Secondary English Methods

"What if I don't like it?  What if I don't understand it?"

I was caught off guard by this question today in class.  I honestly had no good answer for her.  I tried to think of a time when I had to write on something I didn't like.  I could not think of something I didn't like.  

That is not to say that I did not understand it.  I have had many occasions where I had to write on a text I did not understand.  I still did not give her a good answer.  I am not sure I even gave her an answer.  I am sure this frustrated her.

I know when I run into having to write on a text I don't understand, I research it.  I find essays on the text and analysis written by other people on that text.  Sometimes I have to get a different translation of the text to understand it.  I have often had to listen to the text to understand it.  

With Shakespeare, I watch a theatrical production of the play I'm reading because I can interpret the subtle facial expressions and gestures by the characters to understand the text.  I allowed the students to watch a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.  I thought this would help, but it obviously did not help her.  I have a feeling she may be one of those readers who only understands texts if it tells her exactly what it is about.  It would have to be a text where she would have to infer nothing!

God, help her!