What makes a good essay

I just finished reading "Encountering the Essay" and "Essayists on the Essay", and I thought they were very interesting essays.  In "Essayists on the Essay", it seems that the different essayists were at times contradicting each other, because they all shared different opinions on what an essay means and consists of.  In "Encountering the Essay", it seems that they really focused on creativity and personal writing, demeaning the idea of writing the typical five paragraph essay.  

I think a good essay must consist of organization and a meaning.  Personal essays must have a point to them, and cannot just explain an event that has no significance for the reader.  I also think that an essay should speak to the reader and address issues that the readers are interested in as well as know something about.  I think an essay should also be appropriate for what the topic is.  As the essays we read stated, no good essay should really be written towards a topic that someone prescribed.  However, an essay writer should try and consider what direction their essay is headed and try and stay on that topic.  I also think that essays really need to be concise and catchy.  It is really hard to get through an essay as a reader when it is unorganized and has nothing unique about it.  Even research essays can include this.

My essay seems to be lacking organization and focus at this point.  I feel that I am mostly just describing my field work in my essay rather than bringing it all to a conclusion.  My essay does not successfully make a statement about my community, which is my aim for the end product.  When writing my final draft, I really want to try and create a more concrete focus as well as make the essay more concise and obvious.  I will try and reduce the "fluff", while still keeping the essay creative and fun.