Portrait of a Lady

I just recently discovered the lucid work of the twentieth century British painter, Meredith Frampton. I particularly like his portraits of ladies from the 1920s as to me they represent the physical epitomy of elegance. It got me to wondering though about what makes a woman a Lady. I've always wanted to be considered a Lady although I do have a mischievous side that is probably far from ladylike!

 

Being a Lady, however, is not really about how you dress or how you look so much as it is about your character. How do you view yourself, the world, and those around you and how do you act towards them? Below I have come up with a description about what I think it means to be a Lady although I am sure there are things that I have missed.

 

A lady tries to put the feelings of others before her own. She is polite and respectful. She assumes responsibility for her actions. She goes out of her way to protect the dignity of others. She uses her strengths to gently infuse comfort and warmth into the lives of others. She keeps her given word. She is trustworthy. She conducts herself with grace and self-respect. She appreciates and accepts the courtesy paid to her by a gentleman. She does not seek to rise above him, but rather supports him – if he is a real gentleman – and defers to him.

 

I don't know about you but I find this to be an intimidating model to follow! Nevertheless, it is something I would like to strive to be even though I'm sure it will take the rest of my life to even come close. You cannot achieve, however, what you do not attempt. What do you think it means to be a Lady?



Words...Words...Words

As I enjoy a savory meal, a soft blanket, or a harmonious song, I enjoy a good word. Now unlike Hamlet, I do like some illustrations along with my words when I'm reading a book, but the power of words is undeniable. While I usually assess a word based on its meaning or sound, I can't say I have often thought about the length of a word. This past spring one of the students that I tutor kept asking me what is the longest word in the world, prompted by his complaints about the length of Latin words. Having lived in Germany for three years, I thought to myself "Boy, if you think Latin is bad you should try learning German!" Nevertheless, it piqued my curiousity so I tried to find out the answer to his query but alas it is quite a debated topic and I could not come up with a definite answer. Apparently though, what is said to be the longest word in German will soon be no more according to the article in the link below. The 63-letter word is Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz which is the word for beef labelling monitoring assessment assignment law.

http://www.thelocal.de/sci-tech/20130603-50071.html

Although German is famous for having endless words, English has its fair share of lengthy words as well. Here are just a few of them:

antidisestablishmentarianism-opposition to the disestablishment of the Church of England - 28 letters

floccinaucinihilipilification-the estimation of something as worthless - 29 letters

pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis-a supposed lung disease - 45 letters

I found all of this to be quite amusing and I hope you do to!