Part Bii- Analyze and Evaluate Representations
Which is the best representation for teaching us about a past event and why?
This essay will examine, analyze and evaluate the three provided representations relating to the impact of the Second World War on British society. The main and sole purpose of this essay is to identify the best representation for teaching us about World War Two, and the reason as to why this particular source surpasses the other two.
To begin with, the evaluation of each representation’s objectivity will be provided. Representation one is an article which has been written for the sole purpose of persuading readers that the British morale during the Blitz was extremely low. This is evident in the title of the article “Rethinking British Morale”. Because of this source’s main purpose, it results in the representation being extremely objective and one-sided. Representation one only mentions ideas and points that support the idea that morale was low and Britain had no spirit. This is made evident when the article states that the “high state of morale was in fact a myth” and “there was a growing disenchantment” amongst the civilians. These quotes clearly indicate that representation 1 is partial and bias towards the impression that British optimism was low. On the other hand, representation 2 was produced to entertain readers whilst telling them the story of a boy’s life during the Blitz. Because of its purpose, the second representation has no reason to be bias and partial, therefore making it impartial and more useful than representation one in this particular category. Representation 2 shows both sides to the British morale. Within the source, we can see Arnold Tabbs crying. This supports the idea that morale may have been low for the British. In contrast to this, we can also see wardens and civilians working together to clear the extensive debris caused by the bombs, which supports the idea that British morale was high. Both sides of the argument are exemplified within representation 2, which makes it impartial and much more reliable than source 1 in terms of objectivity. Finally, representation three’s main purpose was to educate and inform students about the Second World War (since the article was featured within a textbook). Because of its purpose, representation three does not take any sides and remains impartial for the entire duration of the text. This makes the source extremely useful and reliable when teaching us about the Blitz, because it mentions that people felt “shock, discomfort and disruption” however the source also touches on the fact that there was some “bravery and defiance” amongst the nationals. After assessing the objectivity and impartialness of all three sources, I have come to the decision that representation three is the best in terms of neutrality since it gave clear and detailed information concerning the morale of citizens being high, as well as low. Thus making it a completely rounded and reliable representation which manages to teach us about the past.