Who was the intended or likely audience? What do you know about the audience? How is this document interpreted today? Does your knowledge of the event affect your interpretation of the document?

Assignment Question

Evaluating Primary Source 21.1 Please read “The Power of the Powerless” (1978), Vaclav Havel and answer questions A small paragraph per question is sufficient even if a question i.e question 5 has more questions than one. A 3-4 sentence of paragraph would be fine .You may write 750-1000 words for ALL questions, but if you need to write more please feel free to do so. In short: 3-4-sentence paragraph per question, written separately. 11 paragraphs in total since there are 11 questions. 1. social status of that person? Is the person neutral, or might he or she have had opinions or beliefs that influenced his or her writing? If the document was written by a government body or corporation, you should also question whether that organization is neutral or not. 2. the event? Or is the document based on what others saw and heard? What does the answer imply about the document’s credibility? 3. to the time and place rule—the closer in time and place an author and source were to an event, the more reliable that source might be. A historical document created during the event or immediately after it is usually more reliable than a document created many years after the event took place. 4. author might have been influenced by the beliefs and attitudes of that time. Is the historical document like or different from other primary sources created at that time? 5. support this point? What is the tone of the document? Remember that authors may use sarcasm or jokes or exaggeration in their writings. 6. Remember that the author of a document is writing about an event from his or her viewpoint or may even be trying to convince you that something happened or needs to happen. 7. about an event from his or her viewpoint, in some way. Read the document carefully and critically. Are there any words that lead you to believe that the source is biased? After you have finished reading the historical document, compare it against other primary and secondary sources to determine whether the information is reliable and accurate. Remember that even though an author may be biased, the historical document can still contain much valuable information. 8. the translator: Does the translator have a viewpoint or agenda? What are his or her credentials? When was the translation created? Are other translations of the same original text available for comparison? 9. a law or a court decision? Or was it a personal source meant for a very small audience, like a letter or a diary? Remember that even a published document may not be accurate. An unpublished document may provide crucial and fascinating details about an event because the author assumed it would never be seen by the public. 10. Who was the intended or likely audience? What do you know about the audience? 11. How is this document interpreted today? Does your knowledge of the event affect your interpretation of the document?

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