The Life and Theories of Charles Darwin Essay -- Biography Biographies

The Life and Theories of Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin was the fifth child of Robert Waring Darwin and Susannah Wedgewood. He was born on February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, England where his father practiced medicine. He attended Shrewsbury Grammar School which was a well-kn own secondary school which concentrated on teaching classic languages. Even as a boy Darwin loved science and his enthusiasm for chemical studies earned him the name "Gas" from his friends. The headmaster at Shrewsbury, Dr. Samuel Butler noted, "Here's a boy, plays around with his gases and the rest of his rubbish and works at nothing useful." He was also an avid collector. Anything he could get his hands on- shells, eggs, minerals and coins interested him. Darwin was expected to follow his father and become a doctor and in 1825, at the age of sixteen, his father removed him from Shrewsbury and entered him in the University of Edenburgh to study medicine. He found all of his classes except chemistry dull. After two years at Edenburg, he quit school and went to live with his Uncle Josiah Wedgewood. After he abandoned medicine, his father urged him to attend Cambridge University to study to be a clergyman. At Cambridge he met John Steven Henslow who helped him regain his interest in nature. It was Henslow who was influential in getting Darwin the position of naturalist on the boat The Beagle. In April of 1831, he graduated from the University. In the fall following his graduation, the government decided to send the H.M.S. Beagle, under the command of Captain Fitzroy, to complete an unfinished survey of Patagonia and Tierra Del Fuego to help map out the shores of Chile and Peru. Th e voyage w... ...rstand or explain whatever I observed and group a ll facts under some general laws..." On April 19, 1882 Darwin died of a heart attack. The family wanted Darwin to be buried in his home, the village of Downe. However, Parliament requested that he be buried in Westminster Abbey, a cemetery for Britain's kings and queens and intellectual giants. This was an indication of how far Darwin had come towards universal acceptance and respectability. Darwin's coffin lies next to Issac Newton which is only fitting because Darwin has been called "The Newton of Biology." Darwin was modest of his monumental achievements to the very end and said of himself shortly before his death,"With such moderate abilities as I possess, it is truly surprising that I should have influenced to a considerable extent the belief of scientific men on some important points."

The Portrayal of Father to Child Relationship in Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays”

Marcella English 10 Period: 5 The portrayal of Father to child Relationship in Robert Hayden’s â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† According to photographer and designer Anne Geddes, â€Å"Any man can be a father but it takes someone special to be a dad. † Being a father is not a simple task. â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† exemplifies how difficult fatherhood could be, and how parent to children affection could be hidden by certain circumstances, such as hard living. Through the poem Robert Hayden shows how the speaker is ashamed in believing that his father did not love him, and how now he understands that love is not only shown by words but also by actions.Robert Hayden uses imagery, symbolism and irony of situation to carry the main message of the poem which is about fatherhood. Imagery is the formation of mental images, figures, or likenesses of things, or of such images collectively (dictionary. com). The reader is given mental pictures about the things that occ ur in the poem. First, the reader can imagine a father figure waking up early morning to get wood to make the house warm. It is also implied that the father woke up in the darkness and that he is a ward worker from the first stanza.Readers can also imagine the child’s position in the house, how the child respects his father (stanza 2). The next imagery is the father polishing the child’s shoes, which implies that he takes care of his child/family, placing himself second. Through these imageries, the author has illustrated the fatherly love to his child even in hard circumstances. Another major literary device used in this poem is symbolism. Symbolism is an image or a word that represents something beyond the literal meaning. There are four significant symbols in Those Winter Sundays. The first symbol is winter, which symbolizes misery.It could be in the form of death, old age, sorrows, or regrets. In general, winter means unpleasant or hard times. In this poem the word winter describes the overall mood of it, which is sad and challenging. The next major symbol is Sunday, which in western culture represents the day of rest. It is commonly known as the day of pleasure. Therefore, winter Sundays could symbolize a paradox, describing the contradictory elements of the poem to give more dramatic and ironic effect, because as it is mentioned in line 1 to 3, and the father keeps on working even though it is Sunday.In the same way as winter, cold also represents pain and discomfort. In contradictory to cold, there is fire, which seems to be the solution to the discomfort. Fire can also symbolize love. In this case, all this four symbols are used to build a story of fatherly love. That unfortunately was not clear enough to be noticed by the son at the time. Irony of situation is the difference between what is likely to happen and what actually does happen. Throughout the poem the speaker mentions the Sunday routine of the father, showing how the father wor ked hard for the family’s well being.However, just as the speaker mentions: â€Å"No one ever thanked him† (Line 5). This illustrates how the father worked for the family and its well being, proving that he indeed cared and loved them, as he never waited to be recognized for his actions. Hence never being thanked after all the work. However in the last stanza it is shown how the speaker regrets treating the father indifferently for not verbally showing his love, â€Å"What did I know, what did I know† (Line 13) proving how the speaker has indeed grown more mature, and has finally understood the meaning of sacrifices, and an alternative way of showing love.In conclusion, the poem Those Winter Sundays is a poem of regret and understanding as the speaker finally has understood his father’s love to him. This poem was intended to be personal, from child to father, as an apology for his attitude as a child. Through this poem, the reader could reflect about the sacrifices done by parent. Sacrifices that are often dismissed but that will soon after have an effect in our life.

Letter To The Dean Essay

I am writing to express my interest in the Master of Arts in Physical Education with Single Subject Teaching Credential at Azusa Pacific University. I am aware it provides the best education and environment for both graduate and post-graduate students. I currently hold my Bachelor’s of Arts in Communication from the University of Wyoming (WYO). While attending WYO, I lettered in the schools football program and physical education played an integral role in keeping my body prepared for the physicality of the sport. I believe that your university is one of the best schools since it offers a combined masters and credential program. I developed an interest in physical education when I began coaching football for at risk youth at the Cathedral Home for Children, my junior and senior years at (WYO). Since I graduated I have been working as a substitute teacher and football coach at the high school level for two years. These work experiences have taught me patience, perseverance, and interpersonal skills. I have dealt with students/athletes from various backgrounds; therefore, making me more flexible when it comes to my coaching/teaching methods. I also became more creative in coming up with ways to inspire my students/athletes and help them reach their long-term goals. The personal qualities and the skills that I have acquired will surely aid me in fulfilling your requirements and hopefully increase the chance of securing a place in your institution. If ever I am chosen as a graduate student in your school, I will continue to work hard to reach my long-term goals in life. These goals include career advancement, improvement on teaching/coaching strategies, and contribution to the at risk youth in the community. I will work hard to achieve these goals not just for my sake but for the sake of my student/athletes and the community. I want to use what I’ve learned to improve my current condition and give back. Given my education and experience, I am confident that I am an excellent fit for the APU Physical Education program. I know that in your university I will be able to achieve my goals and enrich my knowledge to improve further skills.

Sample Personal Statement

Sample Personal Statement for Architecture People once asked me: â€Å"Why did you choose architecture? † I couldn’t give a simple answer for that. Maybe it was because I like painting and construction since childhood. I also earnestly yearn to create beautiful things on my own and architecture can satisfy my imagination in space, materials, and color. My born interest in this sector is also because of my parents, who are both structural engineer and electrical engineer, influencing me gradually and unconsciously since I was a kid and giving me perceptual knowledge in the field.After my five-year study in the Department of Architecture, and one-year work experience in architectural design, I ask myself this same question. The result is that aside from the factors mentioned above, what really makes me choose architecture is its intrinsic appeal, which is just like the maxim written inside the building of the Department of Architecture: â€Å"Architecture is the combinat ion of art and technology. † Perhaps when a person is engaged in what his keen interest blossoms, he will never feel tired, instead he would feel motivated and have an enriching experience.Five years' academic study in the School of Architecture and Arts of University of XX transformed my instinctive excitement and imagination about architecture into systematic knowledge and comprehensive understanding. This transformation, first of all, lies in my skills in the fine arts. Differing from my previous mere interest in fine arts, the study of architecture makes me begin to ponder on how to draw using aesthetic elements from fine arts such as color, lighting and composition to apply to architecture. I was so dedicated to such brainstorming and imagination that I would always work around the clock in the studio for days on end.Secondly, the study of basic architectural courses, such as architectural structure, mechanics and materials science, makes me realize that architecture not only gives importance on aesthetics, but also on the more essential functionality and practicality. In that process, I realized that architecture is not only an art, but also more importantly a sort of technology. Five years of college study gives me a deeper comprehension of architecture, that is, architecture is also part of other cultures – it is subject to other cultures' influence, and at the same time it influences other cultures.Because of my childhood architectural background, coupled with my lasting keen interest in architecture, I gained excellent achievements in the major courses of my college study, ranked top three in the class, and also received first prize scholarships and many other scholarships for five consecutive years. Besides, owing to my understanding of architecture, I am not satisfied with mere textbook knowledge. I believe architecture is not only a skill but also, more importantly, a combination of creativity and imagination.An excellent architecture designer needs not only solid architectural skills and knowledge, but also needs nourishment from fine arts, materials science, engineering and culture. For that purpose, I read quite extensively, understood the architectural history of different countries – especially European architectural history, learnt from works of modern and contemporary architectural masterpieces, and gained insights on their design conceptions that are full of creativity and connotation. The knowledge I have gained from these efforts heightens my interests and my desire for creation.

Administration of justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Administration of justice - Essay Example This scenario deals with a case of arrest under securities fraud, of Michael Pickens, son of the multi-billionaire oil investor T. Boone Pickens, arguably one of the richest persons in the United States of America Michael pleaded guilty and was arrested and charged with securities fraud, having masterminded a major scam to induce investors, through trickery and deception, to buy shares in stocks, such that when their markets turned bullish, the perpetrators of this fraud could sell the stocks for lucrative profits. As a matter of fact, the parties involved in this bogus e-mail fraud had netted $400,000 as profits. However, coming back to Michael Pickens, he has a long history of substance abuse and drug addiction, and has already spent more nearly one and half years, at drug treatment and rehabilitation. The critical question that now arises is what kind of penal, deterrent and/or rehab sentence should be served by the criminal justice delivery system, in the case of Michael Pickens and why should such recourse be chosen. Besides, the goals and objectives of the sentence would also need to be discussed in terms of its potential effectiveness and ability to reform this trickster through integration into mainstream society. 1. Rehabilitation Perspective: According to this view the justice system is a large institution that provides correctional faculties to criminals and law breakers. From this perspective, criminals are not merely seen as scheming, manipulative individuals who mastermind their crimes out of greed, or vendetta. Instead, they are viewed as victims of their circumstances or as being deceived by the society. Thus, in this context, rather than highlighting their crimes and its various ramifications and implications, rehabilitation specialists focus on criminals as individuals, their needs and aspirations, as well as factors that what prompted them to commit the crimes. Thus, they give consideration to what could be possibly done to help rehabilitate such individuals back into the mainstream society. â€Å"Rather than focus on the victim, as the crime control people do, rehabilitation people focus on the criminal: their needs, how can they be helped, and what treatment suits their individual behavior problems† (Worrall, n.d). Perhaps the rehabilitation treatment model, far from being punitive or disciplinary, seeks to enforce effective measures into the justice delivery system, which could aid in diagnosing, treating, monitoring and following up of cases so as to achieve remedial or curative measures for the ‘patient’. The policies of correcting and rehabilitating substance abusers underpin the activities of The California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility (CSATF). This facility, with its treatment capacity of 1,428, is presently the largest-in-prison TC in the state besides being one of the biggest in any US prison. 2. Crime control Perspective: To a large extent, the crime control perspective is an anti th esis of the rehabilitative viewpoint, in that it advocates stronger, stricter and more stringent laws and measures against criminals and lawbreakers, actual and potential. This theory adopts a viewpoint that by strengthening and reinforcing policing techniques, like putting more law enforcement personnel on the job, crime rates could be effectively reduced and also better controls and monitoring could be achieved. Besides, better policing infrastructure could help reduce the incidence and regularity of crimes, especially in heavy crime zones. Coming to the current policies, it is seen that more than 30 States in this country have implemented laws, which require a compulsory sentence of a specific period for particular kinds of crimes. Most are directed at drug offenders or those people charged with violent crimes and forbid them from being

Travel the World - Letter to a Friend - Assignment

Travel the World - Letter to a Friend - - Assignment Example nding money and time traveling to the City was, therefore, to experience the culture and art of London, to learn the various kinds of art within the city that may have influenced Albert in his career. In his painting, Albert depicts ambient photographic-like scenery of a lake amidst rocky mountain cliffs with grazing deer on the shore in the foreground. The cheap means of travelling to London from Huston Texas was through the Turkish airlines that cost $610 to and fro. The great London atmosphere also extends its hotels with varying affordable rates. Within the city of London, I am staying at the Central Park Hotel, a three star hotel located at the heart of the city that costs  £43 per night (FareCompare.com). London is the capital city of the England in Europe popularly known for its monarchy system under the rule of a queen. There are nearly over 300 languages spoken in the city, however, its main culture mainly ties around the arts, museums and various festivals. In particular, as for architecture, London prides itself of a number of landmarks and cultural iconic objects that are globally associated with the city such as the Big Ben, as well as the Buckingham Palace. The city is also popular for the fast foods vendors that specialize in making the burgers, pies and pizza that forms one of the main popular foods among most city dwellers and workers. In terms of entertainment, the city is best recognized for its particular preference for rock music dating from the 1960s and is the home for various globally renowned rock bands and musicians. The city is also home for some of the globally recognized teams in the game of soccer. Like other major cities across Europe, London has an oceanic t emperate climate with the four climatic seasons like most of Europe (The Guardian). Albert made his iconic photograph-like painting using oil-based paints and soft brush to make the portrait on canvas measuring approximately six and ten feet in size. Albert gracefully employs

The Negro in the American Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Negro in the American Revolution - Essay Example In the northern states slavery was completely abolished by 1840. Very often we witness the change in treatment of historical events by official history, presented in the school and university textbooks. This is quite natural and understandable as histories are written by people, who are inevitably influenced by their background, political or cultural preferences. But witnessing such changes with so different approaches and learning the events we just can't but seek witnesses' memories to be able to make conclusions ourselves. For some time the position of Black people in the Revolutionary War was explained as their wish to help, however it was not so. The Negro's role in the Revolution can best be understood by realizing that his major allegiance was not to place nor to his people, but to a principle. Whoever invoked the image of liberty, be he American or British, could count on a ready response from the Blacks Published in 1961, "The Negro in the American Revolution" remains the most inclusive chronicle of the many roles performed by African Americans during the American Revolution. For the first time Quarles addresses the diplomatic reverberations which were the result of the British evacuation of African Americans shortly before the war. Benjamin Quarles's initial concern in his book is to attract more attention to the Negro as an overlooked participator during the revolution period. Quarles supposed that the American Negroes saw and understand the independence movement through their own longing for liberty, and were induced to action not by allegiance to a definite banner or place, but rather by a newly aroused expectation of personal independence and private "unalienable rights". Quarles says that it was reasonable, that a Negro became closer to the side that gave the best promise of liberty, even when it was made by the British, exactly the nation that the white colonists were revolt ing against under wail of enslavement. With the help of comprehensive research and many specific examples to portray the feelings and emotions of Negroes as a whole, Quarles proves this thesis with success. The Negro's significant role in the Revolutionary War originates from the inevitable fact that both sides needed black manpower. And both sides proposed the Negro his liberty as a reward. The author of this valuable book does not pay much attention to the outstanding sense of the Revolutionary period reality and shows us the state of America's society. In the Revolutionary war the American Black People were participators and symbols. They took active part in the battle actions and were active behind the lines; in their hopes and in the gains they inscribed within the war period, they embodied the aim of that liberty in the name of which the fight was waged. According to the author, "the Negro's role in the Revolution can best be understood by realizing that his major loyalty was not to a place nor to a people, but to a principle. Insofar as he had freedom of choice, he was likely to join the side that made him the quickest and best offer in terms of those "unalienable rights" of which Mr. Jefferson had spoken. Whoever invoked the