History of Samurai Essay -- Samurai Japanese Warriors Essays

History of Samurai The Japanese warrior, known as the samurai, has played a significant role in Japan's history and culture throughout the centuries. Their ancestors can be traced back to as far as can be remembered. Some stories have become mysterious legends handed down over the centuries. In this report you will learn who the samurai were, their origins as we know them, how they lived and fought and their evolution to today. It will be clear why the samurai stand out as one of the most famous group of warriors of all times. Looking back in time, the first Japanese battles recorded are in the first few centuries AD. At this time Japanese warriors went across the sea to Korea to help one kingdom battling two rival kingdoms. Four hundred men set out and fought on foot carrying their bows, spears and swords. They were quickly beaten by warriors attacking on horseback. They probably had never seen an attack like that before, with horses being ridden. Even though there were horses in Japan they had not been used for riding or fighting, but to help in carrying and pulling goods. In the next century, however, there is evidence that horses were being ridden and used in warfare by warriors who would later be called samurai (History Channel). The term samurai was first used in the 10th century and means â€Å"those who serve†. In the beginning it stood for men who guarded the capital for the Emperor, some where used as tax collectors. Later the word grew to include any military man who served a powerful landlord, almost like a police force for that time. They would go around the countryside on horseback collecting taxes from the peasants, often this was in the form of rice. This money helped the Emperor pay for his lavish life style. The word, samurai, quickly spread and was respected (and maybe feared a little) for the men it represented. The noblemen depended on the strength of the samurai. Since their power and wealth was directly related to how much land they owned, the noblemen kept small armies of samurai to protect their property from thieves and invaders. Eventually many noble families joined together to form clans that became more powerful than the emperor, who was the traditional head of the Japanese government (How Samurai Work 11). In the 12th century the two most powerful clans were the Minomoto and the Taira. The two came to battle in 1160 w... ... in body and mind, to governing of the Emperors, to the study of the martial arts. Their code of honor and loyalty are traditions that all Japanese respect and try to live up to even today. The self sacrifice of ones own life for a common cause was even seen in World War II when Japanese pilots deliberately crashed their planes into United States ships anchored at Pearl Harbor. This was a devastating attack and can show the horror caused by revenge and their belief in sacrifice and honor. They were even called kamikaze pilots after the famous samurai battle of long ago. The influence of the samurai continues to be seen in Japan today in a positive way with the stories and legends of heroic samurai and the bushido as their guide. Works Cited Gaskin, Carol. and Hawkins, Vince. The Ways of the Samurai. New York: Byron Preiss Visual Publications, 2003 â€Å"History of the Samurai.† http://home.online.no/~p-loeand/samurai/hist-eng.htm â€Å"How Samurai Work.† http://science.howstuffworks.com/samurai.htm The History Channel: The Samurai. Videocassette. A&E Television Networks, 2003. 100 min. Turnbull, Stephen. Samurai, The World of the Warrior. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2003

Stupidity Definition Paper

Emily Thompson Mrs. Clem Advanced Composition October 25, 2012 What An Idiot! Of the 14 million people on the planet, not one of them was born stupid. Everyone possesses some level of intelligence at birth. Yet, as some grow older, they transform from great beings of high intellect to creatures that seem to have little to no aptitude. During the years that they grow up, most of these stupid people do not lose knowledge; they gain it. What is the reason for their degeneration into stupidity? Perhaps stupidity is not a lack of intelligence, as many believe. Maybe, it is the refusal to utilize one’s intelligence to the highest possible degree.Unwillingness to learn is unmistakably present in the life of a stupid person. Last week, I was discussing schoolwork with a friend of mine when he said that he recently failed a paper on the usage of commas. I was aghast that a sixteen-year-old student could fall short in the simple arena of comma usage, but this happens every day. My frien d and others like him have sat through countless classes that have taught them how to use commas. However, they cannot determine the correct site of a comma because they have deliberately decided that neither self-improvement nor the acquisition of knowledge is an important objective in their lives.For whatever reason, they have chosen to be ignorant, and thus, they are stupid. In addition, laziness consumes the life of a stupid person. Stupid people will not apply themselves in anything that is not pleasurable. Stupid teenagers sit in their rooms all weekend playing Black Ops because it takes less effort and brainpower to play  a  game  than it does to write an English paper. In the same manner, stupid adults engross their minds in college football all weekend rather than cleaning out their garage. To make matters worse, both stupid adults and  stupid  teenagers complain about their unfinished papers and filthy garages.Furthermore, stupid people do nothing to get themselv es out of their undesirable situations. Unless motivated  to change their surroundings, these stupid people continue to sit in their laziness and incessantly grumble about their unfavorable, yet repairable, conditions. Stupid people constantly refuse to use common sense in their words. When a thought enters the mind of a stupid person, it immediately converts into words. The stupid person does not censor what they say, so they will question obviously true statements and declare completely unintelligent babble.Since they are stupid, they do not contain their senseless questions and statements. If they would only think through their thoughts before transforming them into words, stupid people would appear to be much less stupid. In addition to not using common sense before speaking, stupid people do not use common sense before performing their actions either. Recently at volleyball practice, I was standing still when a fellow player of mine launched a ball at my head. I looked at my teammate and scowled. She obviously did not mean to send the ball at my face. In fact, she did not mean to kick it at anything in particular.However, she also did not consider that if she kicked this ball, it might travel in an undesired direction and injure someone. Stupid people do not consider the effects of their actions. Consequently, they travel through life recklessly while immediately turning their impulsive ideas into actions. Although stupid people can reform themselves into intelligent, productive members of society, these conversions are infrequent. It seems that there is no hope to entirely eradicate the existence of stupid people. However, if we remove all the warning labels, the problem may sort itself out.

Blue Parrotfish Facts

Blue parrotfish are part of class Actinopterygii, which includes ray-finned fish. They can be found in coral reefs in the Western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Their scientific name, Scarus Coeruleus, comes from the Latin words meaning blue fish. They also get their name from their fused teeth that resemble a beak. In fact, they are part of the family Scaridae, which includes 10 genera that all share the same beak-like feature. Fast Facts Scientific Name: Scarus CoeruleusCommon Names: Blue parrotfishOrder: PerciformesBasic Animal Group: FishSize: 11 to 29 inchesWeight: Up to 20 poundsLife Span: Up to 7 yearsDiet: Algae and coralHabitat: Tropical, marine intertidalPopulation: UnknownConservation Status: Least ConcernFun Fact: Parrotfish get their name from their fused teeth that resemble a beak. Description Blue parrotfish are blue with a yellow spot on their heads as juveniles and are solid blue as adults. They are the only species of parrotfish that are solid blue as adults. Their size ranges from 11 to 29 inches, and they can weigh up to 20 pounds. As juveniles grow, their snout bulges outward. Blue parrotfish, as well as all parrotfish, have jaws with fused teeth, giving it a beak-like appearance. They have a second set of teeth in their throats called a pharyngeal apparatus that crushes the hard rock and coral they swallow. Habitat and Distribution The habitat of blue parrotfish includes coral reefs in tropical waters at depths of 10 to 80 feet. They are found across the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, as far north as Maryland, USA, and as far south as northern South America. However, they do not live in the Gulf of Mexico. They are native to Bermuda, the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Haiti, among other locations. Diet and Behavior Up to 80% of a blue parrotfish’s time can be spent looking for food, which consists of dead, algae-coated coral. Eating algae off coral reefs preserves the coral by reducing the amount of algae that could suffocate it. They grind chunks of coral off with their teeth and then break up the coral to get to the algae with their second set of teeth. The undigested coral pieces get deposited as sand in these areas. This is not only important for the environment, as they are responsible for the sandy beach formation in the Caribbean, but it is also important for blue parrotfish as this grinding controls the length of their teeth. Blue parrotfish are daytime creatures and seek shelter during the night. They do so by secreting a mucous that masks their scent, tastes bitter, and makes them harder to find. The mucous has holes on each end to allow water to flow over the fish as it sleeps. Males can also intensify their colors to deter any threats. They move in large groups of 40 individuals, with a male leader and the rest females. The male is very aggressive, chasing intruders as far as 20 feet away from the group. If the male dies, one of the females will undergo a sex change and become an aggressive, brightly colored male. Reproduction and Offspring School of Blue Parrotfish. Jeffrey Rotman / Corbis NX / Getty Images Plus Mating season occurs year round but peaks in the summer months from June to August. Males and females reach sexual maturity between 2 and 4 years. Females are oviparous, meaning they produce eggs that hatch in the water. During this time, they gather into large spawning groups and males and females form pairs. After they mate, the female releases the fertilized eggs into the water column. The eggs sink to the seabed and hatch after 25 hours. After hatching, these larva begin feeding 3 days later. They develop quickly and have to survive on their own from birth. Juveniles feed on turtle grass beds and eat small plants and organisms. Conservation Status Blue parrotfish are designated as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Bermuda has closed fishing of parrotfish for conservation, but they are still fished in other regions of the Caribbean. They are also impacted by human destruction of coral reefs by bleaching or death. Additionally, blue parrotfish are often eaten in some countries, but they can cause fish poisoning that can be deadly. Sources Blue Parrotfish. Dallas World Aquarium, https://dwazoo.com/animal/blue-parrotfish/.Blue Parrotfish. IUCN Red List Of Threatened Species, 2012, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/190709/17797173#assessment-information.Blue Parrotfish (Scarus Coeruleus). Inaturalist, https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/112136-Scarus-coeruleus#Distribution_and_habitat.Manswell, Kadesha. Scarus Coeruleus. The Department Of Life Sciences, 2016, pp. 1-3, https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/documents/ogatt/Scarus_coeruleus%20-%20Blue%20Parrotfish.pdf.