My chosen "I" essays..

I don't think I could have chosen 3 different styles of "I" essay writing if I had actually researched the type of category they might fall under and purposely chosen them. Instead, I chose 3 randomly selected articles. And they were quite different, not only their subject matter, but in their style and choice of words and descriptions. I chose "Steinbeck" by Dagobert Gilb; "Bats" by Linda Hogan; and "Two Ways to Belong in America" by Bharati Mukherjee.

All of the author's points were to show their personal point of view and thoughts and feelings on their subject of choice. Gilb's point was to describe how his feelings changed from not impressed to beyond impressed by John Steinbeck's books and writing style. He talks of how he appreciates the writing of the hard working people in America and how there should be more of the today. He most likely got this idea after reading more of his books to see why he was so popular and then developed his thoughts on how it relates to our culture today where the "small" yet important people are overlooked. The author was moved so he seemed to set out to move other readers. I liked how he built up to his point of how Steinbeck wrote about the people who should be written about more today.

Hogan was completely different. Her subject matter was literally on bats!! At first I was grossed out by how she thought they were beautiful and so was there mating process. But honestly, the way she uses metaphors constantly to describe every aspect of bats became spellbinding as she painted pictures. She has this fascination and apprecation of bats and she most likely wants to sway, or at least, show her readers why she feels this way. And I have to be honest, her form of writing, especially the colorful metaphors, was actually moving! This is the first essay I have read so far that had an almost lyrical language.

I most enjoyed Mukherjee's essay and style of writing. Her point is to show the differences and similarities between her and her sister. However, she has such a straightfoward and pointed way of writing that seems to have an authority to it. She in fascinated by the way she and her sister love each other but are completely different in their ways of thinking and acting. My favorite line was a rhetorical question that resonated such truth: "Who is the freak?" You can literally see both sides of her personal debate that leaves your thinking questionable. It had a sort of similarity to the story of Karla Faye in that it leaves you questioning your standpoints the same way.