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Keaton Mohr Assignment 2D English 250 HB McGough 7 Oct. 2013 Judgment: The Definition of a Person By Their Name What is a name? According to the dictionary, it is defined as a word or any combination of words to distinguish a person, place, or thing from others. A name, however, is much more than just a way to identify one thing from another. There is a reason, perhaps several, why things are given their specific name. For example, the Germans call their country Deutschland, compared to the more commonly used name Germany. Why is there a difference? In the German language, deutsch means German, so it means the same thing as Germany. Even though they mean the same, the two different terms for the country define how people perceive it. This especially applies to people. A persons name defines their character and how others perceive them. In Convergences, there are a couple pieces that give great examples of how a name can define a person and their character to others. A person is perceived differently based on their name. It may seem impossible to think about, but imagine what it would be like if Hitlers name wasnt Hitler. Lets say it was John. Would the name strike as much fear in people as the name Hitler did? Its hard to say, but a changed name can change the character of a person and how others judge them. In Manuel Muozs Leave Your Name At The Border, he explains how the change in his family and neighbors Mexican names to more American -sounding names changed how others perceived them (114). He gives a specific example in his passage about his stepfather, who changed his named from Antonio to Tony, when he moved from Mexico to America. He didnt prefer it, but he also didnt want to miss the chance of obtaining work in America. Having a Spanish-sounding name, according to Manuels stepfather, gave a person a higher risk of not landing a job. This ties directly into how others perceive a person based on their name, using an example about the workforce. Though it may be illegal, employers still will make hiring decisions based on a persons name, if potential employees have the same work experience and skills.

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A person is also defined by their name. Though a person cannot choose his or her name when he or she is born, the name grows and defines that persons character. The choice in names lies in the parents or guardians of the child born, and in most situations, the parents or guardians will choose a name that sounds successful, beautiful, or unique. In Steven Levitts and Stephen Dubners passage Trading Up: Where Do Baby Names Come From?, they analyze how parents choose names for their children. They discovered that there is a pattern in which high-end people will create names and pass them down to low-end people when the high-end people are done with the name. This shows how parents will most likely choose a name for their children that sounds successful. This can define the childs character of always striving for success and power. Although this isnt a terrible attribute, the child will always try to live up to their name and feel depressed and uncompleted if they dont reach the success that their name entails. Baby name experts Linda Rosenkrantz and Pamela Redmond Satran published a list of successful sounding baby names according to the Forbes list of richest people. Each name on the list is tied in with a successful person that has a vast fortune. For example, a name on the list is Alice, which corresponds to Alice Walton, the heiress to the Wal-Mart Corporation and makes $20.6 billion a year.

Figure 1: Alice Walton, the heiress to the Wal-Mart Corporation, is one of the most influential people of our time, according to TIME Magazine. Her name is a perfect example of how parents use successful peoples names for their own childrens names. Source: Alice Walton on alicewalton.org

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How a name defines a person is not only seen in the large aspects of society, such as the richest people in that society. Many parents also name their children after famous celebrities or athletes; this isnt because of their net fortune, but because of their fame. This has become common that people automatically think a child with a certain celebrity or athletes name was named after that individual. For example, take my brothe r. My parents named him Madden simply because they liked the name and how it flowed with his middle and last name that was chosen. However, many people in our town affiliate his name with legendary John Madden, and have already built high expectations of my brother being a phenomenal football player. This is partly because my stepfather is the head football coach. However, people make that assumption based on his name. This shows how accustomed society has become about names, judging a person based solely on their name and where it came from. In the end, a name carries a lot of power with it. It defines a person based on their character and the way others will perceive them. As the examples in previous paragraphs have shown, a person is judged and weighed upon the choice and sound of their name. In the case of Manuel, his Mexican neighbors were changing their names to sound more American, just so they could fit in. According to the studies shown by Levitt and Dubner, parents choose their babys names accordin g to rich, successful people. Its even seen in everyday life, such as my brothers name and how people in my community perceive his name. Names and the way they are chosen are essential in a society, and will either nurture or hurt the person with that name. Identification in society is important, but names are much more than just a way to tell who a person is. Its a way to give one insight on how that person acts and their attributes. So, if youre a parent now, or will be one in the future, choose your childrens names wisely. It will affect them in the future.

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Works Cited Muoz, Manuel. Leave Your Name At The Border. Convergences: Themes, Texts, and Images for Composition. Ed. Robert Atwan. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. 112-117. Print. Levitt, Steven D., and Stephen J. Dubner. Trading Up: Where Do Baby Names Come From? Convergences: Themes, Texts, and Images for Composition. Ed. Robert Atwan Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. 118-123. Print. Rosenkrantz, Linda, and Pamela Redmond Satran. Baby Names for Future Millionaires.BabyNames.com. Disney, n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. Alice Walton: Recognized by TIME Magazine as one of the worlds most influential people in 2012.alicewalton.org. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.