Definition Essay: Free

About Free

          Vulgar, overused, and frequently misunderstood, four-letter words have a negative connotation. Those words are not helpful or interesting to the reader, because their redundancy hints that the speaker has limited knowledge and word-hoard, thus producing lesser credibility. On the contrary, there seems to be one four-letter word that is not demeaning at all – free. A word that has appeared since the beginning of the English language, free comes from freo in Old English, fri in Old High German, and rhydd in Welsh, and priya in Sanskrit. Since free is repeated numerously via any medium, the concept may be misunderstood. Free is an idea that someone or something has no resistance or financial stress; for example, while writing this essay, I have the freedom to think abstractly and explain what it means to be free; in other words, there is no teacher or proctor, telling me what to believe or say. An abstract concept, free is general and custom. Explaining some unique examples of free in people, places, and things will make clear the true definition of the term and avoid confusion with similar abstract words.

            Manufacturers of food products have their own definition of the term. Their definition shows that free means lacking or without something. For example, sugar-free, fat-free, and hormone-free food products lack sugar, unhealthy fat and oils, and animal growth hormones, respectively.  In this case, the food products resist themselves to be saturated in fat. This definition carries to home cleaning products, furniture, and other tangible goods such as lemon-scented shampoo that could make hair free from bacteria infestation.

            The definition of free is different from the definition of inexpensive. While an inexpensive good or service requires little money, a free good or service requires no money. It is easy to be confused by “free” and “inexpensive”, because advertisers trick the reader by saying “BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE” or “Free drink is only available by buying two main courses”. Since advertisers hide the cost of the good due to the fact that free goods are more attractive than paid goods for people from all walks of life, the two aforementioned advertisements promote seemingly free articles of value.

            Sellers and businesses have their own way of expressing free, which is to build signs that say “FREE”, not “50% OFF ON ALL KITCHEN APPLIANCES!” Even though the good or service has not always been free, it becomes free by the will of the provider. This definition should not be confused with cheating or stealing, because the thief is not the provider; instead, the thief is the taker who steals goods or ideas and redistributes them for free secretly.

            Persons and places contribute to the definition of “free”. The following is an example of freedom, the state of being free: when Cinderella becomes free at the end of the story by leaving her cruel family and marrying the prince, she also becomes independent too. Her marrying into royalty gives her more choices and aids her to become more self-sufficient, wealthy, powerful, and intelligent than her former family, since there is nothing that is hindering her from learning and using the knowledge to contribute to society. Similarly, a free and independent country, the United States creates its own decisions and laws without being forced to do so. These two examples paint a picture of what is having no oppressive pressure like.

            The term seems to have many definitions; nevertheless, the abundant explanations for the four-letter word simplify themselves to having no resistance, pressure, or financial stress. The oversimplification is brief, but it connects the main idea of the specific examples of free.

Author's Note

I am especially proud of this essay that I have written for class, and I now I would like to share it with the public.