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SparkNotes

Advantages and disadvantages of using SparkNotes

SparkNotes were launched in 1999 as free study guides and critical commentary series for the interested public. However, the use of SparkNotes by students has been recently exposed to extensive criticism. Teachers openly advocate against SparkNotes, questioning the validity of information in these guides. Their opponents claim that SparkNotes offer comprehensive analyses that present crucial ideas, arguments, and opinions.

Advantages of using SparkNotes

The obvious advantage of SparkNotes is that they provide a useful introductory insight into different issues. Some texts are very difficult to comprehend; this is especially true in regard to texts that are written in Old English or scientific texts. SparkNotes make attempts to fill gaps in students’ understanding of a certain aspect or problem. Juxtaposing SparkNotes with primary sources, students are able to bring together diverse material, give answers to the most embarrassing questions, and avoid any unpleasant surprises. SparkNotes’ critical analyses of texts offer a space for thinking and allow students to make sense of the issues. Any critical analysis is divided into several sections, such as context, character list, plot overview, themes, motifs, symbols, and chapter summaries. Background information that SparkNotes provide may help students interpret texts in more accurate ways. For instance, background information on Charles Dickens gives clues to his novels and the social conditions of 19th-century England. At the end of a critical analysis students may find brief explanations of quotations, suggestions for further reading, some major facts, essay topics, questions, and a quiz. All this material is prepared to strengthen students’ knowledge. While many learners are reluctant to read a hundred pages of textbook material, they readily read SparkNotes’ condensed texts on such subjects as biology, sociology, psychology, and US history.

Those students who are going to pass SAT tests can subscribe and receive daily words on their cell phones. Besides, SparkNotes offer another effective technique for learning SAT words – SAT Vocabulary Novels; with this new tool, students enjoy reading and simultaneously memorise more than 1,000 words. SparkNotes also gather and classify facts, arranging them in specific charts; these charts consist of texts, tables, graphics and can be printed in PDF format. Careful attention in these study guides is paid to students’ overall development; a separate section – Spark Life - is arranged for this particular purpose. In Spark Life students can find news on different topics, including games, music, books, films, plays, school (college) life, social, cultural, and political events. Various psychological tests (e.g. I.Q tests, Gender tests, Stress tests, Love tests, Personality tests) are placed for entertainment. In addition to all mentioned benefits, SparkNotes give students an opportunity to use such valuable tools as a dictionary, a thesaurus, a translator, a periodic table, unit conversions, vocabulary puzzles, maps of countries and states. Free access to these techniques and interactive approaches to learning attract more and more students every year.

Disadvantages of Using SparkNotes

The major disadvantage of SparkNotes is that they put too much emphasis on oversimplification. Students who use SparkNotes fail to conduct a profound analysis of a text and infer meanings from a context. As a result, their reading proficiency is significantly decreased. Reading real literature shapes students’ comprehension skills and critical thinking. They start to figure out the messages of a text and capture the main ideas; they appreciate the beauty of language, paying attention to synonyms, repetitions, metaphors, personifications, similes, and other figures of speech. But reading SparkNotes devaluates the acquired knowledge; students do not benefit from receiving A for an essay or research paper that is written on the basis of the material taken from such study guides as SparkNotes. This essay may be technically accurate, but it is devoid of something crucial – spirit, liveliness, entirety, and depth. SparkNotes provide a detailed explanation, but they can not bring to light invisible elements and tiniest subtleties.

Seen from this viewpoint, SparkNotes have an implicit negative impact on school and college students, keeping them at the bottom. Using SparkNotes, learners start to believe that life is easy and there is no need to work hard to succeed or make an impression on people. While great literature fills students’ lives with meaning, beauty, significance, intensity, satisfaction, and strength, SparkNotes teach them to choose conveniences. Books help students change; SparkNotes force them to remain the same, to give up any struggle and go with the stream. The world of conveniences is attractive for any teenager, but it is extremely dangerous. The use of SparkNotes instead of actual books is not a serious cheat, but it paves the way for severe deceptions. In the long run, it is better to read one or two chapters from a book than to read the whole study guide; students may understand more from a passage than from a large, yet confusing critical analysis. Another crucial disadvantage of SparkNotes is falsity or inadequacy of information. Students who read only SparkNotes and do not refer to any primary sources make a serious mistake, as these guides may express biased opinions or provide information that is not consistent with an actual text. Unquestionably, teachers easily recognise this inaccuracy. Moreover, information in SparkNotes is rather generalised and thus can not be employed for answering specific questions. SparkNotes are able to satisfy students if they are interested in major characters, plots, or themes, but they do not provide in-depth insights on language, mood, tone, or writing styles.

Although SparkNotes can facilitate students’ learning, it is necessary not to overuse these study guides, as they teach students to circumvent all difficulties and choose the easiest way. SparkNotes provide helpful hints and general guidelines, but they are unable to evoke students’ interest in literature, history, archaeology, and other subjects. Learners can use SparkNotes to confirm or refute their inferences, but they should not rely on them to develop concepts and reach conclusions.

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