For
this investigation I will explore the meaning and history of my last
name, Thomas. The surname Thomas comes from the Greek word “ta'oma,”
which means “twin.” Because Thomas is the name of an apostle in
the New Testament, the name is often associated with Christian roots.
According to behindthename.com, Thomas the Apostle was “martyred in
India.” This is particularly interesting to me because my dad's
family, from which I received my last name, is from India.
In my life
experiences, I think that my last name has helped define me in a
religious sense. Because I am half-Indian, many people have the
preconception that I may be a follower of Hinduism. My name, however,
as demonstrated by its connection to Thomas the Apostle, suggests
that I am of Christian descent. Ironically enough, though, Thomas
shouldn't even be my last name. When my grandfather moved his family
to Canada in 1972, he accidentally applied for Canadian citizenship
using his first name as his family name; thus, my grandfather's legal
name is Thomas Thomas.
Being
an individual and, at the same time, part of a larger whole is very
relatable to me given recent events. On the social media platform, I
have come to realize that although my ideas and opinions are strictly
my own, they represent a larger group of people as well. Take for
example my Twitter account. In the past month, I took it to myself to
defend Millbrook's pride by replying to the Tweets of multiple
friends from other high schools who were disrespecting, in my
opinion, our school's honor.
In my responses to their Tweets, I
neglected to consider the larger audience that would see what I said.
Because of this, I used language that is unbecoming of me, as well as
Millbrook high school. My soccer coach, who discovered the Tweets,
was very disappointed in the image that I was painting for Millbrook.
Ultimately, I resolved to delete the Tweets and issue a formal
apology to the students who I Tweeted at. When all is said and done,
it is clear that although the inappropriate language came from my
account, it reflected on the school as well because I am a Millbrook
student and athlete.
It is very interesting that your grandfather accidentally named himself Thomas Thomas when he immigrate to Canada. The coincidental part about religious ties was a good part of this post. Your anecdote about the tweets was a good methaphor for the post. I believe that the quality of your work was high.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very interesting way to look at your last name. I never would have thought to look at it through more of a religious perspective. This does make sense because religion is something that helps distinguish someones identity, in your case it would be Christianity. As for the other part of your response, I can totally relate to your situation. It is very easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment and post something that could negatively reflect a larger group that you are apart of. Social media is a tough thing to navigate without making a couple mistakes along the way.
ReplyDeleteHey Zac (; I agree with Matt and Ian in saying that looking at your name from a religious perspective was really interesting. Especially since your last name has two very different religious meanings. The connection you made to the tweets was a very original example of being an individual and part of a whole. Also, disappointed you didn't discuss the change from Zack to Zac but I'll get over it. Really good post!
ReplyDeleteI really like how you included some personal history of you last name as well as some broad history about the religious aspect of it. I found that the stereotype in which you included about your race being connected with Hinduism was really interesting; yet then negating it with your last name being from a Christian descent and that you're Christian. I can also relate and connect to you section about Twitter. I think that Twitter is sometimes used to define other people when in reality that isn't who they are at all. Also since it's a social media platform on the internet, it's easier to speak to people unlike you would in real life because you can't seem them or their reaction to what you have just said. Overall, I really liked this blog and think that you did a really nice job.
ReplyDeleteThe history of your name is very interesting, you did a good job of explaining how your name can be misleading to others but ultimately is a good representation of you and your religious affiliation. Also, your connection to language and how it reflects on your name was very interesting. This was very interesting and well written.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was really interesting that Thomas shouldn't technically be your last name because something similar happened on my mom's side of the family. The connection between religion and your last name was also explored pretty nicely, and I feel that I can relate a little bit because I get a lot of questions about my race/ethnicity/religion whenever I explain that I am Indian. Lastly, I liked how you explained why you defended Millbrook's pride and how it affected you as well as Millbrook.
ReplyDeleteThe way your last name came to be is very interesting, from it's various roots to your Grandfather accidentally naming himself Thomas Thomas. And I totally agree with you that it is easy to get caught up on social media and post things that ultimately reflect a negative image on the entire group. I respect the way you handled that situation with a formal apology, it showed maturity.
ReplyDeleteHey Zac, I was very interested to hear about the mistake that your grandfather made in naming himself Thomas Thomas. I am also surprised that you did not talk about how you changed the spelling of your name from Zack to Zac. After talking to you about why you decided to do this I thought that you would continue this discussion in your post. However, the experience that you had with twitter and reflecting upon this mistake that you made was cool to hear. I think that social media can be extremely dangerous for young adolescents and I'm glad that this lesson was learned without serious consequences. Your experience has also made me realize that I need to ensure that I am portraying myself in a respectful manner on social media. Thank you for your post Ballzac!
ReplyDelete