Bài đọc:
Recently, Tom has just finished his summer course on 20th century literature, and he has had a great experience. Although he was nervous at first since it was a challenging subject for him, he ended up learning many new things and gaining a deeper appreciation for literature. One of the things that he loved most about this course was that he could have access to various texts from different countries and cultures. The students of the course learned American novels like “The Great Gatsby” and “To Kill a Mockingbird”, as well as works from Europe, Africa, and Asia. This helped them expand their knowledge of world literature and see how different writers express their ideas and experiences. Moreover, the learners also enjoyed the discussions they had in class. The teacher encouraged them to share their opinions of the texts. For example, after reading “Things Fall Apart”, the class talked about the impact of colonialism on African societies and how the main character's actions were influenced by his culture. Listening to other students' opinions helped Tom see the story from different angles and develop a better critical thinking.
The course wasn't always easy, though. Some books had complex languages and themes that were hard to understand at first. Tom really struggled with “James Joyce's Ulysses”, which is famous for its experimental style. It took a lot of time and effort to understand the book, but in the end, Tom was glad that he stuck with it because he was able to appreciate its creative use of language and structure. This experience taught him that sometimes you must work through difficult materials to fully appreciate their value.
Question: What was the biggest difficulty Tom faced while taking the course?
Dẫn chứng: "Some books had complex languages and themes that were hard to understand at first."