I’ve always wondered how I got my name, Markel Ashawn Harrigan, and what the origin was and the meaning behind it. When I would ask my mom and dad, they would tell me that it was a mixture between my dad’s name, Marvin, and their favorite music artist R. Kelly. Callahan was a name my grandmother gave to me when I was a baby; she always called me by that name and never by my first name. Callahan is from the Irish descent and the meaning of Callahan is “lover of churches, bright- headed”. The name Markel means “of Mars the God of War, warlike”. The name Harrigan means “the descendent of the son of the grey-haired one”. I tried to research my middle name, and there were no results, for the reason of my parents coming up with it spontaneously.
Doing research on my name makes me wonder what the meaning of other peoples names.
“Choosing My Name” by Puanani Burgress is a poem that reflects Burgess idea of her identity and how it is related with her different names. Despite having three different names Chirstabella , Yoshie and Puanani, she particularly likes identifying herself as Puanani although it is not her “official name”. Strange as it sounds, I aslo have three different names: Basanta, Kancho, Xxxxxx. My third name Xxxxxx is my cultural name that I cannot disclose thus I have decided to write it Xxxxxx as it is made up of six letters. Xxxxxx is my favorite and preferred name because it connects me to my family, my culture and my land.
Nature has a way of ensuring that things change and develop as necessary. However, there are times that nature needs a bit of a push. The agent that provokes this quick and life changing push is called the catalyst. In the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving Owen is the catalyst. It is through a series of literary devices that Irving discloses the immense effect that Owen has had not only on the life of his best friend, John, but on everyone that he encounters.
A Prayer for Owen Meany, a novel by John Irving, is a touching and morbid novel riddled with death and uncertainty. It’s overall story, however, about two young boys growing up in the 1950’s, is a story where relationships are tested and also strengthened because of a peculiar child, Owen Meany. Even after the death of Owen Meany himself, the relationship between the two is as strong as ever because after death Owen continues to protect Johnny and let him know he’s not going to leave him. While alive Owen protected Johnny by making it so he could not get drafted into the Vietnam War by cutting off his index finger, effectively making it so the he cannot shoot a gun. Owen however, went along with the war and enlisted himself into it by the ROTC
In the article “The Name Is Mine” by Anna Quindlen, she explains her story about her name, why she chose to keep it, and why it has such meaning to her. As a result of keeping her maiden name, there were many positive and negative aspects that went along with it.
This poem dramatizes the conflict between love and lust, particularly as this conflict relates to what the speaker seems to say about last night. In the poem “Last Night” by Sharon Olds, the narrator uses symbolism and sexual innuendo to reflect on her lust for her partner from the night before. The narrator refers to her night by stating, “Love? It was more like dragonflies in the sun, 100 degrees at noon.” (2, 3) She describes it as being not as great as she imagined it to be and not being love, but lust. Olds uses lust, sex and symbolism as the themes in the story about “Last night”.
Songs and poems have a lot of great and powerful words, but sometimes nobody realizes the true meaning of the words. The song, “Wanted,” written by Hunter Hayes and his co-writer, Troy Verges, performed by Hunter Hayes, is about making the one you love feel loved and wanted. This country pop song produced by Dann Huff and Hunter Hayes was released on March 5, 2012. Hunter told Taste of Country about writing the song: "At the time, I was trying to tell somebody something, but I couldn't figure out how to say it. So I wanted to say it in music because I knew it would be a little more impactful. I wanted to say we are great in this relationship together, and I feel like it could even get better." The three literary devices used in this poem to get the theme across are hyperbole, simile, and indirect characterization.
Authors use literary elements throughout short stories to give an overall effect on the message they give in the story. In his short story, “Doe Season” by Michael Kaplan, illustrates a theme(s) of the hardships of not wanting to face the reality of death, losing of innocence and the initiation of growing up. Kaplans theme is contributed by symbolism, characterization, setting and foreshadowing.
My name, Nicole, is derived from the word for "victory" in Greek. Although I feel I do have a distinct purpose in life, I have never referred to my name's meaning in order to know it or remember it. Malidoma means "be friends with the stranger/enemy" in the Dagara language and this is Malidoma's mission in life. He told the elders of his identity and purpose on Earth when he was a soul taking on human form in his mother's womb. On the third day after his birth, Malidoma was named as such because it is a constant reminder of his purpose. Malidoma had to tell the West (the stranger/enemy) of his people. Through Of Water and Spirit, Malidoma is fulfilling his purpose in life.
Mrs. Delacroix's name comes from the Latin word for crucifix. Mr. And Mrs. Adams' name is used to represent humanity. These names you have to look a little more deeply into.
...name Dee responds “I couldn't bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me” (73). In this statement Walker describes the conflicting views of what heritage is. To Dee she sees her name as a reminder of the people who had oppressed her culture for so many years. It is because of this that she decided to change her name. In contrast Mama tries to explain that Dee’s name is a part of her heritage as it was the name of her ancestors and passed down over time. In comparison Maggie does not seem to share her sister’s views on what their family’s culture is. This could be due to the fact that Maggie has always valued her heritage and never viewed it something she had to live up or down to. It was just a part of who she was. Maggie's base for her heritage is her simple and basic connection to her mother and their home, while for Dee it's the idea of it.
At the Smithsonian Museum of American History, there is an exhibit of items that were left at the wall by someone who loved one of those names. A few examples of these items, are numerous wedding rings, letters, foods, a royal flush of playing cards, pictures, a six pack of beer, a bottle of whiskey, thousands of flowers, many brass arm bands which were worn by soldiers, and medals of honor. All of these different entities have a different meaning, they all carry different emotions, attitudes, and expressions that only the soldier who is only represented by a name would understand.
We often don’t take the time to learn how to pronounce foreign words and names; in fact we sometimes make fun of them. Firoozeh says, “My cousin’s name, Farbod, means ‘greatness’. When he moved to America, all the kids called him ‘Farthead. My brother Farshid became ‘Fartshit’ (1). When Firoozeh’s family moved to America they all were discriminated against because of their foreign names, because of this Firoozeh changed her name to Julie. Once she changed it people were able to pronounce her name and would approach her.
There are still families that are respected because of their legacy. For instance, the Kennedy’s were already a prominent family in society before John F Kennedy became president. Other prominent family names include Hilton, Gates, Booth, and Pinckney because of the histories and wealth associated with these families. This way, people are still born with a certain level of honor and prestige based on the family name they carry. Even on a local level, families carry reputations of having certain traits. Before meeting a Falls, one may expect to encounter a calm, reserved, intelligent person because those are traits associated with the Falls name. On a personal level, a person’s name still holds keys to a story. Public records are kept on everyone. A skilled researcher could uncover a person 's past simply by researching a name because that name carries a story. Anything a person does, whether good or bad, is associated with a name. Sometimes people to form opinions on someone based on a person’s name because the name alone tells a story. Modern cultures may view names casually, but they still carry power
There are many similarities between The Namesake and “Interpreter of Maladies.” In both of these, an identity crisis is faced. In The Namesake, Gogol faces identity crises by rejecting his unusual name. “The family looked Indian but dressed as foreigners did, the children in stiff, brightly colored clothing and caps with translucent visors.”(Lahiri44) In “Interpreter of Maladies” the family faced an identity crisis trying to merge their American identity with their Indian identity. Even though they could have dressed like Indians in India, they didn’t. They dressed as they would in America and stood out. Both “Interpreter of Maldies” and The Namesake are related to the second generation Indian-Americans, along with Jhumpa Lahiri herself.
I have read an account called " 'What's in a Name? " ", which is composed by Henry Louis Gates. This account demonstrates to us a youth experience of the creator that happened amid the mid-1950s. In the article, Gates alludes to an occurrence when a white man, Mr. Wilson, who was well disposed with his dad, called his dad "George", a name which was a prominent method for alluding to African Americans in those circumstances. In any case, Gates' dad needed to acknowledge this separation and couldn't make a move around then. By utilizing sentiment to bring out individuals' enthusiastic reaction, and utilizing suggestion, Gates effectively communicates his claim that name shapes individuals' discernments