Seasons Essay Example

The year is divided into phases depending upon the weather conditions. There are three seasons in some regions and four in others. Seasons are cyclical and correspond with specific months in the year in every region. The transition from one season to another is not abrupt; one season gradually changes to another and there is some overlapping. The cycle of seasons is natural and smooth. It is the result of the earth’s distance from the sun and the tilt of the axis at twenty three and a half degrees. Two seasons are in sharp contrast to each other in any given part of the world, the summer and the winter.
The only similarities between summer and winter are that they are both seasons, and as such, they spell certain characteristics which are typical to them. Both occur at a specific point of time in the cycle of seasons in any given region. The months during which they occur are fixed. Plants and animals respond to each of the seasons in different ways. Both summer and winter affect all forms of life on earth in their own ways. Both affect human life to a great extent, changing the needs, lifestyle, moods, work practices, sports, entertainment and almost every other aspect of life.
Seasons create atmosphere. The sun’s rays fall directly on the regions where it is summer. The sun is hot and blazing. The days are bright and sunny. The sky is clear and blue. If there are clouds, they are white and scattered. The days are longer and the nights are shorter. There can be mild, hot breeze. Occasionally, there can be a storm with hard wind blowing, raising clouds of dust. A summer tempest can be terrible and is often accompanied by heavy rains. Too much heat can also create a mirage. Extreme winter on the other hand, is exactly the opposite. The weather is cold and chilly. There is snowfall. The atmosphere is dull and hazy. There can be a mist, making things invisible. Nights are longer and days are shorter. Snow storms can be severe and destructive.
Seasons affect flora and fauna. During summer, the leaves dry and fall to the ground. The green colour is replaced by yellow. Trees look bare and the land is barren. The land looks parched and dry with fissures. Birds and animals are active, building nests and storing food. They move around in search of water. In winter, the whole of nature seems to be covered with a white sheet of snow. The white colour dominates. Several creatures that cannot bear the extreme cold hibernate during the winter season. Some species of birds migrate to warm regions.
Seasons affect human life. The summer heat makes people feel lethargic. Schools have vacations during summers. It is a time for picnics and holidays. Beaches and hill-stations are favourite spots. Youngsters are obsessed about tanning their skin and try out applications of sunscreen lotions, use dark goggles, caps or umbrellas. Loose cotton clothes, preferably white or light coloured are preferred. Ice-cream parlours do great business and cold drinks are consumed in gallons. Summer is a good time for parties and outings and for gorging on a variety of foods. There is likelihood of sun-stroke and indigestion. All kinds of fruits and vegetables are available in plenty. However, people tend to avoid work on account of the physical and mental lethargy.
If chilled beer is in demand in summers, hard drinks are preferred in winters. Steaming hot coffee, tea, soups and meat and fish are passed around in plenty. People remain indoors. Limbs are numb and frozen. Cold is hard to bear. The mind concentrates on aching limbs and prevents one from engaging in creative or intellectual activity. Human beings are compelled to cover themselves from head to foot in fur and woollen clothes including caps, coats, gloves and socks. Yet they stand a high chance of contracting cough, cold, influenza and viral infections. Youngsters smear themselves with cold creams and oils to prevent the skin from becoming dry. Sports lovers engage in ice-skating, ice sculpture, ice-racing and ice-fishing.
Seasons are associated with emotions and instincts. The life instinct is dominant in summer and the death instinct in winter. Summer stands for joy and creation, for vigour and vitality; winter for loss, dejection and a sense of melancholy. Summer gives rise to hope while winter gives a sense of hopelessness. John Keats has compared the summer season with youth and the winter season with old age in his poem, “The Human Seasons.” He has pointed out an important fact of life which is reflected in the seasons; death is a natural end, as is winter. Hence he says, “He (man) has his winter too, of cold mis-feature, or else he would forgo his mortal nature.”