Visualizations
The following tools provide various ways in which to visualize the contents of Alcander Morse's journal.
Word Clouds
A textual analysis tool, generated using the online tool Wordle, which represents word frequency in a visual manner. The more frequently a word is used in the text being analyzed, the larger it appears in the word cloud.
Key Words in Context
This tool of analysis visualizes the context of key words within the text, providing insights into the significance of certain observations, beliefs, and ideas about the South, its peoples, and its environment. It was generated using the online tool, TokenX, developed at the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Key Word Counts
Another visualization of word frequency, this tool presents an alphabetized list of all words in the text and the number of times it appears, revealing trends in the author's word choice and subject matter. Also generated using the online tool, TokenX, developed at the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Geographic Map
This map plots the movements of Alcander Morse and the 37th Illinois from September 1861 to September 1864 and allows the journal to be read geographically. Click on placemarks for journal entries pertaining to that location. Locations for the period prior to the September 1862 start of the journal have been placed according to records kept by Alcander in the back of his journal. This tool is under development, as journal entries continue to be added to location placemarks.
Concept Map
Employing MIT's Exhibit software, this map plots and organizes journal concepts using a searchable, sortable interface. Users may choose to view journal entries plotted out on a map by location, year, or concept, thus visualizing the journal and the observations therein in a unique and interactive manner. This tool is currently under development. At present, it contains only journal entries for first half of 1863.
Concept Timeline
A visualization of the journal's narrative concepts plotted over time. Each square represents an occurrence of a concept within the journal. Clicking on a square leads to the corresponding month and concept.