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Articles
Marie Antoinette

Tennessee Williams

Grand Ole Opry

Elizabeth Báthory

Grand Canyon

Articles
Marie Antoinette

Tennessee Williams

Grand Ole Opry

Elizabeth Báthory

Grand Canyon

Reflection on the Articles
I recently watched the movie "Marie Antoinette" directed by Sofia Coppola, and I was curious to find out what is Hollywood invention and what is fact. By searching Wikipedia I was surprised to find in depth material on all stages of her life. It was well cited and offered different perspectives on her actual character, which is the source of many debates. I liked that it was not biased and offered different avenues to research further. This would be a great starting point if I was researching her for a paper. In contrast, Britannica Online was condensed and stated several things as fact that Wikipedia offered different (and sourced) opinions on. For example, Britannica says that Antoinette persuaded her husband to resist the attempts of the National Assembly to abolish feudalism and restrict the royal prerogative, but Wikipedia states that she had no political influence over Louis the 16th. Wikipedia suggests she was foolish and extravagant, but also that this may have been an invention of the press and Revolution supporters. Britannica offers no other perspectives. However, they do agree that her famous line "Let them eat cake" was probably never uttered. Historical figures are often debated and therefore I can't discredit using Britannica as a reference point. My favourite playwright of all time is Tennessee Williams. I thought this would be a good opportunity to go beyond the book jacket biography. My Wikipedia search left me quite disappointed. The lead section had warnings from Wikipedia regarding editing and citations, not to mention it was short and poorly written. The information in the lead section also conflicted with the information in the other sections. For example the lead section said that after years of obscurity he became famous with his play "The Glass Menagerie". In the career section we see a detailed overview of his successes and jobs before the "The Glass Menagerie" was published. However, both sections do not have any citations so neither is reliable. I then referred to Britannica Online and found a well written, in depth article. The information was well sourced and there were links to his famous works and characters. The article also discussed different themes in his plays, which is more than I would have hoped for in an encyclopedia. One thing that was missing were details regarding his death. For an article that discussed his personal life and substance problems I was hoping to find out how he died.

I love country music and the other day I heard a country song called "The Grand Ole Opry Ain't So Grand Anymore" by Hank Williams III. I knew his father Hank Williams Sr. was a member of the Opry so I thought I would investigate the history of the Opry and what they are about. It was easy to find on Wikipedia and it was a good quality article. The lead section gave an overview of how the one hour radio show started to what it is today. Then each sectioned that followed gave more information on the Opry's beginnings, performances, members and broadcasts. There is also a funny anecdote about how after Elvis played the Opry for the first time he was told never to return by the Opry Manager.They could not handle his gyrating dance moves and his blend of blues with country music. I learned from this that the Grand Ole Opry is conservative and strictly country. I can see how a song putting them down could be inspired by other country artists who may have spurned themselves. In comparison, the article on Britannica Online was a brief two paragraphs that offered a quick, yet accurate overview. Not a lot of details, but a good starting point.

The legend of Countess Elizabeth Báthory has always intrigued me. I like vampire movies and she has often been mentioned in vampire folklore as the "female Dracula". I figured that any articles I would use to research her would have conflicting details and theories. I was right. The Wikipedia article offered lots of information, but had several warning banners across the page. The warnings said the article needed more citations to back up information, that there were noted inaccuracies and information that had been cited was misinterpreted. Although the article was entertaining and featured sections on Báthory folklore and popular culture; the information is not reliable. The Britannica article was short, but effective. In the brief overview a few theories regarding the gruesome allegations against her were discussed. Scholars now believe she was innocent and framed because she was a powerful woman and the King of Hungary owed her a lot of money! Accusing her of murdering 600 girls and bathing in their blood; well that's quite the frame up! The article also linked to a related reading on Vampire Mythology. One important thing I noticed was that the article was written by Richard Pallardy and there was not a bibliography. It says he is a primary contributor, but is his information reliable and accurate? Where did he get his information from?

I chose to use Britannica Online as my second source because I figured I would not have a hard time finding articles on my topics. I have noticed that Britannica articles are usually concise overviews of a topic. When I researched the Grand Canyon using Britannica it was quite the opposite. It was composed like a Wikipedia article with many sections. It had an overview and then sections for geologic history, biological past and present and history. There were also a few photos and videos. It was very useful and had many suggested readings. A funny thing of note, the Wikipedia article on the Grand Canyon was a copy and paste plagiarism of the Britannica Article! Many sections were word for word copied and there were warning banners all over the page for lack of citations and reliable sources. In conclusion, only 2 of the 5 Wikipedia articles I read were considered good articles. I was surprised to find that I would not rely solely on Britannica either. I think good research is critical analysis of the information and sources the articles provide. Overall, I enjoyed the search and comparison of different resources.