<p>This might sound stupid...so bear with me</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure that English majors read the books they're told, but in combination, do most use Sparknotes to verify what they read and the techniques used? (for books that this is applicable for)</p>
<p>Also, what do English majors do most of the time (courseload)?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>If you need to use SparkNotes to verify what you ready, English might not be the major for you.</p>
<p>Chris:
Secondary literature can, in fact, be very helpful in interpreting literature. I would most definitely recommend that someone form his or her own opinions before reading other interpretations, but I don't see anything wrong with it. Perhaps people should use more reliable sources than SparkNotes, but I imagine it could help to organize someone's thoughts, or alert them to a theme they hadn't noticed before. If a student uses it as additional research, there's nothing wrong with that.</p>
<p>glucose:
English majors are required to take between 12 and 15 courses in their major (depending on department requirements), which will consist of a variety of courses in different literary genres, and writing courses as well.</p>
<p>I agree.</p>
<p>I'm an English major, and for some courses (Shakespeare and Chaucer, primarily) or for some books, I found it really useful to look at some secondary piece of literature. I'd try to find things more reliable than Sparknotes, but sometimes it's all I could do.</p>
<p>As a major I had to take certain required courses, which included one course in each of four different periods... and then with my remaining major electives, I picked a focus. The majority of my work WAS in reading and preparing for in-class discussions, but there have always been several papers per course throughout the semester.</p>
<p>I love to write, so I figured that English would be a major-candidate.</p>
<p>I usually need to read the book, Sparknotes, and then class discussion to get the "full gist" of the book (like the purpose, underlying messages, etc). But after I do all those things, I generally am able to come up with my own findings. </p>
<p>The bad: CR is my lowest SAT score, as well as my literature SAT II score. This frightens me. I'm a skilled writer though.</p>
<p>CR is and (SAT II Lit) is utter crap. I absolutely suck at English, but I did well on both sections without studying. They don't look for in-depth analysis, they look for crap analysis. Not what you want in an English major.</p>
<p>Considering some people don't interpret it exactly the same as others, it is always a good idea to get Cliff Notes or Spark Notes for the secondary point of view.</p>
<p>Of course, if you're like me and can't pay attention while reading books (I swear I don't have ADD, I just am book-challenged unless it's really good) they're very useful as well. Also, I have a lot of trouble reading fonts smaller than 12 point in books, and some literature is written in like 10 point font which just has me lost.</p>
<p>My senior year of HS I had to read Frankenstein. Didn't read it at all, just Sparknoted my way through it 0:-) Also had to fake my way through every Shakespeare.</p>
<p>So will there be more tests like that in college or more writing assignments? I'm good at writing (not to toot my own horn or anything).</p>
<p>I'm thinking about becoming an English major. Should I read like a lot of books over the summer?</p>
<p>glucose 103? lol, are you the same as 101 or a different person?</p>
<p>Well since this topics up anyway, I might as well say that Spark Notes got me through the Scarlet Letter with A's. (You know, the drawn-out, depressing book that the corny movie was based off of?) I never even read the book but I did great on the tests and even impressed my teacher (this was in HS) by blabbering about 'themes' and passing it off as my own observation. I am soooo eloquent! It comes from my good breeding and expensive education of course.</p>
<p>The English TAs and professors are usually pretty good in discussing any trouble you have with the books one on one, so I never found a need for sparknotes. Plus, it's good to know your teachers. I've always had one on one contact with all of my English teachers. Some may even require conference, so you might just want to get used to talking to them one on one.</p>
<p>I only used them when reading Shakespeare, or when I didn't have time to read something from Shakespeare, so I would glance through sparknotes. But for books other than Shakespeare or the like, I don't really like to resort to sparknotes.</p>
<p>English courses most of the time discuss the readings assigned to you the previous night. We usually have group seminars discussing about the book or get into groups and discuss amongst ourselves. Assignments are usually essays or write ups. The good thing about being an English major is that there are rarely any finals or tests. We are just required to submit a portfolio or write a major essay at the end of the quarter. </p>
<p>The last English class I took that had a final required us to write an essay about the themes we read about in class, and there were several short responses.</p>
<p>Scarlet Letter IS NOT drawn out- I love that book!!!!!</p>
<p>Unless you LOVE to read and analyze the novel/poetry, don't do it.</p>
<p>If I didn't love history, I would've become an English major :) Tried to fit in a minor but didn't have room in the schedule.</p>
<p>Never used Sparknotes- like a poster said- if you feel the need to have SparkNotes for every book you read, then it's not the major for you. You'd just be miserable by giving yourself extra work.</p>
<p>^Note how Hawthorn spent the first few pages describing only roses around a debillitated courthouse. It seemed as though several gloomy years passed by me while I read those pages...after I snapped back from the evil spell that had imprisoned me while I read, I realized that the scarlet letter was a trap that would imprison the reader while feeding off of their soul! I had to escape and warn my classmates of the danger that confronted them!</p>
<p>Rushing from the school planter (the clouds parted in a dramatic fashion and shone light on me just like when Heather removed the Scarlet Letter from her bossum), I sprinted with all of my momentum against all people and obstacles shouting "Throw down Hawthorn's books! They will sap your life away!" Reaching my English classroom I threw open the door just as the teacher announced, "Now then, open your books to page 1." </p>
<p>Gasping for breath, I shouted with all of my remaining energy, "STOOOOP! ITS A TRAAAAAAAAP!" But I was too late! As the class lethargically turned to blankly face me, I saw that each had dull, life-less eyes and looked at me without any expression, the quintensense of lost humanity. Panic shook me and I ran around the room checking each person for a sign that even one had retained his true self. "Wake up Gary!' I said shaking the student who usually sat behind me. His response was to slump limply to the floor. "Wilson, Alice, somebody please say something!"</p>
<p>"They can't hear you," said the teacher in a booming voice. I looked and saw that a shadow had spread over the teacher's face. His eyes squinted beneath thick-rimmed glasses that shone from the edges with an eerie and unnatural radiant light. He opened his gaping mouth revealing a depths of unfathomable darkness that had infected his inner-being. His decaying yellow teeth shone as he barred a grin and told me nonchalently, "You are too late to save your class mates from the prison I have set out for them!" </p>
<p>Trying to catch my breath I could only gasp out, "...Why?" </p>
<p>Still grinning, the teacher spoke in an unnerving sinister tone without moving his lips, "Because I want to live forever! Are you still so dense that you don't understand what happeneds when you read the Scarlet Letter? Your youth and vitality is sucked away and funneled through the darkness to sustain a being from a sun-less planet shrouded in eternal darkness. For every student that I persuade to read this book, the being aquires the power and life energy of aproximately seven years in a human life-form."</p>
<p>"No! That can't be, it's impossible!" I expired. </p>
<p>He cackled and answered rhetorically, "Is it? Look at yourself now! You have aged nearly that much just by reading the first chapter! Just imagine how much I would have shortened your lifespan if you hadn't escaped that prison prematurely! You might have been an frail old man right now!" </p>
<p>While he spoke he drifted toward the copy of the scarlet letter on the desk, and picking it up, raised it over his head so that the pages faced me. Reflexively, I shielded my eyes and ducked behind the desk. Wind rustled through my hair, and glancing behind me I saw that the classroom wall was crumbling away. Cracks too were spreading on the brick wall before my eyes. The aging effect spreed quickly and from the celling a pile of rubble fell, blocking the door. Shoot, my escape was sealed!</p>
<p>Turning back to the teacer, I saw that he had drawn the book behind him. Making eye-contact with me, he slung his arm forward like a pitcher releasing from the pages shadowy forms that leapt from the book and tried to pounce on me. I rolled beneath the desk, and the shadow monster landed on top. It extended it's long limbs toward me the desk and mildew spread, covering the desk. It tried to claw me with it's hands, but batting one away, I picked the desk up from below and threw it at my possessed teacher. He jumped away, dodging my throw easily and the shadow monster dissolved upon collision with the white board behind him. </p>
<p>"I don't want to fight you teacher!" I shouted at him.</p>
<p>"Why not? Are you afraid of being expelled?" he asked sanguinely while opening a cabinent. Inside were stacks upon stacks of the Scarlet Letter. Each time he touched one, it transformed into a new shadow monster. "The real problem is I can't let you get away now that you've seen my true form. I'm still not done teaching students yet."</p>
<p>"But why are you taking part in this evil?" I demanded.</p>
<p>"Oh come now boy, you were always the smartest of my students yet you still haven't figured it out?" he asked. I didn't know what he was talking about.</p>
<p>"I am Hawthorn reincarnated!" he told me! "I am the being from the sunless world that has survived for centuries by funneling the life force from students of English classrooms around the world! And soon I will have your life too!"</p>
<p>He sent his shadows to attack me and I tried to think of something that could destroy him. Desperate, I rummaged through my Gary's backpack and saw a book titled, "Shakespheare: Compiled Trageties." Might as well fight evil with evil I thought. </p>
<p>Drawing the book behind me as I'd seen the teacher do, I slung the book forward page first and from by book leapt thousands of jumping spiders. They pounced on the shadows and my teacher, and began tying them up in webs. </p>
<p>When I saw that they were all tied up, I approached my teacher. "Return the lifeforce you stole to my classmates," I demanded. </p>
<p>He smiled, "So you've decided to take your first step into evil have you? Yes...Shakesphere was also from my homeworld and his books do have the power to oppose me. Congradulations on figuring out a way to defeat me using a cursed book, but you always were my best student after all. Now all you need to do is write a new prison book incorprating shadows and spiders and you will surpass me."</p>
<p>"Tell me how to save them or I'll..."</p>
<p>"What? Kill me?" He laughed. "You can't kill a shadow, you can only banish it! I'll just reform somewhere else under a new author's name if you try to hurt me." </p>
<p>While I sweated out what to do, a miracle occured. There was an explosion and a new hole was blown in the wall behind the teacher. Stepping through the wall and shrouded in light was the school Janitor. He glanced around at the destruction and then looked at the teacher, wrapped in webs. "I was going to save you, but it looks like you did alright!" he told me.</p>
<p>"Sir?" I asked incrediously.</p>
<p>"Yes, my parents come from a planet that regularly goes super-nova. Both were killed by Hawthorn, so I took up employment at this school planning on tracking him down. Unfortunately, it was only today that I learned that the identity of your teacher was the Hawthorn I sought."</p>
<p>At this point he had an exchange with Hawthorn in an alien language I had never heard. Then he lifted a book over his head, and from it radiated a bright light that caused Hawthorn to fade out, in the same way that shadows vanish in the face of an ever-brightening light.</p>
<p>"Once again, I gotta tell you ya did a nice job," he told me. I was unsure though, "What about the classmates?" I asked. </p>
<p>"Don't worry about them," he told me. Hawthorn still had enough life-force that by banishing him the life force returned to them. Look at them now."</p>
<p>I turned and saw my classmates beginning to stand and look about incredibously. "Well, I don't want to be seen when they wake up." He told me. ""After all, there remain many other authors from that dark sun-less world that threaten the world, and I can't let my cover be blown by drawing attention to myself." He started to leave but then looked back at me. He threw me the book he was holding and I caught it. "Lets keep in touch," he said, and then stepping into the outdoor sun he faded into the light.</p>
<p>Afterwards my classmates suffered amnesia. The school had a tough time explaning what had happened in the classroom, and came up with a letter talking about a badly routed gas pipe that had exploded. I personally took it upon myself to banish every Hawthorn book from the classroom using the book the Janitor gave me. I also visited bookstores and libraries, in an attempt to destroy them there too. Even though Hawthorn was gone, I still didn't trust the books not to sap away students' lives and felt the need to destroy them just to be safe. I guess I had become what you'd call an unsung hero.</p>