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Themes Videos


ELA 5: Themes

Picking a theme for a party is pretty easy—always go karate party, because they come with nunchuck egg rolls. Themes in writing are a little different. They’re about sending messages, not chucking egg rolls at unsuspecting bystanders. We're not saying one is better than the other, though. We suggest you chuck a few egg rolls and draw your own conclusion.


Compassion and Forgiveness Videos 2 videos

A Christmas Carol
33103 Views

How did Scrooge go from being naughty to nice so quickly, and why? (Hint: contrary to popular belief, it has nothing to do with the ghost of Santa...

A Rose for Emily
20515 Views

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?

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Family Videos 53 videos

The Diary of Anne Frank
30973 Views

She was just a girl who found herself in some unimaginably awful circumstances. If you feel like gaining some valuable perspective on the drama in...

Hamlet
104295 Views

In the world of Shakespeare, pretty much everyone either dies or gets married. Hamlet and co. got the short end of that stick.

The House on Mango Street
24200 Views

Do we need creative arts to survive, or is logic enough? And how can The House on Mango Street help us decide? Check out this video to find out.

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Fate and Free Will Videos 28 videos

Arabian Nights
11044 Views

Folk tales are all about conveying a deeper meaning—no banjos required. Arabian Nights is one of the most famous collections, so get ready to lea...

Frankenstein
112305 Views

No HBO? Well then, how does a horror short story writing contest sound? And the winner is...drum roll, please...Mary Shelley. You go, girl. And tha...

Frankenstein Summary
125770 Views

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!

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Friendship Videos 4 videos

A Midsummer Night's Dream
32888 Views

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,...

A Separate Peace
27813 Views

Have you ever pretended to be super happy for your BFF when they win an award when, really, you just wanted to rip it out of their undeserving, ung...

The Call of the Wild
9787 Views

A cheap shot at a bestseller or a deeper book with connections relevant to the human race? In The Call of the Wild, the protagonist is a dog named...

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Irony Videos 1 videos

A Beautiful Young Nymph Going to Bed: Oh, How Hollywood
2270 Views

And you thought a nymph was a naturally lovely woodland creature. To be fair, so did we. But boy did Jonathan Swift prove us wrong.

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Isolation Videos 22 videos

A Christmas Carol
33103 Views

How did Scrooge go from being naughty to nice so quickly, and why? (Hint: contrary to popular belief, it has nothing to do with the ghost of Santa...

Brave New World
79220 Views

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...

Brave New World Summary
106647 Views

This video summarizes the plot of Brave New World from the point of view of John (you know, the “savage”). It covers the escapism, social casts...

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Love Videos 57 videos

A Midsummer Night's Dream
32888 Views

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,...

As You Like It
10350 Views

We're not sure if good ol' Shakespeare would endorse The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, but that's not going to stop us from hosting themed viewing...

The Diary of Anne Frank
30973 Views

She was just a girl who found herself in some unimaginably awful circumstances. If you feel like gaining some valuable perspective on the drama in...

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Power Videos 18 videos

Atlas Shrugged
2485 Views

Ayn (rhymes with "mine," ironically enough) Rand penned this cult classic over 50 years ago, but it still resonates with today's audiences. Our que...

A Clockwork Orange
11511 Views

Why did the editor give Chapter 21 of A Clockwork Orange the axe? Was it because he wanted to leave the reader hanging? Or did he realize Americans...

Lord of the Flies
103793 Views

Are humans civilized, or are we just savages waiting to come out? William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies tackles that question.

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Race Videos 4 videos

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
2299 Views

Should you ever find yourself on a raft, floating down the Mississippi River, you're going to want something to do. Reading Mark Twain's classic, T...

The Color Purple
1322 Views

In The Color Purple, Celie is abused by her father and husband. She leaves her father by marrying Mr. ________, and then leaves Mr. ______, too. Bu...

A Raisin in the Sun
18501 Views

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...

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Warfare Videos 5 videos

A Farewell to Arms
20537 Views

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.

The Red Badge of Courage
9071 Views

Stephen Crane wrote The Red Badge of Courage about the Civil War not long after the war had ended. And get this: he didn't even fight in the war. W...

The Sun Also Rises
32296 Views

This video discusses the important ladies of The Sun Also Rises…make that the one important lady. Brett is the only major female character in the...

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