...NASA’s Space Exploration Programs: A Beneficial Investment for Society Alex vanKooten COMM 1133, Section 40 Marc James Thursday, October 11, 2012 For my topic I have chosen to argue my stance that NASA and their efforts in the field of space exploration are important and beneficial to society. I plan to touch on how NASA has impacted the everyday life of the average North American and the contributions they have made while working to improve their own technologies. I will delve into both practical and abstract reasons for and against continuing space travel in addition to stating a few facts about past missions and their outcomes. The reason that I have chosen this topic is because NASA and the space exploration being done by the human race has always been a source of inspiration to me. I’ve enjoyed growing up in a world where travelling to something as distant as the moon was an attainable feat. In a sense, the entire concept of space and how humanity was working hard to map it and research all these different planets has always given me perspective on my own life. In more recent years however I’ve been noticing more and more people taking a stance against NASA and calling their work a “waste of money”. Therefore I have elected to write an argumentative essay where I argue in favour of NASA’s research. I will try to convince people who think the NASA’s funding should be cut that space exploration has a bigger impact on their lives than they may realize and it may be in society’s...
Words: 422 - Pages: 2
...A collection of essays entitled Revolutionary Romanticism is planned for publication. Submit an essay that argues that particular texts illuminate aspects of this title in a though-provoking way. In your argument refer closely to TWO of your prescribed texts and other texts of your own choosing Romanticism developed during the late 17th century in Europe, at a time in history when people were beginning to question society and their place within the world. The French and American revolutions represented a universal atmosphere of social tumult in which previously accepted social and political structures were becoming increasingly challenged. The French Revolution was influenced by Romantic ways of thinking such as what it means to achieve liberty for the individual. The romantic exploration of liberty for the individual through a connection to nature, imagination and spirituality through the sublime are represented in both Coleridge's poem Kubla Kahn and Keat’s “Ode to a Nightingale”. These romantic views were a direct reaction from the art of the enlightenment era as explored in the 1768 painting of Agrippina Landing at Brundisium, emotional stoicism is represented as being a model for morality in society. Revolutionary questioning of the fundamental nature of humanity and change for women was explored in Mary Wollstonecraft's text "A vindication in the rights of women". The 1768 painting by Benjamin West of Agrippina landing at Brundisium depicts the qualities of the...
Words: 1142 - Pages: 5
...The impact of exploration and colonization on the Native people annihilated and destroyed many people and their cultures. As a result of this they were enslaved, killed, and evicted off of their homeland. For example when colonists came over their main goal was to obtain land, gold, and other materials.In addition, the Europeans did a supreme job. In which today it is now called “Human Progress.” Which resulted in more money and the conversion of “ Indian” to christianity. This is where the very famous quote “Kill the Indian, Save the Man” first originated. A long time ago, Europeans could not grow enough food. This resulted in the starvation of many Europeans. To solve this problem Europeans enslaved many Natives so they could do their laborious work. The way it had effected the Natives when they were enslaved was by forcing them to abandon their culture. For example when Columbus had came he enslaved many Natives so the...
Words: 638 - Pages: 3
...Abstract This essay touches on the issue of NASA funding. It tries to persuade NASA as well as the government to increase funding for NASA’s manned space missions. It uses substantial evidence from many sources to help make its argument valid as well as persuasive. Within the essay there is a brief introduction stating the thesis for the topic followed by a background section. This section helps to better explore the topic at hand. The main body of the argument revolves around the reasons with evidence for the thesis statement with refutation. Finally, the conclusion draws everything together by restating the thesis with reasons, and helping to better answer the question of whether funding should be increased for the space program. Introduction “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!” These words of Neil Armstrong as he took his first steps onto the moon signified one of the greatest achievements of the modern world, and the American space program. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration have been responsible for many stupendous achievements not only for the U.S., but for humans abroad. As of February 2006, their mission statement has been to, “pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research.” What is the ultimate goal of NASA’s work? Do all of the discoveries we make benefit the general population? Will exploring the universe and searching for life on other planets help us gain the big picture of where we...
Words: 2516 - Pages: 11
...Historical Essay (Age of Exploration) By: Paige Yamate P.7 Many people know of Christopher Columbus, a famous Spanish explorer who said to have discovered North America, but what many people fail to realize is that he was not the first to uncover the “new world,” another name for the Western Hemisphere, in fact, there were hundreds of explorers doing just that. This era of unprecedented European Exploration is known as, The Age of Exploration. The Age of Exploration started in the 1400’s, and the motive for the sudden venture is search for new trade routes, wealth, adventure, and a way to spread Christianity and the word of God. Inventions and Technological advancement, such as cartography (the practice of map drawing), astrolabe (a navigation system bearing latitude and longitude), and stronger ships with cartels for faster travel, also played an important role in this era. Many Europeans discovered many new cultures and lands and pushed their own religion and culture onto them, resulting in the disappearance of some societies. However, this is not a bad thing, cultures, such as the Hawaiian culture that was thankfully converted to Christianity, drowned newborns that showed any peculiar defects when birthed. The Age of Exploration had a positive effect on the New Worlds and Europe because both societies gained new goods, proper medicine was discovered, and Europe civilized the New World. The Age of Exploration was positive because both societies gained new animals, crops...
Words: 1200 - Pages: 5
...Masks “An Extravagance of Laughter" by Ralph Ellison exemplifies the trials and tribulations of a young black man struggling not only to be accepted by society but by himself as well. This essay is primarily concerned with questions of race and interaction between people of different races in different times and places. As Ellison travels from a community of apparent segregation (South) to the (North), he learns that distinctions between cultures are not as definite as they may seem. This idea of masking became a very important concept because of the transition between the north and south. There were a few examples in the story were people were hiding behind masks to either fit in, as well as people who did not hide behind the masks. Taunted by humiliation from releasing emotional laughter Ralph Ellison arrives at the finale of his essay in disbelief. He probably hadn't counted on one scene in a play changing his perspective of life. This scene enabled him to reach the conclusion of his exploration. He realized that the absurdity of human nature is all common. Everyone is just at least a little bit the same. Ellison battled with the concept of "masking" throughout the essay. Masking can best be defined as changing one's perspective from the inside out. Or as W. B. Yeats puts it so eloquently in the essay, "active virtue, as distinct from the passive acceptance of a current code, is the wearing of a mask" (268). The person wearing the mask is no longer a part of the original...
Words: 834 - Pages: 4
...Turner is most successful at analyzing American history through his essay, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History”. This piece examines how life was first created here in America, as well as how the first frontier set the stage for numerous civilization advancements that would occur in the near future. Many Americans today seem to forget about the first settlements that served as the basis for what the United States of America has become. This essay accomplishes the goal of reminding those people of how majorly important each step was on the American frontier centuries ago. What was once just an enormous area of free, unoccupied land, is now the home of billions of people as well as numerous buildings, businesses, and modes of transportation....
Words: 1552 - Pages: 7
...CRITICAL ESSAY: Pleasure and pain: Representations of illegal drug consumption, addiction and trafficking in music, film and video It is a safe assumption that when the term ‘drug’ or ‘use’ is mentioned, many automatically associate this with something rather unpleasant, a negative experience. This is due to the fact that individuals throughout most of their lives are warned of the destructive, detrimental and the horrendous nature of drugs and the consequences that arise from one’s involvement with them. This message is conveyed through many platforms, one of them being the media/entertainment industry. It is the same media portrays the image of illegal drug consumption as highly pleasurable. In the article Pleasure and pain: Representations of illegal drug consumption, addiction and trafficking in music, film and video (Fraser, S and Moore, D, 2011), composer Susan Boyd thoroughly explores through qualitative research the role music, film and video playing in creating meanings and images of drug consumption, addiction and trafficking and- in doing so, shapes up our perspective on drug use. This essay will discuss ways within which music, film and video represents illegal drug consumption, addiction and trafficking and how this influences our perspective and understanding of drug use. Media in today’s contemporary society is viewed as a necessity, it is held on the same level of importance as food and clothing (Stoddart, T, 2014). Individuals are exposed to the media throughout...
Words: 607 - Pages: 3
...In Alexie’s essay “Superman and Me” Alexie uses a variety of rhetorical strategies to portray books as important and impactful so that he can influence and promote individuals to read books amongst the people in his Native American community. Right from the start of the essay, Alexie begins by appealing to the audience by providing a blurb about his childhood and that his family was “living... on the Spokane Indian Reservation... [who] were poor by most standards” and that “one of my parents usually managed to find some minimum-wage job or another” (Alexie 110). This appeal to ethos gains the trust of the readers by letting them know that Alexie indeed did have an unprivileged upbringing. He extends his appeal by establishing amongst the readers that his family “lived on a combination of irregular paychecks, hope, fear, and government surplus food” (110). He did this in order to forge an emotional connection to the readers. In the second paragraph, he once again appeals to ethos by revealing that his father went to school and was an “avid reader” (110). Alexie’s father has a passion towards reading stories and “because he [Alexie] loved his father with an aching devotion, he...
Words: 737 - Pages: 3
...the course, students will be able to: SLO1. Describe the cultural, geographic and climatic influences on Native American societies. SLO2. Compare and contrast religious, social and cultural differences among the major European settlers. SLO3. Describe the events that helped create American nationalism and lead to the American Revolution. SLO4. Explain the Constitutional Convention, the Articles of Confederation, and the emergence of a democratic nation. SLO5. Explain the U.S. Constitution as it related to the separation of powers, checks and balances, the Bill of Rights, and the major principles of democracy. SLO6. Evaluate the Jeffersonian dream of expansion and its effect on Native Americans SLO7. Describe Jacksonian democracy and the creation of a two party system SLO8. Explain slavery and associated issues that led to the Civil War and its aftermath. Module Titles Module 1—Early American exploration and colonization (SLO1) Module 2—British colonies (SLO2) Module 3—Road to the Revolution and the American Revolution (SLO3) Module 4—Early Republic (SLO4 and SLO5) Module 5—Jacksonian America (SLO 6 and SLO7) Module 6—Road to the Civil War (SLO8) Module 7—Civil War (SLO8) Module 8—Shaping American history: Signature Assignment (all SLOs) Module 1 Early Exploration and Contact with Native Americans Welcome to HIS 120: U.S. History and the Constitution How to be Successful in the Course Each module has a lecture...
Words: 6289 - Pages: 26
...The Fugitive Through the dead of night, through my entire life, from tear to paper, from clothes to clothes, I paced these trying days, I was the fugitive from justice, and in the crystal hour, in the fastness of solitary stars, I crossed cities, forests, small farms and seaports, from the door of one human being to another, from the hand of one being to another being, and another, Solemn’s the night, but man has disposed his fraternal signs, and groping my way along roads and shadows I reached the lit doorway, the little point of star that was mine, the bread crumb that the wolves from the forest had not devoured. Once in the countryside, at night, I reached a house, where I’d never seen anyone that night or even imagined those lives. Whatever they did, their hours were new in my consciousness. I entered, they were a family of five: all had arisen as on the night of a fire. I shook hand after hand, saw face after face, that said nothing to me: they were doors that I did not see before in the street, eyes that did not know my face, and in the dead of night, after welcoming me, I succumbed to fatigue, to sleep my country’s anguish… “A poem is the perfect form of expression.” Discuss this statement using reviews of at least one poem and a number of articles, which discuss the poet’s work. Poet ~ Pablo Neruda Poem ~ Poema 20, Canto 10 – The Fugitive Introduction Why poetry? One argument dates back to Aristotle, to the famous...
Words: 1729 - Pages: 7
...certify that the following essay is my own work and that I have not received any unauthorized assistance with it. Signed: Michael Raymond, November 30, 2013. “Write an essay interpreting how one rock group or singer's music reflected and/or influenced the 1960s.” Living Dead: The Cultural Impact of the Grateful Dead The decade of the 1960’s saw plenty of musicians become involved in the protest movement. Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell, among others, wrote of the injustices of American society. While the Beatles were singing “All You Need Is Love”, the Rolling Stones wrote about the “Street Fighting Man”. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young sang about the Kent State shootings in “Ohio”. Country Joe McDonald encouraged the burning of draft cards while leading the “Fish Cheer”. However, the degree of influence each had on not just the 1960’s, but ensuing decades waned as burnout, family life, and lifestyle choices took their toll. The act whose music reflected and influenced not just the 60’s, but decades to come, was the Grateful Dead. The music of the Dead reflected the counterculture of the 1960’s, fostered a self-sustaining, traveling multicultural community, and delivered a message of peace and love for thirty years. San Francisco was the center of the counterculture movement of the 1960’s. The Haight-Ashbury neighborhood attracted thousands of youths from across the country, looking to drop out of traditional society and build a new society. In the middle of this scene...
Words: 725 - Pages: 3
...`The election of Andrew Jackson in 1829 and his stubborn support of Indian removal provoked controversy not only in the Indian tribes, but also among the American community. Jackson's refusal to respect the independence of the Cherokee tribe, allowed the state of Georgia to assert its jurisdiction over the Cherokees. With Andrew Jackson's assistance, Indian Removal Act of 1830 was passed which authorized the relocation of eastern Indian tribes to lands west of the Mississippi River. President Andrew Jackson was the main supporter of the removal of Indian tribes in order to give their lands to whites. Cherokee Nation was forced from its land, mainly as a result of the discovery of gold within their territory. Both the white Americans and the Cherokees had various opinions on Indian removal - some opposed and many supported it with a range of different arguments. Insatiable craving for foreign soil remained the primary cause, even though many people believed that the removal of Indians was the only way to save them from the extinction. While the Indians lived in close proximity to whites, they died as a result of...
Words: 1330 - Pages: 6
...Shadae Childress 11/20/14 Book Review LDSP 395 The Metaphysical Club Beliefs, facts, and theories all play a part in our society. What we think is right and what we think is wrong can be different from somebody else’s views just because of the way they may interpret it or the way they may look at it. Religion itself directs certain individuals to a path that says that God is the reason for everything while scientists may disagree with such findings because of the facts that they have reached over time. Then you have the theories that you cannot really prove true but it does not mean that it is wrong. “The Metaphysical Club” is a book that may even cause you to question what you believe by the end of the book. It took place around the time of the Civil War and involved philosophers, scientists, mathematicians, and idealists. It describes the life of four intellectuals who share their views on how they feel about things and how they perceive the world. These individuals somehow link back to Harvard and have something in common. They all are thinkers. These fours thinkers are Charles Pierce, William James, Oliver Holmes Jr., and John Dewey. Each one of these individuals had their own exploration of ideas and shared them to one another to either agree or disagree on how to define modern American Life. They formed a club called, “The Metaphysical Club.” “The Metaphysical Club” based a lot of their discoveries and beliefs and built them into a category called pragmatism....
Words: 1227 - Pages: 5
...ESSAY Ian Stevenson and Cases of the Reincarnation Type JIM B. TUCKER Division of Perceptual Studies Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA e-mail: jbt8n@virginia.edu Ian Stevenson began studying children who claim to remember previous lives— an endeavor that will surely be remembered as the primary focus of his life’s work—almost by accident. Enjoying a successful mainstream career with some 60 publications in the medical and psychiatric literature to his credit, he had become chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at the University of Virginia in 1957. The following year, the American Society for Psychical Research announced a contest in honor of William James for the best essay on‘‘the topic of paranormal mental phenomena and their relationship to the problem of survival of the human personality after bodily death.’’ Ian, who had said when he interviewed for the chairman position that he had an interest in parapsychology, had been intrigued by the concept of reincarnation and in his readings had come across reports of individuals claiming to have memories of previous lives, or‘‘apparent memories of former incarnations,’’ as he called them. The reports came from a number of sources, such as books, magazines, and newspapers. Ian analyzed 44 of them as a group in a paper that won the contest and was subsequently published in 1960 (Stevenson, 1960a,b). He was impressed with the similarities...
Words: 3731 - Pages: 15
