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How do 21st century readers comprehend To Kill A Mockingbird? And why does Atticus primarily focus on his family instead of the rest of the world?...
Atticus is the perfect gentleman, yet he doesn’t wear a monocle or carry a cane. Can these facts be reconciled?
What were Jim Crow laws, and why weren't they changed? Hit play to find out, and to also count your blessings that you're growing up in the present...
There's no way Tom Robinson could've committed any crime, so all's well that ends well, right? ...Right? ...Why isn't someone saying "right"?
You can sleep well at night knowing that whether he wins or loses a case, Atticus will be a good person. Except if you're playing Trivial Pursuit w...
Is Boo Radley just something that happens when a guy named Radley gives a bad performance? If you think that might be true, you should probably tak...
In this video, Shmoop looks at all the ways that Scout has changed since those early days in "To Kill a Mockingbird."
Time to learn about metaphors in To Kill A Mockingbird. Yup. We know how to get a party started.
Were black people portrayed as stereotypes in To Kill A Mockingbird? Was Harper Lee trying to draw attention to the problems with stereotypes, or d...
In To Kill a Mockingbird Scout is really, really not interested in learning about the so-called requirements of her gender. Even though she realize...
What is the mad dog a symbol for? If we give it a Snausage, will it calm down?
What is innocence and how is it related to ignorance? We know the answer to this one: they both start with an I. ...Right?
Sure Atticus lost the case, but he made his point and now—from somewhere in the back of the courthouse—a single clap starts what becomes a thun...
Is Boo Radley the quintessential creep? Or, is he just isolated and misunderstood, hiding himself away to avoid people's judgment? You decide. He j...
This video defines symbolism and analyzes the use of symbolism in stories like The Great Gatsby and To Kill a Mockingbird. What effect do symbols h...
Historical fiction novels like The Help can whisk you back to a place and time that you may have only read about in history books. Or... a place an...
If you're still eating pie on a regular basis, you probably haven't read this book or seen the movie. If you have and it hasn't swayed you...well,...
Picking out the protagonist isn't always as easy as recognizing that the thing flying in the sky with a big "S" on its chest isn't actually a bird...
Breathe easy, Shmoopers. You don't have to be a time traveler to unravel the mysterious timeline of "Go Set a Watchman." We've got it covered....No...
This video summarizes Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, as told by Scout, the daughter of Atticus, a civil rights attorney in the Deep So...
In the last paragraph (lines 64–79), the author suggests that the primary reason Lee took so long to publish her novel was because
The micro setting: Enterprise. The macro setting: “Space, the Final Frontier!”
Point your view at the screen and we'll teach you all about points of view in this Shmoopy video.
Just like watching movie trailers, there are plenty of methods of previewing a book that can let you know what the content will be like before divi...
Figurative language: for when you want to say something without actually, literally saying what you mean. A favorite of Jewish mothers and passive-...
Find out the meaning behind "And bring hither the fatted calf"
Sure, there's some weird Oedipal Complex stuff going on in Hamlet, but look on the bright side, Ham: you end the play with your eyeballs intact....
Crime and Punishment is all about a boy killing for money, literally, and then spending the rest of the book trying to hide it. Although the book c...
Oedipus learns more about the prophecy and King Lauis' death, with a little help from his on-stage-Greek-chorus friends. It's becoming clear he may...
Choose the best alternative to the text below.Now putting into perspective
CAHSEE ELA Writing: Sentence Structure Drill, Problem 2. Fix this sentence.
Welcome to the most terrifying introduction you'll ever have: the introduction to weapons and warfare. Actually, scratch that. If you've ever...
Choose the best alternative to the text below.But most
Did you hear the one about the guy who killed his dad and married his mom? Yeah, that’s not a joke, it’s Oedipus’ life. This video summarizes...
Whenever you start regretting the choices you've made in your life, just review Oedipus' story, and you'll start feeling a heck of a lot better.
The Winter's Tale is like the Disney movie of Shakespeare plays—if you ignore all the murders, mauling, and love-children, anyway.
Oedipus confronts Jocasta about the prophecy and learns that it has in fact come true. What could be a more awkward family dinner conversation when...
In this video we'll teach you all about Beowulf. It sounds kind of like he was a vigilante...but that was a lot more accepted back then. Plus, we'r...
Hanging your wife's portrait above your fireplace? Romantic. Hanging it up after you've killed her? Not so much.
AP Biology: Evolution Drives the Diversity and Unity of Life Drill 1, Problem 1. The first cells on planet Earth were likely what?
Beowulf is full of Gnomes...and no, not adorable garden gnomes who’re just trying to save you money on vacations. Find out more about what a Gnom...
Want even more deets on Split Infinitives? Click here to review. Or check out our entire grammar section for all the goods.
Hamlet is Shakespeare’s 1603 soap opera of unfortunate circumstances. Hamlet’s ghost dad tells him that he was murdered by his brother, Claudiu...
Common Core 8th Grade 1.3 Reading Literary Texts. Which evidence from the text best supports the inference that Gorgons are dangerous?
Having a fancy title has always been on our to-do list, but somehow being Lord of the Flies doesn't sound all that glamorous.
No jokes today, Shmoopers. This is a serious topic and should be viewed respectfully. Oh and do make sure to check out one of our sillier videos af...
It's not your everyday teenager that volunteers to enter a fight to the death, but then again not every teenager has a cool name like "Katniss Ever...
ACT Reading: Humanities Passage Drill 1, Problem 7. Which of the following characters is specifically mentioned as a personification of "horror and...
AP English Literature and Composition 1.9 Passage Drill 5. Which of the following lines best expresses a paradox?
This passage implies that European medical practice in the early 1700s was(A)surprisingly safe(B)largely experimental(C)based on Indian and Chinese...
Stop everything and check this video out. This guy from Carthage named Hannibal used battle elephants. Battle. Elephants. Carthage has a pretty ric...
We hope you're not immune to awesome videos, because we've got a great one all about vaccines, just for you.
Are humans civilized, or are we just savages waiting to come out? William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies tackles that question.
All Okonkwo was asking for was a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Granted, swinging your machete around may not be the nicest way to ask, but still. The guy d...
AP English Literature and Composition 1.9 Passage Drill 6. In line 4, "youth waneth by increasing" most nearly means what?
Grendel is literature’s first serial killer, which isn’t super surprising. The guy has Cain as an ancestor. Must’ve been some great family re...
How does Ophelia die, and what does that say about her character? What a weird question. If we die as planned––in a bathtub full of mac n' chee...
How does Shakespeare use Ophelia and Gertrude to showcase what women's lives were like during his time?
A distraught and helpless Oedipus questions fate and free will when he discovers that he's killed his father and married his mother.
A nosotros nos encanta hacer problemas de valor absoluto, porque eso significa gastar el tiempo con nuestro buen amiguito, el número de la línea....
Number Sense: Drill Set 5, Problem 5. Between which two integers does the square root of 80 lie?
Once a participant in the Hunger Games, always a participant in the Hunger Games. Seriously, does Katniss have a sign on her back that reads "Wante...
We totally understand loving your country, but don't murder your best friend over it. That's a bit over the top. Stick to flying flags and singing...
What is indirect characterization, and how does Shakespeare use it to describe his main characters?
Number Sense: Drill Set 6, Problem 1. The root being squared must be between which two numbers?
The My Lai Massacre claimed hundreds of innocent lives and alerted Americans to the real atrocities happening in Vietnam.
Sure, Edgar Allan Poe was dark and moody and filled with teenage angst, but what else does he have in common with the Twilight series?
You really must love a town if you're going to write a whole poem about it. Carl Sandburg wrote an entire poem on his hometown, Chicago, just becau...
What does Hamlet's "to be, or not to be..." speech reveal about his character? Besides the fact that he's super comfortable talking to himself, of...
We get it: Jennifer Lawrence is awesome. We think so, too. That being said, we wouldn't actually want to see her killing other kids in a bloodthirs...
Basically, don't worship a volleyball. Even if that volleyball happens to be your only friend. He's useless, it's time to move on.
AP English Literature and Composition 1.4 Passage Drill 3. How is Burne's view of pacifism best characterized in lines 57 through 67?
Welcome...to The Road. Hope everyone remembered to bring their cannibal repellent.
What is the American Dream? Is it popularity? Or is it being content with what you have? In Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman, the American...
This video summarizes F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby goes from a rich party guy in love with a married woman to dead. W...
"The Telltale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe is the epitome of creepy. (We know we could say that about all of EAP's stories, but it's especially true f...
Beowulf slew Grendel, his mother, and a dragon, and he still managed to stay humble. He told us once that he even got a big, shiny award for being...
Number Sense: Drill Set 6, Problem 2. The square root of 35 is between which of the following numbers?
Sorry, guys: this novel doesn't follow the dramatic life events of pumpkin pie, nor does it explore what it truly means to be the mathematical cons...
AP Physics 1: 3.3 Changes and Conservation Laws. What is the difference in work done?
GED Reasoning through Language Arts 3.1 Writing Skills. Why did the narrator initially find it impossible to fulfill his goal and "do the work"?
This video summarizes the Shakespearean play Macbeth. Two major forces are at play in the story: witches’ prophecies and Macbeth’s demanding wi...
It killed thousands. It turned two beautiful cities into piles of rubble. It ended a war. The atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in...
Whoever said heroes don't bask in their own glory clearly never met Hercules. But was his arrogance justified? We'll let you be the judge.
The U.S. sure seems to make a habit out of doing things they're not supposed to...like trading war munitions with the U.K. despite claiming that th...
What happens when Charles Marlow journeys up the Congo River? Who is Mr. Kurtz—is he really amazing or just a crazy weirdo? And what’s up with...
Pasteurization is a process that kills microbes in food and drink. We'd say sorry to the microbes, but, uh...we really like milk that doesn't kill us.
Brace yourselves, this one's going to get sad fast. Not all war stories are tales of heroism and saving privates named Ryan.
Gunpowder is one of humanity's scarier inventions, but hey, it gave us fireworks so we'll let it slide.
When World War I started, the U.S. just wanted to stay out of it. Good luck with that, America.
It's a tale as old as time, Beauty and the er—sorry. Beowulf. Just him...and nothing else. Hey, cut the story some slack, it's like a thousand ye...
Everybody who's tired of the word “epic,” raise your hand. Wow, that’s a lot of hands. But there is an acceptable time and place for the word...
What is amortization? Amortization tracks the decline in value of a contract or service, usually paid for in advance. You received $10,000 in advan...
The protagonist of Frankenstein is obviously Frankenstein...or is it Walton? ...Or maybe it’s the creature… We’d say nothing’s ever easy,...
In this video, we'll learn about the relationship between Perseus and the Gorgons. Hopefully it's not complicated.
Stalin was a big fan of killing off all his frenemies. We definitely wouldn't have wanted to go to middle school with him.
Choose the best alternative to the text below.Like the movie Jaws
AP English Literature and Composition 1.7 Passage Drill 1. Paragraph 2 serves primarily to what?
What is Arbitration? Arbitration is like court for the financial world. It is used to settle disputes between investors and their brokers. An inves...
Terminal value is the end value of...something. In finance, it usually refers to the cash flow of a company that is sold, and that flow...stops flo...
How do you kill a vampire? Give him an iPhone. No, really, there’s probably an app for that. Or just check out this video.
What's the difference between wet-cooling and dry-cooling? Watch this SAT Writing video to find out more.
Crack open your copy of Hamlet, because it's time to discuss what happens during the course of Act I. Sadly, it has nothing to do with ham.
Texas EOC English I: Understanding and Analysis of Literary Texts Drill 1, Problem 5
Which combination of words from the passage creates a mood of healing?(A)"was never sown" and "A lady of my own"(B)"the breathing balm" and "silenc...
Select the best version of the italicized part of the sentence. If you think the original sentence is best, choose the first answer.The threat of h...
Beowulf has some serious bragging rights after killing Grendel. Totes respect the dude. ...Totes don’t respect us for saying “totes.” We’r...
If someone told you to rub mold on an infection, you'd probably look at them like they had a second head. Well, the world is a strange place, and o...
Things got pretty intense on the Western Front during World War I. Let's just say it was not somewhere you'd want to be.
Have you ever thought about how thankful you are that you don't have to drink sewer water? Or walk through garbage every day? Or meet pigs and hors...
What? She gets a rose and we don’t? Who is this Emily person anyway? What’s she done to deserve such a delightful, aromatic gift?
Was Frankenstein’s creature “born” a monster? Were his fun-filled murderous tendencies all inate? Or did he begin as a “blank slate,” but...
So Frankenstein creates a creature. Creature asks for a wife to be created, ‘cause, y’know, loneliness. Creature wants to run away to a South A...
Nothing like a little propaganda to get people on your side. Just ask every country that participated in WWI.
It must be a heavy burden when you’re one of the few good people left in the world. Watch the video to learn how The Boy maintains his humanity....
CAHSEE Math: Algebra and Functions: Drill Set 1, Problem 3. What equation fits the description?
What made establishing missions in California more difficult for the Spanish than in Texas, Florida, or other parts of the Southeast?
All right Shmoopers this is question 7/11 - the conveniece question. Get it? Like the 7-Eleven convenience store. While we crack ourselves up, watc...
It's the year 1692 in colonial New England—Salem, to be precise. In a courtroom, someone is being accused of witchcraft. Totally crazy, right? We...
In Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," Louise Mallard has a rather peculiar response to the news of her husband's death: instead of mourning for...
There are 100 tiles in a bag of Scrabble tiles. Four of them are S's. If Akshay draws one tile, looks at it, puts it back, and then draws one tile...
A word to the wise: secret marriages don't work out well in Shakespeare plays. Just ask Othello and Desdemona.
ACT Reading 2.9 Prose Fiction. Based on its context in the passage, which of the following words would be the best replacement for "immolation"?
AP Physics 1: 2.4 System Interactions and Changes. What is the potential energy of the pit at the instant it falls from her hand?
AP English Literature and Composition 1.2 Passage Drill 1. All of the following are true of struldbrugs except that what?
AP English Literature and Composition 1.5 Passage Drill 7. In lines 34 through 37, what technique does the author use to describe the family's...
AP U.S. History 3.3 Period 5: 1848-1877. One effect of the Compromise of 1850 was...what?
Return on sales is an investment metric that reflects the profitability of a company.
This video provides a summary of the dystopian novel Divergent. It covers Beatrice Prior’s path from discovering she is Divergent (doesn’t fit...
Vlad the Impaler was an appropriately named guy, until he went on tropical vacations. Then, he went by Vlad the Imtanner. For some facts that are a...
Number Sense: Drill Set 6, Problem 3. Of all the absolute values of the following numbers, which would be the greatest?
Why did Shakespeare write a play within a play? What were his thoughts on the game Mouse Trap? The answer to one of these questions is waiting in t...
If we stay in a protective bubble for the rest of our life, we won’t have to watch this video, right? ...Okay, fine, we’ll watch it. But you...
Moses supposes his toeses are roses, but Moses supposes erroneously... He's walked up Mount Sinai twice with those toeses, and trust us, they don't...
AP Statistics 5.5 Exploring Data. What is the relative frequency for the color purple?
ASVAB Paragraph Comprehension 4.4 Detail. Which of the details is not included in the passage?
This video explores the Columbian Exchange, which involved the interchanging of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World and the America...
What is a Broker-Dealer? A broker-dealer trades for both its own account and for the accounts of its clients. It acts as a broker when it buys and...
We're just waiting for Marvel to pick up Victor Frankenstein's origin story for a franchise. Just wait, it'll happen.
Learn about Venn diagrams with Priscilla the ugly chinchilla, as she categorizes her chinchilla friends into sets based on a survey they took.
ACT Reading: Natural Science Passage Drill 1, Problem 2. Which of the following statements about Mars does not appear in the passage?
GED Reasoning through Language Arts 2.2 Writing Skills. The information presented in the article supports the prediction that...what?
The past will always come back to haunt you, much like that seventh piece of pizza. Can you answer this Texas EOC question about past acts? Take yo...
Which phrase best describes the conflict Rikki-tikki has with Nag and Nagaina?(A)engaging in a physical battle(B)making a difficult decision(C)stan...
Today's lesson: Nubia. Remember not to call it Egypt Jr. to its face...it's kind of a sensitive issue.
What are some living examples of families of mutual funds? We'll get into the dead examples next video, and then the undead examples the video afte...
Without a thesis statement, you don't have a paper. Watch this video, and get the inside scoop on how to write a killer thesis statement.
AP U.S. History 2.4 Period 2: 1607–1754. Overall, how did conflicts with Native Americans affect the beliefs of British colonists in New England?
AP World History 4.4 Industrialization and Global Integration, c. 1750 to c. 1900. The deterrent that made a full-scale inland invasion of Africa n...
Regulation D is a federal regulation that restricts a company issuing securities to only sell to qualified private investors.
CAHSEE ELA 2.5 Writing Conventions. How would you correct the following sentence, if it needs correcting at all?
Time to learn about 2 Samuel. And before you send that angry email, we know Taylor Swift wasn't in The Bible. Shame, too. It's rife with song possi...
Forget fireworks, setting off a flare pistol is the only way to go when it comes celebrating. On a completely unrelated note, does anyone know why...
This video helps you tackle two-step equations with multiplication and division by using the opposite operation on each side of the equation. Defin...
The Second Congo War was a pretty big deal, and not to be confused with the Second Conga War, which is a battle over whose conga reigns supreme.
Boy and girl meet, fall in love, and commit suicide in a tomb. You know, your average love story.
Today we'll learn about how Pershing pershing—er pushing American troops out of the trenches and into enemy lines was a pretty bad idea. Especial...
Sometimes, we all have to rely on our pride to kill gazelles, so we can all eat around the watering hole and… Oh. Pride and your peers. Not prid...
Bronze weapons were super pretty. So what if they corroded? ...And bent...and smooshed easily...? Huh. Okay, maybe looks aren't the only thing that...
AP English Literature and Composition 1.7 Passage Drill 4. The ongoing emphasis on vegetation and nature in the poem classifies it as which of...
AP English Literature and Composition 1.8 Passage Drill 5. Line 9 is best understood as all of the following except what?
Meet Emma Woodhouse of Jane Austen's Emma. She’s a rich young woman with a good social life living in 18th-century England. We bet she has an aw...
What Does "Capital Intensive" Mean? “Capital Intensive” refers to those industries that require a high level of capital investment before busin...
ASVAB Word Knowledge 2.4 Vocab List. Which of these words is closest in meaning to tenacious?
CAHSEE ELA 4.2 Writing Strategies. Which of the following sentences would be the best to add to the end of the draft?
Yes, there are kites. Yes, there are runners. No, despite how much we love running and flying kites, this isn't a happy story by any stretch of the...
In lines 35–36, the phrase "stood before them with a crucifixion in his face" means that(A)the sailors wanted to mutiny and kill Captain Ahab(B)C...
Which of the following would make the best introductory sentence for the passage?
If you came here looking for manta rays, you're going to be sorely disappointed. This is a math video. About math rays, lines, and segments. Seriou...
Today we'll learn about Great Zimbabwe and the sleeping sickness. And before you get worried, no, getting tired in class doesn't mean you have the...
Slavery just didn't make sense. We're sure you've thought that plenty of times, but the way things ended up it didn't even really make economic sen...
How did early humans survive without Taco Bell? Check out this video to find out. We suggest pairing it with a Crunchwrap Supreme.
The farmhands of the Industrial Revolution had big dreams of making it in the big city. Unfortunately, they didn't expect the brutal living conditi...
Art doesn't happen in a vacuum, and The Tempest is no exception. Caliban might seem like comic relief, but the context of colonialism puts a differ...
Check out this video to hear the story of a woman who survived for 18 years on an island without wifi and without going completely bonkers and...
The author wants to add the following sentence to the passage: Record companies had a great deal of control over an artist's career because, among...
AP U.S. History 1.5 Period 4: 1800-1848. Southern plantation owners supported slavery in the Louisiana Territory primarily because of what environm...
Reading the tarot cards. Sifting the tea leaves. Asking the crystal ball. Trying to predict the future performance of an investment is something th...
What does the white whale symbolize? For us, it’s chocolate cake. Why? Probably because we’re hungry so everything is symbolizing chocolate cak...
Janie doesn’t let gossip rule her life. Instead, she counteracts it by telling her own story. Hang on...that’s juicy. We need to tell somebod...
Converting percents to decimals is easy: just move the decimal point two to the left. Yep, that's it. To the left, to the left... convertin' th...
What is fund diversification and why is it important? Fund diversification means investing in different financial products and sectors. It’s real...
After WWI, a few Germans weren't quite done fighting. The Freikorps were formed, and trouble started brewing.
In a merger, the boards and shareholders of both companies must both vote in favor of the action, and the post merger acquiring company will often...
A salesman dies—sorry to ruin it for you. But in addition to giving away key plot points in the title, Arthur Miller also liked to make some pret...
It’s so upsetting when there's nothing good on TV. No celebrities dancing with trained professionals. No debonair bachelors handing out roses. No...
You'll never guess what this Old English poem is about. Wait, what? You think it's about some dude who wanders around a lot? Hey, nice guess! Have...
The author's purpose for writing this passage is most likely(A)to explain how to install MagnaLatch(B)to inform readers about toddler drownings(C)t...
The enemy of your enemy is your friend. We all know that. But apparently your friends who won't fight your enemies, well they're also your enemies....
GMOs. Now that’s a scary word. Or is it? Guess it’s time to ask ourselves: WWMST? ...For those of us who don’t constantly ask ourselves “wh...
What is a going concern rule, and does it have to do with the bathroom? No? Okay...no harm in checking.
What did the writer of Beowulf have in common with small children? They both loved applesauce, interestingly. But that's not what this video is abo...
Symbolic art was very "#@**@*^^*" What? Too symbolic for you to understand? Check out this video, then.
The improvement of aircraft during World War II permanently changed the nature of modern warfare. We do kind of wish we still painted cool sharks o...
In this sequel, your favorite characters from Divergent make life-altering choices as they try to stick it to the man. It might sound like your ave...
Moby-Dick is full of adventures, lessons, and unbelievably boring chapters...sounds kind of like life. Whoa. Trippy.
Want even more deets on parentheses? Click here to review. Or take a look at our entire grammar section for all the goods.
What is capital expenditure (CAPEX)? Capital expenditure refers to the money that is used to buy or fix the physical parts of a business like land,...
This video explains how to convert between decimals, percents, and fractions. All three of these languages are just different ways of showing parts...
When presenting an argument in an essay, you may want to play devil’s advocate. Don’t play it with the devil himself, though. That guy always w...
In this CAHSEE Passage Drill, figure out which park would be best for a family with children of various ages. CAHSEE: Passage Drill 2, Problem 4
There are plenty of famous vampires that send chills up our spines, but Dracula was and still is the king of them all. No one else can touch him. N...
Lo mejor para realizar los conjuntos es que los tienes para usar los diagramas de Venn. Y si hay algo en esta palabra más divertida que el diagram...
A sequel to the 1989 classic Segments, Lines, and Videotape, this video will change the way you think about lines, segments, and rays. Unless yo...
In this memoir, Eliezer struggles with his relationship with his father during the Holocaust.
Look, we get that you really like that one selfie with the makeup filter, but don't get this carried away about it, okay? Also, put your tongue bac...
If you think A Farewell to Arms is about some dude saying goodbye to his arms, you might want to check out this video. Plus, it's got a talking ice...
You know what you're going to carry away from this lesson on The Things They Carried? Knowledge. There's no better takeaway than knowledge...except...
Believe it or not, the Battle of Orleans wasn't the time Drew Brees and the Saints finally won their Super Bowl. It was an actual battle, with an a...
ASVAB Paragraph Comprehension 2.5 Vocabulary-In-Context. "Ingenious" most nearly means what?
AP Psychology 1.3 Treatment of Abnormal Behavior. What is the phenomenon called?
What are the features that make a Shakespearean tragedy? Where do they show up in plays like Othello, Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet? This video help...
What is the difference between market value and book value? These two figures describe what a company is worth. Book value does this by finding the...
Today we're going to learn about how you're all trapped in caves, waiting for people like Shmoop to drag you out...or so Plato says anyway.
This story goes as you might expect—a sprinkling of science, endless amounts of death and despair, and a whole lot of ugly monster. Oh joyous day!
Oh ye of small attention spans: if novels don't float your boat, short stories just might. Even if that boat is less of an oil tanker and more of a...
With a name like Burr, we're not too surprised he ended up being a stone-cold killer. Today's video is all about the duel between Aaron Burr and Al...
The Federalists were a political party formed by Alexander Hamilton. Well, sure. That guy had to do something to get his face on the ten-dollar bill.
Shoot our friends, fine...but try to get Mexico to fight us? Ohoho. No way, my good sir. It's war time. And you are not gonna like it one bit. Isol...
In this video from our cyberbullying course, learn that the perfect cyber crime isn't so perfect afterall.
Aren't midsummer night dreams the worst? You wake up all sweaty and gross, and for a minute there, you can't even remember where you are. And also,...
Remember the time your teacher said "That's fine, I don't care if you do any work at all, you all get A's, and a free used Toyota Camry." Yeah, we...
Cannibalization in the market refers to when a company has a new service or product that competes with its own previous offerings more than with it...
Laissez faire is a French term meaning "let it be." In other words, the economy is smarter than we are, and can determine what's fair.
What is Dracula really about? Just Count Dracula? Or is there more to it than vampires? This video addresses some major ideas in Bram Stoker’s cl...
PSAT 1.1 Reading Narrative Walkthrough. The passage excerpt most strongly suggests that the Curiosity rover performs best on which of the following...
PSAT 2.1 Reading Diagnostic. President Kennedy refers to the United Nations in the first paragraph primarily to...what?
Welcome to the dark side of Shakespeare. You didn't think he was all sonnets, roses, and romantic Romeos, did you?
What makes battles to the death even more exciting? Having kids involved! Wait, maybe that wasn't the direction we really wanted to take there…
They say that honesty is the best policy, but Jack lies about his identity and still gets the girl. Does that mean we should all lie to get what we...
The Road takes place...somewhere...where there are roads...and...stuff. Watch the video to learn more about the setting and goals present in The...
When people dress up like ghosts and go on murdering sprees during Reconstruction, who ya gonna call? Well...Ulysses S. Grant, in this case.
1917 was an intense time for Russia. Between WWI and the revolution, there definitely wasn't much down time.
Brace yourselves, Shmoopers...this video about the Rape of Nanjing isn't going to be an easy one.
What tools did prehistoric humans use to get things done? Yes, we're talking about even before Windows Vista.
Television had a huge impact on politics. Don't believe us? Check out the 1968 presidential election where Richard Nixon went toe-to-toe with a 52"...
The Dust Bowl... It was just like the Super Bowl, except it had less funding and people from Kansas actually participated.
An Underground Railroad sounds like a great idea. No standing out in the cold. A respite from the rain. A fun little journey toward the center of t...
AP U.S. History 1.1 Period 2: 1607–1754. The racial ideology reflected in the Spanish caste system depicted above differed from the views of the...
AP U.S. History 4.1 Period 8: 1945-1980. Which of the following groups would be most likely to support the goals presented in this excerpt?
AP U.S. History 2.4 Period 7: 1890-1945. Besides forcing Japan to surrender, what was another primary goal of dropping the second atomic bomb?
Were the Anasazi cannibals? The question is just...eating us up inside.
Plantations may have made their owners rich, but it was at the expense of the slaves that worked there. They were treated terribly. Rickety houses,...
What did the nations in the Eastern Bloc learn during the '50s and ‘60s? Spoiler alert: it’s mostly about the Soviets, and not about groovy mus...
In this video from our course on molecular genetics, learn all about deadly mutations.
Victor the Victorious? Or Victor the Victim? We can’t seem to decide which name better fits Victor Frankenstein. But we’re pretty sure whicheve...
If you learn one thing from this video about the development of agriculture, let it be this: you can always distract the Grim Reaper with an ear of...
A brief look at China’s history with communism.
Welcome to the very last addition of Shmoop's The Bible - at least we're going out on a high note with John writing the Revelation.
What would YOU do if the heart of the person you buried under the floorboards started making noise? Only one way to find out... (Note: Shmoop does...
We may not always agree with the government, but at least they aren't pigs. We mean that literally. Whether or not you think they're pigs in a figu...
AP U.S. Government 1.4 Institutions of National Government. All of the following have strengthened presidential powers except what?
AP Psychology 3.2 Cognition. At what time in life would it be most difficult to learn Chinese as a second language?
AP U.S. History 4.2 Period 4: 1800-1848. One direct effect of the trend described in the excerpt was...what?
Aren't you just over the moon about analytical essays? Can't wait to write that critical political analytical essay right this instant? We know the...
What is a High Flyer? High flyers are stocks that people think are going to perform very well. They reach really high share prices and valuations d...
Based on this story, you might think King Henry should have ditched the throne to become a motivational speaker. He'd probably have to lose the cro...
John Hawkins was may have been the most interesting man in the world. He doesn’t always hijack ships, but when he does... he prefers for them to...
Pro tip: if you water a green thing and it grows, it's probably a plant. If you water it and it melts, congrats: you've killed the Wicked Witch of...
The combination of religious and seafaring imagery in Moby-Dick is just like the peanut butter and the chocolate in a Reese's Cup––you can’t...
Time to learn about Lebensraum. And unlike most German words, this one isn't fun. At least we'll always have wienerschnitzel.
Who's really the crazy one in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest? Shmoop amongst yourselves.
Who wants to read another story about a kid going off to boarding school? Apparently, pretty much everybody.
Modernism was meant to solve the world's problems, but some authors—Virginia Woolf and Ezra Pound, for example—had a few crises of their own.
Is it better to use a comma or a dash? Is it just personal preference? This video the technologies to reduce water usage at power plants might just...
No, not the sour grapes of questionable freshness that gave you weird stomach rumblings before your last soccer game; we're talking about Steinbeck...
The artists, writers, and thinkers of the post-WWI world were undoubtedly brilliant. They were also about as fun as a funeral.
In the beginning, God created Shmoop. How else could we have been there to give you this first-hand account of everything that went down back then?
You might be hearing a chorus of farewells if you recommend A Farewell to Arms as the next read for your Fabulously Feisty Feminist Book Club.
AP English Language and Composition 4.1 Passage Drill. Which of the following does the speaker present as similar?
AP U.S. History Exam 2.25. In writing the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln was still working to win over Northern voters who believed that...what?
AP Psychology 2.5 Developmental Psychology. What is the stage characterized by a period of stability before puberty?
There are some tricks of the trade you can use when trying to bring readers around to your point of view. And none of them involve dangling a watch...
An interlocking directorate is the practice of multiple corporations sharing the same board members. That comes in handy when they're scheduling th...
What is a Fully Diluted EPS? Fully Diluted EPS refers to the event that all convertible shares of a company are exercised. Convertible shares inclu...
If you ever crush on someone so hard that their dad turns them into a tree to escape your attention…maybe it's time to reevaluate your flirting t...
A lot of you probably picture Hera as this heartless, bitter, vengeful…woman. We're here to show you that there's more to her than that. By the e...
Moms certainly do know best, so asking for their help is a smart move. However, asking them to write your essay, complete your science fair project...
Some people might say you kill every plant you touch, but we just think you might be well-suited for succulents.
Ishmael, Ahab, heck, even you, dear Shmooper, are all just part of some play created by fate. Check out the video to find out what part you’re pl...
Modernism was the happy, optimistic bandwagon that every writer just had to jump on. Okay, so only half of that statement is true. But we want you...
Bats can basically see things by screaming at them. Awesome, right? We wish we could do that.
Imagine yourself going to see a show. The cushy red seats. The talented orchestra. The body odor and animal abuse. Not what you pictured? Be thankf...
Want to pull an Oliver Twist and ask us for more? We've gotcha covered. Head over to /video/subjects/english/test-prep/texas-eoc/revision/ for more...
River raft. A good friend. Adventures. Tricks. Lots and lots of surprise feelings. Basically, our boy Huck has 'em all.
Can you imagine some little guy who's constantly up in your business, criticizing your every move, and always trying to make you feel bad about you...
Wouldn't it be nice to be rich, even if that wealth came at the cost of other things? If you answered yes, here's another question: what if that co...
With a name like Malcolm X, you either have to be an epic social and political leader or a ridiculously good-looking alien in a young adult sci-fi...
Who knew every book ever written could be slotted into one of seven plot types? Christopher Booker, that's who. J.R.R. Tolkien probably has a few t...
This dude decapitated a creature with snakes for hair and married a beautiful maiden that he saved from a sea monster. Let's see how many of you ca...
Moby-Dick. Chapter 135. No, we're not kidding. This Melville guy was as big on quantity as he was on quality.
AP U.S. History 3.1 Period 6: 1865-1898. Both excerpts reflect...what?
What is an International Money Fund (IMF)? Created as a result of the post WW II Bretton Woods agreement, the IMF was designed, in theory, to overs...
When issuing debt, the interest rate can be structured as a fixed rate, meaning the same coupon percentage annually due for the life of the outstan...
As the son of Zeus, Hermes leads a pretty stressful life. How does he relax? With some casual theft, of course. But we're guessing you're not the s...
Buckle up. We're going to plow through the history of the plow. ...Hey, stop booing, that joke was just asking to be told.
We know what question keeps you up at night: how is bronze made? ...No? You've never thought about that? ...Huh. Well...good for you.
When you're about to marry the love of your life, not many things could stop you. However, finding out that your future hubby is keeping his crazy...
If you associate "night" with darkness and depression and danger…then maybe you're not the happiest person to be around when the sun goes down. B...
Don’t want your student's date with the CAHSEE end in disaster? Use Shmoop's test prep materials for the exam. Watch the video to learn more abou...
This job's got it all right in the title. Alcohol, tobacco, firearms, could anything keep this job from being exciting? Well, maybe all the paperwo...
What are Aggregate Consistency Conditions? Aggregate consistency conditions are parameters under which a macroeconomic and microeconomic aggregate...
They may not be as exciting as a sharknado or a weaselquake, but the events leading to the formation of the earth were pretty cool too. Or, well, h...
Minny pulls quite a stunt in this story. Just try not to make a scene when Grandma Mimi won't tell you what her chocolate cream pie's "secret ingre...
The "Captains of Industry" were a super team of businessmen known for empowering the US's economy through industrial production. We know it's not q...
Today we'll learn about how electricity jump-started mass production and eventually led to electronic books named after rain forests that currently...
African pop culture gives people a way to have fun, feel connected, and express themselves. So does streaking at football games, but when we do tha...
It's important to make sure your sources are reliable by checking for references, authors, objectivity, and other criteria. Just because a website...
What is Days Sales Outstanding? Days sales outstanding is a figure that looks at how long it takes a company to get their money after they’ve mad...
Marginal cost is a company's cost adjusted for manufacturing, shipping, and any other overhead involved in the sale of its product.
Don't even think about stepping foot into a lab until you drink a nice big cup of safe-ty. Safety lesson number one: do not listen to this descript...
Honestly, though. How seriously can you take the metric system when it measures things in moles? How heavy is a standard mole? How do you keep it f...
Were you aware that there's radiation? Well now you are. Nailed it. Oh...we guess you should probably watch the video too so you know why you shoul...
Today we'll learn about how the Quakers became movers and shakers. You know, when they moved to North America...and it got cold.
Want even more deets on demonstrative pronouns? Click here to review. Or take a look at our entire grammar section for all the goods.
In order to understand Arnold's diary, you'll have to speak his language—cartoons. Huh, now that we say it out loud it doesn't sound too difficul...
Odysseus should have checked out How to Return Home from War for Dummies. Step One: Do not mess with the son of a god. Actually, no need to read on...
Today's lesson: The Civil War. A war may be civil, but it's never pretty. Well, aside from the Pretty Pink Fairy Wars of '93...but no one seems to...
Leading up to WWI, Europe got a little complicated. Looks like imperialism will come back to bite you.
Here's a brief rundown of boat accomplishments: they don't succumb to pier pressure, they've seen The Codfather twelve times, they have an uncanny...
By the end of this video, you will be brainwashed. There's nothing you can do about it; we just wanted to let you know. We like to think we're bigg...
This video summarizes the play A Raisin in the Sun. It discusses the Youngers, members of an African-American family trying to better themselves wh...
We wish we were just talking about bouncy balls. Just to warn you, this video is going to cover some heavy issues involving genocide in Africa. It'...
AIDS is definitely not a fun subject, but it is an important one. Check out this video for more info.
What are Prudent Investor Rule Standards, the Know Your Client Rule, and unsuitable recommendations?
What is term life insurance, and variable life insurance? Hit play to find out, and, uh...let's hope you live long enough to figure out the answers.
If you're lucky, you'll find text written by an author trying to inform and entertain you. That's definitely the best combination right there....
So how does the ownership and control of a company... work? Well, first there's a Board of Directors. These folks are elected by the common stockho...
Did you know that Ice Age movie was actually based on real events? It was. Well, except for the group of animals being able to talk to each other....
Gee whiz! Running after kites sounds like so much fun! That's totally what this book is about, right? Nope. Hosseini's novel actually touches on su...
The Cold War got pretty intense for a while, and almost no one was safe from the finger-pointing. Someone looked at you funny? Yeah, probably a com...
Ole Miss had another thing coming if they thought they could get away with staying segregated. And by another thing we mean several thousand troops.
Why should you buy the Shmoop Test Prep for the CAHSEE? Because we offer you and your students phenomenal test prep for the CAHSEE, that’s why....
Sometimes, friends ask you to be in their wedding party. And sometimes, they ask you to plan the entire wedding. There are easier ways to deal with...
Cold War jet technology wasn't about improving the air conditioning in jets. Hit play to learn about all the terrifying things we've done to jets o...
Are chemical preservatives your favorite food group? Then this video is for you! Also, you need to find a new favorite food group...that's not heal...
Today we'll learn about how much better British folks were than Americans when it came to slavery. One day the British just up and banned it. Yep,...
Newtonian Mechanics Drill 1, Question 1. What is the magnitude of the constant acceleration due to the mud?
We've got some fab lab vocab for you today. Unfortunately, it doesn't have anything to do with Labradors...but it could help you not die in a labor...
Would would the world be like without books? Ray Bradbury tackles that question—and many more— in Fahrenheit 451. Go ahead; read it on your Kin...
What is an Aggressive Growth Fund, A GO GO Fund, A High Octane Fund? An aggressive growth fund (also referred to as GO GO or high octane) is a type...
Agricultural technologies include reapers, barbed wire, artificial fertilizer, pesticides, Transformers, robots in disguise...wait. Maybe not that...
Like most previously colonized countries, Mexico and Brazil have experienced quite a few growing pains. Leave it to Europeans with twirly mustaches...
The Russian Revolution was the result of a long and complicated history. It definitely didn't go like the cartoon version, either.
Up next, will Lenin's health prevent him from governing? Will Trotsky become his successor? And what's that Stalin guy up to?
Think of this video as a how-to guide for not getting lobotomized. Practical? Maybe not. Entertaining? Um...
If black slime oozes out of your locker when you open it, and you hear a weird growling sound deep within the abyss, maybe it’s time for some org...
Not only is a picture worth a thousand words, but it's also a much shorter read. May we recommend the graphic novel version of War and Peace?
Sure, spending the holidays at Grandma's is always nice, but every once in a while it's fun to mix things up and instead trudge throw snow and cold...
A great marriage begins with a blooming pear tree and ends with a hurricane, rabies, and a murder trial…or something like that.
Preserving the environment is actually pretty important... you know, because we live here and we don't want to leave a path of destruction in our w...
World War I started pretty much how you'd expect, plenty of scheming, a couple of assassinations, and a few people none too happy about their lack...
This is the part of the bible where Jesus has super alchemy powers and turns water to wine and stops people from getting stoned. You know, normal s...
Today we'll learn about how people in Kongo were total Portugeeks...at least until Portugal started enslaving them. Yeah, that alliance didn't turn...
Today we're going to learn about how salt can build a city, and bananas can build an army. Seriously. Take a look.
Today we're going to learn about the Kingdom of Kongo, where any attempts to farm on a large scale were brutally halted by the menacing...tsetse fl...
Are monopolies evil? Should they be regulated? Should they be illegal? Monopolies in and of themselves, are neither good nor evil. How they conduct...
Movie adaptions always seem to make the hero’s life more complicated than it needs to be. They also always seem to split the last movie into two...
What are Public Goods? All members of a society use public goods and the use of these goods by one person doesn’t have any effect on another memb...
You may think it would be pretty cool to be the girl whose face launched a thousand ships. But those ships weren't heading to a relaxing Bermuda va...
Changes in transportation technologies have had a major effect on globalization throughout human history. It's time for a whirlwind tour, so...get...
Modern anesthesia is just one of the reasons why we're glad to exist in modern times. Also, memes. Memes and anesthesia. They're equally important.
Hygiene in the ancient civilizations left something to be desired, but hey, at least they had soap. That's more than some of the smellier people we...
There are a bunch of health and household technologies to learn about, so buckle up as we introduce you to some of our favorites. Incidentally, the...
Newspapers… heard of 'em? They’re those things you use to line the inside of your gerbil’s cage. Well, believe it or not, there is actual new...
We've all heard about Hitler's rise to power, but what about the other factors that led to WWII?
This video provides a summary of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. When George and Lennie find new work during the Great Depression, fights, frie...
Okay, not every scenario where you disrespect your family ends in death, destitution, and divorce, but that doesn’t mean you should stop respecti...
What is Perfect Foresight? In the study of probability theory, perfect foresight is a hypothetical and unrealistic stated assumption in which someo...
The first part of the Bible chronicles the senseless evils of...census conducting. Yes, really. Check out the video to learn more.
Recap of Isreal and its Kings continues - this time we'll start with King Solomon's in the spotlight.
We tend to think of Shakespeare as the timeless author who did nothing but craft beautiful, hilarious plays for our enjoyment. However, the fact is...
Today we'll learn about how the Missouri Compromise, in part, led to Captain America and Iron Man engaging in epic an epic battle for...wait a seco...
This is The Story of an Hour...told in a few minutes. Okay, fine, eleven minutes and four seconds, to be exact. Hey, no judgment...an hour is hard...
Well, if this book doesn't make you want to tape over your laptop camera, we don't know what will.
What is short interest theory? Watch this not-so-short video to find out.
What are appropriate debt ratios? Are those just debt ratios that don't wear jean shorts to the opera?
High yield (or "junk") bonds are just like they sound... junky. They're bonds that pay a high interest rate, because they're so gosh-darn risky.
Welcome to another fun filled addition of the Old Testament. In this Bible video we'll be going over Job's life story.
Aliens v Predator. Batman v Superman. Jimmy Carter v Iran. We saved the best one for last.
So the revolution was pushed along by… pamphlets? Sure, what the heck, let’s go with it.
Today we're learning all about Flannery O'Connor, who didn't even let death stop her from winning tons of awards for her writing. Seriously, it too...
What is a market maker? A market maker is an institutional member of an exchange that displays public willingness to trade by listing bids and offe...
What is inflation and how does it work? Inflation is the gradual increase in prices over time. You might today pay 100x for the commodity coffee wh...
What was the Great Depression? The Great Depression was a time when the economy saw the worst crash ever. The Great Depression began in the United...
What is free trade? Well, we’ll give you our knowledge of free trade in exchange for a click on this video...
Today we're going to learn about a Hobbes who was not a tiger, but did still hang out with a guy named Calvin. We know, our world was rocked too.
The characters in Beowulf knew the importance of bling. Watch the video to learn more about the place of material goods in the wonderful world of B...
What is Predatory Pricing? Predatory pricing happens when companies set prices really low to drive their competitors out and attempt to create a mo...
While the rest of the world was busy fighting World War I, Russia found itself keeping up with conflict at home and abroad.
Remember the disciples? Get ready for some rebranding and meet the apostles.
What are five questions you can expect to be asked in a private equity investing inverview? What investments from the industry have you liked or at...
What are the types of income tax? Federal income tax. State income tax. Real estate tax. Value Added Tax (VAT). Some tax is progressive, some tax i...
Today we're tackling unions, a.k.a. the people who brought you weekends, a.k.a. the greatest people who have ever existed. We'd send them a thank y...
Let's dive into Nathaniel Hawthorne' The Scarlet Letter, and analyze it from A-Z. Well, actually, we're only going to focus on the first few chapte...
In this video from our cyberbullying course, learn all about how to deal with cyberbullying when you are the victim.
How does transfer pricing work? Transfer pricing allows companies to set prices when exchanging goods between their subsidiaries or companies that...
In this video from our cyberbullying course, learn all about the evolution of cyberbullies from the caveman era to now.
The Pre-Civil Rights Movement... preceded the Civil Rights Movement. (If you got that, lucky guess.) It took place prior to the mid-1950s, and was...
The Dust Bowl isn't just a thing that happens when you forget to clean the kitchen. It was a period of severe dust storms during the 1930s which da...
What does it take to be a chef? Do you need the silly hat? Or do you just need to be really skilled at not slicing your fingers off with a mandolin?
Meet the Sauce Kings. And their Bubbie. And their... Reid. We're going to go on a little BBQ sauce-covered journey with them, as we see what it tak...
The present value of buying vs. leasing a bottling factory.
In this video, we'll explain the math and rationale of buying back your company's stock. So yeah... it's time to take stock of your stock.
Today, we're discussing historical rates of return in this soon-to-be historic Shmoop video.
What is Regression Analysis? Regression is a form of statistical analysis that goes back to trading history and isolating a particular variable to...
Newton's first law is the one about objects at rest tending to stay at rest and objects in motion tend to stay in motion.
Time for some fun with 2-D motion. We'll use horizontal speed and distance to find vertical motion, and more. So... a 2-D experiment, but 3-D excit...
Weighted averages & expectations are all about odds; the odds of getting paid back, the odds of making it in the NBA, the odds of...watching th...
You paid $1.4 billion for ThunderDrone. What happens now (after you pray)? What do you owe? The company is doing meh. All hopes ride on the new Hyd...
What do you get when the guy who wrote “The Raven” makes a serious effort to write in verse? Poe-try… Now, when you’ve detached your eyes f...
Buckle up, Shmoopers. Today, we're talking about the wildest, most sinful topic we've ever covered: Puritan poetry. What, you thought we were serio...
Check out this video to learn more about Gothic Romanticism
The process of revision involves editing, proofreading, writing multiple drafts, evaluating your evidence, clarifying your main point, and admittin...
What are the basics of trigonometry? And why are we learning about this in a physics course? Both good questions. In this video, you'll learn about...
The primary purpose of the first two paragraphs (lines 1–15) is to
"Accidental racist?" Yup. Like the song. We're talking about the"oh, I didn't even know I thought that way" type of accident, not the "I totally di...
The organization of the passage can best be described as
The intended audience for the passage is most likely
The author mentions Jim Crow laws (line 23–26) and Rosa Parks (lines 26–27) chiefly to
Believe it or not, when WWI started, people still rode into battle on horseback to engage in sword fights. Sword fights. People just don't fight li...
Apparently when you kill a monster it's like your birthday and Christmas all rolled into one super mega celebration of you. No wonder they're all d...
What were Cambodia and Laos up to during The Cold War?
Want to build your own empire? Take a page from the Aztec's book! Fair warning though...that book might be soaked in blood.
Hate getting shots? Look on the bright side! At least you don't have to snort diseased scabs for inoculation. We wish we were kidding.
Today we'll learn about plans to assimilate the American Indian population after reconstruction. If you've ever seen Star Trek, you'll know that fo...
How were societies living in the Northwest Coastal region similar to those living in parts of California?
We're honestly just impressed that knights could maintain a code of chivalry while wearing all that armor. We would have just been hot and hangry.
Toxin resistant crops sounds like something straight out of a Marvel movie. ...Actually, we'd watch that movie. Have your people call ours, Marvel.
Okay, so...we're going to spend a little time with the KKK. Don't worry, it's only three minutes. And you can jump right into the shower afterward.
World War I was a total war, which meant that pretty much no one was safe, and war crimes became a big issue.
We Americans endure crises and return stronger than ever. It didn't kill us so it made us stronger. Kelly Clarkson for President!
With names like Mau Mau and Kikuyu, you might think this was a fun video about cats. But it's not. It's very not. Today's lesson is on the terrible...
The speaker's mysterious voice is derived mainly from her use of
Which of the following resulted from the Spanish Governor sending his nephew with the party that requested supplies from the Acoma?
What was the most significant factor in slowing the growth of labor unions in the late 19th century?
Which of the following was a key reason for the Battle of Acoma Pueblo in 1598?
Misappropriation. Misrepresentation. Miss Independent. Yeah... we'll get into all the Little Misses here. (Hint: "mis" = "bad")
John Calhoun's argument in the excerpt provides evidence for which of the following trends during the first half of the 19th century in the United...
Besides suffrage, one of the biggest goals of the women’s movement was to get rid of alcohol. Yeah...back then, people knew how to have fun witho...
AP Physics 1: 1.5 System Interactions and Changes. How much energy is expended in one lap?
PSAT 1.20 Writing Diagnostic. How would you change the underlined portion of the passage, if at all?
Wait - Animal Farm doesn't have a happy ending? We were really looking forward to Mr. Jones having a heaping plate of bacon for breakfast.
Time to take a closer look at the Middle Ages. And no, you can't go to your parents for help on this one. They may be middle-aged, but they're not...
Are you a leader or a follower? The herder, or the herded? Unfortunately for Ishmael and crew, they let themselves be Ahab’s flock in this story....
Rachel, Monica, Joey, Phoebe, ...Commodore Matthew Perry? That can't be right. Check out this video to find out more about Perry, steam ships, and...
Cyber warfare sounds scary, but guess what? ...It actually is. Sorry, we thought we could be reassuring, but then we remembered how afraid we are....
AP European History 1.3 Period 2: 1648-1815. Absolute authority is best exemplified by which historic royal ruler?
AP English Language and Composition 8.5 Passage Drill. A synonym to the word "vote" as it is used in line 33 would be what?
The United States destroyed its six-ton stock of confiscated elephant ivory, sending a clear message that the nation will not tolerate the wildlife...
When journalists started documenting the war in Vietnam, the American people discovered just how blissful ignorance could be. Warning: this video c...
The near extinction of the american buffalo totally wasn't all humans' fault...there were droughts and locusts and...well okay it was almost entire...
Benjamin Franklin was a true Renaissance man, so fitting his whole life into an autobiography must have been quite the task. But if anyone was up t...
PSAT 3.1 Reading Diagnostic. The passage most strongly suggests that people were attracted to urban areas after World War II because...what?
Steam power was a huge development for many reasons, perhaps the biggest being how well it opened pores.
Cloning is pretty cool, and can be found in everyday life! Cloning is pretty cool, and can be found in everyday life! Cloning is pretty cool, and c...
What do decomposing badgers, The Supremes, and a candy obsessed doctor have in common? They're all in this video about faming. Check it out, and be...
Sherlock Holmes might be the most famous fictional detective, but he comes from a long line of sleuths going all the way back to ancient history.
What's the difference between semi-annual and daily compounding when it comes to bonds? Get your calendars and calculators out for this one.
Whether you've got a green thumb and some magic beans or you kill everything you touch, there's a plant out there that's perfect for you.
That map at the beginning of the book isn't just there to kill trees. It can actually help us come to a stronger contextual understanding of a text.
Time to learn about Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin. So quit Stalin and hit play already.
We know, the title probably conjures up tons of images of monkey sidekicks and wacky Genie songs, but Aladdin is actually a story that has been tol...
So that's why Brad Pitt looks so fit in Troy! (The movie, not the city-state.) He's related to the gods, just like Achilles was. We always knew kne...
What is a sinking fund? Companies that issue bonds pay the interest coupon amount each year and are required to redeem all of the principal at matu...
U.S. Presidents... Jim Crow... Battle Royal.
Immigrants built the transcontinental railroad, worked in our factories, and most importantly, brought new foods to the United States. Can you imag...
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has gotten pretty heated throughout history. Here's a brief overview of just how long and complicated that history...
We hear nuclear power is explosively popular. Eh? Eh? ...Don't tell us to keep our day jobs. This is our day job.
What are unlimited wants? Unlimited wants is the fancy economic term used to describe the fact that people want more and more “stuff.” The defi...
Yep, We're not kidding. This totally used to happen. Wives and children of soldiers would just march along with them and help out behind the scenes...
Get ready to learn about the biggest breakup the planet has ever seen. It all started with a relationship that the tabloids liked to call "Pangaea"...
Beta is variability; a stock with a beta over 1 varies more than its relative index - on up days, that stock moves up more than the market (usually...
Hopefully, spending six minutes learning about Shakespeare's The Tempest isn't going to throw you into a fury. We'd hate to be responsible for you...
The Harlem Renaissance: an era when a group of basketball players who could do insane tricks switched gears and started painting oil portraits. Or...
The elusive nature and notion of profits.
A brief history of foreign exchange…à la Shmoop.
How do you start a research paper? Like... other than reading a couple of Wikipedia articles and rewriting them "in your own words"? You've come to...
Video Playlists
11 playlists found
Playlist Short Stories: Shmoopversations 6 videos
This video defines symbolism and analyzes the use of symbolism in stories like The Great Gatsby and To Kill a Mockingbird. What effect do symbols h...
The micro setting: Enterprise. The macro setting: “Space, the Final Frontier!”
This video defines theme and investigates how it’s used in literature—is it intentional? In this video, we discuss the difference between theme...
Playlist Oedipus: Shmoopversations 6 videos
Oedipus learns more about the prophecy and King Lauis' death, with a little help from his on-stage-Greek-chorus friends. It's becoming clear he may...
Oedipus confronts Jocasta about the prophecy and learns that it has in fact come true. What could be a more awkward family dinner conversation when...
Playlist Blockbuster Books 9 videos
What are the perks of being a wallflower? Shmoop amongst yourselves.
One video to rule them all. One video to find them. One video to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. Or something like that. The Lord of...
Have you ever read a book and thought, "Whoa, this sounds like my life"? If you feel that way about The Fault in Our Stars, you're in for some majo...
Playlist Beowulf: Shmoopversations 11 videos
Who is it about? Who told it? Who wrote it? Who are we? What’s the meaning of life? Do you know the Muffin Man? All these answers and more can be...
Old English is just English, right? Can’t be more difficult than reading Shakespeare, right? Hah. Yeah...no. Click on the video to find why tra...
Playlist The Hunger Games Series 6 videos
We get it: Jennifer Lawrence is awesome. We think so, too. That being said, we wouldn't actually want to see her killing other kids in a bloodthirs...
It's not your everyday teenager that volunteers to enter a fight to the death, but then again not every teenager has a cool name like "Katniss Ever...
We volunteer you as tribute to watch this video analysis of Katniss in the second book of the Hunger Games series. After the berry suicide attempt...
Playlist Dystopian Literature 11 videos
Well, if this book doesn't make you want to tape over your laptop camera, we don't know what will.
Brave New World is supposed be an exciting book about a negative utopia and the corrupt powers of authority. So where’s the big car chase? What's...
Are humans civilized, or are we just savages waiting to come out? William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies tackles that question.
Playlist Contemporary Literature (21st Century) 11 videos
Yes, there are kites. Yes, there are runners. No, despite how much we love running and flying kites, this isn't a happy story by any stretch of the...
If you're still eating pie on a regular basis, you probably haven't read this book or seen the movie. If you have and it hasn't swayed you...well,...
One minute, we're crying out of sadness; the next thing you know, we're crying out of laughter. Arnold's diary puts ours to shame. Excuse us while...
Playlist Frankenstein: Shmoopversations 14 videos
We’ll preface this video about Frankenstein’s preface by saying that Mary Shelley is an awesome woman, and she wants everybody to be aware. Che...
Dearest Shmooper, Watch the video to find out more about the epistolary, layered, narrative of Frankenstein. Or watch a cute kitten video on Yout...
Imagine Frankenstein characters as zombie/werewolf hybrids: one side wants brains, the other hearts. How to choose? Also, what to name them? Zomwol...
Playlist Kafka, Moby-Dick, and the Southern Gothic 10 videos
Ready for a horror story that isn’t about a bad hair day? Pick up a Southern Gothic novel like Moby-Dick or As I Lay Dying instead. Though now th...
Call me Shmoop...er, we mean, Ishmael. It’s time to catch a whale. ...Just kidding, we’ll read about it instead. The WWF told us we can’t d...
What’s our place in the universe? Sometimes, we find ourselves looking at the sky, pondering where we belong. Then, a voice softly whispers, “i...
Playlist Dracula: Shmoopversations 16 videos
Readers may be already be familiar with Dracula, but what about the mathematician and author, Bram Stoker? And yes, he graduated with a degree in m...
Vlad the Impaler was an appropriately named guy, until he went on tropical vacations. Then, he went by Vlad the Imtanner. For some facts that are a...
Looks, wealth, and a super cool castle to live in… Well...maybe not live in, if you happened to be Dracula. But for the most part, this guy had...
Playlist PBIS 77 videos
Dear 23B, Life is hard enough as it is, so stop being such a jerk, or we’ll throw airline peanuts at you. ...Oh. Is that not a nice thing to...
Stuck on an abandoned island with your buddies? Guess you better learn to cooperate. Otherwise, no one will be able to get back to civilization and...
You’re hanging with your pals and you just can’t decide...Star Wars, or My Little Pony? So you ask if everyone can cooperate and make a new sho...