First Year Winner: The Price of Freedom

WRIT 1700, Writing: Process and Practice. CD: Jon Sufrin.

Abstract

For this assignment, students were asked to compose a familiar essay that “[uses] an example, experience, or moment from your life [to illustrate] a moment of growth or understanding”. The author of “The Price of Freedom” responded to this prompt by describing the experience of opening a box of old photographs with their mother. The essay is a well-written reflective piece that engages with important topics, including identity, family, and the gendered expectations that are placed on women. Moving and informative, the essay uses a mix of cultural detail (e.g., definitions of Hindi and Urdu words) and personal reflection to engage the intended reader (identified in the assignment instructions as “a well-informed layperson”). This well-executed familiar essay also weaves in thoughtful and pertinent references to secondary sources.