- Feb 2025
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www.hypertextmag.com www.hypertextmag.com
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I don’t know what I think til I see what I say.
This is similar to how journaling or brainstorming works—sometimes you don’t really understand your own thoughts until you write them down.
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Dear American Education System! Please stop fucking with the essay!
Why does the writer use such strong language here? Does this show frustration with how essays are taught, or is it meant to grab the reader’s attention?
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An essay is good if it has sprung from necessity
Does this mean the best essays come from personal experience or something the writer deeply cares about? How does this compare to essays written just for a grade?
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Recitation is not learning, and tens of thousands of teenagers pulling five speed-written and panic-driven paragraphs out of their asses that will be read in two minutes by someone who can can make or break their entire fucking future is no way to teach something as awesome and thoughtful and badass as the essay!
This reminds me of how students cram for tests—focusing on memorization instead of actually understanding the material.
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“Essays are terrifying.
Why do students feel this way? Is it because essays are graded so strictly, or because they’ve been taught that they have to be certain about everything they write?
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That Thing;
The writer questions the usual way essays are taught in school. Instead of needing a strict introduction with a thesis, they say a good essay needs passion—something you really care about. The main idea is that essays should be about exploring ideas, not just following a set formula.
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