"For me, the ideal essay is not an assignment, to be dispatched efficiently and intelligently, but an exploration, a questioning, an introspection. I want to see a piece of the essayist. I want to see a mind at work, imagining, spinning, struggling to understand."-Alan Lightman in "The Ideal Essay"
I found this particular quote from Alan Lightman very intriguing. It caught my attention because what Alan is saying is so true. No one wants to read an essay that is mechanical and rigid. It makes for a much more interesting and amusing read when you see the writer tapping into their imagination. To really feel what the writer wants you to experience. Anyone can write down dates and times and stats and just regurgitate information that is fed to them. You want to be able to see the writer "at work." Essays that are viewed as assignments and are written with no convictions are neither enjoyable to read or write. There needs to be a strong personal demeanor. Without it the essay does not stand apart from the rest. Having that personal demeanor is what seperates the essay from the other prose of works. Being able to just divulge what you realy feel like saying to the reader. On a more opposing note, this type of essay is not really what is taught in our school systems. Students have been taught to view the essay as something that is researched and without much thought of ones own opinion. I do believe that there can be a balance between the essay that has to be written out in a certain format and the essay that conveys what the essayist is really wanting to say. If the school system could find that medium I believe that the assigned essay would not be viewed as routine or uninteresting. Then the ideal essay that Alan Lightman was speaking about could be integrated into our school sytem style essays. This then would ensure a much more interesting piece of writing. Once again this just proves the diversity of the essay and how many different views there are of the essay.
