Introduction
Scholars’ study of various subjects is shaped by different factors. Studies on two or more written articles based on a similar subject have shown completely dissimilar results. An article written by one scholar may vary totally from one written by another scholar on the same topic. The readers of the different articles written about one topic most probably may have varied views on it (Vaughan 80). Some readers may accept and believe an article that appeals to them more than the one that doesn’t connect with their views. Perception either by the society surrounding the scholar or their own perception, plays a critical role in their writing. These are the factors we seek to highlight in this paper, regarding issues that contribute to scholars’ view of their subjects (Tompkins 108).
Societal bias
Society has what it perceives as right and wrong, in its eyes. These are the unwritten rules that everyone in society needs to be loyal to, in order to be in sync with society. Scholars from the not identical societal background may view their subjects through such angles. The society of the American Indians, for example, viewed captives differently than the Europeans. They killed infants upon capturing them. They did that since they viewed them as weak and unable to keep up with their pace. Writing an article from this society’s background may seem like the strategy for not getting captured. From the European background, the slaughter of infants may be seen as total insanity (Tompkins 101).
Gender bias
There is the general view of depicting males as superior to the female. Scholars seem to be affected greatly by this view. In the case of analyzing the human reproductive system, strong character is depicted on the male organs while female gets to be shown as passive and feeble. Studies have shown the sperm to be weak and the female egg sensitive to pricking (Gergen and Gergen 30). Articles written that suggest male sperm prickles its way into the egg are quite not true. Mutual work by the sperm and the egg helps get the fertilization through. This labeling of organs is purely influenced by gender bias (Martin 3).
Societal assumption
The early inhabitants of America were Indians. They had some cultural practices that were quite different from the European settlers. History scholars observed their lack of proper clothing and unsophisticated way of life, to mean they were of insignificant value. This fact influenced what was written concerning them, they had an assumption regarding their culture. Such an article if read by today’s society reflects on the author as being racially biased. However, that isn’t the case as the scholar would have judged by the same standards, persons of his race had they been adorned in cheap clothing. Different societies have various views on the factors that give someone a high social status. To some, it may be land, clothing, animals, or money (Tompkins 118).
Different interpretations
During early migration into America, some scholars who had studied the Indian culture encouraged Europeans to migrate. They praised the nature of hospitality that the natives had. The assimilation into their families, sharing their food, was among the various praises they had about the land’s inhabitants. At the same time, some different scholars who had learnt about their belief practices gave a horrific story. He talked about the child sacrifices that the Indians offered and their worship of the devil. A closer look reveals that the latter scholar was a missionary condemning the Indian cultural practice, while the former was encouraging migration. Such different interpretations of the same land bring out completely separate messages in their articles (Tompkins 115).
Conclusion
By reading different articles regarding the same thing, more often than not the reader judges in his mind which one to believe. One may choose to borrow a few facts from one story while ignoring the rest of it. The need to capture the background from which the scholar wrote is of utmost importance to the understanding of the material. Different authors write articles but they are influenced by bias, different interpretations of the subject, or by their own assumptions. It’s important to factor in such scenarios when reading various articles.
Works Cited
Gergen, Kenneth J, and Mary Gergen. Social Construction: A Reader. London: Sage, 2003. Print.
Martin, Emily. The Egg and the Sperm: How Science Has Constructed a Romance Based on Stereotypical Male-Female Roles. Signs 16.3 1991: 485-501. Print.
Tompkins, Jane. Indians: Textualism, Morality, and the Problem of History. Critical Inquiry 13.1 1986: 101-119. Print.
Vaughan, Alden T. Another Look at the Causes of King Philip’s War. The New England Quarterly 61.1 1988: 79-100. Print.