The Concept of Identity - Case Study Example

The Importance of Naming a Child There are many that overlook the value of a name and what it implies through a child’s life. Even though a name is only to create an identity for a baby, it also creates an association with how others identify you. More importantly, the identity creates a deeper meaning that is associated with the name. The concept of identity makes it essential for parents to give their child a name and to consider it one of the most important decisions in their lives. The intent that parents have when naming their child is developed from fashionable names or to find the unusual names that no child associates with. One of the differences that can be seen in the naming o f a child is not only associated with this intent, but also is based on the differences in ethnicity between cultures. The choosing and association with names between cultures creates a different understanding and method for names that are used for the identification of a child. In some cultures, such as America, there is a naivety toward names and how this identifies a child. More importantly, the value and character that creates an identity in a child in other cultures, such as through the Chinese, creates a richer experience. Two of the cultures that show a difference in names are between Chinese and Western names. Everything from the meaning to the identification and the order of a name differ between the cultures. The choosing of names is the first difference that is found in both cultures. In the story “Tahotahontanekentseraterontakwenhakie, ” Salli Benedict suggests that there is great importance in a name in Chinese culture and defines the character and identity of a child. When reading this story, there is an understanding with the downfalls of casual naming of a child in American culture. According to this story, the baby is given the name by an old man who was trying to sell rabbits to his parents. The baby’s parents give him this name in order to honor the gift from the old man. The baby’s name becomes “Tahotahontanekentseraterontakwenhakie” which means, “He came and sold rabbits, ” in honor of the old man. (line 12, pg.284). The example of this story can be associated with the United States, where parents choose unusual names for children but don’t do it to honor the child. Instead, it shows the importance of a situation or an external part of society. The importance of this story, as well as the association with names, also creates an identity that is associated with Americans and the Chinese cultures. The example can be related to American parents who want to choose a fashionable name. Others do the opposite and call the children unusual names, or they invent names because they want to show how special they are. According to the BBC news “US babies get global brand names” on November 13, 2003, children have been named after big brands as diverse as beauty company L'Oreal, car firm Chevrolet and designer clothes company Armani. The example of naming children after popular brands is one that shows a desire that is from the parents to reach to an external value of rand names to show that their children are fashionable or different. However, the parents don’t realize that some of the values behind these names are associated with materialism, wealth and exclusivity. The association with fashionable names in America and the UK contrasts from the Chinese names for children. Chinese parents want to help their kids stand out from the very beginning by giving them a unique and beautiful name. Chinese parents treat the naming of their kids very seriously because it is a wish from the family and it reflects the characters and attributes that the parents see in their child. The Chinese names also have some other meanings attached to them. While picking a name for their child, parents take care of the expectations or the wishes for their child. For example, the name “Qian” is used to wish that the child would always remain humble. The name “Fu” is used to wish that the child would lead a prosperous life. There are all different meanings behind Chinese names given by the family. Contrasting from the story, Chinese names can’t be changed as easy as Tahotahontanekentseraterontakwenhakie when he changes his name to Oiasosonaion, which means, “He has another name.” When you are given a Chinese name, it means that you have good fortune and can begin a new life. As the Chinese proverb says, “Well begun is well done.” Another difference between Chinese and American culture with names is the surnames that are a part of culture. In the Chinese culture, the last name is always given before the first. This is because the Chinese culture gives utmost importance is given to ancestors and family. Placing the surname first shows respect and honor to the ancestors by placing the family name ahead of the given name. Nevertheless, the Western culture believes in individualism and hence they place the given name ahead of the family name. The importance of the surname in Western culture is one that can easily be changed and is only used to identify individuals through categorization. Since I was raised in a traditional Chinese family, I am very proud of my name that is given by my grandparents. As the old man says, “there is great importance in a name.” (line 9) It is not given in order to honor someone or appreciate them for anything, but it is given by my family in order to identify myself. The association with a name also is a part of the beliefs of Chinese culture. As Confucian states, "If the name does not reflect the essence, then what is addressed will not be what is defined; if what is addressed is not what is defined, then what is said will not be what is meant; if what is said is not what is meant, then what is doing will not be accomplished." The beliefs in this culture relate to my personal experience with my name. My grandparents spent a large amount of time finding a good name for me. Their belief was that I should have a name that was associated with luck because they believe luck is available as a person’s destiny and is decided from the moment of birth. Since my grandparents speak Taiwanese, fortune-tellers give names in Taiwanese. The meaning of my first name “Chiao-yin” in Taiwanese is a smart, intelligent kid. The saying that my grandmother associated with this and told the fortune teller was that “I didn’t have money to be educated when I was young so I hope my grandchild will be smart enough to be well-educated.” My dad and mom both agreed with this because they hope I can be smart and wise enough to take care of myself when I am not with them. They also added the name “yin,” which means “kid” in English. They added this because they always treated me as a kid and spoiled me, even when I was big enough to care for myself. Having such a meaningful and beautiful name is a very precious gift from my family. Most of Chinese parents, including my parents still keep this rule to name their children and even to their pets. I appreciate this tradition and the ability to have a significant meaning to my name, as opposed to the casual traditions that are implemented in American cultures. The association with my name is one that is not casual. Instead, it identifies who I am. Reflection 1. The introduction that was used in the old paper did not grab enough attention and didn’t have the right focus of the paper. Grammar and the sentence structure were changed first. While the main content remained the same, there were still alterations in the way that the sentences talked about names. For instance, instead of putting “Name is very important to everyone,” I wrote “There are many that overlook the value of a name and what it implies through a child’s life”. The tone of the sentences remain neutral, carry the same tone but draw the attention by a tone that is more neutral. The story of the rabbit was also taken out of the first paragraph, as it lost some of the focus of the opening and caused the essay to lose some of the impact that it needed to have with the main points it was providing. The thesis was slightly changed to take a more neutral position when introducing the differences between cultures and the associations with names. 2. The organization was redeveloped and slightly altered through the essay. The introduction paragraph remained neutral and didn’t provide extra information that was more personal in nature. The old essay contrasted the two cultures in the same paragraph. However, the newer organization changed this. In the first paragraph, there is a focus on the ancient Chinese story. The next paragraph contrasts this with the understandings from American culture and naming a child. In the old essay, this was combined with Chinese culture. In the new essay, Chinese culture goes into the next paragraph and proves the importance of naming a child. The last section is on the personal relationship to these theories, which allows the essay to be tied together through a practical experience. 3. The body paragraphs were slightly altered in tone. Most of this was changing some of the words, sentences and grammar into more complete sentences. The alteration of the body paragraphs was to make sure that the points were proven in each of the paragraphs. The proof that was used remained the same, with smaller associations with the cultural concepts that are a part of different cultures. For instance, the proof of the US and UK naming children after brand products is a perfect example of the associations with culture. The scholarly research on Confucius and the association with Chinese names shows the same contrast. The changes made were with transitional points between paragraphs as well as the flow of the paragraphs to show one idea in each paragraph. 4. There were no new points that were added to enhance the essay. Since there was development with a personal experience, cultural associations and specific stories as examples, there was not the need to use more proof or resources to show the different concepts that are a part of culture and the ability to name a child. 5. The tone and style of the essay was changed to a more neutral tone. The grammar and the words that were chosen were enhanced by taking out some of the simpler grammar and words and by adding more to each of the sentences. The tone before showed that there was a specific opinion about naming a child. However, this took away from the reading of the essay and didn’t provide a strong argument. Having a neutral tone while using a different approach to the sentence structure, showed a sense of knowledge on the subject, as opposed to only providing opinion. 6. The mechanics and the grammar of the essay was one of the main changes that were made. I noticed that I left out some of the smaller words that connect together sentences, such as “a” and “and.” These were added in and the sentences were expanded so they didn’t sound choppy or incomplete. 7. Since the conclusion ends with a personal experience, it was not altered with the essay. The personal experience is the best way to show the opinion of the essay and provides a strong statement that many can remember when reading the essay. Read More