Oftentimes when we look at primary sources, it's helpful to distinguish between the kinds of literature/writing we are interpreting. Here are two kinds of examples:
- Prescriptive: enforcing a rule or a way of doing things
- Proscriptive: condemning or prohibiting a certain behavior
The question you might ask is: WHY are these things being prescribed or proscribed?
Lastly, another type of writing might be deemed "social criticism". This is a kind of commentary meant to shine a light on some kind of societal ill in an effort to bring about change. Someone who practices this is the graffiti artist, Banksy. Here is one example from his Twitter account:
True pic.twitter.com/eCOQXBA6af
— banksy (@thereaIbanksy) October 26, 2017