Short Response One

My name is Ashley King.  Ashley is a very common name amongst females of my age group. From the start of my education in grade school until I graduated high School I’ve had a class with someone by the name of Ashley. I’ve even had a class with a boy named Ashley, which I thought was bizarre but learned that up until the 1960’s the name was most common amongst males. Since my name is much shared amongst my peers, I really do not like it. When my parents were deciding on what to name me they struggled in choosing between the names Ashley and Erica. My mother wanted to name me Ashley; after a character from her favorite Soap Opera and my father wanted to name me Erica because his name is Eric. As you can see my father lost this battle and because of my mother’s stubborn ways I was given such a widespread name.

I used to get teased a lot when I was in Elementary school by classmates because I was a girl whose name was King. Some children would utter “Why is your last name King, shouldn’t it be Queen since you’re a girl?” Both of these questions I thought were dumb because my name and gender was nothing I had control over at that age. Although I dislike my first name and as a young child I didn’t care too much for the name King, as I got older I learned to embrace my last name and I absolutely love it today, it’s even my nickname. King doesn’t seem as common to me as Ashley is, but it is well known. Martin Luther King Jr., the world’s most notable civil rights leader shared the same name as I. Webster defines King as: One that holds a preeminent position especially a chief among competitors. That is how I feel about myself. Not to seem self-centered or even conceited, I know I’m not perfect but I take pride in myself. Something I think every person should do.