Alexandra, Zan, Alex, Zandy, Miss Alexandra…
On August 19, 1999, I was born as Alexandra Smith. It’s one of those first names that demands for something shorter. Whether it follows a warm, firm handshake, or the rambling off of an attendance roll call, someone never fails to challenge the length of my name: “So do you go by Alexandra or…?” Yes. I go by Alexandra. I go by Alexandra when I scribble my name with the soft lead of a Ticonderoga pencil at the top of and assignment; I go by Alexandra when my mom is standing on the front porch as I attempt to quietly drive up the driveway, tires against gravel, an hour past curfew; I go by Alexandra when, every September, I say my name in the annual round of painful, first-day-of-school icebreakers. But often, I’ll agree that Alexandra is one of those names that inherently begs for something a little more, or maybe a little less.
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On the other side of the double set of swinging glass doors is my cousin. “Zandy! Did you study for bio?” My cheeks darken from a nice rose to a color just shy of crimson as my childhood nickname emerges from the sandy North Carolina beach vacations and into the sea of my peers. Adrianna grabs my backpack and gives me a playful shove, just as she had when she pushed me into the sun-warmed pool outside of our rented beach house. Being the smallest, the most naive, and the only one to willingly put up with such abuse, pushing Zandy in the pool or burying her in a giant grave of sand are games that my cousins participate in
I was given the name Chase Andrew Miner. My mom had liked the name Chase and Chance, but she finally decided on Chase. While that decision wasn’t too hard for her to make, (at least she said it wasn’t) my last name, Miner, was an even easier decision. My mom was married to my dad and she took his last name, so the obvious last name would be Miner. My mom told me she had a really difficult time figuring out a middle name for me. She couldn’t find a name that fit in well. One day my aunt, Lori, called my mom and asked about the name Andrew. My mom had thought about it and she decided that that name fit. So from that day I was Chase Andrew Miner. The joke my mom says now is if she knew she’d have to chase me so much, she would have named me Slow. But word got around of what
Artie and Vladek have had a rocky relationship ever since Artie came back to get war stories out of his father. Consistently, he has just been wanting information and has never truly cared to get to know his father, or even attempt to mend their relationship. However, whenever Vladek would bring up Anja, her family, or her story, Artie would immediately respond by being interested in the stories and would probe to know more details about those relationships. These stories allowed for a break in the war stories that Vladek was telling, but showed that Artie was more interested in getting and knowing information about his mother rather than his father. Any time that Vladek would mention Anja, Artie knew that is where his interests were, and these
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Luckily, I have name that grants me room for change. Abigail B. Sokol would sound sophisticated and professional if I become a doctor, as my mother envisioned. “Abs” is what I am called on the basketball court for a quick, one syllable signal. Actually, the name I respond to best is Abby; it has a voice of its own that I have always thought of as bubbly and cute. At this point in my life, the word Abby best fits who I am.
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It is funny how something as simple as a name can change who you are and who you will become. I grew up as a normal all American girl with a family of eight. I had four brothers, a sister, a beautiful mom, and an amazing dad. I had a little house with a huge yard where I could run and play with my siblings and went to an amazing school where I had many friends. But one day the world stopped. I got to school, went to put up my bag and my name tag had been replaced with “Makaela Brissenden.” I was utterly confused on where I was supposed to put my backpack. I walked up to my teacher and ask why my nametag was replaced. She told me that it was not. It was simply corrected. Corrected? My last name was “Smith” not “Brissenden.” But, I did not argue. I simply put my things away
THE ORNATE SCRIPT ON THE BOARD TWISTED in the candlelight, making the letters and numbers dance in my head. They were jumbled and indistinct, like alphabet soup. When Claire pushed the heart-shaped piece into my hand, I startled. I wasn’t normally so twitchy, and hoped Rachel wouldn’t notice. The Ouija board was her favorite present that night, and Claire gave it to her. I got her a bracelet. She wasn’t wearing it. Kneeling on the carpet, I passed the piece to Rachel. Claire shook her head, oozing disdain. Rachel put down the piece. “It’s just a game, Bell.” She smiled, her teeth looking even whiter in the dim light. Rachel and I had been best friends since preschool, and where she was dark and wild, I was pale and cautious. But less so when
Victoria Alice Layman flows nicely doesn’t it? Well, my parents thought that it did too. I would love to be able to inform you that I was named after my grandmother or an aunt or uncle, but that’s not completely accurate. Letha Alice was by mother’s beloved grandmother’s name. My mother would have loved to of named me Letha but that was a common 19th century name that would not be fitting for a child in this day and age. So now they needed a first name for their little girl. There was only one name in mind Victoria. They told me they chose Victoria because it went nicely with the name Alice. My great grandmother loved the name and thought it sound regal. Furthermore everyone has a nick name right?
Although many people may look at a first name as just another typical name, my first name is Anthony, and in my family the name tends to hold sentimental value to people like my father and a select part of his immediate family. Many people choose to call me Anthony, but I also have select groups of friends and family who choose to call me by nicknames. Certain friends of mine call me Tony, yet a portion of my family prefers Antonio as the nickname of choice. The name Anthony has a bit of personal family history behind it. The best way to sum up this history is through a tragic story. The tragic story behind my name goes like this; I
There was once a couple two of the most powerful gods to ever walk the face of the earth...until Zander the god of war and agility cheats and totally spits on his and his girlfriend or soon to be wife Anesha the goddess of wisdom,power and battle strategy. They were what you called being in love...until the skeezy little cheater Zander did something that Anesha would never expect him to do..he did the unthinkable he completely shattered and ripped out Anesha’s heart like a baby ripping a doll’s head off their body...he cheated on her with another goddess that he didn't even know well. Him not understanding the wrong that he did,he didn't know that all hell would break loose and she would make him pay for everything he put her through. Later on as he realized what he did wrong and tried and wanted to apologize and he did,but anesha with so much pride turned him down.
I was given a name Adam Klamo by my parents when I was born. I have been using name this ever since. I came to study to Newcastle in order to gain essential legal knowledge that will help me pursue my dream of becoming a lawyer, as well as grow into a more complete and educated person. My country of origin is Slovakia. It is incredibly apparent because of my eyes that are dark green just like the deep forests in the country I come from. Also, my hair is brown just like the fur of bears that are always snacking on fish in the cold streams of mountain rivers. I am a boy. I was born a boy and I have not decided to undergo a surgery to change that. My personal interests could be easily described as constantly refreshing social media, respecting
I was named after my mom’s favorite T.V. show, “Days of Our Lives”. She loved the way Stefano, the girl’s father, said Alexandra. My mom also liked the nickname Lexy instead of Alexis or Alex.
Through discussing the importance and joy of learning to read, Alexie produces the ethos of a determined character. We are moved by this person's habits and by our own habituated sense of ethical behavior. (Longaker and Walker 239) Aware of this fact, Alexie produces the ethos of a determined young boy by discussing his efforts to teaching himself how to read. He states, "I refused to fail. I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky. I read books late into the night until I could barely keep my eyes open." (Alexie 17) To be determined is to have a firm decision and being resolved not to change it. Like Alexie, he was committed to learning to read in order to break down stereotypical boundaries that were expected of him. Furthermore, J.K Rowling
I have a full Japanese first name, and I go by a shortened, Americanized version. My first name means nothing in Japanese, and it’s old fashioned, like Barbara or Margaret or Greta. Fashionable for a decade or so, and now painfully outdated. My middle name is Hawai’ian and is a suffix attached to the names of female royalty, and it means “heaven” or “sky.”
It is a typical hot summer’s day in Johannesburg so we decide to have a swim. Her older sister joins us, and as paranoid as Jewish mothers are, Sally’s mother sits watching us on the patio. The three of us jump in the pool and start playing games like marco polo and red-rover. During a round of marco polo, Sally by mistake opens her eyes and her sister gets very angry. They start having a huge argument and I am caught in the middle. I am now sitting on the step of the pool, half smiling, half wanting to cry: I have never had an older sister to play games with me in the pool nor to have an argument