American character

American society seems to be much more informal than the British and, in some ways, is characterized by less social distinction. Students do not rise when a teacher enters the room. One does not always address a person by his title, such as "Major" or "General" or "Doctor" in the case of a holder of a Doctor of Philosophy degree. The re­spectful "Sir" is not always used in the northern and western parts of the country.

However, it is best to use a person's title when first meeting him/her, and then allow the person to tell you how he/she wishes to be called.

They use first names when calling each other, slap on the back, joke and are much freer in their speech, which is more  slangy than the conventional British English. You will often hear the word "Hi" (a form of greeting among friends) used instead of the usual "Hello," and "Howdy" instead of "How do you do?"

Those who don't easily show these signs of friendship are called "snooty" or "snobbish." In contrast, people who show such simple signs of friendship, particularly to their own economic and social inferiors, are praised as "regular guys," or as "truly demo­cratic." As a description of character, democratic is generally used to signify that a per­son of high social or economic status acts in such a way that his or her inferiors are not reminded of their inferiority.

Yet, in spite of all the informality, Americans, even in the way they address each other, show consciousness of social distinction.

For example, one is likely to use some­what more formal language when talking to superiors. While the informal "Hello" is an acceptable greeting from employee to employer, the employee is more apt to say "Hello, Mr. Ferguson," while the employer may reply "Hello, Jim." Southerners make a point of saying "Yes, sir," or "Yes, Ma'am," or "No, sir," or "No, Ma'am," when talking to an older person or a person in a position of authority. While this is good form all over the United Stales, "Yes. Mr. Weston" or "No, Mrs. Baker" is somewhat more common in a similar situation in the North or West.

Certain other forms of politeness are observed on social occasions. Women may wear hats in church. in restaurants, and often when attending luncheons in public places and other public social functions except those that take place in the evening. Men who do wear hats ordinarily remove them in elevators, churches, restaurants, private homes, business offices — in fad, in most public situations when they wish to show respect.

The Fundamental Importance of Listening to Develop your Character in Today's Scenario

Many people assume that listening and hearing mean the same but they are quite different. To be precise there is a semantic difference in the meaning and usage of these words. In the great zestfulness of life, we forget the great gifts we have – eyes, ears, mouth. This exuberant mix of gifts not only boosts one's character but also the career. Yeah! That is right. The combination of these three gifts makes us realize the splendor of sight, wonders of sound and epicurean delight of taste. Sadly among these three gifts, the ears are the least important and forgotten. Why?

It is quite simple. The primary usage of ears is for hearing and listening. Both of these are of less importance to us. Well, most of us get wrong in this part, at least in the case of listening. Now the question that comes to our mind is the basic difference between the words listening and hearing.

Hearing involves the primary use of our ears while listening involves the coordinated effort of our ears, lips and eyes. We hear sounds, words, sentences and listen to ideas, thoughts, beliefs and feelings. So the basic difference is the feelings. You can say that hearing like reading the front page of a newspaper, where we hurriedly glance the headlines. You know what is happening in your country but that is about it. There is no special intrinsic feeling. Listening is much deeper. It is just like reading a novel where you get immersed in the story and at times feel like crying and laughing. When the novel ends you feel good and satisfied inside. So you could say that listening is more rewarding than hearing.

One thing that stands out in case of listening is that a good listener does not only keep the conversation going, but pauses to think, respond and ask questions. Seriously, by listening you provoke your mind to think deep. This is one of the most important qualities that is very much essential for a successful career and corporate life. A good listener sometimes develops the character of a good convergent thinker. This helps in getting a better understanding of the situations and problems and providing feasible solutions. How? Well, it is simple.By being a good listener you develop the feeling of intimacy. This intimacy helps you to connect to the speaker at a greater and better level. For example, when parents listen to their teenagers, they get and develop a better understanding of what a teenager's life would be at this age. The same is the case with a technician who listens and handles a grumbling customer and solves the problem. Having a good listening skill can also help an employer to understand the problems and complaints of the employees. This will make the employer know what has been hindering the growth and development of the company.

Honestly, listening is a kind of a magical thing. It develops a person's character, boosts his confidence, adds knowledge, helps to solve problem and most importantly gets up close with a person. If you are a good listener you could make the person open up his thoughts and feelings. This is quite advantageous in terms of business as you can build instant rapport with the customer. Naturally it will boost your business by building networks and further expanding your domain.

Now wait one second, a question may arise in your mind that humans have a fickle mind. By having a fickle mind they cannot possibly listen raptly to everything around them. That is very much true, however you have the choice to listen or not. You can immediately judge whether a conversation is worthwhile or not. Invest your precious time in listening to worthy conversation and avoid useless ones. In short to have a prosperous career and a dynamic personality, harness your listening skills. Watch a lot of talk shows and news reports on your TV connected to Verizon FiOS TV or other service providers. Try to analyze the information and come up with a feasible solution in your mind. The problem right now is that we are not listening as intently as we should in important situations.

Medieval costumes Relate with the Character you want to be

Do you get excited when you think of the people belonging to medieval era? What they ate? How they dressed? How was their living standard? Everything about that era was magnificent and the influential figures had larger than life size image. To tribute the life style of medieval era festivals like renaissance fairs are held all year around. The major attractions of these festivals are medieval renaissance costumes and the surroundings which are filled with feel of Middle Ages. The view of this fair is heartwarming to see - people dressed in colorful renaissance outfits, cuisine of that period, jugglers and acrobats showing their skills and educative medieval theme based plays. It seems like the whole scenario has taken you back to the era of romance and etiquette.

People take decision what they want to wear to obtain a particular look, long before appearing in the fest.

They do it just to look like their dream character. Coloring hair, applying the similar make up and reacting the way character used to react are the part of package. There are varied varieties of characters you can portray such as knights, kings and queens, prince and princess, witch, elf, farmer, peasant, gladiator, pirate and many other historical and fantasy characters. Each character’s apparel was unique and designed to meet his/her comfort.

Kings and queens wore the elaborated expensive and extravagant medieval costume. Queen’s medieval dresses and gowns were adorned with beautiful long laces, cult embroidery and precious stones and gems. Kings also didn’t have any qualm about the clothing lines; doublets and tunics, coats and vests of expensive fabrics and other accessories are especially designed for them. The dresses of royals and nobles were made of silk, satin, brocade, velvet and damask fabrics.

On the other hand, lower strata of society wore medieval outfits made from the fabrics of linen, wool, shipskin and cotton. There dresses were not as vibrant as upper class society. Cloths were not for showing off but mare a need for them.  Most of the male peasant’s dresses were sleeveless such as peasant tunic and doublet which was the demand of work. Peasant women wore the slightly dull full length gowns.

Considering the above conditions mentioned for upper class and lower class people of medieval period, you can make better choice of attire for upcoming fests but to match up with the character’s look you will have to give the importance to accessories also. Head wears, foot wears and other accessories do have the impact on the look without them you could have completely altered look of historical or fantasy character.

Medieval renaissance costumes are not only meant for renaissance festivals, they can also be worn on Halloween party, pirate theme party and wedding ceremonies based on medieval theme. Some of these dresses could be used in daily life.

Character of Tess Durbeyfield

Intelligent, strikingly attractive, and distinguished by her deep moral sensitivity and passionate intensity, Tess is indisputably the central character of the novel that bears her name. But she is also more than a distinctive individual: Hardy makes her into somewhat of a mythic heroine. Her name, formally Theresa, recalls St. Teresa of Avila, another martyr whose vision of a higher reality cost her her life. Other characters often refer to Tess in mythical terms, as when Angel calls her a “Daughter of Nature” in Chapter XVIII, or refers to her by the Greek mythological names “Artemis” and “Demeter” in Chapter XX. The narrator himself sometimes describes Tess as more than an individual woman, but as something closer to a mythical incarnation of womanhood. In Chapter XIV, he says that her eyes are “neither black nor blue nor grey nor violet; rather all these shades together,” like “an almost standard woman.” Tess’s story may thus be a “standard” story, representing a deeper and larger experience than that of a single individual.

In part, Tess represents the changing role of the agricultural workers in England in the late nineteenth century.

Possessing an education that her unschooled parents lack, since she has passed the Sixth Standard of the National Schools, Tess does not quite fit into the folk culture of her predecessors, but financial constraints keep her from rising to a higher station in life. She belongs in that higher world, however, as we discover on the first page of the novel with the news that the Durbeyfields are the surviving members of the noble and ancient family of the d’Urbervilles. There is aristocracy in Tess’s blood, visible in her graceful beauty—yet she is forced to work as a farmhand and milkmaid. When she tries to express her joy by singing lower-class folk ballads at the beginning of the third part of the novel, they do not satisfy her—she seems not quite comfortable with those popular songs. But, on the other hand, her diction, while more polished than her mother’s, is not quite up to the level of Alec’s or Angel’s. She is in between, both socially and culturally. Thus, Tess is a symbol of unclear and unstable notions of class in nineteenth-century Britain, where old family lines retained their earlier glamour, but where cold economic realities made sheer wealth more important than inner nobility.

Beyond her social symbolism, Tess represents fallen humanity in a religious sense, as the frequent biblical allusions in the novel remind us. Just as Tess’s clan was once glorious and powerful but is now sadly diminished, so too did the early glory of the first humans, Adam and Eve, fade with their expulsion from Eden.

Educational Toys on Children Character Development

Psychologists tell us that the form of intellectual activity of children reflects on the performance of physical activity first, while the external body movements accelerate the interior mental development. Main body movements of children reflect in the process of playing, during which they learn to observe, think and manage, meanwhile, their feeling, behavior, emotion, language and intelligence have been developed.

The neonatal baby with 12 months is in the rapid development period of various sensory abilities. Parents should select toys which can promote the visual, auditory and tactile development of babies, and use mobile toys to practice their movement perception. Early childhood between 3 to 6 years old is in an egocentric period, care about self ability, like to question, good at imitation and establish a preliminary concept in varieties of specific operating activities, which is a critical period of psychological development.

Toys selected should exercise large muscle movement, stimulate imagination, cultivate compassion, satisfy imitating desire and develop language expression ability, such as action toys, intellectual toys, language toys and musical toys. Children between 6 to 12 years old shift from self-centered to pay attention to others, have sense of community, learn to cooperate with others, and have a rapid development in imagination and logical ability. Select toys in team work and add books and science toys.

Static toys correct ADHD. Some children are naughty and restless, selecting building blocks, inserted plates, and assembly puzzle toys for them, which can draw their attention, help to overcome bad habits of impatience and restless, benefit to healthy development of their physical and mental.

Dynamic toys correct eccentric character. Some children are silent and unsocial by nature. Dynamic clockwork, inertial electric toys having fresh color, music and light are good choice for them. Running after moving car, tank or flying plane, shouting in the sound and music of toys, playing with partners in team work, consciously leading him to speak and communicate, all above will gradually change a lonely child to a lively one.

Hands-on toys correct hasty temper. Some children has a hasty temper and careless in doing things. Handmade paper, wood or cloth toys could practice hands-on ability and develop a good patient and meticulous character.