What motivates me is interpretation of works of art for literature students to appreciate the writers’ intended meanings. However, learning literature goes beyond the desire to interpret that text on the course outline. As a critic, I look at text from diverse philosophical standpoints that equip me with power to create knowledge from a text. Using eco-criticism, I share the podium with an environmentalist; psychoanalysis, a mental health enthusiast; Marxism, I establish bonhomie with politicians; postcolonialism, a cultural critique and postmodernism, a sceptical adversary of conventions. In short, an active reader brings something to the text and creates something more captivating than the artist’s text.