1. MYP YEAR 4 Tips on source analysis – Individuals and societies
HISTORICAL EVIDENCE: everything that has been left by the past (a long time ago or just the recent past)
To evaluate a source the first step we must take is to look into its origin. Then look into its purpose and message (why this source was made
and what message it is transmitting). Finally, decide to what extent the source is valuable (=useful), if it has limitations and which ones they are.
Origin:
Primary /secondary: When was this source written, painted, made, filmed ...
Nationality of the author: Who the author is and his/her nationality
Place of publication: Where was the source produced
Relation to the event: What was going on at the time the source was produced (Relation to the event; context of the event)
Purpose / Message: why was the source written or produced? What for?
-to inform... (As in textbooks)
-to praise or to criticise... (people or events)
-to justify a certain point of view or action/move
-to express feelings (as in diary entries) and opinions...
-to persuade (as in pieces of propaganda, speeches, posters, cartoons)
VALUES
What can an historian learn from the source about this event? What advantages does the source have for an historian studying this event?
Primary sources are valuable because they give insight to feelings and thoughts of the time. Authors normally provide more details in their
accounts. It’s a first-hand account. The author is a witness of the event or of the period.
Secondary sources are valuable because the author has had more time to analyze and do research on events. There is greater availability of
material a long time after the event. The author is not emotionally involved with the event he describes. They are also free from censorship if
there had been censorship at the time the author lived.
If the author of a primary source is from the same country as the issue he’s describing, then the source is valuable because he represents
the feelings, thoughts of some people living in that country at the time of the event. His description is usually vivid, full of details and
emotions.
If the author of a primary or secondary source is not from the same nationality as the issue he’s describing, the value of his account lies in
the fact he is an outsider, an observer of the situation and he may be more balanced and objective in his story. It’s a foreigner’s view.
When the purpose is to inform, the source is valuable because it is more objective. There is no direct interest. Research has probably been
done before the publication of the source.
When the purpose is to persuade, the source can still be valuable (though not reliable) because it gives info on the methods used by the
government or the political parties to persuade people to think or act in a certain way.
2. LIMITATIONS/ PROBLEMS A source has limitations for the historian studying a topic …
when the source is not relevant to the topic/event
when there are gaps in the information
Ask yourself: does the source leave out important details of the topic/event? (this would be a limitation) According to our own knowledge of the
topic, what doesn’t the source tell us?
In a primary source, its reliability may be affected because the author (being too close to the event he is describing) may have a direct
interest on the issue. He is emotionally involved in or affected by the events he is referring to. So his story will not be completely reliable.
It will not be balanced or objective. The author will present his own point of view or opinion about the event and omit other views.
Another limitation in a source is when it was produced for the government or was sponsored or paid by the government. Then, you
cannot expect it to be objective! The author, in that case, will respond to the government instructions on what to say or paint/draw, etc.
Also, when there was censorship in the country where the author lived, he was not free to express himself. Maybe he was pressured
(intimidated) into writing something he did not think, like or believe in. Therefore, the author wrote what he was allowed to write and
could not express his personal views out of fear of what could happen to him if he did!
In a secondary source, the main limitation is the lack of feelings and insight to the thoughts of the time. You cannot get the juicy details
and vividness of witness accounts!
In a secondary source another limitation may be found when the material covers a much extended period of time and is not specific on
the event we are studying. Then, the source may lack detail on the event because it is too general.
3. TYPES OF SOURCES:
Private letters, diaries and memoirs:
Values:
Can provide an intimate glimpse into the effects of historical events on the lives of individuals experiencing them first hand. An eyes-witness’s account of
events they witnessed (but the eye witness no necessarily reliable)
Valuable as a study of the personality by whom it was written
Limitations:
Such personal documents are limited in their scope in that they present only one viewpoint, one interpretation of what happened molded by the opinions,
prejudices and cultural standpoint of the author. Must be read critically
If the document is a result of recollections many years after the period described the details might have become blurred with the passing of time, certain
aspects consciously or subconsciously forgotten
Selective by nature
Poem and novels
Values:
Can provide an interesting perspective into the spirit and culture of the time in which they were written
Can chronicle the experiences and feelings of specific individuals living through a period of history, providing a focused and personal portrait of time.
Often offer an emotional appeal, allowing the reader to identify more closely with circumstances and individuals of a time.
Can provide information on a certain period of history in a more easily digestible format through engaging the interest of the reader.
Limitations:
Often not solely concerned with providing a factual account – a certain degree of imagination and creative license involved and therefore perhaps not as
useful as a factual account of history
Drawings, paintings, cartoons
Values:
Can effectively capture the spirit of time and the opinions and sentiments generally characterizing that time
Contain evidence about a culture at specific moments in history – its customs, styles preferences, atmosphere, architecture, manner of dress, appearance
Provide a visually stimulating piece of historical evidence
Examples of art styles of the time
Limitations:
Produced by an artist with a definite point of view, and therefore influenced by the opinions and prejudices of its creator. Remember that a cartoon is
somebody’s personal view of an event.
Limited scope, generally highlight one specific aspect of a period of history
Artist not generally concerned with providing a factual account of a historical event or circumstance, but rather with producing a creative piece of work or
expressing own opinions and emotional reactions.
Cartoons tend to oversimplify the events they are describing, so may not explain the full reality of events
4. HOW TO EVALUATE CARTOONS
In general, cartoons are produced at the time of the events (primary sources), when events just happened or are still happening and usually show how
the artist saw the event. This makes cartoons valuable sources.
However, they may have limitations because they usually show personal opinions/ feelings/ thoughts of the artist. Now, if his feelings/ opinions/
thoughts coincide with our knowledge of the topic/ event, then the cartoon is reliable and, as a consequence, more valuable for us to understand the event.
On the other hand, if it leaves gaps in the information or exaggerates, it is still valuable but with LIMITATIONS.
To interpret a cartoon/ painting/engraving you need to:
1. Think about the events in that period: look at the date. What was happening at that time? Who was involved? Cartoons refer to something that was
current at the time (origin of the source)
2. Observe the different elements in the drawing: people, things, background, size, facial expressions... Every detail has a meaning! Cartoons often include
political figures of the time. Try to identify them…how? It is suggested you become familiar with photographs or images of those figures. The elements in
the cartoon help you to determine the message that the artist is trying to transmit.
3. Cartoons often have captions that will help you to identify the meaning.
4. Think about the artist and his motives: look at who drew the picture…what is the nationality of the artist? What does he think about what he’s drawing
about? What is he trying to tell us through his picture (message)? Remember that a cartoon is somebody´s personal view of an event.
5. Now go back to the picture and try to see what all the elements stand for (mean or represent) Ex: a dove may stand for peace; a weapon/ a military
helmet may stand for war, etc.
6. What does this drawing help you to understand about the time, and how people/how the artist thought and felt? (value)
7. Cartoons tend to oversimplify the events they are describing, so may not explain the full reality of events (limitation)
Photographs, film
Values:
Can capture moments in history in vivid detail, providing a unique glimpse in to a point in time and stimulating a first-hand experience.
Can document particular events better than many other sources. A picture of, for example, Hiroshima after the dropping of the atomic bomb powerfully
communicates to the world the devastation and destruction of the city.
Provide a visually stimulating piece of historical evidence
Can show aspects of the culture (i.e.: dress)
Reflections of attitudes, trends in film making at specific time
Limitations:
Behind every photograph or film is a creation with own personal prejudices. The person taking the photograph is not neutral and has a particular reason
for taking it.
5. Can be manipulated by the creator to convey a certain point or impress upon the viewer his/her own conceptions. E.g.: parts can be edited, parts could be
cut out, certain details can be excluded or downplayed, and certain details can be accentuated or focused on
The creator ultimately holds the power to decide the impression conveyed by the photograph or film (more important than the photograph is the
photographer)
In many of these photographs the subjects have been posed and when we know that we are being photographed we change our behaviour or our posture.
Tip: always remember to back your analysis up with extracts from the source and compare them to your background
knowledge.
