"The essayist does what we do with our lives; the essayist thinks about actual things. He can make sense of them analytically or artistically. In either case he renders the real world coherent and meaningful, even if only bits of it, and even if that coherence and meaning reside only inside small texts." (Atwan 24)
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Annie Dillard wrote a section called “The Essay as an Object” in Essayists on the Essay, and I agree with what she said about the essay. As we discussed last week in class, essays are able to have some “wriggle room.” She said essayists may go about writing in either an analytical or artistical way. If an essayist likes to be straight to the point, he or she has the power to do so. On the other hand, maybe the essayist enjoys being able to play around with his or her essay and by using a creative spin to help make the essay more enjoyable to read. Another reason why I personally agree with Annie Dillard’s quote is that there are times when both tones are appropriate depending on the subject. Also, if the subject of the essay is not that interesting to begin with, the essayist can add some pizzazz by putting some creativity into the essay. I know that I can often pay closer attention to an artistic essay. This said, both of these styles or essay writing could be mixed together, as well. There are times when the essayist may need to just state the facts, and other times when he or she must spice it up to keep the reader’s interest. In other cases, it just might depend on what the essayist is more comfortable doing. Some people who are essayists just can’t write artistically while it comes natural to others. I have a friend who can make an essay about anything enjoyable to read. Some people just have that talent. I also have another friend whose essays can bore your socks off. It is essential for every good essay to have some kind of creativity embedded although not all essays are loaded with artistic illusions.
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