User:Keiko12/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
(Provide a link to the article here.)

Balthazar (magus)

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
(Briefly explain why you chose it, why it matters, and what your preliminary impression of it was.)

I chose to evaluate this article as Balthazar intrigued me the most out of the pre-compiled list of weak articles provided in the WikiEdu dashboard. This article matters as Balthazar was a prominent, recurring figure in Christian artwork, including altarpieces, who represented one of the three kings that visited Christ shortly after his birth. He further symbolized Africa and was curiously placed the farthest from Christ by many artists. In short, Balthazar is a biblical figure that is deserving of a better constructed Wikipedia article. As I look over his current article, I'm surprised to find limited depictions in art (only two paintings featured) and a somewhat limited table of contents (only three headings). However, I do find the third heading interesting, which discusses Balthazar's connection to modern blackface.

Evaluate the article
(Compose a detailed evaluation of the article here, considering each of the key aspects listed above. Consider the guiding questions, and check out the examples of what a useful Wikipedia article evaluation looks like.)

lead section

(strengths)

. decent introductory sentence that concisely introduces Balthazar

. the lead is concise (only a few sentences)

(weaknesses)

. the lead doesn't include a brief description of the article's major sections ("tradition, commemoration, blackface controversy")

. the lead mentions alternative spellings of "Balthazar," which aren't necessarily present in the rest of the article (this might be a negligible error)

content

. the article's content is fairly relevant to the topic of "Balthazar" as it includes an overview of his tradition/origin, how he has been commemorated, and how his legacy continues in the present in the controversial form of blackface

. one detail at the very end of the "tradition" section feels slightly insignificant (a note that Balthazar appeared in an 1880 novel) and should be deleted (unless maybe an explanation can be added to explain the novel's significance)

. the article should consider Balthazar's significance (a symbol of the African continent) and better analyze the paintings he appears in (maybe a discussion of his tendency to be placed farthest from Christ, which could be tied to othering/discrimination?)

. some meaningful content that is missing includes Balthazar's symbolic features (gold earring, noble presence), which were believed to have been inspired by figures such as Prester John and Mansa Musa

. the article does "address topics related to historically underrepresented populations" by describing the problematic practice of blackface

tone and balance

. upon a first read, the article does appear to be neutral

. surprisingly, the section on "blackface" doesn't directly take an "anti-blackface" stance but rather discusses multiple perspectives (those that have maintained the tradition vs. those who are encouraging more individuals of African descent to play Balthazar in stage pageants)

. the "blackface" section might become more balanced/complete if more viewpoints of those hoping to change the tradition are explored

. I don't believe the article attempts to persuade the reader (instead, it appears committed to simply informing)

sources and references

. most facts are backed up by "a reliable secondary source of information," although the detail at the end of the "tradition" section (which explains Balthazar's presence in novels and films) is not linked to a secondary source

. few sources are current (a book from 1980, a book from 1955, and an internet archive from 2006)

. one source is a translation of a text written circa 500 A.D. (this source might not be entirely reliable as it was written in Greek, translated into Latin, and finally translated into English; consequently, some meaning may have been lost in time and translation)

. based on my initial impression, the sources are not written by a very diverse spectrum of authors (racially-speaking, many appear to be white)

. however, the last two articles in the references are written in Spanish, which could be interpreted as an inclusion of marginalized Spanish-speakers

. the links in the references do work

organization and writing quality

. the article is written in a clear, concise, simple manner

. I didn't observe any grammatical or spelling errors, although I noticed a bit of unnecessary repetition (the article mentions that "the feast day of Balthazar takes place on January 6 as it is the day he died" in two separate sections)

. the article is broken down into sections, although it is a bit minimal and could benefit from additional sections or sub-sections that cover more major points concerning Balthazar

images and media

. the article does include images that can assists in readers' understanding (close-up of Balthazar in a painting, larger painting that Balthazar appears in, depiction of modern blackface, Balthazar portrayed by an individual of African descent)

. the images are well-captioned as they are concise and provide dates

. I personally don't find the images to be placed in a "visually appealing way" as they are a bit small (which forces readers to zoom in to observe details)

. however, the design of Wikipedia as a whole isn't necessarily visually appealing, so this might not entirely be this writer's fault