All Nonfiction
- Bullying
- Books
- Academic
- Author Interviews
- Celebrity interviews
- College Articles
- College Essays
- Educator of the Year
- Heroes
- Interviews
- Memoir
- Personal Experience
- Sports
- Travel & Culture
All Opinions
- Bullying
- Current Events / Politics
- Discrimination
- Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking
- Entertainment / Celebrities
- Environment
- Love / Relationships
- Movies / Music / TV
- Pop Culture / Trends
- School / College
- Social Issues / Civics
- Spirituality / Religion
- Sports / Hobbies
All Hot Topics
- Bullying
- Community Service
- Environment
- Health
- Letters to the Editor
- Pride & Prejudice
- What Matters
- Back
Summer Guide
- Program Links
- Program Reviews
- Back
College Guide
- College Links
- College Reviews
- College Essays
- College Articles
- Back
i don't know what i mean
Jacqueline
it feels like a stranger
given this name from a grandmother who i’ve never known.
i don’t know the importance of my own name.
i don’t know what i mean.
i have to make meaning to my own name because i don’t know the woman who was Jacqueline before me.
i don’t know any stories, tall tales, or any facts about that woman.
i have to tell my own story,
but i don’t know what i mean.
my name looks like someone i’ve never met
someone who simply doesn’t exist.
it’s hard to respond when someone says “Jacqueline”
it sounds like a broken record
on and on not wanting to go to other names or words
only Jacqueline.
they don't even know how to pronounce it correctly.
they always say jack-a-lin
never Jacqueline
no one ever fixes it too
i tried to help them change their way of pronouncing my name but they never put forth the effort i just end up giving up.
i’ve never seen Jacqueline in a positive way
i always introduce myself as Jackie
my grandma on my mom’s side calls me “Jacquelinda”
“Jacqueline, how cute”
i love it because i love her
no one else calls me that
they either say Jackie or Jack
there’s no meaning behind those though
only because it's shorter.
but i still don't know what it means.
i still don’t know what i mean.
i feel like someday i’ll figure it out,
figure out what my name means and why i was the one my mother chose to have it,
but until then
i don’t know what i mean.
Similar Articles
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
This article has 0 comments.
Growing up it was hard to like my name since I never knew what it meant or how it originated being a very curious child. I then later came to the conclusion that I have to make my own story so my tale will be passed down in generations.