Problem
Literary Reflective Essay
Reflect on the experience of making poetry from your everyday life and what you learned (or not!) from the readings of Basho. Make an argument with examples in defense of it from your work and his.
Pro tip: avoid "In this essay, I will..." Instead, after a short introduction to the literature, go right into your experience and practice of the Haibun form and the influence of Basho. You might consider comparing and contrasting your experience with his.
You may choose from the four points below. This is a short essay, so no need to address more than two or three.
i. Purpose & Significance: What made this narrative an important one for you to tell? (e.g. new insight/realization/new way of seeing). Maybe there is something at stake? When addressing this, you will naturally talk about the points to follow.
ii. Haiku: How well did your poetry (haiku) complement the mood of the narrative? Showing not telling: imagery communicating the desired feeling?
iii. Prose style: Simplicity and a lightness of touch, use of white space, use of purposeful descriptions relating to the theme.
iv. Literary influence: What did you learn from Basho's example? Did it inspire? Why, or why not?