The name Nicholas is a name of great honor and respect. Dating back to the Greeks the name Nicholas means "Victory of the people" because its derived from the Greek words Nike which means victory and laus which means people. Nicholas became a more popular name with Christians because of the growing popularity of Saint Nicholas who is the patron saint of Children but is more well know for being Santa Clause. This name doesn't fit me very well. For one, I do not enjoy dressing up in red and delivering presents to small children. Quite frankly I think its weird and I hate most small kids. I also think I was named wrong because my motto is not even close to victory of the people. In fact, mostly any chance I get to ruin things for everybody for the sake of my own benefit I will take up. Another definition of my name though that I found did more closely fit my personality. Urban Dictionary defines the name Nicholas as "The coolest guy in the world." This more closely relates to me as a person because I am in fact the coolest guy in the world.
In Anna Quindlen's story she talks about when she was married she decided not to change her last name. I completely see where the author is coming from and feel that it is very closely linked to my own life and situation. When I was born my dad ran off and left me and my mom alone without signing my birth certificate. As a result of this I was given my mothers last name, Zajac. I grew up most of my life to this point as a Zajac. The name was special to me because I was of only 4 people with my last name, including my mom, and the only one with a chance of really passing the name on. when I was about 12 my mom decided to get married to another man. This man , my dad now, had three other children much older than me but I still fit in well with the family.
Because my dad and his side of the family was only related by marriage they were technically my step family but there was no reason for them not to adopt me as their own legally and make me officially a part of the Stockdale family. So a couple of years ago we finally decided to get around to legally adopting me into the family. When we went through this process, however, there was a dilemma. The last name Zajac meant something very special to me and I wanted to hold on to it and not change it to Stockdale. So when the process went through I decided to not go with the traditional adoption method and I kept the last name Zajac. This didn't mean that I loved my new family any less or was left out in any way but at the same time I kept my separate identity. When my mother married into the family she also changed her last name. Just because I was the only one in the family with a different last name didn't make me an outcast it just created a second "me as the author stated. I am Nicholas who is a part of a great loving family who is very close to one another and I am Nicholas Zajac who is his own person and is free to carry on his own legacy separate from the shadow of my well known family.
Very cool response. Thanks for sharing, Nick.
ReplyDeleteWhy is Oedipus against profanity? Because he kisses his mother with that mouth
ReplyDeleteI understand your dilemma of wanting to feel like you are officially part of your new family but still keeping your identity as Nick Zajac. Sometimes I feel that same pull when I want to be referred to as Matt, yet my parents named me Matthew and so I somehow feel obligated to go by that. It may not seem like a huge difference, but when your identity is the topic of discussion, any detail is a big detail.
Deciding not to take your adopting father's name was a statement that you felt as though Zajac better represented who you are. To go against tradition is bold and daring, but obviously you felt it was necessary. Another area where this practice is common is marriage, however I feel as though that if someone has gone their entire life being known as one name, they should keep that name. Just like that person won't have your last name when you meet/fall in love with them (hopefully not, but anything is possible), you didn't have the name Stockdale when your father decided to adopt you. Therefore, it seems wrong to me to change it, as it would be changing the person that you wanted to become a part of your family.
Why can't you hear a pterodactyl go to the bathroom? Because the P is silent!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete