Ideals to Live By

It is easy to answer some hard questions such as what does DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) stand for. One who studies in microbiology gets that answer in one second. For some easy questions, where does your character and personality come from? it is hard to answer such easy questions. One needs more time to get the answer. Psychologists may be concerned about one's childhood period and family environment. The character and personality is under the control of inherited genes but also is influenced by the environment. It is generally believed that the influence came from a family member during the childhood period and would spread to adulthood. To make a good character and personality for children, a family member needs to be a good role model.

The essay "An American Childhood" by Annie Dillard is a good example of how a family member has influence on the children. This essay expresses her idea about her mother when the author looks back at her young age. Children will copy his or her character from the nearest person around them and develop this process until they mature. Family members would be the biggest influence to young children. A young girl imitates her mother and a young boy imitates his father, respectively. From the essay, Dillard said a lot about her mother's character and emotion in many points. Her mother is a strong and independent woman. The author says, "She was an unstoppable force; she never let go"(210). She means that her mother has strong energy to get something done and she never stops until it is accomplished. Her mother's character might differ from other ordinary women at the same time in the early 1960's. Her mother develops the seed of character and personality, which is the great impact and influence on her. For example, her mother questioned her about her assumption that Eisenhower would win the election. "How do you know?"(210) her mother questioned her. She said that everyone says that Eisenhower would win. Her mother asked "Did you ask everyone?"(210); She would definitely say that her mother was a straightforward person who questioned every detail in conversations. She had more and more unusual characteristics such as she persuaded the U.S. Post Office to let her keep her old address forever. The author may have learned not to be critical, but also taught her daughter to be independent and strong.

Someone might consider the influence one has and how the environment impacts his or her personality. All the people around children account for the impact of influential people. The role model person might be anyone close to you or might be a hero, heroine or great scientist. According to the essay "Sister Flowers" by Maya Angelou, she states in her essay about the respected person who affected a positive change in her character. The author said a lot about Mrs. Bertha Flowers whose name was the title of the essay. The first point the author makes in her essay is that the author admired Mrs. Flowers. Mrs. Flowers is a charming gentlewoman who is an aristocrat in the small town of Black Stamps. According to the speaker, she spend a lot of her time reading poems and books with Mrs. Flowers