Naming is a unique attribute of human beings. Anxious future parents ponder the dilemma of “what name will best suit our unborn child” even before finding out the sex of the fetus. Often these names are chosen based on the qualities that parents want their children to have: Lily for a pure and beautiful girl, Justin for a fair and kind boy. In both Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man and Spike Lee's Bamboozled, The Invisible Man, members of the Brotherhood, Mau Maus, Manray, Womack, and Delacroix all have their names altered in some way, though not by their parents. Altering these characters' names also alters their identities in profound ways. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayAttaching a common word or title to a name (like Professor Dumbledore or Professor Stephen Hawking) serves to unite an assortment of people. In The Invisible Man, members of the Brotherhood, a deceptive organization that claims to raise the poor in society, are called "Brother". This title not only creates the illusion of equality within the Brotherhood, but also binds members to the Brotherhood's mentality and attempts to suppress individual thought. After the Invisible Man holds an impromptu funeral for Tod Clifton, a former member of the Brotherhood, he is interrogated by Brother Jack and Brother Tobitt. Brother Jack is sardonic as he repeatedly ridicules how the Invisible Man acted "on [his] personal responsibility" (464). After all, when Clifton was selling Sambo dolls on the streets, he was no longer aligned with the Brotherhood's ideology, and was therefore no longer useful to the Brotherhood. The Invisible Man took it upon himself to organize a funeral and give a eulogy expressing the injustice Clifton faced. Brother Jack continues to highlight the controlling nature of the Brotherhood by telling the Invisible Man that "the committee makes your decisions... What happened to your discipline?" (472). Discipline in this case is not respect for one's morals; it is submission to the principles of the Brotherhood. By requiring members to call each other “Brother,” this organization liberates people from individual thought, and therefore identity. Although groups are sometimes seen as single entities and not composed of individual people, unifying a group under a common name given to individuals can help strengthen their identity. In Bamboozled, the rowdy members of Mau Maus, a rebellious rap group, all include "Blak" in their names: Big Blak Afrika, Double Blak, Mo Blak, Smooth Blak, and One-Sixteenth Blak. Smooth Blak, the only female member, suggests while sipping Da Bomb malt liquor that "from here on out, from now on and whatever, they should write black: BLAK, not BLACK." The use of stage names that include “Blak” unifies Mau Maus and also emphasizes their “blackness”: One-Sixteenth Blak, who is technically fifteen and sixteenths white, pleads at the end of the film: “Why don't I did you kill? I'm black!” The act of removing the "c" from the word "black" is an act of rebellion, which Smooth Blak alludes to when he states that the Mau Maus "never conformed to any of the white man's rules or regulations." The Mau Maus and the Brotherhood both attempt to function as unified groups and disrupt society, and both believe that society will benefit from their actions. Although the nature of the two groups is very similar, the attitudes are very different. While the terms “Blak” and “Brother” both serve to unite a group of people,the word “Blak” itself promotes rebellion and gives the Mau Maus a clear and exaggerated identity, while the title “Brother” stifles the mutiny and liberates the members of the Brotherhood. of identity. Taking on a new name allows the user to be someone they are not, just as I.M. and PierreDelacroix believe their names will take them one step closer to success by masking their true selves. Delacroix is ​​the only black TV writer at the CNS television network, and his attempt to appear as sophisticated as a white man is first visible in his ridiculously French-sounding name. His given name is Peerless Dothan, which Delacroix must have found too uncultured to share with the world. Delacroix is ​​also overly correct and speaks too much correct English, throwing out phrases like "have a wonderful day." He believes that success can only be achieved by correcting his black background with white. Delacroix sees Junebug, his father who works as a comedian, as a "broken man" simply because of the way he embraces black culture and doesn't "say the things [Hollywood] wants [him] to say." While Junebug refuses to conform to what white men want her to do, Delacroix refuses to "end up where [Junebug] was" and does her best to integrate into white society. I.M.'s desire to abandon his background and blend into a whiter, more civilized society is evident even before he begins working for the Brotherhood. During a trip to New York, the Invisible Man imagines his encounter with prominent white men in which he would "speak softly, in [his] most refined tones, smile pleasantly, and be very polite" (157) in an attempt to please them. After the Invisible Man's initiation banquet at the Chthonian, he explicitly states: “I had a new name and new problems. I'd better leave the old behind” (316). This statement signals his transition into a new world and his acceptance into white society. Both the name "Pierre Delacroix" and the name given to the Invisible Man by the Brotherhood serve as a vehicle for their conformity to the white mentality. Both work in organizations where the majority is white and both try to integrate into white society. For them, this integration is a denotation of success, even if achieved under a pseudo identity. Like slaves who are renamed by their masters, the Invisible Man, Manray, and Womack are given different names by the people who attempt to control them. . As soon as the Invisible Man begins his work for the Brotherhood, the first thing to do is give him a new name. The Brotherhood asserts their ownership over IM by requiring him to assume a new name and identity, which is evident when Brother Jack tells the Invisible Man, "You don't have to answer to anyone else, understand?" (309). In this way, the Invisible Man plays into the Brotherhood's plan; the new name and identity allow the Invisible Man to become the perfect spokesperson for the Brotherhood. Manray and Womack, street artists who scrounged for a living, are no longer Manray and Womack in “Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show” — they are Mantan and Sleep-n'-eat (which, not coincidentally, are the stage names of two famous blackface artists in the 1990s). Delacroix needs Mantan and Sleep-n'-eat, not Manray and Womack, to achieve his goal of broadcasting the most offensive spectacle possible. Manray readily accepts the role that Pierre Delacroix constructs for him. However, Womack's "you've got to be kidding" attitude is evident when Delacroix introduces him to Dunwitty as Sleep-n'-eat: his smile disappears, his eyebrows raise, and his forehead creases with worried wrinkles. The reason for these renamings is that both the Brotherhood and.