What makes a book important? Why are some books required reading in high school, while others are lost to history?

From the Master of monologue poems, "The Unknown" is my favorite piece in Spoon River Anthology. This reading, summary, and analysis of Edgar Lee Master's poem explores the meaning behind the unnamed speaker's tragic journey through life...

Hamlet, Considered by many authorities as Shakespeare’s greatest play, Hamlet may also be the most representative character in all-dramatic literature. It’s a classic tragedy of a young prince torn by indecision. Hamlet plots to kill his...

Hamlet, Considered by many authorities as Shakespeare’s greatest play, Hamlet may also be the most representative character in all-dramatic literature. It’s a classic tragedy of a young prince torn by indecision. Hamlet meets the ghost...

Follow William Shakespeare through 16th and 17th Century London, as the bard created many of the most important works ever written. Shakespeare's sonnets to a lady are discussed. This video is part 5 of the series 'Understanding...

Follow William Shakespeare through 16th and 17th Century London, as the bard created many of the most important works ever written. Shakespeare's family and early life and schooling. His subsequent marriage to Ann Hathaway after which he...

Hamlet, Considered by many authorities as Shakespeare’s greatest play, Hamlet may also be the most representative character in all-dramatic literature. It’s a classic tragedy of a young prince torn by indecision. Hamlet rejects Ophelia...

If you're familiar with John Green's debut novel, looking for Alaska, then you know the reference to Miles' name (Miles to go before I sleep) comes from a Robert Frost poem. But, did you know that diving into this poem revels just how...

Open up almost any children's book and what do you see? Pages and pages of beautifully fun poetry! Children grow up learning to read poetry, so why do so few high school students appreciate it? And when does this shift take place? In...

The Elements of Drama - The wonderful world of drama comes alive in The Elements of Drama, as the young host and hostess take viewers on a journey through the works of such famous playwrights as William Shakespeare. Colorful graphics and...

The Elements of Drama - The wonderful world of drama comes alive in The Elements of Drama, as the young host and hostess take viewers on a journey through the works of such famous playwrights as William Shakespeare. Colorful graphics and...

This video is a lesson on literary devices in narratives. The teacher explains the importance of communication and storytelling in our lives. They introduce five key literary devices: narrative, plot, tone and mood, setting, and...

Just the Facts: The Emergence of Modern America: The Gilded Age uses fascinating historical footage to explore six decades that shaped modern America. The series examines the Gilded Age in the late 19th century, the Progressive Era of...

Othello, the timeless battle of good versus evil. The sinister Iago is pitted against Othello, a man of honor. Lago plies Cassio with alcohol and Cassio becomes difficult and starts to fight, he is subsequently stripped of his...

Macbeth tells the story of a good man gone bad, driven to murder by ugly ambition and fueled by a power-hungry wife. Lady Macbeth recieves a letter from her husband telling her about what they said. She wants to kill the King so that she...

Macbeth tells the story of a good man gone bad, driven to murder by ugly ambition and fueled by a power-hungry wife. Lady Macbeth guilty about the Kings murder commits suicide. Macbeth hears of the English army advancing on his castle....

The Elements of Fiction - Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson . these are just three of the renowned authors whose work is cited in The Elements of Fiction, which explores: Plot elements, character, conflict, flashback,...

Adrian Lester (Othello) and Rory Kinnear (Iago) talk about the characters, the relationship between them, their relative position in the social and military hierarchy of the play and the motivations for their actions.

Using textual evidence almost always ensures that your paper will be longer, receive a better grade, and avoid plagiarism. Yet, most students struggle not with finding this research, but writing it into their papers. This video will show...

Poetry explications are one of the ultimate tests for any literature student. How do you conceive and defend an argument about a poem using nothing but the poem itself? This video shows you how to interpret, listen to, question, and...

In this video, the teacher explains how to identify the theme in a passage by asking what the main character learned. Using an example passage about a dog named Alexis, the teacher demonstrates how to think about the main character's...

In this lesson you will learn how a poem's organization influences its meaning by asking how the stanzas in a poem fit together.

Fantasy novels are more than just hundreds of pages worth of swords and magic! Okay, there's some of that. But it's also a lens to what our society finds important to our pasts, our presents, and future.

The Elements of Fiction - Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson . These are just three of the renowned authors whose work is cited in The Elements of Fiction, which explores: Plot elements, character, conflict, flashback,...