What's in a (double) name?

For a laugh click on this link.

Anna Claire is not a name that you hear often. Even for a double name it is unique due to the lack of hyphenation.  When I got old enough to question my name, I asked my parents why they chose to call me this.  I learned that my parents wanted to choose a family name, while my sister was dying to call me Claire.  So, Anna came from my Great Aunt Anne, and Claire came from my sister's temper tantrums (not even kidding- she actually called me just Claire until I was 10).    


One benefit of having a unique double name is that people usually remember it.  It's different from other names that they hear, so it stands out in a sea of new names.  Sometimes people even compliment me, saying that I have a pretty name, which boosts my self-confidence. 


While it's nice to be called something unique and different, it can also be a pain due to the numerous times that people ask me how to spell it.  Yes, I get it; there are multiple variations of Claire. Is it C-l-a-i-r? Or C-l-a-r-e?  No, it's C-l-a-i-r-e.


And then there is the dreaded hyphen. I am pretty sure that most people besides my friends and family would add a hyphen between Anna and Claire without hesitation.  However, that has never been a part of my name.  When I asked my mom about that choice, she told me that my dad, my sister, and her could not agree on exactly what to call me.  They already knew Anna and Claire, but would I go by just my middle name?  Or just first name?  But my mom liked the "ring" of Anna Claire Riggins.  So, just to keep the options open for me in the future, they chose not to hyphen my name.


I believe that my name and nickname (AC) represent me well.  I, like my name, am unique and different from your average teenager.  Moreover, the lack of hyphenation correlates nonconformity as well.


I love the quote from Anna (ha) Quindlen about the "two me's."  As a part of various volleyball teams throughout the last five years, I have had to face two versions of myself.  There is a large disparity between myself as an individual and myself as a member of a team.  Everyone has heard the cliché that "there is no 'I' in 'team.'"  However, what you don't realize until you are actually a part of a team is that it can be very difficult to place more importance on what your team is doing instead of what you personally are doing.


For example, it has taken me years to stop being so hard on myself on the court.  Every time I made a mistake, I made it such a big deal; I became so frustrated with myself.  Sometimes, though, that showed on the court, and that is where the line between the two me's had to be drawn.


Ok, I shank a pass or miss a serve.  Frustration.  Correction: inward frustration.  As member of a team, you have to learn to put your personal emotions aside in order to be a true team player.  So, on the volleyball court, I can sometimes have two me's: the inwardly angry one and the one who is outwardly tough and resilient.  I have to focus on my team's play and not just mine.

Syrup labels: perpetuating "othering"?

#1: September 13th, 2015

Wing Young Huie: Still Life 2014

See photo here.

At first glance, my stomach growled.  The view of three shelves containing different types of syrups was enough to create a craving for pancakes!  The foreground features bottles of Aunt Jemima Lite, their labels claiming that the content inside is "a reduced calorie syrup product."  The top shelf is the home of the Karo brand of corn syrup and includes both dark and light versions of the product.  Various types and brands of molasses are seen on the bottom shelf, including House & Herbs' "Blackstrap Molasses," Grandma's Molasses, and Brer Rabbit's options of "Dark Full Flavor" and "Light Mild Flavor."  All of these delicious syrups are sold at amounts close to the same, if not equal, in price.



After a few minutes, my craving was interrupted by a harsh moment of realization.  This photo is not about the difficulties associated with choosing which syrup to purchase for your breakfast; rather, it speaks to racial disparities.  Let's start with the bottles of Aunt Jemima Lite that your eyes are drawn to upon first view of the photo.  Based on its positioning, this particular syrup product is clearly being promoted by the store selling it.  The domination of the Lite version means that it is the better option to choose since the original version is located at the top of the shelves, out of quick reach.


Translation: whites are superior to blacks and other dark races.  This is also visually represented by the light and dark Karo corn syrups; the light color looks more appealing, while the dark color is much less enticing as well as seems less healthy.  Through this aspect, Huie makes an argument about racial profiling, i.e. just because a person is black doesn't mean that he or she is the perpetrator.


Huie shares this photograph to argue that products' light versions, classified as healthier and superior compared to their original state, contain underlying race issues.  Moreover, he is insinuating that the simplest of items such as syrup exist as racial implications today and that we continue to "other" blacks in society.


Huie's depiction of "othering" deals with race.  In this picture of syrups, the photographer physically represents "othering" by the layout and color.  He took this particular photo to draw attention to the way that the shelves were arranged, with the light versions of syrups in the foreground.  Another method that Huie utilizes to develop his argument is a little less noticeable: the color scheme.  He edited the picture so that it would be black and white instead of color, again hinting at racial disparities and the sharp contrast between white and black.


Another aspect to consider with this piece of Huie's work is how he addresses viewers with the photograph.  He shows them that "othering" is everywhere, even on syrup labels, without our immediate realization.


Atwood's representation of "othering," on the other hand (no pun intended), relates more to gender than it does race.  In The Handmaid's Tale, the author uses language and an anecdotal format to display how women are subjected to "othering."  Gilead is a patriarchal society, and most women's titles relate to their relationships with their Commanders, therefore making the women inferior and "othered." 


For instance, Serena Joy's official title is a "Commander's Wife" and Offred is the Commander's handmaid.  They are strictly subjected to his rules, which are really the government's.  Atwood chooses to represent women as the subordinates of men to appeal to her feminist audience; she wants them to take action to quell society's "othering" of females.


Both Atwood and Huie created forms of art to show how "othering" is a fact of society.  Huie does it in the form of a photograph, displaying the numerous brands and versions of syrups available at a grocery store and how their format insinuates that white is superior to black.  Atwood does it in the form of a novel, narrated by oppressed handmaid Offred, and she warns her audience that a society like Gilead is possible unless they amend their unequal society. 


If they don't, they will simply be perpetuating "othering."