The Significance of Nicknames in Italian-American Culture and the Novel Christ In Concrete
Nicknames. They are something that everyone is familiar with in one way or another. However, most people have little, if any, personal experience with nicknames. In Italian-American culture, nicknames play a major role in everyday life. Nicknames are formed with a certain unspoken format, and they have a particular importance. In Italian-American culture nicknames, even though to others they may seem harsh and cruel, are terms of endearment and give a sense of belonging.
“Soprannomi” in Italian means “above the name” (Mazzoni) and refers to dialect nicknames (Addario and Rulli). To the “outside world” Italian-American’s use of nicknames may bring to mind organized crime, due to negative media portrayal, with such names as Al “Scarface” Capone and Tony “The Big Tuna” Accardo (Arduini). From my personal experience, I can say that within the Italian-American culture nicknames have a much sweeter significance.
Since very large, extended Italian families all were apt to dwell in close proximity to one another, nicknames were traditionally used to distinguish one branch of a family from another, and/or one individual from another (Addario and Rulli). Another very good reason for the use of nicknames comes from the “rigor of most Italian naming traditions” (Arduini). The first-born son is to be named after his paternal grandfather, and the second-born son is to be named after his maternal grandfather. Likewise, the first-born daughter is to be named after her paternal grandmother, and the second-born daughter is to be named after her maternal grandmother. The children that follow, “Lord willing”, are to be named after their godparents, not to mention the naming of children after patron saints. It goes without saying that many family members, and community members, end up with the same names. Obviously this leads to tremendous confusion when families and communities are gathered and talking to and about one another, which occurs frequently. Therefore there is actually a desperate need for nicknames.
The most basic form of nickname assignment is the tag of “Big” and “Little” added to the oldest and youngest carriers of a name (Arduini). Although, since most Italian families are so large, this isn’t always sufficient, so nicknames have to rely on other characteristics.
A very convincing example of the role that nicknames play in Italian-American life is portrayed in Pietro di Donato’s novel Christ In
Their name is sometimes shortened up and changed. The officials would change them so people can pronounce and spell them.
My full name is Jason Accardi Junior. I was confirmed in the Catholic Church at the age of 14 and received the name John Bosco for my confirmation Saint. The reason I was named Jason because of my father Jason. I do not have a middle name because my father does not have a middle name; therefore for me to be a junior, I could not have a middle name either. The reason my father wanted to name me after him was because it was the only name he could picture me as being. My mother wanted other names for me but my dad was determined and had his mindset to name me after him. He wanted to start a tradition or a legacy of the name Jason through the Accardi bloodline.
In the traditional political history of Italy the people outside of the ruling class of the society were rarely studied. Only with the use of social history did the issues of class and gender begin to be debated by scholars. Numerous recent articles have done a great job of analysing particularly men of high status. In this paper I will look at the lower classes of Renaissance Florence. More specifically, I will center my focus on the lives of women during this era, how they were treated and viewed by people of other classes and how women were viewed and treated by men.
Pietro DiDonato’s Christ in Concrete is a powerful narrative of the struggles and culture of New York’s Italian immigrant laborers in the early twentieth century. Jerre Mangione and Ben Morreale, in their historical work La Storia, state that "Never before or since has the aggravation of the Italian immigrant been more bluntly expressed by a novelist" (368). A central component of this "aggravation", both for DiDonato as an author and for his protagonist Paul, is the struggle to reconcile traditional religious beliefs and customs with the failure of that very same faith to provide any tangible improvement in the immigrants’ lives. Through Paul’s experience, we observe the Catholic institutions lose influence and effectiveness as Capitalist ones, manifest in Job, take their place. While doing this, DiDonato also illustrates essential aspects of Italian (specifically southern) Catholicism and the pressures placed upon it by the American environment.
The Progressive Movement that occurred during the early 20th century was a time of major reform in the United States of America. During this time, there was a group of activists that referred to themselves as the Progressives, and they sought to change society for the people. The way that they intended to do this was change through their ideals of democracy, efficiency, regulation, and social justice. With this movement came the election that changed the course of America’s history “…demonstrating a victory for progressive reforms as both Progressive candidates accounted for 75 percent of all the votes” (Bowles). The candidates in this election were Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. While both of these men considered themselves to be part of the progressives and shared some similar opinions, they also differed from each other greatly and were apparent in their views during this time.
People often drop names to assure the achievement of whatever goal it is they are trying to achieve. This tactic works especially well in business, but it can also work in argument. Names of influential people have influential affects. “I know Don Corleone,” would certainly have gotten nearly anything done in Mario Puzo’s The Godfather. Both Simone de Beauvoir and Niccolò Machiavelli used the names of well-known people to add a sense of importance and truth to what it was they were saying. Their choice of names is very similar. They both chose fabled heroes, past and present political figures and fictional powers to help their work gain value. However, they differ in a subtle way. The names are used much like a recipe uses measurements: one part politics to two parts fiction. This ratio adds a different tone to each argument, which also helps to get the author’s, de Beauvoir or Machiavelli’s, point across.
Ginsborg P (1990). ‘A History of Contemporary Italy: Society and Politics: 1943-1980’ Published by Penguin; Reprint edition (27 Sep 1990).
The Vietnam War was the longest and most expensive war in American History. The toll we paid wasn't just financial, it cost the people involved greatly, physically and mentally. This war caused great distress and sadness, as well as national confusion. Everyone had that one burning question being why? Why were we even there? The other question being why did America withdrawal from Vietnam. The purpose of this paper is to answer these two burning questions, and perhaps add some clarity to the confusion American was experiencing.
Well my Messas name was Nole William, and we were named for him. But when we was freed, we were told to take freed names.
That is, to control the rapid growth that was putting a strain on the average American. Theodore Roosevelt was considered first of the “progressive presidents”. The first benchmark achievement was in 1902, when he intervened in a national coal strike. He persuaded the owners to allow the dispute to be settled by a commission that he would appoint. By doing so he recognized the United Mine Workers Union. However, this was more than just recognizing a union. Roosevelt made a statement about what kind of president he would be and about what the American people should stand for. It is the first achievement of progressivism that sparked the reforms still to come. Another big achievement by Roosevelt was passing the Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Acts in 1906. These acts regulated and guaranteed the safety of what the American people consumed. Many businesses benefited from and supported these acts, showing that Roosevelt’s active liberal government could be good for both
People of all varieties in all parts of the world have reported experiencing déjà vu. According to Art Funkhouser, creator of the Déjà Experience Research website, a variety of people, young and old, both within and outside the U.S.A. have sent him unsolicited accounts of their déjà experiences (Funkhouser, 2014). On his website, he posts these firsthand narratives as a resource for other researchers and so that visitors who have experienced the phenomena may parallel their own accounts with those reported to him. He provides a page where visitors can submit their encounter with déjà vu to augment the rapidly expanding database. The following accounts are extracted from his website and have been condensed for brevity. The first account is from M. of the U.S.A. M. relates that he vividly remembers how he feels when déjà vu starts and that it always combines the place and the actions he takes and that everything and everyone around him is involved. M. says, “All of a sudden I freeze ¬ and the feeling comes over me and I realize I¹ve done and seen and heard ...
Recognizing a certain name or authority you know how to view the name and why it stands for. Whether the name of the Gambino Family from Palermo, Sicily, Italy stands for power and trust many will disagree. Everyone can agree on this Crime Family has achieved many milestones in history by their violence and authority created by a 19 year old immigrant that learned from one of the best Don’s ever lived. You could even say there are some sort of conspiracies are related with our government and the Crime Families.
“You live and you suffer” — a translated quote from Antonio (from the film The Bicycle Thief), is a brief statement that summarizes the feelings of those who lived in the post world war II “civilization”. This paper will preview Italian Neorealism, and the way it’s elements are incorporated into the movie “The Bicycle Thief” to reveal the ideal Italian setting, as it was after the second world war.
Translated from the Italian by Camilo P. Merlino, Charles W. Arbuthnot, editor. Torino, Italy: Claudiana Editrice, 1980.Fs
Cohen, E. S., & Cohen, T. V. (2001). Daily life during the Italian Renaissance. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.