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Why should you read Toni Morrison’s “Beloved”? - Yen Pham

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TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

Two tiny handprints stamped into a cake. A mirror that shatters without warning. A trail of cracker crumbs strewn along the floor. Everyone at 124 Bluestone Road knows their home is haunted— but there’s no mystery about the spirit tormenting them. So begins “Beloved,” Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. Yen Pham digs into the novel's exploration of the dehumanizing effects of slavery.

What do you think Morrison meant when she wrote that slavery poisoned the lives of both enslaved people and their enslavers?

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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 Yen Pham
  • Director Héloïse Dorsan Rachet
  • Narrator Christina Greer
  • Sound Designer Spencer Ward
  • Music Salil Bhayani
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
  • Script Editor Iseult Gillespie
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

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