Friday, May 10, 2013

The Tangled Bank

Looking at this famous passage written by Darwin over 100 years ago we can still ponder the depth of meaning he perceived in a humble landscape. Learning contemplatively is one of great challenges we face. Whatever the setting or the subject, I think it is worth it to keep Darwin's words in mind. 



It is interesting to contemplate a tangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about, and with worms crawling through the damp earth, and to reflect that these elaborately constructed forms, so different from each other, and dependent upon each other in so complex a manner, have all been produced by laws acting around us. . .There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone circling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved.” 


5 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. This passage makes sense to us because it explains the environment of the bank and includes pictures that make it easier for us to imagine what it looks like. Darwin is observing and documenting throughout the passage the life forms and overall environment of the bank. He uses analysis to explain natural laws. He abstractly mentions art through beautiful evolution that is taking place in this habitat. This connects to the process of aesthetics by mentioning the various visual delights present at the bank. If we were to add anything to this passage it would be more pictures of the beautiful life forms to help us enhance our perception of the bank.

    Sammy Nassif
    Alli Armstrong
    Meg Shepro
    Alana Rockoff

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  3. Yes, the posts make sense to us because the author does an eloquent job of explaining what he is trying to say, while at the same time being descriptive and poetic. Darwin is trying to get across to us the beauty that can be found in such a small and concentrated ecosystem. Darwin tells us to look at how statuesque the landscape is and has us look at it for its beauty and not just what is happening on a scientific level. If we could add something to the post to help connect the abstract and articulate, we would add visuals of the abstract concepts that Darwin discusses like the laws acting around us.

    Jake Paul
    Andrew Zaky

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  4. The posts are both easily understood, and written in a coherent fashion. The posts are trying to get across that things are easily categorized by simplistic language. Both post showcases there are different way of observing, documenting and analyzing. They approach the idea that art and science connect because they are easily comparable because of the environment they are set in. They relate to aesthetics because they are both means of aesthetic expression. They are connections between the “abstract” and the “articulate”, but we would like to add as a writer the before and after affects of the viewers upon these stimuli.

    Allison Brennan
    Sofia Yohannes
    Lauren Jiron
    Samantha Kirshon

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