September 27, 2007
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What’s in a name?
Memorable soliloquy from Romeo and Juliet. “What’s in a name?” Juliet’s answer, “A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” Would that I could agree with her! [for the nonshakespeareans, "would" means "i wish"]
There’s something about a name. More specifically, there’s something about your own name. When a professor (pastor/theologian or company exec) that you respect remembers your name or when someone of the opposite sex whom you admire calls you by name, there’s just something about that. You know you’ve been remembered and you feel special.
And there’s something about not being remembered. Being that I have a hard time remembering people’s names, I don’t always expect others to remember my name, but when it’s forgotten by someone who should know and remember your name, it’s a teensy bit crushing. You feel forgotten; you don’t feel special.
And when they spell your name wrong when they should’ve gotten it right… this is strangely my greatest pet peeve. I dislike it when it’s spelled “Maryann” “Marianne” “Maryanne” — and most of all, MOST of all, I dislike it when it’s spelled “Mary”. Ugh. If you call me Mary, you might as well stab daggers into my heart. Is there something wrong with feeling so peeved about being called the wrong name? Well, for someone to call me “Mary” is the same as someone calling me “Misty” or “Christy” or “Sissy” — especially when I’ve already told them my name is Mary Ann several times. [This happens mostly in written correspondence, e.g. I sign something "Mary Ann" and they write back "Dear Mary."] It’s just not my name! It’s not a nickname. It’s not a shortcut of my name nor is it an abbreviation. It’s an entirely different name. I suppose these are the same reasons why I dislike being addressed, “Mrs. Sam Surname” as well. That’s not my name. It’s my dear hubby’s name, but it’s not mine.
What’s in a name?
I think Anne of Green Gables sums it up nicely when she said, “I read
in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell
as sweet, but I’ve never been able to believe it. I don’t
believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle
or a skunk cabbage…” Truly, truly, this is the truth!
[ok, end of rant now
]
Comments (5)
Eh, since calling a rose by any other name doesn’t change the way the rose gives off its fragrance, I would say that Shakespeare did indeed have it correct, since Shakespeare did not say that “A rose by any other name would seem just as lovely to me.”
But yes, I suppose names are important, and we are keen to take care of the names given to us.
So what about different languages? Does that constitue a different name? How do you say rose in vietnamese?
i LOOOOOOOVE anne of green gables, i used to read those books SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much. so much.
i always remember people’s names, and more often than not, someone i remember doesn’t remember me, so i have had to get used to being unmemorable…..to the point that sometimes i pretend to not remember people, because i don’t want them to think i am a stalker! (it’s weird when i say, oh yeah, i met you 3 years ago and so and so’s birthday party, we talked about X Y and Z, and they don’t remember me at all). it’s really just that i’m good with faces.
haha oh boy.
Same with my name. I tell ppl my name is Eileen.
And the next time I see them, they think it’s Elaine or Irene. I correct them and their response is..”well.. same thing.. “
Eileen and IRENE or Elaine are not the same thing.
Which is why I always educate ppl on my name. I tell ppl it sounds like EYE-LEAN and I even do the actions and all.
From then on.. that was my signature move.
I can totally relate. My name is more commonly known as a male name, so it is constantly misspelled with the male version. It was traumatizing as a child, especially as I was a girly-girl, not a tomboy.
I took on my husband’s last name when we got married, which posed an interesting dilemma that I didn’t anticipate. I’m Taiwanese, and my husband is 1/2 Chinese 1/2 Vietnamese with a Vietnamese last name. Never in my life had anyone ever mistaken me for being Vietnamese, but after I got married, some people started asking me if I was Vietnamese, which really threw me off guard, as I don’t have any Vietnamese resemblance whatsoever. I realized that not only did I lose my father’s surname, but also my Taiwanese identity as well. Plus, I have no brothers, so there is no one to “carry on” my father’s name, which kind of bothered me. So I do sometimes wonder if I should have thought about other alternatives. Currently, I am testing out an idea that some of my other friends have done, which is to retain their maiden name as a middle name. So on one of my credit cards, I have my name as my first name-middle name-maiden name-last name. It’s kind of long, and the jury is still out on whether I should pursue this. But I’m glad for an understanding husband who gave me the idea to do that.