Beauty
The Goal People Chase for
Edward Hsu #21 IEP G11
Teacher: Mr. deGroof
Edward Hsu 2 Geng #21
Where is beauty? William Blake’s poem said, “
To see a world in a grain of sand
And a Heaven in a wild flower
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour”
In every country, artist is always a job that is respected by the society because
searching for beauty is one of the human nature. Actually, according to Blake’s poem,
beauty is everywhere, without it, people will lose their goals.
The dictionary defines beauty as “the quality present in a thing or person that
gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory
manifestations, a meaningful design or pattern, or something else” In terms of usage,
beauty is always used as a noun. Its synonyms are “pulchritude”, “loveliness”,
“comeliness” and “fairness”. The antonym of beauty is ugliness.
Confucius said,” Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.” Beauty has
different meanings for everyone. For a musician, the flow, the pitch and the beats are
the meanings of beauty. But for a physicist, those confusing formulas and concepts
are even prettier than a belle. Beauty is one of the most common goals of people,
including painters, musicians, and entomologists.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a great impressionist. In the very last of his life, he
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still persisted in creating artworks. But, rheumatoid arthritis, a disease that attack
arthritis, made him unable to control his finger. He asked his assistant to tie the brush
on his finger. His assistant was unwilling to do it because it would have to bear a
strong pain during work. But Renoir said, “The pain passes, but the beauty remains.”
The willingness to pursue beauty was the only force to support his work.
Ludwig van Beethoven was a composer from Bonn, Electorate of Cologne. He
became famous since he was young, even Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, another great
composer, admired his talent. But, just before his career came to the climax, disease
stole his ability to hear. Because of the buffet, he even wrote down Heiligenstadt
Testament and decided to suicide. But, the beauty of music pulled him back. Music
was the only thing that supported him to live. Without beauty, he might be killed by
disappointment.
Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre, the first entomologist, had a great success in writing
“Souvenirs Entomologiques”. When he was little, he often played in mountains and
fields. Fabre found the beauty of insects and was determined to research in them. But,
unfortunately, because of poverty, his parents asked him to be a teacher. With no
choice, he obeyed his parents and finished his study in normal school, but he didn’t
forget his dream. He got Ph. D in Paris Academy of Sciences by home studying, and
then started his research. At last, he wrote “Souvenirs Entomologiques”, which was
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known as one of the best entomologic work, and reached his goal in pursuit of beauty.
Beauty is the goal that many people pursue even causes the loss of their life. But,
beauty stays around us all the time. Beauty is in a flower, in a insect, in a poem, or
even in a grain of sand. Be cautious to anything in everyday live, people will find
beauty is nowhere but here.
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References
1. “Beauty Quotes” Brainy Quotes, Xplores, Web
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_beauty.html>.
2. “Ludwig van Beethoven” Wikipedia, Wikipedia, Web
<http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Ludwig_van_Beethoven >.
3. “To see a world” Auguries of Innocence, William Blake, Web
< http://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/blake/to_see_world.html >
4. “Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre” Wikipedia, Wikipedia, Web
<http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Henri_Casimir_Fabre>.
5. “Pierre-Auguste Renoir” Wikipedia, Wikipedia, Web
<http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre-Auguste_Renoir >.
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