Students write on four specific questions,each question having a page or more of writing as response. Students are encouraged to think from a philosophical viewpoint and to use their imaginations. To answer the questions well, they have to understand the book on a deep level. It could be a social or political monster, or it could be a monster in your own life. For example, some people see the atom bomb, or nuclear power in general, as a monster that has run out of control.
Some people see alcohol as a monster.
Explain why and how the monster was created. Describe his love. Because these ideas arise in class, the students are asked to keep their journal handy so that they can write notes as the class raises issues they hadn't thought of personally. One of the ideas that has worked pretty well for me in Music Appreciation is to ask students to imagine that they are a composer or movie producer with a whole symphony orchestra at their disposal. The famous love scene in Juliet's room when Romeo spends the night and then escapes over the balcony the next morning.