My True Name | Teen Ink

My True Name

October 13, 2022
By 3duty BRONZE, Hartland, Wisconsin
3duty BRONZE, Hartland, Wisconsin
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

My name, Jack, is short but sweet. It is used in many different ways and expressions, like “Jack of all trades” which is a person who can do many things well. 


It's like a musical melody with a sharp end. It is a book that ends too soon. It is only a brief glimpse into the person that is much more.


If you saw my name, you wouldn’t think about any of the troubles I have, the many things that I worry about all the time, or the stressful schedule that makes up my everyday life. You would just see 4 letters and think, “just another Jack.”


I think branding someone a certain way just because of the name they were given doesn’t make any sense. People are more than just their name. I am more than just my name.


That's why I like when my friends call me by my last name, Duty, because although still a short name, it has its own unique glow, like a ray of sunshine, revealing the hidden specs of dust on the window sill before catching your attention, filling you with warmth.


Duty feels like me, short, simple, but personal and sweet at the same time. It is the type of melody that strikes you at your core, and every time I hear it, I know someone is talking to me and it fills me with that warm glow. It gives someone a glimpse into me and my life. It is the theater practice I go to, the marvel movies I love to watch, a burger and fries-my favorite meal. The things about myself that I wouldn’t change for anything. That's my true name.


The author's comments:

This piece is a reflection of what I truly believe my name is to me based on my experiences.


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