Analysis Of What's In A Name By Henry Louis Gates

Identifying Names

At birth everyone is given a name by their parents. Your name is part of your identity and how you are addressed by the world. The differences among the population created other names given to different races. These names are offensive, demeaning and are only used to refer to a person in a disrespectful manner. They can also cause separation among a nations people, these names are forced upon people weather they are rich or poor, old or young, male or female and are used to describe the same race of people. In the class reading "What 's in a Name? “by Henry Louis Gates he wrote about a personal experience of his that he had with his father. His father was a hard worker because of this he was in high financial standings and, he was well respected and given privileges that at the time was rare for people of his race but he was still seen as black this was what he was identified as, this is all he was seen as and is something many black Americans can relate to. One’s race is a predominant part of our identity and is what causes discrimination.

Racal separation has been a major problem in society for generations, in his story Gates writes “all of the white people in Piedmont, West Virginia, treated my parents with an odd mixture of

In this reading, the writer tells a story that proves how important a name is. Calling a person, a name that only identifies with their ethnicity means that all of them are the same goes for, no matter how respected they are in the community they are still identified as their race and discriminated against for it, the extra effort they put into their task may be extraordinary but they are still a certain race. In the story "What 's in a Name? “by Henry Louis Gates he writes that his father was well respected, a hard worker and middle class but he was still black. One’s name is not only part of their identity it is what makes them