Two Troubling Tales and the Power of Personal Experience

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The essay, both art form and bane of English students worldwide, originated in France around 1570. Born from the reflections of one man, ultimately inspired by personal reflection, the essay is now a staple of the literary world. As a work of nonfiction, grounded in truth, yet embellished with literary trappings, the essay serves a myriad of purposes. Whether written to inform, persuade, or tell a story, the essay is a form embraced the world over as the original form of non-fiction writing. Long before biographies and creative non-fiction stories, essays dominated the literary non-fiction landscape. In Judith Cofer’s The Myth of the Latin Woman and James Weldon Johnson’s Outcasts in Salt Lake City, we find tales of minorities dealing with the difficulties of growing up in a country not entirely prepared for their existence. Each essay deals with this paradigm in its own way, telling a story of minority difficulties in a unique light. While both prove effective, Johnson’s Outcasts in Salt Lake City more effectively demonstrates the difficulties of growing up different in a society that refuses to accept diversity. Though both essays highlight these difficulties, Johnson more effectively employs the available literary devices in his outstanding work.

In this comparison, both essays tell a story through narrative, imagining again, in story, actual events as remembered by the author. When comparing two narratives, one should consider certain aspects in evaluation of each tale’s effectiveness. Firstly, how true does each story read? Can the reader effectively imagine the scene provided? Second, how powerful is the essay’s overall effect? Does the essay move the reader emotionally? Finally, how effectively does the writer employ th...

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...ving as a minority in America. While both essays effectively demonstrate those difficulties, Johnson’s work seems wholly more powerful than Cofer’s. Both essays are effective personal narratives, but Johnson’s language, and emotional appeal lend greater power to his work. Regardless, both authors demonstrate the versatility and power the essay can provide. While the form may not always have been in style throughout the literary community, one cannot deny its effectiveness as a literary form.

Works Cited

Adorno, T.W. "The Essay as Form." New German Critique 32. (1984): 151-71. Web. 3 Feb 2011. .

Johnson, James. "Outcasts in Salt Lake City, by James Weldon Johnson." About.com, 2011. Web. 3 Feb 2011. .

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