<p>Okay so I just read that the 'death of a grandparent' thing is very cliche, and to be honest I was kind of expecting as much. BUT the thing is my grandfather actually had several amazing UN-related accomplishments and I related as much, as well as how he affected me and led me to consider Poli Sci as a major. Come to think of it, it wasn't so much about his death as about him as a person and how he affected me.
Is that kosher or am i still in the cliche pile?</p>
<p>There are no cliche topics.</p>
<p>There are only cliche treatments of topics.</p>
<p>If writing about your grandfather allows you to write your most personal, detailed, and revealing essay–something only you could write–then write about your grandfather.</p>
<p>If writing about your grandfather only leads to cliches–general statements that pretty much everyone knows–then write about something else.</p>
<p>^ well said. There are cliched reactions and ways of looking at events. If something sparks something meaningful, it matters not how often the original event is used as a cliche. Your approach shows that you see it as more.</p>
<p>Dude “cliche topics” is a cliche, every piece of literature is unique, and it sounds like you have a great story, infact one of my essays was about cancer in my family but I have to say it turned out to be one of my strongest essays( MIT and ct) it really all comes down to how well you write.</p>