Author's Attitude

• One area in which reflective and analytical essays differ is in the author's attitude or tone. A reflective essay, also known as a narrative essay, often has a positive, nostalgic tone because the author is telling a personal story about some past event or memory. Reflective essays can also occasionally have a somber or even angry tone. In analytical essays, also called critical or argumentative essays, the author may take on a variety of tones. The author may be sympathetic to one side of an issue, skeptical about a certain outcome, enthusiastic about a position or may express some other attitude.
  
  

Point of View, Scope and Purpose of the Essay

• Reflective essays, because they are personal, are written in the first person; analytical essays, because they are more academic, are written in the third person. The scope of a reflective essay is usually limited to a single event or memory, whereas an analytical essay may delve into several points. Reflective essays do not have to state a general position or stance at the beginning of the essay while analytical essays do have to present the author's overall position in the form of a thesis statement.
  
  

Research Requirements

• Because reflective essays are personal, they do not require that the author do research. In contrast, analytical essays require extensive research of the essay topic. Opinions and positions presented in the text of an analytical essay should always be supported by research and evidence. Analytical essays, because of the research requirement, also have footnotes or parenthetical citations.
  
  

Other Differences

• Authors of reflective essays may use the personal pronoun "I," whereas analytical essays are more objective and never use personal pronouns. Reflective essays are also less formal and rigid in structure. The author of a reflective essay may use colloquialisms and regional dialect. However, analytical essays should be formal and use academic diction and syntax. Persons or literary works mentioned in an analytical essay should always be properly addressed and cited. Also, the conclusion of a reflective essay often expresses some personal lesson that the author learned, whereas analytical essays conclude with a restatement of the thesis as it relates to the research presented in the essay.