Friday, September 12, 2014

Primary Texts

We have looked at several different types of primary documents—images, letters, governing agreements—in the last two class meetings. What unique information do the primary sources provide? What additional information do we need to make sense of the primary materials? 

This post will be available for new comments until Friday September 19.


40 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  2. When talking about Primary Sources, we're always warned about looking out for bias, but sometimes depending on who the author of said primary source is, you can establish the views of society at the time and in a sense get a view into what life was like back then. Of course to understand a primary source we're going to need more information then just what's said or pictured in it. For instance, we'd need to know background about the author(s), the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the primary document, and maybe even its intended purpose and then its reception can tell us a lot about what was going on in that time period.

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  3. Primary sources, like Anna Parashchak said earlier, allow us to "establish the views of society at the time". Primary sources give unfiltered access to the specific time period and allow us to get the view of the unbiased information about the particular topic, unlike using secondary texts biased due to the release in the totally different time period. Although, primary sources have their own bias present, that bias is particular to the time period and can be regarded as bias of one side to another, but still unbiased as to the time period. Primary sources also let us view the situation by the eyes of the author, by the eyes of the person who actually experienced it.

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  4. Primary sources give us the personal view of whoever created the source. Whether it is a ship manifest, a letter to a friend or a king, or a list of the crop yield that year, primary sources give us a biased and personal view of whatever the primary source is covering. The bias is not necessarily a bad thing because it allows us to have an understanding of what the primary source's creator was thinking, at least to an extent. The uniqueness of primary sources comes from the fact that they are personal. A letter to a friend is something that was created with a unique purpose as opposed to reading a secondary sources analysis of said letter.

    So get the most out of a primary source it is important to have context. We need a time frame. A who. A where. And a why. These things are important because we are then able to analyze the primary source ourselves.

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  5. Primary sources give readers an entry into the past. Primary sources such as private documents and objects, could provide various beliefs of how life could have been during the Historical time-periods. When using primary sources (for an example) through class discussions, it could help motivate readers to search for further information through research. Lastly, many primary sources allow readers to have different interpretations (perspectives) of the works and concerns regarding originator bias.

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  6. A primary source is any kind of document proving information about an event or time period created by someone who has actually been there to experience it for themselves. These give a unique type of information because it is a first hand look at whats happening and can include lots of personal details that are not usually found in textbooks. Some of these primary sources have very strong biases though so that must be taken into consideration when analyzing them.

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  7. Primary sources are documents or other type of sources that were written or created during a specific period of time. The unique information that primary sources provide is that these sources were present during a specific event or time period; therefore, they offer an inside view of the event. Also, primary sources avoid conducting new research, original conclusions based on the research of other individuals or someone’s thoughts of view different from the original one. Of course that in order to understand a primary source, there are other information that we must be aware of. For example, it is important to know about the author and what his/her thought were/are regarding a specific topic. It is also essential to know some background information about the author and what were the circumstances that made him/her write, draw, record etc… a specific topic in specific.

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  8. Primary sources are usually tangible items that comes from someone who was living at the time. These sources provide insight into the period that you're looking into. Primary sources come in many forms, they can be letters, diaries, papers, ads, brochures and sometimes even paintings. When reading primary sources one has to remember that these items are written from personal experience and that they are not objective and are bias. Also you have to remember when looking at a primary source it is best to answer the 5 W's. Who, what, where, when and why. Doing this will allow you make sense of the primary source.

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  9. Primary sources provide intricate and specific details. The reason they can provide such details is because the source is created by someone who lived in that time period and experienced it firsthand. Therefore, primary sources allows the viewer to engage in a vicarious moment as opposed to other sources such as textbooks that give broad and factual information. Additional information that would help interpret primary sources is knowledge of that time period. If we know what was going on in that place and time of where the primary source was made, we can have a better sense of what the author of that source was referring to. For example, if we were to analyze a primary source during wartime and that source describes how the author felt fear and anxiety, we would be able infer those feelings were due to the war.

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  10. Primary documents are original sources of information that has not been altered. These sources are unique because they provide information from that specific time period. As my peers above have mentioned, some information might be biased, but biased views are exactly what we need to understand events from different perspectives. Other than looking at primary sources, we also need background information on what we are reading to understand the full story.

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  11. Primary sources are key to understanding the past. They are very important. They give us a look into a particular time, place, event etc. They give us a sense of what is going on around the time period and what may be on the peoples mind. An example of this would be a newspaper, printed a certain date and it gives us details about whats going on where it was published. Primary sources also give us a look at the culture and different ideals and values. To make sense of some primary sources we need to know the time period of the source and other events going because the surrounding area would have a great impact on the primary source.

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  12. From what I've read, some think of primary sources as a way to look into the past. My argument with that thought is that so a textbook. In my opinion a primary source is a very personal way of understanding a certain period in history. Primary sources are a direct connection with that time period that allow for personal opinions and often very detailed conditions of living and culture.

    However one must keep in mind that primary sources are often times biased. Since they show a person's personality and character, some events/conditions/opinions will be downplayed and others will be dramatized. A primary source is only one person's account of that certain period of history.

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  13. The unique information that primary sources provide is that they give us a specific point of view of that specific time. It's a biased point of view that provides insight into what certain people are thinking.
    We need to keep in mind the context though, what was the circumstance or way of thinking of that time, why would they think that. An aerial point of view is necessary to see the big picture and put things in the proper context.

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  14. Hello, My name is Katherine Urena. Answering the questions above. Primary sources provide us with information about the past. It included for example social or political ideas about an specific period of time. Primary sources are written or published during a certain period. For example, during WW1 the Zimmermann Telegram is a primary source. Because it was written during 1917 and it provide us with information about the Germans asking Mexico to join them in return of territory from the United States. This telegram can give us an idea about the situation during that specific era. In order to understand a primary source, we must investigate the background of the person who have written or published a source. For example, with the the Zimmermann Telegram, we should look up for the political situation of Germany and their needs of sending a telegram to Mexico. We also should look for the reason of the Minister to invite Mexico to the War and not other country. Background information is very important in order to understand a primary source.

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  15. Armin Celjaj

    Primary sources are first hand account of events. They tell us how people felt and think during that point in history. They are unique for there bias. Primary sources tells the story in the way the author wants it. We are only going to see what the author believes is true to their ideas. To make sense of a primary source we need to know where the author is coming from. The five w's is needed to have an understanding of the primary source.

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  16. Primary sources provide us closer look of an event. It allows the researchers to have personal view of the subject that can be related to researchers themselves or many other people. Primary sources often can be letters, autobiography, pictures, drawings and also advertisements and etc. In order to properly use primary sources for the research, we need to have prior knowledge and the larger view or background of the event because primary sources gives us details but it is often too narrow and incomplete by itself.

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  17. For the past two classes, we talked a lot about primary sources and even took a close look at some of them such as maps, drawings, and letter. I think that we are very luck to have the primary documents (such as photographs, diaries, journals, immigration records, maps, and paintings) that give us an idea of the past. Unique information, which the primary sources provide, is the information that was created by people who eye witnessed or even participated in historical moments that they have written about. With all primary documents that we have available, we can visit the past without using a time machine, which we do not have anyway.
    When we are writing any historical papers, it is not enough to use only the primary information that we found. It is also important to have addition information that would make sense of the primary materials. We should answer five W’s questions: ”Who? What? Why? When? Where?”. That would help us to focus more on important information and understand the materials better. To make sense of the primary source, it is always important to know more about the authors and the circumstances that inspired and forced the authors to create those primary documents.

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  18. A primary source is a document or a physical object that was written or created in a specific time period that is under study. Primary sources help us dig deeper into history and helps us gain access to sources that are unfiltered and real from that time period. Primary sources help us learn about specific events in history that occurred, into depth and can help us understand how people felt also helped and can also help us understand the conditions that these people endured during that time period. To make sense of the primary material it is important that we know who wrote the material or owned the material. It is also important that we know when and what year the material was made or written, and also important that we know more personal information about the person who owned or wrote the material. The kind of personal information we should know would be about the job the person had, if they were married or had a family, what was their religion, and more. If we get to know more about the person who owned or wrote the primary material then we can also get to know more information about the time period that they lived through.

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  19. For the past few classes, i have learned that a primary source is first hand evidence that is documented by participants or observers during that time of event. They were there to witness first hand and were able to document their findings and experiences. By using primary sources, they can help us in many ways. They can help us look deeper and more in depth of what we are researching and allow us gain more accurate information. A few examples of Primary sources include newspapers, autobiographies, diaries, paintings and even photographs. Because primary sources are often depicted from someone's perspective, we have to know that they may be biased towards what they're writing.

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  20. Primary sources provide a direct connection with the past. It enables modern day individuals to overcome the boundaries of time and understand history. Although a primary source is an indispensable treasure trove of information, it is not infallible. One major flaw is that primary sources are prone to prejudice. As a firsthand account, viewpoint of the individual from whom it originated cannot be overlooked. Due to this issue, a primary source should be throughly researched and compared to other primary sources before conclusions can be drawn.

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  21. Primary sources provide us with a good idea about any specific event from history. they may be honest, or biased. they might be true and verified or forged and untrue. Which is why i think that any primary source shouldn't be taken as evidence until we have supporting evidence for it.

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  22. Primary sources are important because they can be more effective story tellers than secondary sources due to a bias. Personal feeling and emotion help the reader feel immersed in the situation, and make the history seem real to them.

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  23. Primary sources are the most direct links to the past. They are most useful when they allow historians to understand the mentality of those who created them. Primary sources are best used by those who understand how to filter out their biases and who possess enough contextual historical information to know when the source conflicts with widely accepted information. A secondary source (one as free as possible from bias as possible) could be most useful to a person looking to expand their basic knowledge of a particular topic.

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  24. Delela Serrieux
    Primary sources gives us a better idea of factual events, they are reliable sources of past history. where as secondary sources is more opinionated and doesn't allow us to know the full truth of past events.

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  25. Primary sources can provide useful information from the writer and although the writer at the time can be very biased or uninformed, it shows the people using the primary source how others thought or behaved at the time. I think that to make sense of the Primary sources, the information has to verified by numerous other sources and from sources which may differ in perspective from the others.

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  26. Primary sources can give us details about a historical event that a secondary source could not. Sometimes in an event something might happen that not everyone noticed, but if one person did, it could change what we know bout that event. I feel in order to fully understand a primary source, you have to look at other primary sources about that event. If you compare one person journal entry about an event to someone else's, you could tell of its more of their personal response to the event, or if it's just them restating what they saw.

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  27. Primary sources give us accurate details on an event which has already occurred from the writer's perspective. Although the information is true we must take into account that a certain bias may be present and be careful on how we analyze and interpret the sources.Also, if you compare two sources from people of opposing side you can see how different each writers opinion and tones are.

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  28. Primary sources are basically what we have as first hand knowledge of events that occurred during a specific point in history. They offer us an inside view of an event. They may leave us in question of the writer's bias and point of view. This often raises curiosity and may cause us to look at other sources for comparison, but that is not a bad thing.

    Examples of primary sources are diaries, newspapers, manuscripts, letters, and more of these sorts. Looking at primary sources is a good way to get a better understanding of an event. They give you a chance to experience the events as if you were actually there. It's always great to look at more than one primary source because one can get plenty of additional information and understand the different views of the people writing these documents.

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  29. Primary sources can provide an inside view of an event, under the specific time period, in which it was written in or was created in. While primary sources are instrumental in understanding a specific time period’s perspectives, they can be biased and misinformed. In addition to primary sources, research can be conducted on the validity of the sources. New facts or primary sources may have been discovered to contradict these previous sources in which case secondary sources can be useful in providing more information. But secondary sources must also be extensively analyzed and researched.

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  30. Primary sources gives its readers an understanding, or an outline of the topic that they are researching. The primary source backs up ideas that the reader may have formed. It also helps to narrow down what other sources readers should be looking at for their topic. It helps by giving factual evidence to the readers to enhance the theories or ideas they may have.

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  31. Emmanuel Maldonado- Primary sources provide information that most closely testifies to x question’s certainty. These sources are based on the views of the time. One example can be a war diary. Everyone knows war isn’t easy but when you read authentic information that goes in depth about the struggle, calamities and tribulations, then that transports the reader to the period and depending on how clear the ideas are written you could almost live what is written. This is what good primary sources do for researchers. They deliver that unique information that’s unavailable anywhere else because soldier is the one experiencing x and documenting what is going on to the best of his ability. Hence it is the only reliable truth we have to hold on to. Some information we may need to make sense of primary sources are details. Things like dates and location are imperative. In the case of a war diary something like; “As I remained in my buck, I wondered if I would be next. My buddies Jim and Henry from Coney Island were gone and my hatred for these VietCong grew. Why can’t they just all die already so I can go back home to Mama?” These 3 sentences along give us a lead on what a primary source looks like. We know this guy is fighting in the Vietnam War because of the term VietCong and that many have died including his friends from Coney Island, which hints that, he maybe a New York. He also mentions his Mom in the end, which can give an indication that he was a young man who was drafted along with his friends who are now died and he now fears for his life. All of these components although sometimes maybe vague can serve as primary sources. In this case, we could say that much fear existed among young soldiers. Many of the same town were drafted and saw their friends die and grew to hate the VietCong. The four W's and the How are also an excellent guide as well.

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  32. Primary sources provide more accuracy in comparison to secondary sources. Primary sources are more reliable in that they represent first-hand data collection, without much criticism; it is purely information recorded simply being kept in records. On the other hand, secondary sources are often opinionated. While using either a primary or a secondary source, we must be vary of using bias.

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  33. Primary sources open up a window into the past for us and allow us to know first hand what occurred during that time period. Every primary source is unquie and allow us to put ourselves in the author's/photographer's/artist's/etc. shoes, but when we enter their shoes we must be aware that biases are sure to arise. To make sense of these primary sources we must be able to identity these biases and possibly put them aside, so that we are able obtain the information we are seeking.

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  34. Primary Text are more accruate since they are created at the time of the event. When using primary text you are typically able to answer who, what, when, where and why. Although primary text are great to have, they can be difficult to understand. Therefore thats when other sources become useful as well. Other sources are useful since they break it down more. Language changes through generations and you may need to find a different source to completely understand the first one.

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  35. I think that primary sources are extremely useful when researching a time period and particular patterns of thought at the time. They provide much better insight than any textbook could tell us or scientist could persuade us. A first hand perspective depicts more of day to day life and concerns of people from the time. We are more engaged in the emotion of the situation rather than the details and the facts of the particular culture. We also are able to connect much more with the people from different time periods through these first person accounts.
    Though when reading a primary text, one must be aware that this could also lead to biased ideas, prejudices, subjective beliefs, and other possibilities for error. This may lead to skewed research but I do believe that it provides more pros than cons.

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  36. XinNing Cheng
    Primary sources provide us with the most accurate and real historical description, such as a newspaper, a letter, etc. It makes the reader feel interested and engaged in the text and very worth reading. We can feel how people think and view things back then and how is it different from this day. The way they phrase their words is also very original. However it is too original for us to understand its meaning. Also if it's part of a bigger story,we might not know what the author is talking about at all. Therefore we need someone to explain it to us in simple words.

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  37. Primary sources are very helpful. They provide us with a lot of unique information that other sources could not give us. For example, because they are more personal, primary sources give us an inside look from the perspective of someone who was actually there during the time. Primary sources are like a looking glass into the past. We get to experience second hand what took place from someone who experienced it first hand. To make sense of these primary sources, we would need background information on whatever the topic is.

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  38. Primary sources contain original content produced during the period in question. They can be in the form of letters, newspapers, books, and more. Primary sources are valuable because they provide first-hand insight into the historical period. Unlike secondary sources, they are often more detailed in a particular area. However, due to the personal nature of some primary sources, they can contain strong biases. It is useful to know the context of the source prior to evaluating it. The author's background and information about the period can help you better understand the source.

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  39. primary sources are documents that record an event from the perspective of the writer. the writer will often write based on their knowledge and/or what they witness pertaining to the event. primary sources can come in many forms including contracts, letters and autobiographies. extra information that can help the reader understand the source is to examine when and where the document was written as well as examining the author in terms of religion, his status in his society as well as the culture of the society they settled in.

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  40. The unique type of information that primary sources provide us is an insight from a source during the actual time of an event or period. Since it is written by someone, we need to keep in mind what are actual facts and what are inputs or manipulated biased views on the information provided.

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