Spock, Benjamin (1903-1998)

    Michael Zuckerman, the author of "Spock, Benjamin (1903-1998)" allows the readers to be aware of the great impacts Benjamin Spock made through his book Baby and Child Care.   
(http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Benjamin_McLane_Spock.aspx)
    The main idea of this article is to inform the readers of how Benjamin Spock's child-rearing advice influenced various people in a down to earth manner. The main idea is supported by the ways the book Baby and Child Care made a difference in many people's lives. Also, the viewpoint of the author is that Benjamin Spock was a very influential author and looks highly upon the essentials of Spock's advice. For example, in the article it says "But the essentials of Spock's advice never changed. He always meant to write a guide for living more than a medical reference book. He challenged conventional notions of normality and sought to alleviate anxiety, in parents and children alike. He always offered reassurance, in the down-to-earth manner in which he set forth his advice. He had a genius for popularization. No one ever explained Freud better in everyday language. No one ever wrote more gender-neutral prose."
    This source had a strong bias that lead the readers to be anticipated about how the author will support the bias with facts. The bias of the article is that Benjamin Spock was the most influential author of child-rearing advice of the twentieth century. This bias slants my opinion of Benjamin Spock because of the information that states the vast popularity his book brought and the way he wrote for the different perspectives of his readers. For example, in the article it says "In successive editions, he made a place for fathers as well as mothers in childcare, allowed new gender roles for boys and girls, acknowledged divorce and single-parenting, and explicitly urged his readers toward a vegetarian lifestyle." However, this article contains a conflicting evidence of critics that had a political view of keeping old and often proven ways of doing things complained about how Spock's advice allowed too much freedom in child-rearing also known as permissive, but Spock never counseled permissiveness. That is why Benjamin Spock advised against this after the first edition of his book.
    The accuracy of this source can be determined by the year the article was uploaded, the author, and the quality of information. First, the year this article was uploaded is 2004. Second, the author Michael Zuckerman did his B.A. and PhD in American studies and teaches courses in popular culture, national character, human nature, and religion. He has written about people such as Thomas Jefferson, P.T. Barnum, Oliver North, Horaito Alger, Lewis Mumford, and Doctor Spock. Lastly, the information the author has provided is mainly filled with facts with the years, locations, and the current event or period in history.
    This article provides information of how Benjamin Spock was able to work hard towards his passions and what he believed was right. As a conclusion, this source allows the readers to learn about the events and situations Benjamin Spock went through to achieve his goal.