First Year Honourable Mention: The Perfect Deal

WRIT 1003, Professional Writing: An Introduction. CD: Jon Sufrin

Abstract

“The Perfect Deal” is an intelligent and thoughtfully written familiar essay worthy of honourable mention. The writer invites us on an emotional journey, from frustration to despair to hope, as the narrator ponders the hand they have been dealt in life with their loss of sight in one eye, and how to process the looming possibility of losing sight in the other. As the narrator questions how to view their situation, they build on and question their own perspective with the thoughts of poets like Sara Teasdale, Carl Phillips, T.S. Eliot and Walt Whitman. The narrator shows impressive analytical skill as they interpret the poems and apply them to their own thoughts to arrive at new insights, showing also an ability to question their own thinking and see multiple perspectives. The author integrates the poets’ work into the essay seamlessly, using each as a stepping stone until they come to the conclusion that they “cannot be limited by Life’s mysteries, but must cherish (their) experiences in order to grow, refusing to be bound by misfortune.” A highly descriptive, emotional and thoughtful piece, "The Perfect Deal" is an absolute pleasure to read.