Many essays have been written that one could describe as touching, or something one could easily relate to. A very good example is “Taking the Test” by David Groff. He writes about taking an AIDS test, and records all his feelings and emotions as he waits for, and receives, what could be something that may lead to a death sentence. This essay is enjoyed by many people, because it is touching, it is easy to relate to the pressure, and stress that is connected with taking a test, and it is a new, recent subject that could, or does, affect people now. This essay is very touching. The reader feels very sympathetic towards the man taking the test. Even more so because the author announces that he is gay. The way he describes his emotions and feelings, fear, confusion, and loneliness, is very moving. He notices very small things because he almost believes he is infected, and it makes everything that much more precious. The way he makes everything sound very beautiful, as he describes it, is understandable, despite the fact that he is awaiting his sentence, “life or death,” because even though HIV does not mean death, it means an inevitable pain, and suffering, if not physically, then mentally, and if not for you, then for the loved ones. Had he told the reader the outcome of the test, the reaction to the story would have been different. If he was positive, the reader would become overly sympathetic, overlooking the reason for the story which was not sympathy, but to teach a lesson, “As long and as well as you can, live, live.” (Groff 75) Had the author been negative, the reader would have pushed the essay away, again overlooking the lesson, and thinking that the author worried for nothing. Groff pushes all the right buttons, keeping his audience begging for the outcome of the test.A reason that this essay is touching to many readers is because it is easy to relate to. Many people understand ...
