“Holding My Breath For Your Story” (2022-2023)

When we were first asked to pick a visual exhibit rich with controversy for the essay, I hesitated to choose Chung’s photograph. Even though I was drawn to not only its style but the theme it explored—returning to one’s homeland, it didn’t fit what I’d thought a controversy needed: a political issue that people struggled and fought over. The ache that comes with immigration, though personally significant to me, didn’t seem like enough to sustain an essay. However, as I progressed through the process of writing the paper, I realized it was. Untangling the delicacies between insider and outsider storytelling and exploring the ways Chung told her mother’s story with gentleness and care, I learned that what I had deemed ‘personal’ and therefore insignificant was instead a question worth asking and answering. In this way, the essay was both an analytic exploration of storytelling and a personal journey through a question that was meaningful to me.

For the first time, I was exploring a question as I wrote instead of having everything at hand and simply putting on a display. I was used to having complete control over the structure, evidence, theme, and conclusion of an essay from the start. This time, however, I considered several new questions and answers as I progressed through the essay. The uncertainty wasn’t easy; I made structural revisions up until the very end, trying to better phrase the central question and cleaning up transitions so the threads of thought through the paragraphs became clearer. I struggled to let go of my grip and let uncertainty flourish instead, but I think my essay became richer, more meaningful, and more genuine for it. When readers reach the conclusion, they learn where I too arrived. Accepting this uncertainty has become one of the most significant lessons I learned from the Expository Writing Program, not only for writing but also for living.

Emerald Lin studies English and American literature at the College of Arts and Science, and plans to pursue a double major in biology. She grew up in Taoyuan, Taiwan, and is an avid reader and writer. After coming to the United States, she has often explored the themes of immigration, home, culture, and language. Her essay, centered around an exhibit about returning to one’s home, explores what is required of good storytelling through the relationship between an artist and their subject.