What is an essay?

After reading the articles on essays, I am more reassured with my beliefs on what makes a good essay. A lot of the authors felt that an essay must be personal. You have to sound like you really care about what you're writing about so that people will care about what you have to say. Another thing that was mentioned was how fictitious stories can sometimes be used to enhance a nonfiction story. Of course, only to a certain amount. The point is that you must write your essay knowing your audience and working to get a reaction out of them. Even if your essay is strictly factual information, you should write it with the intent to stir something up in the audience. Another thing that was common was that a good essay does not generally have a set structure when it is being written. The first goal is to write what matters. Once everything is put down, you can then work on the flow and introduction and conclusion. However, you should not go into your essay with the exact format of 1st paragraph will say this, or 3rd paragraph will say this, etc. This will only limit the potential of the essay. Overall, a good essay should have a voice that is you, and should be about something you care about.