TED Talks
TED: What fear can teach us | Karen Thompson Walker
Imagine you're a shipwrecked sailor adrift in the enormous Pacific. You can choose one of three directions and save yourself and your shipmates -- but each choice comes with a fearful consequence too. How do you choose? In telling the...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why should you read "Moby Dick"? | Sascha Morrell
A mountain separating two lakes. A room papered floor to ceiling with bridal satins. The lid of an immense snuffbox. These seemingly unrelated images take us on a tour of a sperm whale's head in Herman Melville's "Moby Dick." Though the...
Curated Video
Unity, Diversity, and Comradery in Moby Dick
Ishmael, the narrator of Moby Dick, forms a deep bond with Queequeg, another worker aboard the ship coming from the Pacific Islands. Through this friendship, Melville explores themes of friendship, marriage-like intimacy, and mutual...
Curated Video
How Whaling Shaped Herman Melville, Moby Dick, and America
Herman Melville was born into a wealthy family in New York City in 1819, but following the Financial Panic of 1837 and his father's death, he faced significant hardships, leading him to work at sea. This period of Melville's life, marked...
Curated Video
Style and Interpretations of Herman Melville's Moby Dick
Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" is celebrated for its archaic writing style and poetic intensity, transforming the narrative of a 19th-century whaling crew into a captivating drama that delves into the folly of mankind. The novel's...
Curated Video
Symbolism and Interpretations of the Whale in Moby Dick
The interpretations of the whale in "Moby Dick" are diverse, ranging from representing the Judeo-Christian God to critiques of imperialism and atheism. Scholars have debated whether Moby Dick symbolizes an inscrutable, omnipotent force...
Curated Video
Obsession and Identity: Understanding Ishmael and Ahab in Moby Dick
Herman Melville's novel, "Moby Dick" opens with the line, "Call me Ishmael". We do not know whether this is actually the narrator's name or simply a nod to the biblical figure. Ishmael's elusiveness is contrasted with Captain Ahab's...
Curated Video
Biblical Themes and Shakespearean References in Moby Dick
At its core, "Moby Dick" is a story about the vengeful Captain Ahab's pursuit of the white whale that maimed him and is narrated by Ishmael, a man seeking knowledge through seafaring. Despite its simple premise, Herman Melville expands...
Curated Video
Introduction to Moby Dick
Herman Melville's novel, "Moby Dick" explores themes of obsession, compulsion, and the human psyche. The tale takes place aboard a whaling ship, an environment that author was intimately familiar with. Melville combined his own...
All Ears English
2088 - Are You a Bookworm? How to Talk About Your Reading Habits in English
Are you a reader? Talking about books is a great way to connect with people. Learn about Lindsay's and Michelle's reading habits and get the key questions to start a conversation about this inspiring topic.
PBS
Food & Fiction: Memorable Meals in Literature | PBS Digital Studios
Food varies wildly from place to place and from culture to culture; since humans are such sensory creatures, using words to evoke the experience of eating is an excellent way to bring a text to life. Hosted by Lindsay Ellis Written by...
Barcroft Media
I Was Spat Out By A Whale
PORT ELIZABETH, SOUTH AFRICA - FEBRUARY 16: A DRAMATIC set of pictures show a man nearly being swallowed by a Bryde’s Whale off Port Elizabeth Harbour. Rainer Schimpf, 51, has worked as a dive tour operator in South Africa for over 15...
Brainwaves Video Anthology
Bradford Pearson - Teachers Make a Difference - Rem Briggs
Bradford Pearson is an award-winning journalist whose work examines everything from magicians to Japanese American incarceration to his own kidnapping. He’s written for The New York Times, and Esquire, Time, and Men’s Health magazines,...
Curated Video
Why Did They Make Me Read This in High School? (Feat. Lindsay Ellis)
Literary critics, writers, philosophers, bloggers--all have tried to tackle where and why and how an author may strike such lightning in a bottle that their works enter the pantheon of “Classical Literature”. Why this book is required...
Curated Video
Why did they make me read this in High School?
What makes a book important? Why are some books required reading in high school, while others are lost to history?
Getty Images
This Week In History 11/8 - 11/14
This Week In History 11/1 - 11/7 (Footage by Getty Images)
Getty Images
MS TS Sperm whale pair swimming and descending / Caribbean, Dominica
MS TS Sperm whale pair swimming and descending / Caribbean, Dominica