IB Paper 2 preparation (A DOLL'S HOUSE+ALL MY SONS HANDMADE NOTES)

Hey Guys

So I made this 3k word document with everything I learned in P2. The link is in the description and enjoy!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6YU7FEucslrRnpqUW1FZGZ4bUE/view?usp=sharing

GOOD LUCK!

TOK Essay 8/10 SAMPLE. (You are welcomed to use ALL the ideas) (I did this quite a while ago, so I think 7/10 should be a reasonable mark instead of 8)

TOK Essay 1-There are only two ways on which humankind can produce knowledge: Through passive observation or through active experiment.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Knowledge is something that helps us to make sense of the world around us. In other words, knowledge enables us to interpret and understand the phenomena we encounter, which explains why it acts as one of the fundamental requirements of civilization. In fact, most of the prominent leaps in civilization in the past were accompanied by prominent leaps in knowledge. For example, the invention of the steam engine kick-started The First Industrial Revolution while the discovery of electrical power led to The Second Industrial Revolution. Therefore in order to sustain the current rate of development, we have to generate knowledge based on the unknown phenomena we observed.

There are multiple ways to generate the knowledge, but the statement above classifies the construction of knowledge under two categories, which are passive observation and active experiment. Passive observation means that the observer doesn't interact with or deliberately influence the event when it is taking place, which permits the event to develop naturally. However, the nature of observation allows the observers to interpret the event based on their senses or tastes, As a way of knowing, sensory perception is not always reliable, which means that “passive observation” is still a subjective way to generate knowledge. On the other hand, active experiment is based on the scientific method, where experiments, data and variable controls play a big part during the investigation. The experiments are designed to target on specific areas of the research, and the observers might even interact with the reactions to optimize the outcomes of the investigation. Therefore, unlike the passive observation approach, this method allows the observer to manipulate the events, which enables the researchers to look at one specific field in depth. Moreover, the active experiment approach relies more on logical evidence such as data and graphs, which means that it is a more objective way to generate knowledge. However, before the society accepted the more neutral approach (which requires the existence of firm evidences) to generate the knowledge, our ancestors relied more on other WOKs (ways of knowing) such as imagination and sense perception to explain the phenomena and hence generate the knowledge. Therefore the given statement is the condensed view of knowledge generation in modern day society, but there are more ways to generate knowledge other than the two mentioned approaches.

Imagination plays a big role in Indigenous Knowledge System to explain the phenomena that cannot be explained using the existing knowledge, but the one may ask: How does imagination produce knowledge in this specific field of Areas of Knowledge? To what extent is imagination irreplaceable as a tool to generate knowledge for our ancestors? Nowadays Imagination is relatively undervalued in producing knowledge because of its irrationality; on the other hand, our ancestors exploited its irrationality to interpret the events creatively in different ways. For example, Australian Aboriginal groups created their own astronomical calendars through interpreting the sky. Advanced observation technology was not available at that time for the indigenous groups, and hence imagination became their most reliable tool to draw the meanings out of the randomly distributed stars. One popular idea among the Guringai people was the “Emu in the sky”, in which they connected a group of the stars as the representation of an Emu, a common bird that shared the territory with the Guringai people. Historians have discovered that Emu had some mythical implications in Guringai culture, it also appeared in many Guringai legends such as the story of Daramulan. Therefore in the context of Guringai culture, Emu escalated from an animal to a worshiping symbol that represented the mighty force of nature. Hence when they observed some natural phenomena that they couldn't explain, including the special arrangement of the stars in this case, they would use their imagination to establish a link between the events and the mythical objects. Imagination allowed the indigenous groups to overcome the shortage in knowledge and meant they could interpret the nature based on the shared knowledge within the group. In fact, increasingly, indigenous knowledge is being recognized as understanding the processes and relationships of the nature. Recently it has been given the term “traditional ecological knowledge” with the acknowledgement of the observation and reasoning. Usually reasoning is viewed separately from imagination due to its rational nature as a way of knowing. In this case, however, imagination provides key evidences for the reasoning process due to the limitation in logical approach; without imagination, the reasoning procedure cannot be carried out. To a certain extent, I think that imagination is the primary and original way of producing knowledge.

On the other hand, the major limitation of imagination as the way of generating knowledge is that it can sometimes become too personalized, and it is influenced by the dominant worldview the one subscribes to. Similarly to the Guringai people, the Wardaman people also gave the same junction of stars a graphic representation. However, since there was no implication of Emu in Wardaman culture, they perceived the same region of the sky as the head of the lawman. The Guringai people and the Wardaman people, in this example, possess different bodies of knowledge, specific to their surrounding environments. Therefore their interpretations of the sky are predominantly influenced by their different beliefs and experiences, which reveals imagination’s subjective and biased nature as a way of producing knowledge. Moreover, imagination does not require firm evidences or logical explanations, which means knowledge generated in this way cannot be tested, and therefore does not explicitly explain the reasons behind the phenomena, most of the time.

Passive observation is an improved version of imaginative observation because it limits the influence of irrational thinking. However, in modern days, passive observation is only the beginning of an investigation process. Active observation is required to test or improve the conclusions drawn fro the passive observation stage. Active observation requires the researchers to influence, or even manipulate the ongoing event to create different scenarios that they are targeted to investigate. However, unlike active experiment, it allows irrational behaviors from the tested samples. This is evidenced in the Area of Knowledge of Human Sciences. Most research in psychological is based on this method and the investigation of Stockholm Syndrome is an example that illustrates its application in real life. Stockholm syndrome is named after the Norrmalmstorg robbery of Kreditbanken in Stockholm. During the robbery, the victims who were held as hostages became emotionally attached to their captors and even gave them assistance later on. This abnormal behavior was broadcasted live on TV and quickly engaged the attentions of the researchers. However, the actual footage and information from the crime scene was limited, which caused some differences in the researcher’s hypotheses. To test these hypotheses, the researching team decided to run a simulation which was based on the actual event. However, they had full control of the situation this time, which allowed them to take an insightful look at every individual’s behavior throughout the different stages of the incident. Some of the stages are repeated more than one time to give the researchers a more detailed look of the participants. If only the passive observation approach was applied, the researches wouldn't be able to see the situation in depth, and the occurrence of random errors would affect the conclusion of the study. Active observation gives researchers more freedom to interact, or even change the neutral situation, which helps them to investigate on the areas they intend to look at. The major drawback of the active observation is approach is that it is hard to maintain the neutrality of the event once the foreign intervention is introduced. If the isolation of the event is interrupted, the conclusion obtained from the observations can’t be applied to the actual situation. Therefore the degree of intervention in active observations is a problematic issue that prevents us from obtaining the real reasons behind a phenomenon, which directly influences the degree of accuracy of the knowledge generated from them.

Generating knowledge is a broad process that involves different fields of study. Passive observation and active experiment are the two most recognized ones due to their prominent advantages. However, other methods such as imaginative observation can also be applied to produce knowledge, and they can be more effective than the mentioned two approaches in specific areas. Hence to choose what method to apply to optimize the process really depends on the nature of knowledge we intend to generate.

New Textual Analysis... Coffee by Richard Brautigan Analysis 16/20

Link to the poem: https://allpoetry.com/poem/8508973-Coffee-by-Richard-Brautigan

Coffee By Richard Brautigan-Textual analysis

The poem Coffee by Richard Brautigan is his reflection towards love and relationship. In the poem, the author utilises literal devices such as symbolism, double entendre and diction to create layered senses, provoking emotional responses from the target audience. As one of the themes is to reveal the cruel truth of love, Brautigan employs a story-telling tone to lead the target audience to explore different circumstances when the love is gone, making them feel more relatable to the content. Therefore, the target audience of the text might be the one who has felt the same way before. Moreover, this unique style is blended in the structure of the poem, which enhances the messages delivered by the author and allures the interest from the target audience. 

One feature of the poem that read stands out is its uses of symbolism. The central image “coffee” is used repetitively in the poem, which develops the flow of the storyline at different stages. The meaning of the “coffee”, however, may possess some ambiguity through the text. Therefore, the target audience may have different understandings towards “coffee” at different stages of the text. At the start of the poem, the author uses a rare diction “intimacy” to express what a cup of coffee offers, striking the target audience with this unusual expression. The adjective “intimacy” is normally used in the context of the relationship, and therefore, the author may imply that “coffee” symbolises feelings relating to love. Moreover, this use of diction provokes speculations from the target audience, which helps to gain their attention instantaneously. When the plot develops to the next stage, “a cup of coffee” becomes a bond to maintain the interactions between the protagonist and his love interest, which is a rather bizarre setting. To make the situation even more absurd, the author plays with the meaning of “a cup of coffee”. In slang, this phrase is an indirect expression of sex. However, both of the protagonist and the girl take the literal meaning of it, which may add some humour elements to the text. Alternatively, it may suggest the bitter ending of their love affair, as neither of them has the incentive to save their relationship. Following this point, “coffee”’s bitterness may reflect the devastating effects caused by love, which explains the reason why the protagonist describes coffee as “the last thing I ever wanted.” The symbol of “instant coffee” offered by the lady suggests her strong contempt towards the protagonist, which enhances the tension between them. Compare to ground coffee, “instant coffee” is a fairly cheap treatment to give to the guests, and therefore, her decision to offer him “instant coffee” may reflect her indifferent attitude. Also, “instant” coffee takes the lady less time and effort to make, which corresponds to her line “I don’t want to talk”, showing that she has no intention to sort things out with the protagonist through conversation. Instead, she wants him to leave now. Nonetheless, the audience will regard the symbol “coffee” as a representation of failed relationship at this stage of the plot. 

The meaning of “a cup of coffee” continues to develop when the protagonist meets the second lady. However, at this time, their different perspectives towards the phrase causes some dramatic tension. The lady takes the implied meaning of “a cup of coffee”, and is disgusted by this rude request she interpreted. The phrase “What do you want?” uses a question mark to enhance its impact, which gives the audience an impression that the protagonist is not welcomed. Moreover, the adverb “slightly” highlights the level of awkwardness, as the lady is not willing to invite him into the property because she is not willing to have sex with him at the first place. On the other hand, the protagonist’s intended meaning behind ‘a cup of coffee” is to start a conversation with her, but he knows that it will never work, and his words and actions indicate his depression. The phrase “why don’t you talk to me?” uses a foregrounded structure to highlight the word “don’t”, which suggests that the protagonist desperately wants to start a conversation with the lady. Moreover, his attempt of using the first personal pronouns “you” and “me” highlights his effort in removing the barrier between them, which contrasts with her cold response. The question mark at the end of this phrase raises his emotion to the climax, making this request sounds like an act of begging, underlining the protagonist’s gloomy and despairing mental state. After being offered with another treatment of “instant coffee”, the protagonist has completely lost his hope, and it is reflected on the repetition of the phrase “I didn’t feel like to…”. The repetition intensifies the protagonist’s animosity towards the symbol “instant coffee”, and the negative tone embodied in the phrase may also suggest that he realises that his last attempt is destined to fail. This powerful delivery may help the target audience to realise the cruel aftermath of the relationship, which is one of the purposes of the text. 

Other than the vivid uses of symbolism, the unique structure of the text also facilitates the author to deliver his messages. First, the text is written in the form of fragments, which interrupts the flow of the lines. However, since the whole text is written in past tense, this feature may be a visual representation of the protagonist’s disordered brain when he tries to reminisce. Moreover, the abrupt fragments make the text extremely hard to read, and therefore the target audience may feel the same level of frustration as the protagonist, facilitating them to have a more profound understanding of the text. Unlike poems that have rigid structures, this poem is in an absolute form of free flow: the majority of content is based on conversations, and the links between point to point are significantly weaker than other poems. This structure resonates with the story-telling tone, which shortens the distance between the author and the audience and makes the text sound interesting. 

Conclusively, the text is the author’s personal reflection towards the topic of love and relationship. Though the theme is quite common, the author uses the rare symbol of “coffee” to centre the development of the plot and raise the response from the target audience. Also, he employs a poem like structure to visualise the frustration and desperation when love fails to work. Both of the unique stylistic devices facilitate the author’s attempt in revealing the cruelty of love. 

Upcoming: TOK Essay title thoughts (Nov 2016)

The November 2016 session's TOK essay title was released a couple of weeks ago but I didn't really have a chance to discuss it. I will be posting my thoughts on them in the next few days. Stay tuned!

Chemistry IA IDEA 2016

Since the IA days are coming, I have few thoughts of how to design a good chemistry IA...

Personally I think you should centre the investigation around the topic of rate of reaction. It is fairly easy to do and you can investigate a number of variables that affect the rate like temperature, concentration, catalyst... etc.(but just do one as the independent variable)

To visualize the rate of reaction, I think you should focus on the reactions that involve colour change and precipitation... You can find the equations of the colour change of transition metal compounds (e.g. KMnO4 turns from purple to colourless, etc.) first and then design then experiment based on the particular reaction. Techniques to change temperature such as water bath can be applied if you are doing the reaction with the independent variable of temperature. 

Reaction based on precipitation is easy to carry out too. There are two ways to find the experiment. First, try to recall the experiment we did in IGCSE that involves precipitation (e.g. CO2+Ca(OH)2 produces solid CaCO3, etc.) and then design the experiment based on this. Second, you can use data booklet to find insoluble salts and then search for the reactions that produce these salts. You can compare the rate of reaction in different conditions based on the time for the precipitate to appear.

Preliminary experiments are VERY important for the rate of change IAs, so if you have time please carry out a few... 

Anyway good luck to y'all!! Go get a 7!!

Cheers

Charles

Site update-Chemistry IA idea coming soon!

Chemistry IA idea coming soon.
I've got few good ones.. Now I'm checking the reliabilities of these experiments.

English A SL Textual analysis LEVEL 7 20/20

Textual analysis-4

High school students demand wars in easier to find countries.

This text is an online satirical article that was originally published on a satire news website. As one of the most unique, yet controversial text types, satire has it own strength in mocking, criticising and even ridiculing a trending phenomenon through its comedic tone. In this text, the author focuses on the fact that there’s an increasing number of American high-schoolers who are in lack of basic understandings of the world. Therefore one of his major purposes is to introduce this social phenomenon to the audiences and thus let them realise this prevailing problem. Moreover, the author does not only point out the problem but he also uses a satirical tone to mock the high schooler's ignorance and self-centered attitude.He also calls up the rest of the society to reflect on the causes of this undesired phenomenon.  As the bottom of the text suggests, the article was created around the early twenty-first century, where one of the hottest topics was American deployment’s military action in the foreign countries. Therefore to a certain extent, this article could be interpreted as the author’s dissentient response to the “invasion” in “obscure countries”, which he tries to convey the audiences that the war will have a negative impact on the teenagers. The potential audiences of the text are majority American internet users who seek for entertainment, and as it suggests, the other notable purpose of the text is to amuse and entertain the readers. 

The author applies a range of stylistic devices to enhance the text’s comedic feature. One of the most prominent techniques in the text is the use of contrast and juxtaposition. From the first look, the layout of this text is similar to common news report format. If the audiences don't know the nature of the publication media, they might treat this text as the normal journalist report from standard news agencies. The author achieves to establish this deceptive look by imitating the minor details of the articles on broadsheets and tabloids. For instance, the author gives a brief introduction of the interviewer’s background right after their words to enhance their occupations and ages, which is also a common feature on the standard news reports. The effect of using the parodic structure is targeted to deceive the audience’s sense temporarily, which misleads them to think that they are reading an actual news report rather than a satire from the first glance. Consequently, they will feel more amused and entertained when they read the absurd content due to the ironic contrast. The purpose of entertaining the audiences is delivered through the vivid use of the parodic structure. 

Juxtaposition is another key technique that is widely applied in the text. The title, for example, parallels the irrelevant term “high school students” and “demand the war” to provoke a sense of irony. This arrangement challenges the audience’s common sense as “demand the war” is a complicated and crucial process that only the leaders of the nation can decide. Moreover, in audience’s stereotype, “high school students” do not show particular interest in politics. Therefore using this title provokes their curiosity and engages their attention, and hence they will show interest in reading the rest of the article. Juxtaposition also delivers a strong sense of devastating humour by joining contradictory objects together, for instance, the phrase “invade Tallahassee (FL)” serves to show the absurdity of the teacher’s solution to the phenomenon. The verb “invade” means to take military actions in foreign land, which is inappropriate to use in front of a domestic city. Moreover, invade has negative connotations and it is commonly used to depict enemy group. The author uses this phrase to show the teacher’s ridiculous perspective to mock the existing education system. Moreover, “teachers” are supposed to be the one who corrects the student’s mistake and misunderstandings, however, in this case, they become the group who supports the student’s preposterous suggestions. The contrary really highlights the comedic effect of the article, and it also leads the audiences to reflect on the possible causes of this ludicrous phenomenon. 

The use of humorous language is also a key feature in the text. The author uses a range of homonyms or geographic terms with similar spellings to show that high schoolers are in lack of basic understandings of the world. One example of this use is in the first paragraph, where the author states that the high school students are not able to distinguish “Australia” and “Austria”. These two countries has similar sound and spelling, but geographically they are totally different. The youngster’s misinterpretation highlights their ignorance of basic knowledge, which allows the author to mock and criticise them. Moreover, the author choose not to specify the high school students in purpose. He addresses them using the term “a delegation” to show the generality, which implies that the phenomenon is a national problem that occurs all across the country. The author intends to use this phrase to reveal the inevitable failure in education, especially in subjects like geography. Apart from underlining the student’s ignorance in basic understandings of the world, the author suggests that they have absurd perspectives. He gives an example of one high schooler mixes up the reality and computer games to show that the upcoming generation fails to interpret and understand the world they are living. It is also ironic that he is able to memorise such a long, tedious and complicated name of a fictional character but not able to know the real countries in the world. The author persuades the audience to recognise the problem caused by advancement in technology among the teenagers, and hence leads them to reflect and come up with practical solutions. 

The author establishes the high school students as self-centred individuals to address their attitude problems. While responding to the person who corrects his misunderstanding, one high schooler uses the phrase “yeah right” to suggest his carefree impatient and even a bit of anger, which in author’s perspective, are common among the high school students all over the country. The author uses the figure he established to represent and exaggerate the bad habits on an average high school student to mock the youngster’s problematic attitude, while exaggeration also adds on comedic elements to the text. Similarly, the line underneath the picture highlights and mocks their self-centred attitude from an alternate perspective. The use of the question mark delivers a strong sense of confrontation to the audiences, which highlights the high school student’s strong desire in deciding where the war are. However, their appeal seems to be contradictory to the audience’s common sense as waging the war is a pivotal decision that can only be done by supreme officials. This irony highlights the student’s misinterpretation of freedom, which also reminds the readers that the existing education system do not perform well on shaping the upcoming generation. 

Overall, the text uses an informal, comical tone to discuss a social phenomenon over that period of time. The tone of the manner creates a relatively casual atmosphere, which facilitates the authors to persuade the readers to recognise and reflect on this undesired trend among the youngsters.

Link to the original article: http://www.satirewire.com/news/jan02/geography.shtml