Week 2 Explanation

SparkNotes can be both a great hindrance and a great asset to those studying a piece of literature. The notes aid a student in understanding what a book is about, but SparkNotes can also act as a crutch to students who are too “busy” to read the book -- a crutch that atrophies your most important tool: the mind. Often, teachers ask students not to use SparkNotes at all. Doing so is like saying “never start a sentence with ‘because’” (teachers say this to help students avoid sentence fragments); teachers are afraid students will not be able to use information appropriately. And then, of course, teachers use SparkNotes themselves and students are shocked -- shocked! -- at the hypocrisy.

Well, I’m asking you to go check out what SparkNotes has to say about a book on your summer reading list. I am also going to admit that sometimes I’ll use the notes to remind me about a book I’ve already read or to remind me about important themes and terms to discuss with you. But I will ALWAYS READ THE BOOK! I do not use SparkNotes as a substitute for reading the text, and I don’t want you to do that either. Many students, both high-achieving and low, will look at SparkNotes regardless of my personal stance toward the resource. So this week’s post centers on discussing what SparkNotes has to say about a book on your reading list.

In the past, students have plagiarized whole sections of SparkNotesm trying to pass it off as their own work. That’s a BAD IDEA. Usually it’s painfully obvious that the student is NOT the one who wrote the piece. Unfortunately, students don’t usually write with the tone or mechanical prowess of text written for SparkNotes. Don’t abuse SparkNotes that way. Instead, use it to give you ways to talk about the book: words, themes, terms, ideas. Many of the thoughts I’ve had about a book but find hard to put into words are clearly explained on the SparkNotes page. That DOESN’T MEAN I REGURGITATE SPARKNOTES. When I read what the notes say, I can then integrate their terminology into my own theories and ideas about a text. Sometimes I’ll find something new and then I can talk about it in my own way, not in SparkNotes’ way. I know it can sound confusing. Simply put: use what SparkNotes says to aid your own interpretation, your own style, your own theories.

To start, you should have finished a summer reading book, and it should be a book on the SparkNotes literature pages. Before reading SparkNotes, you should write down your own thoughts about a book’s themes, characters, literary devices, or anything of note. Try to interpret the book in your own way BEFORE looking at SparkNotes. Then read what SparkNotes has to say about the book’s context, characters, themes and motifs, symbols, and key facts. I copied and pasted everything into a word program, printed it off, read it, and highlighted parts I wanted to discuss. Now reflect on several differences, similarities, and other connections between your interpretation of the book and SparkNotes’ interpretation. That’ll be your post for this week.

When you write for this assignment (and most of the others) keep the following general guidelines and possibilities in mind: 1). DO NOT SUMMARIZE. I don’t care if I haven’t read your book; I’m not asking for the plot. Just stick to why it was influential to you. 2). Pay attention to your content, ideas, and organization as you structure your post. 3). Certainly mention the book title (use italics to set it off) and author. The title of the post should contain the title of the book and your last name, like last week’s posts. 4). Discuss one or several of the following: What new ideas/interpretations of the novel did SparkNotes highlight for you? What do you think SparkNotes is missing or doesn’t explain well enough? What do you disagree with in SparkNotes’ interpretations? What is some new information you learned about the novel and how does it affect your interpretation of the work? 5). Because this is your own personal reflection, you can use first-person POV. 6). Practice using quoted material from SparkNotes and/or your novel in this post.

Try to have a good time. Remember internet safety protocols: don’t use your entire name or give away identifying information. You should probably change your display name if you’re using your real name. Be tactful and don’t disparage anyone. You are graded on the quality of thought and expression in your post, its length (between 700 - 1000 words), and on using quoted material properly. I suggest writing the post in a word processing program and then pasting it into the post window. Contact me if you have any questions and I’ll answer ASAP.