Critical And Contextual Analysis Of Anne Devlin's 'Naming The Names'

‘We Beat the Streets’ is a book based off true events of three men named, Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt and George Jenkins and their daily life of living the streets of Newark, New Jersey. Brought down by many things like gang violence, drugs and much more it's tough for these three boys, who don’t know anyone that made it to college. But they had a dream to make it there one day!

The reader will find it difficult to draw connections between these neighbors and themselves when they hardly even know many intimate details about the lives of these characters. However, this is because the reader is put into a position where they are viewing characters from an outside perspective in the same way that the neighbors view each other: with little information about their lives. This is backed up in Neal Alexander’s article, titled “Profoundly Ordinary: Jon McGregor and Everyday Life”, where Alexander comments on the anonymous nature of the neighborhood, stating “The calculated anonymity that results is clearly intended to make a point about the nature of contemporary urban life, where neighbors typically maintain a defensive reserve toward one another” (Alexander 729-730). The novel maintains a type of irony in that it must detach the reader from the story in order to connect them in the same way that the characters are connected.

The novel “The Street” by Ann Petry demonstrates the relationship of Lutie Johnson and urban setting by personifying the wind, using imagery to show how brutal the wind was, selection of detail and figurative language in which refers to a deeper meaning of the wind-racial discrimination.

A name is an integral part of one’s identity, being given at birth and held on to till death. It represents who a person is. Sometimes someone might go by different names depending on how close they are to another. A name can be altered to tease lovingly or show sincerity. Such an instance takes place within the text. Surnames in the Native American community differ from that of western society. Descriptions took the place of a typical last name, creating more intimate and interesting names. For example, the main character of this excerpt is Jimmy Many-Horses. While Jimmy speaks with a cousin, he is fondly called “Jimmy Sixteen-and-One-Half-Horses” (Alexie 157). This reveals a relationship that is close enough to give nicknames. Later on, the character calls him “Jimmy Zero-Horses” to show solemn disappointment (Alexie 157). This remorseful teasing reveals the intimacy of these

Standing in stark contrast to ‘Migrant Hostel’ is the poem ’10 Mary Street’, which portrays the persona’s strong feelings of belonging to his childhood home as a result of the strong familial relationships which were forged during his time there. The family’s domestic routine is depicted and

It found all the dirt and dust and grime on the sidewalk and lifted it up so that the dirt got into their noses, making it difficult to breathe; the dust got into their eyes and blinded them; and the grit stung their skins” (ll 21-25). Wind cannot discourage people or physically lift dirt up into people’s noses and eyes. The personification in this quote emphasizes the negative thoughts about 116th street and how it affects the people who live on this street which further develops a negative relationship between Lutie Johnson and the urban setting Petry uses selection of detail to establish the negative relationship between Lutie Johnson and the urban setting. For example in lines 50-55 it says, “she could see that it had been there for a long time because its original coat of white paint was streaked with rust where years of rain and snow had finally eaten the paint off down to the metal and the metal had slowly rusted, making a dark red stain like blood.” Petry uses selection of detail by the negative way she describes the streets and items on it. Petry uses words that have negative connotation, like “streaked,” “eaten,” and “blood,” to help emphasize the negative relationship between

She trekked forward, valiantly, against the aloof, inhospitable environment. Around her, she witnessed as the rudimentary surroundings drove individuals away as if it never wished for accost. Despite this she continued to trudge forward, despondently, waiting for a sign-- anything to warn her if she ought to continue or if she ought to give up. Eventually, she persisted. Ann Petry, in her novel The Street, explores the dynamic relationship between Lutie Johnson and the unfriendly urban setting through the articulate use of dramatic personification and vivid imagery as a metaphor for the uncertainty that ensues when relocating in a new, diverse, and vastly dissimilar environment.

• Boyle shows how two people used fake names, and that they should be honest with their names because it gives a stronger connection with them

The authors are able to convey the theme of poverty by creating similar settings in New York City and Ireland. Lutie, the main character of The Street, walks down the frigid sidewalk of New York observing the setting surrounding her. The author illustrates the cold by writing, “She shivered as the cold fingers of the wind touched the back of her neck…” (Petry). This quote shows the way the author portrays the wind. She uses personification to give it life.

There comes a point in time in an individual’s life in which their name truly becomes a part of their identity. A name is more than just a title to differentiate people; it is a part of the person. In Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood by Richard E. Kim, names play a major role on the character’s identities. The absence and importance of the names in the story make the story rich with detail and identity through something as simple as the name of a character. Names are a significant factor affecting the story and the characters throughout the novel Lost Names.

The concept of having a “good name” is established at the very beginning of the tale, with the intertwined

In 1721, Adrian de Pauger laid out the streets of NOLA with influences from Le Blond de la Tour. He along with over fifty engineers began to plot out the land. Exploring the city can be imagined as travelling through history, “navigating the dense web of references embedded in the street names”, as stated by Sublette (5). The streets of New Orleans were named after important French men of the time, the royal houses of France, and Catholic saints. For example, Rue St. Louis, Bourbon Street, and Rue Bienville. These streets continue to exist today as reminders of the French origins of the

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.

In Chapter 6, “Would a Roshanda by any other name smell as sweet?,” Levitt and Dubner discuss the power of a name and whether or not they really matter. The authors go on to tell a story of the Lane family who lived in a housing project in Harlem. In 1958, Robert Lane decided to name one of his many sons Winner because he “had a special feeling about this one” (Levitt & Dubner, 2009, p. 181). Then, three years later, they had another baby boy who they named Loser. The son named Winner went on to accumulate a long list of arrests, and Loser joined the New York Police Department where he eventually made sergeant. “The father who named them is no longer alive. Clearly he had the right idea--that naming is destiny--but he must have gotten the names mixed up” (Levitt & Dubner, 2009, p. 182).

The meaning of names is a central focus of the novel, because names define people. Their worth and functions are summarized by the names. To some extent, the names also discourage originality. This occurs especially to