Smiley Pd. 7

I'm intrigued and enlightened by the work of Patrick Madden.  He opened my mind to new ideas and the way I look at essays. He spoke of essays as light-weighted ideas that come from thin air.   When I think of an essay my mind turns to gun control and adoptees and their parents, it turns to boredom and glazed over eyes staring at the computer.  But when I read the quote in Madden's essay by Joseph Epstein talking about how essays make "unexpected conclusions" and that he prefers when essays are focused on small, particular and ordinary subjects, my mind was no longer forced into the corner of essays past.  I agree with Madden when he said "I was struck...by those authors who wrote from seemingly insignificant, overlooked, transient things, experiences, and ideas, who were able to find within their everyday, unexcep­tional lives inspiration for essaying".   I too am inspired by those who can look at everyday things and conjure up an essay. I agree with Madden, but I didn't know that I did until I read his essay.  I like to think that I could look around at ordinary things that I have seen millions of times and finally realize the potential they have to create an extremely unordinary essay like him.  Patrick Madden opened my black and white essay-minded brain to look for a more colorful perspective.  I think the way he looks at essays is inspirational and he makes me wish that I had written better essays on things I actually cared about.