User:Ana22gb/sandbox

trying out the bold format

Content Gap Questions
Ana22gb (talk) 12:40, 26 January 2017 (UTC)
 * Content gap is when a topic discussed skips around information or fails to provide details about particular aspects of the subject. For example, the article about Antoine Barnave speaks briefly of his role in the National Assembly in the year 1789 but then skips to his correspondence with Marie-Antoinette and his execution in 1793. The article also has a section titled “Political Views” that lacks depth and has little to no information about his stance on the economy, education, elections, women rights, etc. Content gaps are easily found when there is time lapse or when information is vague. If you are thinking “what about this or that”, then the article is probably not giving some kind of timeline or sufficient specificity on events, actions, or details about the main idea talked about.
 * Content gaps arise when little knowledge is gained about the targeted topic, when research and inquiry is weak, or when there are a limited number of resources available or accessible to the public. Solutions would be to investigate more in depth about the topic at hand and to pay more attention to academic journals, novels, and articles from reliable sources that provide extensive information. The library can also be a great place to find data encompassing a wide range of subjects.
 * The person’s physical traits or personal beliefs do not matter when it comes to someone’s eligibility to write on Wikipedia for everyone has the capability and knowledge to instruct others. Yet, I think it is significant that those writing on Wikipedia be people who have motivation and dedication because they are the ones relied upon to get accurate, extensive, and dependable material. Investigative writers are the ones that assure readers that Wikipedia articles are of sound quality.
 * Being unbiased on Wikipedia means that a person must express themselves neutrally and impartially when presenting a topic; this involves providing factual information backed up by evidence. It is being objective and inclusive; all sides and viewpoints are equally addressed and supported. I believe that it is important to mention all aspects of a topic, yet, I think that including them and providing two or more details about the counterargument is enough to be unbiased. I was taught that when you write you give a slight extra support to your viewpoint. This is not the case for Wikipedia.

Thinking About Sources and Plagiarism Questions
Ana22gb (talk) 15:37, 11 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Blog posts and press releases are considered unreliable sources due to the fact they are often based on personal opinions and perspectives to enforce their thoughts or improve their image. Blog posts do not generally have in-depth and accurate information; instead, it is based more on personal and biased research of the blogger. It is generally written online, and it is presented in an informal and conversational manner. Press releases are official statements given by officials on a topic or issue that is not necessarily objective; the goal of these are often to make a particular person or issue involved look favorable. Although it is formal, it is often presented with a biased tone, coming about as balanced in order to avoid controversy.
 * Some reasons to not use a company’s website as the main source of information for that company is because it will most likely include biased and cherry-picked information. That website would simply portray the positive attributes and benefits of its business in order to avoid disclosing information that would potentially harm their reputation and image and in consequence their business’ success and profit. They would fail to be objective in presenting themselves by only putting positive details while avoiding to include other perspectives and ideas that could oppose them. In addition, the website was written by the company itself; there is a conflict of interest that gives less validity and reliability to the content.
 * Plagiarism is when an individual, deliberately or mistakenly, obtains access to the work, words, or thoughts of another person and then uses and addresses such as if it were his or her own. This is not necessarily a crime, but it is academic dishonesty and an unethical act. On the other hand, a copyright violation is the act of breaking the law (copyright law), which entails overstepping your boundaries by breaking the exclusive right someone already has for that particular thing. This is done by  reproducing, distributing, or displaying something that is originally someone else’s. You are not taking possession of it or claiming it your own, but are utilizing it without a lawful right to do so.
 * Some good techniques for avoiding close paraphrasing and plagiarism is to first read and analyze the information and it is only when the reader can communicate and summarize the same ideas without needing to refer back to the source that he or she is prepared talk about the subject. In doing it this way, the writer avoids the temptation or accidental repetition of the words the original person wrote. Not to mention, it would be helpful to write an extensive amount of notes while reading, so that when you are writing about the source, you simply reference and base your writing off of that. The bullet points you write down will be more about keeping track of the main points of what you are reading while preventing having access to statements of others and still keeping the central message.

My Choice of Topic
Antoine Barnave

The article that I am choosing to tackle is my own character from the French Revolution: Antoine Barnave. His Wikipedia page contains quite a variety of information about him: early life, one of his political views, the communication he had with Marie Antoinette, and the events leading to his death. Yet, the article lacks content on Barnave’s thoughts about the economy, slavery in Saint-Dominigue, private property, and freedom of speech. There is also a lack of specificity or completion in the tale of his correspondence with the Queen as well as his reasons for it; there is no inclusion of how the misconceptions of the letters lead to his death and quarrel with the Jacobins. There also is no mention about his dislike for unnecessary violence and how this played a role in leaving the Jacobins and creating the Feuillants. This is some of the information I have learned and plan to add to this Wikipedia page.

In checking the talk page, it is clear that this page has not been very active, for Wikipedians have not really done much to it as of late. The last time someone added something was in 2013, and even then, it was just general fixes for the browser. The second post was back in 2010 for the tagging of the page for the France Wiki Project. The revision history showed slightly more activity in terms of grammatical errors corrected in 2016. I have also added information that I found about Barnave’s fruitless communication with Marie Antoinette.

Ana22gb (talk) 16:03, 11 February 2017 (UTC)

Ideas to Add
The following is some of the information I have learned and plan to add to Antoine Barnave’s Wikipedia page. I want to include his thoughts about the economy, slavery in Saint-Dominigue, private property, and freedom of speech. He argued that the economic struggle should be the main concern for the people of France as it affects the progress of the nation as a whole. Financial growth comes about through the abolishment of the feudal system as well as the utilization of Church lands to encourage production and sale in France and obtaining loans from foreign countries by setting lands up as collateral. Slaves in Saint-Dominigue are also a necessary evil due to the fact we avoid salary expense by increasing the only source of profit for the French people. They are responsible for the revenue we gain with the production of coffee and sugar, which establishes respect and authority in Europe by being the main suppliers. Private property and freedom of speech are sacred rights that must be protected as highlighted in the Declaration of Rights of Man. It is important that everyone’s natural rights are not only protected but encouraged to have and use; it is being able to express oneself freely that allows for needed change to occur.

In addition, I want to clarify the tale of his correspondence with Marie Antoinette as well as his reasons for it – explaining the misconceptions of the letters and how this lead to his death and quarrel with the Jacobins. Barnave was attempting to get Marie Antoinette’s support for a constitutional monarch, but he later learned that she was trying to manipulate his kindness in order to further her desire to reinstate the original monarchy. The Jacobins misinterpreted the communication as a sign of disloyalty for the French and opposition to the revolution; thus, they killed him in order to stop what they saw as actions in bad faith. Not to mention, his dislike for unnecessary violence must be explored because it played a role in him leaving the Jacobins and creating the Feuillants. The Feuillants had a very strong stance in favor of economic progression and the balance of power through a constitutional monarchy. These beliefs encourage peace and compromise, which contrasted the radical ideology of the Jacobins.

Notes for Improvement
Some things the article is missing is Antoine Barnave’s feelings about the economy and what plans he has for resolving it through the Decree of Church Lands, abolishment of the feudal system, taxation on the nobility, and especially the slaves in Saint-Dominigue as they are a significant source of income. There is no mention of his support in favor of the protection of private property and freedom of speech. He advocates for the rights outlined by the Declaration of Rights of Man, for all human beings are born to live in liberty sharing the same rights. There is no inclusion of his assertion in avoiding unnecessary violence as the implementation of it already allowed them to successfully storm the Bastille and start the French Revolution. Vehemence, to Barnave, was no longer needed because the main focus was the creation of a constitution and unity of the people of France; compromise between different perspectives and groups is what is required for true advancement. All in all, I want to increase the depth and specificity of the life and beliefs of this person.

Ana22gb (talk) 19:30, 19 February 2017 (UTC)

Political Views

 * This section already exists, but I want to add his stance in favor of private property and freedom of speech.

Being in favor of a new system of government, Barnave spoke passionately about terminating the powerful influence of religious authorities and allocating that role in government to the people of France. Passing the Civil Constitution of the Clergy would lawfully impose Church adherence to the King and nation of France by having the state pay them salaries for their service and holding popular elections for the priests and bishops. He strongly supported that government influence remain limited to the people and the King, not a single entity.

Barnave also advocated in favor of freedom of speech and the protection of private property. With the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, all citizens were entitled to the purchase and ownership of land or architectural assets that were not to be taken away or trespassed unless it became legally necessary. He said individuals had to possess the liberty to express what they feel and believe in, arguing that the voice of the French citizens was not to be silenced. The right to sole ownership of an acre of land or business would encourage financial, political, and societal progress.

Ana22gb (talk) 15:55, 26 February 2017 (UTC) Ana22gb (talk) 16:12, 26 February 2017 (UTC) Ana22gb (talk) 00:57, 6 March 2017 (UTC) Ana22gb (talk) 01:39, 6 March 2017 (UTC) Ana22gb (talk) 21:49, 22 March 2017 (UTC)

Ideas for Economic Advancement
Decree of Lands To Barnave, having the church give the impoverished people of France their land would help resolve the economic burden of the country and the hunger of the people. The land could be put up as collateral, enabling France to receive loans from foreign nations and at the same time become a source of food for the hungry. Harvests could provide produce and encourage a system of production and sale to stimulate the economy. He saw that the Church, being first estate, had great power and wealth. To him, the roles of the clergy, priests, and bishops resided on solely being the voice of God on Earth. It is them that spread the message of God, and as such, should not be opposed to providing His children with what they require for survival. He stood with the :Decree on Church Lands that would provide each of the clergymen with a minimum, and no more than, annual income of 1200 livres while retaining ownership of their residencies and lawns connected to them. Giving the French citizens land to work on would also help strengthen the role of France in the manufacturing sector and revitalize the quality and quantity of agricultural goods.

End of Feudalism and Taxation on the Nobility In 1789, Barnave was one of the men to advise King Louis XVI to work in unison with the National Assembly to prevent riots that seeked an anarchic form of government. He argued that the revolution had sparked a necessary change in politics. The monarchy, he advocated, was a way to maintain an improved version of French tradition. However, the nobility’s special privileges were to be fully terminated. It was his goal to cease the nobility’s capacity to take a percentage of the profits earned by people working in their fields. People of higher class had to adhere to the same laws and regulations as did any common citizen. In other words, taxation would be placed on every French citizen regardless of social class. Noblemen would contribute to tax revenue that would ameliorate France's national debt. Barnave was strongly in favor of making France into a country that allowed people unrestricted economic or entrepreneurial practices, enabling all citizens to take part in the offerings of commercial markets.

Slaves in Saint-Domingue Barnave argued that successful political changes, incorporation of equal rights, and an inclusive government, can only stem from a successful financial progression in France. Without a sound economic state, France would not be able to compete with foreign powers, and the people would not have the opportunity to improve their lives or truly live freely. Slavery in Saint-Domingue unfortunately allowed the cultivation and sale of coffee and sugar to thrive. He opposed discrimination against any race and valued the phrase: all men are born free, but he also understood how the African slaves contributed to the only source of wealth France had at a moment of deep financial crisis. As a result, he advocated that abolishing slavery was not an economically smart course of action.

Ana22gb (talk) 15:57, 26 February 2017 (UTC) Ana22gb (talk) 16:16, 26 February 2017 (UTC) Ana22gb (talk) 01:30, 6 March 2017 (UTC)

From Violence to Compromise
After the Fall of the Bastille, Barnave argued that violence already lead the French citizens to their desired goals: the start of the Revolution and constitutional change. It was now time for people, despite their factions and distinct beliefs, to compromise and unite. Barnave advised the members of the National Assembly of the King’s role in achieving this. King Louis XVI would enable the Constitution of France to pass smoothly and cease the bloodshed by working alongside the people of France. The economy was too weak to sustain the costs of military action against foreign or domestic rivals.

Ana22gb (talk) 15:58, 26 February 2017 (UTC) Ana22gb (talk) 16:17, 26 February 2017 (UTC)

Correspondence with Marie Antoinette

 * Barnave perused the Queen's support when he commenced correspondence with her in hopes of furthering his political agenda of establishing a constitutional monarch. He believed that her support would improve the public opinion on the royal family by preventing her brother, the Emperor of Austria, from invading France and imposing upon it an absolutist monarchical state of government that conflicted with the ideals of the French Revolution. Nonetheless, the conversations led to nothing more than rejection by the Queen and suspicions leading Barnave to be labeled as a traitor to the French and their cause for revolution.

Ana22gb (talk) 20:23, 19 February 2017 (UTC) Ana22gb (talk) 15:59, 26 February 2017 (UTC)

Practicing
Being bold is important on Wikipedia Ana22gb (talk) 03:37, 29 January 2017 (UTC)