One thing that interests me with respect to these three women is names. Ray doesn’t necessarily think that her name means anything more than some fabric from a hospital gown. But as we find out, Christine really had good intentions when she named Ray. Similarly, Christine hates the fact that she has to call her mom ‘Aunt Ida.’ At one point Christine remarks how she hates the fact that she has to call her Aunt Ida. Do you think maybe Aunt Ida has a good reason for this? I know we haven’t gotten to Aunt Ida’s section of the book yet, but I wonder if there might be some explanation.
OK, as I am writing this, I got to thinking: what is in name anyway? We talked about this in class before, but I’m interested to get some more feedback from you. I’m named after my dad; we are both Mark Anthony Jaworski. (This has caused much confusion in the world of credit cards, car insurance and other legalities) I was almost named after my grandfather. Sometimes I wonder if people are named randomly, based on something that sounds cool. Or if there is more thought put into it.
Last names, too. Mine is Polish. Jaworski. Something to do with a sycamore tree. Kind of cool I suppose. I think last names are pretty interesting, especially in other cultures where a last name comes before the first name (imagine that), like Ichiro Suzuki or Yao Ming. That's why his first name is actually the name on the back of his jersey. Cool, eh?
And sometimes I wonder if I were to ever change my name, what would I change it to? I want to name my son Vedder. (Laugh it up all you want guys—but don’t take my idea ;) Of course, this follows suit with my admiration of pearl?jam and their lead singer Eddie Vedder. Not that any of you are going to have kids anytime soon (and me either), but what are the criteria you would consider when naming your kids? I’ve told some of my friends that I want to name my eventual son Vedder and they respond by saying something along the lines of, “Well, what if he doesn’t even like pearl jam?” And I tell them that I really don’t care; he can name his kid whatever he wants. I’ve pulled another Seinfeld clip (go figure, right?) about names. I think it’s pretty funny. Check it out and let me know what you folks think about names…
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Well my name is very basic and the only significance my last name has is that its English and comes from the latin word taliare which means "to cut" (according to my stepdad). Now I don't know if I'd name my child after a lead singer of a band (no offense Mr. J) or a T.V. or movie characture like Christine did, but my first name was just thought up randomly by my dad on the car ride home from a doctors appointment, so when I name my future child I'd like it to have a little more thought behind it. I can see why Christine would get frustrated by calling her mom "Aunt Ida" I mean it's your mom, but also knowing the little bit about Aunt Ida I would have to guess that there is a reasoning behind it.
ReplyDeleteI am named after my aunt, which i think is pretty cool. My last name is Berns and my family thinks that its really like Bernstine or something, but when my great grandfather came to the United States it was change. I think your name is very important to youre identity. If i ever had a choice to change my name i dont think i would. My name was picked for a special reason and i wouldnt want to change that. I know a lot of people complain about their names because they are boring or something, but i think that you are given your name for a reason.
ReplyDeleteI think its strange that Ida makes Christine call her Aunt Ida. I think there most be a really big reason for it, im not really sure?
I think Aunt Ida makes Christine call her this because she disowns her as a daughter, but still see's her as part of the family. I like how DBERNS09 put it, your name should be very important to you. It is your identity. Ray should respect her name and maybe find out what it means.
ReplyDeleteI AM NAMED AFTER A FEMALE AND A PLACE IN THE BIBLE MEANING PRAISE OR JOY THATS THE MEANING OF JUDITH BUT MY LAST NAME IS ADOAH THAT ALSO HAS A MEANING MOST PARENTS GIVE THIER KIDS SOME NAMES BASED ON THIER CULTURE AND WHERE THEY COME FROM LIKE MY LAST NAME ,IF I TELL SOMEONE MY LAST NAME IT ACTUALLY TELLS THE PERSON I AM FROM SOMEWHERE FOREIGN ,SO MY POINT IS PARENTS GIVE THIER KIDS SPECIFIC NAMES BECAUSE OF # ONE IT HAS A MEANING AND ALSO IT IS IMPORTANT AND PART OF THIER CULTURE THAT THEY GIVE THAT NAME.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Aunt Ida made her own kids call her by "aunt" instead of "mom" because her mother wasn't a mother to her at all. Or maybe she doesn't want to be called mom because she feels it's too much responsibility or wants her name to be more significant. Also, the work mother may bring back horrible memories from when she was a child and she never wants to be anything like her mother was to her.
ReplyDeleteAnd although Ray doesn't think much of her name, she should be proud of her name because obviously Christine named her that for a reason. I think that if Ray and Christine had a better connection, Ray would know the meaning of her name and be able to be proud of her name.
i know that i was personally named by my parents NOT for some odd reason. My middle name is after somebody very important to my parents. Even though many people might not know the reason behind their name, they shouldn't complain because their parents picked it out especially for you, so it has some significance to them.
I believe that the name of the person doesn't make the person, however the person makes the name. For example all famous people prior have unqiue names to themselves like Plato or Socrates these and many others but we only know these names based off of what they have accomplished there names didn't taylor who they were going to be when tell matures so i think that Ray feeling unsatisfied about her name really means nothing. All she has to do is live her life and be pleased with what she has done because come later on when others look back they will find that her name means more than what she thinks.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing is my middle name was taken from my grandmothers father and he was a rich person amoung his peers so am i suppose to be extremely wealth no (it would be nice) i am suppose to be me and that is it. Also my last name Bawer is farmer in german which was taken from my grandfather who was german so i am i suppose to be a farmer no. We make our names come to life not the other way around.
I also think that your name is important to who you are. Its your identity and should be a part of who yor are. I dont think people should have their name picked after something that they like (such as 7) because it should be something special that would last forever. I still wonder y aunt ida makes her call her "aunt". I think lowedog is on the right track bc they have always had some tention and maybe there is something bigger that we dont know about yet.
ReplyDeletePersonally I feel that Aunt Ida wants to be called Aunt Ida because she doesn't feel that she is a good enough mother to be called Mom. I think that something happend in her past and has a good reason to why she is called Aunt Ida by Christine and even Ray. I have one of the most common names out there. First and last. Most of the time I don't like it, and I think if I could I would change it. Mainly just my last name though. It was changed when I was 3 from Stallard to Thomas because it was my Dad's last name. Nothing against my Dad, but he isn't really in my life so I would prefer it to have never been changed.
ReplyDeleteI believe that a name is very important to somebody. Like my name makes me who I am today.I am named after a catholic saint and my grandfather. Withoout my name, I do believe I would be a litlle differnt of a person.
ReplyDeletei feel that there is a ligit reason that aunt ida doesnt go by mom. I believe it has to do something with her past that makes her feel that way but maybe it has to do with the thought of being a mother maybe shes not accepting the mother roll as much as other might. When it comes to names i feel that people name there kids for a resason.. sure i dont know mine but i do know i wasnt randomly selected from the nearest item or the book or movie. Weither the name is dear to them or its a name that theve always liked i feel the name selected was done for a reason that is important and a long thought out process.
ReplyDeleteMy parents chose my name because they thought it sounded cool. It's an old Irish name that means "Little King" so yeah i guess its pretty cool. I think all names fit a person well and are chosen for a reason. For some parents it may be to pass on the family name, it can come from many sources such as movie stars, famous singers, or even famous althletes. For other parents its because they think it sounds good. When i have kids i plan on naming my kids for what a name means and how original it is compared to society.
ReplyDeleteMy name,danielle, is my grandpa's name except the female version of it. i think that i was randomly named and then not really. I think that it happened to work out that i was named after my grandpa and plus my mom and dad just happened to like it. I hate it. i think that it is a really ugly name. Plus then you add in my last name and it comes out to be very plain. Danielle Harper. If i had a chance to really change my name i would change it to Jade.
ReplyDeleteI think that Aunt Ida doesnt like Christine to call her mother is because maybe it was unexpected for Aunt Ida to have become a mother and she maybe didnt want it at first. It's not even like she let's anybody call her mom or grandma or anything. I think that maybe she just doesnt like the name.
I think a child's name shouldn't be something ridiculous. Parents really need to be careful when namimg your child.Like i know somebody named Shithead. it isn't pronunced like that but still. Think before u name your children! Kids can be really cruel. And i am not saying that i want everybody to name thier child Sally or Bob. I like the strange names, but im just saying that we nned to be careful. That kid will have that name forever( unless they change it legally) and parents need to be consious of that
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sambo18 parents should think before they name their kid, because that name will stick with them for at least the next 18 years of their life. I know a kid that has the name DNA, and by that I mean the full word not the 3 letters. On top of that I once read an article a few years ago about some Jappanesse parents that wanted to name their kid @. No joke they wanted to name their kid @..... WTF?!
ReplyDeleteI don't mind the names that aren't very common, as long as they're not ridiculus and the spelling matches the way it sounds. Like Destyne for destiny. my advice to these parents is first see how common the name is and second USE SOME SPELL CHECK FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE!
After I saw the Seinfeld clip, I thought about how that name 7 would honestly have no meaning for the child, it would be as if the child's name was picked for a parent's interests? I think if it was more personal to the entire family it would be okay, but not to one parent. But if it's cool then why not? I think a name is unique to the person it's chosen for and helps make up the person's identity.
ReplyDeleteMy middle name is Elizabeth and was chosen because that was my grandmother's and her mother's middle names. I also thought about how both my uncles (one on my dad's side and one on my mom's) were named after my grandparents and have the same name. I think names are a good way to keep tradition in a family and help link family members together.
I think the main reason she makes her call Aunt Ida is to show her respect. You always want to show respect to your parents. My name comes from the Bible about an apostle Stephen. He was later killed for preaching the word of God. It means "Crowned One." My last name is Welsh from the country of Wales. It means strog force winds.
ReplyDeleteI think the choosing of a name has a lot of thought put behind it. many of my friends are named after their mothers, grandmothers, grandfathers, fathers, or someone else that has influenced one of the parents. I find that many names are those of our heros in our lives or those we look up to. Other times there could be no thought put behind it and it could just be something that popped into their head. I think it just depends on who is picking the name and what the meaning is beind a name.
ReplyDeleteI think a name is something that defines you. some thing that no one can take away from you. Whether it came from a type of fabric, a person someone looked up to, or even an old pet of somesort, your name is....well its simply just you. I used to hate my name when I was little, but now that I've grown up with it, i kind of like it. I dont know too many girls with my name so to me its somewhat unique.
sup! dooode =) i was named after eric claptons son conner clapton who died on my date of birth. so thats kinda cool. but like sambo18 said up there parents, when naming their children should really take their time and name them something that has some special meaning to them. bang out yup!
ReplyDelete-conner turk
ay yo was good dog, i beleive a name has a great significance and the describes the persons character. All name's are unique because they only represent one person
ReplyDeletemohamed
I have the most common name [kaila] but its spelled diffrent. I wouldnt change my name becuse my grandma named me and 8 months later she past away. She was the first to get my pictures taking and to get my ears pierced. My last name [josey] is also, a common name but most people that i know spell it JOSIE. When they see the y in mine they think they know me. idk im fine with the name i have because it has some history to go with it.
ReplyDeleteI can understand Ray thinking her name is nothing important becase her mom doesn't show much affection for her so why would she put much thought into a name? And Christine does get upset about calling her mom "Aunt Ida." However, I think Ida did this to protect her and her children from judgements from other people and to let them have the same chances as other peoples children. My sisters and I all had names that came from the Bible because religion is important to my parents. I'm unsure of any significance of my last name though. I don't think I would change my name now though because I have so many memories with being called Deborah that I would feel like I lost some of those if I were to change my name.
ReplyDeletei agree with you on that. i feel like names do hold a certain meaning to them and that's what makes it unique and valuable to most. for example my name is Ayan, it means the lucky one. my last name Dhere means tall given to my grandfather because his mother always believed one day he'll grow up to be one tall handsome man. i never lived to see him but i heard he was 7'2"!!! yea! she really must have known he was going to be tall huh. anyways all i am saying is that i feel as if the name given to you has special meaning behind it.
ReplyDeletefor me my parents named because they wanted something was unique, and for that time not used a lot. and i myself have some difficulties with my name, for instance i can never find a key chain with my name on it.
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ReplyDeleteWell my full name is Luke Daniel Meissner. Luke being after Saint Luke..and Daniel i am not sure where it came from. I was actually really close to being named Daniel Luke Meissner, but one of my mom's friends convinced her out of it because she knew a Daniel who was a heaven? Sometimes I can see myself as a Daniel/Dan/Danny...and i would liked to occasionally been called "Dan the Man" haha.. My last name is pure German, it is a name the derived from someone that lived in Meissen. I take much pride in my last name, as my brother does dramatically (having it tatoo'd on his back). My first tattoo will be with him getting "Ein Blut" which means 'One Blood' in German. When i decide to have kids, I will name my 2nd son after my brother.
ReplyDeleteokay well mine name was actually not picked out by my parents 1. beacause they could not think of a name and 2. i was suppose to be a boy haha!My great grandmother wanted a girl named RAchael and never got one sp she asked my mother if she would name me Rachael and well here i am! I have for sure put some thoughts in a name for my children some day def not anytime soon! I have picked the names Brady and Payton yes both named after the football players, brady quinn being my fav player in college and Payton manning being pro! SO that is why i picked them! I do think that our names symbolizes who we are and i feel that we all fit with our names, wether people want to change them or not i stilll feel that everyones name will have a true story behind them!
ReplyDeleteMy name is not from anything. It's a common german name but nothing important about it. I have to agree with lodawg, that Aunt Ida tries to disown Christine. Christine has made poor decisions that Aunt ida does not agree with. I believe that most names have a reason though. My name might have a meaning but nothing i know of. I think Aunt Ida isnt worthy enough to call her mom.
ReplyDeleteI don't think your name makes who you are as a person. I think you make your name. For example, if you act cheerful all the time, when people hear your name they will think about cheerful things.
ReplyDeleteI love my name so much! It's Anna Kristina Czechowski. As you can tell by my last name, I'm Polish. And I don't go my Anna, I go by Ania. (Polish for Anna) My that's what my parents have always called me and many people don't know a whole lot of Ania's, so I feel unique. My name reminds me of my heritage and of my family.
I really want to know why Aunt Ida doesn't want to be called grandma. It seems very strange to me, so I'm interested to find out.
I am not named after anyone, nor is my name significant in anyway,but my name came from the name Stephanie. My mom and dad were in the hospital with me trying to find a name for me; my original name was going to be Stephanie Nicole, but my "uncle" (who is a very close family friend) came up with the name Tiffany instead of stephanie, he doesn't know where it came from and it just popped into his head and my mom liked the way Tiffany Nicole sounded so that is how i got my name. The funny thing is when my uncle gave my mom a congratulations card for me it said "We welcome Stephanie to the world" because he didn't know that they had stuck with the name he had chosen for me. My whole name is Tiffany Nicole Culver and my heritage is German and Irish, Culver if i am correct is German but my name is not based off of my Heritage, to be honest i don't really think my name is based off of anything.
ReplyDeletePersonally no matter what you are named or how you are named what is chosen is significant in someway shape or form. I think Aunt Ida may have a somewhat good reason for why she will not let her kids call her mom we are just not sure as to what that reasoning may be yet.
i feel that ray uses her excuse that her name came from nothing just to seperate herself from her mother.. i think its used so that ray isnt very attached to her mother because she doesnt know what kind of stablitiy that her and her mom have. so but keeping her distance its easier to let go just inccase something happens and her mother is gone forever.. Rays affraid of getting attached b/c of the lack of stablitity in her "family"... but all names are givin for a reason just like i said before weather u know it or not your parent care alot about u and your name is one sign.
ReplyDeleteI believe that there is meaning behind all names. I was named Victoria after my Aunt's middle name. My brother got to pick my middle name. All I know about my last name is that it is German. My dad decided before they had found out that I was a girl that if I was a boy I would be named after him, William Frank Hookman Jr. The names that are out there now are ridiculous. For example, Apple or Seven like the clip above. If you can't come up with better names then fruit and numbers, I think you need to pick up a baby names book.
ReplyDeleteBelle commented that Aunta Ida wanted to be called Aunt Ida because of the responsibility that comes with being called mom. I agree to this statement, but I feel like there is more behind it. I mean she wasn't close to Christine or Ray, but she was close to Lee so why couldn't he call her mom instead of Aunt Ida. Aunt Ida and Christine seem to be a lot alike, kind of like parallels. And I see Christine as a free spirit and some who is a lil scared to grow old, so maybe Aunt Ida is too. And anyone can be an aunt at any age, so maybe being called Aunt make her feel younger and not so tied down with the life put before her.
ReplyDeleteI think that your name should be imporntant to you and you should understand the meening of it.I think Ray should try to find out the meaning of her name and be proud of it.
ReplyDeleteTo me names don't really matter. I don't think i'd be any different than I am now just because my name isn't Lindsey. I kind of see names being more of an issue of ownership from your parents than of where you come from. all my parnets did was fight over my name and i don't see why they did when it's just a silly name. I think the world be a cooler place if all we had for names was just first names; even though it would be so much more confusing but it would be interesting.
ReplyDeleteI feel that names come to you at all different times in ur life. Like nicknames peole get nicknames all the time for crazy things that they have done. But, that name onlyt represents you of that moment. thats y u need to think of a awsoem first name that way your kid doesent get a nickname name. Im thnking about Lino or maybe Zordon something that sticks out you know.
ReplyDeleteI think some people either choose random names or the names they choose have some significant to them. For instance my mom just liked the name Laura, but i never knew that, i thought she did it to be funny since my initials are L.M.N, (Laura Michelle Ng)like the alphabet. It mostly depends on each individual person and their reason for the names they choose to give to both their children and or pets. I alread have my daughters name picked out and i've only chosen the name because i like it, not because someone in my famile has that name. Personally i would rather not give my kids the same name as someone in my family only because i think names basically shouldn't be repeated. Sure naming your kids after your parents is a sign of respect or like appreciation but i just wouldn't do that. I want my kids to have their own "identity" and not feel like they have to live up to whoever you're naming them after.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the part about Aunt Ido wanting to be called Aunt Ida was interesting. If i remember correctly it was because she had never been married and she didnt want to be called mom. If i was her daughter I think that would bother me. I dont think that it matters whether she was married or whatever the circumstance, she is still my mother and I think Aunt makes it sound less intimate. You share more with your MOTHER than you do your AUNT, normally.
ReplyDeleteI Thought it was interesting how Rayona got her name, because Christine wanted to name a boy Raymond. But instead Ray was a girl and she named her accordingly. I thought this went with the theme in the book of Christine not always being there for Ray or very close with her. Sometimes it seems like she doesn't want her... and so the getting a girl instead of a boy goes along with this idea.
My name, Mackenzie, was chosen because my parents liked the name, and it was different. My dad said that he tried to chose my name, so that it was a grown up name. he said that he tried to picture working for a _______(name). he wanted the name to be professional and grown up sounding? I like that, i wouldnt like suzy, or chelsea. I like my name and i dont think i would ever change it. When i was younger i wanted to change it. My parents said they liked the fact that my name could be a boys or a girls, and i agree. They named my brother Alex, so they continued that theme.
ReplyDeleteI like that my name is different and i really only know few other mackenzies. My parents said that they wouldnt tell anyone what they were going to name me because they didnt want anyone to steal that name from them :)
I think that Vedder would be a terrible name for a child. Fortunately, the people in this book don't like Pearl Jam, and don't want to subject their children to a lifetime of insults and teasing. Ray is a cool name for a girl, but not a boy. Since my name is Rachel, I bet my nickname could be Ray if I really tried. Like Rachel Ray. Thom Yorke would be a great name for a girl or a boy. JK Mr. Jaworski, you're a great teacher and I love this book and this class and this blog.
ReplyDeleteYou can't write back cause you don't speak Spanish.
It's really interesting to think about the influence of names. I don't think we all fully realize the way someone's name affects our view of them immediately. My boyfriend's name is Richard Keim Hoover III (so he shares your problem) but he always goes by Trey. The difference between the way people immediately perceive him based on which name he is introduced by is ridiculous. He's the same person, but obviously the name places an immediate impression on those who don't know him. I think it's the same with a lot of other people--especially those of different cultures. Foreign names are often changed to be more "normal" and avoid whatever it is that happens when someone with an interesting name is introduced. This book does a good job of showing the importance of names because it really does show how people immediately react based on what a person's name is. Aunt Ida probably goes by that as a way to distance herself. A "mom" or "mother" is always going to have the connotation of being maternal and close to her children, but an "aunt" demands a different kind of respect without the emotional attachment that calling someone "mom" has.
ReplyDeleteThe doctor had told my parents that I was going to be a boy so they had the name Ryan picked out for me. But to their surprise when I was born I was a girl. So I actually went 3 or 4 days without a name then the doctor said that my moms time was up and she had to pick a name for this terror. So that gave my mom a perfect idea, she said lets name for Tara because it sounds like terror.
ReplyDeleteI think when parents name their kids sometimes they don't think long enough or take along time. But they might name their kids after there parents or grandparents or sometimes people who are herod to them or who have a big affect or impact on them. As you grow up I think your name really brings out who you are. It fits your personality. A name can mean many things though, such as how parents what people to see you as or what they think you are they will name you after somethin with that meaning behind it so I think naming has a big story behind of instead of just picking a name you like or think is cool. I think it realy has a meaning to it.
ReplyDeleteI think if you are a parent and you are the child's guardian, that you should be allowed as your right as an american citizen, to name your child whatever crosses your mind first. Giving into the formal name just is saying that you don't believe in your child to grow as a human. My mother named me Nicholas. For what reason...i have no clue. But all i know is that your name becomes apart of who you are as a person. If i were named Lobster my friends would barely notice that i was named after a crestation or whatever you call it.
ReplyDeleteI think that you have a point about AuntIda having a reason for being called that. When we first started reading the book i think i remember Mrs Smith saying something about how on the reservations it's a tightly knit group and the older women and just concidered everyone's aunt. so i think it just goes back to the idea of Aunt Ida being a very traditional person.
ReplyDeleteMy name is not anything special. It is very common, I am sure every one knows a few people named Amanda. But, it isn't like my mom chose this name for no reason. It wasn't anything profound, she just thought it was pretty sounding.
ReplyDeleteIn choosing a future child's name, I would want something with some meaning behind it so my kid would know I care. I don't want some random, meaningless name such as Seven.
My name has no special meaning to it, my parents thought it just sounded good. I have a lot of irish in me and my middle name is patrick which a very common irish name and my last name bentley is english, which i have in me as well. If i had the opportunity to change it, it would definitely be no. I feel it makes me differnt. I don't really feel like there is a criteria for choosing a name, I just feel like you shouldn't try to embarass your kid.
ReplyDeleteMy name, Joe was one that my mom always wanted her son to be named, my middle and last name; Alan Baucum are also my uncles, so my dad for some reason wanted me to have my uncles middle name.
ReplyDeleteI honestly want to name my son Jaxin, no legit reason other than no one has an x in their name, and it's a cool legit way to spell it.. ahaha
As for a daughter, i don't really care ahahah