Scott Russell Sanders

Scott Ruseell Sanders explains that the reader should respond to an essay as if they are reading to a friend "caught up in rapturous monologue" (First Person, 35) and I believe he achieves this kind of intimacy in the essay Under the Influence. Sanders is uncensored in terms of honesty in this piece. He has no concern about who may be reading his deepest secrets as long as they understand his concerns and relate in some way. It almost reades like a laundry list of things that happened to lead him to his conclusion, not unline a friendly rant in a time of stress. Although his father has died, these feelings of concern and anger come back year after year. He calls them perenial.

However, this rant is not simply diatribe. He is taking us on a journey with the idea that we too may benefit from his hardships. He writes, "I choose to write about my experience not because ti is mine but because it seems to me a door through which others might pass," (First Person, 38) when talking about his craft. He takes this point literally in Under the Influence by mentioning how common alcoholism is hinting that he is not the only one with this experience. However, everyone can relate to his ideas despite their situations. The father/son or mother/daughter relationship is something everyone can relate to. You may reject everything a parent has done, yet you share blood. You are linked to them eternally, and find little bits of them in you; and in your children; and in your childrens' children.

Sanders is definately not hiding behind anything in his essays. He even admits that he has been hiding this for years, but decides to explore his feelings so that he can deal with them. This shows that he really does believe the essay is an "arrogant form" (First person 31) and he treats it as such.

He also embraces the first person as he says you should. I like the analogy he makes about standing on a soapbox. He does this by saying 'This is me. Take it or leave it.' I also like that he admits that he has nothing to stand on. He says he is standing on air. I like this concept in the personal essay. All you have to stand on to make a point is memory and mind. It's up to you to make them strong enough to support your voice.