My Name Definition

I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!’

Kaitlin Rose Mockaitis is who people would like to think I am but they were wrong. Kaitlin never felt really like me. When people said my name I cringed and thought there has to be a nickname for me. Finally, one day one of my coaches in fifth grade called me Kate out of nowhere and it stuck. Kate suits me it defines who I am. Names identify who we are and if we are not really our names who are we?

In her article “Be Specific,” Natalie Goldberg mentions the importance of being specific and giving things their proper name. By doing so we are able to connect with the world on a much deeper level,thus allowing us to become conscious of our surroundings and recognize the uniqueness these objects bring to this world. A name is a unique way of distinguishing people from one another. It is an important aspect of our individuality and who we are as people. It reveals who we are and where we come from.

The main idea of “My Name” was to specify that the narrator name was a huge burden on her, which she does not seem to like or want to be defined by. The text tells us that the effect of words can be a burden on individual, which leaves the lasting effect of negativity and drought. Sandra Cisneros purpose on writing “My Name” was to indicate how big of an impact a person's name can have on their reflection of the who they are and who they are bound to be, in others words a name is more than a word given to you the people who named you. This brings up issues mainly identity and sense of reassurance. The background of this excerpt is from the book The House on Mango Street (1984) by Sandra Cisneros. The story is organized in short paragraphs, which made the story much more effective by keeping it simple, but providing as much as information regarding identity, culture, and doubt. The tone of this story in very negative, because the narrator Esperanza is

Names are important to us, as we grow up, our names and our personalities become intertwined, they are how people identify us. So when we adopt a new name, even for a brief period of time, we allow ourselves to essentially become a new person: we can change what we didn’t like about our old selves, and assume new characteristics that we admire in others. For some, it is freeing to embrace a new name, but for others it is comforting to go back to their old one.

His name was all he had to represent him. So One’s name means something to

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.

Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!

How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul: leave me my name!”

Sophie’s World begins its philosophical inquiry by posing the question; “Who are you?” When asked this question I would assume many people would respond with their name. However, does this name capture all that we are in terms of interests, experiences or characteristics? And do those identifiers suffice in defining a person? When you really think about it, does a name not simply offer a distinction or a label that makes it simpler to distinguish one person from another?

A name is not just what you’re called, it is who you are. It is what you stand for and ultimately defines you as a person. Growing up, I used to think my name did not fit me and that nothing that my name stood for had anything to do with me. Now that I am older, I understand the real meaning of my name and how the traits that are connected with my name relate to the person that I have become and continue to develop into. My name represents who I am and who I plan to be.

    “Molly, dinner time!” my mother yells in a sing-songy voice from the first floor. My father calls the waitress over, “Excuse me, Molly” he states, trying to get her attention. The doorbell rings, and I answer it, “Hi, I’m Molly” says the cheerful little girl scout standing at my doorstep. Names are universal identifers; they shed no light about one’s personality. They are labels, they fail to display our identity because identity is a unique part of what makes you, you.

As you stroll around the streets of Nelson, do we ever look up at the blue signs, wondering the stories behind these names that roll off your tongue so everyday? Do you stop to picture Nelson, 170 years ago, imagining the people that walk the same path to work as you everyday, down Trafalgar Street? These steps that the first settlers of Nelson made, have shaped our city, creating the perfect base for following generations to make change upon. As generations have occupied Nelson, the names of these streets have developed with our culture, creating change for the future; however, as our society has changed, do the street names lose value? Do you walk down the street, forgetting who walked before you and the stories in their footprints? Does this leave the importance of our street names left behind, as our advances in society take over?

say it does come naturally. I define myself by the uniqueness of my name. I don’t say this just to

For every person ever created there is meaning behind there name, and I am not an exception. Names clearly define the characteristics of a person. Studyings someone's name can give insight into the personality that one might posses. Parents are drawn to certain names that will help continue their legacy for years to come. Sydney Katherine Weber has specific meanings and origins, but like all other names it has a story behind it that leads up to who I am as a person today.