Changing Names

When reading the "Survival and Adaptation" packet, I was apalled by how the Native American children at English speaking schools were forced to pick an American name, just to make pronunciation easier for their teachers. These kids gave up their name, a crucial part of their identity! And even though this seems like a terrible thing to make students do, name-changing continues to be very common and acceptable. Asian Americans often give up the name they were given at birth and change it to an English name, as to avoid mispronunciations. Although it is the individual's choice to change his or her name, I couldn't help but wonder if they feel pressured to do so.
I found an aritcle at
http://www.asian-nation.org/headlines/2006/01/changing-names-among-asian-americans/ written by an Asian American expressing his feelings towards name change. The author quoted the Daily Northwestern Newspaper, which states that students with Asian and American names do not feel detatched from their culture. One student explains "Having an American and Korean name helps to kind of represent both of the cultures that I embody.” While this student appreciates having these two identities, the author of the article itself seems to fear that having an American name could cause the individual to forget their Asian heritage.