Redefining_Identity

“What's in a name' That which we call a rose. By any other word would smell as sweet”. Shakespeare had the right idea when he proposed that our name is society’s method of enforcing their expectations and judgements upon individuals. Our identity is forged by our name, which is given to us, and we usually retain for the remainder of our lives. Between the two extremes of accepting and rejecting our set identity, there is still a need to belong. This concept is one that is essential to humans as it gives us a sense of identity and security to our lives. In Alice Pung’s “Growing Up Asian in Australia” there are many detailed expositions of individuals who have had to combat with Australian culture versus their own heritage. Specifically, the story “Stick and Stones and Such-Like”, written by Sunil Badami, explores one’s struggle to be accepted as an individual in a community not yet willing to recognise that there is raw beauty in diversity. Whether you were named after a red-headed Siamese twin, or the ‘breeze that blows at sunset on Shiva’s birthday once every thousand years”, the origin of a person’s name usually has a unique story. Our name is what is remembered of us over the years, is a part of our history. Through our name we belong to something, as it is a significant part of the social entity by which we take part in. However, for people such as Sunil, with a name outside the social norm, something as simply as a title can be a cause of discrimination and unfair prejudice. Sunil forfeits part of himself to his peers in an attempt to be recognised as a member of their population. He associates himself with the stereotype of Indian cricketers- assuming that he should be naturally talented at the game, because in an effort to fit in he “didn’t want to appear a bad sport”. Building up a tolerance to the childish taunts required Sunil to sacrifice some of his happiness and contentment many take for granted. He was constantly displeased with himself, and consequently his identity because of his own name, even though it was of special significance to his mother as it is the name she “always wanted [her] first-born son to have”. The epitome of the constant chauvinism by the community leads to Sunil injuring himself after a parent’s remark, “Perhaps if you wash hard enough, it’ll come orf'” – which shows the complete disregard and misunderstanding of the public’s perceptions of immigrants. It becomes obvious that sacrifices are necessary to coincide with society, like the personal restraint in not telling someone where to go when they (very, very respectfully) ask for the English translation of your name, and after politely obliging to stating the English variation they consciously call and refer to you as that even when you are wearing a name tag which blatantly states your real name.