Ascribed Status

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In sociology, two concepts that we have been taught are the ascribed status and the achieved status. In other words, what a person is born with and what he/she becomes. Nearly every person is given a name as soon as he/she is born; making it his/her ascribed status. At this point, a name is merely a label. However, its significance increases as life goes on. Definitions, origins, personal significance, and even nicknames help transform an ascribed name into something he/she has achieved. His/her name becomes the person they have grown to be. If a name can become who a person is, can a person also become their name? For example, my name was supposed to be Abigail, but my father called it “wallflower-y and plain” and held out for Kelsey. If…show more content…
Even though she has passed on, I believe my great-grandmother is still watching over me. In June of 2013, a car hit me while I was crossing the street. I do not remember what happened, but I have been told I was extremely lucky to not have died. The emergency doctors were shocked that I only sustained minor sprains and a single fractured bone in my foot, My only major injury- a double concussion- did not cause significant brain damage. The only memory I have from the night I came home from the hospital was the feeling of someone stroking my hair and saying, “It’s okay baby girl. Sleep. I’m here.” I asked my mother and she said it was not her, but recognizes the pet name as one that her grandma Rose used to call her. My mother agrees that my great-grandmother’s love extended from beyond the grave to protect me. Therefore, instead of attributing my middle name to a simple flower, I prefer to see it as my Great-Grandma Rose. She died before I had the chance to meet her, but I have heard much about her from my mother and grandmother. In their words, Great-Grandma Rose was “a pistol”, and certainly one that shot from the hip. She was not afraid of anything, loved fiercely and fully, and marched to the beat of her own drum. I admire this woman immensely and aspire to inherit her spirit and zest for life along with her
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