paper essays crossword

ESSAY Crossword Clue & Answer

All solutions for essay, top answers for: essay.

Top answers for ESSAY crossword clue from newspapers

Definition of essay.

• a tentative attempt; an analytic or interpretive literary composition

Anagrams of essay

Essay crossword puzzle solutions.

179 Solutions - 2 Top suggestions & 177 further suggestions. We have 179 solutions for the frequently searched for crossword lexicon term ESSAY. Furthermore and additionally we have 177 Further solutions for this paraphrase.

For the puzzel question ESSAY we have solutions for the following word lenghts 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 15.

Your user suggestion for ESSAY

Find for us the 180nth solution for ESSAY and send it to our e-mail (crossword-at-the-crossword-solver com) with the subject "New solution suggestion for ESSAY". Do you have an improvement for our crossword puzzle solutions for ESSAY, please send us an e-mail with the subject: "Suggestion for improvement on solution to ESSAY".

Frequently asked questions for essay:

What is the best solution to the riddle essay.

Solution TRY is our most searched for solution by our visitors. Solution TRY is 3 letters long. We have 3 further solutions of the same word length.

How many solutions do we have for the crossword puzzle ESSAY?

We have 179 solutions to the crossword puzzle ESSAY. The longest solution is EXPERIMENTALISM with 15 letters and the shortest solution is DO with 2 letters.

How can I find the solution for the term ESSAY?

With help from our search you can look for words of a certain length. Our intelligent search sorts between the most frequent solutions and the most searched for questions. You can completely free of charge search through several million solutions to hundreds of thousands of crossword puzzle questions.

How many letters long are the solutions for ESSAY?

The lenght of the solutions is between 2 and 15 letters. In total we have solutions for 13 word lengths.

More clues you might be interested in

• zilch, in mexico
• run quickly
• wicker-work material
• cheerfully optimistic
• superiority
• cheerfully unconcerned about the future
• throw carelessly
• the creation of beautiful or significant things
• using a sieve
• something to be solved
• sounds of pleasure
• white-fleshed fruit
• frequently, in poetry
• horses' neck hair
• roman conspirator denounced by cicero
• oklahoma city
• sudden, striking
• having an unexpected twist
• tax fraud investigator
• Legal Notice
• Missing Link
• Made with love from Mark & Crosswordsolver.com

• Crossword Tips

Clue: Essay

Referring crossword puzzle answers, likely related crossword puzzle clues.

• Take to court

Recent usage in crossword puzzles:

• Penny Dell - Jan. 22, 2024
• Evening Standard Quick - Aug. 23, 2023
• Penny Dell - June 25, 2023
• Evening Standard Quick - Dec. 8, 2021
• WSJ Daily - Aug. 26, 2021
• Evening Standard - July 26, 2021
• Evening Standard Quick - July 20, 2021
• Evening Standard Quick - June 7, 2021
• Evening Standard Quick - Jan. 22, 2021
• Penny Dell - Dec. 12, 2020
• Evening Standard Quick - July 23, 2020
• Penny Dell - April 17, 2020
• Penny Dell - Dec. 6, 2018
• Evening Standard Quick - Sept. 24, 2018
• Penny Dell - March 4, 2018
• Evening Standard Quick - Aug. 7, 2017
• Joseph - Dec. 16, 2016
• Joseph - Feb. 13, 2016
• Joseph - Nov. 20, 2015
• Joseph - Jan. 8, 2015

Essay Writing Crossword

Description.

Something you need to present at the start The main part of the text Des Weiteren: in English Nichtsdestotrotz Final summary of your essay Initial statement and lead into your text Something to substantiate your arguments Subject of your essay Statement of the main idea of your text Unit in your text in which you deliver a single argument Non fictional part of your argumentation (Adrin!)

Essay Crossword

Argumentative Essays

Essay Review:Use your Venn Diagram on Argumentative and Informative Essays

Persuasive Writing

Word Search

English Word Search

Frequently asked questions, what is a crossword.

Crossword puzzles have been published in newspapers and other publications since 1873. They consist of a grid of squares where the player aims to write words both horizontally and vertically.

Next to the crossword will be a series of questions or clues, which relate to the various rows or lines of boxes in the crossword. The player reads the question or clue, and tries to find a word that answers the question in the same amount of letters as there are boxes in the related crossword row or line.

Some of the words will share letters, so will need to match up with each other. The words can vary in length and complexity, as can the clues.

Who is a crossword suitable for?

The fantastic thing about crosswords is, they are completely flexible for whatever age or reading level you need. You can use many words to create a complex crossword for adults, or just a couple of words for younger children.

Crosswords can use any word you like, big or small, so there are literally countless combinations that you can create for templates. It is easy to customise the template to the age or learning level of your students.

How do I create a crossword template?

For the easiest crossword templates, WordMint is the way to go!

Pre-made templates

For a quick and easy pre-made template, simply search through WordMint’s existing 500,000+ templates . With so many to choose from, you’re bound to find the right one for you!

Create your own from scratch

• Log in to your account (it’s free to join!)
• Head to ‘My Puzzles’
• Click ‘Create New Puzzle’ and select ‘Crossword’
• Select your layout, enter your title and your chosen clues and answers
• That’s it! The template builder will create your crossword template for you and you can save it to your account, export as a word document or pdf and print!

How do I choose the clues for my crossword?

Once you’ve picked a theme, choose clues that match your students current difficulty level. For younger children, this may be as simple as a question of “What color is the sky?” with an answer of “blue”.

Are crosswords good for students?

Crosswords are a great exercise for students' problem solving and cognitive abilities. Not only do they need to solve a clue and think of the correct answer, but they also have to consider all of the other words in the crossword to make sure the words fit together.

Crosswords are great for building and using vocabulary.

If this is your first time using a crossword with your students, you could create a crossword FAQ template for them to give them the basic instructions.

Can I print my crossword template?

All of our templates can be exported into Microsoft Word to easily print, or you can save your work as a PDF to print for the entire class. Your puzzles get saved into your account for easy access and printing in the future, so you don’t need to worry about saving them at work or at home!

Can I create crosswords in other languages?

Crosswords are a fantastic resource for students learning a foreign language as they test their reading, comprehension and writing all at the same time. When learning a new language, this type of test using multiple different skills is great to solidify students' learning.

We have full support for crossword templates in languages such as Spanish, French and Japanese with diacritics including over 100,000 images, so you can create an entire crossword in your target language including all of the titles, and clues.

Essay (Crossword clue)

We found 9 answers for “essay” ..

If you haven't solved the crossword clue Essay yet try to search our Crossword Dictionary by entering the letters you already know! (Enter a dot for each missing letters, e.g. “P.P..” will find “PAPER”.)

• Essay about a group of witches fr... (1)
• Essay by Bertrand Russell (2)
• Essay by Charles Lamb (1)
• Essay by George Orwell (5)
• Essay by Henry David Thoreau (3)
• Essay by Joseph Conrad (1)
• Essay by JRR Tolkien (2)
• Essay by Mark Twain (1)
• Essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson (7)
• Essay by Richard Wagner (1)
• Essay by Tom Wolfe (1)
• Essay byline (1)
• Essay collection (44)
• Essay collection by Barbara Kings... (1)
• Essay collection by Hunter S. Tho... (1)
• Essay collection by Isaac Asimov (1)
• Essay collection by Joan Didion (2)
• Essay collection by Ralph Waldo E... (1)
• Essay collection by Samuel Johnson (2)
• Essay collection by Truman Capote (1)
• Essay collection by Washington Ir... (1)
• Essay conclusion (1)
• Essay count (1)
• Essay divisions (1)
• Essay in dailies (1)
• Essay in literary criticism (1)
• Essay in the NYT (1)
• Essay length (1)
• Essay locale (1)
• Essay makeup (1)
• Essay name (1)
• Essay on Conics author (1)
• Essay on Man author (1)
• Essay on Man writer (1)
• Essay on meditation (1)
• Essay or oral (1)
• Essay page (1)
• Essay page in newspapers (1)
• Essay pages (1)
• Essay returning model aircraft, o... (1)
• Essay subdivision (1)
• Essay subject (1)
• Essay subjects (1)
• Essay topic (1)
• Essay units (1)
• Essay usually near the page with ... (1)
• Essay writer (1)
• Essay writer`s gadget (1)
• Essay writing (1)
• Math class subject (1)
• Tapped pub brew (1)
• Lapis lazuli color (2)
• Dough in dusseldorf (1)
• Waters or mcentire (1)
• Skeleton (11)
• iPhone forerunners (1)
• Zoey 101 actress Sanders (1)
• Let loose in the streets (1)
• Suffix after sand or Man (1)
• Strong thick rope (1)
• Ingrediente en paella (1)
• Receives as salary (1)
• Report card ruination (1)

Search Answers

Search crossword answers.

Select Length

For multiple-word answers, ignore spaces. E.g., YESNO (yes no), etc.

Newspaper essay Crossword Clue

Here is the answer for the crossword clue Newspaper essay last seen in USA Today puzzle. We have found 40 possible answers for this clue in our database. Among them, one solution stands out with a 98% match which has a length of 4 letters. We think the likely answer to this clue is OPED .

Crossword Answer:

Last Appeared in USA Today

You can click on the tiles to reveal letter by letter before uncovering the full solution.

40 Potential Answers:

To get better results - specify the word length & known letters in the search.

Last appeared together with the following clues in usa today puzzle.

• ___ no good Crossword Clue
• Nonliteral phrase Crossword Clue
• OK to eat, in Islam Crossword Clue
• Opposite of 1-Across Crossword Clue
• Opposite of worst Crossword Clue
• Oval, e.g Crossword Clue
• Part that's aboveground on a mangrove tree Crossword Clue
• Perform a sonata, say Crossword Clue
• Pet name for a significant other Crossword Clue
• Place for pampering Crossword Clue

Fresh Clues From Recent Puzzles

• Roman garb, so to speak Crossword Clue
• Tennis tool Crossword Clue
• Algebra's origin Crossword Clue Newsday
• "You've had your chance!" Crossword Clue
• John of "Grease" Crossword Clue Commuter
• Revolutionary record by Steps needing no introduction for 19a (9) Crossword Clue
• Some bloke never content? (3) Crossword Clue
• Played Archie Macdonald in Monarch of the Glen, ______-- Mackenzie (8) Crossword Clue
• Ctrl + ___ + del Crossword Clue
• Insufficient time for female investigator (9) Crossword Clue

Your Crossword Clues FAQ Guide

What are the top solutions for newspaper essay .

We found 40 solutions for Newspaper essay. The top solutions are determined by popularity, ratings and frequency of searches. The most likely answer for the clue is OPED.

How many solutions does Newspaper essay have?

With crossword-solver.io you will find 40 solutions. We use historic puzzles to find the best matches for your question. We add many new clues on a daily basis.

How can I find a solution for Newspaper essay ?

With our crossword solver search engine you have access to over 7 million clues. You can narrow down the possible answers by specifying the number of letters it contains. We found more than 40 answers for Newspaper essay.

Crossword Answers

• Eugene Sheffer
• LA Times Daily
• New York Times
• The Telegraph Quick
• Thomas Joseph
• Wall Street Journal
• See All Crossword Puzzles

Crossword Finders

• Search by Clue
• Search by Puzzle
• Search by Answer
• Crowssword Hints

Essays That Worked

The essays are a place to show us who you are and who you’ll be in our community.

It’s a chance to add depth to something that is important to you and tell the admissions committee more about your background or goals. Below you’ll find selected examples of essays that “worked,” as nominated by our admissions committee. In each of these essays, students were able to share stories from their everyday lives to reveal something about their character, values, and life that aligned with the culture and values at Hopkins.

Read essays that worked from Transfer applicants .

Hear from the class of 2027.

These selections represent just a few examples of essays we found impressive and helpful during the past admissions cycle. We hope these essays inspire you as you prepare to compose your own personal statements. The most important thing to remember is to be original as you share your own story, thoughts, and ideas with us.

Ordering the Disorderly

Ellie’s essay skillfully uses the topic of entropy as an extended metaphor. Through it, we see reflections about who they are and who they aspire to be.

Pack Light, But Be Prepared

In Pablo’s essay, the act of packing for a pilgrimage becomes a metaphor for the way humans accumulate experiences in their life’s journey and what we can learn from them. As we join Pablo through the diverse phases of their life, we gain insights into their character and values.

Tikkun Olam

Julieta illustrates how the concept of Tikkun Olam, “a desire to help repair the world,” has shaped their passions and drives them to pursue experiences at Hopkins.

Kashvi’s essay encapsulates a heartfelt journey of self-discovery and the invaluable teachings of Rock, their 10-year-old dog. Through the lens of their companionship, Kashvi walked us through valuable lessons on responsibility, friendship, patience, and unconditional love.

Classical Reflections in Herstory

Maddie’s essay details their intellectual journey using their love of Greek classics. They incorporate details that reveal the roots of their academic interests: storytelling, literary devices, and translation. As their essay progresses, so do Maddie’s intellectual curiosities.

My Spotify Playlist

Alyssa’s essay reflects on special memories through the creative lens of Spotify playlists. They use three examples to highlight their experiences with their tennis team, finding a virtual community during the pandemic, and co-founding a nonprofit to help younger students learn about STEM.

More essays that worked

We share essays from previously admitted students—along with feedback from our admissions committee—so you can understand what made them effective and how to start crafting your own.

Application Workshops

Our interactive workshops—on topics like the college search process and essay preparation—will help you build your strongest application when you’re ready to apply.

REGISTER FOR AN APPLICATION WORKSHOP

Application tips in your inbox

Join our mailing list to receive insights from our admissions committee, event invites, and other resources for your college journey.

Quick Links:

• Majors, Minors & Programs
• Application Deadlines & Requirements
• College Planning Guide

Some newspaper essays Crossword Clue

Some newspaper essays NYT Crossword Clue Answers are listed below. Did you came up with a solution that did not solve the clue? No worries we keep a close eye on all the clues and update them regularly with the correct answers.

SOME NEWSPAPER ESSAYS Crossword Answer

How racism haunts America, and other lessons from Tananarive Due’s ghostly speculative fiction

Ahead of Juneteenth, the author opens up about the emancipatory quality of speculative fiction and the setting that connects several of her books.

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

Welcome back to the L.A. Times Book Club newsletter.

I’m Jim Ruland, a novelist and punk historian, and in today’s newsletter I’m going to take a look at Black fiction that reimagines the past and speculates about the future.

Science fiction writer Octavia Butler, who was born and raised in Pasadena, opens her 1993 novel “Parable of the Sower” in the year 2024. In it, income disparity and climate change bring society to the brink of collapse, which doesn’t exactly bode well for what will likely be a fractious presidential election.

“Octavia was deeply offended by the societal ills she saw around her: poverty, racism, political oppression, and disregard for our natural environment,” Tananarive Due wrote in her essay “The Only Last Truth” part of the anthology in “Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories From Social Justice Movements” edited by Adrienne Maree Brown and Walidah Imarisha

Due’s novel “The Reformatory” wrestles with the horrors of a segregated reform school for boys in northern Florida during the Jim Crow era.

Ahead of Juneteenth and following her Bram Stoker award win , I talked to Due about her new book and the power of speculative fiction to address historical inequality.

In your essay in “Octavia’s Brood,” you discuss Octavia Butler’s use of speculative fiction to get at larger historical truths. “The Reformatory” does something similar, no?

Yes, that’s a great observation. That technique is so effective when Octavia uses it to create science fictional worlds that also reflect our own. So while “The Reformatory” is a ghost story, and it’s set during the Jim Crow era, I really did hope that readers would see how it resonates with issues that persist in the here and now, especially as it pertains to the criminal justice system and the ways that white supremacy dictates different outcomes for different people depending on the color of their skin.

Is “The Reformatory” rooted in family history?

The personal story of the Reformatory is actually a heartbreaking one: My great-uncle Robert Stephens died at the Dozier School for Boys in 1937. He was buried in an unmarked grave and largely forgotten by his family. My mother never told me about him, and I suspect she did not know that he existed. I have a relative who was named for Robert Stephens but didn’t realize for whom he had been named.

How did a story that engages in the supernatural emerge from such a personal story?

As soon as I heard of his existence in 2013, I knew I wanted to write about him. I knew that I wanted people to remember his name, and most of all I knew that I wanted to give him a different story. And since I couldn’t stomach the idea of writing a novel about a place where we’re constantly seeing children being murdered or assaulted, I knew the only way I could tell this story would be to use ghosts.

Ghosts would signal that there have been violent acts in the past and that children died, but we wouldn’t have to be subjected to killing after killing after killing. The fantastic elements of a ghost story gave me the freedom to delve into the more mundane horrors and indignities people suffered during the Jim Crow era.

You’re reading Book Club

An exclusive look at what we’re reading, book club events and our latest author interviews.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Juneteenth is next week. Can you talk about the emancipatory quality of alternate futures and counterfactual narratives?

There are aspects of American history that are so horrific that politicians and school boards across the country are scrambling to ban students from even learning about it. Unless people understand how forceful economic and racial oppression has been, there is no framework to understand why there is so much poverty in our community, or why the criminal justice system still has so many biases against Black people in particular, but people of color in general. So it is incredibly freeing to be able to use a fantasy element like ghosts to walk through that history while also giving readers peeks at a better future.

“The Wishing Pool” is coming out in paperback in October and has stories set in Gracetown, the setting for “The Reformatory.” Do they all take place in the same universe?

Yes! I began writing Gracetown stories about 15 years ago with the premise that it was a rural town in the South where children are more sensitive to acts of magic or future sight. I created Gracetown after my parents moved back to my late mother’s hometown of Quincy, Fla., as a way of embracing that part of my family history. I grew up in the suburbs, so I didn’t know anything about rural life and wanted to explore that in my fiction the way William Faulkner did with Yoknapatawpha County. They are the same town, the same universe.

One character vows never to go to Gracetown again. Will you continue to revisit Gracetown?

My next novel will also start in Gracetown … although most of it will be set in California. I am always tempted to write Gracetown stories with child protagonists, but I also want to be careful about returning to that well too many times.

(Please note: The Times may earn a commission through links to Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.)

More Black fiction in the L.A. Times

Maurice Carlos Ruffin explores the lives of a mother and daughter who are sold into slavery and sent to work in the French Quarter in “The American Daughters.” Lauren LeBlanc writes : “Ruffin creates an intimate and atmospheric portrait of life in New Orleans through interior scenes divided between opulence and abuse.”

Time is out of joint in Phillip B. Williams novel “Ours.” In Ilana Masad’s review , she quotes the author’s intention “to write an epic taking place during the antebellum period where slavery is not the main antagonist without disregarding or disappearing the enslaved.”

Percival Everett has been exploring Blackness in America his entire career , but the adaptation of his novel “Erasure” introduced his work to a wider audience . His latest novel, “James,” is a reimagining of Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” through the lens of the enslaved character Jim.

And if you’re dying to know more about Tananarive Due’s trailblazing career in Black horror, Paula L. Woods’ profile is a must read : “There can be something strangely comforting about horror when you’ve actually been through trauma,” [Due] says, “because on one level a book or a film is a validation of your emotions and fears.”

The Week(s) in Books

A.D. Carson on Questlove’s new book “Hip-Hop Is History” : “Histories can claim to be definitive, but they will always raise questions about what was left out and why.”

Lorraine Berry talks to Patrick Nathan about his new novel “The Future Was Color” : “I was focused in writing this book on the kind of balance between being politically committed and wanting to have a life.”

Bethanne Patrick visits Harlan Ellison’s house and talks to J. Michael “Joe” Straczynski, the literary executor of Ellison’s estate: “When you walk into this house,” he says, “you are walking into Harlan’s brain.”

Ever wondered how much Supreme Court Justices earn for book advances? David G. Savage has the verdict.

Support independent Black-owned bookstores in L.A.

Eclectuals Bookstore : Online bookstore based in Lakewood.

Malik Books : 3650 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Suite 245, Los Angeles 90008-1700. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Saturday.

Octavia’s Bookshelf : 365 N. Hill Ave., Pasadena 91104. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Monday.

Melanin in YA : Online bookstore specializing in books for young adults.

Reparations Club : 3054 S. Victoria Ave., Los Angeles 90016. Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday.

Shades of Afrika : Two locations, 1001 E. 4th St., Long Beach 90802, and 1390 W. 6th St., No. 100, Corona 92882.

The Salt Eaters Bookshop : 302 E. Queen St., Inglewood 90301. Open 1 to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday through Tuesday.

Thanks for reading. I hope your Father’s Day weekend is full of good books! I’ll be back in two weeks with a dispatch from South America.

Sign up for our Book Club newsletter

Get the latest news, events and more from the Los Angeles Times Book Club, and help us get L.A. reading and talking.

More From the Los Angeles Times

‘Desperately Seeking Susan’ director Susan Seidelman takes stock of her groundbreaking career

June 13, 2024

The week’s bestselling books, June 16

June 12, 2024

It’s hard not to read a book on Bruce Willis’ legacy as a valediction of sorts, though it’s also a celebration

June 11, 2024

De Los Reads: Here’s what we’re reading in June

June 10, 2024

Follow Polygon online:

• Follow Polygon on Facebook
• Follow Polygon on Youtube
• Follow Polygon on Instagram

Site search

• Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Elden Ring endings
• PlayStation
• Dungeons & Dragons
• Magic: The Gathering
• Board Games
• All Tabletop
• All Entertainment
• What to Watch
• What to Play
• Buyer’s Guides
• Really Bad Chess
• All Puzzles

Filed under:

The best video essays of 2023

Get smarter with your entertainment

If you buy something from a Polygon link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement .

Share this story

• Share this on Facebook
• Share this on Reddit
• Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: The best video essays of 2023

Looking at the year’s notable video essays, many grapple with issues at the heart of contemporary media itself. There are dissections of video-playing tools, exposés of how corporations restrict access, contrasts between tropes and reality, and thorough investigations of trends in plagiarism and/or fabrication. As the essay landscape refines, it seems to peer inward as much as out.

On the making of this list: I’ve been trying to stay up to date on video essays for a while, and have been contributing to lists and/or voting in polls about the best videos made each year since 2018. Over this time, doing these kinds of roundups has gotten exponentially more difficult. As YouTube has grown to become a mega-business hosting powerful creators (part of the general trend of social media video sites becoming the new primary forum for cultural influence), I’ve seen essayists I once thought of as niche accrue follower counts in the millions. It’s been surreal. For this year’s list, I tried to shake things up by keeping the essayists who have appeared in previous editions to a minimum, along with the usual considerations about incorporating a diversity of creator backgrounds and video style. Once again, the videos are presented simply in order of publishing date.

[Also, I’m going to preface this with a mega mea culpa: It was absolute malpractice of me to not include Platformer Toolkit by Game Maker’s Toolkit in the best video essays of 2022 list . I don’t have a good excuse, either; I just straight up missed the essay at the time it came out, and then overlooked it during my catch-up phase at the end of the year. But an essay about game design that instructs you on its ideas by letting you actively engage with them through interactivity feels like a breakthrough in the form.]

Practices of Viewing by Johannes Binotto

Johannes Binotto is a Swiss researcher and lecturer who has been adding to his “Practices of Viewing” series for several years now, and every installment preceding 2023’s videos, “Ending” and “Description,” is well worth checking out. With each essay, Binotto examines a specific element of the media viewing interface, and how they affect an audience’s engagement with it. Some subjects, like fast-forwarding, pausing, or muting, may seem like obvious touchstones, while others, like sleep, are more out-there approaches to the conversation.

A History of the World According to Getty Images by Richard Misek

This technically debuted last year, making the rounds at film festivals, but it was made available online this past spring, so I’m including it here. A History of the World According to Getty Images is a great example of a work embedding its own ethos into its construction. Misek, another academic, is scrutinizing how for-profit companies (specifically Getty Images) mediate information that’s supposed to be available for all. In practice, a great deal of visual material that’s technically in the public domain can only be accessed in decent quality by paying an archive like Getty. Misek circumvents this by paying the fee to use select footage in this essay and then making this essay itself available for anyone to cite and clip from, putting that footage out into the world for real.

The Faces of Black Conservatism by F.D Signifier

I feel that video essays that consist mainly of the creator talking directly into a camera stretch the definition of the term – to me, the best cinematic and argumentative potential of the form lies in the power of editing. F.D Signifier’s contrast between fictional depictions of Black conservatives and the reality of how they appear across media exemplifies is what sets him apart in this genre: not just the depth of his thought (though it is considerable), but also the playful ways in which he presents the objects of his discussion. The running gag here in which he films himself holding hairstyling tools over the heads of various people on his screen had me laughing harder with each appearance.

Games That Don’t Fake the Space by Jacob Geller/Why We Can’t Stop Mapping Elden Ring by Ren or Raven

I don’t actually think this is the best essay Jacob Geller released this year (that would be either “Games that Aren’t Games” or “How Can We Bear to Throw Anything Away?” ), but it pairs so incredibly well with Renata Price’s essay (an impressive video debut building on her experience as a games critic) that it felt more appropriate to present them as a double feature. Both videos are sharp examinations of the ways that video games conjure physical space. Geller illuminates the shortcuts and tricks games often employ through examples of ones that, as the title suggests, don’t use such devices, while Price analyzes the impulses beneath what one could call the “cartographic instinct” in open-world games.

Why Do Brands Keep Doing These Crazy Influencer Trips?? by Mina Le

It’s been encouraging in recent years to see Le grow more confident in her mixing of media in her videos on fashion and film/television. You might remember the controversy around Shein granting influencers a limited hangout in a clothing factory this past summer. Le contextualizes this story by delving into the wider, supremely odd world of sponsored tours. If you watch this on your phone, the transitions between Le speaking to the camera and the clips of TikToks and other videos and photos flow together in a manner not unlike how one would scroll a social media feed, creating queasy resonance between message and medium.

Feeling Cynical About Barbie by Broey Deschanel / The Plastic Feminism of Barbie by Verilybitchie

I present these two videos not as a contrarian attack on Barbie (a film I enjoyed), but to highlight the important role of considered critical voices that dissent against prevailing opinions. Both Maia Wyman and Verity Ritchie unpack the issues with a heavily corporate product attempting to capitalize on feminist sentiment. Ritchie emphasizes the history of Barbie the brand and how the movie fits into it, while Wyman reads more into the specifics of the film’s plot. Together these videos do a good job of elaborating on legendary critic Amy Taubin’s Barbie reaction : “It’s about a fucking doll !’”

TikTok Gave Me Autism: The Politics of Self Diagnosis by Alexander Avila

There’s a lot of social media discourse over who can and can’t — and should or shouldn’t — claim the label of “autistic.” As someone who’s struggled with both the logistics and appropriateness of sussing out whether I’m on the spectrum, this video hit me hard. There are parts that feel like they veer so far into philosophical query that they threaten to obfuscate rather than elucidate the subject, but the essay as a whole is undeniably compelling. Avila’s own confessed stake in the question of self-diagnosis is itself affecting. This is the most searingly personal video on this list, uniting self-inquiry with rigorous research.

Chaste/Unchaste by Maryam Tafakory

This years shortest entry is a deceptively simple interrogation of the concept of “chastity” as defined by Iranian censorship standards. Takafory is a veteran of the academic essay scene, and I’m delighted by the opportunity to present her work to a wider audience. The video’s text is minimal, and its visuals are simply a montage of clips from Iranian films, but the implicit question of propriety grips the viewer with each cut.

Journey to Epcot Center: A Symphonic History by Defunctland

This is the most boundary-pushing essay on this year’s list. Completely lacking commentary, it instead emphasizes visuals and reenactment in telling the story of how Disney’s Epcot park went from concept to realization over the decades. Kevin Perjurer also provides a detailed set of notes that are meant to be read along with watching the video, further demanding one’s full attention. This is a direct acknowledgement of how we use the internet, the windowed experience of browsing and watching videos. I don’t think everything works; many of the reenactments, while impressively professional, feel somewhat redundant. But I’d prefer a creator take big swings that result in a few flaws rather than play it safe, and I hope both Perjurer and others continue in such an experimental vein.

Plagiarism and You(Tube) by Hbomberguy

Harry Brewis is popular enough that he doesn’t need any boost, but even in the very brief period since this video’s release as of the time of writing, Plagiarism and You(Tube) has made seismic impact on the YouTuber scene . Does it need to be almost four hours long? Maybe not. Yet the sheer volume of evidence it pulls together to support various accusations of plagiarism does seem vital. The main focus of the piece, James Somerton, went into lockdown over the fairly comprehensive evidence presented against him (and has since attempted to apologize ). I’m seeing conversations flourish around the endemic problem of plagiarism on the internet and what is to be done about it, and a surge of creators recognizing and calling out others who have taken their work without credit. There’s a deeper issue at play here, which is that the growth of YouTube entertainment has come with a truly daunting mountain of crap content that nonetheless attracts views (and thus dollars).

On the subject of low quality standards on YouTube, beyond plagiarism, Todd in the Shadows’ recent exhaustive effort to fact-check various false claims Somerton has made in his work is a useful supplement to this video.

Polygon’s Best of the Year 2023

• The 50 best video games of 2023
• The 50 best movies of 2023
• The 50 best TV shows of 2023
• The best sci-fi and fantasy books of 2023
• The best anime of 2023
• The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
• The best board games we played in 2023
• The best Blu-rays and 4K UHD releases of 2023
• The best new tabletop RPG books of 2023
• The best video game books of 2023
• The best comics of 2023
• What the Polygon staff bought and loved in 2023
• The best documentaries of 2023
• 10 great indie games you might have missed in 2023
• The 10 best action scenes of 2023
• The best TV episodes of 2023
• The 5 best concert movies of 2023
• Best horror movies of 2023, ranked by scariness
• The 10 best Netflix originals of 2023

The next level of puzzles.

Take a break from your day by playing a puzzle or two! We’ve got SpellTower, Typeshift, crosswords, and more.

Sign up for the newsletter Patch Notes

A weekly roundup of the best things from Polygon

Just one more thing!

Please check your email to find a confirmation email, and follow the steps to confirm your humanity.

Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.

Loading comments...

The Quest to Make Flying More Comfortable

Being on a plane is not likely to feel great—no matter what you bring aboard with you.

This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning.

Back in 2017, Kelly Conaboy had it out for the neck pillow: “This half-ovate, toilet-seat cover-esque object reigns as King of Travel Accessories, while failing miserably at its intended sole use,” she wrote. One of the many compelling arguments in her essay is that the neck pillow resembles “the first-ever stone pillow used by Mesopotamians in 7,000 BC”; “Seems like we should not still be using a pillow that looks like the first-ever stone pillow used by Mesopotamians in 7,000 BC, but that’s just my opinion,” Conaboy writes.

Even if your thoughts on travel neck pillows aren’t as strong as Conaboy’s, you may relate to the experience of shelling out for one travel convenience or another, hoping it will make your time in the sky a little bit easier. (I don’t have a neck pillow or a sleep mask myself, but I do meticulously prepare my in-flight Spotify playlists—a different type of sleep aid.) The truth is that flying is weird and uncomfortable, no matter what you bring aboard. Perhaps all that’s left is to give in.

On Travel Habits

Against the Travel Neck Pillow

By Kelly Conaboy

This useless accessory has one job—which it fails at.

Read the article.

The Guilt-Free Pleasure of Airplane Movies

By Lenika Cruz

Amid the endless tiny indignities of air travel, only one true retreat remains.

The Carry-On-Baggage Bubble Is About to Pop

By Ian Bogost

Airplanes aren’t made for this much luggage.

Still Curious?

• Flying is weird right now : This past spring, Charlie Warzel asked: Is flying less safe? Or are we just paying closer attention?
• Why people act like that on planes : Some cry, or crave tomato juice. Others vape in the bathroom and throw fits, Lora Kelley wrote last year.

Other Diversions

• Eight books to read if you’re in a creative slump
• How to take–and give—criticism well
• What do dogs know about us?

I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. Katya Sabaroff Taylor, age 80, from Tallahassee, Florida, shared this image of the heart of a hibiscus flower grown in her garden. “I often photograph flowers in my garden because of their intricacy, delicacy, majesty, vivid coloration, and organic beauty,” she wrote.

I’ll continue to share your responses in the coming weeks. If you’d like to share, reply to this email with a photo and a short description so we can share your wonder with fellow readers in a future edition of this newsletter or on our website. Please include your name (initials are okay), age, and location. By doing so, you agree that The Atlantic has permission to publish your photo and publicly attribute the response to you, including your first name and last initial, age, and/or location that you share with your submission.

Essay winners: Juneteenth lets us remember nation's past while striving for better future

Correction: Erin Mauldin is an associate professor at the University of South Florida. Her name was misspelled in an earlier version of this story.

Three 2024 high school graduates were honored this week as winners of the Juneteenth Scholarship essay contest. Their essays are below.

Juneteenth is chance to acknowledge both legacy and unfinished work

It is June 19, 1865, and over 250,000 enslaved Africans are gathered in Galveston, Texas, watching the United States Union Troops approach the bay to announce that after 400 years, they are free. Just a few months prior, Abraham Lincoln had announced the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing those enslaved in Confederate territory, but not all of them were made free.

This day is known as “Freedom Eve” or “Emancipation Day” and took place on January 1, 1865. The Emancipation Proclamation might not have cemented the actual liberation of African American people in the U.S., but it was a critical turning point that led up to the country’s second Independence Day, known as Juneteenth. Understanding what Juneteenth is and recognizing its importance and the intentions of other celebrations like it is essential. 

Juneteenth, deriving from the words “June” and “Nineteenth”, is the day that marks the annual celebration of a huge step towards racial reckoning in the United States. Texas was the first state to make it a holiday in 1980, motivating other states to do the same in the years following. Finally, in 2021, Juneteenth became a national holiday. However, we must see this celebration as an obstacle that was overcome, rather than a destination. There is still much work to be done. Victories like this one encourage us to continue the fight.

Associate professor Erin Mauldin at the University of South Florida, an expert on civil war and reconstruction, talks about how “Juneteenth is neither the beginning nor the end of something.” The same article states that “the end of the Civil War and the ending of slavery didn't happen overnight and was a lot more like a jagged edge than a clean cut.” It is imperative to realize that the road ahead could be just as long as the road behind us. 

In today’s age, the celebration of Juneteenth holds a higher significance than ever before, as we take time to honor the struggles endured but also acknowledge that many of those struggles are ongoing, as it pertains to racial inequality and systemic issues that create numerous disparities for African Americans. The historical injustices we suffered had only just begun to be accounted for by the rest of the country’s population. Juneteenth holds the purpose of reminding us of progress made thus far and is a chance for our community to move forward as a whole and help each other rebuild. This holiday gives millions of African Americans an opportunity to rejoice and give thanks to God for releasing them from years of suffering and captivity. The day creates a country-wide social awareness of the journey to equality and the abolishment of slavery’s awful oppression. Additionally, observing this day as a united front inspires self-development and is a chance to reconnect to one’s roots that were all but erased during slavery and go on to encourage African Americans to keep striving for a brighter future. 

In France, Bastille Day acknowledges the fight and patience undergone to eventually reach freedom. July 14, 1880, is the day the citizens of France finally overcame King Louis XVI and his monarchy’s rule over them. Each year, they cherish this as a day of reclamation for their lives.

Every July 18th since 2010, the historical moment when Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first black president, is recognized. This day is known as Mandela Day. Mandela transformed their democracy into a more diverse selection of administration, breaking down the white power held over the country for centuries. After being elected, he shared to his citizens this powerful message; “I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.” Just as those countries continue to commemorate those momentous turning points in history, we must continue to honor Juneteenth’s significance. 

Like Juneteenth, these important moments in history represent coming out on the other side of trials and tribulations, as well as salvaging their heritage. Universally, it is important to continue the recognition and cultivation of knowledge about Juneteenth and other celebrations akin to it, so we can mend communities back together who were violently ripped apart by domination subjugation. Breakthroughs didn’t happen without countless setbacks, but celebrations like these serve as a notion to never give up hope regardless. Juneteenth has the purpose and effect of uplifting hearts and minds to keep fighting, until justice and humanity are restored.  

Hailey Perkins is co-winner of the Taylor Academic Talent Scholarship. She is a graduate of Okemos High School and will attend Howard University.

Celebrations of freedom offer history lessons 

I imagine the words, “Ain’t nobody told me nothing!” came out of many mouths, minds and hearts when freed slaves found out they stayed in bondage 2 ½ years after other slaves had been set free.  Slavery in Texas continued 900 hundred days after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.    

In I863, the Civil War was in its third year. Many lives had been lost, and the end was nowhere in sight.  On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln enforced the signed Emancipation Proclamation.  The Emancipation Proclamation stated, “That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.“

This proclamation freed slaves that were in states that had left the union. This proclamation could only be enforced if the North won the war.  After continued fighting and the loss of many more lives, the Union won the war April 9, 1865. Then on June 19, 1865, in the state of Texas, more than 250,000 slaves were finally set free.  Their freedom came 2 ½ years after everyone else’s.  While gaining freedom was a dream come true, delayed freedom is symbolic of the continued struggle for Black Americans.   

There are many opinions regarding the celebration of Juneteenth. Many people celebrate it as the end of slavery, others don’t celebrate it at all, while others fall somewhere in between. Although Juneteenth has been celebrated for many years, it was only in 2021 that it became a national holiday.

The importance of celebrating Juneteenth is because America needs to know. Celebrating Juneteenth provides the opportunity to educate and inform our communities. Celebrating this holiday is more than remembering the past but it gives an opportunity to discuss race relations today. It allows people to have difficult conversations about hard subjects.  Ultimately, celebrating Juneteenth allows us to examine the mistakes of the past and do better in the future.

Celebrating this holiday makes us ask tough questions about the beginning of our country, our values, and our rights. Celebrating Juneteenth since the murder of George Floyd has made many people question, “Are Black people really free?” 

Juneteenth celebrations are now opportunities to discuss systemic racism, policy change, politics and ways to make sure that our lives do matter. Most importantly, it forces us to take an honest look at race relations in America, ask how are we really doing?    

There are many celebrations of freedom and independence across the world. India celebrates its freedom from British rule. Ghana celebrates its freedom from the United Kingdom. But the country whose freedom celebration identifies with me the most is the Philippines.  My paternal grandfather’s wife is from the Philippines. She shared much about her birthplace and its culture with our family. The country celebrates its freedom from Spanish rule with a celebration called Araw ng Kalayaan. 

The celebration is filled with parades, music, food and family bonding. But the Philippines has another celebration for freedom. After the Spanish rule ended, the Philippines came under the rule of America. But it was a nation that wanted to be free.  The road to independence for the Philippines is similar to the Juneteenth celebration, and the delay in freedom. The Philippines nation was supposed to become independent in 1944.  But World War II occurred and like Juneteenth that freedom was delayed for 2 full years.

On July 4, 1946, the Philippines became fully free from United States. Today, the citizens of the Philippines celebrate not one but 2 days of independence and freedom. A sign of their perseverance. These celebrations remind us to never give up.    

It is vital to continue the celebration of Juneteenth and other cultural celebrations of freedom around the world because “knowledge is power.” These celebrations symbolize more than just freedom. They are evidence that major changes in society can happen despite the odds. They provide motivation for people to stand up for basic human rights and against injustice. 

Most importantly these celebrations give us hope. They are evidence that we can be part of the change that we want to see in the world. When I think back to the first Juneteenth, that moment when the slaves realized they were enslaved 900 days longer than everyone else. That moment when they had to think, “Ain’t nobody told me nothing!” 

Well today, I told you something.  Never forget the lesson of Juneteenth or the other cultural celebrations of freedom.

Zachary Barker is co-winner of the Taylor Academic Talent Scholarship. He is a graduate of Okemos High School and will attend Michigan State University.   

The importance of why we celebrate Juneteenth

Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is an annual holiday recognized on June 19th in honor of the enslavement of oppressed African Americans in the United States. The festival started in Galveston, Texas, where on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers conveyed the news of the Emancipation Proclamation to the state's last surviving enslaved people, thereby ending slavery in the United States.

On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which announced that all enslaved individuals in Confederate-held territory would be set free. However, it wasn't until the Civil War ended and Union forces landed in Texas that the word of freedom reached the remaining enslaved people. Understanding the history of Juneteenth is important, including its connection to other countries, the significance of learning about it as a child, and how it is celebrated today. 

While Juneteenth is uniquely American, it bears shared characteristics with other cultural celebrations of liberty and independence across the world. Many countries have their own celebrations, which are cultural and historical events. For example, India celebrates its independence from British dominion on August 15th of each year, remembering the day in 1947 when the country gained freedom after years of struggle and sacrifice. Similarly, Mexico commemorates its independence from Spanish colonial rule on September 16th, often known as "El Grito de Dolores." These cultural celebrations of sovereignty and liberty contain common themes such as determination and the pursuit of justice. They remind us of the challenges that persecuted populations have experienced throughout history, as well as the significance of preserving and respecting their tales. By connecting Juneteenth to other cultural celebrations, we may get a more comprehensive understanding of their significance. 

Juneteenth was recently given new attention and significance as a result of the ongoing battle for racial equality and social justice in the United States. The Black Lives Matter movement and rallies against police brutality have drawn attention to the systems of prejudice and inequality that persist in American society. As a result, recognizing and remembering Juneteenth has never been more crucial. 

At the high school level, students ought to learn about and participate in cultural celebrations of freedom and independence, such as Juneteenth. By understanding the history and significance of these festivals, students may develop a better understanding of different individuals' perspectives as well as the continued effect of historical events on our modern society. Studying Juneteenth and other cultural festivals of independence allows students to critically assess problems of race, power, and privilege. By discussing the historical foundations of systematic racism and oppression, students may obtain a better understanding of social justice concerns and the need of speaking up against injustices in their own communities. Incorporating conversations and activities about cultural celebrations of freedom and independence into the curriculum for high school can help students extend their viewpoints and get a better grasp of the complexity of history and culture. These abilities are critical for creating a more inclusive and equitable society in which all people are respected, appreciated, and celebrated. 

To summarize, Juneteenth's historical significance as a celebration of liberation and freedom for African Americans is firmly anchored in the history of slavery and the ongoing battle for equality and justice. By commemorating and celebrating Juneteenth, we recognize the significance of remembering history, comprehending the present, and working for a more fair and equitable future for everyone. Studying and recognizing these events in high school, students may get significant insights into the experiences of other groups, as well as the ongoing efforts for freedom and equality.

In today's world, when the fight for racial equality is ongoing, commemorating Juneteenth is more vital than ever, as it serves as an important awareness of the African American community's continued struggle for justice and perseverance. 

Glorie Clay is the winner of the University of Olivet Academic Talent Scholarship. She is a graduate of Lansing Christian High School and will attend Olivet.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Guest Essay

Men Fear Me, Society Shames Me, and I Love My Life

By Glynnis MacNicol

Ms. MacNicol is a writer, a podcast host and the author of the forthcoming memoir “I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself.”

I was once told that the challenge of making successful feminist porn is that the thing women desire most is freedom.

If that’s the case, one might consider my life over the past few years to be extremely pornographic — even without all the actual sex that occurred. It definitely has the makings of a fantasy, if we allowed for fantasies starring single, childless women on the brink of turning 50.

It’s not just in enjoying my age that I’m defying expectations. It’s that I’ve exempted myself from the central things we’re told give a woman’s life meaning — partnership and parenting. I’ve discovered that despite all the warnings, I regret none of those choices.

Indeed, I am enjoying them immensely. Instead of my prospects diminishing, as nearly every message that gets sent my way promises they will — fewer relationships, less excitement, less sex, less visibility — I find them widening. The world is more available to me than it’s ever been.

Saying so should not be radical in 2024, and yet, somehow it feels that way. We live in a world whose power structures continue to benefit from women staying in place. In fact, we’re currently experiencing the latest backlash against the meager feminist gains of the past half-century. My story — and those of the other women in similar shoes — shows that there are other, fulfilling ways to live.

It is disconcerting to enjoy oneself so much when there is so much to assure you to expect the opposite, just as it is strange to feel so good against a backdrop of so much terribleness in the world. But with age (hopefully) comes clarity.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .