{"id":{"repo_id":"mo-state","oai_identifier":"oai:bearworks.missouristate.edu:theses-1204"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mo-state/oai:bearworks.missouristate.edu:theses-1204","repository":{"repo_id":"mo-state","name":"Missouri State University","base_url":"https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Fears and Reflections: Discovering Yourself Through the Personal Essay","abstract":"This thesis includes two parts: a critical analysis of personal essay considering a second-person view of how to fearlessly write personal essays and a collection of my own personal essays. The critical element includes examples of works that I consider support my theory of reflective journal writing as initial personal essays. This second-person instruction includes putting aside one's fear of audience and fear of one's self-revelations, as well as reflecting on how these fears detract from my own personal essay writing. The majority of this thesis consists of my own personal narratives in which I discuss relationships (sibling, children, parents, neighbors) and circumstances that make me the person I am at this point in time. Each essay focuses on one idea (perfectionism, insecurity, homesickness, travel, self-centeredness) while including the middle child outlook. Each theme connects to one another by my middle child experiences, and at times, by examples of my parents' dispositions. I have attempted to share with the readers how my position in the family defines who I am as an adult and how my parents' originality joins each relationship in our family with one, small thread. It is my hope that these essays benefit each other as a collection. Contents: Fears and reflections through the personal essay -- Most everyone's in the lake -- Insecurity blanket -- Mainland girl -- Minimum losses -- Perfect fear of regrets.","abstract_html":"This thesis includes two parts: a critical analysis of personal essay considering a second-person view of how to fearlessly write personal essays and a collection of my own personal essays. The critical element includes examples of works that I consider support my theory of reflective journal writing as initial personal essays. This second-person instruction includes putting aside one's fear of audience and fear of one's self-revelations, as well as reflecting on how these fears detract from my own personal essay writing. The majority of this thesis consists of my own personal narratives in which I discuss relationships (sibling, children, parents, neighbors) and circumstances that make me the person I am at this point in time. Each essay focuses on one idea (perfectionism, insecurity, homesickness, travel, self-centeredness) while including the middle child outlook. Each theme connects to one another by my middle child experiences, and at times, by examples of my parents' dispositions. I have attempted to share with the readers how my position in the family defines who I am as an adult and how my parents' originality joins each relationship in our family with one, small thread. It is my hope that these essays benefit each other as a collection. Contents: Fears and reflections through the personal essay -- Most everyone's in the lake -- Insecurity blanket -- Mainland girl -- Minimum losses -- Perfect fear of regrets.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Mitchell, Elizabeth Ann"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in English","degree_level":"Masters","degree_discipline":"English","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Nancy Walker"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1997,"date_issued":"1997-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"1997-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:15:12Z","subjects":["English Language and Literature"],"languages":[],"rights":["© Elizabeth Ann Mitchell"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/203","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Nancy Walker"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Mitchell, Elizabeth Ann"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in English"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["English Language and Literature"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© Elizabeth Ann Mitchell"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/203"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis includes two parts: a critical analysis of personal essay considering a second-person view of how to fearlessly write personal essays and a collection of my own personal essays. The critical element includes examples of works that I consider support my theory of reflective journal writing as initial personal essays. This second-person instruction includes putting aside one's fear of audience and fear of one's self-revelations, as well as reflecting on how these fears detract from my own personal essay writing. The majority of this thesis consists of my own personal narratives in which I discuss relationships (sibling, children, parents, neighbors) and circumstances that make me the person I am at this point in time. Each essay focuses on one idea (perfectionism, insecurity, homesickness, travel, self-centeredness) while including the middle child outlook. Each theme connects to one another by my middle child experiences, and at times, by examples of my parents' dispositions. I have attempted to share with the readers how my position in the family defines who I am as an adult and how my parents' originality joins each relationship in our family with one, small thread. It is my hope that these essays benefit each other as a collection. Contents: Fears and reflections through the personal essay -- Most everyone's in the lake -- Insecurity blanket -- Mainland girl -- Minimum losses -- Perfect fear of regrets."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Fears and Reflections: Discovering Yourself Through the Personal Essay"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Nancy Walker"],"dc:creator":["Mitchell, Elizabeth Ann"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis includes two parts: a critical analysis of personal essay considering a second-person view of how to fearlessly write personal essays and a collection of my own personal essays. The critical element includes examples of works that I consider support my theory of reflective journal writing as initial personal essays. This second-person instruction includes putting aside one's fear of audience and fear of one's self-revelations, as well as reflecting on how these fears detract from my own personal essay writing. The majority of this thesis consists of my own personal narratives in which I discuss relationships (sibling, children, parents, neighbors) and circumstances that make me the person I am at this point in time. Each essay focuses on one idea (perfectionism, insecurity, homesickness, travel, self-centeredness) while including the middle child outlook. Each theme connects to one another by my middle child experiences, and at times, by examples of my parents' dispositions. I have attempted to share with the readers how my position in the family defines who I am as an adult and how my parents' originality joins each relationship in our family with one, small thread. It is my hope that these essays benefit each other as a collection. Contents: Fears and reflections through the personal essay -- Most everyone's in the lake -- Insecurity blanket -- Mainland girl -- Minimum losses -- Perfect fear of regrets."],"dc:identifier":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/203"],"dc:rights":["© Elizabeth Ann Mitchell"],"dc:subject":["English Language and Literature"],"dc:title":["Fears and Reflections: Discovering Yourself Through the Personal Essay"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in English"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:15:12Z"}