Question

Which two sentences in this excerpt from "I Talk of Dreams" by W. D. Howells illustrate that it is a reflective essay? There are things in dreams very awful, which would not be at all so in waking—quite witless and aimless things, which at the time were of such baleful effect that it remains forever. I remember dreaming when I was quite a small boy, not more than ten years old, a dream which is vivider in my mind now than anything that happened at the time. I suppose it came remotely from my reading of certain "Tales of the Grotesque and the Arabesque," which had just then fallen into my hands; and it involved simply an action of the fire-company in the little town where I lived. They were working the brakes of the old fire-engine, which would seldom respond to their efforts, and as their hands rose and fell they set up the heart-shaking and soul-desolating cry of "Arms Poe! Arms Poe! Arms Poe!" This and nothing more was the body of my horror; and if the reader is not moved by it the fault is his and not mine; for I can assure him that nothing in my experience had been more dreadful to me.

Answer 1

I think its "i remember dreaming when i was quite a small boy..." and "thus and nothing more was the body of my horror..."

Answer 2

Answer:

The two sentences that illustrate that this is a reflective essay are:

I remember dreaming when I was quite a small boy, not more than ten years old, a dream which is vivider in my mind now than anything that happened at the time.

and

This and nothing more was the body of my horror; and if the reader is not moved by it the fault is his and not mine; for I can assure him that nothing in my experience had been more dreadful to me.

Explanation:

A reflective essay takes into account three basic elements, first either you or the author need to write about your experience both past and present and then finally how these two ideas combine to create your idea of self.

The idea of self after all is the most important part of a reflection essay because the author talks about himself as the subject.

"I remember dreaming when I was quite a small boy, not more than ten years old, a dream which is vivider in my mind now than anything that happened at the time."

Second, the author understands and talks about how his previous and present experiences help him to become better or learn from the experience. He should be able to judge whether it was it a good or bad experience.

As in...

“This and nothing more was the body of my horror; and if the reader is not moved by it the fault is his and not mine; for I can assure him that nothing in my experience had been more dreadful to me.”

By evaluating this, the author, shows the reader that you he has critical thinking skills and that he’s able to make judgment calls on even your experiences and actions.