As someone with a unique name, it is disheartening–though sometimes comical– to hear my name mispronounced. My name, Eowyn (pronounced ay-oh-win with an emphasis on the “ay”) comes from The Lord of the Rings. I am Korean American, so when people can’t pronounce it, many automatically assume it is a cultural name, and I have to awkwardly correct them as I explain that my name has Old English roots. However, when my name is pronounced correctly, it is a joy to bond over The Lord of the Rings or a sweet indication that I am seen and known. What power does a name hold? A name is often the first thing we learn when we meet someone new; it is a word to identify a complex human being. Names are far more nuanced than being just regular words. A name is how one holds on to the legacy of a loved one, reflects family values and hopes, and holds languages and culture. A person’s name is unique, a distinct part of one’s identity. Names matter. In her striking novel Ode to a Nobody, Caroline DuBois follows the story of Quinn, an 8th grader in Nashville, TN. During the month of April, her teacher has assigned her to write a poem a day. This assignment ends up being a critical avenue for Quinn to process the 2020 Nashville tornado, which rips through her neighborhood and changes her life. The tornado leaves disaster in its wake, destroying part of her home and reflecting the unsteadiness of her parents’ impending divorce. As she processes the tornado, Quinn also tries to fully understand her identity, as a friend, daughter, sister, and student. Part of understanding her identity begins with the exploration of her name. Her name is Quinn, but her dad calls her Quinnie. How should she sign her poems? Choosing either seems to be her picking a “side” between her fighting parents. Her name is a battle. In one of her first poems, she writes:
EXPERT OF NOTHING
It's another Monday
and I'm still the student
I was on Friday. Worse,
my pencil's gone dumb in my grip
and I begin to sweat.
I head my paper Quinnie.
Easy enough! Deep breath.
Erase that, write Quinn.
Erase that, write Quinn(ie).
Erase that-and rip
a jagged hole in my paper
that I want to slip
in-
To.
Reflecting on one’s name is a powerful way for students to think through their identity. It allows them to consider the role of parents/adults in shaping their identity, and process the emotions of how they feel about themselves. For Quinn, the battle over her name echoes a lifelong journey of people making decisions for her and about her. As she processes the history of her name, she simultaneously processes a step in maturity of deciding her name for herself. Personally, I love the story behind my name. I have two older sisters and when my mom was pregnant with me, my dad had really hoped for a son. In the movie The Return of the King, which had just been released, Eowyn is able to slay the witch king of Angmar, simply because she is a woman. The witch king taunts, “You fool, no man can kill me” to which Eowyn replies, “I am no man” as she rips off her helmet, reveals her identity, and slays the witch king. Watching that scene was a powerful moment for my dad to get excited for his daughter’s role in the world as he named his daughter Eowyn. I was born later that year on his birthday, and my name sweetly connects me to my dad. Through a range of activities, students can not only reflect on their names and the past, but also how they seek to portray themselves in the future.
Hello, My Name Is
For the first task, students will be given time to reflect on the backstory of their names. Using this poem as a mentor text, students will be given time to write a poem about the story behind their names. The goal will be to creatively express the history behind their names. By using a mentor text, the students are given an understanding of the poetic style, allowing them to focus closer on the content rather than the skill of writing poetry itself. This specific poem allows students to set up contrasting ideas about their names. If there is more of a story to share, students are also free to create their own poetry. Through their poems, they can think through questions such as:
What is your name? Who gave it to you? Were you named after someone? Does your name have a meaning?
Mentor Poem:
Mom Thought I Was Going To Be A Boy
Mom's ultrasound and intuition
convinced her
I was born to be a boy.
So my parents chose a name
and for nine long months
called me Quinn.
When I turned out a girl,
Mom still liked Quinn.
'It's gender-neutral,'
she insisted.
Dad disagreed
and has always called me
Quinnie. So it's Quinn on paper,
but out loud mostly Quinnie
and sometimes Quinn,
depending on
who's speaking.
Hello, This Is Who I Am:
After the students reflect on the backstory of their names and how they feel about it, the students will then creatively engage with their identities. This would make a strong beginning of the year activity as students can not only express who they are, but learn more about their classmates. Students will be offered a range of activities in which they can use writing, videography, illustration, or music to reflect how they see their identity.
They will have to the option to:
Names are discussed in many ways throughout literature. However, this does not diminish its importance. As the students reflect on their names through these activities, they will be able connect their names to their author and learner identity. Students not only reflect on their past and their formation of identity, but are empowered in thinking about identity going forward.
EXAMPLE 1: POEM
My parents named me Eowyn
after a woman who rode into war
when no man could.
A shieldmaiden with fire in her lungs,
fierce enough to face death
and call it by name.
They loved her defiance,
her wild-hearted courage,
and so they gave her to me.
But I am Korean American.
And when strangers see my face,
they stumble over the word,
hearing foreignness
where there is none.
They ask if it is my Korean name,
their voices soft with caution,
as if they might offend my history
by misplacing it.
I often say,
“No, it’s Old English.”
I try to smile through the confusion,
tell them about The Lord of the Rings,
about Rohan and the White City.
But now,
when someone gets it right--
Ay-oh-win--
I know, in that moment,
they are speaking my name
the way it was meant to be spoken.
EXAMPLE 2 TEXT:
I chose a picture of the mountains as my background because I find a lot of peace in nature. Throughout my collage, there are other pictures of how I engage with nature, like through the enjoyment of flowers or through a hobby of scuba diving. My family is also incredibly important to me. Little Women is one of my favorite books because I have three sisters. A big part of my identity is also my desire to teach! I added a picture of a classroom and a stack of books because I hope to one day be an English teacher. I also really value my cultural identity. I am Korean but I grew up in Japan, so I ensured to add pictures that nodded to both of those identities. My name, Eowyn, is also a big part of my identity. I love what it stands for and the powerful female character that Eowyn is in The Lord of the Rings, so I included a picture of her as well.
EXAMPLE 3 COLLAGE:
EXPERT OF NOTHING
It's another Monday
and I'm still the student
I was on Friday. Worse,
my pencil's gone dumb in my grip
and I begin to sweat.
I head my paper Quinnie.
Easy enough! Deep breath.
Erase that, write Quinn.
Erase that, write Quinn(ie).
Erase that-and rip
a jagged hole in my paper
that I want to slip
in-
To.
Reflecting on one’s name is a powerful way for students to think through their identity. It allows them to consider the role of parents/adults in shaping their identity, and process the emotions of how they feel about themselves. For Quinn, the battle over her name echoes a lifelong journey of people making decisions for her and about her. As she processes the history of her name, she simultaneously processes a step in maturity of deciding her name for herself. Personally, I love the story behind my name. I have two older sisters and when my mom was pregnant with me, my dad had really hoped for a son. In the movie The Return of the King, which had just been released, Eowyn is able to slay the witch king of Angmar, simply because she is a woman. The witch king taunts, “You fool, no man can kill me” to which Eowyn replies, “I am no man” as she rips off her helmet, reveals her identity, and slays the witch king. Watching that scene was a powerful moment for my dad to get excited for his daughter’s role in the world as he named his daughter Eowyn. I was born later that year on his birthday, and my name sweetly connects me to my dad. Through a range of activities, students can not only reflect on their names and the past, but also how they seek to portray themselves in the future.
Hello, My Name Is
For the first task, students will be given time to reflect on the backstory of their names. Using this poem as a mentor text, students will be given time to write a poem about the story behind their names. The goal will be to creatively express the history behind their names. By using a mentor text, the students are given an understanding of the poetic style, allowing them to focus closer on the content rather than the skill of writing poetry itself. This specific poem allows students to set up contrasting ideas about their names. If there is more of a story to share, students are also free to create their own poetry. Through their poems, they can think through questions such as:
What is your name? Who gave it to you? Were you named after someone? Does your name have a meaning?
Mentor Poem:
Mom Thought I Was Going To Be A Boy
Mom's ultrasound and intuition
convinced her
I was born to be a boy.
So my parents chose a name
and for nine long months
called me Quinn.
When I turned out a girl,
Mom still liked Quinn.
'It's gender-neutral,'
she insisted.
Dad disagreed
and has always called me
Quinnie. So it's Quinn on paper,
but out loud mostly Quinnie
and sometimes Quinn,
depending on
who's speaking.
Hello, This Is Who I Am:
After the students reflect on the backstory of their names and how they feel about it, the students will then creatively engage with their identities. This would make a strong beginning of the year activity as students can not only express who they are, but learn more about their classmates. Students will be offered a range of activities in which they can use writing, videography, illustration, or music to reflect how they see their identity.
They will have to the option to:
- Create a minimum 2-4 page newspaper article reintroducing yourself to the world- get creative! You can include a crossword puzzle, pictures, etc.
- Write or type (11 pt. Font, double spaced, Times New Roman) a 2-4 page letter to whoever gave you your name with the proposal of a new name. What name would you want to name yourself and why? How does your new name more accurately reflect who you are?
- Create a 3-5 minute video where you reintroduce yourself to the world.
- Design a 1 page character collage that represents yourself. Attach a minimum 1 page description of why you chose some of your favorite images.
- Write and record a 3-5 minute rap about yourself. Be sure to include your rap artist name!
Names are discussed in many ways throughout literature. However, this does not diminish its importance. As the students reflect on their names through these activities, they will be able connect their names to their author and learner identity. Students not only reflect on their past and their formation of identity, but are empowered in thinking about identity going forward.
EXAMPLE 1: POEM
My parents named me Eowyn
after a woman who rode into war
when no man could.
A shieldmaiden with fire in her lungs,
fierce enough to face death
and call it by name.
They loved her defiance,
her wild-hearted courage,
and so they gave her to me.
But I am Korean American.
And when strangers see my face,
they stumble over the word,
hearing foreignness
where there is none.
They ask if it is my Korean name,
their voices soft with caution,
as if they might offend my history
by misplacing it.
I often say,
“No, it’s Old English.”
I try to smile through the confusion,
tell them about The Lord of the Rings,
about Rohan and the White City.
But now,
when someone gets it right--
Ay-oh-win--
I know, in that moment,
they are speaking my name
the way it was meant to be spoken.
EXAMPLE 2 TEXT:
I chose a picture of the mountains as my background because I find a lot of peace in nature. Throughout my collage, there are other pictures of how I engage with nature, like through the enjoyment of flowers or through a hobby of scuba diving. My family is also incredibly important to me. Little Women is one of my favorite books because I have three sisters. A big part of my identity is also my desire to teach! I added a picture of a classroom and a stack of books because I hope to one day be an English teacher. I also really value my cultural identity. I am Korean but I grew up in Japan, so I ensured to add pictures that nodded to both of those identities. My name, Eowyn, is also a big part of my identity. I love what it stands for and the powerful female character that Eowyn is in The Lord of the Rings, so I included a picture of her as well.
EXAMPLE 3 COLLAGE:
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