Final answer:
The metaphor of giants on high ground often symbolizes daunting challenges or fears that characters confront in literature, representing the human struggle against seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
Step-by-step explanation:
The section about giants on high ground can be interpreted as a metaphor for various challenges, obstacles, or issues that appear daunting and insurmountable from a distance, but once approached and engaged with, may turn out to be less menacing.
In the selection provided, giants represent larger-than-life trials or quests that characters must face, signifying the human struggle against overwhelming odds or the confronting of one's fears.
For example, in Don Quixote, the giants that turn out to be windmills represent the eponymous character's delusions and the internal battles he wages in the name of chivalry.
Similarly, in the introduction, the giant pine tree could symbolize an aspiration that towers over one's current abilities but inspires growth and the pursuit of goals.