What's In a Name?
What's In a Name?
Abigail was originally a popular name for the Puritans around the Protestant Reformation. It was consistently used, then gradually died out, and was reintroduced around the 20th century. Abigail is most popular in Austrailia and has a consistent meaning Hebrewism , the Bible, and American culture as "The father's joy". Being the only girl on my dad's side of the family and the only daughter my dad has, I believe that the meaning of my name is significantly important to my self-identity. I resonate more with the shortened, less traditional version of Abigail, which is "Abby". I personally believe that the name Abigail is much too sophisticated for my life currently, but I do find the name to be elegant and prestigious. Possibly later in life I will identify as an Abigail rather than an Abby.
The Responsibility of Being a "Two"
There is a sense of obligation in being "two", due to the responsibility that comes with it. As a part of a family of 4, a soccer team, a friend group, and a relationship, I am constantly facing challenges internally and externally. A bad mood or a rough day is seen a setback or letdown in the perspective of the larger whole, which negatively the individual. Individuals have the constant obligation to be "okay", which is often not the case. Its interesting to think that the question "how are you?" is always responded with good, when in fact the person could be so far from okay. In our society, there is a subtle expectation in place that everyone be "okay". Social media is a place where people can prove themselves to each other to express that they are okay and conform to the societal standard. Through filtered, edited, photoshopped Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook posts, people display that they are happy, thriving individuals. This requirement leads people to fall further into their personal problems such as depression and anxiety, due to the stressor that is placed on them to portray to their peers a false image of themselves.
Abigail was originally a popular name for the Puritans around the Protestant Reformation. It was consistently used, then gradually died out, and was reintroduced around the 20th century. Abigail is most popular in Austrailia and has a consistent meaning Hebrewism , the Bible, and American culture as "The father's joy". Being the only girl on my dad's side of the family and the only daughter my dad has, I believe that the meaning of my name is significantly important to my self-identity. I resonate more with the shortened, less traditional version of Abigail, which is "Abby". I personally believe that the name Abigail is much too sophisticated for my life currently, but I do find the name to be elegant and prestigious. Possibly later in life I will identify as an Abigail rather than an Abby.
The Responsibility of Being a "Two"
There is a sense of obligation in being "two", due to the responsibility that comes with it. As a part of a family of 4, a soccer team, a friend group, and a relationship, I am constantly facing challenges internally and externally. A bad mood or a rough day is seen a setback or letdown in the perspective of the larger whole, which negatively the individual. Individuals have the constant obligation to be "okay", which is often not the case. Its interesting to think that the question "how are you?" is always responded with good, when in fact the person could be so far from okay. In our society, there is a subtle expectation in place that everyone be "okay". Social media is a place where people can prove themselves to each other to express that they are okay and conform to the societal standard. Through filtered, edited, photoshopped Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook posts, people display that they are happy, thriving individuals. This requirement leads people to fall further into their personal problems such as depression and anxiety, due to the stressor that is placed on them to portray to their peers a false image of themselves.
I totally agree that names can make someone feel more sophisticated as my full name is "Benjamin" but I go by Ben. Personally, on some level I like being called Benjamin because it makes me feel of more importance. Also, I totally agree that being part of a group causes one to conform to social standards. I hate it. As much as I would like to speak for myself, I often find myself conforming on social media or the real world. I enjoyed this post!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your analysis of the responsibility that follows being part of a whole versus an individual. I also thought it was interesting the parallel you made about how certain actions like being in a bad mood can affect you individually, but also go bigger to the whole. I also agree with the concept revolving your name and Abigal versus Abby. I feel the same way and wonder if when I am older I will go by Katherine. I also liked the way you connected it to the current issues that surround social media. I feel like a lot of opinions about peoples names are constantly formed around their social media.
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