Perspective

The point of view in the book varies in each of the essays. Some are in first person and some are in third. They also vary in present and past tense since some are talking about current feelings while others are looking at past events. The point of view is most often limited to the essay writer's point of view. Phillip Lopate puts together the essays and the introduction in the front of the book is written in first person in present tense. In the introduction Phillip admits that it is possible that his own prejudice has affected the authors chosen.

The essays that are chosen are picked because of their significance and the impact they have had on the molding of the personal essay up to this point in history. Each of the essay perspectives depend on the author's background, culture, religion, life experiences, and what era...