Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe Essay Example for Free

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe Essay Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer and polymath back in the 1800s. Goethe is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. Although he was alive so long ago, the ideas he put out there are still pertinent to the modern world: such as my personal life, recent movies, and current events. Goethe came up with this viewpoint on life: Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help that would never have otherwise occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision rising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen, incidents and meeting and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, proven and magic in it. Begin it now! Goethe’s quote is a universal truth. His philosophy is even proven in my life. A project was given to me that I grew abhorrence for. Procrastinating until a couple days before the due date, I became upset and overwhelmed. I started convincing myself I could not do it. My mother said, â€Å"you’re making it harder than what it is. Do your research. Let the ideas come to you. It will all come together once you start. Stop putting it off and just do it. â€Å" With that in mind, I centered my concentration to my project and nothing but my project. Ideas kept coming to me as I let my mind and words flow. I became the person I needed to pretend to be for the project. I completed it to my best ability. I even made the appearance of my project outstanding. My teacher was so impressed with my work that she presented it to the class, and it was passed around the room. It all happened because I focused my mind on that specific goal. The movie Forrest Gump is an all-time favorite. The main character was committed to every task he was given. One day he decided to run, and he ran across the United States. It took him 3 years, 2 months, 14 days and 16 hours until he felt he was finished. Furthermore, while he was at camp in the army, all he did was play ping-pong. All he thought about was ping-pong. He even played ping-pong in his sleep. He was so good a whole crowd would come to watch him play. Even when he was in the army and went to save his â€Å"best good friend† Bubba, he didn’t stop until he found him. He saved his whole platoon that day while searching for Bubba. Every time he was on a mission or had a goal, he would direct all his focus to that particular objective. He had the ability to focus on anything and do it to his full potential. In the world today, we are in an economic crisis. Companies lay off workers; therefore, there are loads of unemployed people. Since they have no jobs, they are not receiving money. Companies aren’t selling much because people have no money to buy things that are not necessities. There is no flow of money. Everyone is afraid to put their cash out there because they are frightened by the fact that they might not be successful and wouldn’t have enough to buy necessities anymore. There is ineffectiveness and hesitancy in the world. No one wants to take a risk and be committed to one thing. Once people devote themselves to fixing the economy, it will happen. However, everyone is waiting on someone else to do it. Just like in the great depression, everyone was afraid to do something about the problem, until everyone said enough is enough and were devoted to fixing the problem; and look what happened because of that. We solved the crisis. In my final analysis, many people are not focused and are worried about too much. Focus on one thing and commit yourself to it. Everything a person does should be there center of attention. By doing this, one will achieve their goal and maybe even more than expected. Goethe’s philosophy shows how to reach a goal: Focus, commit, and do it. Just like Nike, a successful shoe company, says, â€Å"Just do it† and whatever you want to happen, will happen.

Personal Narrative about Skiing Essay -- Narrative Essay Ski Trip

The coat of armor I adorned, made of down feathers and a nylon shell, yielded no protection against the daggers of that cold winter air. As I peered out toward the horizon, I saw nothing but tree tops, and some snow capped mountain tops in the distance. With my feet bound to freshly waxed skis, the only thing stronger than my ski poles was my determination to get down the mountain. I turned to my right, only to see the immediate drop off of the ski slope. As I crept up a little closer to the edge, I noticed an incline that before now was only known to me through pictures of cliff diving, or an exaggerated road runner and coyote cartoon. With a deep breath of that icy cold air that seemed endless at the time, I pushed myself off the mountain, and I was skiing. The wind blew past me as...

Modern Short Story Essay

Modern Short Story Essay Early 20th Century authors often wrote about the strange things and discrepancies found in society and used irony to criticize them. Katherine Mansfield’s â€Å"A Cup of Tea† and Virginia Woolf’s â€Å"The Duchess and the Jeweller† both use irony to condemn and show inconsistencies in social classes. The short stories demonstrated how being upper class or rich doesn’t necessarily mean you are secure, generous or a good person. A main topic found in the two stories is that money can’t buy someone self esteem if they never had it.Both main characters seem to have everything but use material things to fill their insecurity and neither of them have what they really want. The Jeweller had become very wealthy and admired. He was envied by every man he encountered yet inside the Jeweller still felt inferior and as though â€Å"†¦he was a little boy in the alley where they sold dogs on Sunday. † (Woolf 6) At the e nd of the story the Jeweller sits back and thinks of how he was tricked and is the same fool he will always be.In â€Å"A Cup of Tea† Rosemary is â€Å"[A] young, brilliant, extremely modern, exquisitely well dressed, amazingly well read in the newest of the new books,† (Mansfield 1) woman. The only thing Rosemary lacks is physical appearance. She was not the best looking female and unfortunately that flaw bothered her and was one of the reasons she was so insecure. Rosemary is also rich and able to purchase anything she wanted. The only thing Rosemary couldn’t purchase was self esteem and this showed at the end of the story when she asks Phillip the simple question of â€Å"‘Am I pretty? † (Mansfield 8) Both stories show how the main characters satisfy their selfish needs instead of just doing the right thing. The Jeweller is an experienced and successful jeweler and knows he should make sure the pearls presented to him to purchase are authentic. T he Jeweller didn’t see what he was losing, â€Å"†¦he saw not the houses in Bond Street, but a dimpling river; and trout rising and salmon; and the Prime Minister; and himself too, in white waistcoat; and then, Diana. He looked down at the pearl in his hand.But how could he test it, in the light of the river, in the light of the eyes of Diana? But the eyes of the Duchess were on him. † (Woolf 6) Once he believes will get Diana and pictures himself as royalty, he quickly buys the pearls without testing them to fill his own selfish desires. As a result, he is tricked. In the other story Rosemary wants to bring home the little girl so she can show her off and play with her like a little toy doll to keep to herself. Instead of just helping the poor girl by giving her money, Rosemary thinks of her own selfish desires.When deciding whether or not to bring home the nameless girl Rosemary thinks â€Å"†¦such an adventure. It was something out of a novel by Dostoevsk y, this meeting in the dusk. Supposing she took the girl home? Supposing she did do one of these things she was always reading about or seeing on the stage, what would happen? It would be thrilling. And she heard herself saying afterwards to the amazement of her friends: ‘I simply took her home with me,’ as she stepped forward and said to that dim person beside her: ‘Come home to tea with me. †(Mansfield 3) Rosemary thought this would be her chance to impress her friends and show how much of a good woman she was. One final similarity found in the two stories is the demonstration of the upper wealthy class behaving immorally and manipulative. In the Duchess and the Jeweller the Duchess uses manipulation to cheat the Jeweller and get what she desires. The Duchess enters the Jeweller’s store claiming that she only has ten pearls, she states on page 4 that those ten pearls are â€Å"‘All that’s left me, dear Mr. Bacon,’† (Woolf 4).Not only was the Duchess able to guilt the Jeweller into getting she wanted she made him believe he was getting rewarded with the gift of spending a long weekend with her daughter and becoming part of royalty class. In â€Å"A Cup of Tea† Phillip was able to manipulate his wife Rosemary by aiming at her weak spot, which was her insecurity. Phillip believes that Rosemary bringing home the little girl is not amusing and an absurd thing to do. To trick Rosemary into getting the little girl to not stay for dinner Phillip attacks very sneakily.Phillip simply states â€Å"‘Good Lord! ’ Phillip struck a match. ‘She’s absolutely lovely. Look again, my child. I was bowled over when I came into your room just now. However†¦ I think you’re making a ghastly mistake. Sorry, darling, if I’m cruse and all that. But let me know if Miss Smith is going to dine with us in time for me to look up The Milliner’s Gazette’. † (Mans field 7) As soon as Phillip tells Rosemary all these things about the little girl Rosemary is came over by jealousy and wishes the little girl to leave.So not only does Phillip manipulate Rosemary but she then allows her own jealously to overcome her desire to help the poor girl. In conclusion, the two stories both successfully used irony to point out the how the upper class can be envied by all but still be insecure. They both exhibited main characters who are wealthy and seem to have it all but can still behave selfishly and when they do it can backfire with opposite results then they desired. The last realization is that even the highly regarded upper class can behave immorally and manipulate others.

Nudibranch Species, Behavior, and Diet

Enchanting to both divers and scientists, colorful nudibranchs (pronounced nooda-bronk and including Nudibranchia, suborders Aeolidida and Doridacea) inhabit the sea floors of oceans all over the world. The unattractively named sea slug comes in a fantastic array of shapes and neon-bright colors that they themselves cannot see. Fast Facts: Nudibranchs (Sea Slugs) Scientific Name: Nudibranchia, suborders Aeolidida and DoridaceaCommon Name: Sea slugBasic Animal Group: InvertebrateSize: Microscopic to 1.5 feet longWeight: Up to just over 3 poundsLifespan: A few weeks to a year  Diet:  CarnivoreHabitat: On seafloors all over the world, between 30 and 6,500 feet below the water surfacePopulation: UnknownConservation Status: Not Evaluated Description Nudibranchs are mollusks in the class Gastropoda, which includes snails, slugs, limpets, and sea hairs. Many gastropods have a shell. Nudibranchs have a shell in their larval stage, but it disappears in the adult form. Gastropods also have a foot and all young gastropods undergo a process called ​​torsion in their larval stage. In this process, the entire top of their body twists 180 degrees on their foot. This results in the placement of the gills and anus above the head, and adults that are asymmetrical in form. The word nudibranch comes from the Latin word nudus (naked) and Greek brankhia (gills), in reference to the gills or gill-like appendages which protrude from the backs of many nudibranchs. They also may have tentacles on their heads that help them smell, taste, and get around. A pair of tentacles called rhinophores on the nudibranchs head have scent receptors that allow the nudibranch to smell its food or other nudibranchs. Because the rhinophores stick out and can be a target for hungry fish, most nudibranchs have the ability to withdraw the rhinophores and hide them in a pocket in their skin if the nudibranch senses danger. Amin Benhameurlaine  / Getty Images Species There are over 3,000 species of nudibranchs, and new species are still being discovered. They range in size from microscopic to over a foot and a half long  and can weigh up to just over 3 pounds. If youve seen one nudibranch, you havent seen them all. They come in an astonishingly wide variety of colors and shapes—many have brightly colored stripes or spots and flamboyant appendages on their head and back. Some species are transparent and/or bio-luminescent, like the Phylliroe. Nudibranchs thrive in an enormous variety of underwater environments, from shallow, temperate, and tropic reefs to Antarctica and even hydrothermal vents. cbpix/Getty Images Suborders Two main suborders of nudibranchs are dorid nudibranchs (Doridacea) and aeolid nudibranchs (Aeolidida). Dorid nudibranchs, like the Limacia cockerelli, breathe through gills that are on their posterior (back) end. Aeolid nudibranchs have cerata  or finger-like appendages that cover their back. The cerata can be a variety of shapes—thread-like, club-shaped, clustered, or branched. They have multiple functions, including breathing, digestion, and defense. Habitat and Distribution Nudibranchs are found in all the worlds oceans, from cold water to warm water. You might find nudibranchs in your local tide pool, while snorkeling or diving on a tropical coral reef, or even in some of the coldest parts of the ocean or in thermal vents. They live on or near the sea floor and have been identified at depths between 30 and 6,500 feet below the ocean surface. Diet Most Nudibranchs eat using a radula, a toothed structure that they use to scrape off prey from the rocks they cling to; some suck out the prey after predigesting its tissue with selected enzymes, rather like a wasp. They are carnivorous, so that prey includes sponges, coral, anemones, hydroids, barnacles, fish eggs, sea slugs, and other nudibranchs. Nudibranchs are picky eaters—individual species or families of nudibranchs may eat only one kind of prey. Nudibranchs get their bright colors from the food they eat. These colors may be used for camouflage or to warn predators of the poison that lies within. The Spanish shawl nudibranch (Flabellina iodinea) feeds on a species of hydroid called Eudendrium ramosum, which possesses a pigment called astaxanthin that gives the nudibranch its brilliant purple, orange, and red coloration. Some nudibranchs, like the Blue Dragon, create their own food by eating coral with algae. The nudibranch absorbs the algaes chloroplasts (zooxanthellae) into the cerata, which acquire nutrients by photosynthesis using the sun to sustain the nudibranch for months. Others have evolved other ways of farming zooxanthellae, housing them in their digestive gland. Behavior The sea slugs can see light and dark, but not their own brilliant coloration, so the colors are not intended to attract mates. With their limited vision, their sense of the world is obtained through their rhinophores (on top of the head) and oral tentacles (near the mouth). Not all nudibranchs are colorful; some use defensive camouflage to match the vegetation and hide, some can change their colors to fit, some hide their bright colors only to bring them out to warn off predators. Nudibranchs move on a flat, broad muscle called a foot, which leaves a slimy trail. While most are found on the ocean floor, some can swim short distances in the water column by flexing their muscles. Some even swim upside down. Aeolid nudibranchs can use their cerata for defense. Some of their prey such as Portuguese man-of-wars have a specialized cell in their tentacles called nematocysts that contain a barbed or venomous coiled thread. Nudibranchs eat the nematocysts and store them in the nudibranchs cerata where they can be used late to sting predators. Dorid nudibranchs make their own toxins or absorb toxins them from their food and release those into the water when needed. Despite the unsavory or toxic taste they can present to their non-human predators, most nudibranchs are harmless to humans, except those like Glaucus atlanticus which consumes nematocytes and so may consider you a predator and sting. Reproduction and Offspring Nudibranchs are hermaphrodites, meaning that they have reproductive organs of both sexes. Because they cant move too far, too fast and are solitary in nature, its important for them to be able to reproduce if the situation presents itself. Having both sexes means that they can mate with any adult that happens to pass by. Nudibranchs lay masses of spiral-shaped or coiled eggs, which are for the most part left on their own. The eggs hatch into free-swimming larvae which eventually settle onto the ocean bottom as adults. Only one species of nudibranch, the Pteraeolidia ianthina, exhibits parental care by guarding the newly-laid egg masses. Nudibranchs and Humans Scientists study nudibranchs because of their complex chemical makeup and adaptations. They have rare or novel chemical compounds which possess anti-microbial and anti-parasitic traits which may aid in the fight against cancer.   Studies of nudibranch DNA also offer assistance in tracking ocean conditions relative to climate change. Threats These beautiful animals dont live very long; some live up to a year, but some only for a few weeks. The global population of nudibranchs is currently unassessed—researchers are still discovering new ones each year—but field observations such as that conducted by Endangered Species International suggest that many species are becoming rare, due to water pollution, degradation, habitat loss, and biodiversity decline associated with global warming.   Sources Bertsch, Hans. Nudibranchs: Sea Slugs With Verve. The Slug Site, 2004.Cheney, Karen L. and Nerida G. Wilson. Quick Guide: Nudibranchs. Current Biology Magazine 28.R4–R5, January 8, 2018.Epstein, Hannah E, et al. Reading between the Lines: Revealing Cryptic Species Diversity and Colour Patterns in Hypselodoris Nudibranchs (Mollusca: Heterobranchia: Chromodorididae).  Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.zly048 (2018).King, Rachael. Is It a Worm? A Snail? No...Its a Nudibranch!. Southeast Regional Taxonomic Center, Marine Resources Research Institute, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.Knowlton, Nancy. Citizens of the Sea: Wondrous Creatures From the Census of Marine Life. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society, 2010.Lewis, Ricki. Celebrating National Sea Slug Day. PLOS Blogs: Diverse Perspectives on Science and Medicine, November 1, 2018.Nudibranchs and other sea slugs. New Heaven Reef Conservation Program, 2016.