Beauty being found in "ugly."

English essay.

August Rodin was quoted saying “To the artist, there is nothing ugly in nature.” Some people may take this as saying that despite the immediate negative effects and appearance of the naturally occurring events, (both in nature and the natural progress of society) that are often believed to be bad, there are underlying goods and benefits. Those same people who believe so would be correct, there are goods and benefits to every situation, only sometimes must look closer to what is really happening. Here are three situations, all very different from each other as to show that no matter what the naturally occurring event in question is, there are benefits of it. The three examples are of a populace being wiped out, the effects of logging, and what decomposition actually does, here we start with first. 
Up to 20,000 people may have died in Pompeii, (Ling 97) which some would say was an ugly and tragic event; however, it created the worlds largest once living museum of roman lives. The Eruption and ensuing devastation of the city was viewed with terror and spite, but now, 2,000 years later, the same event is viewed with reverence and awe as a natural event that changed the classical world. The first excavations of the city were undergone by the survivors searching for their lost loved ones, beauty and art were the last things on their minds. Pompeii was revered for its overflowing gardens and its awe inspiring architecture before Mt. Vesuvius exploded and entrapped the city in an ashen tomb (Ling 76.) Now it is looked upon as being a time capsule of a whole city from the Bronze Age from which we can learn so much (Ling 13). The human effigies cemented in mid-terror are found all around the city, running, hiding, and holding their loved ones in intense panic as their sky fell down upon them. People now view these as testaments to the power of nature, the wrath it can incur, and the beauty it can leave behind. Auguste Rodin, despite his world renounce as a sculptor of emotion, only came close to the real, once living emotion captured in the human effigies that now populate the ancient city of Pompeii. Nearly every facet of the death of the city has an aspect that helps us understand more about the past, and the wonders of their art and culture (Tanaka 40). 
The clearing of old growth trees and brush may harm some wild species on animals and appear unsightly to some, but it benefits others a great deal more when young saplings grow. We are among the beneficiaries of these young forests, although it’s not widely known, young trees consume more carbon dioxide and produce more oxygen than old trees do, producing more clean air than old growth. “Wildlife and forest ecologists have long known that certain forestry practices such as clear cutting achieve many of the same benefits as natural disturbances and are an effective means of creating young forests” (American Woodcock Initiative par. 4). 
There are many species of animals, varying from birds, to small mammals, to amphibians that rely solely on young forest habitats for shelter and food (American Woodcock Initiative par. 2). Because the visual effects of forest harvesting techniques such as clear cutting, the public has demanded a general stop to it, limiting the amount of logging allowed, which has greatly slowed the production of young forests. The decline of young forest habitat has contributed to the extinction of a number of small forest species already (American Woodcock Initiative par. 2). So while even as society looks down upon clear cutting and the ensuing production of young forest, it is a good and possibly life saving technique. 

Decomposing animal carcasses, rotting fruits and vegetables, and dead plant life can be unsightly and disgusting, the some scientists even say that the smell of decomposition and death triggers fear receptors in our brains, which is why they don’t smell like roses to people, but rather like something that makes humans gag, but this does not mean that it can’t be a good thing, is useless or doesn’t have a purpose in the natural ecosystem. “Organic matter has the ability to combine with the mineral particles to form water-stable aggregates” which are blocks or clusters of soil particles held together in a single mass (Kohnke 55). Smith agrees, saying “A well-structured soil with lots of small aggregates stays loose and is easy to cultivate. Compost helps improve all soil types, especially sandy and heavy clay soils” (par. 7). There is no real waste when it comes to living things breaking down and returning to the earth, most of it gets used in one way or another, or as Kohnke also says, “In its decomposition, organic matter breaks down mainly into minerals, water and carbon dioxide. This decomposition is most rapid in the warm part of the year when the crops require these minerals as nutrients. This constant supply of plant nutrients at the time of greatest need is an important function of organic matter. The carbon dioxide evolved helps to dissolve the soil minerals and to bring them into a form available to plant roots” (55). While it may be one of the most disgusting things one can imagine, it is a thing of beauty in how much life it supports in its dying and its role in the life cycle. Decomposing animals are gruesome, the sight and smell of them can make some people queasy, while on the other hand it supports the very beginning of an entire ecosystem that we could not live without (Kohnke 145). 
So, while Pompeii may have included up to 20,000 deaths, clear cutting may be looked down upon by a minority of people, and decomposition may be disgusting and unsightly, they all have something very good in common: they have a bright side. Auguste Rodin knew this when he said, “To the artist, there is nothing ugly in nature”. He knew that no matter what atrocities occurred, no matter what foul smelling part of natural progression was taking place, and no matter what publically viewed “wrong” was committed, there would always be a good side to it. Pompeii has contributed countless volumes of knowledge to the human archives of past human civilization, clear cutting and other logging methods actually save species from extinction, and dead bodies of humans, animals, and plants alike all add an incredible amount of nutrients to the soil, from which life springs forth and starts its cycle again. 




Works cited 

Tanaka, Shelly. The Buried City of Pompeii. New York: Hyperion, 1997. Print. 
Ling, Roger. Pompeii: History, Life and Afterlife. Stroud: Tempus, 2005. Print. 
Kohnke, Helmut, and D. P. Franzmeier. Soil Science Simplified: Fourth Edition. Illinois: Waveland . Press, 1995. Print. 
Smith, Martha, Duane Friend, and Holly Johnson. Composting for Homeowners: Benefits and . Uses. University of Illinois, 1993. Web. 4 May 1997. 
Massachusetts. Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. American Woodcock Initiative . n.d. Web. January 2007. 

Author's Note

with what i know now i could completely re-write this 1000 times better with Aristotle's idea of how everything strives to be like god/perfect. (not in a religious sense)