the memorable essay

The Memorable Essay

I am predisposed to the essay with knowledge to impart-- but, unlike journalism, which exists primarily to present facts, the essays transcend their data, or transmute it into personal meaning. The memorable essay, unlike the article, is not place- or time-bound; it survives the occastion of it's original composition. Indeed, in the most brilliant essays, language is not merely the medium of communication; it is communication.
-Joyce Carol Oates




An essay is more likely to keep somebody’s attention and hold onto them if it is somehow related to a memory. If the reader starts thinking of a memory when he or she reads the essay then they are going to be more interested in it and want to know more about it. When you are reading an essay and it has nothing to do with you or anything you like then you probably aren’t going to enjoy reading it and won’t actually see what the essay is saying. If the essay you are reading persists to you or something you care about or like then you are going to be more likely to stay interested and enjoy reading the piece. If you enjoy reading the essay, then you are more likely to actually listen to and think about what you are reading therefore you will be getting a lot more out of it than if you are just reading along but not paying attention to what it says. I don’t think it’s limited to being memories that keeps a person interested in an essay, it can be many different things. A memory is just something easy to relate to and is definitely going to keep you interested.