My Name Is

“My name is...” is probably one of the most – if not the most – difficult things I've had to read. I find it interesting, because in my experience with literature, I have always enjoyed the formal and structural aspects of literature. I like texts with powerful descriptive language, such as Steinbeck's works. I enjoy powerful dialogue, like in To Kill a Mockingbird. Yet “My name is” is completely lacking in both; The narratives take the form of a factual series of events, largely free of personal response from the narrator. Yet the text remains powerful. A sentence about playing soccer is said with the same lack of detail and matter-of-fact tone as a sentence about having a having a house raided.

The way the stories are told vary. Sine students use distancing language: “They opened fire on all of them. My uncle and his wife, who was pregnant, and my grandmother all died.”

Others use ominous language “They don't just shoot you,they make sure your death is long and very painful. Once I saw a man get burned to death in front of the town.”

Others are matter-of-fact, with varying levels of detail.“Finally, the gunman took his gun and shot three times, two into my fathers chest, once in his neck.” “My grandfather told them my father was not there. The men killed my grandfather.”

These particular features of their language use may be a product of learning English as a second language. However, it reminds me of the way people talk. Not in an artistic, Mark Twain-like style, but rather, in a genuine fashion. Through my life, I've been to several talks with survivors of various trauma – the atomic bombings of Japan, the Holocaust, beatings during the Civil Rights movement – and there is a quality used to that language that is common between all these tellings. There isn't a need for stylistic presentation or figurative language – the stories speak for themselves.

As a teacher, I would be hesitant to employ a text like this in a classroom, especially in a classroom where students might have experienced similar trauma. However, in some classrooms, a text like this might be useful alongside another text (for example, it's pairs well with Tangled Threads) in order to make the text seem real to the students.