What do students do after they've read a text? In many English classes, students will read whatever their teacher assigns, maybe they'll participate in a class discussion (or maybe they won't) and then take a comprehension quiz or write an academic response analyzing the literary or rhetorical devices. These are all fine ways to engage with a text- but to only process a rich piece of writing through academic analysis seems not to do it justice.
The beautiful and powerful aspects of language become diluted when we explain them too logically. A poignant string of words can open up fields of imagination.
“Be original, show off your style, and tell your story.”