Chapter Five

Evaluating Source and Authority

General Introduction Except amusing or entertaining readers, the purp

oses of a lot of writings are to inform or instruct them and to persuade to take a particular action or accept an opinion. To reach these purposes, a writer may include facts and convey his feelings or point of view on a subject in his writing. As we have discussed before, uncritically assimilating any facts or opinions are dangerous, a critical reader should evaluate the source and authority to decide the truth, accuracy and value of the material he reads.

What is source?

The source refers to where

the material was printed.

What is authority?

The authority refers to the

qualifications fo the author.

How to Evaluate Source and Authority

There are three steps you can follow to evaluate the sources (articles, websites, books) that you have found. You will want to evaluate the credibility of the author, validity of the research, and relevance of articles and web sites.  

Authority of the Author  The first step in evaluating a source is determining

the authority of the author who produced the material. To determine authority, you'll want to evaluate the trustworthiness (credentials, education, experience, etc.) of an author.

 

 

To determine credibility, ask these questions:  Is the author formally educated in the subject? Does the author work for a university or research c

enter? Is the author a recognized scholar in the subject? Does the author have an established history of res

earch and writing on the subject?

Validity of the Research

The second step of evaluating a source is determining the validity of the research being presented in the article, website or book. To ensure that the research is valid, you want to determine the quality of the research used to support the argument being made. It is also important to remember that excellent or persuasive writing doesn't necessarily ensure that the research presented is valid.

 

To determine the validity of the research in the source, ask these questions:

Does the author thoroughly cite all the sources? (Saying "a study was done" is not a citation.)

Is there a list of sources at the end of the article? Does the author's evidence support the claim? Is the author's evidence objective research instead of pers

onal narrative? Does it come from a peer-reviewed publication (which mea

ns the research was evaluated by experts before it was published)?

Relevance to Your Topic

The third step in evaluating a source is determining the article's relevance to your topic:

To determine relevance, ask these questions: Is the article sufficiently broad to address the issue you are discu

ssing? If the article is broad, can its conclusions be applied to your subj

ect? (e.g. an article about drinking habits of students at large universities applies to your subject of drinking habits of CU students)

If the article is narrow, can its conclusions be generalized to your subject? (e.g. an article about volleyball players and eating disorders at Honalee State University can be applied to your subject of eating disorders in women college athletes)

Example: Decide in which of the following sources you would

expect to find accurate and up-to-date information on the gas

mileage of various cars.

an advertisement in Tiem Magazine a research report in Car and Driver an article in the Reder’s Digest on buying an economical ca

r

Unit Five

Middle Age, Old Age

Introduction to the author

Life: William Somerset Maugha

m(1874---1965), an English writer of short stories, novels and plays, was born in Paris as the youngest son of a solicitor to the British Embassy. He learned French as his native language.

At the age of 10, Maugham was orphaned and sent to England to live with his uncle in Kent. The move was damaging, as his uncle proved cold and emotionally cruel. The boy attended The King's School, Canterbury, which was also difficult for him. He was teased for his bad English (French had been his first language) and his short stature, which he inherited from his father. Maugham developed a stammer that would stay with him all his life, although it was sporadic and subject to mood and circumstance.

Miserable both at his uncle's vicarage and at school, the young Maugham developed a talent for making wounding remarks to those who displeased him. This ability is sometimes reflected in Maugham's literary characters. At sixteen, Maugham refused to continue at The King's School. His uncle allowed him to travel to Germany, where he studied literature, philosophy and German at Heidelberg University. He then studied medicine in Lambeth, London for six years. He qualified in 1897 as doctor from St. Thomas' medical school but abandoned medicine after the success of his first novels and plays.

Major Works: first novel - Liza of Lambeth 《兰贝斯的丽莎》 (1903) first play -A Man of Honor 《一个体面的男人》 (1904) masterpiece and semi-autobiographical novel -

Of Human Bondage 《人生的枷锁》 (1915),

Others include:

The Moon and Sixpence (1919)

Cakes and Ale (1930)

The Razor’s Edge (1944)

A Writer’s Notebook (1949) etc.

Writing Style

Maugham has achieved success as a novelist and playwright, but his greatest success has been gained, perhaps, by his short stories, Maugham was a realist with a cool, unemotional (some people might say a cynical) outlook on life. He had an amazing skill for revealing, with a few touches, a situation and the essentials of character, and most of his stories were told in a clear, straightforward and fluent style. Though critics look on him more as a clever and competent craftsman than as an artist, a story-teller rather than a profound author, Maugham’s works remain very popular with readers who want to enjoy a good story.

In Ten Novels and Their Authors 《巨匠与杰作》 ,

Maugham recommended the ten best novels chosen

out of many works of world literature.

(1) Tom Jones 《湯姆 · 琼斯》 ( 亨利 · 菲尔丁 , 1749年 )

(2) Pride and Prejudice 《傲慢与偏見》 (简 ·奧斯汀 , 1813 年 )

(3) The Red and The Black 《红与黑》 (司汤达 , 1830 年 )

(4) Old Man Goriot 《高老头》 (巴尔扎克 1835 年 )

(5) David Copperfield 《大卫 ·科波菲尔》 (查尔斯 ·狄更斯 , 1849 年至 1850 年 )

(6) Wuthering Heights 《呼啸山庄》 (艾米丽 ·勃朗特 , 1847 年 )

(7) Madame Bovary 《包法利夫人》 (福楼拜 , 1856年 )

(8) Moby Dick 《白鲸》 (赫尔曼 ·梅尔维尔 , 1851年 )

(9) War and Peace 《战争与和平》 ( 托尔斯泰 , 1865 年到 1869 年 )

(lo) The Brothers Karamazov 《卡拉马佐夫兄弟》(陀思妥耶夫斯基 , 1880 年 )

Warm-up Discussion Which stage of life do you prefer most, infancy, childhood,

adolescence, youth, middle-age or old age? Give reasons to back up your choice.

Associate your middle-age or old-age life with relevant words or phrases.

While-reading Activity Read the text to get the gist of it.

Main idea: Even though it is not a pleasant thing to get old, both middle age and old age have their own ompensations.

Scan the text to find what compensations middle age and old age have respectively.

Finish the questions in Exercise I & II.

Post-reading Activity

Ask students to write a composition on the topic:

what advantages does youth have over middle age and old age?