Study of Integrated Science Essay Example for Free

Study of Integrated Science Essay The importance of science in today’s world is overwhelming and therefore the education system throughout the world has geared itself to provide the required training in scientific skills to meet this growing challenge. Many countries have transformed themselves from poor feudal type economies through the increasing application of science and technology. China and India are two outstanding examples as they have grown to become economic and industrial power houses and in several ways compete effectively with developed countries. Any country which does not give the needed assistance to the study of science usually lacks development. Through science, bridges are constructed, vehicles manufactured, roads constructed and knowledge expanded. In spite of the relevance of science mentioned above, the pupils of Mampamhwe M/A JHS 2 have difficulty in studying and understanding science. The three aspects of pure science and one applied science (Agricultural science) have been combined to form the basis for the study of science at the junior high school. Collectively, they are known as integrated science. During the end-of-term examination, less than 40% of the thirty five (35) pupils in the class barely get above the average mark of fifty (50) in integrated science. The pupils mentality that, integrated science is difficult and poor methods of teaching can be counted as factors that have facilitated the poor performance of the pupils in the subject. Not using the scientific method of solving problems in the teaching of scientific problems and solving practical questions raises an eyebrow on how pupils can grasp the concepts of the subject. With pupils living in a community which major occupation is farming (cocoa to be precise) and pupils themselves engaging in farming activities, it would have served as a good ground for the application of agricultural science and biology which forms part of integrated science. But this seems not to be the case with the pupils. With the relevance of the study of science to the improvement of the pupils’ mind and life and also to the community as a farming one, prompted the researcher to study and investigate ways of improving the study of integrated science at JHS 2. Statement of the problem The problem which prompted the researcher to carry out this research is the poor performance of pupils in integrated science among the JHS 2 pupils of Mampamhwe M/A. It is therefore against this background that the researcher has decided to use the experiential approach to help solve this problem. Purpose of the study The reason why the researcher is carrying out this research is to: a) Identify the causes of the poor performance of pupils of Mampamhwe M/A JHS 2 in integrated science. b) Assess the effects of the poor performance in integrated science on the pupils. ) Establish possible solutions that can help solve the poor performance in integrated science. d) Provide teachers with some guidelines in improving the teaching and studying of integrated science. e) Help parents understand the conditions that they can put in place to help their wards improve their performance in integrated science. f) Provide suggestions to managers of education in Ghana when planning the syllabus. Rese arch questions Research questions for this study include the following: i) What difficulties do pupils of Mampamhwe M/A JHS 2 face in the study of integrated science? i) What are the major causes of the poor performance of the pupils in integrated science? iii) What are the appropriate interventions that can be taken to address the problem? iv) What is the effect of the project on the problem? Significance of the study This research will help pupils to recognize effective ways of learning integrated science which can bring about an improved performance in the subject. It will also help teachers of integrated science to vary their techniques or methods of teaching and choose methods according to the nature of the topic. Last but not least, it will also enable curriculum planners to include this practical work in the JHS science syllabus so that pupils at the junior high schools can make use of it. Delimitations This project work is limited to improving the performance of integrated science among only JHS 2 pupils of Mampamhwe M/A. This is because that is the class that the researcher was assigned to teach and has fair knowledge of their learning abilities. Also, out of all the subjects on the JHS 2 timetable, the researcher chose to carry out his research on only integrated science since it’s the subject assigned to him to teach. Last but not least, there were many approaches that could have been used for this study but the researcher deemed it best to use the experiential approach Organization of the study The research work is organized in five main chapters. Chapter one is titled ‘Introduction’ and it comprises the background to the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, research questions, significance of the study, delimitations, limitations and organization of the study. Chapter two is the review of related literature. It consists of the ideas and views of other writers, internet and other sources. Chapter three discusses the methodology which includes the research design, population and sample selection, research instrument, data collection procedure and data analysis plan. Chapter four considers the analysis of data based on the findings and discussions of the findings. The last chapter summarizes, concludes and also makes recommendation after the study.   Literature review Review of related literature in this chapter involves the systematic identification, location and analysis of documents containing information related to the research problem. It is designed to review works on the importance of the study of science in the basic school. The knowledge gained through the study of science plays an important role in the general education of the school curriculum, therefore, a large number of studies pertaining to the teaching and learning of science by many educationist and writers. This chapter considers the contributions of other researchers and their proposal suggestions for correcting these difficulties. The contributions are placed under the following headings in this chapter. Definitions of science. What is integrated science? Importance of science. Importance of science education as a school subject. Causes of poor performance of pupils in integrated science. Experiential method of teaching. Definitions of science According to Websters New Collegiate Dictionary, the definition of science is Knowledge attained through study or practice, or Knowledge covering general truths of the operation of general laws, especially as obtained and tested through scientific method [and] concerned with the physical world. Science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge. This system uses observation and experimentation to describe and explain natural phenomena. The term science also refers to the organized body of knowledge people have gained using that system. Less formally, the word science often describes any systematic field of study or the knowledge gained from it. (http://www. sciencemadesimple. com) According to Wikipedia (2012), Science is obtained from the Latin word scientia, it means knowledge. It furthered on to say that, science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. An older and closely related meaning still in use today is that found for example in Aristotle, whereby science refers to the body of reliable knowledge itself, of the type that can be logically and rationally explained. (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Science). It goes on to say that, in modern use, science is a term which more often refers to a way of pursuing knowledge, and not the knowledge itself. Dictionary. com (2012) defines science as a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws. World English Dictionary (2009) also defines science as the systematic study of the nature and behavior of the material and physical universe, based on observation, experiment, and measurement, and the formulation of laws to describe these facts in general terms. The medical dictionary (2002) also says science is  the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena. Such activities restricted to explaining a limited class of natural phenomena. Such activities applied to an object of inquiry or study. The science dictionary (2002) also defines science as the investigation of natural phenomena through observation, theoretical explanation, and experimentation, or the knowledge produced by such investigation. It continues to state that science makes use of the scientific method, which includes the careful observation of natural phenomena, the formulation of a hypothesis, the conducting of one or more experiments to test the hypothesis, and the drawing of a conclusion that onfirms or modifies the hypothesis. In general, science can be defined as the systematic observation and classification of natural phenomena in order to learn about them and bring them under general principles and laws. According to Twumasi (2009), Science has three main branches, namely; Chemistry, Biology and Physics. Chemistry is an experimental study of substances and the useful compounds that can be formed from these substances. Chemistry also has three branches which include inorganic, organic and physical chemistry. Physics is concerned with the forces that exist between objects and the interrelationships between matter and energy. Biology is the study of living things and their interactions with the environment. Biology is also divided into plants, animals and ecology. What is integrated science? Integrated Science is a straight forward, easy-to-read, but substantial introduction to the fundamental behavior of matter and energy in living and non-living systems. It is intended to serve the needs of non-science individuals who are required to complete one or more science courses as part of a general or basic studies requirement. It introduces basic concepts and key ideas while providing opportunities for students to learn reasoning skills and a new way of thinking about their environment. According to wiki. answers. com, integrated science is a combine study of all areas of the sciences or the introduction of some areas in sciences. It goes on to try to differentiate between science and integrated science by explaining that integrated science is a course with merged topics like biology, chemistry, etc. whilst science is a big body of knowledge, it is about everything around us even inside our own body. Importance of science Below are some importance of science as identified by www. mikebrotherton. com. 1. Science exercises the mind and teaches logical thinking. 2. Science encourages skepticism and questioning assumptions and looking at things in different ways. 3. Making important decisions based on science instead of superstition or demagoguery or hatred or fear etc often produces better results. 4. The techniques of science (logic, testing hypothesis, gathering, data, etc) can be applied in daily life for â€Å"small† personal problems and activities (purchasing decisions, playing games, cooking, debugging software, etc), not just for â€Å"big issues† like physics, astronomy, technological development, etc. 5. Through the study of science, horrible diseases can be cured, or prevented entirely, and it can still provide hope for those with as-yet-incurable diseases. . Through science, people who love each other can talk to each other whenever they want no matter how far apart they are in the world, and can be together the next day through improved ways of communication and transport. 7. Science can show us what has caused mass extinctions and point the way to preventing similar catastrophes in the future. 8. Science can make us feel big and special for understanding the age of the Earth, the nature of stars, and the size of the universe, even if those things dwarf us. 9. Science gives us superpowers, like looking across the universe, seeing atoms, flying across the Earth or to the moon, moving mountains, and harnessing the energy of the sun. 10. Science has helped us to understand ourselves and the environment. 11. It shows the best way of solving problems. Importance of science education as a school subject Science, as a subject is universal and knows no boundaries. The claims of Science for inclusion in the school curriculum came to be recognized after years of active and persistent efforts. Science almost revolutionarized human life and proved indispensable for existence of man. Now, supremacy of Science has been established in every field. In fact, so great is its importance for man and society that the present day people live in an age of science. No one perhaps needs an explanation at present to include science in the school curriculum. Canon Wilson, a famous educationist in 1867, in support of inclusion of science as a School subject wrote, Science teaches what evidence is, what proof is’’. English, History, Geography, Classics etc. re taught because they provide a liberal education. The main object of imparting education is to turn out intelligent citizens able to appreciate and enjoy the beauty and wonder of Nature. They should be efficient in all walks of life and should take delight in the wealth of culture of past generations and civilizations. Hence, Science should form an essential part of the curriculum as it is the only subject which affords k nowledge of certain facts and laws and helps in achieving the main object of education. According to www. preservearticles. om, Prakash (2011), the following are the arguments in favor of integrated Science to be placed in School Curriculum: 1. Science provides unique training in observation and reasoning. Science students reason from definitely ascertained facts and form clear concepts. It makes one systematic and enables him to form an objective judgment. 2. The discoveries have added to the prosperity of human race with vast increase of knowledge. Herbert Spencer in his, What Knowledge is of Most Worth gives information which study of Science furnishes. According to him, Science learning is incomparably more useful for our guidance in life. Other chief subjects too provide an intellectual training not inferior to that of Science. Practically, we live in a world of scientific discoveries. So science education cannot be neglected. 3. Prof. H. E. Armstrong says that Science is taught to provide training in and knowledge of Scientific method, which is useful in the life pursuits. So this needs a School base of Science education. 4. Science has its cultural value. It has a literature of its own. The Scientific discoveries of Galileo, Newton, Faraday, Darwin, Pasteur, Kelvin, Bose, Armstrong and others are treasures of mankind. So, Science has won the first rank of humanistic studies. 5. Science has utilitarian value. It trains the child to use his leisure properly. These are clearly illustrated in scientific hobbies. 6. Modern knowledge of Science provides great intellectual pleasure. An educated person is under very great disadvantage if he is not familiar with that knowledge. 7. Knowledge of the methods of observation and experiment in the different branches of Science helps pupils to develop a logical mind, a critical judgment and a capacity for methodical organization. . Science is useful in that it remedies some of the defects of the ordinary school education. It is found to be the most valuable element in the education of those who show special aptitude. Science provides discipline of mind. Causes of poor performance of pupils in integrated science The poor performance of pupils in integrated science can be attributed to many factors. Alsop (1985) said â€Å"if science is to be learned affectively i t must be experienced, (UNESCO, 1973)†. The laboratory is a unique fact of science education. Tamir (1989) also said that in the developing countries especially sub – Saharan Africa, there are a number of factors contributing to the poor performance in science. Thus low per capital income, predominantly rural populations, economy based on primary products, experience of political independence and limited access to school particularly at the secondary level. The sub — Saharan Africa is the region which has the greatest difficulties in providing the normal facilities of trained teachers, laboratories and equipment for teaching practical science. Also Toh (1990) said, prior knowledge, attitude to school, attitude to cience and academic self concept affect success in the performance in science investigation, and he continued to say that explicit understanding is not adequate for success in science investigation. Moreover, Torto (2003) said, gender disparity in education also leads to poor performance in science especially among woman. She said, female still have low access to education, low participation and poor performance in many subject. Many factors which are home, community and school based, continue to restrict development female education she said further that, factors within the classroom are not only uses of gender imbalances in education. Home based factors which include family size, household income, parents’ education, cultural and traditional beliefs all contributed substantially to poor female enrolment in school. Gott and Mishiter (1987) also added that, science education is in a state of rapid change. In recent years there has been an ongoing debate concerning the importance of concepts and process in our science courses. This debate has been brought into tighter focus since the autumn of 1988 in England and Whales with the advent of the national curriculum in science. Shito (1958) stated in the daily graphic that the community regards science students who are females as witches and ugly. In addition to this, Femsa project staff (1995) conducted and presented a research on the availability of resources and facilities for teaching and learning science as well as mathematics in Africa. They said that, where resources and facilities such as teacher textbooks, laboratories, chemicals, tools, textbooks, laboratory tools and equipment, teaching aids, store, office etc. are inadequate, it makes the teaching of science to become teacher centered. This type of approach is heavily dominated by the teacher as he or she lectures the subject, gives notes and demonstrates the practical aspect of the lessons. The students remain passive participants expected to listen and observe only. July (1925) said if science education is to be lectures and demonstration, then no results could be achieved in the future. He also added that any school that claims to teach science only theoretically is not a school. Morii (1434) said, a teacher is capable of teaching and implementing quality education if he is given what he is suppose to be given (an ancient scientist. He also added that the poor performance of science is due to low motivation given to teachers. According to Dzama (1999) causes of poor performance of pupils in science is as a results of absence of vocational incentives rather than by conflict between science and African traditional values and beliefs. He argued that conflict between science and traditional beliefs and values is not peculiar to Africans. He also demonstrated that in the growth of science in developed countries, improvement in the performance of students succeeded rather than proceeded industrial and technological development. Experiential method of teaching According to Wikipedia (2012), experiential learning is the process of making meaning from direct experience. Simply put, Experiential Learning is learning from experience. The experience can be staged or left open. Aristotle once said, For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them. David A. Kolb helped to popularize the idea of experiential learning, drawing heavily on the work of John Dewey, Kurt Lewin and Jean Piaget. His work on experiential learning has contributed greatly to expanding the philosophy of experiential education. Experiential learning focuses on the learning process for the individual. An example of experiential learning is going to the zoo and learning through observation and interaction with the zoo environment, as opposed to reading about animals from a book. Experiential learning requires no teacher and relates solely to the meaning making process of the individuals direct experience. However, though the gaining of knowledge is an inherent process that occurs naturally, for a genuine learning experience to occur, there must exist certain elements. According to David Kolb, an American educational theorist, knowledge is continuously gained through both personal and environmental experiences. He states that in order to gain genuine knowledge from an experience, certain abilities are required: 1. the learner must be willing to be actively involved in the experience; 2. the learner must be able to reflect on the experience; 3. the learner must possess and use analytical skills to conceptualize the experience; and 4. The learner must possess decision making and problem solving skills in order to use the new ideas gained from the experience. Experiential learning can be a highly effective educational method. It engages the learner at a more personal level by addressing the needs and wants of the individual. Experiential learning requires qualities such as self-initiative and self-evaluation. For experiential learning to be truly effective, it should employ the whole learning wheel, from goal setting, to experimenting and observing, to reviewing, and finally action planning. This complete process allows one to learn new skills, new attitudes or even entirely new ways of thinking. Most educators understand the important role experience plays in the learning process. A fun learning environment, with plenty of laughter and respect for the learners abilities, also fosters an effective experiential learning environment. It is vital that the individual is encouraged to directly involve themselves in the experience, in order that they gain a better understanding of the new knowledge and retain the information for a longer time. As stated by the ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius, tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will understand’’. According to learning consultants, experiential learning is about creating an experience where learning can be facilitated. How do you create a well-crafted learning experience? The key lies in the facilitator and how he or she facilitates the learning process. An excellent facilitator believes in the creed: You teach some by what you say, teach more by what you do, but most of all, you teach most by who you are. And while it is the learners experience that is most important to the learning process, it is also important not to forget the wealth of experience a good facilitator also brings to the situation. An effective experiential facilitator is one who is passionate about his or her work and is able to immerse participants totally in the learning situation, allowing them to gain new knowledge from their peers and the environment created. These facilitators stimulate the imagination, keeping participants hooked on the experience. Creating an experiential learning environment can be challenging for educators who have been taught through traditional classroom techniques. Identifying activities that allow learners to understand and absorb concepts can be a new and daunting experience. However, by providing direct experience in addition to standard written and visual materials, learners with different types of learning styles and strengths can be accommodated. Sudbury model of democratic education schools assert that much of the learning going on in their schools, including values, justice, democracy, arts and crafts, professions, and frequently academic subjects, is done by learning through experience. Summary Science can be defined as the systematic observation and classification of natural phenomena in order to learn about them and bring them under general principles and laws. Science has been part of man in time past and has even become more of man’s life in recent years. The usefulness of science can be seen by the things around us; the roads, bridges, cars, computers, refrigerators etc. The selection and study of some aspects of science as a whole is what is termed as integrated science. To defend the study of integrated science and science as a whole in schools, Canon Wilson, a famous educationist in 1867, wrote, Science teaches what evidence is, what proof is’’. According to Prakash (2011), Science learning is incomparably more useful for our guidance in life. Many researchers are of the view that, learning is best understood when it is experienced as stated by the ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius, tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will understand’’. According to David Kolb, an American educational theorist, knowledge is continuously gained through both personal and environmental experiences. Also, Aristotle once said, For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them. According to learning consultants, experiential learning is about creating an experience where learning can be facilitated. An excellent facilitator believes in the creed: You teach some by what you say, teach more by what you do, but most of all, you teach most by who you are.   This chapter talks about the research design that the researcher used in solving the problem, the population and sampling solution, research instruments, data collection procedure and data analysis plan. It also describes the type of research used in the study. It also involves the method of data collection, pre-Intervention, intervention and post- intervention stages. Research design Research design is a plan which specifies how data relating to a given problem should be collected and analyzed. It provides the procedural outline for conduct of any given investigation. The research design used is an action research design which is directed towards solving a specific problem at the classroom level. This type of research is usually undertaken by either a teacher or group of teachers in a school to solve a peculiar problem in the classroom or in the school as a whole. The design makes work very easier and simpler. This is due to the fact that, it does not involve inconveniences such as travelling etc. The design deals with a particular group of people in a given area concerned and helps to solve the problems which specifically affect him/her. Action research also helps the teacher to understand what actually goes on in teaching and learning situations. It is important in the sense that, it does not only enhance teacher’s professional status but also promotes teacher’s personal improvement of his/her practices. It is through action research that the teacher can evaluate his or her teaching effectively. Action research is also conducted with the purpose of solving classroom or local school problems through the application of the scientific method. Moreover action research helps teachers to understand better, all aspects of their practices in relation to the subject content, the curriculum, and the methods that are more appropriate to the levels of pupils in their class. Finally, action research helps teachers to be equipped with knowledge on the various approaches or methods that they can use to suit the children they teach. In spite of the outlined strength, the results of the design cannot be generalized. This is because the design does not cover a wide range of people and it seeks to detect and solve a problem affecting a particular group of people. This tends to be a weakness on the part of the action research. Population and sampling selection A population of 113 pupils at the junior high school was used for the study at Mampamhwe M/A JHS in the Obuasi Municipal Assembly. Though this number at the junior high school was considered, JHS 2 class was sampled for the study. The average age of the sampled class was fourteen (14) years. The table below shows the distribution of the sampled class. Table 3. 1 Distribution of pupils’ gender |Gender Number Percentage (%) | |Boys 16 44 | Girls 20 56 Total 36 100 | | | |This class was chosen for the research because the researcher was assigned to teach Integrated Science in that class. | | | Research Instruments I used two main strategies to detect how pupils learnt science. I initially had with pupils an oral discussion on a science topic and afterwards asked pupils oral questions on it. An exercise was later given to pupils based on the same topic discussed. Discussion The discussion method was aimed at finding out how pupils understand the principles of a topic if orally narrated and discussed in class. Discussion method stimulates critical thinking. Frequent questions whether asked by the researcher or the pupils, provide means of measuring learning and exploring in-depth the key concepts of the course. During discussions, pupils’ answers to questions could help the researcher to determine whether they have experienced what they are saying or they just read them from books. Exercise The purpose of the class exercise was to allow pupils to freely express themselves in the way they understood the topic that has just been taught. Pupils’ answers to questions will give the researcher the idea on how best they understand a topic when orally discussed with them. It also gives the researcher a clearer idea of how pupils think science is. Whether they think science is a written down facts that can never be tampered with or they think science is everything that goes on around them and they can verify each and every aspect of it. Data Collection Procedure Pre-Intervention Stage A lesson on corrosion and rusting from page 25 of pupils’ text book was selected and delivered by discussion method. Pupils had the basic concept of corrosion and rusting but could not different between the two. The factors responsible for rusting to occur were also discussed and few points were written for pupils to copy. From pupils’ answers given during the discussion, the researcher observed that pupils knew that rusting occurs on metals when they are left in the rain but cannot exactly tell what is responsible for it. This was explained to pupils. An exercise was then conducted to see how pupils understood the lesson. The exercise required pupils to state whether or not an iron can rust if it was kept a) under a bed b) on the ceiling c) in hot water d) inside a refrigerator e) in a hot water with oil spilt on the surface. Though pupils’ contributions to the discussion were favorable, about one-fourth of the class was able to score 3 out of 5 in the exercise. This showed that, pupils may have understood what was taught in the class but cannot apply it in real life situations. I looked at the exercise and recorded pupils correct answers without marking so that pupils could not tell whether they were correct or wrong. Besides that, there might have been some pupils in the class whose attention was somewhere else or did not understand what was been discussed but since most of the class were contributing, the researcher took it that, the whole class was contributing to the discussion. In practical lessons, this problem cannot be overlooked. Intervention Stage The class was divided into four (4) groups and each group was given an experiment to carry out. Each group was given three (3) new iron nails. The first group was asked to put their nails into a plastic or rubber container, cover it and place it under a bed for a week. The second group was asked to add water to their nails in a plastic container and place it inside the school refrigerator. The container should be left open. The third group was asked to also put their nails in boiled water, cover it and keep it for a week. The fourth group was also asked to place their nails into boiled water, pour oil on the surface and cover it tightly. After a week, pupils presented their experiments to the class and explained to the class the apparatus used for the experiment and what happened at the end of the experiment. Each member of the group had his/her own written report of how he/she saw the experiment go. One member of each group does the presentation with the other group members standing behind him/her. After the explanation, questions are thrown to the group and the other members are to answer. Some of the nails rusted whilst others did not. The absence of atmospheric oxygen in the boiled water covered with oil did not allow those nails to rust. So besides the fourth group’s setup, the rest of the setups caused the nails to rust due to the presence of oxygen or moisture. Post-Intervention Stage The class exercise that was given to pupils during the pre-intervention stage was again given to pupils to answer again. This time the researcher marked the exercise and saw many changes as compared to the answers they wrote before the intervention stage. Many wrong answers pupils wrote in the first exercise were corrected. Limitations Many problems may militate against this study but the few ones I would like to enumerate here include: 1. Problem of finance: The researcher will have to travel to other tertiary institutions to use their libraries if the researcher’s local library cannot provide the necessary books needed. Money will also be spent to buy airtime and data bundles to enable research on the World Wide Web. Without money, all these cannot be possible. 2. Time factor: The time at the disposal of the researcher is very limited and for that matter may not permit such an intensive coverage. Also there might be other written documents which may contain detailed information about this research work but due to the limited time available to the researcher, he may not review those documents.

Free Essays - Impatience and Disrespect in Oedipus the King (Rex) :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Impatience and Disrespect in Oedipus the King A bad attitude causes most fights between people. People showing disrespect by saying hurtful or crazy words without thinking them through upsets almost everyone. In the play, Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, Oedipus was trying to find the murderer of his predecessor, King Laius. In doing so, Oedipus' impatience caused quarrels that brought out his paranoia and hot-temper. Oedipus' impatience was flagrant during his search for Laius' assassin. Oedipus threatened the citizens of Thebes, the city in which Oedipus ruled, to come forward if they knew anything about the murder of Laius. "I order you, every citizen of the state where I hold throne and power: banish this man-whoever he may be-never shelter him, never speak a word to him, never make him partner to your prayers, your victims burned to gods..."(172). Oedipus was impatient to find Laius, and in his impatience he had no toleration for citizens hiding the criminal, even though the criminal was himself. Later on, Oedipus called on Tiresias, a blind prophet, to help find Laius' killer. Oedipus was trying to force Tiresias to tell the story that Tiresias was hiding. "Nothing! You, you scum of the earth, you'd enrage a heart of stone! You won't talk? Nothing moves you? Out with it, once and for all!"(178). Oedipus was so impatient with Tiresias that he insulted and degraded Tiresias. After speaking with Tiresias, Oedipus had a contention with his wife's brother, Creon. Oedipus had proclaimed Creon the assassin of Laius and created the plot of Creon's supposed wrongdoing. Oedipus exclaimed, "Then leave me alone-get out!"(198). Oedipus would not accept any other idea than Creon being the killer, so when Creon tried to defend himself, Oedipus grew impatient and sent Creon away. Oedipus' impatience was the spark for his paranoia. Without his impatience, Oedipus would not have jumped to so many harsh, offensive, and paranoid conclusions. Oedipus' paranoia estranged him from people he was close to. One of the main examples of Oedipus' paranoia was the discussion he had with Tiresias. Oedipus came up with ideas in his head that Tiresias was more than what he seemed. "Oh I'll let loose, I have such fury in me-now I see it all.

Charmed

Running head: CHARMED: MY FAVORITE TV SHOW Charmed: My Favorite TV Show Tolby Markham Kaplan University LS 526-01: Academic and Professional Writing for Graduate Students CHARMED: MY FAVORITE TV SHOW Charmed: My Favorite TV Show Charmed, I’m sure! Are you? Charmed is the story of The Charmed Ones – the most powerful good witches the world has ever known, whose job is to protect the innocent and not blow their cover. When their grandmother, Grams, suffers a heart attack, Prue, Piper and Phoebe Halliwell move back into the family manor in San Francisco where Phoebe discovers the legendary Book of Shadows hidden in the attic.Reading aloud a mystical incantation, the three sisters receive their Wiccan powers, which are needed to fight off evil. Despite wanting normal lives,  The Charmed Ones fight evil beings every day and have always been the most powerful source of good witches and good magic the world has ever seen. The perception of witches in American culture has und ergone a radical transformation in the last century as Americans have become familiar with scientific explanations for supernatural events.Because of this, there has been much less genuine fear or hysteria regarding the supposed use of occult magic. Yet the popularity of witches in America persists even today. In fact, the frequent appearances of witches in television and film have gradually changed the way most Americans think about witches. The most notable change has been in the presentation of women in these roles—from the evil, traditional â€Å"hag† witches in early works like Disney’s  Snow White  to the much more attractive and benevolent Halliwell sisters of the television series  Charmed.Magic in itself is fascinating. Having such a tremendous power id amazing and the responsibilities that come with it are enormous. Fighting demons, evil witches and warlords and CHARMED: MY FAVORITE TV SHOW the ultimate bad guy â€Å"The Source† is what th e Halliwell sisters are born and even one dies for. The three sisters, Prue, Piper, Phoebe and later Paige have such powers combined that they try to save the world everyday while trying to sustain a normal mortal life like everyone else in the world.The first in the line, Melinda Warren was burned at the stake but before this, she foresaw that each coming generation of witches in her family would grow stronger and stronger, culminating in the arrival of three sisters – the strongest good witches the world had ever seen; the three sisters would form the Power of Three making them the most powerful magical force ever to exist. The effect of a Power of Three bond being formed is that all the members' powers are pooled together into a  Collective. One of the benefits of this bond is  High Resistance.Of course, the downsides of this are that the amount of power one gains from this is relative to the level of the other beings involved, with the above example assuming that the beings involved are (at least more or less) the same strength. Another downside of this is that if one member dies it weakens the Collective, making the other members easier to kill off with the death of each member. However, on the flip side, more powerful (and hence higher level) beings are harder to kill/affect with ones powers than lower level ones i. e.Piper and the other various Charmed Ones have been shown to have taken direct hits from all kinds of attacks such as Fire and Energy Balls and live many times over whereas such attacks would vanquish any other magical creature instantly. The Triad  are also highly resilient to Piper's combustion power whereas other lower CHARMED: MY FAVORITE TV SHOW level demons usually disintegrate within seconds. Therefore this particular con is easily balanced out. Then there is the fact that this collective interconnects all of the members to each other in various metaphysical ways.Certain spells cast on one member may affect the others thr ough this interconnection such as when Prue was magically turned evil, causing Piper and Phoebe to turn evil also. A Power of Three bond can be broken in several ways. If the members use their powers on each other in a negative manner or atmosphere then the bond will be broken. Fortunately, this may be reformed by all of the members reconnecting with each other emotionally or something to that effect. For example, when the Charmed Ones used their powers on each other during an argument it shattered their Power of Three.However, later on they all got over the argument and showed their solidarity as a sister (which is where their Power of Three comes from) and hence reformed it. Another way, mentioned above, would be if one of the members died. Although this event is less likely the implications are more severe as the collective would be weakened beyond repair. Each sister has a distinctive power to help aid them in vanquishing the evil beings. The sisters’ powers are as follow s: * Prue Halliwell, played by Shannen Doherty, had the power of telekinesis and astral projection. CHARMED: MY FAVORITE TV SHOW Piper Halliwell, played by Holly Marie Combs, had the power to freeze time and also held the power of molecular combustion. With the death of Prue, Piper becomes the most powerful of all three sisters; * Phoebe Halliwell, played by Alyssa Milano, had the power of premonition, levitation and empathy, and * Paige Matthews, played by Rose McGowan, had the power to orb and telekinetic orbing. Rose took on the role of the third sister when Shannen left the show at the end of season three. During the show’s eight year run, Charmed was nominated for 30 awards and won 18.Just to name a few: * In 2006, Charmed became the longest running hour-long series featuring all female leads (Mitovich, 2006), and * Holly Marie Combs (Piper) was named the third greatest with in television history, only behind Samantha (Bewitched) and Willow (Buffy). In this same list was Alyssa Milano (Phoebe) at number seven, Shannen Doherty (Prue) at number tem and Rose McGowan (Paige) at number thirteen (Greenberger, 2012). To sum it up, if you enjoy the supernatural or if you like special effects, Charmed is the show for you.Charmed was a television series on the WB Television Network which ran from 1998 thru 2006 (IMDb, 2012). The show is now shown Monday thru Friday on the drama network TNT, from 7am to 8am and 8am to 9am (Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc. , 2012). CHARMED: MY FAVORITE TV SHOW References IMDb. (2012, August 24). Retrieved from An Amazon Company: www. imdb. com Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc. (2012, August 25). Retrieved from A Time Warner Company: www. tntdrama. com Greenberger, R. (2012, August 23). ComicMix. Retrieved from ComicMix, LLC: www. comicmix. com Mitovich, M. (2006). Charmed Hits a Final? Milestone. New York City: TV Guide.

Civil War Essay - 1324 Words

The American Civil War is one of the most momentous and controversial periods in American history. America Civil War during the years 1861-1865 was resulted in the social, political, and economic differences that can be traced to the first colonies and are exemplified in the conflict between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. These differences expanded over time to result in the divided country of the 1860s. At the time of the Civil War, the abolitionists had many conflicts with South. The conflicts between the Northern and Southern United States were states rights versus federal authority, industrialization and agriculture, and urbanization and plantation. All of these conflicts made the North and the South have violent attitudes†¦show more content†¦Slavery suffused Southern culture and society through the expansion of plantation. As a result, the Southern society held the slave institution at its center. Second, political differences were existed between North and South of America. Since the time of the revolution, two camps emerged. Federalists and anti-federalists arose from their different views of the nature of republican government. It clearly displays in the video, Are We to Be a Nation? It shows the conflicts between them on the ratification of Constitution. Anti-federalists argued that a republican government could only survive when a nation remained small, but federalists insisted it would be easier to protect liberty in a large and diverse republic. And then, the new America nation faced a new conflict between politicians on how to properly interpret the Constitution. Jefferson who was a southern slave owner argued strong state governments, so he believed in a strict construction of the Constitution to limit the powers of the federal government and protect state authority. Also, Jefferson was pro-France; he thought Americas interests were better served by supporting France. By contrast, Hamilton who was a northerner with abolition ist sympathies sought a strong central government, so he believed in a broad or loose, construction of the Constitution. Hamilton was pro-British; he believed thatShow MoreRelatedThe War Of The Civil War921 Words   |  4 PagesThere are no doubts that acts of war can have a negative impact on the individuals involved. There are countless stories of the soldiers’ experiences in the war, and how it affected their lives, families, and attitudes. However, there is a large demographic that is hardly accounted for: children, specifically during the Civil War era. Understanding the children that lived in the time of the Civil War is important because it affected their future careers, shaped their attitudes towards race, and affectedRead MoreThe War Of The Civil War964 Words   |  4 Pageswasn’t one sole cause of the Civil War but there were many events that took the country to war and put brother against brother and states against states. Abraham Lincoln wanted to preserv e the union and that could only be attained by civil war. Slavery which was an underlying cause for the war played its role in the division that divided the North against the South. Ultimately the preservation of the union, slavery and the consequences and conflicts leading to the Civil War all rested on President Lincoln’sRead MoreThe War Of The Civil War1522 Words   |  7 PagesCosts The war produced about 1,030,000 casualties, including about 620,000 soldier deaths—two-thirds by disease, and 50,000 civilians. The war accounted for roughly as many American deaths as all American deaths in other U.S. wars combined. Based on 1860 census figures, 8% of all white males aged 13 to 43 died in the war, including 6% in the North and 18% in the South. Union army dead, amounting to 15% of the over two million who served, was broken down as follows: Notably, their mortality rateRead MoreThe War Of The Civil War777 Words   |  4 PagesThe widespread violence that turned into the Civil War began with the election of 1860. Abraham Lincoln won the election of 1860 without a single vote from the states below the Ohio River. South Carolina was the first state to respond to Lincoln’s election. On December 20, 1680, South Carolina seceded from the Union. South Carolina was the first of the â€Å"Original Seven† who seceded from the Union, including Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. This became known as â€Å"secessionRead MoreThe War Of The Civil War1039 Words   |  5 PagesThe civil war is by far the bloodiest war in American history. In the four deadly years of war, over six-hundred thousand Americans were killed. Many disputes that led to the civil war. These conflicts started under Presiden t James Buchanan who was a Democrat elected in the election of 1856. The issue of slavery, states’ rights, the abolitionist movement, the Southern secession, the raid on Harper’s Ferry, the election of Abraham Lincoln all contributed to the start of the civil war. The civil warRead MoreThe War Of The Civil War Essay1444 Words   |  6 PagesThe story of this outlaw originated during the Civil War years, April 12,1861-May 9, 1865. The War were the rich sat and watched, while the poor died. A War that wanted to keep black people as slaves permanently by the South (Confederates). Newton Knight quickly grew unhappy with the situation that the people of Jones County, where he was originally from were in. He also did not approved of slavery at all. Newt was the Outlaw who freed Jones County s people, whites and blacks alike when they mostRead MoreThe War Of The Civil War1284 Words   |  6 PagesEnglish 30 January 2015 The Civil War There are many facts most people generally do not know about the Civil War, so much research is needed to improve one’s knowledge about the Civil War. Authors such as: Robert G. Lambert, Rustle B. Olwell, and Kay A. Chick were all helpful in this research. Many people think that everyone on the Union side of the war believed that blacks should be equal to whites. Most people also think that everyone on the Confederate side of the war believed in slavery. SomeRead MoreThe War Of The Civil War1723 Words   |  7 PagesThe Civil War is by far the bloodiest war in American history. In the four deadly years of war, over six-hundred thousand Americans were killed. Many disputes that led to the civil war. These conflicts started even before the presidency of James Buchanan, who was a Democrat elected in the election of 1856. The issue of slavery, states’ rights, the abolitionist movement, the Southern secession, the raid on Harper’s Ferry, the election of Abraham Linc oln all contributed to the start of the Civil WarRead MoreThe War Of The Civil War Essay944 Words   |  4 Pages The War of Succession, universally known as the Civil War, was a war unlike any other. According to the Civil War Trust, â€Å" it was the most immensely colossal and most destructive conflict in the Western world between the cessation of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and the onset of World War I in 1914.† It commenced when the Confederate army assailed Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. The Civil War was a rigorously catastrophic event for both the North and the South. About 360,000 of the Union’s men wereRead MoreThe War Of The Civil War1704 Words   |  7 Pagesof thousands of Americans volunteered to fight in the Civil War, also known as the First Modern War. The main causes of this war were the economic and social differences between the North and the South. These differences led to other fundamental issues such as slavery and its abolition. In addition to that as the war was coming to its end, federal authorities found themselves presiding over the transition from sla very to freedom.After the war, there was a 12-year period best known as the Reconstruction