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The academia of the status quo seems solely concerned with the regurgitation of the discoveries of others. It seems unheard of that any one of the nameless college students all over the country would have an idea that was worth its assertion. Since this is the case, the personal essay seems to have been either outdated or replaced. In this essay I will show the benefits of the personal essay and their applications. All too often the students themselves even believe that they have nothing worthwhile to contribute; however, the number one reason that this form of essay has been abandoned is found within its name: personal. This form of essay removes the writer from his comfort zone and forces him or her to make her own assertions and support them.
Before we can discuss the essay itself, I must clarify what the essay consists of. The essai in old France was a form of theoretical introspection coined by one Michel de Montaigne. He used it as a means to both examine himself, and force the reader to examine his or her own self. This personal form of writing rarely makes actual statements; rather, it mostly poses questions from the writer that they choose to explore through the media of the essay. In the simplest terms, the main purpose of the personal essay is for both the writer and reader to find out as opposed to prove something.
I previously stated that the purpose of the essay is to find out; however, I never showed the virtue of this effort. Montaigne maintained that it was important for the writer to make his or her opinions known. If this never happened then no knew knowledge would come to light. The importance of the opinions of individuals is inherent in everyone. Without several opinions there would be no conflict, and without any conflict there would be no progress. The final benefit of this form of essay is that the writer may find that he or she has opinions in areas that they themselves didn’t even know. Many people possess assets that never come to light unless called upon. Instead of informing, this essay is more of an intellectual forum.
The final aspect of personal essay is its applications. The main and most important application of this form of essay is that I believe it quickens the learning process. In the current system, students, for the most part, are not called upon to think for themselves. This essay causes the “creative juices to flow.” It allows students to show their value to society.
In conclusion, I believe that this form of essay is invaluable and that it should be adopted immediately by the learning institutions of the world. I, like all other students, with to make a name for myself and prove my worth as an individual to the amasses intelligence of society today. I am unsure that Michel new what he was unleashing on the world in his time, but it could not have come too soon, and hopefully it will remain for the times to come.