Seven simple characters, held in place by a cultural undertone, carry out a personal message. Each character is typified by a phonetic role, but at the same time serve as a fragment of identity. Individually they are meaningless, however, when united in their appropriate order they formulate something that is important to me. Something that has been second only to my shadow and has managed to make me recognizable. Something, I like to refer to as my name.
Connecting to its Sanskrit roots, Akshith means, forever, permanent, and everlasting. For the longest period time this was what I understood my name to be, but experiences offer a new perspective...
Excitement accumulated as I scaled up the stairs. I opened the door, and lunged onto my chair barely managing to plant myself down. With website imprinted on memory, I grabbed the keyboard and made my way there. At top of the site, standing proud and bolded in gold, was the "Neopets" logo. I analyzed each image as it loaded, but my attention drifted to the "Own a Pet" section that was hiding in the corner. I typed in the basic information; name, date of birth, and desired user name, and slammed down the enter key.
"Error: Your name cannot contain profane language"
As a ten year old, profane was not part of my word bank. So with confusion replacing any enthusiasm I had, I tried again. When nothing seemed to work I sat back with the feeling of rejection plastered across my face.
...Unbeknownst to my young self, I had just encountered the alternate reality of my name. Now as a young adult, it's funny to see people casually drop the last letter of my name and wonder how I would react. Would I be angry? Would I laugh? Or would I just not care? To be honest, sometimes even I didn't know. My name, which I held so dearly, continually lost its value, and it began to appear as a mere label rather than a characterization of who I was.
When I entered my sophomore year of high school, with the mispronunciation of my name in tow, I came across a seemingly unusual opportunity. On paper it is known as a name change, but I looked at as something completely different. I saw it as an opportunity to escape the shell that my current name created but regarding the actual process I was pretty clueless. I didn't know how long it would take, or even if it was possible. However, my parents assured me that it was quite simple.
From an "i" to an "a", my new name would be the same length as my old one. It would still be culturally sound, and it would have the same relative meaning. However when I scribbled it on paper something felt incomplete. I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but as the name change process ensued around me, I started to become frustrated with my new concern. It was not until my brother had spoken to me, that I figured out what the problem was. My brother, 8 year's old at the time, came into my room and asked a question,
"Why am I losing my brother?"
That was all I needed to realize that the process that was occurring was unnecessary. By changing my name I was going break away at who I was. From getting yelled at when I overslept in the mornings, to getting chanted during the winning goal of little league soccer game, to getting announced during the beginning of my piano recital, my name has always been there. Now I truly treasure my name in its entirety, and embrace it with confidence. I am not just a seventeen year old boy who wants to make it big in the future, but instead I am Akshith, the boy who wants be able to reach his goals.
Ahh, neopets. Those were the days.
Connecting to its Sanskrit roots, Akshith means, forever, permanent, and everlasting. For the longest period time this was what I understood my name to be, but experiences offer a new perspective...
the comma after "means" is unnecessary, and I would use just a period instead of the "..." at the end. However, I really like this part!
When nothing seemed to work I sat back
Comma after "work"
My name, which I held so dearly, continually lost its value, and it began to appear as a mere label rather than a characterization of who I was.
Hmm, maybe drop the "and", making two separate sentences? Again, I really like the phrasing of this.
process ensued around me
I think the wording is a bit awkward.
but instead I am Akshith, the boy who wants be able to reach his goals.
I think dropping the "but" would make this part more concise. End your essay strong!
Overall, your essay is great. Very unique (my only qualms are in the fluency) and entertaining. Good luck!
