Commentary On The Essay Being Brian's By Brian Doyle

The essay Being Brian’s is almost a list; it compares, contrasts, questions, and answers about different “Brians”. In its undertones, however, it explores two main ideas. The first is that it is possible to write an essay about everything, or anything at all, even what others might consider nothing. The second is that names can have power, and can draw people together or shape a person. Doyle started his search for Brians on a website called Switchboard. He then learned their addresses, where they lived, and a brief history of some of them. Next, he asked them questions. “Where do you live? What are your hobbies? Have any of us named our sons Brian?” One Brian was paralyzed in a car crash, another has four daughters. Brian of Waltham is a …show more content…
This is the true magic of Doyle’s essay. It shows that anything can be worth writing about, and that everything can be meaningful, if only it can be seen in the right light. After all, the name Brian Doyle doesn’t mean much to most people. It meant very little to me. But to Brian Doyle, and the two hundred and fourteen other Brian Doyle’s currently living in the United States, it means a lot. However, after reading about these Brians, a world of thought is opened up for the reader. Ultimately, though the name itself does not matter to me, its connotation does. After all, who’s to say there’s not hundreds of other Julia Fishs living in the United States right now as well? Who's to say how our lives would change if one of us reached out to another? These thoughts are, more than anything, what Doyle wanted readers to take out of his essay. It was not written to inform about Brian Doyle's and their lifestyles, but to encourage its readers to think, imagine, and most importantly, write for themselves. About everything, or anything at