What is a Good Essay, and How Do I Get There?

The articles we read gave me some really helpful ideas of what a good essay should be. Even though it's hard to actually define what an essay is, we can at least put a finger on an essay that is well-written. Some of the qualifications that I noticed had to do, primarily, with the writer's voice speaking strongly from the piece. A good essay is usually something told from the author's perspective, whether intentionally or unintentionally. It can be a personal experience, an opinion, a reflection, a memory, or an exploration. It needs to be alive, reflecting a piece of the author and how he is attempting to grasp and explore something. This is what separates essays from articles, which are more factual and scientific. Articles normally relate to events of the day, but essay topics can be timeless.

Some other qualifications for good essays are, I think, resonance, personal character, organization, insight, and the feeling of a dialogue rather than a monologue. A good essay should "resound" deeply within its own words and direct them back toward the reader. It should have a style and tone all its own, it should be organized (but not too rigidly "structured"), and the writer should be knowledgeable either about the subject itself, or know how he feels toward the subject. The essay should also seem to reach out and converse with the reader instead of just rambling on to itself.

I think what I need to do to get my own essay to this point is several things:
-I need to put a stronger "personal presence" behind my work. (ie: make it more my own reflections and explorations. Somewhat like a "journal entry.")
-Be more free to explore the topic instead of trying to outright convince the reader of something.
-It definately needs to be a tad more organized. Right now, it's all over the place!
-Overall revision (sentences, grammar, etc.)

Writing an essay is a bit different that I had at first envisioned. I've discovered that it's more freeing...I can just write how you feel about something! It doesn't have to be in the format of a rhetorical "argument," even if I am trying to convey a point. I don't even have to know all about the topic. I can just write sort of like it's a journal entry; it's my journey with regard to this subject, the process I'm going through in exploring it. Exciting!