That which we call a rose
The meaning I find in my name is something I have always been interested in. My name, Michael Eamon Palko, is something passed down through family. Michael is my father's name, my grandfather's name, my great-grandfather's name, and my godfather's name. It holds a significance because in my family lineage I am the last Palko male. I think passing my name on to a child is something important to me, both first and last. It's a representation that all my ancestors have survived thus far and that I will do the same. My middle name, Eamon, is the connection to my Irish heritage, Eamon being the first name of the Irish president, Eamon de Valera, who was the Irish President during the Irish civil war. Because my last name is Eastern European which is my father's side of the family, my parents chose to give me an Irish middle name to give me a connection to my mother's side of the family. My name is very important to me, and while it doesn't define me, it does play a large role in how I think of myself and my purposes.
The thought of a last name making you part of a family unit is a common idea in modern times. It has also become more and more frequent that a married couple doesn't take either one's name especially with couples of the same gender. The idea of a woman being "under her husband's umbrella" is interesting especially because this article was written in the 30's which often times we think of as a conservative era. I think that we often times think of taking a name as a representation of a couple being joined in matrimony. When I think of me being apart of a group, or there being a "two" of me, I always think of my middle school, Ligon. Because of the opportunity I had to go to such a diverse middle school I had lots of different experiences with kids who didn't have nearly the same life experiences as me. The kids who I was best friends with often came from low income households, some grew up without one parent or the other, or both in some cases. These guys were entirely different from me, but they still were my best friends and I didn't care where they came from. I had no real relation to them from our family situations and they didn't relate to mine. They had problems and they didn't have the opportunities that I did. I felt both alone in a room full of kids, but I was also a part of a group.
The thought of a last name making you part of a family unit is a common idea in modern times. It has also become more and more frequent that a married couple doesn't take either one's name especially with couples of the same gender. The idea of a woman being "under her husband's umbrella" is interesting especially because this article was written in the 30's which often times we think of as a conservative era. I think that we often times think of taking a name as a representation of a couple being joined in matrimony. When I think of me being apart of a group, or there being a "two" of me, I always think of my middle school, Ligon. Because of the opportunity I had to go to such a diverse middle school I had lots of different experiences with kids who didn't have nearly the same life experiences as me. The kids who I was best friends with often came from low income households, some grew up without one parent or the other, or both in some cases. These guys were entirely different from me, but they still were my best friends and I didn't care where they came from. I had no real relation to them from our family situations and they didn't relate to mine. They had problems and they didn't have the opportunities that I did. I felt both alone in a room full of kids, but I was also a part of a group.
I thought it was really interesting the way you talked about how your name connects to your family lineage and how you want to continue to pass down your family name. The way you write is very formal and easy to follow, keeping the reader's attention. I also thought your real life example of there being two of you was interesting and relatable-- the only thing I would say you should add more exploration as to how there is a dilemma with being individual and being part of a group.
ReplyDeleteMichael-
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your insightful analysis of your own name and heritage. I had never thought about passing down a name as proof of your ancestry/lineage, so I'm really glad you delved into that in your post. I also really appreciated your comments about how your friends were totally different than you, both isolating you and making you closer to them. However, I would try to be more purposeful with the structure of your blog posts. Toward the end, this post started to feel unorganized and could use a little more planning, as well as a common theme to tie your points together.
I really enjoyed your insightful thoughts of the significance your name as to you. It was interesting to think about a name being important to someone as to carrying on your family lineage because I also want to accomplish this task with keeping the family name, Alexander in my family. I also liked how you mentioned the reasoning behind your parents giving you your middle name, to appeal to your Irish heritage on your mothers side. I also liked your example of being "two" because I had not thought of it in that way before reading your post. I do however, believe you could have explored your example of being "two" more, as well as the dilemma created from it. Your post could have also been more organized and have a more cohesive objective. For example, when discussing the importance of your name, you could have briefly mentioned the significance of all your names but then focused on one name for the majority of your first paragraph. This would have made it more concise and clear as to what your argument is.
ReplyDeleteI think that when you talked about being the last Palko male was really interesting because that almost means that you are the last in your line. So passing of that name would keep the family tree going and be a continuation of your families history. Also I found the historical importance of your ancestors really cool, because although you hold the same same, you are choosing to be your own unique person!
ReplyDeleteMichael, I loved learning about the impact and weight you hold the name Michael with. I also found the history of your middle name to be really interesting. I feel as though your part about being "two" was a little underdeveloped but overall your post was easy to read and insightful.
ReplyDeleteI thoguht the history on the name Eamon was extremely interesting and connected your identity to your heritage. Furthermore, I thought your argument about the alteration of gender norms within names was very insightful. It was a new outlook on how marriage relates to names as well as gender norms altogether, like a triagle of sorts. The theme of diversity and how that affects groups was also established but, like others, I felt that could have been developed further. In general, it was a well-constructed post and I applaud this.
ReplyDeleteI loved how you talked about how important your name is to you and the meaning that it has held in the past as it has been passed down. The fact that your two lineages are balanced with you last name being from your father's lineage and your middle name being from your mother's is really intriguing. I like the balance that it gives because you can feel a strong connection to both sides of your family. I also liked your discussion of being both an individual but also a part of a group. I think you could have taken it a step further in describing the dilemmas that you came across as a result of the two different versions of yourself but overall, I really enjoyed it and thought that it was thought provoking and unique.
ReplyDeleteI love the first paragraph. it was cool to see how your name is so personal to you and how it affects your family, and why you like it so much of course. I also enjoyed how you brought gender norms into the blog and how you did not view it as that. Nice name!!
ReplyDeleteI found the history of your name and how it has been passed down throughout the generations very interesting. My names are also family names - I was named after both of my mother’s grandfathers. You mentioned the tradition of women changing their names to when they get married. I wonder if that is a practice that should now change as women are no longer seen as property of their husbands. Women who change their last name at marriage have to deal with a logistical nightmare changing all of their documentation to their new name.
ReplyDeleteI really loved the way you wrote about your family's traditions, the way you wrote made it seem very sincere. I also loved the commentary you made on modern marital norms regarding the taking of last names, I thought it was very meaningful and well thought out. I also loved how you closed with the contrasting idea of being part of a group yet also feeling alone, and I thought it connected well to the rest of your post.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you wrote about the meaning of our name in the context of your family. It was really cool to understand where your name originated from and to know that it can hold so much value to not only you, but also the rest of your family. I liked how you tied it into the essay with talking about other circumstances outside of your own, but also how that has affected you and helped you to better understand the world. I also liked the point you made about the nature of the 30's era and overall, I thought your blog post was really interesting and personal. Good job! <3
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