I need to get something off my chest. I'm not really sure how to broach the subject, so I'll just treat this like a band-aid, and rip it off quickly, thus exposing my deep, gaping wound:
*big breath*
I use Sparknotes.com. I, who love literature and despise cheat-guides like Cliff's Notes, have been using the plot-summaries of Sparknotes.com for about two years now; I have been doing the very thing that I hate, a slave to my sin. Instead of grappling with difficult texts to find the meaning out for myself, I lazily make a few clicks on my computer and get (Oh, the shame! Oh, the ignominy!) someone else's regurgitation of what is happening. I'm not even the dog who returns to his own vomit. Worse, I'm the dog who seeks out the vomit of others!
Sometimes I can justify what I do by telling myself, "You are only doing this because you want to enjoy how the writer is portraying the plot. Really, the plot isn't that important to find out for yourself. Besides, who's the victim here?" Only sometimes will that justification soothe my raging conscience; most times, I can't shake an image of William Shakespeare standing beside me, looking at me in a way that at once conveys his hurt, betrayal, and anger.
I'm wondering if there are any support groups for English majors caught in the trap of such vices. I think it would be helpful in the healing process to meet with other English majors who have sunk to such levels. Of course, I must consider the possibility that I am the only one. *sigh* Who can set me free from this body of sin and death?
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