<p>Hi, guys! I'm completing my summer assignment, Grapes of Wrath, for AP English, and I'm not sure if using SparkNotes will help or hinder me. I've used SparkNotes in the past to help with other books, but I've found that I'm often discouraged rather than enlightened. I look at all the symbols, themes, and hidden meanings the SN writers have found, and I put myself down for not finding them as well. I usually just copy their ideas rather than creating my own - as horrible as that sounds! - because I don't believe I'm as "smart" enough to come up with my own ideas. However, will I get <em>more</em> out of reading Grapes of Wrath unaided in the long run because I'm forming my own ideas (albeit mediocre) rather than regurgitating those of some pretentious English professor?</p>
<p>So, what's your opinion on SparkNotes? Should it be used as an aid - or avoided completely? Does it ruin the chance of developing critical thinking skills and forming your OWN ideas?</p>
<p>What I usually do is read the book, construe some inkling of an idea (regarding theme, motif, etc) and then consult SparkNotes where I usually find these ideas to be elaborated upon. I mean, I believe you should try to have some solid understanding of the book before going to SparkNotes, but, that’s just me.</p>
<p>Also, I think if you believe you aren’t “smart” enough to come up with ideas on your own, that’s somewhat of an inferiority complex at play which is something you should work on because it can be pretty detrimental in life to have such a defeatist attitude about your abilities. I mean, you’re taking AP English, you aren’t enrolled in Harvard Lit course, the kids who go to your school (I assume) aren’t all sparks of sheer brilliance, so why do you think you can’t do the work yourself?</p>
<p>I personally like Shmoop better.
I usually just read their summary and skim over their symbolism or whatever, and develop my own opinions. Sparknotes gives really minimal ideas on the book so I just make sure I’m not completely off and I elaborate based on that.
I love Sparknotes and Shmoop because I did not read Grapes of Wrath at all, yet I got best essay in my class with those sites! :D</p>
<p>Do the assignment on your own, then look at sparknotes. Make sure you hit all the key points as they do, and edit your paper or assignment if it needs something extra.</p>
<p>^Yep, I agree.
Read the book and form your own opinions (read chapter summaries along the way if you get confused) and formulate your own ideas. After you’re done, check out SN and see what you had in common and what was different.</p>
<p>NO. You must read The Grapes of Wrath- Steinbeck has an unique writing style, and the teacher is sure to ask you something about imagery, etc. that you would have no way of answering without reading it. Also, it’s pretty good- not very fast paced, but it more than makes up for it with how gut-wrenching some parts can be. That said, read the book, try to find the answers to the assignment, and then consult Shmoop and Sparknotes to compare results.</p>
<p>And, um, if you can’t come up with your own ideas, you are going to have a really really hard time on the AP Lit exam and in the class. Why are you even taking it? You don’t seem to really care about literature, and seem to have the idea that you have to conform to a certain type of thinking. Why are you upset you can’t find the same meanings as English Ph.D’s? Literature is all about interpretation- there is in fact no right answer. As long as you do sufficient analysis and back up your ideas, you’ll get an A. Form your own ideas, do the assignment, and see where it goes. If it really sucks, at least you’ll get sincere feedback from your teacher so you can improve.</p>
<p>Read the book yourself, take notes on symbols or whatever else you’re looking for, and then consult the wise sparknotes. I usually do it after each chapter so I can make sure I understand what i’m reading and just to clear up any confusions in the plot. If you don’t agree with the analysis that sparknotes has, you are probably not wrong. Find support for your own analysis and develop your own viewpoint; your teacher will probably appreciate that you thought about it differently.</p>
<p>Because analyzing literature is a skill, and you have to practice to be able to do it. This is like me being disappointed about the fact that I can’t play the piano even though all I ever do is watch other people play.</p>
<p>I probably should have mentioned that I’m reading the book regardless! I’m definitely not one of those kids who thinks reading mere SparkNotes summaries will pass as reading the book. Thank you for your response. Maybe I do feel pressured to conform to a specific way of thinking; taking AP English will give me the push to explore, analyze, and support my own thoughts.</p>
<p>Oh. Never mind then. Being a total literature nut (especially regarding American lit), I guess I went on a little rant. And I’m sure you’re going to do fine analyzing the work yourself.</p>
<p>I’d say that while the read-then-check approach is good, it’s best to start practicing doing assignments without any study aids. Those things can really become a crutch, as I found out when I really struggled on the AP test. Now, when you have all this free time, is the best time to practice analyzing literature au naturel; save Sparknotes for the occasional forgotten-assignment-leads-to-last-minute-panic essay if at all.</p>
<p>if you can’t read it, try to look at different summary sites (shmoop, sparknotes, cliffnotes, etc…) to get different views for the summary, theme, etc…</p>