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Bazinator1975 t1_iyax68h wrote

I've taught the book for 10 years in summer school (albeit in Canada, so we may approach things slightly differently in terms of overall aims beyond a "basic" understanding), but I think the standing on the hill scene would have been an interesting place to start a class discussion:

Examine the language of the scene; visualize the physical aspects of the scene (cold, dark, physical distance, watching them from "above", etc.); then, ask the class what kind of "vibe" is being given off. I'm sure--while they may not arrive at symbolism exactly--they could piece together something like "He seems to feel isolated from his peers", or some such "take".

Next, "put a pin" in the idea. Tell the students to keep the scene in mind, and as they read, see if there is any other evidence of loneliness and/or isolation. At some point they will (hopefully) circle back to the scene with additional knowledge and information and connect the proverbial dots.

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dhrisc t1_iyb3rih wrote

Yeh you sound like a good teacher. I 100% agree with this approach. As someone who loves literature and critical theory but is not a teacher, I think the whole point of good lit (or art even) is the connections the reader makes, you don't learn or grow from obvious things, you have to go through a process of developing critical thinking and a perceptive eye, and I think a good teacher guides a student through that experience and building the skills to practice it themselves.

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