Part One
Compare and contrast the following author
biographies, using the list of criteria below to help you make the comparison.
While at first glance each set of biographies may appear to be very similar to
one another, try to note differences, with an eye towards making sense of those
differences. If the different ways they are represented would actually affect
how you use them differently in a research project, then take the time to
explain why.
Biographies to compare:
Marshall McLuhan in Wikipedia with Michelle Citron
in Wikipedia
Structure
of article: The Citron article was introduced with a brief description of her early
life of where she was born and academic attainments. Then the article discussed
her current career and the contributions she made to the film industry as a
feminist. Next the article included two charts which pointed out her
filmography and multimedia. The article ended with a brief bibliography of her memoirs
then concluded with a references section. The McLuhan article was also
introduced with a brief summary of who he was. Next there was an extensive description
of his upbringing and early life story that detailed his rise. The article then
included an introduction to his major accomplishments and a summary that
detailed each of his individual publications. This article concluded with by
establishing and informing on his legacy.
Kinds of
information contained: Citron- Early life, Career, Filmography, Multimedia, Bibliography
and References. McLuhan- Life and career, Major works, Key concepts, Legacy Works
cited, Further reading and External links.
Kinds of
information linked to: Citron- Linked to the different universities she
attended and the McLuhan- linked to various researches done on him and by him.
References:
Citron- This article referenced books and scholarly material. McLuhan- This
article used a works cited format that linked to other Wikipedia articles.
Tone of
writing: Citron- the tone of writing in this article was brief and straight forward;
it also left room for more information to be added especially since she is
still alive and active in her career. McLuhan- The tone of this article was
more autobiographic and complete detailed his life and works accomplished form
his birth until his death.
Illustrations: Citron- Charts of works. McLuhan-Picture of a street sigh
named after him and one of his famous triad diagrams.
Credentials of author: Michelle Citron is a film, video and multimedia
artist, scholar and author. Herbert Marshall McLuhan was a Canadian philosopher
of communication theory.
Lists of
works: Citron- Filmography/ Multimedia. McLuhan- Major publications/ Key concepts
Anything
else important? McLuhan- Legacy, this section asserted the significance and
influence of his life works.
Henry Sidgwick in Wikipedia with Henry Sidgwick in
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The Sidgwick article in
Wikipedia only included a brief biography and another short section of his
works and concluded with a list of his publications. The Encyclopedia article
introduced who he was and his significance and articulated more in depth his
life and background. Then there was lengthy section devoted to his Methods of
Ethics and Philosophy, which was very informative and descriptive. Then the
article recalled the controversies brought on by Sidgwick’s Epistemology. The
article also pointed out his views on religion and Parapsychology, and then
detailed his thought on economics and education. The references from the Encyclopedia
article were mostly on Sidgwick’s own published works. The Wikipedia article referenced
other articles submitted on Wikipedia.
Part Two
Featured Article: Cold Feet
The verifiability
of this featured article was credible and based on fact and audience reaction to
the show’s popularity. It was obvious that it covered material that was very much
relevant and helped to facilitate it to readers. The summary and style of the
article was a connection between those who were familiar with the show and
those who may have never heard of it. This summary’s style was conducing to the
type of show it was and detailed the series and the production of it. While the
US sitcom Friends was enjoying enormous worldwide success, the UK had its own
thirty and older couple based hit on its hands. Cold Feet, comedy drama that
ran between 1998 and 2003, it’s still so fondly remembered today and producers are
trying to bring it back.
The show was created by Mike Bullen and it was centered on the lives of three Manchester couples. Fay Ripley and John Thomson were the married couple initially struggling to conceive, she was desperate and he was reluctant. Robert Bathurst and Hermione Norris were the typical middle class married couple, he a successful and snobby management consultant who maintains a cold front towards his bored housewife. Finally, the easy favorites of the trio of couples were James Nesbitt and Helen Baxendale whose characters got together in the first episode. Nesbitt, as Adam charmed the nation with his cheeky Irish wit while Baxendale’s alluring yet spritely Rachel had a similar effect. It was their ups and downs in particular that captivated fans. They were the Ross and Rachel from the American Show “Friends” of Cold Feet.
Each week, eight million viewers would regularly tune in to see what their favorite northern characters were up to. When Adam and Rachel got married 9.1 million joined them. When Rachel died at the end of the series, 10.4 million watched.
It’s a success which hasn’t achieved since in that tricky format of romantic comedy drama. To win over men as well as women with romance is no easy task. But Cold Feet managed it by being moving and funny also complex but utterly absorbing. Much like Friends, the show had characters that viewers both male and female could identify with, while being brilliantly written at the same time.
