I have a fairly long one.
However, I do not feel animosity
From others for retaining one of such
length.
Madonna wishes she had one.
The governor of California, the famous
Actor, has an extremely long one.
Asians tend to have short ones.
It’s intriguing to of think how diverse
they
Come, varying in sizes. Am I the only
one out there
Fascinated with the assortment of last
names?
I
thought long and hard about what I should venture into this week in order to
cause extreme discomfort for the readers of my blog. After hearing a Brian
Regan stand-up comedian act in my father’s car this weekend, I knew what words
to throw on paper in order to make my audience squirm. Regan brought to my
attention the frequency at which people pronounce names incorrectly. He used the
name “Caroline” as an example, not knowing when to stress the “I.” Regan
continued to tell of the unspoken truth about how individuals become extremely
offended when a person pronounces their name incorrectly. For this reason, I
think the awkward diction of “last names” truly distinguishes the above poem as
possessing an uncomfortable tone. I bring to my audience’s attention the
assertion that people tend to accept everyday patterns of life without thought,
the concept of last names acting as one of these patterns. The abstraction of
such a notion astounds me: the variety, length and differences in pronunciation
deem endless. I also choose to format my poem in such a way that radiates
awkwardness. Instead of following a symmetrical approach by centering the poem on
the paper, in response creating a light-hearted tone, I attempt to vary the
length of each line within the poem. This unbalance, along with the strange use
of enjambment in certain places, exemplifies the instability the poem
possesses, disrupting the flow of the reading. From the use of these structural
and literature elements, I strive to make my audience wriggle with displeasure from the
uncomfortable feeling emitted by the poem.
Growing up in a Greek community I can relate to the discomfort of incorrect name pronunciation. Although I have heard Osgood spoken incorrectly a few times in my life, I have lived on the opposite end, forced to guess the proper way to say "Nicolacakis," "Ilioupolis," and "Papandreas." Needless to say the countless corrections in my life have become routine instead of discomforting. I applaud you in your effort to raise awareness for this discomforting plight of those forced to pronounce hard last names.
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