Experiences with Classic Literature in School: From Boredom to Anxiety

From the grand masterpieces of Dante to the unsettling adventures of Hatchet, many of us have encountered books in school that either bored us or gave us a sense of unease. These experiences, whether love at first—or last—glance, are part of the journey of education and personal growth. In this article, we delve into the stories of three classic books that elicited mixed emotions from readers. We explore why certain works of literature can be so divisive and what makes them memorable.

Struggles with The Divine Comedy

The Divine Comedy, composed by Dante Alighieri, stands as one of the most significant works of Western literature. However, for many students, it can be a challenge to unravel its mysteries.

“The entire trilogy of The Divine Comedy is this: ‘Dante goes through the levels of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. He talks to souls, obsesses over Beatrice, who he maybe met twice, and gets angry at the Popes and French,’” reflects a former student. “Basically, the entire trilogy is boring because there is no exciting plot. It’s written in a confusing way, and much of what he talks about are symbols for medieval Italian things. There are clear theological issues, and he is so inconsistent!”

For some, the book might be too philosophical and politically complex, making it hard to follow. “Maybe if we just read the Inferno it would have been fine, but it just gets worse as you go higher,” the student adds. “As a disclaimer, I’m not just saying this because it’s old. I liked Homer and Beowulf, but I just cannot stand Dante!”

Barrier to Reading: The Lord of the Flies

One student shared their experience with The Lord of the Flies, a novel by William Golding, and emphasized the horrors of the first chapter that made them never make it past it. “It’s the barbaric quality of the book that made me feel uncomfortable enough to stop reading,” they said, even though they completed the assignments based on class attention.

Much of the book’s content is too violent and challenging for a teenage mind. “I found the book too barbaric to read,” they noted. This stark contrast between the assigned reading and the actual content highlights the importance of understanding the target audience in educational material selection.

The Struggling Student’s Journey with Shakespeare’s Works

Shakespeare’s plays, a cornerstone of high school reading lists, often leave a lasting impression. “For instance, in Romeo and Juliet, where Juliet proclaims, ‘Wherefore art thou Romeo?’ I assumed she was asking, ‘Where is he?’” a former student explained the confusion many teenagers face. “Actually, it means, ‘Why are you Romeo’ as in, why are you a member of that despised family?”

This misunderstanding reflects how the language and context of Shakespeare’s works can make them difficult to grasp for younger readers. “It was to my teenage mind, ridiculously overwritten and obscure. I could never wrap my noggin around the phrasing,” they added. As an adult, this student now sees the value in Shakespeare’s plays and recognizes them as important literary works, but as a teenager, the experience was far from enjoyable.

“I was much happier when we moved onto things like Lord of the Flies and Pygmalion,” they stated. This transition from Shakespeare to more modern works reflects how reading preferences can evolve with age and experience.

Struggles with Survival Fiction: Hatchet

Hatchet, a novel by Gary Paulsen, is often included in middle school reading lists due to its fast-paced and engaging plot. However, for one student, the book turned out to be a mix of anxiety-provoking encounters and illogical survival scenarios.

“Hatchet contributed to several of my current anxieties – flying heart attacks and don’t laugh about porcupines. A boy’s name is Brian takes a small plane to meet his father in Canada. The pilot promptly has a heart attack,” the student recounted, starting with a barely believable premise.

“Brian crash-lands the plane in a lake, and it’s just a case of Murphy’s law take effect,” they continued. Over the course of the book, which is not very long, Brian gets attacked by a skunk, a porcupine, a moose, and a tornado. The unpredictability and intensity of these events made the book unreadable for the student.

“These are not necessarily in order,” they added, “I’m not about to look up the book again.” The book’s plot is a mix of unlikely disaster and equally unlikely survival, making it hard for the student to engage with the story.

“He eventually goes into the lake to get supplies from the plane, and finds that fish and whatever else live in lakes have eaten away most of the pilot. He retrieves a survival kit, enjoys his first canned meal, and immediately gets rescued. The end,” the student concluded. “The book has such a mix of unlikely disaster and equally unlikely survival that I found it unreadable when we read it in fifth grade. I put other books in it and read those.”

In conclusion, classic literature can be a double-edged sword in the world of education. While some appreciate the depth and value of these works, others find them daunting and cumbersome. Understanding these diverse experiences can help educators tailor their teaching methods to better connect with their students, ensuring that classic literature remains a valuable but accessible part of the curriculum.