Why Are We Named?

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.

This is shown in these texts, “I would like to baptize myself under a new name, a name more like the real me, the one no one sees. Esperanza as Lisandra or Maritza or Zeze the X. Yes, something like Zeze the X will do.” (“My Name” By Sandra Cisneros), “The name Youngeun is a barcode. The name Rachel is a Made in America sticker slapped onto a Korean flag.” (Names by Rachel Rostad), and “When I was nine years old, I spent the summer at a stay-away camp being called "Tiffany".” (What’s In A Name by Okaikor Aryee-Price).

A name is given to every human child at birth. It is used mostly by those around an individual as a way to identify them. Without names people would have a difficult time communicating things to other people. Names in fiction represent a character in his or her entirety. Usually having deeper meaning like explaining a character's origin, names are given to characters with a purpose. Authors might hide a plot twist or hidden meaning in a name like Darth Vader, Vader meaning father in Dutch and also in German.

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

I have had two different names growing up. My parents came to America at the turn of the new millennium with big dreams and hopes. Coming from a devout Jainist society, their perspectives towards life were very different; they believed in hard work and most of all nonviolence. I, on the other hand grew up in a sweet, small southern town on the tip of Florida. Life was all about going to the sandy beaches, chilling with pals, and just having a “good ole time”.

Language is the means we use to express ourselves, and in language, we use certain words to stand out from one another, our names. Names are what we use to distinguish ourselves from others in a group and they can hold special meaning. Changing from one name to another can have an impact on how one is viewed and how ones view themselves.

Charles Plant, in his Globe and Mail essay presents this conundrum: “as a grandpa-to-be, I have opinions on what my grandchild is named – if not any influence”, writing about his own, then later his daughter’s, struggles with naming their respective children. Plant goes into detail about our decidedly patriarchal naming system, and whether or not grandparents have any influence in the all-important tradition of the naming of a child. Stripped down to its most basic concepts, this essay is about one of the most prevalent forms of sexism: the tradition of naming all of our children after their paternal surname. Plant believes that children should carry their mother’s surname, though he concedes that mothers in turn carry their own paternal surname, revolutions must start from somewhere. He also highlights the fact that male sons often carry their father’s given and surname, often stylized as “Junior” or “the Second” and so on.

A name is one of the first things we are defined with; it's a simple combination of words that becomes associated with our being. In Children of Monsters, Jay Nordlinger questions how much significance a name really holds.

My full name is Ashley Rebekah Olney. My first name has no particular meaning to my family; however, from what I can ascertain, it is the traditional spelling of a word of English origin, meaning, lives in the ash tree grove, or some variant of that phrase. My name was chosen not for its meaning but rather because it was a very popular baby name in the 1990s that my father liked and because my mother chose my older sister’s name and she had no aversion to the name, she agreed to name me Ashley. My middle name was also suggested by my father, but it is more significant to me because is also my mother’s name and I have always felt that it formally expresses our very close relationship and similarites. Furthermore, both my mother and father’s families have traditions of selecting middle names based on the names of parents and grandparents, so

Name. A word or set of words by which a person animal, place, or thing is known, addressed, or referred too. Long, short, hard to pronounce, or even thirteen syllables, still serving the same purpose. Some people love theirs, others remind their parents how much they hate it every day. Still, there are a few who really don’t care. That is where Anish Reddy Yennam falls. I have never had a problem with what I was named but I’ve never exactly loved my name.

There are many ways of which you can interpret the word NAME but truly there is no actual definition. Just like how Juliet once famously said “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose...which is no part of thee,Take all myself.” (2.2.46-52). This quote is a great example of how a name is of no real reason and something of a different name could even be as sweet as a rose.

People like to attach a name to something, because name is the thing that binds the fundamental shape of objects. If it cannot be named in this world by us, it may be considered that it does not exist. My name, “Reina” as an example, I am also a same human being with others, but I am named as “Reina” and others are named with other names. Then, does that mean, without name, I don’t exist in the world? Not it is not. I do exist, but “Reina” does not. For more example, people give name to invisible objects. We call two people loving each other “love”, but we would still love others even if love is not named as “love.” How about nature? We separate parts of nature and call them tree, flower, animal like how we call living organisms that do photosynthesis

My names Gabriel Hudson, I hated my name it for some reason, when I was innocent and blind to societies imperfections, I wanted a “cool name” that was popular among my peers. When I was younger I never knew the importance that a name could possess. I never really thought about having to fight for anything or having to struggle to have a life that is so weighed down by the gravity that money has in our society. Money has always been relevant and at the forefront in my family. My parents are extremely diligent and would be part of the category of misfits, I have stated previously. My parents knew how the world is and tried their best to prepare me for that. Being named after an archangel in the Bible, not because they think i’m an angel to have as a child, but because he’s strong and fights for what’s right and good in people. I am now coming to this realization as I become a young adult and seeing that life is not fair and people like me who does not have as much wealth and resources to be set for greatness. People like me have

William Shakespeare once wrote, "What 's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." The question is: what is the value of a name? If names do have value, do they truly define the person or thing that possesses it? Finally, how does this relate to God? With humans, given names usually have a meaning from the language or culture in which the name comes from. For example, the name 'John ' is of Hebrew origin and means 'God is gracious,’ whereas the name 'Katie ' is of English Origin and means 'pure. ' Just because a person 's name means something, though, does that make it true?