At first, I had a little bit of trouble trying to think about what my name means to me. My name isn't a very special one. It isn't passed down from anyone who did important things. Nor is it a name representative of someone from a high social class. However, I think those exact reasons explain why my name IS so special despite it's blandness. The fact that my name is unique is what allows me to take pride in it. An article that I read allowed me to appreciate the uniqueness that comes along with a name. I am not expected to live up to standards that somebody with a name before me had set. I can choose whatever path I want and forge a meaning for my name that has personal value. In a sense, having a name that is the first of its kind is like a fresh start. I would never change my name because that would be like losing all the experiences I once had and starting over.
Sometimes I feel as though I act differently around guests than when I am alone. My parents always taught me to be respectful and polite when representing the family, so I try my best to. When guests come over, I always use words like "please" and "thank you" even if I don't mean them. I also try my best to be helpful so that I can shed a good light on the Hallman name. However, the second the guests leave I go back to being myself. I walk around with my shirt off and sit around playing video games until early in the morning. If I ask my brother or sister for something I usually do not include a "please" or a "thank you". Even though this may seem like a bad thing, I believe that it is completely natural. I think that everyone feels the need to represent themselves positively to some extent to people who are unfamiliar. Even when I go to school or go to get food somewhere, I act slightly differently than I do when I'm alone. I think everyone has more than one type of personality for different situations.
Clever title! I can relate to your second paragraph about how I act differently around different people. You bring up an interesting point that it is "natural" to act differently with people you are close with such as your family, and I find myself acting the same ways. We want to make good impressions on people we don't know, but our family is already familiar with our behavior. How did your behavior around Tong (Mark's foreign exchange student he hosted last year) change from the first day he was with you to the day he left? At first he was a stranger, but he became familiar with you and your behavior over the months. Nice picture added at the end!
ReplyDeleteCool thought/question, Kevin. I'm interested to know the answer.
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