The
Marvel of An Insect
(Alan Devoe)
A Brief Analysis of the essay
General Introduction
“The
Marvel of An Insect” is a contribution by Allan Devoe to “
A Collection of Memorable Articles” in The Reader’s Digest. In this essay
he has keenly described the insects and the marvels related to their habits,
power and structure. He gives references of the researches carried on by
entomologists.
Main Idea Of The Story (Theme)
Devoe expresses the reality that our
earth is teemed with the complex little creatures. These creatures are called
insects. These are numerous in size and kind. The entomologists predict that
all the insects may be in millions. The writes describes the power and
achievement of insects. The insects are a great creation of Allah Almighty.
Allah has granted wonderful power of hearing, seeing and touching. They do
miraculous things with their tiny structure.
Summary
1.
Varieties
of insects
Our earth teems with complex little
creatures that no one can count them. Nearly seven hundred and fifty thousand
species have been classified. About four thousand new varieties are found every
year. The insects have countless shapes and habits. They can cope with life
under almost any circumstances. There is a beetle that thrives on red pepper.
There are many tiny insects that lives on the tongues of the horse flies.
There are other insects which have
neither mouths nor stomachs and they never eat at all. Insects are the
wonderful creatures of God. These have delicate shapes. Some have beautifully
patterned wings and some have horrible shapes. These have their living
conditions.
2.
Structure
of Insects / Common things in Insects
The insects have a lot of common aspects
as far as their structure is concerned.
Boneless:
An insect had no bones. It has an
external Skelton. It is build inside out and upside down. Its heart is on top
near its back. Its legs are just like tubes. The legs are the strongest
supporting device on an insect. Its legs have immense power.
Flying Power:
The insects have an immense capacity to
fly. They fly over long distances regularly. For example, Monarch Butterflies
make flights of three thousand miles and more. They are very tiny creature but
they do this difficult task easily. Fainted Lady Butterflies are found to make
a journey from North Africa to Iceland. They face rain and storm. Sometime they
reach their destination with their wings broken on the way.
Outside Skelton:
The insects have common outside
skeleton. Its external structure is a protective plate for muscles, nerves and
soft tissues.
Circulation of Blood:
The insect’s blood is not confined by
any system of veins. Blood circulates in the body of an insect through a single
artery.
Respiratory System:
As Insects have marvelous structure.
Same is the case with their respiratory system. It quite easy and wonderful. It
has no lungs. There are very small holes along its sides. It gets oxygen
through these holes.
Wings:
The insects have powerful and patterned
wings. They have great striking power. A dragon Fly has thing wings but it can
fly at a speed of forty hours per hour. A tiny mosquito can fly easily with its
tiny wings.
Sensory Power:
The insects have wonderful sensory
power. They listen with delicate hair sensitive to sound waves or tympanic
membrane like our ear drums.
Visionary Power:
The insects have small eyes called
Ocelli on top of their heads. Without compound eyes an insect see a world of
extra ordinary colours. The eye of a dragon fly can see twenty five thousand
scenes at a times.
Tate Organs:
An insect has its taste organs in its
mouths but it can also taste by other parts of the body.
Wonders of Insects
1. A
mosquito filled with blood can performs the extra ordinary aerodynamics feat
flying off carrying a load twice than its own weight.
2. A
mosquito can beat its wings more than three hundred times a second.
3. The
midge’s wings which are tiny and invisible beat more than a thousand times a
second.
4. A
flea can hop hundred times than its own weight.
5. Insects
may look fragile but they have immense strength. The little insects can survive
even when the air and moisture has been sucked. Whereas the giant elephant
cannot stand such type of experiment.
6. Insects have rudimentary brains. They have
lavish sensory gifts. These have extra ordinary sensory power. Acute human
hearing seldom ranges above twenty thousand vibrations per second. Whereas Bush
crickets can hear forty five thousand. These have supersonic hearing power.
7. Insects
can hear sounds outside the human range.
8. The
insects have their own communication system.
9. They
have invisible eyes or light sense.
10.
In
its capacities to taste and smell, an insect achieves perhaps the most
remarkable sensitivity of all.
11.
The
insects have extra ordinary scent and taste power. Human taste can detect
sweetness in the solution having one part of sugar to about two hundred parts
of water. Whereas some moths and butterflies can detect the presence of sugar
when it is one part in three hundred thousand.
Conclusion
The writer has beautifully described the wondrous structure of insects. He has concluded with keen observation that the insects are having a unique structure and immense power along with extra sensitive organs. All these characteristics enable the insects to cope with their environment. The scientific approach and detail study has revealed marvel of insects. The essay shows that comprehensive and objective approach of the author to the subject matter.
