Usually commentaries will acknowledge pertinent cultural-historical context, but you may need to turn to Bible dictionaries and other resources for more information. On the MA Specialised Translation module, the commentary will be used to compare and contrast the translation approaches taken to texts from two different domains. Then, dive right into a detailed discussion of the text. If they’re paying enough attention to be suspicious then they’ll carry the idea with them into future classes and trips to the library when they’re handling primary/secondary sources after the class ends. To do so, you will need to specify the following: TITLE AUTHOR Static text elements written in the formula should be enclosed in the quotation marks and terminated by semicolon sign as shown below: "This is sample static text … You will be able to write an essay that uses embedded quotations to provide evidence in your response to an expository or a literary text. Without the secondary sources and other primary sources, we don’t know what they hold back. Now that you have a draft, it is time to contextualize the text in the author's work.. You should start your analytical essay by relating the text with a brief reference to the author, as well as the historical period and philosophical context in which he/she lived. I have needed other sources to discover that their shipmates were burned beyond recognition at Jutland (“of course I’ve lost heaps of pals”) or where they were marching from and to (“I got interrupted by a job of work”) or that they were sitting next to a man killed by a shell (“I had the narrowest of close shaves”). By the way, I have a question for you, and for the forum. You can also read the information as a txt file. Summarise your findings, drawing together the different aspects of the text that you have discussed in your commentary. Likewise, quantitative or visual sources need to be handled appropriately. IDENTIFICATION: Start by identifying and locating the text in its right literary and historical context. What can’t it tell you? Would you say this is the same as what’s expected at A Level? So often, students jump straight over the basics to get to the important stuff. Depending on the particular assignment, we might add: in relation to our particular issue. This system of analysis is called “versification” of the biblical text. These are not easy-option assignments and the most common reason for students being surprised by a low mark, especially early on in their studies, is simply not working as hard on this as they would for an equally-weighted essay. Some commentaries also feature detailed introductions to the books of the Bible. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Anything from the past that helps us learn what happened, and why, is a document. Skipping this will leave you on shaky ground. Analyzing an Historical Document . Writing a Source Commentary The bread and butter of studying history is the use of primary sources. Great article! Answer the question: How useful is this source to historians? For this reason you might read less than usual, but that wider reading is still important. I find they arrive at uni with similar ideas about primary sources. Saying so can often mask the need to ask how. But there’s no harm in letting them provide a definition as a quick group exercise, then you know you’re starting from where they are. It is doubtful whether any of them were committed to writing before the Christian Era. They are important as indicating the character of the Hebrew text used. What sort of historian, trying to understand what about the past, would find this source useful? Rather, it’s: In what ways is it useful? But I think it’s ok for them to be suspicious. Alternative assignments of this sort can be worrying, since they’re self-evidently rather different from a standard essay. History consists of making arguments about what happened in the past on the basis of what people recorded (in written documents, cultural artifacts, or oral traditions) at the time. 5. It’s also worth keeping in mind that you still need to back up each point you make with evidence. It sounds like you have a great family collection. We use cookies to give you the best online experience. The commentaries include the instructional context, student text, analysis, and instructional implications. It would be unrealistic to expect one source to provide the answer to every question. Examples of Commentary. FREE 7+ Commentary Writing Samples and Templates in PDF How to write a commentary ib myp english 9 Lesson commentary for 'Write a conclusion to an informational text using the reserve funnel method' The bread and butter of studying history is the use of primary sources. If you can answer that, the rest is process. Writing static texts. It´s a historic – circumstantial text. Consider the limitations of the source. Consider the historical, social, economic, political, and religious background of what is in the text and of the time when it was written (the two may not be the same – think about a novel that takes place in the Middle Ages but is written in the 20 th century). There are particular challenges and opportunities offered by private or official writings, even when the author is the same. But when it comes … Guide to Writing a Commentary on Primary Source(s) Each week we discuss pieces of primary text, so essentially this exercise replicates on paper the type of analysis you routinely conduct in class. In the future, this blog post will be of little use to the historian interested in explaining the outcome of the 2015 general election. There are standard rules for how to write a thesis statement, a topic sentence, a blended quotation, etc. The assignment will also help prepare you for both a second or third year dissertation, or a third year module, where close engagement with primary material is a basic requirement. Instructions Listen to some further instructions about the analysis of historical documents as a mp3 file. Make sure you polish the literary commentary for style, grammar, and spelling before handing it in so it is at its best. The author's philosophy should be explained through the ideas found in the text under analysis. Eventually, students come around, but they are quite suspicious initially, which makes me think that I must be working against something they have been taught in high school. To write a commentary, write about your observations and analysis of the text you read. For one thing, you still need to put in the same amount of effort. A campaign speech or the posthumously published diaries of the same politician, for example. But how many sources is optimal to use? Sounds like an interesting exercise. This is where questions of bias might be brought in. Do you think primary and secondary sources are defined differently for students in high school? All other parts of the essay are more formulaic in nature. It’s a hard thing to learn in abstract. Remember, the question is not: Is this source useful to historians? Better to identify the perspective from which events are described. Since I did not go to school in the UK, I just need to know, and many thanks in advance! While both writing styles can be used to discuss another piece of work (like a play, book, movie, or … Hello George, Great piece! Thanks. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. And if you’ve been set something to read for seminars that addresses this, don’t miss the chance to bring it in. Babylonian and Assyrian text commentaries represent the oldest well defined and cohesive group of text commentaries worldwide. How to write a commentary The commentary exercise For some of the assessments you are doing, you might be required to produce a commentary to accompany the translation you have produced. They are written as though they are collections of information. @gcgosling and read the source, of course. Examples from Straub's article Straub's example of Directive commentary ( Log Out /  We’ll return to what exactly it is. Everything around us will be of interest, it’s just a matter of matching up the right source with the right historian, asking the right question. Commentaries are meant to be used alongside the Bible text to offer deeper insight, explanation, illustration, and historical background. the text. Some questions you might want to ask (not all will be applicable to all sources, but many will be): The marking criteria are the same as for any other piece of work. So it’s no surprise that a common assignment in a History degree is to write a source commentary or analysis. They usually devote themselves to analyzing for bias and discussing a text's prehistory and literary traditions, as well as seeking to place the text in a historical … Genre Writing commentary is undoubtedly the most difficult part of writing any essay. Reference secondary material in the normal way. Therefore, your commentary should contain at least the following parts: IDENTIFICATION DISCUSSION OF THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE TEXT CONCLUSION 2.1. How 'Writing Unseen Commentaries' will help you If you are an International Baccalaureate student following the Language A (English) Literature course, the Help Book will be invaluable to you as you prepare for the important Literary Analysis or Literary Commentary part of the final written exam. Commentary can be a hard concept to understand without examples to guide you. That said, not every historian will use every kind of source. L’Encyclopédie de l’histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia . Every year, I open these modules (the ones I teach) with the question: “So, what is a primary source?” And every year, Year 1 students respond with conviction: “Primary sources are those sources that were produced at the time of the event, and secondary sources are those that were produced later, hence they are derivative, secondary, less important.” And then begins the process of explaining that while their definition of primary sources may be correct in some cases, being contemporary to the event is not a necessary quality of a primary source; also that secondary sources are not just post-dated and less important, they are professional analyses based on the data that primary sources provide. History’s subject matter is immense, encompassing all of human affairs in the recorded past — up until the moment, that is, that you started reading this guide. Good to hear. o Within this there may be more than one theme. Each week we discuss pieces of primary text, so essentially this exercise replicates on paper the type of analysis you routinely conduct in class. The difference is merely that your supporting evidence will mostly be drawn from one place – the source you’re writing about. Although it might be implicit, this is always ultimately the question.