Charles Darwin and His Voyage Aboard H.M.S. Beagle

Charles Darwin and His Voyage Aboard H.M.S. Beagle Charles Darwin’s five-year voyage in the early 1830s  on H.M.S. Beagle has become legendary, as insights gained by the bright young scientist on his trip to exotic places greatly influenced his masterwork, the book On the Origin of Species. Darwin didn’t actually formulate his theory of evolution while sailing around the world aboard the Royal Navy ship. But the exotic plants and animals he encountered challenged his thinking and led him to consider scientific evidence in new ways. After returning to England from his five years at sea, Darwin began writing a multi-volume book on what he had seen. His writings on the Beagle voyage concluded in 1843, a full decade and a half before the publication of On the Origin of Species. The History of H.M.S. Beagle H.M.S. Beagle is remembered today because of its association with Charles Darwin, but it had sailed on a lengthy scientific mission several years before Darwin came into the picture. The Beagle, a warship carrying ten cannons, sailed in 1826 to explore the coastline of South America. The ship had an unfortunate episode when its captain sank into a depression, perhaps caused by the isolation of the voyage, and committed suicide. Gentleman Passenger Lieutenant Robert FitzRoy assumed command of the Beagle, continued the voyage and returned the ship safely to England in 1830. FitzRoy was promoted to Captain and named to command the ship on a second voyage, which was to circumnavigate the globe while conducting explorations along the South American coastline and across the South Pacific. FitzRoy came up with the idea of bringing along someone with a scientific background who could explore and record observations. Part of FitzRoy’s plan was that an educated civilian, referred to as a â€Å"gentleman passenger,† would be good company aboard ship and would help him avoid the loneliness that seemed to have doomed his predecessor. Darwin Invited to Join the Voyage in 1831 Inquiries were made among professors at British universities, and a former professor of Darwin’s proposed him for the position aboard the Beagle. After taking his final exams at Cambridge in 1831, Darwin spent a few weeks on a geological expedition to Wales. He had intended to return to Cambridge that fall for theological training, but a letter from a professor, John Steven Henslow, inviting him to join the Beagle, changed everything. Darwin was excited to join the ship, but his father was against the idea, thinking it foolhardy. Other relatives convinced Darwin’s father otherwise, and during the fall of 1831, the 22-year-old Darwin made preparations to depart England for five years. Departs England on December 27, 1831 With its eager passenger aboard, the Beagle left England on December 27, 1831. The ship reached the Canary Islands in early January and continued onward to South America, which was reached by the end of February 1832. South America From February 1832 During the explorations of South America, Darwin was able to spend considerable time on land, sometimes arranging for the ship to drop him off and pick him up at the end of an overland trip. He kept notebooks to record his observations, and during quiet times on board the Beagle, he would transcribe his notes into a journal. In the summer of 1833, Darwin went inland with gauchos in Argentina. During his treks in South America, Darwin dug for bones and fossils and was also exposed to the horrors of slavery and other human rights abuses. The Galapagos Islands, September 1835 After considerable explorations in South America, the Beagle reached the Galapagos Islands in September 1835. Darwin was fascinated by such oddities as volcanic rocks and giant tortoises. He later wrote about approaching tortoises, which would retreat into their shells. The young scientist would then climb on top, and attempt to ride the large reptile when it began moving again. He recalled that it was difficult to keep his balance. While in the Galapagos Darwin collected samples of mockingbirds, and later observed that the birds were somewhat different on each island. This made him think that the birds had a common ancestor, but had followed varying evolutionary paths once they had become separated. Circumnavigating the Globe The Beagle left the Galapagos and arrived at Tahiti in November 1835, and then sailed onward to reach New Zealand in late December. In January 1836 the Beagle arrived in Australia, where Darwin was favorably impressed by the young city of Sydney. After exploring coral reefs, the Beagle continued on its way, reaching the Cape of Good Hope at  the southern tip of Africa at the end of May 1836. Sailing back into the Atlantic Ocean, the Beagle, in July, reached St. Helena, the remote island where Napoleon Bonaparte had died in exile following his defeat at Waterloo. The Beagle also reached a British outpost on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic, where Darwin received some very welcome letters from his sister in England. Back Home October 2, 1836 The Beagle then sailed back to the coast of South America before returning to England, arriving at Falmouth on October 2, 1836. The entire voyage had taken nearly five years. Organizing Specimens and Writing After landing in England, Darwin took a coach to meet his family, staying at his father’s house for a few weeks. But he was soon active, seeking advice from scientists on how to organize specimens, which included fossils and stuffed birds, he had brought home with him. In the following few years, he wrote extensively about his experiences. A lavish five-volume set, The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, was published from 1839 to 1843. And in 1839 Darwin published a classic book under its original title, Journal of Researches. The book was later republished as The Voyage of the Beagle, and remains in print to this day. The book is a lively and charming account of Darwin’s travels, written with intelligence and occasional flashes of humor. The Theory of Evolution Darwin had been exposed to some thinking about evolution before embarking aboard H.M.S. Beagle. So a popular conception that Darwin’s voyage gave him the idea of evolution is not accurate. Yet is it true that the years of travel and research focused Darwins mind and sharpened his powers of observation. It can be argued that his trip on the Beagle gave him invaluable training, and the experience prepared him for the scientific inquiry that led to the publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859.

Source base questions - KMT-CCP rivalry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Source base questions - KMT-CCP rivalry - Essay Example This was the classic method of raiding a village. Sometimes we killed and carried away little pigs weighing around thirty catties. We took corn, rice, potatoes, taro. Did we take money? No. There was no money to be had anyway. e.g. in Source A, the cartoon shows us that the KMT (Kuomintang or Nationalist Party) officers were totally on the side of the rich landlord demanding greater taxes. Exploitation of the peasants took various forms. Not only were heavy taxes levied, many of which were collected in advance, but also peasants were forced to provide carts, animals and farm produce. The source also shows one such officer in hostile action against a peasant and his family. Judging from their poor attire and the fact that the loss of the two bushels of food grain represented a great loss to them, we understand that this family is a very poor one. The officer is commanding the peasant to hand over grain to the landlord. The peasant is very angry at the unfair demand, which is evident by his clenched fists. It also shows his impotence to offer any stiffer resistance to the officer and the landlord due to the overall cloak of oppression that has smothered the populace during the domination by the KMT regime. The peasant’s wife is beseeching the landlord to have mercy as they need that food for their family, especially the crying child. In response, the obese landlord is pointing a jocular finger at the wailing child meaning that he does not care about the wellbeing of a brat like that. The cartoonist is telling us that despite the oppressive hardship and poverty of the peasants, the corrupted KMT government was still exploiting them unmercifully. Source A seems to drive the message that the communists were sympathetic about the hardship of the people and this is in stark contrast to the corrupt Nationalists. Source A is also a communist cartoon and thus may be a propaganda tool to incite the sense of anti-KMT feeling among the peasants and thereby

Symbols in Van Eyck's Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife Essay

Symbols in Van Eyck's Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife - Essay Example The placement of the subjects also reveals the rigid gender expectations of the fifteenth century. Whereas Arnolfini is standing next to the window, representing his role as the ambassador for the family, his wife is next to the bed. This symbol works on two levels: it reminds the viewer that she is restricted to home life, and also makes an implicit sexual suggestion – a suggestion which is made explicit when we consider her come hither eyes, and the fact that her appearance resembles that of a pregnant woman. The two pairs of cast-aside shoes in the centre background and left foreground of the picture further this idea of a sexual union. Removed shoes were symbolic of sex in Dutch art. The open, red curtains of the marital bed and the cherries on the tree just visible through the window are equally as suggestive, inducing the viewer to see this portrait as the fervent desire of the couple to procreate. However, it is believed that this portrait could have been commissioned by a man grieving his first wife. This is represented by the chandelier: above the mans head a candle is burning, but the candle above the woman has burnt out. Similarly, in the frame of the mirror, on the left hand side, closer to the man, there are images of Christs life, whereas the ones on the right portray Christs death. This could also explain the disparity between the season (early summer, according to the presence of the tree) and the subjects winter clothing, if the wife had died in the winter

King Leopolds Ghost Essay Example for Free

King Leopolds Ghost Essay Between 1880 and 1920, the population of the Congo was slashed in half: some ten million people were victims of murder, starvation, exhaustion, exposure, disease, and a plummeting birth rate. Why do you think this massive carnage has remained virtually unknown in the United States and Europe? During all this death there was only a few who would go down into the Congo because of all its dangers. So with hardly anyone already going down there and those who did brave the dangers would usually come back insane from a disease of some sort, there was just not enough evidence to prove how bad it was really getting even with those who made it out fine. There was also no communication possible only by mail and considering the dangers no persons would risk their life to take a letter to and from the jungle. So how can you, with not enough brave people to go down there, get the information out to the world. But even those who got it out and tried to spread the word would be persecuted for saying such things because nobody wanted to help them because that would put their life in danger. No one in their right mind would even venture down to that part of Africa. So with no phones, pagers, computers, or mail to get the word out and sickness and animals killing most that went down there. Even those who go looking for these camps cannot usually find them because there in rural eras of the jungle which, for some, are impossible to attain. There was just no possible way to get word out to the rest of the world to get help. Now even with all the technology to find and go to them we still don’t hear much of them. We have all the vaccines to fight off all the disease and help the dying people in Africa. So even though we have all that still not much people want to help because they are caught up in the world they are living in and nothing else matters until they get what they need and want. The human race is selfish and only looks out for themselves. Question 6 The European conquest and plunder of the Congo and the rest of Africa was brutal, but so was the European settlement of North America and, long before that, the conquest of most of European by the Romans. Hasn’t history always proceeded in this way? Well yea, history has a way of repeating itself. Nothing only happens one time in history. There is always going to be those crazy Hitler type people out there and those who go power drunk and take over their country and then try to take over the world. And yes, whenever you go exploring a new place it’s going to be difficult. Have you ever heard someone say’ â€Å"I went exploring a new continent and it was easy. † There is so much that goes into exploration. You need tools, maps, guides, protection from animals and natives. Pretty much anything new you do is not going to be easy for you to do. Anything you do needs time, practice, and plans, but most important in needs to be organized. If nothing was organized the world would be in chaos. So yes history has and will be forever keep repeating itself to keep balance and stability to the world. It will always have its ups and always have its downs. It doesn’t matter who or what you do to try and prevent it. God has established the status quo and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Question 13 Hochschild quotes Roger Casements as insisting to Edmond Morel’s â€Å"I do not agree with you that England and America are the two great humanitarian powers †¦ [they are] materialistic first and humanitarian only a century after. † What evidence supports or refuses Casement’s judgment? Would Casement be justified in making the same statement today? Now back in that time we were more of a humanitarian country because first of all we didn’t have all the same technology we did today. Second we were pretty much a new country and we were trying to make a good name for us. Then third we went to war for other which was no cause of our own and all we did was help out less fortunate countrys than us. See now during this time it is a little different. We have all sorts of distractions. We have technology, we have more murder, and we are being more protective of our people. We use to go to war for no cause just to help out but now when we are attacked we don’t want to go to war. So you can say we are and have been a little of both the whole time. Back then we went to war to help people now we are sending missionaries to camps around the world to help people. But in the end let’s hope that we become more

Dark They Were And Golden-Eyed Essay -- essays research papers fc

Dark They Were And Golden-Eyed   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Science fiction is a very interesting subject because you never really know for sure if it’s fiction or not. The scientific information contained in these stories makes you think; could this be real? The possibility is always there, in the back of your mind, just lingering around that these concepts could be reality. One day when you hear on the news about something you read in a science fiction novel, or saw in a science fiction movie, you’ll really start thinking about it. Ray Bradbury’s Dark They Were and Golden-Eyed is a great science fiction story to get you thinking about science fiction. I’m going to try and use Bradbury’s story as an example of science fiction as genre. In Dark they Were and Golden-Eyed Bradbury shows you how life might be like if people lived on Mars. He gives the people a reason for going to Mars and then a reason why they must stay there. The people on Mars slowly start to change, their skin turns dark and their eyes begin to be covered with a gold film. None of the human really cared except for one, Harry Bittering. Harry was reluctant to stay since the second he stepped on to Mars. When him and his family got off the rocket and looked around Harry got a cold look on his face, â€Å"What’s wrong?† asked his wife. â€Å"Let’s get back on the rocket.† Said Harry. â€Å"Go back to Earth?† said his wife. â€Å"Yes! Listen!† said Harry (131). Bradbury repeats a lot of words like wind and gold. He said â€Å" The win...

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: A Reflection

Abraham Maslow, a popular psychologist during 1950's to 1970's has developed a model on how people could test their personality, based on their needs as an individual. This is called ‘Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs'. The model is illustrated as a triangle. The base of the triangle, which is the biggest, is the Psychological Need. Since this is the base of the triangle and the biggest, Maslow interpreted this as the individual’s basic needs. Most of the things that Maslow included in this area are the health and medical needs of an individual. These things are some of the things the individual cannot live without, examples are: oxygen, sleep, physical activities, water and rest. Following the psychological need is the Safety and Security Need, which takes up the second level of the triangle. As the individual fulfills his psychological need, he will seek for order and security. Perhaps, he will seek for a secured job so that he could continually fulfill his psychological needs, or look for a shelter or community where he could find safety and serenity. These are some examples of Safety and Security needs. The third level of the triangle is the Love and Belongingness Need. The famous quote ‘no one is an island', best describes this need. Next level in Maslow's model is the need for self-esteem. This need could come from the people surrounding the individual or from himself alone. The last level of the triangle is the Self-Actualization. The last level of the model according to Maslow is a little bit different among the four needs mentioned earlier. Self-actualization happens when the individual finally fulfilled the four needs. In layman's term, self-actualization could also mean ‘contentment or fulfillment'. However, though many psychologists and many practitioners are using Maslow's model, there are some questionable issues as he explained his model. First issue is that, not all individual needs to fulfill the four needs before he can have self-actualization. For example, some individuals are already successful in their respective fields by living alone. Some of these people do not need love and belongingness; in fact, they see love and belongingness as hindrance to whatever they want to achieve in life. Some people are achievers without partners in life or without even a family. Second issue is that, psychological needs encompass almost all of the needs mentioned in his model. In fact, it would be proper for Maslow to name the first level of his model as ‘Basic Needs' instead of psychological needs.

The Monk Essay - 778 Words

CHARACTER ANALYSIS The Monk When one thinks of a monk, he may imagine someone who studies, prays, and performs manual labor. The Monk, one of the thirty pilgrims travelling on a pilgrimage to Canterbury in The Canterbury Tales, is nothing like the usual monk many people imagine. He is rebellious, ignores rules, and lives and controls his own life. Chaucer, the narrator and author of The Canterbury Tales, shows these characteristics in the way the Monk looks, the things he says and does, and in the things the host, a character in The Monks Prologue, and Chaucer say about him. The Monk is nothing like the usual monk many people imagine. He hunts hares and rides horses instead of studying, praying, and working. He does not follow†¦show more content†¦He may want to have the title of monk but does not want to do what it takes to be a monk, which is to quit riding and hunting and start studying, praying, and performing manual labor. He has control over his life since he does not let the rules dictate what he should or should not do. The Monks robe is different from that of other monks. Monks usually wear plain habits with hoods. This Monk has gray fur on the sleeves of his cope and a gold pin with a love knot at the end of the hood. This indicates that he is not religious because instead of the gold pin, he should have a rosary. He is in good shape unlike other monks who are thin because they fast often. He is bald and has a shiny head and face. He probably did not want to become a monk but decided to be one anyway because the monastery provides a cloistered environment, away from the betrayal of people and of women. In The Monks Tale, he talks about different men who died because they were betrayed by their loved ones. Hercules, for example, died after being poisoned by a shirt his girlfriend gave him, and Samson killed himself because his wife gave his secret away to his enemies, who, in turn, tortured him. Since women betrayed these men, the Monk does not trust them. The host, who appears in The Monks Prologue as well as other Canterbury Tales and in The General Prologue, notices that the Monk does not belong in the monastery and says,Show MoreRelatedOf Monsters and Monks: A Comparison966 Words   |  4 PagesThe characteristics and actions of monks provide an insightful look into how human society perceived their relationship with these men of Christian faith, a common notion or view of them as monsters. Monsters can be defined as a cultural body, an expression of a culture’s anxieties, what is unknown to them, and the fears they have. Monsters usually have very distinct physical characteristics, which include unnatural strength, a considerable amount of unkempt hair, and an unusual appearance associatedRead MoreThe Mission Of Mystic Monk Coffee Essay937 Words   |  4 Pages 1. What is the mission of Mystic Monk Coffee? a. 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