Codexfan

Hello everyone,

I am Codexfan, lover of books. I have been an avid reader of science fiction, fantasy, mystery, historical romance, crime dramas, and poetry among other things. I graduated from Acadia University with a BA in English in 1996 and a Bachelor of Social Work in 1999 from St. Thomas University. I worked in child protection for ten years and now would like to spend the rest of my career in a less controversial line of work. It is great to be exploring Wikipedia from the perspective of a contributor.

Assignment 1

The topics I have selected for this assignment are as follows:

• Walt Whitman

Koavf.Walt Whitman. Wikepedia, The Free Enclyclopaedia, September 12, 2012. Web. September 29, 2012<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Whitman>

• Abdominal aortic aneurysm

Digital Reference.Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia, September6, 2012. Web. September 29, 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdominal_aortic_aneurysm>

• Guinea Pig

Fama Clamosa. Guinea Pig. Wikipedia, the free enclyclopaedia, September 30, 2012. Web. September 30, 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_pig>

My other reference sources are as follows:

"Walt Whitman." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopaedia.com. 30 Sep. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Whitman, Walt." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2012. Encyclopaedia.com. 30 Sep. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

De Bellis, Dominic. "Aortic Aneurysm." Gale Encyclopaedia of Medicine, 3rd ed.. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 30 Sep. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"guinea pig." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2012. Encyclopaedia.com. 30 Sep. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"guinea pig". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 30 Sep. 2012 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/248905/guinea-pig>.

The experience of researching my selected topics has been interesting and educational. I have learned much about the limitations and pitfalls of online research. It is easy to get sidetracked or find information that cannot be verified or corroborated. If search terms are too broad you can find yourself overwhelmed by far too many hits and having to weed things out. I have learned much more, however, about the ease of which we can access almost anything. It is an incredible experience to be able to sit at home with a laptop and find out information from around the world on a wide variety of topics. When I first attended university in 1991 things were very different. We had limited access to online journals. Everything else either had to be found in the library at your school or via interlibrary loan. We have come so far in such a short time.

I chose my topics because they are connected to me or my family in some way. Walt Whitman has been among my favorite poets since I was in high school and first read his work. I remember finding a first edition copy of Leaves of Grass in the library at Acadia and sitting for hours reading with reverence. My father and several other family members have abdominal aortic aneurysms. I have done a lot of research on the topic over the last year in an attempt to assuage my fears and be prepared for what may lie ahead for my dad. We have a pet guinea pig and prior to adding her to our family I did research to ensure she would fit in to our lives in a positive way, which she has. This is where I chose to start and see where Wikipedia and other encyclopaedias would take me.

I was not surprised to find all of my topics on Wikipedia. I was surprised, however, to see the depth and detail contained in the articles. Walt Whitman’s life and work was chronicled in a very detailed manner and included details about his family of origin as well as the debate about his sexuality. This wiki was started in 2001. One of the other encyclopaedias that I looked at was also very thorough and provided an even more detailed breakdown of his work. There is a large section regarding each edition of Leaves of Grass providing information on the differences between them. However, the other encyclopaedia I looked at was not as detailed or thorough as Wikipedia.

Wikipedia’s article on abdominal aortic aneurysm was very informative and explained the condition in a manner that the average individual can understand. It addressed the causes, concerns and treatment of the condition. The other sources also addressed these things but with more medical terminology. The information was found under the heading of aortic aneurysm with a smaller section dedicated to the abdomen which was very different from Wikipedia’s format.

Guinea pigs were covered in great detail by Wikipedia including origins, behaviour, care and personality. Other sources addressed these issues but in very brief terms with much less detail to their content.

I have yet to form a firm opinion as to which source is more credible, however I will say that Wikipedia has proven easier to use up to this point. The site is laid out in a manner that makes things very clear and easy to find and the citations for sources of information are also easy to locate. It was at times difficult to use the other online encyclopaedias as some cover only a limited number of topics, The Canadian Encyclopaedia, or are for a younger audience, World Book. I look forward to doing a more detailed analysis as it will be a great learning experience

Assignment 2 The Life of Walt Whitman

Wikipedia Article

Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819 and died at the age of 72 on March 26, 1892. Whitman was the second of nine children and was named after is father Walter. He attended school until age 11 at which time he started working to earn money for his family as an office boy for two lawyers. He then moved on to working for a newspaper and learned much about printing and publishing. Whitman had many careers in his lifetime working later as a teacher, then publishing and editing. He accepeted a government post working part time as a paymaster for the army and volunteering as a nurse during the civil war. Throughout this time Whitman worked as a writer and self published the first edition of Leaves of Grass in 1855. There is much detail in Wikipedia about Whitman’s work and the numerous editions of Leaves of Grass. During the early years of the publication his work was criticized by some as being profane but it also stirred up significant interest, due in part to the approval of the work by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Wikipedia also addresses the mystery surrounding Whitman’s sexuality indicating that he was believed to be homosexual or bisexual but there has always been doubt as to whether he engage in physical relationships with men. Whitman lived with his brother after he suffered a stroke in 1873. Whitman published three versions of Leaves of Grass during this period and gained enough financial success to purchase his own home. A female friend, Mary Oakes Davis, moved in with him in 1885 to serve as his housekeeper and help to take care of him in his declining years. In 1891 the final edition of Leaves of Grass was published and is often called the deathbed edition and he died on March 26, 1892.

Encyclopedia Brittannica Article

Encyclopedia Brittannica covers the life of Walt Whitman in great detail. Brittannica described the early life of Whitman’s family detailing how the family owned a large tract of land but by the time Whitman was born it was so diminished that his father was working as a carpenter. Brittannica states that at age 12 Whitman left school to go to work and earn money to help his family. This article talks of him working as a printer, teaching and becoming a journalist. Brittannica also includes details of how Whitman was a great supporter of the Free Soil faction of the Democratic party which got him fired from a job as a journalist. In the spring of 1855 Whitman self published the first edition of Leaves of Grass. “Though little appreciated upon its appearance, Leaves of Grass was warmly praised by the poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote to Whitman on receiving the poems that it was “the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom” America had yet contributed.” Multiple editions of Leaves of Grass were published in the following years. Brittannica indicates that in 1862 Whitman went to join his brother, who was serving in the military during the civil war, in Fredericksburg during which time he took a temporary job in the paymaster’s office and spent his time visiting the sick and wounded soldiers. “Whitman was ill in 1872, probably as a result of long-experienced emotional strains related to his sexual ambiguity;” (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/642866/Walt-Whitman/7907/Civil-War-years#toc7908) He moved in with his brother following a paralytic stroke in 1873 and lived there until he purchased his own cottage many years later. Brittannica states that the eighth edition of Leaves of Grass was published in 1888 and the final unauthorized edition was published after his death in 1892.

Wikipedia versus Brittannica

During the course of my research I discovered several references to Encyclopedia Brittannica's growing internet presence and statements that Brittannica will no longer be publishing "the 32-volume printed edition of the encyclopedia when the current inventory is gone. Britannica Online will also be free to access in full for a week, in a bid to showcase its content against Wikipedia, which has been gradually accepted as an accurate and comprehensive source by an increasing number of scholars and academics alike."(http://www.pcworld.com/article/251796/has_wikipedia_beat_britannica_in_the_encyclopedia_battle_.html) Brittannica is moving towards a model where contributors can make submissions online that are then vetted by a panel of experts to determine the suitability of the material. This is a milestone for Wikipedia in that it adds to the credibility of the material it contains. With respect to the subject of Walt Whitman, both sources were very thorough in their coverage of the material with similar headings such as Early Life, Civil War Years, Later Life, Leaves of Grass. Wikipedia however has more heading titles that include his perspective on slavery as well as his views on religion and more extensive information with respect to Whitman's work and an analysis of his poetry. Brittannica has more detail related to his family of origin and their early life and finances,"Walt Whitman was born into a family that settled in North America in the first half of the 17th century. His ancestry was typical of the region: his mother, Louisa Van Velsor, was Dutch, and his father, Walter Whitman, was of English descent. They were simple farm people, with little formal education."(Brittannica online) Brittannica also includes details of how Whitman was a great supporter of the Free Soil faction of the Democratic party which got him fired from a job as a journalist that are not included on Wikipedia. Wikipedia discusses the question of his sexual orientation in greater detail indicating that he was believed to be either homosexual or bisexual. Though Leaves of Grass was often labeled pornographic or obscene, only one critic remarked on its author's presumed sexual activity: in a November 1855 review, Rufus Wilmot Griswold suggested Whitman was guilty of "that horrible sin not to be mentioned among Christians".[121] Whitman had intense friendships with many men and boy throughout his life. Some biographers have claimed that he may not have actually engaged in sexual relationships with males,[4] while others cite letters, journal entries and other sources which they claim as proof of the sexual nature of some of his relationships."(Wikipedia 2012) There is also very detailed coverage of the multiple editions of Leaves of Grass released, the changes made to each edition and the response by the literary community. Both Wikipedia and Encylcopedia Brittannica provide an abundance of information about one of the greatest American poets who ever lived. Wikipedia, however, begins the page with a summary of the highlights of Whitman’s life and work. This summary captures much detail in a concise manner providing the researcher with quick reference to pertinent data thus making wikipedia the superior article.

Sources

The sources of information used by Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Brittannica are extensive and varied. They range from video files and biographies to scholarly articles and journals. Both articles share sources such as work by Justin Kaplan, Walt Whitman, a Life (1980, reprinted 2003)and James E. Miller Jr. Walt Whitman. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc. 1962. Both articles have numerous links to other sources of information such as websites and books. The data seems to be complete and authoritative. Brittannica points the reader to the Walt Whitman Quarterly Review, founded in 1983, as an ongoing source of scholarly information and Wikipedia directs the reader to The Walt Whitman Archive which is a comprehensive site containing all editions of Leaves of Grass, as well as biographical information and literary criticisms.

Bibliography

Hindus, Milton. Leaves of grass one hundred years after; new essays by William Carlos Williams [and others].. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1955. Print.

Ionescu, Daniel. "Has Wikipedia Beaten Britannica in the Encyclopedia Battle? | PCWorld." PCWorld helps you navigate the PC ecosystem. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.pcworld.com/article/251796/has_wikipedia_beat_britannica_in_the_encyclopedia_battle_.html>.

LeMaster, J. R., and Donald D. Kummings. Walt Whitman: an encyclopedia. New York: Garland Pub., 1998. Print.

McKay, Marilyn J.. "Walt Whitman in Canada: The Sexual Trinity of Horace Traubel and Frank and Mildred Bain."." Walt Whitman Quarterly Review 30.1/2 (2012): 1-30. http://ir.uiowa.edu/wwqr/. Web. 9 Nov. 2012.

Pannapacker, William A.. "Chronology of Walt Whitman's Lifea machine readable transcription - The Walt Whitman Archive." The Walt Whitman Archive. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org/biography/chronology.html>.

Reynolds, David S.. Walt Whitman. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.

"Walt Whitman (American poet) : Additional Reading -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Britannica Online Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/642866/Walt-Whitman/7911/Additional-Reading>.

"Walt Whitman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Whitman#References>.

"Walt Whitman: Online Resources (Virtual Programs & Services, Library of Congress)." Library of Congress Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/whitman/>.

Whitman, Walt, Christopher Morley, and Lewis Daniel. Leaves of grass;. New York: Doubleday, Doran & Co., 1940. Print