Michael Foucault Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Michael Foucault - Essay Example His research is often described as postmodernist and post-structuralism (Wikipedia Encyclopedia). Foucault focused on the dangers posed by psychoanalysis in the development of a disciplinary society (Milchman, Rosenberg 2003). One of the main reasons that Foucault emphasized on the subject of psychoanalysis is because it is a topic on which modern thought processes are based. The way we see our selves, our surroundings and the reality around us are all based on psychoanalysis. During the 1950's and 1960's many renowned scientists of the time designated homosexuality as pathological and ill. On the other hand, the adoption of heterosexual behavior (even for the homosexuals) was deemed as correct and righteous. Foucault was highly concerned about the cruelty imposed by various institutions on patients who were not deemed as proper in the face of the society in general. Hence, this justifies his reasons for providing sufficient warnings about the dangers of psychoanalysis. The Foucault methodology does not imply how a person should be but rather focuses on the reasons behind certain behavioral patterns of the patient. Until recently gays did not have any rights in the western society; and neither did children, the old, the mentally ill and the criminals. Foucault has laid the groundwork in his studies to provide these subjugated and oppressed members of the society with proper and due rights. It has been mentioned in a paper by Pryce (1999) that psychoanalysis may be used to obtain information of a "confessional nature" from a patient. This information may be about a topic that the patient is unable to discuss (such as sexual abuse). Three basic steps are used for the process of receiving such information. The direct citation from the paper is given as follows; "First, the medical consultation and examination includes asking the client questions concerning the particulars of sexual activities, orientation and risk behaviors and then physically examining the client. These are often illustrated using preprinted, small diagram of disembodied genitalia or rectum where the physician indicates the site of a lesion by inscribing an X'. Second, during specimen collections and treatments conducted by nurses there is a professional incitement to confess feelings and disclosure of psychosocial dimensions of sexuality. Third, the role of the health advisor and/or psychologist may include that of counselor utilizing some techniques and methods derived from formal counseling and psychology, whereby the client speaks the sin by naming it." Sexuality and Foucault's Work In accordance to Foucault's work sexuality can be viewed in two different ways. The eastern society (e.g. India) sees sexuality as an art form (e.g. Kamasutra), whereas the other type society thinks of sexuality as something to be shameful of and to hide from the public eye. However, in the case of Western society has resulted in the ideology of "confession." This includes the confessions about one's sexuality and sexual origins. Confession is an everyday part of the

The fellowship of the ring Essay Example for Free

The fellowship of the ring Essay Bilbo knows that Frodo cares for him because, he himself is worried what Frodo will do if he leaves. When they are both at the party we see them together for the first time we see Frodo with is arm around him this is shown as a close bond. On Bilbos last speech the camera is focused in what Frodo thinks when it disappears, but when Bilbo says goodbye this is merely directed at Frodo. But when he disappears the shock on Frodos face is wondered and shock because he knows now he is by himself. Gandalf and Frodo character interaction are vital of presenting good and evil the good is particularly shown in the warmth of the shire. we first see Frodo meeting Gandalf in the first glimpse of the shire. As soon as Frodo hears the rattle of the cart his face is a delight as soon as these two meet it starts of with a joke this shows that they have both got a sense of humour and they can react with each other this revolves with a big lash out of a hug these two get on like a house on fire, so they should as these two have got a big road ahead in this epic tale. Sam and Frodo in the shire we see plenty of good in couples, this is one of the finest examples, this relationship is untouchable with two friendly harmless hobbits. Someone to break this relationship has to use a lot of cunning evil and trickery. We see this relationship unfold the first time we see them together. Sam is looking depressed and Frodo approaches him. He is looking at a girl and Frodo tells him to go and dance with her, Frodo gets Sam and tugs him into dancing, this brightens up Sams evening. To me this is what I call best friends. This relationship is full of trust and loyalty but what will these two come across in the future. The one ring and whoever the ring bearer the ring can easily and quickly poison evil in someones mind who ever it may be from hobbits to the dark lord himself this ring will break and take whoever live it may come across. The special effects of the props create a good effect of good and evil , for example the Orks look like ready made fighting machines this comes to me how the detail of there skin and how you can look in there eye and feel pure evil. Now as shown in the shire the impression of good is completely different to evil, the hobbits are small and which gives us the sense of harmlessness, this is shown in how big they are and how they have feelings. There is good quality use of editing in the prologue, for example at the start where they are naming the types of creature in middle earth, there is slow zooms and good fade outs these are also used in the shire. But in the prologue what it has that the shire has not got is the jump cuts because the prologue has to cover a longer period of time. But there is good use of editing all round in both parts. Lord of the Rings looks nothing less than spectacular. What is even more impressive is the fact that director Peter Jackson decided to film all three of the books at one time, no easy task by any stretch of the imagination. He uses all the technology and wizardry available to filmmakers today and thrusts the audience deep within the treacherous and exciting Middle-earth. From the diminutive hobbits, to the Elven city Rivendell to the dark Mines of Moira, its all there. The amount of talent involved in creating the filmthe conceptual artistry, the production design, the costumesshould be recognized come Oscar time. The pacing of the movie is excellent, with enough down time and heartfelt, if sometimes stilted, speeches to counteract the incredible action sequences. You hardly notice the three hours passing by, and it leaves you at the end wanting the quest to continue. The only one deterring fact is that the film really is for its die-hard fans. Certainly in the literary world, Tolkiens story is the mother of all epic fantasies, and Jackson has remained faithful to the material. In that, the movie doesnt necessarily have the universal appeal of, say, a Harry Potter. Nonetheless, Rings is a breathtaking piece of filmmaking. If you are a true-blue Rings follower, or even if you enjoy a good epic fantasy quest, the film has it all and will certainly not disappoint you. Lord of the rings English Course work Chris Cannarile Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE JRR Tolkien section.

Chevrolet Advertising :: Marketing Advertisement

Missing Figures/Works Cited Genuine Chevrolet Advertisers create ads in magazines to catch the eyes of readers and encourage them to want to buy the product. Each advertisement includes claims, warrants, and supports, which make the advertisements attractive. For example, in the attached advertisement for Chevrolet Cavalier, each of these ideas used, makes the reader want to go out and buy this car. In the advertisement, there are many catchy phrases and pictures which make the car look very desirable. Furthermore, the general nature of a magazine such as "People," where the ad is found, it attracts people of all types. As displayed in the Chevrolet advertisements, claims, warrants, and supports are used to attract people of all types. Claims in the advertisements are used to try and get people of all types to notice, admire, and eventually go out and buy this car. There are three different types of claims: policy, fact, and value. The claims of policy in this advertisement are similar to most claims of policy in ads, which are, "buy this product." The claims of policy are created by the pretty picture on the opposite side of the page, and the writing on the ad. In the picture, the pretty mountains and bright sun look very inviting to someone who needs sometime to relax. By the desire to have free time, the busy worker will think that the car will get them some free time. Then, they will want to buy the car. The writing includes lines such as, "Finally. After working for what seems like forever, you have some time to yourself." Although this quote really does not have much to do with the car, it attracts the reader who may want some free time. The claims of fact include the statements about how many miles the car can go before needing a tune up and how it fits a low budget. These kinds of claims can attract people of all kinds, mainly people looking to spend little on a car for themselves or for their children. The claims of value state that this car can take you wherever you want, and that "even though going out during your free time may cost a lot, getting there won't." From these examples of claims of policy, fact, and value, the car looks very attractive to a reader.

Anne Of Green Gables †Essay Essay

Anne Of Green Gables is a work of children’s literature written by Lucy Maud Montgomery and was first published in 1908. The social and cultural understanding of children depicted during the period in which this novel is set differs greatly from the understandings and expectations of children in today’s society. In the novel Anne Of Green Gables, children are depicted as more of a possession to be moulded by their families, children were expected to act ‘respectably’ and ‘sensibly’ even from an early age and to listen to and show respect to their elders, which differs from today’s society where children are allowed to play and any inappropriate behaviour can be chalked up to ‘kids being kids’. There are still some similarities to today’s cultural understanding of children and those displayed in the book. For example, in Anne Of Green Gables the importance of schooling and education is one of the key elements and this is also recognised in today’s society as being a vital aspect of a child’s upbringing. Another difference in cultural understanding is the aspect of a child’s part in the family, particularly orphans. In the time the novel is set, orphans are down cast and regarded virtually as ‘slaves’. However, not only orphans played different roles in the family, all children were expected to do more housework and contribute more constructively to the running of a household than what is expected in today’s society. Anne Of Green Gables also shows the slightly sexist stereotypes of male and female roles in the family and the behaviour expected of both of them. This essay explores all of the above points, and provides commentary from both a literary and historical point of view. Within the work of children’s literature Anne Of Green Gables the importance of a child’s schooling is clearly evident. This is first seen when Marilla Cuthbert, not even having ‘officially’ adopted Anne Shirley yet merely placing her on ‘trial’ decides to send her to school. Even though Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert have not yet adopted Anne, she still sees fit to give her even some education. Renaissance humanist, Desiderius Erasmus â€Å"placed considerable emphasis on an early education, directly attacking those who ‘out of a false spirit of tenderness and compassion allow children to be pampered by their dear mothers and spoiled by their nurses†(Cunningham, 43). This train of thought is carried throughout to today’s society but in a slightly different fashion. Emphasis is still placed on a good early education through pre-school and other such programs in order to give children the earliest possible learning possibilities. The importance of a child attending school can also be seen on a social level. Anne, after having arrived on Prince Edward Island, has little or no friends and is socially unaware of what is acceptable and what is not. This could be due mainly to her tragic upbringing after the death of her parents. However, after attending school she is exposed to a new level of social etiquette she has not been exposed to in her past. This leads to her creating a â€Å"bosom friend† in Diana Barry. The novel also endeavours to show us the importance of doing well in schooling and that â€Å"although school and the outside world differ from each other, they belong together†(Quigly, 45). Anne is tied for the top of her class and as a result gains acceptance with a once sceptical and at times harsh community, especially in regards to Miss Rachel Lynde who was outraged when Marilla told her of her decision to adopt an orphan. We also see the pride Marilla has for Anne, although this can not be contributed entirely to her schooling endeavours. We can see that this plays a large part especially when she passes the entrance exam to Queen’s College. The way children were treated and expectations placed upon them in Anne Of Green Gables also differ from today’s society, children were seen as more of a possession to â€Å"be moulded like wax whilst its soft†(Cunningham, 43). From an early age children were expected to act respectfully and sensibly and it was expected that they would contribute constructively to the up keeping of the household showing the treatment of â€Å"children to be autocratic†(Hendrick, 1). The novel also shows us the difference between orphan children and non-orphan children, we are shown the down-cast class status orphans have within the community and Ms Lynde portrays this perfectly telling Marilla stories of orphans murdering their adoptive parents showing the naivety and willingness to believe that a child brought up with no parents had not been ‘moulded’, and therefore was dangerous. This coupled with the influence Miss Lynde has on Marilla causes Marilla to come to the decision to put Anne on trial but â€Å"when Anne is first made aware that she came to Green Gables by mistake, she knows that she is, in a sense, on trial and may not remain there. She decides not to go outdoors because that will only increase her love for the place and cause her to miss it all the more if she must leave.† (Sullivan). This shows how quickly people will judge especially when influenced by others. This influence is made more apparent as Anne is just a child and the consideration of what is best for her is not really considered. We see Anne as a dreamer when we are first introduced to her she escapes into her own fantasy’s through books and escapes the torment of her past and what she believes her terrible future by making friend with her reflection in the glass, â€Å"the image in which Anne may find refuge from the wounds of fragmentation, and postpone her inevitable confrontation with her alienated representation† (Slater). However, it is not until she is introduced to other children that we see the true extent her isolation has had on her social behaviour. She has little understanding of social behaviour and etiquette and how to handle challenging social situations. For example, loosing her temper when Gilbert Blythe is rude to her or when Miss Lynde insults her and Anne explodes at her. These examples show that Anne’s lack of social exposure has lead her to be unable to handle tough social circumstances and can not control her temper. Seeing Anne transform from childhood to adulthood is a perfect example of how children can be moulded by their families. Through Marilla’s actions and influence Anne is moulded into the lady she becomes. Throughout the novel we can see aspects of Marilla’s personality and behaviours mirrored in Anne. Anne goes from being naive and short tempered to becoming a strong minded, learned girl much like Marilla, in addition to this Anne chooses her friends much like Marilla who has a close group of female friend â€Å"Anne chooses kinship in a similar arbitrary and heterogeneous fashion†(Marcuse,164) showing that even small parts of a child’s surrounding can have both profound and subtle effects on the child’s personality. We can see through how Anne is moulded by Marilla that â€Å"the way childhood was spent was crucial in determining the kind of adult that the child would become† (Cunningham, 41) and this is proven by the end of the novel when Anne decides to stay in Avonlea with Marilla and teach rather than go to college. Anne Of Green Gables also shows the rather sexist beliefs of the time. This can be seen constantly by Marilla and Anne staying home cooking, cleaning, sewing, scrubbing the floors and Marilla telling Anne on numerous occasions to ‘make sure Matthew’s dinner is ready and served on time’. This shows the contrast between the roles expected of women and men, it was the men’s task to work the fields and perform any manual labour needed and the task of the women to ensure a clean house and dinner for the man. However, we can also see some contrast to this idea in the fact that femineity and masculinity have a very fine line in this book, in the case of Anne and Marilla at any rate, we can see that Anne and Marilla show many traits of Masculinity that are displayed in the novel they are both extremely strong willed and whilst Marilla seems submissive at times ignoring her feelings in order to maintain her friends Anne will speak her mind and thinks before acting, she is very strong willed. We can see this contrasted with the Barry’s beliefs, Diana Barry is not allowed to attend special after classes for students wishing to attend Queen’s. We can assume that this would be due to the typical belief that women should care for their husbands and Diana would be trained as a housewife instead, this shows that â€Å"major differences thus exist between children according to were they live their social class gender and ethnicity† (Gittins, 36). The Barry’s decision is in direct contrast to that of Marilla’s. Marilla encourages Anne to attend special classes and wants the best life and education for her. Marilla is not married, and believes that a girl should know how to fend for herself. Such beliefs wouldn’t be common during those times. Anne Of Green Gables shows us the contrast between modern beliefs and beliefs during the period the novel is set in. We see particularly strong differences in the way female and male roles are portrayed, and in addition to this the roles depicted in the novel have a sexist connotation about them that would not be seen in today’s culture. We also see the difference in class culture and the expectation of orphans and the stereotype they are labelled with. Anne Of Green Gables highlights this fact and reminds us that no matter what a child’s background, it is their eventual upbringing and early education that will determine their future, the surrounding and environment a child is exposed to will determine the eventual outcome of a child’s personality and decisions no matter how obvious or subtle these influences may be, a major part of this surrounding is the exposure to education and schooling and it is because of this point the book manages to effectively highlight the importance of schooling not just on an educational level but also on a social one and the effects it can have on a child’s personality and beliefs. The belief that schooling is a vital part of a child’s upbringing are still held in today’s society and although Anne Of Green Gables was written over a century ago, the messages contained within still hold value in today’s society.

Death of Hector Summary Essay

Except for Hector, the Trojans are inside the walls of Troy. Apollo turns to Achilles to tell him he is wasting his time pursing a god since he can’t kill him. Achilles is angry, but turns around to return to Troy where Priam is the first to spot him. He tells Hector he will be killed since Achilles is much stronger. If not killed he will be sold into slavery as has already happened to others of Priam’s sons. Priam can’t dissuade Hector, even when his wife Hecuba joins the effort. Hector gives some thought to going inside but fears the ridicule of Polydamas, who had given sage advice the day before. Since Hector wants to die in glory, he has a better chance facing Achilles. He thinks about giving Achilles Helen and the treasure and adding to it an even split of the treasure of Troy, but Hector rejects these ideas realizing Achilles will just cut him down, and there would be no glory in that. As Achilles bears down on Hector, Hector begins to lose his nerve. Hecto r runs towards the Scamander River (Xanthus). The two warriors race three times around Troy. Zeus looks down and feels sorry for Hector, but tells Athena to go down and do what she wants without restraint. Achilles is chasing Hector with no chance of reprieve unless Apollo steps in (which he does not do). Athena tells Achilles to stop running and face Hector. She adds that she will persuade Hector to do the same. Athena disguises herself as Deiphobus and tells Hector the two of them should go fight Achilles together. Hector is thrilled to see his brother has dared to come out of Troy to help him. Athena uses the cunning of disguise until Hector addresses Achilles to say it’s time to end the chase. Hector requests a pact that they will return each other’s body whoever dies. Achilles says there are no binding oaths between lions and men. He adds that Athena will kill Hector in just a moment. Achilles hurls his spear, but Hector ducks and it flies past. Hector does not see Athena retrieve the spear and return it to Achilles. Hector taunts Achilles that he didn’t know the future after all. Then Hector says it’s his turn. He throws his spear, which hits, but glances off the shield. He calls to Deiphobus to bring his lance, but, of course, there is no Deiphobus. Hector realizes he has been tricked by Athena and that his end is near. Hector wants a glorious death, so he draws his sword and swoops down on Achilles, who charges with his spear. Achilles knows the armor Hector is wearing and puts that knowledge to use, finding the weak point at the collarbone. He pierces Hector’s neck, but not his windpipe. Hector falls down while Achilles taunts him with the fact that his body will be mutilated by dogs and birds. Hector begs him not to, but to let Priam ransom him. Achilles tells him to stop begging, that if he could, he would eat the corpse himself, but since he can’t, he’ll let the dogs do it, instead. Hector curses him, telling him Paris will kill him at the Scaean Gates with the help of Apollo. Then Hector dies. Achilles pokes holes in Hector’s ankles, ties a strap through them and attaches them to the chariot so he can drag the body in the dust. Hecuba and Priam cry while Andromache is asking her attendants to draw a bath for her husband. Then she hears a piercing wail from Hecuba, suspects what has happened, emerges, looks down from the rampart where she witnesses her husband’s corpse being dragged, and faints. She laments that her son Astyanax will have neither land nor family and so will be despised. She has the women burn the store of Hector’s clothing in his honor.

The Death of Balder in Norse Mythology

The Death of Balder in Norse Mythology Odin, the king of the Norse gods, often sat upon Hildskialf, the throne of the Aesir gods, with his companions, the two ravens, Hugin (Thought) and Munin (Memory), whispering in his ears. From this position, he could look out on all of the nine worlds. Sometimes his wife Frigg would sit there, too, but she was the only other god who was so privileged. Frigg was the second and favorite wife of Odin, whose daughter she may also have been. She was the only Aesir as clever and knowledgeable about the future as Odin, although her foreknowledge did not depress her as it did her husband. Frigg had her own palace, which was known as Fensalir, where she sat spinning clouds to float above Midgard. Fensalir also served as the afterlife home for married couples who wished to be together. It was a counterpart to the famous home of valiant warriors, Valhalla, where Odin spent much of his time - drinking (he is said to have stopped eating when he heard about the inevitable doom of Ragnarok) with his feasting and fighting companions and the Valkyries. Balder the Handsome The most handsome of the gods was born to Frigg and Odin. He was named Balder (also known as Baldur or Baldr). He was a god of truth and light. Balder was also knowledgeable in healing herbs and runes, which made him a favorite among the people of Midgard. Balder lived in a palace named Breidablik with his wife Nanna (n.b. there is also a Mesopotamian goddess of this name), a vegetation goddess. It was believed that no lie could pass through the walls of Breidablik, home of the god of truth, so when Balder started having frightening nightmares about his own demise, the other Aesir gods took them seriously. Unlike gods in other pantheons, the Norse gods were not immortal. They cataloged everything that might possibly cause Balder harm, from weapons to diseases to creatures. With the list in hand, Balders mother, Frigg, set out to exact assurances from everything in the nine worlds not to harm Balder. This wasnt hard because he was so universally loved. When she had completed her mission, Frigg returned to Gladsheim, the gods meeting hall, for a celebration. After a few rounds of drinks and toasts, the gods decided to test Balders invulnerability. A pebble thrown at Balder bounced off without hurting Balder, in honor of its oath. Larger weapons were used, including Thors axes and all refused to hurt the god. Loki the Trickster Loki is known as a trickster god. Sometimes he was mischievous, but he hadnt really been malicious. The giants were evil, but Loki, who was the son of a giant, hadnt been known as such. It seems his self-appointed job was to stir things up when things were going well. Its a Loki-type action that one wishes to avert when telling an actor to break a leg before a performance. Loki was disturbed by all the gaiety and decided to do something about it, so in disguise as a disgusting old hag, he went to Frigg while she was at Fensalir taking a break from the festivities. What was going on at Gladsheim, he asked her. She said it was a celebration of the god Balder. Loki-in-disguise asked why, then, were people throwing weapons at him? Frigg explained about the promises shed exacted. Loki kept at her asking questions until she finally revealed that there was one thing she hadnt asked because she thought it too small and inconsequential. That one thing was mistletoe. With all the information he needed, Loki set off to the forest to get himself a branch of mistletoe. He then returned to the festivities at Gladsheim and sought out Balders blind brother, Hod, god of darkness, who was in a corner because he couldnt aim and therefore couldnt participate in the test of Balders invulnerability. Loki told Hod he would help him take aim and handed Hod a piece of apparently innocuous mistletoe to throw. Hodur was grateful and accepted the offer, so Loki steered Hods arm. Hod launched the branch, which caught Balder in the chest. Balder died instantly. The gods looked towards Hod and saw Loki beside him. Before they could do anything, Loki fled away. Celebration turned to lamentation since the most beloved of the gods had died. Odin alone was aware of how disastrous this event really was for them all, for he knew that with the loss of light and truth, the end of the world, Ragnarok, was due soon. A funeral pyre was made that was so enormous the gods had to ask the help of the giants. They then placed their most valuable worldly possessions as gifts upon the pyre. Odin placed his golden armband Draupnir. Balders wife fell down dead of grief at the pyre, so her body was placed beside her husbands. [  The most beautiful and beloved of the gods, Balder, son of Odin, had been slain by his blind brother wielding a misletoe shaft aimed by Loki. Balders wife had joined him on the funeral pyre. After their funeral, they were in the world called Niflheim.] An attempt was made to resurrect Balder, but due to more of Lokis mischief, it failed. The goddess of death, Hel, promised that Balder could return to earth if every living creature shed tears of grief for Balder. It looked as though it would work, for everyone loved Balder, but Loki arranged for a single exception. Loki disguised himself as the giantess Thok. As Thok, Loki was too indifferent to cry. And so, Balder could not return to the land of the living. Balder and his wife remained in Niflheim. Another son of Odin, Vali,  revenged  the death of Balder, but not by getting back at  Loki. Instead, Vali slew his brother, the blind god Hod. Loki, who had fled the initial scene of Balders death in Gladhseim, and then re-appeared in disguise as the giantess Thok, tried to get to safety by turning into a salmon. The salmon-Loki hid in a waterfall. But the Aesir, who knew where he was, tried to catch him in a net. Loki was too clever for that and jumped right over the net. Thor, however, was fast enough to catch the leaping fish in his bare hands. Then Loki was bound in a cave with venom dripping onto his body, which caused him to writhe in pain - until the worlds end in Ragnarok. (The story of  Prometheus  has a similar punishment.) Sources Ragnarok. Timelessmyths.com. Roberts, Morgan J. Norse Gods and Heroes. Myths of the World, Reprint edition, Metro Books, December 31, 1899.

Vitamin C Essay Example

Vitamin C Essay Example Vitamin C Essay Vitamin C Essay Vitamin C –A Natural Antioxidant Concept: Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an antioxidant. The amount of vitamin C content in food can be found out by titrating with an oxidising agent, e. g. iodine. In the reaction, vitamin C is oxidised, while iodine is reduced to iodide ions. The endpoint is determined by the formation of blue-black starch-iodine complex when all vitamin C is oxidised and excess iodine is free to react with the starch solution added as indicator. Introduction Vitamin C is an important component of a healthy diet. A well-balanced, healthy diet should ensure that there is enough vitamin C to prevent scurvy and other potential health problems. However, if taken in extreme excess, it may also cause harm to our body. Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits such as oranges, limes and grapefruits, and vegetables including tomatoes and green pepper. Vitamin C is easily damaged during food preparation. Moreover, the amount of vitamin C in most foods is usually high enough that the quantity remaining after processing is more than enough for a daily supply. DCPIP is often used as the reagent to test for vitamin C. The amount of vitamin C in a food sample can be found out by titrating with DCPIP as vitamin C can reduce blue DCPIP to colourless. However, it is sometimes difficult to ascertain the endpoint of the titration due to incomplete decolourisation of DCPIP. In this experiment, iodine and starch solutions are used instead of DCPIP to find out the amount of vitamin C in food sample. When iodine solution is added to the food sample, vitamin C is oxidised, while the iodine is reduced to iodide ions. During the reaction, iodine added is immediately reduced to iodide as long as there is any vitamin C present. Once all the vitamin C has been oxidised, the excess iodine will react with the starch indicator, giving a blue-black starch-iodine complex. This is the endpoint and it allows you to estimate the amount of vitamin C in the food sample. Materials ? ? ? 0. 1 % starch solution fruit / vegetable sample (e. g. green pepper, kiwifruit orange) iodine solution (0. 5 g iodine dissolved in 100 ml of 1% potassium iodide solution) ? itamin C solution (1000 mg vitamin C tablet dissolved in 1 litre of distilled/deionised water) ? ? ? ? beaker dropper (1 ml) test tube test tube rack Fig. 1 Materials for the activity Activity: The amount of vitamin C in fruits and vegetables 1. Label four test tubes for holding different sample solutions: vitamin C solution (C), green pepper (G), kiwifruit (K) and orange (O) juices. (Please refer to p. 4 for methods of extraction of fruit juices. ) 2. 3. Ad d 1 ml of vitamin C solution and 5 drops of starch solution into the test tube labeled C. Add iodine solution drop by drop into the test tube until the appearance of permanent trace of blue-black colour. Record the number of drops of iodine solution added. (Note: shake the test tube gently to mix the content after adding each drop of iodine solution). 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for three times and calculate the average number of drops of iodine solution added. 5. 6. 7. Calculate the amount of vitamin C in 1 ml of the vitamin C solution. Repeat steps 2 to 4 for green pepper (G), kiwifruit (K) and orange (O) juices. Tabulate the results and calculate the amount of vitamin C in 1 ml juice of each fruit / vegetable sample. 2 Type of solution Vitamin C solution Green pepper juice Kiwifruit juice Orange juice Average number of drops of iodine solution added Amount of vitamin C in 1 ml solution (mg) Questions for discussion: 1. Would you get the same results if the experiment was repeated after several days using the same solutions? Why? 2. If the orange juice has been left in the refrigerator for a week, what will happen to the amount of vitamin C in the orange juice? Why? Further investigation 1. Investigating the amount of vitamin C in prepackaged fruit juices purchased from the supermarket Some prepackaged fruit juices may contain less amount of vitamin C than that marked in the label. Design an investigation to find out if this is the case. Discuss the experimental design with your classmate before carrying out the investigation. Write a report of your investigation. 2. Investigating the content of antioxidant in green tea Most green tea manufacturers claimed that their products have rich antioxidant components, such as vitamin C. Design an investigation to compare the antioxidant content in different brands of green tea. Discuss the experimental design with your classmate before carrying out the investigation. Write a report of your investigation. Reference Hill, C. (2002). A simple test for vitamin C. School Science Review, 83 (305), 131. 3 NOTES Safety Precaution Handle iodine solution carefully as it is an irritant. Laboratory Preparation I. Extraction of fruit juices 1. Method A Examples: orange, lemon ? ? ? Cut the orange/lemon into two halves. Squeeze one half of the orange/lemon by hand to force out the juice. Filter the juice (to remove the solid tissue) using a filter funnel and a filter cloth. Collect the filtrate using a small beaker. 2. Method B Examples: kiwifruit, honeydew melon, grape ? ? ? ? Remove the skin of the fruit. Cut the fruit into small pieces on a white tile using a knife. Grind the tissue by means of mortar and pestle to obtain about 10 ml of juice. Filter the juice using a filter funnel and a filter cloth. Collect the filtrate using a small beaker. II. Vitamin C is susceptible to oxidation by atmospheric oxygen over time. The sample solutions should be prepared immediately before the titration. Identification of the endpoint in this titration is significantly affected by the colouration of the sample solution used. If the solutions are colourless or are pale in colour, there is no problem in identifying the endpoint. For juices with strong or deep colour, it may be difficult to identify the endpoint. It is advised to carry out a trial titration so as to acquaint yourself with the colour change at the endpoint. For some juices, it may just be darkening of the colour when arriving at the endpoint of the titration. III. 4