Kentucky State Bird Northern Cardinal

The beautiful cardinal with its bold red coloring  and striking black mask is the state bird of Kentucky. There are over 300 bird species native to the state, but the cardinal was singled out for the honor of state bird by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1926. Because of its striking colors and broad range, however, Kentucky isnt the only state that names the cardinal as its official bird. It also holds the honor in  Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. Appearance and Coloring The cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is officially known as the northern cardinal. It is also commonly referred to as a redbird, although only the male is colored with the easily-recognizable bold colors for which the bird is known. The female is a much less vivid, though still beautiful,  reddish-tan  color. Juvenile cardinals also sport a reddish-tan color that, in the males, eventually grows to the full, deep red plumage of an adult. Cardinals were named because their plumage reminded European settlers of the robes of a cardinal, a leader in the Roman Catholic church. Both the male and female feature the black mask and a pointed crest with orange- or  coral-colored bills. According to Melissa Mayntz, The red coloration of northern cardinals plumage is a result of carotenoids in their feather structure, and they ingest those carotenoids through their diet. On rare occasions, vibrant yellow northern cardinals may be seen, a plumage variation called  xanthochroism. Behavior Cardinals are medium-sized songbirds. The adults measure about eight inches in length from beak to tail. Because cardinals dont migrate, they can be seen and heard year-round. They are found primarily in the southeastern United States, however, thanks to backyard bird feeders, these colorful and easily adaptable creatures have expanded their territory further north and west. Both the male and female sing year round. The female may sing from the nest to let the male know she needs food. They also sing to each other while searching out the best nesting spots. The mating pair stays together for the entire breeding season and, perhaps, for life. The pair breed two or three times during the season with the  female laying 3-4 eggs each time. After the eggs hatch, both the male and female help care for the babies until they leave the nest about two weeks later. Cardinals are omnivores, eating both plant and animal products, such as  seeds, nuts, berries, and insects. The average lifespan of a northern cardinal is about 3 years in the wild. Other Kentucky Facts Kentucky, whose name comes from an Iroquois word meaning land of tomorrow,  is located in the southern United States. It is bordered by Tennessee, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. Frankfort is Kentuckys state capital and nearby Louisville, only about 50 miles to the west, is its largest city. The states natural resources include timber, coal, and tobacco. In addition to its state bird, the cardinal, Kentuckys other state symbols include:   Flower: goldenrodTree: tulip poplarInsect: honeybeeFish: Kentucky spotted bassFruit: blackberryMammal: grey squirrelHorse: thoroughbred (This isnt surprising since Kentucky is the home of one of the biggest horse races in the United States, the Kentucky Derby.)Song: My Old Kentucky Home The state was the 15th to be admitted to the Union, becoming a state on June 1, 1792. It earned the name The Bluegrass State due to the lush grass the grows in the state. When seen growing in large fields, the grass sports blue appearance in the spring. Kentucky is the home of Fort Knox, where much of the United States gold reserves are housed, and Mammoth Cave, the longest known cave system in the world. Three hundred eighty-five miles of the cave have been mapped and new sections are still being discovered. Daniel Boone was one of the early explorers of the area which would later become Kentucky. Abraham Lincoln, who was born in Kentucky, is another famous figure associated with the state. Lincoln was president during the American Civil War, during which Kentucky remained an officially neutral state.

Compare And Contrast Beowulf And King Arthur - 901 Words

Since the beginning of time, on every corner of the earth, there have been heroes who possess traits that make them important gifts to the world. The specific qualities that heroes possess influence their own lives and those of the people around them, specifically like the heroes in the epic â€Å"Beowulf† and the novel The Once and Future King. Each trait that Arthur and Beowulf possessed impacted major events in their lives, such as defeating Grendel in â€Å"Beowulf† or removing Excalibur from the stone in The Once and Future King. In both literary pieces, Arthur and Beowulf embark on quests in order to save their people. For both heroes, the effects of their actions differed, as well as many key happenings throughout their journeys. Both†¦show more content†¦The way in which these heroes fought their battles reveals their strengths and weaknesses. Beginning in Beowulf’s first quest, his bold personality allows him to undertake his task head on and wi th bravery. When Beowulf fights Grendel, he is daring and noble enough to fight the monster without any weapons. If Beowulf had a weak personality he would not have been courageous enough to fight Grendel without weapons although he does mention that it is the honorable thing to do. During Beowulf’s final quest he willingly fights the dragon for his people although he knows he will die doing so. â€Å"...---a king, before, but now / A beaten warrior.† Beowulf’s strong personality allowed him to be noble whereas Arthur’s frail personality did not allow him to stand up for what he knew was right. Arthur’s wife Guenever was involved in an affair with his best friend Lancelot. Knowing that this was occurring, Arthur failed to address the issue, slowly causing him to become a sad old king. Arthur was also much weaker than Beowulf because Arthur failed to overcome the temptation of Queen Morgause, thus committing incest. Not only does the strength of ea ch character affect their quests, it also affects the use of symbolism through the sword in each tale. The importance of the sword in both stories plays a major role in the development of the character traits of each hero. In the epic â€Å"Beowulf†, there are two important swords, Hrunting given to Beowulf by Unferth, a coward, and theShow MoreRelated Compare and contrast images of heroism in these two poems. Essay1421 Words   |  6 PagesCompare and contrast images of heroism in these two poems. Heroism is a trait that we seem to have no problem identifying, yet when asked to define what a hero is a myriad of answers emerge. This phenomenon is not unique to today’s society; the definition of a hero is something that is constantly under revision and debate. An example of this can be seen in two older pieces of English literature: Beowulf, written circa 750-900, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written circa 1375-1400Read MoreEssay on Ideal Women vs Real Women in Beowulf and The Wife of Bath1486 Words   |  6 Pageschallenges a man belief; and does not symbolize perfect women. In the epic poem Beowulf majority of the characters are males; with the exception of a few females in the poem. When going back to the information of the women in Beowulf; there are some concepts that define women. One is being that women have assertive and firm role. The mother of Grendel is a female character that becomes a threat to the Danes, as well as Beowulf. Then it became clear, Obvious to everyone once the fight was over, ThatRead MoreThe Sonnet Form: William Shakespeare6305 Words   |  26 PagesShakespeare’s Sonnets William Shakespeare The Sonnet Form A sonnet is a fourteen-line lyric poem, traditionally written in iambic pentameter—that is, in lines ten syllables long, with accents falling on every second syllable, as in: â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?† The sonnet form first became popular during the Italian Renaissance, when the poet Petrarch published a sequence of love sonnets addressed to an idealized woman named Laura. Taking firm hold among Italian poets, the sonnet

Macbeth Soliloquy Free Essays

Macbeth’s Soliloquy In Macbeth’s soliloquy Shakespeare uses many rhetorical devices to magnify Macbeth’s change in attitude about killing Duncan. Two of the main rhetorical devices used in the soliloquy are rhetorical questions and allusions to Hecate and Tarquin. These two devices help Shakespeare depict the change in Macbeth’s attitude about killing Duncan and also represent his decision to kill Duncan. We will write a custom essay sample on Macbeth Soliloquy or any similar topic only for you Order Now Macbeth’s rhetorical questions share his lack of clarity and conviction to kill Duncan while the allusions represent his decision forming and becoming clear to him. At the beginning of Macbeth’s soliloquy Shakespeare uses rhetorical questions to represent Macbeth’s feelings about killing Duncan. In the first seven lines we see three rhetorical questions. These questions lead into the conversation Macbeth has with himself to decide if he will kill Duncan. At the beginning of the soliloquy he seems unsure if he actually wants to go through with the plan. This uncertainty is represented by his uncertainty of the dagger’s existence. The first question he asks is whether or not he actually sees a dagger in front of him. It is a simple question but leads us into the others. The second question he asks is if the dagger was sent by a â€Å"fatal vision† (II. i. 35). Here, the word fatal acts as a double entendre. Fatal can either mean someone’s destiny or it can mean a deadly action and in this case it works with both definitions. Macbeth wonders if it is his fate to kill Duncan with the dagger and the dagger is the deadly weapon that will be used to kill Duncan later on in the play. The final question Macbeth asks himself is whether this dagger is real or not and if it is formed by his â€Å"heat-oppressed brain† (II. i. 38). The fact that he does not even know if he really sees a dagger or not makes it clear to the audience that he is going crazy over the thought of killing Duncan. When Macbeth asks himself this question he is wondering whether he really wants to kill Duncan or if he is just caught in the moment. Later in the soliloquy he even says â€Å"[his] eyes are made†¦fools† (II. i. 43) and that it is â€Å"the bloody business which informs/ [the dagger] to [his] eyes† (II. i. 47-48). Since the dagger is not real we know Shakespeare is telling us that Macbeth is thinking about killing Duncan but is still too scared to actually do it. As the soliloquy progresses, and so does his idea of killing Duncan, he starts talking about more concrete ideas, such as witchcraft, and this represents his growing desire to kill Duncan. In the second half of the soliloquy Macbeth finally decides to kill Duncan. When Macbeth says â€Å"now o’er the one half-world† (II. i. 48) he is talking about the time when people are asleep, or nighttime. While he does this he alludes to two famous and immoral people, the goddess Hecate and the Roman King Tarquin. At the time when Shakespeare was alive the audience knew who Shakespeare was referring when Macbeth said the names Tarquin and Hecate. This simple connection would allow the audience to understand where Macbeth’s decision would go and why he finally came to that decision. Shakespeare draws many parallels between Macbeth and these two people. Shakespeare alludes to Hecate because she was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, the moon, ghosts, and necromancy. All of these things are affiliated with evil and when Macbeth says that â€Å"witchcraft celebrates/Pale Hecate’s offerings† (II. i. 50-51) he is trying to persuade himself that even though she is the goddess of these evil things, people still celebrate her and something good may come from killing Duncan. Shakespeare draws a parallel between Hecate and Macbeth because Macbeth finally decides he will kill Duncan after the bell rings in the same way Hecate’s ritual sacrifices were summoned by the wolf’s howl. Shakespeare also connects Macbeth to Tarquin in a similar way. Tarquin became the King of Rome by killing King Tullius. After Tarquin became the King of Rome he started a reign of terror. Besides killing King Tullius, Tarquin put many senators to death, his son raped a woman named Lucretia and eventually the Tarquin family was banished from Italy. By connecting Tarquin to Macbeth Shakespeare wants to show that they both knew what they were doing before committing the crime and chose to do it anyway. Also, Shakespeare is showing Macbeth’s change from an innocent man to a ruthless king whether Macbeth wants that or not and we see this later on in the play when Macbeth orders men to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance in fear that they may try to overthrow him. Shakespeare ends the soliloquy by saying that the â€Å"words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives† (II. i. 60). By ending the soliloquy with this statement shows the change in Macbeth’s decision to kill Duncan and become king. The reason why Shakespeare included the soliloquy into the play is to show the audience how Macbeth finally comes to the decision to kill Duncan. Through the rhetorical devices used in the soliloquy Shakespeare is able to give the audience insight on how Macbeth goes from a guiltless man with no gall to a cold blood killer. We know by the end of it Macbeth has decided to kill Duncan and when the bell rings he goes to Duncan’s room to complete the job. We also know that later on he sends men to kill more people in order to keep his position as king and it is much easier for him to make that decision. How to cite Macbeth Soliloquy, Essay examples