Skip to main content

Mining literature for deeper meanings - Amy E. Harter

393,277 Views

55,704 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

Writing a great English paper can be tough because literature doesn’t always reveal its deeper meanings immediately. You might not know Mr. Darcy’s true feelings for Elizabeth Bennett in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice or grasp the complex moral universe of Toni Morrison’s Beloved at first reading. Amy E. Harter offers a few tips on how to read and write more critically and thoughtfully.

Considering your answers to question one and two, what might be some of these big ideas (otherwise known as abstract concepts or thematic ideas) in the text that you would want to address in an essay? Explain how you arrived at these ideas based off of your own insight and acknowledgement of the text’s complexity.

Sign in to answer question

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Amy E. Harter
  • Animator Andres Bernal, Daniela Bernal, Hanna Hiroshi
  • Director David Bernal
  • Editor Gustavo Martinez, Sonia Rodriguez
  • Producer Nestor B. Macias
  • Narrator Amy E. Harter

More from Reading Between the Lines