User:Applesandbanana/Choose an Article

Article Selection
Please list articles that you're considering for your Wikipedia assignment below. Begin to critique these articles and find relevant sources.

Option 1

 * Article title
 * Flower in the Crannied Wall


 * Article Evaluation
 * Upon first glance, it is fairly clear that there isn't much content on the wikipedia page. The page consists of 3 short sub sections, text, analysis, and references. On the bottom of the article, there is a line that tells us that wikipedia has marked the article as a stub. The analysis section of the page focuses more on the poem's relevance rather of appearing on the tomb rather than interpretations of the poem.


 * Sources
 * Taylor, B. (1980). SHELLEY’S PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE AND THEMATIC CONCERNS IN “THE CLOUD.” Interpretations, 12(1), 70–75. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23240551
 * THE TENNYSON STATUE, LINCOLN. (1970). Tennyson Research Bulletin, 1(4), 111–111. http://www.jstor.org/stable/45287223

comments - np
Yes, there is very little information in this stub. There may be some room for expansion. You mention the use of the poem on the Tennyson statue. I don’t think it’s actually Tennyson’s tomb – the article calls it a “memorial statue” – but if you work on the article, you could investigate the origins and purpose of the statue and try to find out why this particular poem was included on it. The final sentence of the Analysis section also gives some clue about further research. The cited source does not provide a direct interpretation of the poem, but it suggests that the poem has been considered in the context of some philosophical discussions. The source cited in your list suggests something similar. The first Wikipedia source (at footnote 1) gets a little closer to interpretation, but the source itself should be considered with some caution, since it’s not a scholarly work and seems to have a polemical (possibly religious) direction.

Option 2

 * Article title
 * September 1913 (poem)


 * Article Evaluation
 * One subcategory found on the wikipedia page is the style category. This category consists of one sentence that brings up the rhyme scheme and tone of the poem. It brings up that the rhyme scheme plays a part of the tone with no citations to back up the claim. This is also brought up within the talk page of the article as someone criticized that it is highly subjective. There can also be more citations included within the article. There is currently a total of 5 citations, 2 of which comes from the same source.


 * Sources
 * BORNSTEIN, G. (2014). READING YEATS’S "SEPTEMBER 1913’ IN ITS CONTEXTS. The Sewanee Review, 122(2), 224–235. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43662841
 * https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042814061485

comments - np
You’re right about the subjectivity of the Style section, and as you note, the Talk page supports your evaluation. You make a good point about the lack of reliable sources. This article clearly needs work. One possible problem is that the three main sections of the article primarily concern the historical context of the poem and Yeats’s literary and political thinking. Sorting out original research from reliable source material might require a substantial amount of background reading. That would be in addition to revising and expanding the lead and the Style section. If you have a strong interest in this topic, it could be interesting. Otherwise you might find a different topic more productive.

Option 3

 * Article title
 * Half Caste (poem)


 * Article Evaluation
 * This article has also been categorized as a stub by wikipedia. There isn't much on the page besides a short background that consists of 2 citations.


 * Sources
 * Working progress

comments - np
As you note, the article itself includes few sources, and my quick search has not turned up substantial material to support an expanded article. But you may find something with a more diligent search. You might consider varying your approach to the poem, which looks as though it is quite well known in Britain. How does the poem fit into the context of Agard’s work? Does Agard use what the article calls phonetic spelling in other poems? Why is the poem included in school curricula? These are just a few questions that might lead to useful information about the poem.

Option 4

 * Article title
 * A Dream (Blake poem)


 * Article Evaluation
 * This article is deemed as a c class article by wikipedia. When looking at the structure and summary section, citations are placed in parentheses rather than formal footnotes. Additionally, due to the sentence structure, it can become a bit difficult to differentiate between sourced opinions and self opinions.


 * Sources
 * https://www.poetseers.org/the-poetseers/blake/
 * http://bq.blakearchive.org/33.1.hilton

comments - np
You make good points about the problems of citation format, point of view, and sourcing. Note, too, the use of quotations rather than paraphrase of scholarly commentaries. The template at the top also asks for a revision of the lead. For this article, you would have no trouble finding sources. The difficulty might be in revising and organizing the material. But if you find the poem and the article interesting, this could be a worthwhile topic.

Option 5

 * Article title
 * Blood, Sparrows and Sparrows


 * Article Evaluation
 * The article is noted as a c class article of low-importance by wikipedia. A significant chunk of the article consists of the reception subcategory. This structure of the subcategory is mainly -- reviewed --- and said ---. The structure of the subcategory sounds really choppy and doesn't convey a sense of understanding.


 * Sources
 * https://therumpus.net/2014/11/blood-sparrows-and-sparrows-by-eugenia-leigh/
 * https://pankmagazine.com/2015/11/10/review-blood-sparrows-and-sparrows-by-eugenia-leigh/#more-26461

comments - np
This could be an interesting project. The Talk page shows that the article was proposed for deletion. You can follow the discussion on a linked page; it might provide useful information about and perspectives on the topic. Another point to consider: the article has not been edited since July 2020, and most of the sources are at least several years older. That could be significant in the case of a living person and active poet. So work on this article may involve fact-checking and a search for more up-to-date information. Leigh's book may be too recent for scholarly mention, but that should be checked too.