A Rose by Any Other Name (Half a draft)
Half a rough draft.
It's a teaser.
I need to finish it. already have the last two paragraphs, so I know exactly what direction it's going. I'll finish it and post the full version in the new year.
Names have meanings and they can change over time.
My name didn't exist until Shakespeare made it up. I think a lot of people either don't know or forget how influential the Bard actually was. He invented, or at least was the first to record, over 1,700 words. He basically created the first “knock, knock” joke and “your mama.” (“Villain, I have done thy mother.”) Fun fact that I learned today: the English that was spoken during Shakespeare's time wasn’t old or middle English, but the beginning of modern English.
Language is powerful. How it is said, the way it is delivered, and even the punctuation can dramatically change the meaning of the words. But language is only half of communication. Sometimes what isn't said can be just as revealing and powerful. Shakespeare knew this all too well.
But Jessica didn’t exist until him. Jesse existed, but it was a name for men and in my opinion, still is. I usually flinch and ask people not to call me that. I prefer Jess.
It wasn’t until the 80’s that it exploded in popularity. My parents saw “The Man from Snowy River,” and liked the name. I think that movie, and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” helped a lot with that.
I don’t mind my name. I don’t like how common it is, but it’s fine. Its meaning varies, with the most common being “to behold,” "foresight," or as Google AI’s search results pointed out, it tends to lean towards meanings associated with “sight, awareness, or intuition.” Knowing that feels like both a joke and far too accurate for my liking right now.
My maiden (current middle) name is Allen, but it’ll be my last name again soon enough. I missed being at the front of the alphabet. My son is not thrilled about it changing, which I can understand. I think I remember my mom saying my Dad’s side of the family can trace
back to the Mayflower, so England roots are there. While Allen is an English surname, it also has strong roots in Irish and Scottish, and I’m fairly certain it comes from one of those two. My mom has a family tree hanging up in their house and on it were some O'Connor's, so I’m fairly certain we’re the Irish variant.
Allen has its own few meanings depending on if you’re going with the Gaelic or Celtic meaning: handsome/fair, or rock/harmony. I wonder if both are in my family tree if I can say it translates to a ‘handsome rock’.
Etymology and linguistics are interesting. I’ve been thinking a lot about how names change over time, both in definition and in social use like slurs.
Don’t be a “Karen.” Entitled. Rude. Likely to call the HOA or cops on you. Possibly both. Usually racists or someone who gets upset over minor inconveniences. It has a very specific flavor to it.
The same goes for Jezebel. Also a name, but also another name for a prostitute.
A pretty woman could have once been called “Betty.”
And I really don’t want to even go near incel names, but I’m pretty sure I don’t need to describe what a “Stacy” or a “Becky” is.
Even my name has made its way into the lexicon of Gen Z to replace “Karen.” Which is just great. I’m thrilled to learn that one, but there are worse names for sure.
And I can’t leave off Jane or Jane Doe. Anonymous. The unknown female placeholder. Someone who blends in or a nobody. Probably the one slang name with more than one meaning attached to it, though I’d guess that it being one of the older ones is the reason why.
.......
End of the first half of the draft.
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