SparkNotes: to use or not to use?

As a junior, I am well aware of the large amount of homework that students receive every day. Honors English, especially, is time-consuming and involves reading 80 pages a night. 

This is when websites like SparkNotes, CliffsNotes and Shmoop tend to become as appealing as pocketing a ten-dollar bill laying unattended on the ground.

I know that 90 percent of the school population has read a book summary at least once. Since this sort of behavior is so common, it’s not really seen as something that is generally looked down upon.

One of my friends, who shall remain nameless, has sworn off SparkNotes and never used it even once. To her, SparkNotes detracts from the learning experience. She believes that a big part of the reading assignment is to figure out what the main ideas are without help from an outside source.

Not surprisingly, English teachers like Amy Keys agree.

“SparkNotes are insipid, clichéd and trite,” Keys said. “The ‘analyses’ offered on SparkNotes are usually lowest-common-denominator-type observations, weak sauce indeed, and frequently, flat-out wrong.”

I definitely think this is true. Even when there is no time, reading the book quickly is more enriching than reading summaries online.

However, this also brings up the fact that some students read summaries only because they do not understand what happened in the text.  This is especially true for hard-to-grasp works like Shakespeare’s plays.

My friend counters this by saying she just waits to ask the teacher to explain tough parts in class. The point she brings up is key. Most teachers do not expect students to understand the language 100 percent the first time around. After having discussions in class and re-reading the sections, the meanings of difficult words and important plot points slowly becomes more obvious.

Of course, there are ways to “Spark-proof” assignments. One good way to do this is to use works that do not have analyses and summaries online. By choosing books that are not typically used in standard English curriculums, teachers force students to read the story themselves. It seems weird, but staying away from teaching well-known classics might be the easiest way to encourage students to actually do work.

But still, you might say, there is no time to read. The reality: Learn to make time. Reading actually furthers learning skills not just in English. It helps chemistry, biology and even math textbooks. Good reading habits lead to success in every field.

“The whole point of reading the text is to develop one's own reading and analytical skills, one of which is finding the main and related ideas,” Keys said. “Reading SparkNotes is ‘outsourcing’ the analytical effort that the reader should be putting into understanding the text.”

According to Keys, teachers know exactly when students have used SparkNotes in essays and journal entries.

Ultimately, the decision to use SparkNotes is up to the student. Although time management can be difficult, mastering it really is the way to ensure a healthy lifestyle and good grades. If more people were like my friend (who, by the way, aces her English essays), they’d end up much smarter and much more prepared for college.