American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
31
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VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue06 2025
PAGE NO.
31-35
10.37547/ajsshr/Volume05Issue06-08
24
An Innovative Model for Literature Education in Higher
Education: A Case Study of Nazar Eshonqul's 'Go'r O'g'li'
Novel
Usmonova Umida
Lecturer, Department of Distance Education, Alisher Navo'i Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language and Literature, Uzbekistan
Mohammad Basir Moqemi
Lecturer, Department of Uzbek Language and Literature, Jawzjan University, Uzbekistan
Received:
14 April 2025;
Accepted:
10 May 2025;
Published:
12 June 2025
Abstract:
This article presents an innovative model for organizing literature classes in higher education through
the lens of Nazar Eshonqul's novel "Goʻr oʻgʻli." The research was conducted with 5th
-year students studying
Uzbek Language and Literature Education. The study investigated the potential for effective engagement with the
novel's text by systematically applying tasks aimed at deep textual analysis, including "Close Reading" questions
and tasks focused on understanding the symbolism of plot, setting, characters, and processes. Additionally, the
"Social Roles," "Literature Circles," and "Chained Conclusion" methods were systematically implemented. The
results indicate that these methods significantly contribute to developing students' critical thinking and literary
analysis competencies.
Keywords:
literary education, Nazar Eshonqul, "Goʻr oʻgʻli" novel, method, "Close Reading" questions and tasks,
"Social Roles," "Literature Circles," "Chained Conclusion," "Character Map".
Introduction:
In contemporary Uzbek literature, Nazar
Eshonqul'
s novel "Goʻr oʻgʻli" stands out for its
philosophical depth, critical social spirit, and artistic
craftsmanship. The work illuminates complex
relationships between individuals and society,
addressing themes such as personal freedom and the
pressures of social systems. Studying this novel in
literature classes serves to develop students' critical
thinking abilities, enhance their understanding of social
issues, and foster their skills in deeply analyzing literary
works.
Literature Review
"Nazar Eshonqul's
novel 'Goʻr oʻgʻli or the Water of
Life,' initiated in the 1990s, was originally titled 'Lahad'
(The Grave), as acknowledged by the author himself. It
is dedicated to reflecting the true picture of human
feelings being suppressed within the system and the
treatment of the human individual in society" [X.
Toʻliboev: 2024, 393]. Z. Pardaeva considers this
mythopoetic novel one of the significant achievements
of Uzbek prose [Z. Pardaeva: 2023, 64]. In contrast, I.
Yakubov criticizes the work, stating that "the blend of
fantasy and reality, imagination and life observed in
contemporary Uzbek novels, is actively employed, but
the work follows Western philosophy rather than
ancient Eastern doctrines" [I. Yakubov: 2023, 371-372].
There are also diverse opinions regarding the novel's
content. I. Yakubov's research concludes that the main
character, N., "accepts that the essence and meaning
of life consist of suffering. That is, N. moves forward
from the 'borderline situation' between death and life,
seeking to affirm his existence, and ascends to
aesthetic and ethical levels of existence. However, he
cannot rise to the religious stage of truly understanding
existence" [Yakubov I: 2018, 258]. Conversely, X.
Toʻliboev states that at the end of the work, N. "comes
to the conclusion that being a slave to anyone other
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
than the Creator is the most helpless and worthless
way for a human to live" [X. Toʻliboev: 2024, 397].
Overall, "Goʻr oʻgʻli" is one of the key objects of study
as a significant example of post-independence Uzbek
literature. Therefore, this work is actively studied by
both researchers and literature students. In this
research, we developed recommendations for
analyzing the work during the academic analysis
process. These recommendations are based on the
"Deep
Reading"
technique
(Close
reading).
"Understanding connections within the text, building
upon prior knowledge, identifying unexamined aspects
in the text, and analyzing what the author intended,"
specifically asking questions, identifying symbolism,
and writing down the results of these two activities, are
considered strategies of deep reading. Therefore, when
discussing "Deep Reading," "Adler and Van Doren
(1972) suggest that readers become detectives in their
engagement with the text as they explore its layered
structures" [Baker S.: 2017, 71-75].
METHODOLOGY
Initially, the study involved working with "Deep
Reading" questions and tasks designed for in-depth
textual analysis.
I. Answer the questions by relying on the text and
context.
1.
How was the great importance of entering the
Chief's office demonstrated?
2.
Describe the environment of Soviet-era
organizations through the depiction of the Chief
shaving twice a day, the secretary applying makeup,
and N.'s roommate brushing dust off his shoulder.
3.
Explain the Soviet system through the
sentence: "Don't speak about work-related problems
to the leader."
4.
N. carried the lever, yet everyone in the office
knew he was entering the Chief's room and became
agitated. Even strangers recognized N. and gathered
under the window. Explain the socio-psychological
state of ordinary people during the totalitarian era
through these two depictions, using the keywords:
censorship, control, spectator.
5.
Why doesn't the Ferris wheel turn? Why does
the Ferris wheel resemble the workplace?
6.
"Like the dead, there was no difference
between my night and day, or my today and tomorrow.
I came to infect you with my pains and torments. Yes,
that's right, bring me back to life, you needed me. Only
you needed me. Give meaning to my life, give me
torment! I found you by tearing my heart apart. Yes,
that's how it is with the dead: but I wanted to live, and
I came to you to bring me back to life." What do we
learn about the character's psyche through this
confession?
7.
Why was he called by mistake? Why was this
depiction necessary?
8.
The employees told him that the ceremony
could not be postponed. "N. was preoccupied with
ensuring the ceremony ran flawlessly, a habit of many
years; he unconsciously worried that any shortcoming
in the ceremony might tarnish our office's reputation."
How was the process of systemic values suppressing
personal values from consciousness implemented? Is
this expressed in the work?
9.
What ideological principles are expressed in
the work through the widely organized funeral
ceremony?
10.
Even though the leader never handed himself
a certificate of praise, he had no doubt that it was so
internally. Can this conviction be said to be the basis of
his tragedy? Explain your answer.
11.
"However, he did not want to deviate from the
rules. He was not used to disrupting the rhythm of his
daily life." If he was so orderly, why was he precisely
the one sent to his death?
12.
Could keeping a diary be one of N.'s crimes?
13.
Why do Tall Guy and Bald Guy badmouth each
other? Why does the editor's nephew criticize the
reporter and say he will help the young man, yet push
the young man out to get him to leave?
14.
"People humiliated by old age are always
nervous." What role do the depictions of elderly people
play in understanding the character's psyche?
15.
"A person whose work goes well and whose
worries no longer perch on their tree always wants to
be benevolent. Life is always a struggle between
benevolence and envy. If benevolence turns into envy,
it is not surprising. Envy is also a sign of life." Explain the
sentence based on the work. Why are almost all the
characters in the work troubled by the illness of envy?
16.
"Law, in essence, means obedience." Explain
this judgment.
17.
Scenarios and applications are read by guards,
and the cemetery guard is a bailiff. Guards are the
descriptive pillar of the work's setting. Do you agree
with this idea? Explain your answer.
18.
State N.'s words, who was the cause of all
problems.
19.
Were the answers given to Burunduq the
answers that led to his death?
20.
What meaning does the crowdedness of the
interrogation room convey?
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
21.
"Discontent is a dangerous symptom. A
discontented person is ready for any crime. Anything
can be expected from an unhappy person. Unhappiness
is a bad emotion. Unhappiness is also considered a
crime, or rather, preparation for a crime, at any
moment, with bitterness, one can commit a crime; a
person who considers himself unhappy stands among
criminals. Our task is to prevent crime." Explain
Burunduq's thoughts.
22.
Who were the complainants?
23.
Who is the investigator, in reality, and why is
he absent?
24.
Do unusual depictions such as Burunduq's
shortness and the evidence being a cup have a logical
meaning?
25.
Why is the investigator's building located in the
steppe after the investigation department?
26.
Who is the cowardly scientist Shomon?
27.
Did N. understand the truths when he thought
about the "organization that works to distract people"?
28.
"If the investigator's death were revealed, can
you imagine criminals rising up in the city and
unbelievable chaos beginning? A veritable doomsday
would begin. N. was humbled before the scientist's
evidence-based thoughts, as the scientist himself said.
Indeed, it is natural that they are keeping the
investigator's death a secret, just as the scientist said.
Then they would be pointlessly bothering and
harassing N. in the investigator's name." Provide
examples based on historical facts for the mechanisms
of the system's shaping and control of human
consciousness.
29.
"Of course," said the scientist. "They are
absolutely required to work honestly. And honesty is
determined by bodily purity. Know that whoever has a
clean div is more honest." Is this form of honesty still
applicable today?
30.
In the work, the book of law is read in the
bathhouse. Explain the symbolism. Are laws still being
studied in bathhouses today?
II. Following the questions and tasks, students are given
an assignment to briefly outline the plot elements to
form a general understanding of the work in their
minds. (Sample answers provided)
Express the plot elements briefly
1 Exposition
Information about N.'s character being known at his
workplace.
2 Inciting
Incident
N. being mistakenly called to the Chief's office, and his
desire to be addressed as N., stating his name is N.
3 Rising
Action
Occurs in the sequence of burial ceremony, editorial office,
court, interrogation room, cemetery, expulsion
4 Culmination
Howling like a dog.
5 Resolution
None.
III. Understanding the Qualities of Setting, Character,
and Process: Fill in the table with important places and
processes from the work and their descriptions. Try to
explain why these places and processes are depicted in
such a way.
Identify
N.'s room
Burial
ceremony
Interrogation
room
Dogs
howling
?
?
Write the
description
Lightless,
messy, dirty,
not
cleaned
for 6 months.
Open air,
sunny day.
Dark room,
desolate,
unpleasant
steppe.
Dark, dirty,
filthy
environment.
?
?
III. Understanding the Qualities of Characters and Their
Symbolism: Below are the descriptions of the given
characters and an explanation of their symbolic
significance.
Burunduq
Short and shrill-voiced.
Reporter at the door
Bald, cunning-faced.
Scientist
Hat-wearing.
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
Guard in the investigator's
building
Burly, tall.
Interrogation staff
Bare, like lower-grade students.
Havo
Middle-aged, with eyes staring fixedly and
shamelessly, an open face, and a warm
appearance.
Gravedigger
Yellowish complexion, smelling of wine, with a
tattered collar.
Assistant
Tall, a very seriously dressed young man.
IV. Organizing the "Social Roles" Method Through
Collaborative Activity: Uncover the masks of the system
through the social roles in the work. Each group
chooses 1 role: Guards
–
control; Investigator
–
holding
in fear, falsification; Judge
–
pressure; Employees
–
blind executors; Reporters
–
propagandists.
Task 1. Groups find answers to the following questions
for each role:
What function does this character actually perform in
society, and what function does it perform in the work?
Does this character possess individuality (humanity)?
Which of the roles given to the groups is furthest from
reality?
Task 2. Each group should prepare a "Character Map"
for their character. The card should sequentially reflect
the following: character's name, its function, its place
in the system, its relationship with others, what the
author criticizes through the character.
Task 3. Groups should work collaboratively to show
how the characters served the system using a cluster
method.
1. Explain their interdependence and the system's
chain of command.
V. General Classroom Task: Analyze the novel's
references to international literature and mythology
based on evidence from the text. Collaborative activity
is organized according to the "Literature Circles"
method. First, each group is given a separate task (such
as Greek mythology, Uzbek folklore, world literature).
For this assignment, specific tasks are assigned to group
members (e.g., for Uzbek folklore: studying the epic,
understanding the novel's connection to the epic,
extracting text from the novel). Each group and group
member collects information regarding their assigned
task. Finally, the group and groups generalize the
information.
VI. Implementing the "Chained Conclusion" Method: To
implement the "Chained Conclusion" method, two-
person groups are given cards with one keyword
written on each: human dignity, bureaucratic system,
injustice, moral values, truth and falsehood, criticism of
the system, belief. Based on these, they are asked to
write answers to the following questions: Explain the
paradox of the concepts of vitality and mortality
through the work. What is the root of the tragedy?
Partners present their answers in a predetermined
order (in a chained sequence). Here, the first group
presents its work, then the second group presents its
answer, taking into account the information from the
first group (without repeating the same answer). They
add the answers of teams given other keywords to their
conclusions. Finally, all teams collectively draw a
general conclusion.
As homework: Prepare a "Clown Theater" in a critical,
ironic spirit based on the work. In this method, students
approach the performance creatively and freely, with
improvisation and playfulness playing a key role.
Students generally rely on the text but can deviate from
it to add their own feelings and ideas.
RESULTS
The experiment was conducted with two groups of 4th-
year students studying Uzbek Language and Literature
Education. A traditional lesson was conducted in the
control group. Analysis of the experimental group's
lessons showed that the recommended methodology
effectively helps students to understand the text
content more deeply and to comprehend its various
layers.
Specifically, the questions and tasks aimed at deep
reading of the text within the research methodology, as
well as practical work focused on analyzing plot
elements and understanding the qualities of setting,
character, and process, significantly enhanced
students' critical thinking skills. The results obtained
from uncovering the masks of the system through the
"Social Roles" method and illuminating paradoxical
concepts in the work through the "Chained Conclusion"
method
confirmed
that
the
level
of
text
comprehension in the experimental group was higher
than in the control group. This indicates that the
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
proposed methodology has high effectiveness in deep
text analysis and comprehension of literary works.
In the control group, students were limited to listening
to the interpretation of the work, which led to an
ineffective use of class time. 10 students showed
interest in presenting interpretations. Some students,
when answering, tried to respond by reading prepared
academic interpretations. 3 of the respondents were
able to deeply analyze the content of the work, 2 were
able to analyze at an average level, and 5 were found
to have a superficial analysis. In the experimental
group, every student actively participated in writing
and orally presenting their interpretations of the work,
and through collaborative activity, succeeded in
creating a collective analysis. Significant effectiveness
was observed in this group: 14 students were able to
deeply analyze the content of the work, 4 students
were able to analyze at an average level, and the
remaining students were assessed as having a
superficial analysis. Students demonstrating a high
level of effectiveness constituted 50 percent in the
experimental group, and 10.7 percent in the control
group. When implementing the experiment in practice,
it is recommended to ask students for short and concise
answers, avoid repetition of identical answers, set time
limits for group work, and strictly adhere to them. The
proposed methodology has the potential to serve as an
effective tool for analyzing large-volume texts of
literary works. It should be noted that achieving full
effectiveness may be difficult during the initial
implementation of the methodology, but its systematic
and continuous application leads to high academic
effectiveness.
CONCLUSION
The conducted research tested an innovative model for
organizing literature classes in higher education using
Nazar Eshonqul's novel "Goʻr oʻgʻli" as an example. I
n
the analysis of the work, the systematic application of
the following processes was found to be effective:
obtaining short answers to questions and tasks aimed
at deep engagement with the text; working with a table
to understand the plot; comprehending the symbolism
in the qualities of setting, character, and process;
implementing the "Social Roles," "Literature Circles,"
and "Chained Conclusion" methods. Pilot studies
showed that this system is significantly more effective
than traditional methods in developing students'
critical thinking, literary analysis, and deep text
comprehension competencies. The research results
confirmed that the proportion of students who could
analyze at a high level in the experimental group was
almost five times higher than in the control group,
which demonstrates the high academic effectiveness of
the methodology. Systematic and continuous
application of the methodology allows for achieving
even higher results in the analysis of large-volume
literary works.
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