Assignment 12_Section_00_Distant_Reading

Learning Goals:

  1. Be able to understand how to navigate and use Voyant by entering URLs.

https://service.sadilar.org/voyant/

  1. Correctly use Voyant to find key words based on word count in the documents provided below:

https://www.projectmadurai.org/pm_etexts/pdf/pm0153.pdf

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tirukkural

  1. Show an understanding of Tirukkural based on what you found in Voyant through the Project Madurai and Britannica sources.

  2. Analyze the importance of Tirukkural.

Step by Step instructions (on how to use Voyant)

  1. To begin, go to https://service.sadilar.org/voyant/

  2. Enter one or more of the sources’ URLs or text in the box and then click reveal.

  3. Once loaded, the page should generate a word cloud. The most popular words in the text/source will show up. You will want to get rid of common words like “great” and “this” as they will not help you understand Tirukkural.

  4. In order to edit the common words out, you will have to add them to the stopwords list.

  5. You will click on the switch icon, which will bring up the stopwords list.

  6. When the stopwords list appears, click on the edit list button. From there you will be able to add in any of the common words you seem are useless.

  7. Once you add in the common words, click on confirm.

  8. A new word cloud will show up. (If more common words show up, repeat the process on stopwords list)

  9. If you click on the other icons help you access more.

  10. If you click on the slider icon, it reveals more tools.

  11. If you click on the arrow in the box icon, it reveals more sections of Voyage.

Specific instructions on how to submit their work (questions for paragraph instructions)

  • In your Assignment File, show an understanding through paragraph-form of the differences and similarities you noticed between the sources you put through Voyant. Along with this, analyze evidence and data you collected through Voyant to come to your own conclusion on the importance of Tirukkural.