Thursday, June 17, 2010

4 Azariah vs 13 Asher; 4 Emerson vs 13 Landon

A double name post... hurray! If you haven't already, please vote on Ulysses vs D'Artagnan / Tiago vs Finn.

This match-up is:

From the BIBLICAL region, 4 Azariah vs 13 Asher.
From the VANILLA region, 4 Emerson vs 13 Landon.

Gar: Another tough round with some good names, but for these two match-ups, I'm going to go with the favored seeds. Azariah was the name of a prophet in the Old Testament, but it was also the original name of "Abednego" one of the 3 young men thrown in the fiery furnace for standing up for their faith and culture during the Jewish exile in Babylon. The name Azariah means "God's Help". I hope our son will be person of faith and proud of his heritage, spiritual and ethnic. Emerson makes me think of Ralph Waldo Emerson, the famous American author and philosopher. Besides being a talented writer, he was also known for his strong moral convictions, including being abolitionist (anti-slavery) when in 19th century America, slavery was still legal. It goes without saying that if Baby Chan becomes an awesome writer and a man of strong moral convictions, I'll be very happy!

Siobhan: Tough match ups, but Asher is a great name to upset Azariah. Asher means happiness and I would hope that our son should be destined for happiness in his future. The literary match ups seems to have the most discussion. Emerson makes me think of a friend's last name. Landon is from the book, A Walk to Remember, by Nicholas Sparks. Landon helped a young lady achieve her goals in life and in the end he found true peace that only God could bring.

Gar: Happiness is definitely something I hope Baby Chan will find, but I think he'll need God's Help to find it. Sorry, Asher. =) Yes, Emerson is a person's last name, but I believe that Ralph Waldo Emerson to be a far more impressive person than just some character from a Nicholas Sparks book. He was very intelligent, and is quoted, "All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen." and "Before we acquire great power we must acquire wisdom to use it well." and "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

Siobhan: Landon is an original character that goes deeper than the representations of Nicholas Sparks' books into movies of formulaic character development. Landon, a boy from a single-parent home who doesn't have direction in life, finds it through his friendship with Jamie, the preacher's daughter. He struggled to find a way to cope with Jamie's leukemia by offering her what the world could offer. Landon knew in his heart that there was something more to the world than just happiness and material goods. "My heart was telling me exactly the same thing. I turned to the Bible again, in the hope that it would guide me." "Eventually I came across a passage. The words made me choke up again and just as I was about to cry, the meaning of it suddenly became clear. God had finally answered me and I suddenly knew what to do."

EDIT: Thanks for voting everyone! Voting is now closed.

 

15 comments:

  1. Could I get a pronunciation guide for Azariah?

    Does it rhyme with Malaria or Gonorrhea? OK. I'm really not trying to be gross, but those are the ONLY two words I could think of that might rhyme. I think I have to vote Asher for that reason alone.

    Emerson. The name rolls of my tongue like honeyed butter.

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  2. as-a-rye-ah! that is how i would pronounce azariah, and i will be voting for that. asher is okay, but asher chan just doesn't sound right.

    landon chan. voted for.

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  3. 1) Azariah - I love the story of the three young men who stood up for their faith in not bowing down to the false idols. And even though Azariah's name was changed to Abednego which means servant of Nego, a Babylonian god, Azariah never strayed from who he truly is.

    2) Finn - My first impression on hearing the Emerson name is the consumer electronics company which makes these inexpensive audio and visual home equipment. They copy or reverse engineer other products to make them cheaper. They are a major supplier to Wal-Mart. I was watching Glee before it was a hit. Finn touched me in how he deals with his conflict of doing was is expected of him as a sport jock or following his dream. He loves singing which really makes him happy. He just happens to be a guy who has a sensitive side, just as our grandson should be.

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  4. Oops, I posted Finn which is on the other bracket.

    2) Landon - The part that got me in "A Walk to Remember" was when Landon realized it was his father who paid the medical costs for Jamie to receive her care at home. He drove all the way to his father's house that very night. When the father opened the door, Landon tearfully blurted out a simple "Thank you", as he and his father hugged.

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  5. Landon is an annoying U.S. soccer player but has been clutch in the World Cup thus far; only the 3rd U.S. player to score in 2 different World Cups.

    Hmmm, am not familiar with Azariah, but it has a better ring to it than Asher...

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  6. Azariah- Asher is ok, but Azariah sounds better with Chan.

    Landon- How can you not love the characters from Nicholas Sparks books?

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  7. Happiness is always good...Asher it is.

    Emerson sounds like a girl's name to me, so I am going with Landon in "A Walk to Remember".
    Mira

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  8. Azariah. I know an Asher that annoys me, so by default it's Azariah.

    Landon. Michael. Highway to Little House on the Prairie Heaven!

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  9. 1) Azariah. Ash is so blah.

    2) Emerson. The soccer connection is too strong with Landon Donovan being so popular right now.

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  10. My votes....

    Asher - The tribe of Asher was the one most blessed with male children and its women were so beautiful that priests and princes sought them in marriage (I wikied that). From the bountiful progeny perspective gotta go with Asher.

    Emerson - Didn't do any further digging but sounds more powerful, commanding and cool than Landon! Landon makes me think of Little House on the Prairie, a show which annoyed the heck out of me as it was the only thing on TV for us saps stuck with crappy rabbit ears for TV reception.

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  11. asher. i didn't know it means happiness-- but that totally makes sense to me now... in high school i read this book: 'my name is asher lev'. i think book really got me thinking about being an artist and appreciating art. :)

    landon. shane west. cuti petutti. :)

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  12. Azariah and Emerson. Both are more unique than the other 2.

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  13. Hate to say it, but Azariah reminds me of a girl's name, I think it's the -iah... So it's going to be Asher & Emerson

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