your Essay
👀 Free Examples

Before proceeding to essay writing, let’s first learn what a stereotype is. Here’s the definition.

A stereotype is a widely-accepted belief about a particular group or class of people . It can be based on sex, ethnicity/race , age, status, etc. Stereotypes are not always harmful. Sometimes they help us identify the situation and act on it quickly. Yet mostly, the word ‘stereotype’ evokes negative feelings, and not without reason.

While it is a relatively simple concept to understand, a stereotype can still be confused with other similar notions.

It is nothing to worry about.

Let’s get some questions out of the way and make sure that we are all on the same page in terms of definitions:

Prejudice. While a stereotype can be a way to categorize a group of people or events, prejudice is a (typically negative) feeling towards any of these groups.
Generalization. While a stereotype puts people in fixed categories, a generalization is an attempt at analyzing behaviors and looking for similarities. Unlike stereotypes, generalizations can easily be modified.
Archetype. An archetype is a universally-accepted prototype of sorts, a model on which all things of the same kind are based.

The three main types of stereotypes are:

Gender stereotype: the belief that an individual has certain traits and plays certain roles in society as a result of them being a woman or a man. A common gender stereotype is that all women want to have children .
Racial stereotype: the belief that ascribes typical features to members of an ethnic group or nationality . Have you ever heard that all Asians speak incredibly loudly? It is just another example of a stereotype.
Cultural stereotype: the idea that all members of a particular group have the same characteristics. All Americans are fat and lazy, huh? Well, maybe, if you are prone to stereotype people.

📝 Essay on Stereotypes: Possible Genres

Now that you know what a stereotype is, you need to decide on the genre. What is it going to be, and what can you write about in each of the types?

The picture contains a list of possible genres for an essay on stereotypes with shord descriptions.

Argumentative essay. Such an essay requires you to research a topic and provide evidence that will prove your point to be valid. Back your arguments with logic and reason. Try to explain why not all stereotypes are inherently erroneous and come up with examples that illustrate your point of view.
Persuasive essay. The purpose of this kind of essay is to convince the reader to agree with the point you are trying to make. Facts and emotions are not mutually exclusive so include both in this one. Stereotypes are hurtful? Go ahead and persuade your reader that your opinion is right.
Reflective essay. In this essay genre , you are expected to reflect upon your own life experiences and personal changes brought about by those experiences. What role have stereotypes played in your life? How has this experience shaped you? Personal growth is of key importance here.
Narrative essay. Focus on a specific event and tell a story. What happened that one time you saw someone wrongly apply a stereotype to your friend? You’re going to need all elements of a good story: characters, plot, setting, climax, and resolution.

Now you need to choose your topic. Topics may vary depending on the genre of your paper. Here are some ideas for you.

Discrimination in the criminal justice system .
Explicit and implicit stereotypes: What is the difference?
Discrimination in the United States .
Gender discrimination in higher education administration .
What are the social functions of stereotypes ?
Criminal justice discrimination: Foster v. Chatman .
Are there any advantages of gender stereotyping ?
Racial discrimination in the US justice system .
What is cultural pluralism ?
How to avoid stereotyping?
Gay discrimination in the workplace .
The negative side-effects of using stereotypes for justification purposes.
Ethnic identity in Asian American fiction authors.
Immigrants, ethnicity, and challenges in the US .
How are stereotypes different from generalizations?
Gender discrimination at work in the United States .
The importance of upbringing in the development of stereotypical thinking.
Gender discrimination against females in public and work places .
Community conflict: Women’s gender roles .
A stereotype: An efficient shortcut or a dead-end?
Stereotypes about Chinese people in the U.S.
Stereotype threat and how it undermines performance.
Hispanic Americans facing discrimination .
Racial profiling in the United States .
Self-fulfilling prophecy as an outcome of stereotyping.
Gender bias in professional sports .
Discrimination and prejudice as an outcome of stereotyping.
Biased language and its effect on people .
Future American cultural, racial, ethnic diversity .
Stereotypes as a source of delusion and misinformation.
Stereotype threat: effects on education.
The role of stereotypes in art and culture.
Age discrimination in America’s human resource offices .
Exploring influences on gender roles .
What is wrong with the media stereotypes of women ?
Blonds are not dumb: Demystifying the stereotype .
Can gender stereotyping in the workplace be an effective tool?
Race discrimination: Aspects and effects .
Cultural diversity and inclusion in society .
What are the main issues of cultural stereotyping ?
American women in careers in films of the 1930s.
Feminism and its effect on gender stereotyping today.
Gender bias in the US family law system .
Cross-cultural communication issues .
Stereotypes in education and their effect.
Workplace gender compensation discrimination – Dollar General Corp .
Gender stereotypes in sport.
Women in authoritative work roles.
Building cross-cultural competence .
Disney’ princesses’ stereotypes and their impact on children.
A sense of cultural self-identity: Stereotypes and cultural values .
Racial stereotypes in sport.
Women’s media image and urge for cosmetic surgery.
Immigration and ethnic relations in the US .
Zodiac signs stereotypes and their impact on society.
Racism and discrimination: The church vision and teaching .
Gender stereotypes and their effect on the workplace.
Gender inequality in the workplace and career.
Ethnic minority group investigation: Mexican Americans .
Cultural stereotypes in literature.
Gender workplace discrimination .
Gender stereotypes in early childhood education.
Intercultural communication breakdown.
Ethnic minorities and the graduate labour market .
Stereotypes in organizational behavior.
Racial bias and racial profiling in law enforcement .
Gender stereotypes’ effect on advertising.
Toys, games, and gender socialization.
Gender roles in Hollywood cinema .
Cultural stereotypes’ effect on advertising.
Chinese Americans: History and discrimination .
Racial stereotypes’ effect on advertising.
Are women better parents than men?
Gender and international division of labor .
My experience of facing gender stereotypes .
American racial prejudice and racism.
My experience of facing cultural stereotypes.
Ethnic groups and discrimination.
Gender representation in children’s media .
My method on how to avoid stereotypes and their influence.
Forbidding gender-based discrimination in all institutions .
National stereotypes in media.
Gender discrimination and pay gap in the workplace .
Gender prejudice in society today .
What causes gender stereotyping?
Discrimination against minority groups, races, and ethnic groups .
What are the roots of cultural stereotyping?
Racial discrimination of African Americans during Jim Crow’s era .
What are the reasons for racial stereotyping ?
Institutional discrimination and racism .
Gender pay discrimination at the workplace .

Haven’t found anything suitable? You are always welcome to use our free topic generator .

🔖 Outlining Your Essay on Stereotypes

Before getting started, you should outline your paper . An outline is the structure of your essay. Any academic work should have an order to make it readable. A stereotype essay outline should include the following elements:

Stereotypes Essay Introduction

The stereotypes essay introduction part should start with a hook . A hook is a statement that leads to your thesis . It should grab your reader’s attention, so make it solid and exciting. The hook might be a rhetorical question or a quote.

Some of the stereotypes essay’s hook examples:

Stereotypes weren’t a problem while living in my home country. However, moving to the US changed it all.
We have been surrounded by gender stereotypes ever since we were born.
Despite all the negative sides of stereotypes, they have a positive side too.
Have you ever wondered how stereotypes are developed?
Stereotypes don’t only affect our social lives but also our workplaces .
Have you ever been unable to disprove a stereotype aimed at you?
Bananas have to be yellow. Apples have to be green. You have to behave like a real woman . Ironically, people who say things like that always fail at understanding who a “real woman” is.

Don’t forget to include your thesis statement in the introduction. The thesis statement should provide your reader an idea of what your paper is about. So, state your point and provide the reason you believe your point is true.

Let’s look at some examples.

Stereotypes Essay: Body Paragraphs

The body part should have these four elements:

Topic Sentence
Evidence and analysis
Brief wrap-up sentence (warrant)

Let’s say we are writing a gender stereotypes essay. A solid body paragraph for this type of essay can be the following:

Stereotypes Essay Conclusion

The stereotypes essay conclusion part should summarize your essay. Briefly mention all the key points you’ve made, and restate your thesis statement. Try to use different words and show your thesis has evolved throughout your essay. The conclusion shouldn’t be too long – one paragraph is usually enough.

👀 Essay on Stereotypes: Free Examples

As we promised before, here are three examples of three kinds of stereotypes essays. You can take a look at them to see how other students structure their papers.

Gender Stereotypes Essay: Gender Stereotypes in Early Childhood Education

The following is a gender stereotype essay about gender stereotypes in early childhood education.

Racial Stereotypes Essay: The Way Racial Stereotypes Distort Reality.

The following is a racial stereotype essay about the way racial stereotypes distort reality.

Cultural Stereotypes Essay: The Way Media Contributes to Cultural Stereotypes

The following is a cultural stereotype essay about the way media contributes to cultural stereotypes.

Now you know much more about writing an essay on stereotypes. Probably you are even ready to write your own paper! And when you’re done, the last thing to do is to make a cover page .

Stereotypes may be a sensitive topic to write about. However, it is a great way to spread awareness. We hope our guide can be helpful for your paper. Let us know what you think about stereotypes or your experience facing the stereotypes in the comments below!

❓ Essay on Stereotypes: FAQ

Why are stereotypes bad.

Although there are both negative and positive stereotypes, they both have a negative impact. By believing stereotypes, we tend to neglect others’ individuality and generalize people. For example, a belief that all men are messy is a negative stereotype that can hurt someone.

In what ways do stereotypes distort reality?

By labeling others with stereotypes, we might ignore the actual characteristics that a person has. Meeting someone new, we might see them through a stereotype. However, this stereotype might have nothing to do with reality. For example, meeting a woman for the first time, someone might think that she is a good cook, even if it’s not true.

How are stereotypes different from archetypes?

A stereotype is a belief about other people based on assumptions about their gender, race, cultural background, etc. Archetype is a reoccurring pattern in behavior, culture, etc.

Cognitively, what helps counter stereotypes?

One of the methods is to spend time thinking about people who don’t fall into a stereotype category. You should also be open to meeting and getting to know new people. Learning about different cultures also contributes to open-mindedness.

🔗 References

How to Beat Stereotypes by Seeing People as Individuals
Stereotypes | Gendered Innovations
STEREOTYPE | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary
Stereotyping – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Essay Writing | Purdue OWL
Essay Outline : How to create good essay outlines | by TutorBin

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Prejudice, Stereotypes, and Discrimination, Essay Example

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Introduction

‘How does prejudice, stereotype and discrimination impact our society ’

This paper will discuss the impacts of prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination in the context of social psychology. It shall start by first defining the term for better understanding. Prejudice is the negative attitude that one has towards something usually a group of people, the attitude may also be unfair, unfavorable or intolerant based on no justified reason. It is passed from one generation to another.

Stereotype is the belief that one has certain perception about people on the basis of them being members of a certain group. Stereotypes are differentiated as positive, negative, or neutral (Atwater & Ellis, 2009, p. 362). The basis of the stereotypes relies on factors like ethnicity, gender, nationality or even the occupation of a person or groups in many societies.

Discrimination is the act of recognizing, observing and through the differentiation of distinguished features; choice is made that shows bias and prejudice. It can be based on hatred of a race, looks, gender, or a certain group because of stereotyping. It can take the forms of racial remarks, humiliation, verbal abuse, intimidation, mistreatment and threats (Atwater & Ellis, 2009, p. 363).

From the definition, I can say that I relate to stereotyping. I once visited my friend’s house when I was small and apparently the father to my friend had been released from jail. The father used vulgar language towards me and from that day I became stereotypic towards people from jail or with criminal records. I also identify with discrimination from an event in the past where my friend whom I was with at the airport was harassed and treated unfairly by security guards due to her dressing, which showed she was a Muslim.

It is known that stereotypes cannot be changed easily due to reason such as people’s perception about something which is influenced by their expectation, another reason being that through selectively recalling of instances that confirm their stereotypes instances, people usually tend to forget about disconfirming instances. Influence that promotes stereotyping is instances when one happens to be in a scenario which disconfirms their stereotypic nature. They tend to assume that it is just a subgroup of the main group they are stereotypic.

The practices of prejudice and stereotype origin can be based on the evolutionary perspective where these psychologists speculated that in the process of human evolution, they also developed prejudice and stereotyping as it allowed them to decide quickly where which person went to which group (Atwater & Ellis, 2009). From here people where identified by society with which group they belonged to. From a person’s, view of perception, any group they belong is an in-group and out-group was the group they did not belong. From here it is easy for them to favour their group and stereotyping others. Social inequities are a cause of prejudice, due to the negative attitude some groups are treated unfairly whereas where there is a competition for resources, in-group and out-group become more hostile to each other. In out-group homogeneity effect, the assumption that all members are similar to one another and not with the out-group members leads to stereotyping. In my community, the most significant category is the norm. We find it a normal thing to prejudice those that are not from the community.

Strategies to reduce prejudice

Through various researches, prejudice can be reduced when: Different groups come together and cooperate in order to accomplish a common goal. Here, they shall have to support each other. Authorities such as the government, workers unions and leaders advocate for equal rights among people. Different types of groups have opportunities to interact formally and also informally with each other and thus, knowing each other better. There is the existence of equality in the society in terms of legal status, political power and economic opportunity for different groups (Atwater & Ellis, 2009, p. 389).

Consequences of stereotyping and discrimination

Stereotyping is known to cause distort reality as many people tend to exaggerate the differences that exist among groups. Others make people see the other groups as homogenous, despite the fact that people can see they belong to are a heterogeneous group. It can lead the focus of people to be rather selective on information that agrees with the stereotype and the information that disagrees with it is discarded. This may make one make the wrong decisions. On the other hand, discrimination (Lindzey, Gilbert & Fiske, 1998, p. 520) may lead to restricted opportunities for other people, limited access to services, reduced individual right, mental illness that results as a from too much stress and finally leads to one loosing motivation in whatever they are doing.

These behaviours tend to affect the group that is experiencing the stereotype and is discriminated upon. This behaviour hurts them both physically and mentally. Ways of which they hurt is through denial of equal rights and treatment, misjudgement, humiliation, false accusations and harassment. I think we are inadvertently creating self-fulfilling prophesies in the society, and it is made clear to people the social and also economic problems that are caused by prejudice, stereotyping and discriminative nature of people (Conaway, 2005, p. 42). In conclusion, one should get to learn others before judging them, and decisions should not be based on prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination.

Atwater, A & Ellis, C. (2009). Prejudice, Stereotyping, and Discrimination. ALBQ, Chapter 11, 358-399.

Conaway, C. (2005). A Psychological effect of stereotypes. Regional Review 41-42. Retrieved 30 April, 2012 from <http://www.bos.frb.org/economic/nerr/rr2005/q1/section3c.pdf>.

Lindzey, G., Gilbert, D & Fiske, S. (1998). The Handbook of Social Psychology . Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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Narrative Essay

Narrative Essay Examples

10+ Interesting Narrative Essay Examples Plus Writing Tips!

Narrative Essay Definition

Writing a narrative essay is a unique form of storytelling that revolves around personal experiences, aiming to immerse the reader in the author's world. It's a piece of writing that delves into the depths of thoughts and feelings.

In a narrative essay, life experiences take center stage, serving as the main substance of the story. It's a powerful tool for writers to convey a personal journey, turning experiences into a captivating tale. This form of storytelling is an artful display of emotions intended to engage readers, leaving the reader feeling like they are a part of the story.

By focusing on a specific theme, event, emotions, and reflections, a narrative essay weaves a storyline that leads the reader through the author's experiences.

The Essentials of Narrative Essays

Let's start with the basics. The four types of essays are argumentative essays , descriptive essays , expository essays , and narrative essays.

The goal of a narrative essay is to tell a compelling tale from one person's perspective. A narrative essay uses all components you’d find in a typical story, such as a beginning, middle, and conclusion, as well as plot, characters, setting, and climax.

The narrative essay's goal is the plot, which should be detailed enough to reach a climax. Here's how it works:

It's usually presented in chronological order.
It has a function. This is typically evident in the thesis statement's opening paragraph.
It may include speech.
It's told with sensory details and vivid language, drawing the reader in. All of these elements are connected to the writer's major argument in some way.

Before writing your essay, make sure you go through a sufficient number of narrative essay examples. These examples will help you in knowing the dos and don’ts of a good narrative essay.

It is always a better option to have some sense of direction before you start anything. Below, you can find important details and a bunch of narrative essay examples. These examples will also help you build your content according to the format.

Here is a how to start a narrative essay example:

Sample Narrative Essay

The examples inform the readers about the writing style and structure of the narration. The essay below will help you understand how to create a story and build this type of essay in no time.

Here is another narrative essay examples 500 words:

Narrative Essay Examples for Students

Narrative essays offer students a platform to express their experiences and creativity. These examples show how to effectively structure and present personal stories for education.

Here are some helpful narrative essay examples:

Narrative Essay Examples Middle School

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Narrative Essay Examples for Grade 8

Grade 11 Narrative Essay Examples

Narrative Essay Example For High School

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Personal Narrative Essay Example

Descriptive Narrative Essay Example

3rd Person Narrative Essay Example

Narrative Essay Topics

Here are some narrative essay topics to help you get started with your narrative essay writing.

When I got my first bunny
When I moved to Canada
I haven’t experienced this freezing temperature ever before
The moment I won the basketball finale
A memorable day at the museum
How I talk to my parrot
The day I saw the death
When I finally rebelled against my professor

Need more topics? Check out these extensive narrative essay topics to get creative ideas!

Narrative Essay Writing Tips

Narrative essays give you the freedom to be creative, but it can be tough to make yours special. Use these tips to make your story interesting:

Share your story from a personal viewpoint, engaging the reader with your experiences.
Use vivid descriptions to paint a clear picture of the setting, characters, and emotions involved.
Organize events in chronological order for a smooth and understandable narrative.
Bring characters to life through their actions, dialogue, and personalities.
Employ dialogue sparingly to add realism and progression to the narrative.
Engage readers by evoking emotions through your storytelling.
End with reflection or a lesson learned from the experience, providing insight.

Now you have essay examples and tips to help you get started, you have a solid starting point for crafting compelling narrative essays.

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Narrative Essay Writing

Personal Narrative Essay

Personal Narrative Essay - Easy Guide & Examples

16 min read

Published on: Apr 18, 2020

Last updated on: Mar 24, 2024

Personal Narrative Essay Definition

What is a Personal Narrative Essay?

A personal narrative essay is also referred to as short storytelling. It depends on the writer's type of story they want to tell the readers. This type of essay can be composed of the personal experience of the writer.

A personal narrative essay is usually written in the first person participle. It helps to depict a clear narrative thatâs focused on a specific moment.

Usually, high school students are usually assigned to write such essays. Writing these essays helps them to enhance creative writing skills. Also, they help to provide insight into a studentâs personal life.

To write a personal narrative essay, the writer specifies a plot around which the entire essay revolves. Moreover, the plot should also discuss the characters that have played some part in the story.

Sample Personal Narrative Essay (PDF)

How to Start a Personal Narrative Essay?

The personal narrative essay requires a balance between objectivity and subjectivity. To write about an event or situation with significance, you must first identify what's important to share with the readers.

As with other types of writing - there are some guidelines you need to follow some guidelines. These are;

1. Choose the Right Topic

A good topic can not just make your essay look good, but also it will make the writing process much easier. Since personal narrative essays are written on personal experiences and thoughts, make sure you choose your most interesting experience.

Keep in mind that the topic you choose matches the intended audience. It is the reader who decides the scope and success of your essay.

2. Choose a Theme

You can also choose a theme for your essay. This will help you focus on what you want to say. You can use your personal experiences to explore the theme in depth. For example, if you choose the theme of love, you could talk about your experience of love with your sister(s). Alternatively, you can start writing out the story and see if any ideas might relate to a bigger theme. When you are writing, pay attention to any ideas that keep coming up. See if they might be related to a bigger topic.

3. Create a Thesis Statement

The thesis statement is the most important sentence and tells the reader what your essay will be about.

In a personal narrative essay, the thesis statement can briefly explore the story's events. Or it can tell the reader about the moral or lesson learned through personal experience. The thesis statement can also present the main theme of the essay.

For example, if you are writing an essay about your personal experience as a refugee. You may have a thesis statement that presents the theme of freedom.

Check out more thesis statement examples to learn how to write one!

4. Create an Outline

Once you have your topic, it is time that you create an outline for your essay. The essay outline is an essential element of an essay. It keeps the whole composition in an organized order.

Also, it helps the reader through the essay. With the help of an outline, a writer can provide logic for the essay.

Personal Narrative Essay Outline

Being a student, you must know how important an outline is for an essay. It provides an organization with the whole content.

To create an outline for a personal narrative essay, you need to follow the following traditional method.

Introduction

These three major elements of a narrative essay are further elaborated down below.

The introduction is the most important part of essay writing. It is the first impression on the reader; by reading this part, the reader decides the quality of the essay. This part should be the most attention-grabbing part.

It should have an attention-grabbing hook and some background information about the topic. Moreover, it should include the thesis statement, which explains the main idea of your essay.

Keep in mind that the essay introduction should always end with a transition sentence. This will make a logical connection with the rest of the essay.

Personal Narrative Introduction Example

Body Paragraphs

After the introduction, the body paragraphs are written. These paragraphs help you to explain the key elements of your personal narrative essay.

In a standard personal narrative essay, there are usually three body paragraphs. These paragraphs help the writer to describe the subject of the essay in all possible aspects.

With the help of these paragraphs, the writer describes their point of view to the readers. To support the essay, the time and place of the event happening are also mentioned. Moreover, these paragraphs have all the information about the characters.

Keep in mind that a body starts with a topic sentence . This sentence is a kind of introductory sentence for that particular paragraph.

Another important thing you need to keep in mind is the order in which you will present the details. Make sure that you use chronological order for this purpose.

Personal Narrative Body Example

In conclusion, you need to provide the climax of the story.

In this section of a personal narrative essay, you should wrap up the whole story. Do it in such a way that you provide a summary of the entire essay.

Your conclusion should be just as impactful as your introduction. End with a memorable sentence or thought that leaves the reader with a lasting impression. You can summarize the main points of your essay or reflect on the significance of the experience in your life.

Make sure that you do not add any new points in this part. It will not give the reader a sense of accomplishment and will leave them in confusion.

Personal Narrative Conclusion Example

How to Write a Personal Narrative Essay

A personal narrative essay is considered very good when it is expressive, and the reader enjoys your personal narrative. The key to writing an amazing personal narrative is to use sensory details as much as possible.

An excellent narrative essay doesn't tell what happened. Instead, it shows what happened precisely and how you have felt at that moment.

Here is how you can write a personal narrative essay:

Start With a Good Hook

For any type of essay , a hook statement can be a game-changer. But, particularly for a personal narrative essay, hook sentences are very important.

Usually, the introduction of the essay starts with this sentence. You may use a famous quotation, verse, or an interesting fact for this purpose. This sentence helps to attain the readerâs attention and persuade the reader to read the entire essay.

Vivid Description

For a narrative essay, it is a must to be vivid enough to let the reader imagine the whole scene. This is why it is necessary that the writer uses as much descriptive language as possible.

For instance, if you are writing about a visit to the beach, you can describe how the sun felt on your face. On top of that, making use of strong verbs and adjectives will also help to provide an engaging experience for readers.

Use Transition Words

For any essay, be it an argumentative essay , descriptive essay , or personal narrative essay. It is very important to have some transition sentences and words. These transition words help to make a logical connection in all parts of the essay.

In other words, the transition words help to make links between the storyline. You may use transition words like this, however, whereas, therefore, moreover, etc.

Add Emotions

The purpose of a personal narrative essay is to show the reader what and how you have felt. Hence don't forget to add the emotions, as you have to make the reader know about the feelings.

Describe all of the emotions and feelings using very descriptive words.

Be Consistent

Consistency is the key to writing an essay in a professional way. Make sure that you don't get distracted by any irrelevant details.

Stay focused on one single point, and add details related to your specific idea. Make sure that you inter-link all the events of the story in a regular manner. This will help the reader to relate all the events. Also, use first-person impressions as you are writing a personal narrative.

You also want to show the reader that you are telling your own story. Make sure that you follow the same participle in the entire essay.

Prove the Significance of Your Experience

You know that behind every event, there is a reason. Similarly, let your readers know the reason behind your essay and its significance.

Also, mention that the story you just told was important to share.

As it is a personal narrative, you don't have to provide evidence to prove the significance of your story. Rather, you have to convey a broader message through your story.

Use Dialogue

Dialogue is an excellent way to bring life to your story and make it more engaging. It can reveal the characterâs personalities and add a touch of realism to the essay.

When you use dialogue, make sure to punctuate it correctly and indicate who is speaking.

Show, Don't Tell

When writing a personal narrative essay, avoid summarizing events and simply telling the story. Instead, use sensory details to help the reader experience the story with you.

Describe what you saw, heard, felt, tasted, and smelled to bring the story to life.

Reflect on the Experience

Reflection is an important part of any personal narrative essay. It is an opportunity for you to reflect on the experience you are writing about and what it means to you. Take the time to think about what you learned from the experience and how it has shaped you as a person.

Once you are done with writing your personal narrative essay. It's time that you put a little effort into making it error-free. Proofread the essay more than once and look for minor spelling mistakes and other grammatical mistakes.

This will ensure that you have written an essay like a pro. You can do this yourself or you may ask a friend to do it for you.

To understand better how to write a personal narrative essay, take a few moments to watch the video below!

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Free Personal Narrative Essay Examples

Examples help you to understand things better; here are a few well-written narrative essay examples . Read them thoroughly and use them as a guide to writing a good essay yourself.

Personal Narrative Essay 750 words

Personal narrative essays can be long or short. It depends on the writer how they want to elaborate things.

750 Words Personal Narrative Essay (PDF)

Personal Narrative Essay Examples for High School Students

Personal narrative essays are often assigned to high school students. If you are a high school student and looking for some good examples, you are exactly where you should be.

Best Summer Memory of My Childhood (PDF)

Near-Death Experience (PDF)

Personal Narrative Essay Examples for College Students

Being a college student, you will often get to write personal narrative essays. Here are a few examples of well-written personal narrative essays to guide college students.

Climbing a Mountain (PDF)

My First Job (PDF)

Want to get a better understanding? Dive into the wide collection of our narrative essay examples !

Personal Narrative Essay Topics

It is important to choose a good topic before you start writing. Here are some interesting narrative essay topics you can choose from for your essay.

My worst childhood memory
My favorite summer activities during vacation.
The first time I had a serious argument with my best friend
The first time someone broke my heart.
Things I could tell myself.
How I balance my family life and my professional life.
The most important rule in life
Teachers who inspired me in my college.
Why I love to write a diary
My favorite New York Times Article.
My favorite movie.
Personal advice for the youth of today.
How I overcame my stage fear.
The toughest decision I have ever made.
What I regret most

Need some inspiration to craft your essay? Our expansive list of narrative essay topics will provide you with plenty of ideas!

Personal Narrative Essay Writing Tips

You need to follow a few things in order to start your personal narrative essay in a proper way. Those significant things are as follows:

Think of a memorable event, an unforgettable experience, or any that you want to tell the readers.
Plan your narrative essay. Make yourself clear on the order in which you want to mention all the details.
Start your personal essay with a hook sentence. This will help you to grab the attention of the readers.
Use vivid language so that the reader can imagine the whole scene in mind. Describe the actions, mood, theme, and overall plot.
Make sure that you use descriptive language.
Use proper sentence structure.

In conclusion,

writing a personal narrative essay can be daunting for many students.

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Narrative Essay Topics: TOP 200 Choices for Students

Imagine yourself facing a blank page, ready to fill it with your memories and imagination. What story will you tell today?

As students, you often have to write narratives that capture people's attention. But with so many stories to choose from, where do you start? How do you find the perfect topic that will grab our readers' interest and make them think?

Join our essay service experts as we explore 200 topics for college where stories are waiting to be told, and experiences are ready to be shared. From everyday events to unforgettable moments, each topic is a chance to connect with your readers and make them feel something.

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Ideas for Narrative Essay Topics

After exploring how students write narrative paragraphs, we've put together a list of narrative essay topics designed specifically for college and school students. This list covers a wide range of subjects, so pick one that speaks to you! If you want to see how to develop a topic into a written essay, check out our narrative essay example .

Literacy Narrative Essay Topics for College Students

How about delving into captivating literacy narrative essay topics designed specifically for college-level writing? Exciting, isn't it?

How did a childhood book shape your view of the world?
What challenges did you face when learning to read in a second language?
How has storytelling within your family influenced your literacy journey?
Can you recall a pivotal moment that ignited your love for reading?
How did a specific teacher inspire your passion for literature?
Have you ever encountered a character in a book who profoundly impacted your perspective on life?
What role did writing play in helping you navigate a difficult period in your life?
How has your relationship with technology affected your reading habits?
What cultural or historical event sparked your interest in a particular genre of literature?
How has poetry shaped your understanding of language and emotion?
Have you ever experienced a breakthrough moment in your writing process?
How has reading aloud impacted your comprehension and enjoyment of literature?
Can you recall a time when a book challenged your beliefs or worldview?
How has participating in a book club enriched your reading experience?
What strategies have you developed to overcome reading difficulties or distractions?

Personal Narrative Essay Topics on Relationships

Take a moment to reflect on your past experiences and craft compelling personal narratives with these essay ideas.

How did a specific friendship shape who you are today?
Can you recount a moment that strengthened your bond with a family member?
What challenges have you faced in maintaining a long-distance relationship?
How has a mentor influenced your personal and professional development?
Have you experienced a betrayal in a relationship? How did it impact you?
Can you describe a memorable conflict resolution process within a relationship?
How has your relationship with a pet affected your emotional well-being?
What lessons have you learned from navigating a romantic relationship?
How has your relationship with a sibling evolved over time?
Can you recall a time when you had to set boundaries in a friendship?
How has volunteering or community involvement enriched your relationships?
What cultural differences have influenced your relationships with others?
Can you share a moment when you felt truly understood by someone?
How has technology affected the dynamics of your relationships?
Have you ever experienced a reconciliation that transformed a strained relationship?

Best Narrative Essay Topics on Education and Learning

Consider the beauty of sharing your personal experiences and emotions in a captivating manner through these ideas for personal narrative essays.

What was the most valuable lesson you learned outside of the classroom?
Can you recount a moment when a teacher's unconventional method transformed your understanding of a subject?
How has a field trip or experiential learning opportunity impacted your education?
What challenges have you faced in balancing extracurricular activities with academics?
Have you ever had a "Eureka!" moment while studying? Describe it.
How has learning a new skill outside of school influenced your academic performance?
Can you recall a time when a peer's perspective challenged your own understanding of a topic?
How has technology enhanced or hindered your learning experience?
What role does creativity play in your approach to learning?
Have you ever experienced a setback that ultimately propelled you forward academically?
How has your cultural background influenced your learning style?
Can you describe a time when you had to advocate for yourself within an educational setting?
How has mentorship shaped your educational journey?
What strategies have you employed to overcome academic challenges or obstacles?
Can you reflect on a time when failure taught you a valuable lesson about learning?

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Personal Narrative Essay Ideas on Reflection on Life

Why not ignite your creativity with a range of narrative essay topics, from extraordinary moments to everyday experiences?

How has a moment of failure ultimately led to personal growth and resilience?
Can you recount a pivotal decision that significantly altered the course of your life?
What lessons have you learned from navigating a crossroads or major life transition?
How has your perspective on success evolved over time?
Can you reflect on a time when you had to confront and overcome a deeply held fear?
What role has gratitude played in shaping your outlook on life?
How have your values and beliefs been influenced by significant life experiences?
Can you describe a moment when you found clarity and purpose amidst chaos or uncertainty?
What impact has traveling to a new place had on your understanding of the world and yourself?
How has adversity strengthened your character and determination?
Can you recall a time when a random act of kindness profoundly impacted your life?
What lessons have you learned from embracing vulnerability and authenticity in relationships?
How has practicing mindfulness or self-reflection enhanced your well-being and happiness?
Can you reflect on a period of personal transformation or self-discovery?
How have you found meaning and fulfillment in pursuing your passions and interests?

Ideas for a Narrative Essay on Culture and Society

Engaging your readers with narrative essays on culture and society is a great way to spark interest, offering captivating ideas for exploration.

How has your family's unique culinary heritage influenced your cultural identity?
Can you reflect on a specific cultural artifact or heirloom that holds deep significance for your family?
What challenges have you faced in preserving traditional customs while adapting to modern societal expectations?
How has a local festival or celebration revealed the intricacies of your community's cultural tapestry?
Can you recount a moment when you navigated a cultural clash between your upbringing and the dominant culture?
How has your experience as a first-generation immigrant shaped your understanding of cultural assimilation?
What lessons have you learned from participating in intercultural exchange programs or initiatives?
Can you describe a unique cultural practice or tradition within your community that outsiders might find intriguing or misunderstood?
How has the revitalization of indigenous languages contributed to the preservation of cultural heritage in your region?
Can you reflect on a personal journey of reconnecting with your cultural roots after a period of assimilation or disconnection?
What role does storytelling play in passing down cultural wisdom and values within your family or community?
How has the portrayal of your culture in mainstream media affected your sense of belonging and self-perception?
Can you recount a moment when you challenged cultural stereotypes through creative expression or advocacy?
How has the migration of a specific cultural group enriched the social fabric and economic landscape of your community?
What initiatives or grassroots movements are currently underway to promote cross-cultural understanding and cooperation in your society?

Since you're working on essays, we think it's suitable to suggest you learn more about the case study format , which is another common college assignment.

Narrative Writing Topics on Hobbies and Interests

Wow your readers by turning your passions and hobbies into compelling narrative essay topics that will get them thinking.

How has your passion for urban gardening transformed neglected spaces in your community?
Can you recount a thrilling adventure from your hobby of urban exploration?
What lessons have you learned from restoring vintage motorcycles in your spare time?
How has your fascination with birdwatching deepened your connection to nature and conservation efforts?
Can you describe a memorable moment from your hobby of foraging wild edibles in the wilderness?
What unique skills have you developed through your hobby of beekeeping, and how have they impacted your daily life?
How has your interest in historical reenactment brought the past to life in unexpected ways?
Can you reflect on a transformative experience from your hobby of landscape photography?
What insights have you gained from practicing the art of bonsai cultivation and nurturing miniature ecosystems?
How has your passion for stargazing inspired awe and wonder in the vastness of the universe?
Can you recount a challenging project from your hobby of woodworking and the satisfaction it brought upon completion?
What cultural connections have you discovered through your hobby of traditional folk dancing?
How has your interest in sustainable fashion influenced your consumer habits and environmental awareness?
Can you describe a moment of serenity and mindfulness experienced while practicing the art of tea ceremony?
How has your hobby of letterpress printing preserved the tactile beauty of handmade craftsmanship in a digital age?

Narrative Essay Titles on Life-Changing Moments

Life is full of unexpected twists that can lead to life-changing moments. Take a look at these narrative essay titles for stories that have had a lasting impact on your life.

How did surviving a natural disaster reshape your perspective on life?
Can you recall a single conversation that drastically altered the course of your life?
What was the pivotal moment that inspired you to pursue your dreams against all odds?
How did a chance encounter lead to a life-changing friendship or partnership?
Can you reflect on the decision that transformed your career trajectory?
What profound lesson did you learn from facing a life-threatening illness or injury?
How did traveling to a new country open your eyes to new possibilities and opportunities?
Can you recount the moment when you discovered your true passion or calling in life?
What was the turning point that allowed you to break free from a toxic relationship or environment?
How did experiencing failure or rejection ultimately lead to personal growth and resilience?
Can you describe the moment when you found the strength to overcome a deep-seated fear or insecurity?
What life-changing realization did you have while experiencing a period of solitude or introspection?
How did a profound act of kindness from a stranger restore your faith in humanity?
Can you reflect on the moment when you forgave someone who had deeply hurt you, and how it changed your perspective on forgiveness?
What pivotal decision did you make that allowed you to reclaim control over your own happiness and destiny?

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Good Narrative Topics on Travel and Adventure

Consider creating intriguing titles for your narrative essay ideas by exploring thrilling travel adventures.

Can you recount a memorable encounter with wildlife during your solo hiking adventure?
How did a spontaneous decision to explore an unfamiliar city lead to unexpected discoveries?
What lessons did you learn from navigating a foreign country with only a map and your instincts?
Can you describe the exhilaration of conquering a challenging mountain peak for the first time?
How did immersing yourself in a local culture during your travels broaden your perspective on the world?
What unexpected obstacles did you encounter while embarking on a backpacking journey through rugged terrain?
Can you reflect on the transformative experience of volunteering abroad in a community-driven project?
How did getting lost in a labyrinthine city alleyway lead to serendipitous encounters and newfound friendships?
What was the most memorable meal you had while sampling street food in a bustling market abroad?
Can you recount the adrenaline rush of participating in an extreme sports activity in a foreign land?
How did witnessing a breathtaking natural phenomenon during your travels leave a lasting impression on you?
What cultural traditions or rituals did you participate in during a homestay experience with a local family?
Can you describe the sense of wonder and awe you felt while exploring ancient ruins or historical sites?
How did navigating a language barrier challenge and ultimately enrich your travel experience?
What valuable life lessons did you learn from the mishaps and misadventures encountered during your journey off the beaten path?

Narrative Essay Topic Ideas on Career and Work Experience

College students can uncover captivating narrative essay ideas by exploring potential career paths or reminiscing about past job experiences.

How did a challenging project at work showcase your problem-solving skills and resilience?
Can you reflect on a pivotal mentorship experience that guided your career trajectory?
What valuable lessons did you learn from a career setback or failure, and how did it shape your future success?
How did a workplace conflict lead to personal growth and improved communication skills?
Can you recount a moment when taking a professional risk paid off in unexpected ways?
What insights did you gain from transitioning to a new industry or career path?
How did participating in a cross-functional team project enhance your collaboration and leadership abilities?
Can you describe the satisfaction of achieving a long-term career goal after years of hard work and perseverance?
What impact did a meaningful recognition or award have on your motivation and sense of accomplishment?
How did volunteering or pro bono work contribute to your professional development and sense of purpose?
Can you reflect on the decision to leave a stable job in pursuit of passion or fulfillment?
What strategies did you employ to navigate a toxic work environment and maintain your well-being?
How did a career setback lead to unexpected opportunities for personal and professional growth?
Can you describe a moment when mentorship or sponsorship played a crucial role in advancing your career?
What lessons did you learn from a challenging client or customer interaction, and how did it shape your approach to customer service and relationship-building?

Interesting Narrative Essay Topics about Challenges and Obstacles

If you're not sure what to write about for your narrative essay, think back to the tough times you've had and how you managed to get through them.

How did you conquer a once-paralyzing fear to chase your dreams?
What new strengths did you discover while adapting to a physical challenge?
Can you recall a creative solution you used during a tough financial period?
When did you bravely stand against injustice, despite opposition?
How did overcoming a language barrier broaden your horizons?
What key lessons did you learn from a major setback in your life?
How did you manage overwhelming stress and responsibilities?
What inner reserves of resilience did you draw upon after personal loss?
Describe a time when you defied societal norms to pursue your goals.
Reflect on a moment when failure fueled your determination for success.
When did you find the courage to leave your comfort zone behind?
How did community support bolster you through a challenging time?
Share a time when self-doubt led to newfound confidence.
Can you recount a tragedy that spurred your personal growth?
What insights did overcoming a monumental obstacle reveal about life?

Best Narrative Essay Topics: How to Choose the One That Resonates

A narrative essay is a type of writing that tells a personal story, including characters, plot, setting, and the order of events. Its main goal is to connect with readers emotionally and share a specific message or insight through the retelling of a meaningful experience.

Students write narrative essays as part of their studies for several reasons. Firstly, it allows them to express themselves creatively by sharing their unique experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Secondly, it helps them develop important writing skills like organizing ideas and thoughts effectively.

Choosing good narrative essay ideas involves looking at personal experiences, interests, and the potential for engaging storytelling. Here's a simple guide to help you pick the right topic:

Think about significant moments in your life that had a lasting impact, such as personal growth or overcoming challenges.
Choose topics related to your hobbies, interests, or areas of expertise to make your story more engaging.
Consider what your audience would be interested in and choose topics that resonate with them.
Focus on a specific event or detail to make your narrative more focused and impactful.
Look for universal themes like love or personal transformation that connect with readers on a deeper level.
Brainstorm ideas and write freely to uncover compelling topics.
Decide on storytelling techniques like flashbacks or foreshadowing and choose a topic that fits.
Get feedback from friends, peers, or instructors to see if your topics are interesting and impactful.
Choose topics that evoke strong emotions for a more compelling narrative.
Select a topic that you personally connect with to make your story authentic.

Once you've chosen a topic, brainstorm ideas and create an outline for your essay. Follow your professor's instructions carefully and consider seeking help from our narrative essay writing service if needed.

Bring your stories to life with EssayPro. Select from a vast array of narrative essay topics and let our professionals help you weave your tales into captivating essays. Whether it's adventure, reflection, or imagination, we're here to assist.

Final Remarks

As we wrap up, our list of 200 narrative essay topics is here to fuel your creativity for your next writing project! Whether you're sharing a memorable event, reliving a childhood memory, or expressing a profound insight, crafting a narrative essay can be an uplifting experience that resonates deeply with readers.

And if you're gearing up for college admissions, why not check out our admission essay writing service ? We've already assisted countless students in securing their spots at their dream colleges, and we'd love to help you, too!

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Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

Mental Health Research Topics: 200 Writing Ideas for You

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Black Satire Is Having Its Hollywood Moment, but Something Is Missing

Recent releases like “American Fiction” and “The American Society of Magical Negroes” have used absurdist humor to examine race. But they have also depicted narrow views of Blackness.

A man with a gray beard, wearing a blue suit, applauds a man standing to his left, who holds a small gold trophy.

By Maya Phillips

In 2017, Jordan Peele’s “ Get Out ” was a critical and commercial smash that immediately became one of the defining movies of the Trump Era. The next year, Boots Riley’s masterful “ Sorry to Bother You ” seemed to herald a new golden age for Black satire films. But as those movies stood out for using surreal plot twists to humorously — and horrifically — unpack complex ideas like racial appropriation and consumer culture, the crop that has followed hasn’t kept pace. The current moment is defined by a central question: What does the “Black” look like in Black satire films today? Too often lately it’s “not Black enough.”

By that I mean to say a recent influx of films, including “ The American Society of Magical Negroes ,” “ American Fiction ” and “ The Blackening ,” have failed to represent Blackness with all its due complexity — as sometimes messy, sometimes contradictory. Instead, they flatten and simplify Blackness to serve a more singular, and thus digestible, form of satirical storytelling.

The foremost example is “American Fiction,” inspired by Percival Everett’s 2001 novel “ Erasure ,” which won this year’s Oscar for best screenplay. In the film, a Black author and professor named Monk (played by Jeffrey Wright) finds literary success through “My Pafology,” a novel satirizing books that feed negative Black stereotypes. But Monk’s audience receives his book with earnest praise, forcing him to reconcile his newfound prosperity with his racial ethics.

The surface layer of satire is obvious: The white audiences and publishing professionals who celebrate “My Pafology” do so not because of its merits but because the book allows them to fetishize another tragic Black story. It’s a performance of racial acceptance; these fans are literally buying into their own white guilt.

Monk’s foil in the film is another Black author, Sintara Golden (Issa Rae), who publishes a popular book of sensationalist Black trauma about life in the ghetto. Profiting on her white audience’s racist assumptions about Blackness, Sintara is this satire’s race traitor — or so it initially seems. Because when, in one scene, Monk questions whether Sintara’s book is any different from “My Pafology,” which she dismisses as pandering, she counters that she is spotlighting an authentic Black experience. Sintara accuses Monk of snobbery, saying that his highfalutin notion of Blackness excludes other Black experiences because he is too ashamed to recognize them.

But the fact that it is Sintara who voices the film’s criticism of Monk shows how loath “American Fiction” is to make a value statement on the characters’ actions within the context of their Blackness. Sintara, whom Monk catches reading “White Negroes,” a text about Black cultural appropriation, somehow isn’t winkingly framed as the hypocrite or the inauthentic one pointing out the hypocrisy and inauthenticity of the hero.

This adaptation seems to misunderstand that “Erasure” is as much a critique of how white audiences perceive these Black characters’ art and their identities as it is about how the characters decide to manipulate or contradict these perceptions. “American Fiction” takes the easy way out by making both of these characters right, a move which undercuts the nuances of how Monk and Sintara are negotiating themselves as Black people and the ethical weight of their choices.

In the similarly watered-down comedy-horror film “The Blackening,” a group of Black college friends reunites in a remote cabin for a Juneteenth celebration. Once there, the friends are hunted and threatened by unknown assailants and forced to play a minstrel-style trivia game proving their Blackness.

The racial satire of “The Blackening” is straightforward: The villains are white people who appropriate, sell and kill Black bodies. And the whole concept of the film is based on that common racist horror film trope in which the Black character is the first to die.

Like “American Fiction,” it falls into the trap of building its scaffolding from an outside look at Blackness, as something defined by and reactionary against whiteness. The result is another film that neglects being “too Black” — skimping on an interior look into Blackness that may sometimes contradict or betray itself. Blackness is so singularly defined — these Black friends are celebrating Juneteenth, and the game asks them questions about rap lyrics and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” — that neither the plot’s action nor the comedy surprises. The reveal that the nerdy Trump-voting Black character (played by Jermaine Fowler) is the true bad guy is obvious, and says little on a satirical level beyond that “illegitimate” or “inauthentic” Blackness is dangerous and easy to spot.

“The American Society of Magical Negroes,” a title that references a particular character trope seen in movies like “The Green Mile” and “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” also fails to offer a three-dimensional depiction of Blackness. In the movie, a meek Black man named Aren (Justice Smith) is introduced to the titular group by longtime member Roger (David Alan Grier). Aren initially denies that he’s concerned about race but then embraces his role as a magical Negro — until his love life intersects with his first assignment, forcing him to choose between embracing agency over his own life and defying society.

The film’s fantastical central idea, however, is more show than substance. For most of a film that’s supposed to mock a racist character trope, it’s ironic that we don’t see much of these characters beyond their acting in this trope. Aren’s Blackness tellingly feels incidental though it’s central to the plot. His biracial identity is thrown out as a brief aside, when it seems like a prominent character detail to explore in a satire about proscribed racial roles.

The one-handed satirical approach of these films may, to some extent, come down to a failure of the writing. But there’s another factor at play — box office politics. The more obvious layer of satire, addressing white oppression and white guilt, seems aimed at white liberal audiences so they can feel in on the joke. Black audiences, on the other hand, are left with a simplified representation of their race that doesn’t dare be too controversial.

Just a few years ago “Get Out” and “Sorry to Bother You” each offered its own sharp satire about how whiteness may break down the Black psyche. While both films build their action around the absurd ways whiteness sabotages the protagonists on a societal level, they differ from the newer satires by representing, either metaphorically or literally, spaces of Black interiority or consciousness damaged by whiteness. In “Get Out,” it’s the Black hero’s entrapment in the Sunken Place, which became one of the defining metaphors of its time. In “Sorry to Bother You,” the hero’s moment of truth arrives when he must choose whether to retain his identity and class status, or to continue using a racial performance to gain clout and success, to lose his humanity.

There is one recent exception to the recent spate of middling Black satirical films: Netflix’s “They Cloned Tyrone.” In the film, a drug dealer named Fontaine (John Boyega), a pimp named Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx) and a prostitute named Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris) discover a clandestine program at work within their town. The Black residents are being cloned, experimented on and mind-controlled via rap music and stereotypically Black products like fried chicken and chemical relaxers.

But the satire works in both directions. The film cleverly makes the main three characters conscious of the stereotypes they portray. They question whether those roles serve them or serve the racist scheming happening around them. Fontaine eventually discovers that the big bad is the original Fontaine, who initiated the cloning process and is trying to whitewash Black people into white people a la another famous satire, “ Black No More .” Through this twist, “They Cloned Tyrone” showcases how racism can subvert the minds of even the marginalized.

“They Cloned Tyrone” succeeds in its depiction of “authentic Blackness” in comparison to other recent satires. It’s not just about the way characters speak or the exaggerated depictions of their lives; it’s also about their internal conflicts, whether they choose to submit to a racist narrative and how much agency they have over their own narratives.

These satires, after all, come down to narratives: Beneath the commentary, the jokes and the ironies are meant to reveal what are, essentially, Black stories. But so many of these films fail to understand the central, perhaps the only, parameter of a “Black story”: that it be honest and complicated and, at the very least, inclusive of the people it depicts.

Maya Phillips is an arts and culture critic for The Times. More about Maya Phillips

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AP Week in Pictures: Latin America and Caribbean

A girl plays a jump rope game at a school housing residents displaced by gang violence, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, May 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

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As young Haitians are increasingly exposed to violence, the country is undergoing a wider push to dispel a long-standing taboo on mental health services teaching parents how to put a smile on their children’s faces.

Family and friends hold a vigil in Oaxaca for Manuel Perez Rios, one of eight seasonal farmworkers who was killed in a bus crash in Florida.

A taco stand in Mexico City’s San Rafael neighborhood is awarded a Michelin star from the French dining guide.

Young women are taking part in soccer training sessions at the Complexo da Alemao favela in Rio de Janeiro. They’re challenging stereotypes and the male-dominated sport with the support of trainers from the community and are being taught not just soccer but also personal development.

This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published by Associated Press photographers in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The selection was curated by photo editor Anita Baca based in Mexico City.

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Japanese American authors tell of WWII experiences in new collection

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The cover of "The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration" and one of the editors Frank Abe. (Courtesy of Penguin Random House and Kayla Isomura)

The new collection " The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration " features works by Japanese American authors impacted by the forced relocation of 125,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry by the U.S. government during World War II.

Host Scott Tong speaks with Frank Abe and Floyd Cheung who edited the collection.

Floyd Cheung is one of the editors of the collection. (Courtesy)

Book excerpt: 'The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration'

Edited by Frank Abe and Floyd Cheung

The literature in this volume presents the collective voice of a people defined by a specific moment in time: the four years of World War II during which the United States government expelled resident aliens and its own citizens from their homes, farms, and businesses, and incarcerated more than 125,000 of them in American concentration camps, based solely upon the race they shared with a wartime enemy.

Bowing to popular fear after planes from the Imperial Japanese Navy bombed the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawai‘i on December 7, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Congress denied Americans of Japanese ancestry any individual hearings or other due process before authorizing their mass removal and imprisonment. Government officials registered and numbered them by family, then subjected the captive people to a series of administrative orders, including a second registration with a loyalty questionnaire, a segregation based upon the results of that questionnaire, the military conscription of young men from the camps, and the offer of voluntary renunciation of American citizenship. By its own latter-day admission, the government had no military need for the mass exclusion—acknowledging that it was driven by a mixture of race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership—rendering the three-year incarceration that followed just as unnecessary as it was wrong.

This anthology reclaims and reframes the writing produced by the people targeted by these actions. You will hear many voices telling a shared story. It’s the story of the struggle to retain personal integrity in the face of increasing dehumanization.

The selections favor writing that is pointed rather than poignant. Not all are polished, but each conveys a central truth. We present these writings chronologically so that readers can trace the continuum of events as the incarcerees experienced it. This collection contains a mix of prose and poetry, of fiction and of nonfiction drawn from essays, memoirs, and letters, all anchored by the key government edicts that incite the action. The first two sections feature pieces written at the time or later in retrospect. The postwar section includes the work of the children of the camps, the third- and fourth-generation descendants who look back across the divide of time and memory to grasp the meaning of mass incarceration and its long- term consequences to themselves and the nation.

In place of familiar selections readily found elsewhere, this volume recovers pieces that have been long overlooked on the shelf, buried in the archives, or languished unread in the Japanese language. The number of new translations from the Japanese we present testifies to one of the long-term effects of camp: the loss of language and culture due to regulation, suppression, and the ongoing stigma of acknowledging any affinity to Japan. These selections focus on the incarceration of Japanese Americans by the U.S. government and as such do not address the incarceration of Japanese Canadians or the kidnapping of Japanese Latin Americans for a hostage-exchange program.

Our commentary for this volume avoids euphemisms historically used to describe the mass exclusion and incarceration, but these terms are left intact where they appear in the texts. “Evacuation” is a word best applied to humanitarian removal for safety from natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods. “Internment” legally applies only to the detention of those designated as enemy aliens, while the confinement of citizens and of resident aliens who were denied the opportunity of naturalized U.S. citizenship is properly called an “incarceration.” Euphemisms for the camps include “colony,” “project,” and “relocation center.” By definition, these were concentration camps—places where large numbers of a persecuted minority are confined under armed guard—and were regularly referred to as such at the time; they are distinct from the extermination centers or death camps of the Third Reich.

The original language of the texts is also preserved where it includes racial slurs and dismissive stereotyping, which reflects the ethnic prejudices and class hierarchies of the time but which some readers will find upsetting. Where the occasional profanity occurs, it is retained to convey the impact intended by the writer. Ellipses indicate excisions to enhance readability. Where chapters or excerpts do not come with a heading, we have taken the liberty of adding a title drawn from the text itself.

Many of the voices in this volume are those of protest against incarceration. Some are those of accommodation. All are authentic. Together they form an epic narrative with a singular vision of America’s past, one with disturbing resonances with the American present.

This excerpt originally appeared in "The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration," published by Penguin Random House. Reprinted here with permission.

This segment aired on May 16, 2024.

MINI REVIEW article

Facts and myths about use of esketamine for treatment-resistant depression: a narrative clinical review.

1 Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
2 Department of Mental Health, Community Mental Health Center DS 25, Azienda Sanitaria Locale Napoli 1 Centro, Naples, Italy

Introduction and aims: Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) occurs when at least two different antidepressants, taken at the right dosage, for adequate period of time and with continuity, fail to give positive clinical effects. Esketamine, the S-enantiomer of ketamine, was recently approved for TRD treatment from U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Medicine Agency. Despite proved clinical efficacy, many misconceptions by clinicians and patients accompany this medication. We aimed to review the most common “false myths” regarding TRD and esketemine, counterarguing with evidence-based facts.

Methods: The keywords “esketamine”, “treatment resistance depression”, “depression”, “myth”, “mythology”, “pharmacological treatment”, and “misunderstanding” were entered in the main databases and combined through Boolean operators.

Results: Misconceptions regarding the TRD prevalence, clinical features and predictors have been found. With respect of esketamine, criteria to start treatment, dissociative symptoms, potential addiction and aspects of administration and monitoring, were found to be affected by false beliefs by clinicians and patients.

Discussion and conclusion: TRD represents a challenging condition, requiring precise diagnosis in order to achieve patient’s full recovery. Esketamine has been proved as an effective medication to treat TRD, although it requires precautions. Evidence can inform clinical practice, in order to offer this innovative treatment to all patients with TRD.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a severe mental disorder affecting approximately 280 million people worldwide and representing globally the leading cause of disability. MDD has been conceptualized as a syndrome characterized by depressed mood, loss of pleasure and interest, and other affective, cognitive and somatic symptoms persisting for more than two weeks ( 1 – 3 ). Moreover, MDD impairs psychosocial functioning and quality of life ( 4 , 5 ). A clinical characterization of the individual patient is necessary in order to develop personalized treatment plan with the final aim of reaching the full recovery ( 6 – 9 ). People with MDD report many physical comorbidities, with a negative impact on the long-term quality of life and reducing their life expectancy ( 10 ).

Patients suffering from MDD can report a recurrent course of the disorder, with up to 50% of them not experiencing a full recovery after the first episode, and up to 35% experience more than one episode ( 11 ). Therefore, based on the longitudinal course of the disorder, several authors have proposed to distinguish difficult to treat depression from treatment-resistant depression (TRD). In particular, it is a clinical condition characterized by lack of response to appropriate treatment. The construct of TRD is very complex, as witnessed by the fact that several definitions have been proposed ( 12 ). A consensus definition is still not available, with implications on epidemiology, policy decision-making and clinical utility ( 13 , 14 ). No single biomarker has been identified so far which can be considered as a benchmark for depression ( 15 , 16 ) and for TRD, reflecting a common difficulty in findings biomarkers for mental disorders ( 17 – 19 ).

The European Medicine Agency (EMA) defined TRD as a “failure to produce significant clinical results with a treatment of at least two different antidepressants (of the same or different classes) administered at the right doses and for an adequate amount of time, with verified patients’ compliance to treatment” ( 20 ). Although this definition focuses only on pharmacological aspects and does not consider psychotherapy as a strategy for mild conditions, it is widely applied in the context of research ( 21 , 22 ).

Consistently to this conceptualization, EMA approved intranasal esketamine in combination with an SSRI or a SNRI for the treatment of adults with TRD in December 2019 ( 23 ), following the lead of U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( 24 ). The approval of esketamine for treating TRD has introduced an antidepressant drug with an innovative mechanism of action into clinicians’ armamentarium. According to recent guidelines for managing TRD, several strategies have been suggested, including the combination or switch of antidepressants; augmentation with antipsychotic and/or mood stabilizers ( 25 ); administration of intravenous/intranasal ketamine ( 26 ) and neurostimulation techniques (electroconvulsive therapy, deep brain stimulation, vagal nerve stimulation, repetitive transcranial stimulation) ( 27 – 29 ).

Esketamine is the S-enantiomer of ketamine, working as non-selective, non-competitive antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NDMA) receptor ( 30 ). Subsequent downstream of glutamate release stimulates the activation of AMPA receptors, by initiating intracellular signaling cascades, resulting in the activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and increase of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, with positive effects on synaptic plasticity ( 31 , 32 ). In terms of pharmacokinetics, intranasal esketamine has mean bioavailability of about 48%, its peak is reached until to 40 minutes from last spray, presents biphasic half-life and undergoes metabolism through CYP-2B6, -3A4, -2C9, -2C19, hydroxylation and glucuronidation ( 33 ).

Esketamine may be associated with craving behavior and additional potential ( 34 ). Indeed, dissociative state is characterized by depersonalization and derealization ( 24 ), while hallucinations have been reported as a consequence of the recreational use of ketamine, not for esketamine ( 35 , 36 ). In this regard, resistance by clinicians may be encountered to the detriment of proved clinical effectiveness in TRD. Based on such premises, we carried out a narrative review of the available literature on the most common “misconceptions” and “stereotypes” associated with esketamine use; for each false myth, we provide a list of “good reasons” for disconfirming such stereotypes.

The keywords “esketamine”, “treatment resistant depression”, “depression”, “myth”, “mythology”, “pharmacological treatment”, and “misunderstanding” were entered in PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus and Medline. Terms and databases were combined using the Boolean search technique, which consists of a logical information retrieval system (two or more terms combined to make searches more restrictive or detailed). The search strategy has been limited from March 2019, when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of esketamine for the treatment of treatment-resistance depression (TRD), to March 2024. The following criteria were considered for including papers in the present narrative review: 1) papers written in English; 2) papers focused on the use of esketamine as add-on treatment for TRD patients; 3) focus on prevalence of TRD and/or on side effects of esketamine treatment and/or risk of addiction due to esketamine use and/or rules of clinical practice needed for administering esketamine.

Results from the narrative clinical review

Based on the search strategy, selected studies were used for counteracting the common false myths reported in clinical practice about the use of esketamine for the treatment of patients with TRD.

The most common false myths are the following: 1) the prevalence of TRD is low in clinical practice; 2) no specific clinical features characterize the individual patient with TRD; 3) TRD cannot be predicted before its clinical manifestation; 4) patient candidate to esketamine treatment must have reported nonresponse to either SSRIs or SNRIs; 5) patient candidate to esketamine treatment must be affected only from MDD; 6) patient treated with esketamine will report side effects, including dissociation and agitation; 7) esketamine is associated with high risk of addiction; 8) esketamine treatment requires long period of observation, with adequate room and many healthcare professionals involved in the administration procedure ( Table 1 ).

Table 1 The most common false myths and facts regarding TRD and esketamine treatment.

Myth 1 : The prevalence of TRD is low

Fact 1 : TRD is a common clinical condition

The Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) trial ( 37 ) found a cumulative remission rate of 67% throughout four acute treatment steps, while a TRD prevalence of up to 55% was detected in a cross-sectional study focused on primary care in United Kingdom ( 38 ). In more recent years, Liu et al. ( 39 ) found lower rates (5.8% and 6.0%) by analyzing data from two large databases encompassing almost 600,000 patients taking medications for depression in the United States, where a 12-month prevalence of 30.9% was also found in four claims studies ( 40 ). A similar French research detected 25.8 people suffering from TRD per 10,000 patients ( 41 ). Furthermore, TRD proportion was estimated to be 4.2% in Italy ( 42 ), 24.4% in Israel ( 43 ) and 19.6% in Thailand ( 44 ). Although prevalence data are heterogeneous, the common element is that TRD is quite frequent in ordinary clinical practice. Clinicians should be aware of the characteristics of TRD as well as of the different therapeutic strategies for managing patients suffering from TRD.

However, exact prevalence rate of TRD cannot be estimated due to the lack of a consensus definition and due to the different settings where patients can be treated (i.e., primary care, outpatient units, inpatient unit, academia) ( 14 , 45 , 46 ).

Myth 2 : No specific clinical features characterize the individual patient with TRD

Fact 2 : The individual patient with TRD has specific clinical characteristics

TRD is a clinical condition associated with high levels of social and personal burden ( 47 ), requiring half of expenditure for medical treatment of major depression in the United States (about $92.7 billion per year) ( 40 ). Patients with TRD experience significant impairment in psychosocial functioning, poor levels of quality of life, and adverse health outcomes ( 48 – 52 ). Hospitalization rate and emergency department utilization were found to be more than twice in TRD patients in comparison with general population ( 50 , 53 ), with also significantly longer hospital stay (36% more) and higher costs ( 54 ). When compared with treatment-responding subjects, TRD patients reported more prevalent hypertension, hypothyroidism and chronic pulmonary disease ( 55 ), as well as substance use, anxiety, insomnia and pain ( 49 ). TRD patients have higher level of brain aging compared to responders ( 56 ). Furthermore, higher mortality risk (7-16 deaths per 1000 patients in 5 years) and mortality rates have been found ( 57 – 60 ). Compared with treatment-responsive patients, individuals with TRD are twice as likely to attempt suicide, showing a rate of 30% ( 61 , 62 ).

Myth 3 : TRD cannot be predicted before its clinical manifestations

Fact 3 : Numerous clinical predictors allow to detect patients at high risk of TRD

Several variables have been studied as potential predictors of TRD. A European multicentric study performed on 702 patients with depression ( 63 ) detected significant association between TRD and comorbid panic disorder (OR: 3.2), anxiety (OR: 2.6), suicidal risk (OR: 2.2), social phobia (OR: 2.1), young age of onset (OR: 2.0), personality disorder (OR: 1.7), symptom severity (OR: 1.7), history of multiple hospitalizations (OR: 1.6), nonresponse to the first antidepressant taken (OR: 1.6), melancholia (OR: 1.5), and recurrent episodes (OR: 1.5). Severity and length of depressive episode, risk of suicide, psychotic symptoms, comorbid anxiety, non-response to previous antidepressants, recurrence and hospitalization were confirmed in association with TRD ( 64 , 65 ), alongside with antidepressants at higher doses ( 66 ). Moreover, among physical health problems cardiovascular disease, pain and thyroid problems were most commonly reported to be associated, as well as female gender among sociodemographic variables ( 67 ). Few studies also tested the association between TRD and specific candidate genetic factors, but no specific biomarkers have been identified so far ( 68 ).

Myth 4 : Patient eligible to esketamine treatment must have reported nonresponse to either SSRIs or SNRIs

Fact 4 : Patient eligible for esketamine treatment can be nonresponse to any class of antidepressants

Both FDA ( 24 ) and EMA ( 23 ) approved esketamine treatment for patients with depression who had tried at least two different antidepressants without gaining benefits. In this regard, there is no specific mention of SSRIs and/or SNRIs in both approval release documents, so that failure of antidepressant treatment should be intended in general, also involving other classes (e.g., tricyclics, monoamine oxidases inhibitors, or dopamine/norepinephrine modulators, atypical antidepressants). Instead, it is worth mentioning that a SSRI or SNRI is specifically required to be used in combination with esketamine treatment. In a comparative study conducted in Italy ( 69 ), more than half of unipolar and bipolar TRD patients were taking other antidepressants besides SSRIs or SNRIs before starting esketamine. As well, no specification of class was provided regarding antidepressants taken by TRD subjects enrolled by Estrade et al. ( 70 ).

Myth 5 : Patient candidate to esketamine treatment must be affected only from depression

Fact 5 : No psychiatric comorbidity is a contraindication to esketamine treatment

TRD is a clinical condition often occurring with other comorbid psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, substance use disorder as well as self-harm behavior, fatigue, chronic pain, and insomnia ( 58 , 71 – 74 ). In the real world, clinicians deal with patients suffering from TRD with other symptoms in comorbidity, which might benefit from esketamine treatment. No contraindications have been pointed out in release documents issued by FDA and EMA ( 23 , 24 ). Furthermore, esketamine’s effectiveness was investigated in TRD patients with comorbid anxiety ( 75 ), post-traumatic stress disorder ( 76 ), and substance use disorder ( 77 ). The use of esketamine for treating patients with TRD and comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder ( 78 ) and anorexia nervosa ( 79 ) has been described as well. Esketamine combined with an oral antidepressant has been approved in the United States for managing depression with acute suicidal ideation or behavior ( 80 , 81 ), and in Europe for dealing with psychiatric emergencies in adults affected from depression.

Myth 6 : Patient treated with esketamine will definitely experience dissociation and agitation

Fact 6 : Dissociation is not very frequent among side effects

Dissociation is a complex construct defined as a “disruption and/or discontinuity in the normal integration of consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, body representation, motor control, and behavior” ( 1 ). It encompasses depersonalization, derealization, illusions and distortion of time, which may be experienced within a few hours and mostly at a non-severe degree by 11.1-31.4% of people treated with esketamine ( 28 ). The meta-analysis by Yang et al. ( 82 ) found an overall relative risk of developing dissociation of 4.54 ( p <.00001) among patients using esketamine when compared with placebo group. This value resulted almost twice (RR: 8.06, p <.00001) in the subgroup taking the dosage of 56 mg. The SUSTAIN-2 trial ( 83 ) reported dissociation rate of 23.4% during the 4-week induction period and of 18.7% during the 48-week maintenance phase. A post-hoc analysis found a prevalence of dissociation of 14.3% in patients forty minutes later the administration of the first dose of esketamine ( 84 ). The findings from the SUSTAIN-3 trial ( 85 ) showed dissociation in 24.4% of participants, 99.8% of whom resolved this condition during the same day of drug administration. In the real world, dissociative symptoms were detected in 39.7% of subjects ( 86 ). Causal role of dissociation in improving depressive symptoms was not consistently found ( 87 – 89 ). Trait dissociation, assessed through the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES) ( 90 ), was proved to be a significant predictor for the development of dissociation as side effect. Therefore, the DES should be used as potential screening tool for identifying patients at higher risk for developing dissociation.

Psychomotor agitation is not commonly reported as a side effect of esketamine treatment. In the REAL-ESK study ( 86 ), only one case of severe agitation was recorded among 116 treated subjects. Furthermore, a case report referring to a patient experiencing agitation and dissociation due to esketamine was described by Pereira and colleagues ( 91 ), who managed this condition throughout non-pharmacological approach.

Myth 7 : Esketamine is associated with high risk of addiction

Fact 7 : Potential addiction of esketamine is not commonly experienced by majority of patients

Potential addiction induced by intranasal esketamine is similar to that derived from intravenous racemic ketamine in non-dependent drug users ( 92 ). Although this aspect represents a concern for clinicians, lack of validated quantitative assessment of potential addiction in TRD patients treated with esketamine has contributed to limit evidence. Wang et al. ( 93 ) developed a visual analog scale for assessing esketamine craving and drug likeability, intended as a predictor of potential addition ( 94 ). The risk of esketamine addiction does not affect all patients equally ( 95 ). Moreover, slow de-tritation of esketamine and combined use of bupropion were suggested for managing drug-seeking and craving behaviors ( 34 ).

Myth 8 : Esketamine treatment requires long period of observation, with adequate room and many healthcare professionals involved in the administration procedure

Fact 8 : Esketamine treatment can be managed in outpatient unit, with the assistance of a few professionals

Esketamine treatment requires some specific conditions to be met to ensure patients monitoring and comfort. Administration should be performed in a peaceful room of hospital or outpatient unit, in which bed or chair allows patients to rest. The possibility to adjust the lighting also would be an optimal option. Sphygmomanometer and handkerchiefs are essential tool to have available. Patients have to come in the morning on an empty stomach. Esketamine is auto-administered through a nasal spray device containing 28 mg per 200 μl of vehicle solution (2 sprays). Before administration, patients are asked to clean their nose and recline their head to 45°. Blood pressure monitoring is required before and forty minutes after the last administration ( 20 ). People suffering from high blood pressure (more than 140/90 mmHg in adults; more than 150/90 mmHg in the elderly) have to be treated previously, as esketamine treatment can only start when blood pressure levels are within normal range. After monitoring by 60-90 minutes, in the absence of any problems patients can be discharged. Although they can also go home alone, they are advised not to drive the car until the next day.

The present narrative review aims at counteracting false myths regarding TRD and esketamine treatment by providing the most recent and updated evidence available.

TRD represents a complex clinical condition as confirmed by the lack of a consensus definition and clear epidemiological data ( 14 , 96 – 99 ). According to EMA conceptualization ( 23 ), depression can be defined “resistant to treatment” if at least two antidepressants failed to improve depressive symptoms, despite their use at right dose, for adequate period and with adequate patient’s compliance. Therefore, many clinical conditions labelled as “depressions difficult to treat” do not fully satisfy criteria for TRD and they may not benefit from treatments approved for TRD. Some clinical features might be useful in detecting real condition of TRD, and the identification of clear predictors of TRD can be helpful for optimizing diagnosis and subsequently therapy. It has to be noted that esketamine is approved for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and emergency suicidality only. However, recent trials have confirmed its efficacy also in patients suffering from bipolar disorder, with an actual depressive phase ( 69 ), but this use remains off-label and clinicians should carefully evaluate the risk/benefit ratio in administering such medication to patients with different clinical conditions. Although these positive results are encouraging, further longitudinal studies, designed with a rigorous methodology, are required.

Esketamine represents an additional tool in the clinicians’ therapeutic armamentarium for treating MDD and TRD. Clinical efficacy has been proved both in experimental and real-world settings. Superiority of esketamine combined with oral antidepressant compared to placebo plus oral antidepressant was found in the short-term by Popova et al. ( 100 ), unlike Fedgchin et al. ( 101 ) and Ochs-Ross et al. ( 102 ). In the long-term treatment, esketamine is effective in terms of significant reduction of depressive symptoms ( 83 ). Moreover, in the long-term maintenance study, adult patients with TRD treated with a continue use of esketamine report a significant delay in time to relapse compared with placebo, both considering stable remitters and stable responders ( 103 ). It is relevant to consider that no potential risk for abuse has been detected in the long-term treatment (i.e., up to one year from treatment) ( 104 ).

In the real world, significant improvements in terms of depressive symptoms and remission rates were reported after three months from the start of treatment ( 86 ), also in subjects affected by bipolar TRD ( 69 ), and in elder patients who however showed high levels of side effects ( 105 ).

Esketamine represents an important novelty among pharmacological treatments for patients with MDD, having an innovative mechanism of action ( 106 ). Indeed, depression has traditionally been conceptualized as a disorder underlying by an alteration in the neurotransmission pathways of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine pathways. Esketamine works as non-selective, non-competitive antagonist of NDMA receptor, determining subsequent activation of AMPA and intracellular cascades ( 31 , 32 ). Higher levels of BDNF and synaptic plasticity represent positive effects. Therefore, esketamine has a specific target on a new pathway, which is represented by the glutamatergic system. However, given its similar pharmacological profile and the extensive literature on its safety and tolerability, it is crucial to briefly mention ketamine ( 107 ). Many randomized controlled trials have confirmed the acute efficacy of ketamine in patients with TRD, although only a few data come from the real-world practice. A recent systematic review ( 26 ) found that ketamine has a substantial antidepressant effect, although its effectiveness varies significantly across patients. Moreover, a recent study by Gałuszko-Węgielnik et al. ( 108 ) found that ketamine is an effective add-on treatment to standard of care for people with treatment-resistant depression presenting psychotic features. Ketamine is administered as intravenous infusion and the subsequent monitoring revealed no exacerbation of psychotic symptoms in short and long-term observation, while stable remission and fast antisuicidal effect was found. However, these data should be carefully considered since the rates of recreational use of ketamine is increasing and the potential addiction to ketamine shares the same neurobiological pathway of its clinical effectiveness in treating patients suffering from TRD ( 109 ).

Taking esketamine requires a safe setting, where healthcare professionals can monitor patient’s response in terms of side effects for up to 90 minutes. Dizziness, nausea, dissociation, headache, dysgeusia, vertigo, somnolence, hypoesthesia and vomiting were reported as common side effects ( 110 ). Usually, they appear at mild or moderate degree of severity, are dose-dependent, and last only in the same day of esketamine administration. When they are severe, adjunctive treatments, and/or treatment pause or interruption should be considered ( 111 – 113 ). Discontinuation rate due to adverse effects in clinical trials has been estimated in about 5% of cases ( 85 ). The most relevant limitation is using esketamine is related to patients at high risk of aneurysm, and those with history of cerebral bleeding or heart attack ( 20 ). Assisted administration and monitored setting may also be helpful to promptly detect any potential risk of addiction.

Basing on patients’ age, recommended dosage consists of one or two puffs in each nostril at day 1, while up to three sprays per nostril can be administered twice a week during the following 4 weeks. Depending on patient’s conditions, treatment can be performed once a week for 4 weeks and once or two times per week up to 6 months. This strict schedule may appear a limitation for patients, but real-world study does not mention this aspect among the reasons of esketamine discontinuation ( 69 ).

Intranasal administration is unusual in psychiatric setting. Indeed, consolidated use of tablets, capsules and drops formulations has allowed the patient to take antidepressant therapy in comfort and autonomy. Furthermore, repeated and intermittent nasal sprays encouraged researchers to investigate olfactory functionality and nasal mucosa of patients, who seem to well tolerate this practice also in the long term ( 114 , 115 ).

Dissociative effects and the potential addictive effects of esketamine treatment are among the main concerns related to the use of esketamine in clinical practice.

As regards dissociative effects, these are experienced as feelings of disconnection from the reality, and are reporting in up to 40% of subjects taking esketamine in the real world setting, resolving within the same day of administration. Although a causal role of dissociation in improving depressive symptoms could be hypothesized, Ballard and Zarate ( 87 ) showed that it is not necessary to determine antidepressant effects of ketamine and derived medication. Moreover, the potential addiction from this drug resulted to involve patients treated with esketamine ( 95 ).

The present study has some limitations, which must be acknowledged. First, this is not a systematic review, but rather a narrative review which is more in line with the scope of the paper. It may be that relevant studies on esketamine have been omitted, but this was due to the need to identify papers related to the false myths addressed here. In fact, narrative reviews are a specific type of review in which researchers can pursue an extensive description and interpretation of previously published papers on a chosen topic. The description of the search strategy and selection criteria should be considered a major strength of the present paper. We believe that this approach has been appropriate for the topic of “myth and facts” related to the use of esketamine in ordinary routine clinical practice.

Another limitation is the inclusion of papers published in English only, which may have led to the exclusion of some papers/clinical experiences carried out in different countries with different languages.

Conclusions

TRD represents a challenging clinical condition, which needs to be adequately identified and diagnosed in order to achieve patient’s full recovery. Esketamine has been proved as an effective medication to treat TRD, although it requires precautions. Evidence can inform clinical practice, in order to offer this innovative treatment to all patients with TRD.

Although esketamine is an innovative treatment for the management of TRD patients, available data clearly confirm the efficacy, safety and good tolerability profile of this medication.

Author contributions

MDV: Investigation, Writing – original draft. VM: Conceptualization, Writing – review & editing. BDR: Methodology, Writing – review & editing. EA: Methodology, Writing – review & editing. AD’A: Methodology, Writing – review & editing. AV: Investigation, Writing – original draft. ML: Methodology, Writing – review & editing. GS: Conceptualization, Writing – original draft. AF: Supervision, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.

The author(s) declare that no financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Keywords: treatment-resistant depression, esketamine, major depressive disorder, recovery, remission

Citation: Di Vincenzo M, Martiadis V, Della Rocca B, Arsenio E, D’Arpa A, Volpicelli A, Luciano M, Sampogna G and Fiorillo A (2024) Facts and myths about use of esketamine for treatment-resistant depression: a narrative clinical review. Front. Psychiatry 15:1394787. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1394787

Received: 02 March 2024; Accepted: 22 April 2024; Published: 15 May 2024.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2024 Di Vincenzo, Martiadis, Della Rocca, Arsenio, D’Arpa, Volpicelli, Luciano, Sampogna and Fiorillo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Gaia Sampogna, [email protected]

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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113 Stereotype Essay Topics & Examples
One of the most enchanting novels in the American literature, the piece by Cahan offers a plunge into the world of the usual. Stereotypes of American Citizens. McAndrew and Akande lament that in the United States, African Americans are the most stereotyped due to racial discrimination and the dark history of slavery.
Reflective On Stereotypes: [Essay Example], 679 words
Stereotypes are deeply ingrained in society and have a significant impact on individuals and communities. They are often based on oversimplified and generalized beliefs about certain groups or individuals, causing prejudice, discrimination, and bias. Stereotypes can be found in various aspects of life, including gender, race, ethnicity ...
How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do: An Introduction to
Facing History educators explore the impact of stereotypes in many of the histories we study. In personal stories, we can see how stereotypes impact the decisions individuals and communities make, and the effects those decisions have. Studies show that 94 % of Facing History students are more likely to recognize the dangers of stereotyping ...
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The project was put together by Narrative 4, an organization that works around the world to connect diverse groups of people through sharing their personal stories. "We got these kids sort of hooked on each other through story exchange," Lee Keylock, director of global programs at Narrative 4, told Greater Good. "It breaks down all these ...
Stereotype in Literature: Definition & Examples
Stereotype Definition. A stereotype (STEH-ree-oh-tiep) is a generalized belief about a group of people. These generalizations are assumed to be true about every person within the group and typically revolve around traits, beliefs, behaviors, and skills. Stereotypes play a significant role in social categorization, or the way people organize ...
Stereotypes in Literature: Definition, Use & Examples
First, they can be used to connect with an audience. By using stereotyped characters, you can create a common ground with your readers. For example, if you identify a character as a computer geek ...
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A Meta-Analytic View of Narrative Persuasion on Stigma Reduction, Basic and Applied Social Psychology, DOI: 10.1080/01973533.2022.2039657 To link to this article: https://doi.or g/10.1080/01973533 ...
How to Write a Narrative Essay
Interactive example of a narrative essay. 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. Narrative essay example.
(PDF) Angry Black Woman: Debunking the Stereotype ...
ipants --3 black male, 3 young adult black women, and 3 older black women, indicated that the 'perpetuation of the. stereotype' was conti nued through the media and colorism; 'heal ing ...
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While subscribing to this perspective of the stereotype, which is historical on the one hand and discursive on the other, I would like to take a step forward in our comprehension of this form in literature. My claim in this essay is that we might view stereotypes in fiction as narrative forms, or, as a strategy for telling stories.
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By spreading stereotypes and false labels, misinformation also fuels the pervasive stigma on mental health conditions and people's weight, ... Storytelling and narrative change are not new strategies in effective communication and within the intersecting fields of public health, healthcare, medicine, and international development. ...
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Personal Narrative Essay: The Cause Of Stereotypes. 151 Words 1 Page. Experiencing life with a fear imaginably stands stressful enough; however, living in the same house as aforementioned fear prevails as comparatively similar to the feeling of a volcano ready to explode - an unsettling, uneasiness that will not skedaddle. In my eighth grade ...
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Published: Mar 5, 2024. Stereotyping is a widespread issue that affects various aspects of our lives, from how we view different cultures to how we judge people based on their appearance. These stereotypes, while seemingly harmless, can have serious consequences for individuals and communities. In this informative speech, I will delve into the ...
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Stereotyping particular groups of people is a common issue in society. For instance, gender stereotypes have existed since time immemorial. Writing stereotypes essay topics shouldn't be that hard. You can start with an interesting hook in the introduction. Be sure to have an outline because this is what will guide you.
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Essays on Stereotypes. Your stereotypes essay may define stereotypes as a relatively stable and simplified image of a social group, person, event, or phenomenon. Some stereotypes essays note that a stereotype is an established pattern of thinking. This word derives from the Greek words "στερεός", which means "firm, solid" and ...
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Personal Narrative Essay: Male Stereotypes. 328 Words; 2 Pages; Personal Narrative Essay: Male Stereotypes. Stereotype, a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. My assumption about all male stylists being gay, is still a mystery. This specific Fantastic Sams had no male workers, but I ...
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Stereotypes Essay Introduction. The stereotypes essay introduction part should start with a hook. A hook is a statement that leads to your thesis. It should grab your reader's attention, so make it solid and exciting. The hook might be a rhetorical question or a quote. Some of the stereotypes essay's hook examples:
Prejudice, Stereotypes, and Discrimination, Essay Example
Discrimination is the act of recognizing, observing and through the differentiation of distinguished features; choice is made that shows bias and prejudice. It can be based on hatred of a race, looks, gender, or a certain group because of stereotyping. It can take the forms of racial remarks, humiliation, verbal abuse, intimidation ...
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Narrative Essay Definition. Writing a narrative essay is a unique form of storytelling that revolves around personal experiences, aiming to immerse the reader in the author's world. It's a piece of writing that delves into the depths of thoughts and feelings. In a narrative essay, life experiences take center stage, serving as the main substance of the story. It's a powerful tool for writers ...
Personal Narrative Essay
3. Create a Thesis Statement. The thesis statement is the most important sentence and tells the reader what your essay will be about. In a personal narrative essay, the thesis statement can briefly explore the story's events. Or it can tell the reader about the moral or lesson learned through personal experience.
200 Best Topic Ideas for Narrative Essay
Focus on a specific event or detail to make your narrative more focused and impactful. Look for universal themes like love or personal transformation that connect with readers on a deeper level. Brainstorm ideas and write freely to uncover compelling topics. Decide on storytelling techniques like flashbacks or foreshadowing and choose a topic ...
Black Satire Is Having Its Hollywood Moment, but Something Is Missing
In the film, a Black author and professor named Monk (played by Jeffrey Wright) finds literary success through "My Pafology," a novel satirizing books that feed negative Black stereotypes.
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Gender stereotypes of women have been deeply ingrained in society for centuries, shaping perceptions and expectations of females in various aspects of life. From the traditional roles of caretakers and homemakers to the limited representations of women in the media, these stereotypes continue to influence our understanding of gender.
Not a Victim, Not a Survivor
Although they regarded survivors positively, participants struggled to become the healed, strong survivor. They described a perfect survivor narrative, which, like the perfect victim narrative described in the literature, created a stereotype about what a survivor should be. The "survivor" label was not just empowering, but also limiting.
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May 10-16, 2024 As young Haitians are increasingly exposed to violence, the country is undergoing a wider push to dispel a long-standing taboo on mental health services teaching parents how to put ...
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The collection features works by Japanese American authors impacted by the forced relocation of 125,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry by the U.S. government during World War II.
Frontiers
The following criteria were considered for including papers in the present narrative review: 1) papers written in English; 2) papers focused on the use of esketamine as add-on treatment for TRD patients; 3) focus on prevalence of TRD and/or on side effects of esketamine treatment and/or risk of addiction due to esketamine use and/or rules of ...

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