Whats in a name?

With a name as unique as Helynea, meaning are about as easy to come across as it is for teachers to pronounce my name. Helynea could be derived from Helen or Helene from Greek mythology, it translates to "torch" or "corposant."  In Greek mythology Helen was the daughter of Zeus and Leda, she is responsible for starting the Trojan War. Personally I have never started a war however I have been told that I have a very bright and empowering personality. Similar to fire I spread my ideas quickly, thrive in open spaces and burn anyone who ventures to close. However in the same breath, I am also like fire in the ways that I will burn out if I don’t get enough air, I catch fire too quickly and I am also very destructive by nature. 

Helynea could also be closely related to σεληνη (spelled Selene pronounced with a soft H) which translates to "moon." To me, the Moon is typically characterized as being mysterious, wise or powerful Wanders and star-gazers look to the moon and the stars for answers. The Moon is used in fairytales and stories as this great beacon of mystery, wisdom or power.  This meaning doesn’t always correlate with my life but it is still important, the days that I am not burning like a torch I’m detached and mysterious like the moon. That’s when I’m the most like myself, when I can’t be set on fire by someone else’s gasoline or blown out by someone. Not all the time am I like this, for I am mostly the top translation mostly.

Although both of those translations aren’t technically my name they are both uniquely me.

Helynea is a creation of her surroundings and experiences. The Helynea that lived in Florida is a completely different Helynea then the one that lives in North Carolina. Honestly there are more than just two of me that exist in the world of other people, but the most prominent dilemmas are the ones that show Helynea as her surroundings. Those that know me in NC know that I’m very headstrong and I have no problem voicing my opinions (just ask Ms. Hicks 2A class from last year). The state of NC is a much more "approving" and "open" than Florida is, meaning that I won’t get persecuted completely for my opinions and that young adults here are more woke than in Florida. In NC, I feel safer being myself (and by myself I mean being openly queer or being a very strong feminist). In Florida I hide under the umbrella that society placed me in. I stayed asleep under that umbrella because that was where I felt safe. I was outgoing in a different way (between you and me I was an ass in Florida), but the people in Florida didn’t know me despite living there for 12 years. I still have friends in Florida coming to terms with my sexuality. It was a thing of ignorance that I kept hiding under the labels that the society in Florida put me in. It was only recently that I have come to terms with the person I am and I’m still working on the person that I could be. More than one Helynea exist in this world because I’m constantly changing me so that I can be better.

We are the Other

http://photos.wingyounghuie.com/p709406511/e74051bc3

In this picture we see two young adults, both of which are African-American both of their signs speak to me on a very personal level. The young man’s sign shows the assumptions other people have no doubtfully made of him, because of his race and his size. It shows that someone would see him and despite the fact that they know nothing about the young man, they would automatically assume he is a threat. The young female has a sign that says "pull your pants up, stay out of the wrong places and be more careful", since I grew up black I know that this is more than likely something her mother or father said to her before leaving the house. Those words will resonate with some and they will fly straight over others heads. They arent just directions, they are more words about safety. This picture was taken sometime in 2012-2013, the two are dressed in all red; a symbol of violence and is typically associated with blood, they both have a hood or a hat on which is seen as being thuggish. If you wanted to read into the hoods even more, in 2012 Trayvon Martin was shot and killed his killer said the fact that he was wearing a hood and had his hands in his pockets made it seem like he was a threat. In reality what they are wearing would automatically put them into a category with all the thugs and associate them with being in a gang. Even if that isn’t the case, people feel threatened by POC.

Margret Atwood and Young Huie both present the concept of “othering” in very similar ways.  One way is through language, Atwood does more of this she strips people of their identity by calling them Unwomen (elderly women, traitors and women who can’t reproduce), Unbabies (deformed children) and Gender traitors (gay men). Without an identity, you are automatically classified as an “othering”  you are now something no one talks or thinks about, especially in Gilead. Huie uses language with his signs, the signs show the assumptions and the language used when talking to young black adults. The young man’s sign shows that his identity was preconceived by strangers before they even knew him. The young female’s sign shows the language black adults use when raising their children. Multiple variations of this spiel have been spoken by multiple black adults. It shows that as children we are identified as threats. Huie shows that black people are considered “otherings” simply for our skin color through his signs.