I was also one of those students who loved to read going into high school only to have it beaten out of me by English teachers over-analyzing everything. But...

I was also one of those students who loved to read going into high school only to have it beaten out of me by English teachers over-analyzing everything. But... as an adult I can definitely see and appreciate the value of it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen comments on r/TheHandmaidsTale along the lines of “why do people keep bringing up abortion laws here it has nothing to do with this show!” or have discussed Avenue 5 or South Park or some other satire with someone only to realize they’ve _completely_ missed the underlying message the writer(s) had made exceedingly obvious. I remember my teacher used to talk about the “what level” and the “so what level” and he definitely went overboard in exploring the so what level but I’m also grateful I’m not blind to it. I think there are a surprising number of people who are unaware of any meaning beyond the literal words they read or hear.