Post I: Discourse Surrounding the Essay
“Essay writing is not about facts, although the essay may contain facts. Essay writing is about transcribing the often convoluted process of thought, leaving your own brand of breadcrumbs in the forest so that those who want to can find their way to your door.”
- Lauren Slater in "Why Essays Confuse People
What is essay writing about exactly? This is not a simple question. Some may be able to answer this question instantly, some however, may never find the precise words to explain it. I agree with the above Robert Antwan quote. Writing an essay is not about the facts. It does not matter how many facts or statistics you have in your essay. It only matters how powerful of quotes they are. You only need a few significant quotes for a paper. I actually think having numerous quotes is overdone. It makes the essay to boring, which makes it a “monotone paper” when you have to read it to the point where you have to reread what you have already read a couple times just to comprehend it. When he used the analogy of “leaving your own brand of breadcrumbs” I found it rather insightful. It made me realize that every time you write a paper you have a chance to make a difference. You can voice your own opinion for everyone to see. It is just at their fingertips. The readers can get to know you through your essays. I actually believe that reading a friend or relative’s paper may even be capable of teaching you something about someone close to you. Maybe even something that you did not even know before if you had not of read their writings. It is easier to write things down sometimes. I am glad that there is no standard for writing an essay as well. There is not a set length or style, you can just write about what you want to write about, at least in a personal essay. When Atwan finishes it with “so that those who want to can find their way to your door,” leaves the readers with a message that there are many possibilities of meeting new people through their essay writing, too. The opportunities are perhaps endless.
