Chapter 6 of this book talks about whether or not the name that a parent give their child matters. Levitt provides an example about a New York City man who was named Robert Lane, he named his first son Winner and then named his next son Loser. Despite what his name suggests, Loser Lane succeeded in life, moving up in the NYPD. Winner Lane however, has been arrested nearly thirty six times. He tells a story of a woman who named her daughter Temptress, meaning to name her Tempest, the girl went on to do things like inviting men over while her mother was at work. Levitt then asks the question, does the name given to a child affect his life?…
Firoozeh Dumas, in the “F Word” essay written for Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America (2003), explains first, what her, her family and friends names mean and what they were called from American people instead of their real name; second her new American picked name so she wouldn’t feel so foreign; third why she switched back to her real name because she wanted to be proud of her heritage. Dumas describes her name and how people always mess it up because it is foreign but has learned to deal with it and has found that “Americans are now far more willing to learn new names.” Her purpose is to show that we as Americans should care about the hard names more in order to let the foreign ones feel more welcomed and how she as…
people with unattractive names value them. Our names are much more than our identity , they…
The characters also have difficulties in using their names in the American society where they live. When the mother and the children leave the internment camp, they discover that many things have changed and are not willing to use their names because they think that their names might cause trouble for them. The children say that “We will change our name…we would never been mistaken for the enemy again.” (Otsuka…
A name in its simplest form addresses a person, place, thing, or idea, yet with every name comes a flood of associated names and ideas. For Dana and her mother the use of choice words with the least amount of negative connotation seems to be of the utmost importance. She states “It matters what you call things” (5), but the name by which one identify with, or that one uses to address an activity or idea, matters for the most part only to the said person. Those viewing one's life, as the reader does with Dana, form their own ideas and interpretations of that person and his or her activities. Therefore a name matters because it expresses how one feels about their…
She dreams of seeing her name up in the lights but john Steinbeck, the author of the novel, does not even given her a name in the story. Very ironic.…
1. Dickens is noted for giving his characters names that are descriptive to their personalities. The names often sound like other words or are a pun. How could Mrs. Wopsle’s name be descriptive of her personality?…
Laura Bohannan recalls telling the story of Hamlet to elders of the Tiv tribe in West Africa. As she tells the story to the elders, they often refute her interpretation and insist that their own interpretation is correct. An elder even says, “We, who are elders, will instruct you in their true meaning…” Bohannan’s Pick from the Past shows how cultures can interpret works of literature in different and unexpected ways. For example, the elders offer an unusual claim that Laertes killed his sister, Ophelia, hoping to profit from selling her body. Although the elders have unconventional interpretations, the lens of the Tiv people give an unprecedented and unique way to understand a work of literature.…
“The Secretary Chant,” by Marge Piercy is about a female creating a vision of how she has lost her personal identity to her job. She uses metaphors to allow the reader to envision a woman who is living her life through her career. Piercy also uses paradox, personification, and the pun to bring the character alive. With the use of metaphors, both implied and explicit, the reader can deeply empathize the central character of this poem.…
In the “Scarlet Ibis,” the narrator cannot approve the fact that Doodle is not normal like everyone else. During Doodle’s toddler years, the boy feels disappointment because Doodle wasn’t capable of accomplishing brotherly conventions. He proves this when he states that he “wants more than anything else someone to race to Horsehead Landing, someone to box with, and someone to perch with in the top fork of the great pine” (595). This section shows how the boy longs for a brother who can play and interact with him like other people’s siblings. Also, he views Doodle as an inferior individual in which he cannot accept. Therefore, when the boy’s brother is named William Armstrong, the boy decides to rename him Doodle. He claims that “renaming my brother was perhaps the best thing I ever did for him, because nobody expects much from someone names Doodle” (596). In the boy’s opinion, Doodle could not live up to such a superior label; consequently, he gives his brother a name that reflects low standards and expectations. In addition, the boy considers Doodle to be inferior because he became a burden. The narrator loathes how he has to be…
Individual characteristics and traits are what initiate and drive an ever-changing society. Individuality sparks innovation, keeps life captivating, and forces society to continue to grow. However, society also is the first place where individuality is not accepted or misunderstood. The idea of not fitting into society can be viewed as a painful experience. In Susan Musgrave’s poem “You Didn’t Fit,” she aims to show how no one fits into social norms. The poem intends to show how people believe they need to reach certain standards to be accepted and to find love, but in reality, everyone should be trying to stand out.…
Liz Lochhead makes this poem relevant to a teenage audience through her use of word choice in the first line when the girl meets her prospective mother-in-law for the first time:…
Firoozeh, when translated into Farsi means “turquoise”, but she argues that in America it means “unpronounceable”, based on the fact that people would attempt to say her name and give up because they did not want to seem ignorant because they could not say…
At times, the essay makes the reader laugh and feel concern for her struggles. Dumas tries to earn our sympathy by describing the situation of her family’s difficult names. To avoid setting an over serious tone, she attempts to reflect her humorous perspective through laughable quotes such as, “She Whose Name Almost Incites Riots” (page 751). This wise introduction lets the audience know that the essay will be an enjoyable one to read with plenty of humorous lines and content. This use of pathos makes the reader learn the message of the essay without even noticing it. Another classic example of her making the audience feel sympathy is when she said people used to think her brother’s name (Neggar) sounded like a derogatory name for African Americans. The strategy of making the audience feel sorry for the author let’s them feel as if they are somehow connected to what she is saying. They feel the urge to know what happens next and their curiosity becomes stronger with each step of her life. Because readers can become tired of hearing “sob” stories, she decides to blend in the humor throughout the main portion of the…
Ms. Walter's class - Rae-Anna-Mae Scales - should her first name be printed as "Raeannamae"?…