How to Make a Good Title for an Essay About Heritage

Choose a title that emphasizes your individuality.

A good essay title hints at the subject of the paper and triggers interest in the reader. Heritage essays tend to be personal, filled with anecdotes and idiosyncratic examples that make the paper fun and engaging to read. People enjoy reading personal essays, and a good title for a heritage essay lets readers know that this paper is going to be amusing, specific and deeply human. Find the things that make your heritage story individual to you and your family, and write a title that reflects them.

Instructions

1. Write your essay first, and consider titles when it is complete. You may discover new ideas or change your outline as you write, so if you title your essay first, you may find that the title does not match your finished paper.

2. Make a list of the most important points in your essay. These may include your culture of origin, your family's cultural practices and the differences between your parents' cultural identity and your own.

3. Identify the theme that connects your major points. For example, if your heritage is Eastern European Jewish, perhaps all your anecdotes or examples connect to the idea of honoring religious and cultural traditions while still assimilating into American society. Your overarching theme would then be maintaining both your Jewish and American identities.

4. Write a title that sums up your theme. Choose between explicitly stating your theme or finding an example from your essay that represents it particularly well. For example, you may choose a title such as "Jewish-American: Respecting a Dual Identity" or a title like "No Cheese on My Burger, Thanks: Being Jewish-American."

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid using cliches in your title. Choose something original.

References

• Wayne State University: Titles
• UK Essays: How to Write the Perfect Essay Title