MANAGING EDITOR – DIDIER CADENA
ORIGINALLY PRINTED ON NOV 10, 2022
Sometimes for a writer, it becomes difficult to write about things that concern yourself. So often are writers taught to shy away from being personal and consider themselves a part of their work, it gets to the point where they can no longer write about themselves. The struggle of writing for and about oneself becomes more and more of a challenge. However, there are ways that writers can try to overcome those obstacles and really explore themselves.
That is where the personal essay comes into play. The personal essay, as defined by grammarly.com, is a short work of autobiographical nonfiction characterized by a sense of intimacy and conversational manner.
The importance for writers to try and complete a personal essay is because each writer has their own unique and important story to tell. Everyone who writes has experienced or seen something that is unique to them alone. By looking within themselves, writers can tell a story to their readers that they would have never been able to imagine before. The personal essay challenges its writers to get a memory out their head and into the paper in a way that an audience can understand.
The boom in popularity for the personal essay is a surprising one. While the majority of the time a personal essay is used for university applica-tions or scholarships, writing them outside of them is just as important. By being extremely personal and almost confessional, a reader can drop their guard and become vulnerable to whatever they read. Vulnerability is just as important for the writer as well as for the reader. Being equally vulnerable is important because of the feeling of relating to an audience.
For Tanya Brouse, a junior English literature and language major who is also a member of the women’s soccer team, her personal essay deals with being in love with someone. Love is a feeling that is familiar with so many people, but is sometimes hard to put into words on a paper. Love is sometimeshard to write about and resonate with your audience, but Brouse is able to do so effortlessly in her personal essay titled: “The Truest Type of Love: A Publix Pub Sub. In her essay she writes about a particular moment in her relationship in which she visited her boyfriends hometown for the first time.
For Valeria Cantu, a junior English literature and language major, her essay deals with sisterhood and a certain wish that came through. Through the concept about sisterhood, Cantu is able to detail some of the highs and lows, which come with having a younger sibling. In her personal essay titled: “Through the Dark”, Cantu writes about the essence that surrounds an individual that draws us closer to each other. By talking about the relationship with her sister, Cantu is able to show her readers just how important her relationship with her sister is. The full text for both works can be found on the Rattler website at a later time.
“The secret behind every
relationship that makes them
so powerful is thanks to an
essence that surrounds each individual.This essence can light up a person’s soul and keep them from the dark.
Music is essentially what ignites my soul, and from this I can share that it’s also the essence in the relationship that I have with my sister.
We have always believed that music has a direct entrance to the soul of a hu-
Valeria Cantu
man being.”
“Through the Dark”
“I felt something unusual. She
was strolling, smiling, with her
gown. And I can replay that
vivid memory in slow motion
because it was a moment that
changed something within
me. I felt this instant rush in
my heart, and my mind was
processing a million things
simultaneously. And by the
time I knew it, I had startedtearing up. I remember see-
ing her take every step withmuch precaution and I look
back on how I helped her walk
around the house when she
was young, running with her
outside and biking around
our neighborhood. I saw my
best friend, the person I caredabout most in this world, step-
ping away from a chapter ofher life. And I was also seeing
Valeria Cantu
a part of myself within her.”
“August in Florida is God’s
way of reminding us who’s
in charge”. She was exactly
right. Overhead was a lovely
sky of soft baby blue, not a
cloud in sight to hinder any
of the sunlight pouring onto
the world below. It was earlyAugust 2022, one week be-
fore I had to return to college,and the weather could not be
more perfect. Beautiful palmtrees sprouted in every di-
rection. And as a native Cali-
fornian, I love me some palmtrees, no matter where I am..”
Tanya Brouse
“The Truest Type of Love “
I remember when she stood
in front of me, both of us
standing facing the mirror. I
found myself glancing at both
of us and staring at a younger
reflection of myself. I saw a
piece of me in her. We werea piece of each other, follow-
ing each other’s footsteps. Itwas a brief moment, but in
that instance, I knew she wascarrying a part of my reflec-
tion. From that day forward,I made it my mission to guide
Valeria Cantu
her as much as possible, such
as how I would have wanted
at her age. I think it was at
that moment that I knew I was
born to be a sister. It was my
motivation in life to guide her
in any way possible..”
“Through the Dark”
“Home is the one place you
can truly be naked spiritually
and emotionally. You can wipeaway all the facades and lay-
ers to show the true galaxyof you that is brewing under-
neath. You don’t have to buildany windows into this home
Tanya Brouse
because you are already seen
clearly as you are with all your
flaws and imperfections.
My heart is in many places.
But my true home is where
Hunter is because Hunter is
my home.”
“The Truest Type of Love”