Sigmeund Frued
T.J. Franzese
First Year Precepretorial
Professor Calandra
3/15/11
#4 THE POWER OF NAMING AND RENAMING
Discuss the power of names in Clash of Civilizations over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio and White Teeth. Who has the power to name people (or cities or objects)? How do names connect to one’s sense of self and one’s familiy or personal past? Where does this power come from? If, as Freud suggests, a “name is perhaps a piece of [the] soul” in addition to being a label by which society (the external world) identifies you, what happens to the soul of a person that is renamed?
“I don’t want to disobey my father, who gave me this name, or God, who forbids us to disobey our parents. Changing your name is a capital crime, like murder, adultery, bearing false witness, like stealing from orphans,” (Lakhous 113).
The importance of names in the works Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio by Amara Lakhous and White Teeth by Zadie Smith reflects the base of each immigrant’s generation and background. The power of his/her name is passed from generation to generation and is derived from the ancestral roots of one’s culture and religion. To an immigrant, his/her name could be the last strong link to his/her past and therefore, his/her original roots. He/her name could connect he/she to his sense of self by knowing where he/she comes from and always being faithful to his/her heritage.
According to Sigmund Freud, a human being’s name is a principal component in his person, perhaps a piece of his soul. Names are essential in his/her life because it functions as a form of identification, as well as a representation of family tradition and a bonding link to his/her soul .To be renamed would be the first step in emigration and embracing a new traditional lifestyle. Both novels truly reveal the importance that names have in his/her sense of self; thus, it unifies both native residents and immigrants in the
First Year Precepretorial
Professor Calandra
3/15/11
#4 THE POWER OF NAMING AND RENAMING
Discuss the power of names in Clash of Civilizations over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio and White Teeth. Who has the power to name people (or cities or objects)? How do names connect to one’s sense of self and one’s familiy or personal past? Where does this power come from? If, as Freud suggests, a “name is perhaps a piece of [the] soul” in addition to being a label by which society (the external world) identifies you, what happens to the soul of a person that is renamed?
“I don’t want to disobey my father, who gave me this name, or God, who forbids us to disobey our parents. Changing your name is a capital crime, like murder, adultery, bearing false witness, like stealing from orphans,” (Lakhous 113).
The importance of names in the works Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio by Amara Lakhous and White Teeth by Zadie Smith reflects the base of each immigrant’s generation and background. The power of his/her name is passed from generation to generation and is derived from the ancestral roots of one’s culture and religion. To an immigrant, his/her name could be the last strong link to his/her past and therefore, his/her original roots. He/her name could connect he/she to his sense of self by knowing where he/she comes from and always being faithful to his/her heritage.
According to Sigmund Freud, a human being’s name is a principal component in his person, perhaps a piece of his soul. Names are essential in his/her life because it functions as a form of identification, as well as a representation of family tradition and a bonding link to his/her soul .To be renamed would be the first step in emigration and embracing a new traditional lifestyle. Both novels truly reveal the importance that names have in his/her sense of self; thus, it unifies both native residents and immigrants in the