Cox 1

Michael Cox Assignment 2A Rhetorical Reflection Section HAMcGough October 3, 2013 Leave Your Name at the Border In his famous play Romeo & Juliet, Shakespeare said, Whats in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet. While Shakespeares quote is very well known, the quote itself underplays the importance of a name. Leave Your Name at the Border by Manuel Muoz is a personal essay discussing Muozs personal beliefs concerning the importance of original names. The title of the essay Leave Your Name at the Border speaks of the unspoken expectation that immigrants to the United States assimilate every aspect of their being, from their language to their name. A persons name is a vitally important aspect of who he/she is, and it should not be easily thrown away in favor of a more socially acceptable name. Although this is an important lesson to keep in mind, the significance of Leave Your Name at the Border is lessened by its republication in a college textbook because of the lack of concern held by college students concerning child naming. Leave Your Name at the Border first appeared in the New York Times on August 1, 2007. While writing the article, Muoz kept one purpose in mind. This was to highlight the willingness of Mexicans to adopt Anglo names. Muoz speaks again and again throughout the essay of the desire possessed by Mexican-origin people to have American names, and to have children with American names. The attempts by these people to achieve these goals take the form of naming children American names such as Eric and Melanie, and saying names in such a way that Americans can easily replicate the pronunciation. Mexican-origin people wanted so badly to possess Anglo names because of the discrimination that was faced with their Mexican names. A name such as Julio or Heraclio is more likely to be overlooked in favor of an Anglo name like John or Matthew, according to Muoz. This adversely affected the chance of Mexicans and Mexican Americans to obtain a job in the United States, and this job effect was a large deciding factor for many of these peoples. The articles appearance in the New York Times implies that Muoz wanted his essay to reach the well-educated people in society. The desire of Muoz to direct his essay at the well-educated despite directly referencing the Mexican population is an attempt to cause the audience to empathize with the Mexican people. If Muoz could cause the readers to understand the hardships constantly facing the Mexican population in the United States, he might be able to persuade the readers to be a little more compassionate towards Mexicans and their names. This would, in turn, cause a greater cultural awareness among the American people. Leave Your Name at the Border loses some of the influence it originally possesses when it is republished in the textbook Convergences. The article is presented to a group of students through the Convergences, and most of these students have yet to join the well-educated community targeted by the New York Times. Whereas the original audience reacts to the article with empathy and personal emotion, the new audience of students almost certainly react with a critical mindset due to the educational context of a textbook.

Cox 2

A name is a powerful tool. In just a few letters, it has the power to create a complete character in the listeners mind and all the characteristics that go along with said character. Muoz understands this importance, but in Leave Your Name at the Border, he outlines the Mexican desire to overcompensate and try to manipulate this power. According to Muoz, people from the Mexican population will alter their names in order to change the perception of those who hear or read the name before meeting the person. While this may be good in the job market, it causes a growing disregard for the historical and familial significance of the original names. Will our country evolve to a level in which Mexican-origin names no longer conjure up a negative image? Only time will tell. Until that time comes, though, Mexicans will continue to alter their names to better serve their interests.