Preview

Power Of Names

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
435 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Power Of Names
The Power Of Names In the novel I know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou makes a statement about the power of names to show that names can go a long way. Names are very powerful. We feel good when someone calls us by our name. We are hurt when someone calls us an unkind name, or even when someone calls us by the wrong name or forgets our name. Sometimes a nickname means more to us than our given name, especially if it’s given to us by someone we love deeply. In this novel, names were used and said in many different ways. For example. The poewhite trash called mamma by her first name “Annie” (32) instead of calling her Mrs. Henderson.To me, thats quite disrespectful. Just imagine yourself walking out of a store, or walking down the street, and you see one of your friends children. And they just call you by your first name. Would you accept that? If it were me, i wouldn't. How would you …show more content…
That one family member that you tell all your secrets to. We all do. And in this novel, Maya and Bailey did too. They referred to their grandma as their momma (6). That is a good connection with their grandma because that means both Maya, and Bailey look up to their grandma as their mother. If i was the grandma in this situation. I would feel respected, because momma is a powerful name to be called. And me as a grandmother being called momma, is a huge sign of respect. A name can mean a lot to somebody. A name can either brighten somebodys day, or make somebodys day worse. I bet if you were standing outside of a store in the parking lot, and you called the first ten women you see beautiful. Your results would be a whole lot better rather than calling the first ten women you saw ugly. You can change a person's whole day less than 10 seconds, just by the name that you call them. It's all up to you. Would you rather make somebodys day? Or would you rather ruin

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Fighting Sioux

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Summary: In this text it’s pretty much introducing to all the topics and examples of the ways names are so important in our world today. He firstly describes how in past decades they always had a nickname like the 70s, 80s and 90s. But for the twenty first century years 2000 to 2009 has never received a nickname. He states how this is quite unfortunate and crazy because in the start of this 21st century we’ve had a lot accomplishment and devastating failures. Then in one of the same topics Patrick Olsen writes a text on “Does Your Pickup Truck Have a Nickname?” He states that people have a big love and enjoyment for inanimate things such as people who own trucks. He gives statistics and provides a survey…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many instances in Ken Mitchell’s play The Shipbuilder, where the main character Jaanus Karkulainen, insists on being called by his Finnish name Karkulainen. In the play, many characters call him Johnny Crook. This situation creates controversy about names and shows how important names are to some people. Jaanus and Jukka create most of this controversy.…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    people with un­attractive names value them. Our names are much more than our identity , they…

    • 300 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    In her essay, Angelou states “But the names to long. I’d never bother myself. I’d call her Mary if I was you” (5). This quote depicts the power that Miss Cullinan tries to assert and take away from Margaret and doing so by robbing her of her identity the one thing that was truly hers. It also shows the lengths in which Miss Cullinan will go to assert her corrupted power towards Margaret in retaliatory way for things in which she had no control like her husband leaving. In addition, Rodriguez give an example where his name was changed and his power was diminished when he states “A teenager drove past, shouting, Hey Greaser! Hey, Pancho …Such remarks would be said so casually that I wouldn’t quickly realize that they were being addressed to me. When I did, I would be paralyzed with embarrassment, unable to return the insult” (450). This quote speaks to the effect that the derogatory names had on Rodriguez. How they belittled him and took his power to stand up for himself and is yet another example of the corrupted tactics people use to satisfy their power…

    • 1224 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Despite the fact that one’s name is selected by somebody else and inevitably predetermines their fate , while they are living their life they can shape their name to try and conform their own values while also leaving it as a legacy once they are gone. Throughout Song of Solomon, the names of the characters help to disclose an immense amount about their personalities, as well, as how their monetary status creates their motivation, effects their decisions, and helps to form their legacy. Throughout the novel, many of the character’s names are chosen by someone else but still empower them to make the name, their own which helps to liberate them to indulge in a more prosperous life, rather than a life strictly focused on gaining a…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Names are very important things to people “bestowal of name and identity is a kind of symbolic contract between the society and the individual” (Deluzain, “Behind the Name”). When he changes her name to Bertha, she seems very disturbed and unhappy ““I hope you will sleep well, Bertha”- it…

    • 1289 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Furthermore, Tosafot says 'And I never gave my friends a nickname- Even if the nickname wasn't negative. And it when it says: that one who gave his fellow a negative nickname loses his place in the world to come, it is referring to a nickname which mock the person name and the family name.' Tosafot also says that there are two types of nickname, a "lowly" name and a "secondary" name. You should not call a person a lowly name, as this will embarrass them, and embarrassing a person in public is considered just as bad…

    • 475 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Most connections between people begin with learning the other person’s name. When exchanging names doesn’t occur then it usually means that either one or both of the people want to keep things impersonal. Keeping things impersonal can have its advantages but it can also create risks. Names make a connection and without that connection people become objects, titles, or ideas. When a person is given a title in place of a name they become the title instead of a person.…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Remaining nameless throughout the book plays into the role of alienation for the narrator. The narrator struggles with connecting to not only other people in his reservation, but with his own family. The narrator has lost both his brother and his father, and it is not until the end of the book that we find out that they may be the only family members he loved. This may play into his struggle to connect with his mother and grandmother. The narrator may not know show a connection or show affection towards his mother and grandmother because he doesn’t know how or because it may be because he is afraid of what will happen when they pass away too. The narrator also feels alienated when various characters try to remember details to events that happened in the past. For example, the narrator is talking with Lame Bull about the flood that had occurred about a decade ago. The narrator and Lame Bull go back and forth about the age of the narrator; the narrator reassuring Lame Bull that he was in his twenties when the flood happened but failing to reassure him because he believes the narrator was a small child at the time. There is also another incident in the book where the narrator has the same problem with his mother in recollecting details of the past. The narrator asks his mother why his father was rarely home when he was younger and she simply tells him that he was home often and that the narrator must be…

    • 633 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    "Names Have Power"

    • 279 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Rick Riordan, the author of The Lightning Thief, once said, “Names have power.” This quote means that every name can be traced back thousands and thousands of years and the history and the meaning of the names become a part of it. With so much powerful meaning tied to the name, it can affect a person’s life thousands of years after the event occurred. The name can either be destructive, or beneficial. The story told in Romeo and Juliet is a perfect example of how names can affect a person’s life. Romeo and Juliet are from two families, Montague and Capulet, and the families held an ancient grudge against each other. They fell in love before they realized that their families despised each other. The only reason they could not be together was because of their names. If they had not been from those two specific families, they would have been happily married, and their story would not have ended so tragically. However, names can be beneficial to a person’s life. For example, being born into a family, such as, the royal family, can benefit a person greatly. As soon as a child is born into the royal family, they automatically become famous and they are most likely next in line for the throne. Even being someone who is distantly related to the royal family can be extremely advantageous to their lives and their careers. Rick Riordan sums up perfectly the power and influence names have on life. Riordan may have meant for the quote to have a different meaning in the book, but it makes perfect sense in both the fictional book and real life.…

    • 279 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Name Essay

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Growing up I often didn’t like my name but as I grew older and started to figure out who I was and what I believed in, I realized with a little bit of research that my name was meant to be for me. A more personal meaning and character for my name is a quiet but not selfish person caring for others and strongly believing in God. I received my name by my mother when she was about 3 months pregnant; I was named after my grandmother Elizabeth Ann. My name definitely suits the person I am today and have become. After I figured out what my name meant, it made me feel better about myself because it defined me and made me feel secure and happy with whom I am.…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Name Essay

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages

    My name has become a big part of me, even though not many people know how to say it correctly. Sometimes I never really know when someone is actually trying to get my attention or not because they dont say it right. People mis-pronounce my name because it is spelled so differently and it's an Indian cultured name. A lot of people have definitions to their names but if you look mine up, it will tell you it is not defined yet. Which to me that just means i can be whoever i want to be and i dont have to live up to a name i can make it my own.…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Names, as a symbol and sign, is not strange to us. Everyone from childhood is given their names by their parents,which closely related to their whole life. Besides, names have something to do with every single day in your whole life.They are essential tool in social interaction. What’s more, the way you addressing people’s names shows your emotion. These are the condensation of cultural tradition and social customs. Therefore, different cultures have different inheritance custom of names. Different cultural traditions and social customs in China and English-speaking countries cause the different custom of names .…

    • 818 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Exemplification Essay

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A mother is a jewel, but a grandmother is a blessing. Having a grandmother in my live is the best thing I could ever ask, my grandmother Imelda was a second mother for me, she is my follow model, I learned many things by her side. My grandmother had three qualities; she was comprehensive, very positive and big lovely person.…

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    ‘Grandma’, a word which fills you with emotion as soon as you hear it. She is a person who would go over the top to fight for you. Be it her own son, or even her soulmate, she would fight with anybody to defend you. Even if you’re wrong, even if you hurt her, she would be good to you no matter what.…

    • 527 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays