OPVLDocument Analysis Process- Becoming Critical

Observers

2-3 Sentences You do not need to read the document yet You may want to do some preliminary research in order to

answer the following questions Analysis of where the document came from before trying to

understand its purpose and value Who created it? Who is the author? Go beyond a name When was it created? When was it published? Who published it? Is there anything we know about the author that is

pertinent to our evaluation? (super important)

O- Origin

This document was created by Pericles, one of the Athenian generals who led the Athenians and planned the defensive strategy during the Peloponnesian War. This document was created in 431 BCE just after one of the first battles of the Peloponnesian War, where Athens did not fare so well.

ExampleO- Pericles’ Funeral Oration

2-3 sentences You must read the document before attempting this! Think as the author of the document when

determining the purpose Why does it exist? Why did the author create it? Intent? Why did the author choose this format? Who is the intended audience? What does the document “say?” Can it tell you more than is on the surface?

P- Purpose

This document was a speech that Pericles gave at a ceremony to honor the fallen Athenian soldiers. His intended audience was the Athenian people, particularly those who were feeling discouraged by the defeat in the battle. His intent was to remind the Athenians of all the reasons why Athens was a better city-state than Sparta.

P- Pericles’ Funeral Oration

Paragraph Based upon who wrote it, when/where it came from,

and why it was created…what value does it have as a piece of evidence?

What can we tell about the author? What can we tell about the time? What can we tell about any controversies? Does it represent a particular side of a controversy? What can we tell about the author’s perspective? How does it represent the history of the time?

V- Value

Pericles, an elected Political leader is discussing the virtues of Athenian democracy in this speech. From the document we can learn about what was valued in Athenian society, how they felt about politics, private life, and the law. According to Pericles Athenian Democracy was Democracy for all people and all people were equal before the law. The law was taken seriously and followed strictly but deeply respected. Pericles also says that your merit (your abilities) should count above your social class. And last but not least, Athenian citizens considered it your most important duty to be an informed citizen.

V- Pericles’ Funeral Oration

Paragraph At what point does this source cease to be of value

to historians? (not about weaknesses) What part of the story can we NOT tell from this

document? How could we verify the content of this piece? Does this piece accurately reflect anything about the

time period? What does the author leave out and why? What is purposefully not addressed?

L - Limitations

One major limitation of this document is that it represents only one point of view, the Athenian perspective, and does not address the Spartan viewpoint. Therefore, this source is very one sided. Additionally, if one were to want to learn about the Peloponnesian War or about the specific features and functions of the Athenian democracy, this source provides only limited information. Because Pericles’ made his speech as a kind of “pep talk” the positive attributes of Athens could have been exaggerated in order to gain more support from the people.

L- Pericles’ Funeral Oration

Now you should practice doing an OPVL for the Lacedaemonian Constitution. You may begin your OPVL now.

Activity