Comparing Jane Pilcher's 'Names Bodies And Identities'

Names are a very important thing that most people are given shortly after birth. A name is “the word or words that a person, thing or place is known by” (Cambridge Online Dictionary (2011), Retrieved November 6th 2012). Names are given to identify an individual in replace of calling someone “it”, a term used to refer to something inanimate or without a name. A name shows that someone loves us enough to name us; to think about it with care and affection. Names surrounding the author have a great influence also and the main character in Frankenstein shares the penname of Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Shelley’s husband. In The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood uses the influence of feminism to create the names of the majority of the female

This semester, I am taking Intro to Sociology and we have been looking at different perspectives of our society. One thing we are studying is how from at such a young age, we are taught to assign gender roles. In Patricia J. Williams’ magazine article, “Are We Worried about Storm’s Identity- or Our Own”, an essay taken out of the Nation magazine (June 2011), she tells a story about Storm, whose parents choose not to reveal the sex of their baby. She is a legal scholar and examines issues related to law and culture. Williams focuses on all the stereotypes that we associate with gender, how we as a society find social order in assigning gender roles, and the need to have the proper pronouns so that we know how/what to label a person. The author’s use of ethos and logos really brings the point home that we need to be more open about all the possibilities associated with gender and pronouns.

Each of these texts all highlight the importance of identity and names, and how having a name that doesn’t fit European standards can make life in our society much harder. When your name doesn’t fit the European standards it can be harder to get a job, and you become more vulnerable for bullying. Some also allude to the idea that a name is something you must identify with as well, and that it’s a piece of you.

The narrator is never directly introduced or ever called by a name. It is obvious that this narrator is a woman, married to a named John. His name is presented, and not hers, for a reason. It is to present the fact that within herself, within her marriage to John, and within society, she feels unimportant. Within her, she feels as though, she cannot be named like others can, as though she cannot be in the same human category. She doesn't see herself as

These names that have been given to the people of the City, as expected in such a society, are not at all sparkling with the individualism of the person you lay your very eyes upon in the City of collectivism. In these names, there are no expressions of personality. The name you are given may be yours and only yours, but it doesn’t mean as much.

Whether it is because they think it is easier to be taken seriously or not. In “Doe Season” by David Kaplan, Charlie Spoon is very critical of Andy’s choice to go by Andy when her real name is Andrea. Spoon is condemning of Andy’s choice saying “you’re half boy anyway. You go by a boy’s name”(149).Throughout history many females have gone by male names, this is most easily seen in authors. According to CNN “most female authors purposefully opt for a male pseudonym to appeal to a wider audience” (Lytton). In an interview with CNN Carmela Ciuraru, author of “Nom de plume: A history of pseudonyms”, states that sometimes it’s easier to be taken seriously as a man (CNN). By going by male names female authors prove that regardless of the name on the cover of the book the content is still just as appealing. This is seen in “Doe Season” as well. Regardless of what Andy chooses to go by she proves girls can still hunt just as well as the boys can. Just as the authors proved that no matter what you go by, the book will still sell. Andy challenged social norms by going by a ‘boys’ name , by doing this it proves that girls are just as capable as

No matter how much a person desires to live according to their personal autonomy, he or she will never escape the influence of societal forces. Explicitly or subtlety, these forces shape our individuality. One intriguing manner that these societal forces manifests itself in is our name. As Ruth Graham writes, “It’s becoming increasingly clear today that names carry a wealth of information about the world around us, the family we arrived in, the moment we were born—and that they mark us as part of cultural currents bigger than we realize.” Names alone provide evidence that individuals are made by interactions with social institutions and groups. Ultimately, the inescapable nature of society’s influence demands individuals to ponder how much personal autonomy is actually autonomous and to what extent does the pursuit of personal autonomy lead to a life of emptiness and vanity.

The primary argument that Filipovic gives for the issue is that name is an identity, she states, “Jill Filipovic is my name and my identity. Jill Smith is a different person” (Filipovic 26). This was given as an example for her later statement telling of how most of our individuality is a result of our names along with

The idea of the naming system in the Ju/’hoansi was very interesting to be because there were a few parallels that could be drawn between what is seen in the United States and there. Although our naming practices are not as complex, when you meet someone with the same name as you or someone you love there is an indescribable bond that can be formed. This connection although not as intense as in the Ju/’hoansi seeing each other as related is something that many people hold to a high importance. In the section of Dettwyler, it was humbling to see that the author takes the times to create relationships with her participants instead of treating them as if they were just the place she was getting data from.

What is it that makes a woman a woman, or what makes a man a man? Deborah Tannen, author and Ph.D. of linguistics, investigates this question within the essay, “There Is No Unmarked Woman.” An excerpt from a larger publication, “Talking from 9 to 5,” written in 1994, “There Is No Unmarked Woman” is an effective examination of the social injustice as to why the state of womanhood is “marked” while the state of manhood is “unmarked”, and what this means for each sex. The book itself is a result of real-life research about the conversational

I’ve had a love affair with our handles, our names, designators, our John Hancocks, our labels, for years. I adore names, their origins, the functions they serve, or not, their misuse, and any other version of name interest imaginable. Of special interest is how we got them and how we feel about them. I’ve formally interviewed over a hundred people and informally questioned dozens. For all you havers, wearers, owners, givers and callers of names, here’s a volume with much of what I’ve learned.

In the memoir “By Any Other Name” by Santha Ram Rau, we learn how cultural identity can be weakened within someone however, never truly stripped. A name reflects your cultural identity along with everything about who your are. When arrived at school, Santha and Premila learned they didn’t have proper english names as the headmistress exclaimed “[M]y dears, those [names] are much too hard for me. Suppose we give you pretty English names.”(1). Your name reflects upon your cultural identity, as many places around the world have different spellings, annunciation, and name popularity. Changing your name cuts the connections one has with their culture as english names don’t tie back with indian culture. Cultural language also ties with one’s identity

Cultures can shape the identities of individuals. Kingston identity was shape by Chinese and Chinese American culture. "No Name Woman," begins with a talk-story, about Kingston’ aunt she never knew. The aunt had brought disgrace upon her family by having an illegitimate child. In paragraph three, “she could not have been pregnant, you see, because her husband had been gone for years” (621). This shows that Kingston’s aunt had an affair with someone and the result was her pregnancy. She ended up killing herself and her baby by jumping into the family well in China. After hearing the story, Kingston is not allowed to mention her aunt again. The ideas of gender role-play an important role in both cultures. Kingston in her story “No Name

In order to find his identity he went against his parent’s wishes in attending Columbia, but instead attending Yale. But before he set off for college he went through the legal process of changing his name. To his surprise it was a very mechanical task. His reasoning to the judge for the change “I hate the name Gogol, “he says I’ve always hated it.” “Very well”, the judge says stamping and signing the form, then returning it to the clerk. He is told the notice of the new name must be given to all other agencies, and that it’s his responsibility to notify the Registry of Motor Vehicles, banks, schools” (102). Although the moment in the courtroom was not as momentous as he had imagined, he stepped in there as Gogol Gangouli and left as Nikhil Gangouli in twenty minutes. A moment he waited eighteen years for finally arrived. Now that he is free of his parents and his old name, he can now be confident, especially with women in introducing himself without anticipating unwelcomed questions about his name.

    Names are a terrible way to understand someone’s identity because names are regularly replicated. In my sixth grade class, there were three Mollys. We all had different backgrounds, different religious affiliations, and different personalities. If our names displayed who we are, wouldn’t our identities all be the same? Instead of staring at names and trying to understand their meaning, one should focus on a person’s personality, for personality depicts our identity. In fact, I have learned from experience to not infer one’s identity based on their name. For instance, in middle school, I was mutual friends with a girl named Kassidy. One Tuesday afternoon, my friend, Katy told me that Kassidy was going to sit with us at lunch that day. I shrugged my shoulders and replied with a casual “okay”. Before Kassidy walked in, I had a whole image of her in my mind: blonde hair, cute pastel colored clothes, and religious, all stereotypes that I thought a person with an innocent name like Kassidy