Primarily Accurate
January 28, 2014
The difference between primary and secondary sources is clear, and Robert Darnton’s recounting of “The Great Cat Massacre” is an example of this. The story itself is a secondary source discussing a primary description of an apprentice’s experience as a printer.
The story discusses the slaughter of several stray cats while other workers of the shop looked on and laughed. It horrified me, which Darnton explained shows the difference between my own experience and views compared to the apprentice. The space of time between primary and secondary sources has never been so evident to me until now.
With this in mind, I examined some other primary sources, specifically from the site Making the History of 1989
The poster is meant to symbolize American ideals to contrast the opponent in an upcoming Polish election. Despite being completely unfamiliar with the movie High Noon I clearly understood the tough western cowboy and what he represents in my own culture. However, without the background explanation the site offers (a secondary source) I would be unable to interpret or comprehend this image at all.
I accounted similar problems when confronted with anarchy pamphlets from 1989. I don’t speak German, but I recognize the Solidarity slogan again from the poster. I also recognize universal symbols such as the capital A for anarchy and peace signs.
I realized in this activity I’m positively useless at interpreting primary sources. I think it is difficult to understand something without present day context and explanation. If the articles were in English it might be easier to glean more information. Furthermore, if I knew more about the time period I could take more from these sources. However, that would be a secondary source.
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