In every culture, people’s names are significant. What about
your name? What is its significance to you, your family, and your community? Consider our in-class discussions of names
and naming, as well as the materials we’ve read, and write an essay about the
issues---personal and cultural---surrounding naming. Your essay should not only
reflect on your own name, but also give you a space to make some more general observations
about the importance of names and baby naming practices.
Some questions to think about as you start might be:
How do our names impact how we think about ourselves----and
how others think of us?
What do lists of popular names or fads and trends in baby
names suggest about our collective attitude toward naming?
Are there ways a name can make a significant difference in a
person’s life?
In your paper please make reference to at least two sources
other than your own experiences. You can bring in ideas and material from any
of the written material we’ve discussed (“How Much Does Your Name Matter?,” the
Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt podcast transcript, Jody Rosen’s essay on his
name, “The Jody Grind,” and Manuel Munoz’s reflection on what happens to family
names in the name of cultural
assimilation, “Leave Your Name at the Border”). Or you can also use any
information you find interesting in the links I’ve distributed or those found in “The Jody Grind:” the Social Security name
database, the discussion of urban legend names, the various websites which
comment on or dispense naming advice, etc.
We will discuss how to properly cite this material in class.
Length: 3 ½ to 4 double spaced, typewritten and stapled
pages
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