Walt Whitmans Evolution Essay Example For Students

Walt Whitmans Evolution Essay Walt Whitmans EvolutionThe nursery was a sea of red, newborn faces! I expected to pinpoint you because you are my flesh and blood. I also named you after an exotic flower, so I assumed? And my fathers voice would trail sheepishly. To his disappointment, it was a pink name-tag, not a psychic link that enabled him to know which red, newborn face was mine. Like all babies, I was stamped with a name, the first streak of chalk on my spotless slate of identity. Initially, a name is a set of syllables with the sole purpose of marking one face from an another. But later, this practicality (which distinguished me amongst a sea of infants) loses significance because the name begins to hold deeper meanings as one matures. We will write a custom essay on Walt Whitmans Evolution specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now It may even mark individual identities to the point where a mere mention can lead to surmises, fair and unfair. As a result, one can say Benedict Arnold and Traitor easily in the same breath. A name is not a mere utterance by the tongue; because it is categorized (most often by gender and culture), it can forcefully project its own characteristics onto its owners identity. Often, my fifth grade teacher crabbily speculated that her mother was probably drunk when her mother was pregnant. My teachers name was Billy, and her brothers name was Sue, not vice versa. Recognizable connotations in names are important tools for authors to convey literary meanings. For instance, Joe Christmas in William Faulkners Light in August is conspicuous because of his mixed heritage, which is projected by his parchmentcolored skin and his name, which a normal white man does not have. His striking name makes him unique, marking him as a foreigner. However, he chooses not to replace it with his white foster fathers name because the name Christmas identifies him and his mixed heritage. Like Christmas, some people choose names that are significant to their identities. But in my case, my elementary schoolmates took the initiative to choose my nicknames: Infinity Eyeballs and Moron. Needless to say, the former was a reference to my glasses, and the latter was a corruption of Mi Ran. I was stung because they were relevant to my identity; I did wear glasses, and my ethnic name can be mispronounced easily by non-Korean tongues. Thus, I became ashamed of my glasses and nationality. Adults seemed even less adept at pronouncing my name, so I began to dread substitute teachers, especially when they took attendance. Some were brave and tried to pronounce my name, but many just sighed, Sorry, I cant read this name. It is also ironic that my fifth grade teacher thought my name was Mia Ron.My given name became a burden, a source of torment. I was bothered that only Koreans could pronounce my name correctly. After one difficult day at school, I screamed at my father, Why didnt you name me Ann? I love that name because it isnt Korean! With hurt in his eyes, he responded that he named me after the orchid because he admired its wild, singular beauty. But, he softened, When you were a baby, your red, newborn face did not epitomize the orchid. Later, however, he did decide that my name was apt because I require as much love and care as an orchid. For a while, I considered compromising by Westernizing Mi Ran to Marion, but that would be no compromise. It symbolizes shedding some of my Korean culture, a part of my identity. Then, I learned to accept my unique name as a gift. As American culture blended into my identity, I learned to accept how non-Koreans try to pronounce my name. In fact, I began to like being called a variety of names that do belong to me, such as Mirm, Mirin, Mir-Ahn, and not just Mi Ran everyday. When I chose to keep my given name, I retained an aspect of my Korean culture and gained an American one. .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737 , .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737 .postImageUrl , .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737 , .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737:hover , .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737:visited , .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737:active { border:0!important; } .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737:active , .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737 .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u41d85a62866c20b915c438f13e754737:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: nervous conditions paper Essay But most importantly, the mispronunciations actually give me a sense of individuality.

Free Essays on Anonymity

The quality or state of being unknown or unacknowledged is called Anonymity. In her passage â€Å"The Anonymous Voice†, Esther Dyson talks about anonymity, its benefits and misuses. Esther Dyson earned her degree in economics from Harvard and then began her career as a fact checker and then a reporter for Forbes, a business magazine. The main idea of this passage is to explain why people adopt anonymity. Esther Dyson begins her article with her own anonymous role in life, and then talks more about anonymity in practice, problems with anonymity, her experience at the WELL, and true life experiments. In today’s world most of the people have second identity. Anonymity is in practice since decades. People send messages via blank calls and unsigned letters. Often a person has to play many roles in her life, in some cases she wants to be anonymous. Why? It is not necessary that anonymity is only for bad reasons, but there are also some legitimate reasons for which anonym ity is good. â€Å"Socially, anonymity is a useful mechanism for people to let off steam, explore ideas of fantasies, and hide from social disapproval with a minimum of consequences† (115). There are always two sides of the coin: the head and the tail. Some people use anonymity to avoid everyday responsibilities and challenges, to take advantages of others’ weaknesses, to betray their confidences, to misuse a totally open world, and to know others’ secrets. Esther Dyson is not on either side of anonymity. Although she is more towards the bad side of anonymity, she also had anonymous role in her own life. She says that anonymity is not a totally bad thing as long as one doesn’t misuse it. From the experience at the WELL, Dyson tries to show that how anonymity can be good or bad. On the positive side, people formed a tight little community, full of friendship and gossip, with deep friendships, and a few romances, some shared secrets and many more. On the oth... Free Essays on Anonymity Free Essays on Anonymity The quality or state of being unknown or unacknowledged is called Anonymity. In her passage â€Å"The Anonymous Voice†, Esther Dyson talks about anonymity, its benefits and misuses. Esther Dyson earned her degree in economics from Harvard and then began her career as a fact checker and then a reporter for Forbes, a business magazine. The main idea of this passage is to explain why people adopt anonymity. Esther Dyson begins her article with her own anonymous role in life, and then talks more about anonymity in practice, problems with anonymity, her experience at the WELL, and true life experiments. In today’s world most of the people have second identity. Anonymity is in practice since decades. People send messages via blank calls and unsigned letters. Often a person has to play many roles in her life, in some cases she wants to be anonymous. Why? It is not necessary that anonymity is only for bad reasons, but there are also some legitimate reasons for which anonym ity is good. â€Å"Socially, anonymity is a useful mechanism for people to let off steam, explore ideas of fantasies, and hide from social disapproval with a minimum of consequences† (115). There are always two sides of the coin: the head and the tail. Some people use anonymity to avoid everyday responsibilities and challenges, to take advantages of others’ weaknesses, to betray their confidences, to misuse a totally open world, and to know others’ secrets. Esther Dyson is not on either side of anonymity. Although she is more towards the bad side of anonymity, she also had anonymous role in her own life. She says that anonymity is not a totally bad thing as long as one doesn’t misuse it. From the experience at the WELL, Dyson tries to show that how anonymity can be good or bad. On the positive side, people formed a tight little community, full of friendship and gossip, with deep friendships, and a few romances, some shared secrets and many more. On the oth...