OPVL
Document Analysis Process- Becoming Critical Observers
O- Origin
 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)
Example
O- Pericles’ Funeral Oration
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.
P- Purpose
 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- Pericles’ Funeral Oration
 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.
V- Value
 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- Pericles’ Funeral Oration
 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.
L - Limitations
 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- Pericles’ Funeral Oration
 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.
Activity
 Now you should practice doing an OPVL for the
Lacedaemonian Constitution. You may begin your
OPVL now.