' Mark My Words, Maybe, By Leslie Jamison

First, Many people choose to get a tattoo to commemorate a loved one who has passed or celebrate a special event in their lives. "Tattoos are a wonderful way to keep the memory alive of that special person". When getting a tattoo, people should take the reason into consideration and decide whether it is something they want for a lifetime. Tattoos are very personal and should be treated as such.

She further perpetuates this notion through her statement that “those…were an indication of control”, and “a sign that the bearer has a value that hovered somewhere between property and machine” As such, Day conveys that tattoos debased humans as inanimate objects, capable of no humanity and thought, and hence the reader may be incited to view such tattoos as offensive due to their historical meanings, complementing her contention that tattoos originally had more “power” and significance in the past.

Throughout the piece people approach Jamison inquiring about the tattoo and each time giving a response that she doesn’t want. Whenever she explains the translation of the tattoo, the inquirer immediately questions the motives behind it and gets offended by her claim to understand humanity and understand everything that is wrong in the world (Jamison 459). Except, they don’t know what Jamison has been through and don’t understand the personal meaning it holds. Although it wasn’t her initial intention, Jamison learns to accept the attention she receives from it. She explains that the purpose of her tattoo is to attract attention, be aspirational, and cause admiration. But, she also claims that it also serves the purpose of the opposite of all of those things (Jamison 460). Jamison tells this story to demonstrate the significance and symbolism of a tattoo and how a simple phrase can mean so much more about a person’s identity and how it represents people.

Tattoos can often hold a very significant meaning to different people depending on what they are. Molly’s Indian culture associates the turtle with power and determination, so one day, she got a turtle tattoo on her hip. Throughout the novel, she enjoys to learn about her background and is very interested in different aspects of it. Her culture is a very large part of who she is because it is one thing that she can still hold onto and carry with her since she is a foster child. She explains the meaning behind her tattoo to Jack and says that “turtles mean something very specific in [her] culture… Turtles carry their homes on their backs… They’re exposed and hidden at the same time. They’re a symbol of strength and perseverance” (Baker Kline 88). It is

uncertainty wherein the tattoo serves as both silent witness and lucky charm. Yet sailors and navel men have long applied symbols to their bodies, in an almost magical way, to guide their vessels and protect themselves, to

Isn’t it baroque to have tattoos on our bodies to display? Not only can a tattoo spruce up our flesh, but it adds personality. Tattoos modify a person's self-esteem and body. David Brooks' article Nonconformity Is Skin Deep explains how wearing a tattoo became a way of self-expression and even a part of the consumerism. Brooks emphasizes on the idea that many acquire tattoos to be part of a social group and to have (as he sarcastically says) something to talk about with others. Brooks compares tattoos to the dark and edgy underbelly of each tattoo-wearers personality. With the growing numbers of tattoo-wearers, it is evident that Brook's opinion on tattoo's as mainstream, unoriginal, and that it is obtained to be part of the social norm,

There are multiple reasons for individuals to tattoo their bodies and the reasons are usually individualistic and subjective. The experience of being tattooed is intricately bound up with one’s character,

Tattoos have been around throughout our history, from Egyptian times to the present day. Many people may say they know the history of tattoos, and where they originate from, but do they really? Does one know that there were reasons that some people had tattoos? There may be people who know the actual history of tattoos and body art and why one would decide to get one; however there are people who do not. To be able to understand the idea of tattoos, one should educate themselves to the history of tattoos. Although tattoos have been considered taboo and a stereotype, history reveals that this particular form of body art has been used for self expression, status and

In other words, Dolgoff chose to get her tattoos to remember something important to her. Jane’s reason was rather shallow, immature, and a typical teen trend, while Dolgoff had a deep experience that she wanted to remember and her tattoo represents that part of her life. My experience with my tattoos makes it easy for me to relate to both Janes and Dolgoff and their tattoos. Much like Janes, when I was a teen I chose to get a tattoo on a whim, my boyfriend’s initials. I thought that I had considered the decision to get this tattoo over thoroughly. I even got a small tattoo in an easily hidden place on my body, and still no bells and whistles went off telling me to maybe reconsider. I went through with it and, when the relationship ended, the tattoo stayed as a constant reminder. It worked out in the end. Getting a smaller tat was a good idea because it was easily covered by another tattoo which held a lot more meaning for me.

It’s supposed to guarantee that I will never be able to fade, finally, into another landscape. I am too important, too scarce, for that. I am a national resource.” This tattoo is a reference to the mark of Cain which was given to Cain by God to protect him. “And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken

Attract Reader’s Attention: Tattoos are very popular among young adults these days. Some of them get tattoos to look cool, or they are influenced by other people. For others, tattoos represent a memory or incident that has a special meaning in their lives.

Tattoos in general are a great way to add individuality and beautiful artwork onto your body that lasts a lifetime. Most people either love or hate the idea of people having tattoos. But why is this? Do people just not like how they look or do they just not understand them enough to appreciate the work and effort that goes into creating a beautiful piece of permanent artwork? I believe that if people were to better understand the people that do them, and the process of actually getting them done, that they will accept that they may not be as bad as they think.

Last week when I went to go visit my friend Laura she showed me a tattoo that she got of her son’s birth date in roman numerals. She went on to say how the birth of her child was one of the greatest days of her life, and her tattoo was something that will always remind her of that special day. A tattoo that I always thought of getting was the name of every significant woman in my life such as, my mother, my two sisters, and eventually my soulmate. I feel that this tattoo will be a constant reminder of what’s most important to me and something that I will never regret getting because of how important these people are. Every tattoo represents something different and has its own unique story, whether it has sentimental meaning behind it or not it still expresses your personality and beliefs. Tattoos that have sentimental value will always be much more valuable because it’s something that comes from the heart rather then

Body modifications, with the focus of tattoos, have existed in our society for centuries and the way in which it is perceived has changed somewhat over the years, yet certain dishonors still remain our modern day. Like most body modifications, tattoos are an often misunderstood form of body modification. Despite the stigmas, tattoos have become a unique object of desire to endless diverse groups of people. But are the popular assumptions of tattoos out of sync with the true meaning behind them? Further explanation and exploration of the history will reveal the social and cultural practices of tattooing and the causal connection between the mind and the tattooed body, in addition to providing answers as to why tattoos stimulate uneasiness

     Finally, tattoos are permanent and very hard to get off. It would be hard to pick one design and to stick with that design for the rest of your life. Most people change their mind about everything at least three times. What may have seemed cool when you were 25 is completely different kind of cool when you are 55. Also, your body changes too. You won’t have the same body at 25 when you are 55. That tattoo will be there forever unless you decide to use laser surgery to have it remove, which would cost at least a thousand more than the tattoo itself. Then, after you have it removed you will still have a scar where the tattoo use to be. You could even end up in hell for having a tattoo. God created your human body and expected you to die with that human body. Which, if you get a tattoo it would be a creation