User:TeletubbiesSunBaby/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
For this assignment I chose to take a look at the "Jack-o'-lantern" wikipedia page, seeing as Halloween is just around the corner.

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
I'd call this search, one of "seasonal interest". I was thinking about the changing of the seasons, the cold weather, and the month of October and stumbled into this page. I have never known the historical context of a jack-o'-lantern and wanted to see if wikipedia could deliver. For a tradition I do every year without fail, I feel like I should know more about the topic, especially in relation to its start.

Evaluate the article
The wikipedia page I picked gave me an overview of jack-o'-lanterns. I learned their history, etymology/development, cultural significance, and folklore. I was able to gain a good understanding of the topic as a whole and found that the writing was clear and concise. I will not as well that I was able to access and read the text (as I assume a lot of readers would be able to) with ease. Although I had a bit of familiarity with the subject, I ran into a lot of information that I knew nothing about, like how the first jack-o'-lanterns were carved from turnips or sculpted out of plaster. The etymology section (near the top of the page) provides a detailed explanation of the term "jack-o'-lantern" as well as its historical usage, having this depth of understanding of the name alone as well as its origins helped me prepare for the string of historical and cultural context that followed. The cultural comparisons presented in the article highlighted the diversity of the customs and the beliefs associated with this practice of carving into vegetables.

For readability, accessibility, and a quick rundown on the origins, folklores, and traditions of the jack-o'-lantern, this page is the go-to. However, there was information that I was surprised to NOT see included in this page. I feel that topics like guides/how-to's on pumpkin carving, safety information of pumpkin carving, and an expansion on the cultural significance of jack-o'-lanterns in different parts of the world (to provide a more global perspective) would do well to be added. Readers, who after reading this, find themselves interested in pumpkin carving, will have to be searching a different page for the information. Safety tips, design suggestions, and instructions for selecting and preparing a pumpkin for carving all seem like similar enough topics to be added to this page. Safety tips doesn't only apply to the carving itself, while there is a mention of using candles or tea lights to illuminate the pumpkin, I think it would be useful and helpful to provide a dedicated section for all the safety precautions one should follow when making jack-o'-lanterns, especially when it comes to open flames and working with sharp tools. I would have also liked to see a bit more of the historical evolution of pumpkins, I just feel like the page could be diving a lot deeper into the evolution of this commonly practiced tradition.