2.4.4 Critical Viewing: Source Analysis Assignment

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Assignment

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Artists use images in their paintings to express ideas and to create emotions. An image's position and actions in a painting are chosen carefully to draw the viewer's eyes to crucial areas of the picture in an attempt to give meaning to the composition.

In this assignment, you will review how to analyze sources for Social Studies, and connect the sources to the development of nationalism in France. Developing strong source analysis skills is key to progressing through Social Studies 20-2. Refer to the 2.4 Notebook Organizer, Unit 2 content, and any additional notes to help you complete this assignment.

Helpful Resources   2.4.4 Response Tutorials Use the tutorial How to Read a Picture to help you complete this assignment. You will use parts of the tutorial to analyze two images, and then draw connections to the development of nationalism in France. The tutorial also has a helpful example. Note: Although the How to Read a Picture tutorial talks about an image as if it is a photograph, the information and advice still works well for a painting. Use the tutorial How to Write a Paragraph to review how to produce quality writing. Use the tutorial How to Proofread and Edit Your Writing to review how to submit your best written response. View the tutorial How to Write an Outline–Source Analysis to see the skills you will eventually develop over the course of Social Studies 20-2. Student Example: Step 2-2.4.4 Response The two sources from the French Revolution show the development of nationalism in France. Driven by new ideas from the Enlightenment, the idea of personal freedoms, egalitarianism, and the inequalities of the feudal system began to gain speed. In Source 1 it shows the First and Second Estates dominating the Third Estate during the Old Regime. The Third Estate carried the weight of taxes for France, which is why the cartoon shows the First and Second Estates riding "piggy-back" on the Third Estate with smiles, while the Third Estate looks exhausted and unhappy. In this case, the factor that shaped nationalism in France was both economic (in that the Third Estate wanted changes to their standard of living) and political (where members of the Third Estate wanted power for themselves and independence from traditional structures). Source 2 shows the Oath of the Tennis Court, where members of mainly the Third Estate met after being locked out of the palace by King Louis XVI. This lockout came from the Third Estate's demand for more equal voting power to the First and Second Estates, which threatened the king's power as the Third Estate was the largest group in France. Meeting at a nearby tennis court, the Third Estate declared themselves the National Assembly in France and vowed not to disband until France had a constitution, where people lived in a more equal society with emphasis on personal freedoms (rather than being at the authority of an absolute monarchy).

You may wish to view the video "Submitting Assignments" below to clarify how to submit assignments for grading.