"Bothersome Beauty of the Pigeon"

Sometimes I believe the most enjoyable exploratory essays are the ones that take a seemingly ordinary topic, like pigeons or squirrels, and turn it into something I would have never expected.

I never really thought about pigeons as elegant, beautiful, or intelligent.  They really just existed to eat whatever scraps people dropped and drop poo on any surface that was exposed, including old buildings and ancient statues.  Living near Philadelphia, we had a ton of pigeons that did just that.

It's interesting to read an essay on a bird that seems so common and ordinary.  Ballenger brings new life to the topic, talking not only about negative views of pigeons but also the amazing facts that give them a "beauty."  I had no idea they were so intelligent.  Movies and indeed our own imaginations portray the pigeon as dopey or dimwitted.  It's hard to believe they have such mental power, described something like the smartest animal for its weight, which isn't saying much since pigeons only weigh 14 ounces (on average).

Ballenger's essay was easy to read, despite his jumping around from country to country.  He seemed to open a lot of discussion ideas or things that could lead to further research, which I thought was a good example of an exploratory essay.  This exploratory essay did not have many quotes.  The main reason for this may be that Ballenger was experiencing things first hand, so he did not need other peoples words, just his own.  I also think that he uses "I" a lot more than the author of "Katrina" or "Polygamy."  This is also because the topic of pigeons is more personal to Ballenger, so he becomes part of the essay.

I wonder how I can use this, and other essays, to help compose my own.  It seems like my essay may lean more toward the "Katrina" "Polygamy" side: topics that are less familiar or humorous, rather than the "Squirrelly" "Pigeon" side: adding interest to a topic that would seem very ordinary with humor and unknown focuses.  I'd like to present a topic that is somewhat familiar to the reader, we all know a bit about deep ocean exploration, but present it with new and unexpected directions.