As a Memoir: Bourdain's Journey

Problem, Struggle, Epiphany, Resolution: 

• These stages are generic and, within a larger memoir like Kitchen Confidential, more blurred within many subplots. 

• But…we can still use this knowledge as a good frame for how we organize one idea we have about Anthony Bourdain's stories. 

• You can use the knowledge of the "Personal Narrative Essay" of how writers structure a story to deliver readers messages to do some 3rd person literary analysis. 

• What is a problem that Bourdain repeatedly identifies in his life?
• What are some behavioral ways he struggles with this particular problem?
• What does he realize about his problem?
• What does he resolve to do or do to overcome the problem?
• (There are a few problems that you could center an entire analysis essay around, and that is the "trick" you--dear student writer--must work with)

Structure of the Personal Narrative Essay

How should you structure your personal narrative essay. Adair Lara, who has written countless personal essays and taught creative writing, and who is the author of the bestselling text, ”Naked, Drunk, and Writing”, suggests that the structure of a personal narrative essay or memoir essay include the following:

• Problem
- Your goal is to describe a problem in vivid details. What is the significant event that lead to a problem?

• Struggle
-This problem creates conflict, which can be external (the outside world) and internal ( within your mind or psyche) obstacles or setbacks.

• Epiphany
- Your problem and struggle results in an epiphany or flood of new understanding. The epiphany transforms your story from merely an anecdote to a personal narrative that has significant meaning to you, and shared meaning with others.

• Resolution
- What you have done differently since you had the epiphany.

How might we use these four structural points (problem, struggle, epiphany, resolution) to fit the academic essay formula (intro, body, conclusion)?