It’s 6:00, Sunday night, and there’s a quiz tomorrow in your English class and you haven’t read the assigned chapters. Do you A) devote your evening to schoolwork and start reading or B) run to Barnes and Nobles and buy the book’s cliff notes? Some students will buckle down and crack the book, while others will buckle up and hit the bookstore.

Cliff notes may be beneficial to understanding the basics of a literature piece, however, they are not a substitute for reading the literature. "Cliff notes leave the reader with a lack of information," Jasmine Seavey, a Utica College junior said, "not to mention the fact the reader doesn’t get to experience the characters and form personal likes and dislikes."  There is no substitute for reading the original.  Reading is fun because it allows for personal perception. To read someone else’s thoughts and use them as your own doesn’t justify the very reason of why the piece was written.  Cliff notes are merely a basic facts break down of the story: the who, what, where, and why. They neglect to tell you the best part of the book- the details.

"In order to best appreciate the literature, the student must read it him or herself and not rely on someone else’s interpretation of the work," Mary Ann Janda, professor of English at Utica College said. "Cliff notes tell the reader how to think." Reading a piece of literature allows one to form their own opinion on the piece, a simple advantage cliff notes neglect.

Cliff notes can be a problem for teachers and students alike. Although it is sometimes easier to believe someone else’s ideas rather than form your own, your cliff notes may be misleading. Reading, judging, and synthesizing the literature in your own words is exactly what your teachers are expecting. Teachers don’t want to read someone else’s opinion when they ask for yours, that’s like plagiarism. It’s best to think for yourself rather than have someone think for you. You may have the relevant information thanks to your cliff notes, but the thoughts won’t be your own, your creativity won’t be sincere. Your interpretations may even be false if the cliff notes writer is incorrect or not educated well enough to properly summarize the story. It’s most rewarding to read the assignment; you’re only cheating yourself if you don’t. It’s best to read the information and draw your own conclusions, that’s what makes reading fun. It’s all about you and your perception of the characters. So next time the teacher assigns a reading don’t buckle up. Buckle down and crack the book. You never know, you may learn something.