Family Composition

Topic: Ideal Family Forms/Family composition

Source: Me!

 

Relation: Comparing my family composition to that of the typical, "ideal family in America"

Description: Before my parents got divorced, we fit the mold of an ideal American family. My family consisted of my mom, dad and younger brother. We even had a pet to complete the cookie cutter family composition. After my parents' divorce, the perfect family composition became complicated. My dad married a women about 5 years after his divorce from my mom. His new wife had two kids, making them my step-siblings. My parents have always had 50/50 custody of my brother and I so we would go back and forth between them quite frequently. Shortly after my dad's wedding, my stepmother and him had a child, Zachary, who is my half brother. My dad has since divorced his second wife and he is now single. My mom has never been remarried. Now that I am old enough I don't have to adhere to custody agreements, I visit my parents as I please. My two younger brothers, however, still go back and forth between their moms and our dad. Most people find this to be complicated but to me it's nothing out of the ordinary. One thing I find especially weird though, is that I now have "ex" step-siblings and an "ex" stepmother whom I no longer speak to. 

Commentary/Analysis: While my family composition might seem complicated, to me it's normal. Having a different family composition than most of my friends has never affected me in any negative way. I am not bitter about having divorced parents and I think that the way I have grown with my family has shaped who I am today.

Topic: Ritual

Source: Personal experiences within my sorority

Relation: Rituals are a key part in any culture. Rituals are unique to each and every culture and hold some type of special meaning. I consider my sorority to be a culture, and as such the rituals we practice are very sentimental and important to us. 
*Ritual, a dramatic rendering or social portrayal of meaning shared by a specific body of people in a way that makes them seem correct and proper, (Robbins, 84).

Description: In my sorority we participate in about five specific rituals per semester. They are confidential ceremonies that take place when we initiate in new sisters and when sisters go alum. We also do them for other various important moments that may take place within the sorority. Our rituals are all run in a similar way and we have to dress a certain way when we attend them. Sometimes when I'm in the ritual I'm not paying attention to what's going on which makes me question their importance. However, when I sit and reflect on them I realize just how crucial, important and meaningful they really are. One of the biggest reasons I feel this way is because thousands upon thousands of other Delta Phi Epsilon sisters are participating in these same rituals across the country. Also, for the past 80 or some years these rituals have taken place within every other chapter of D Phi E that has ever existed. 


Commentary/Analysis: Rituals are a very important part of culture because they are unique, different and hold a special meaning to the people participating in them. Brushing your teeth twice a day is even considered a ritual and to some people it's really important and almost second nature. The rituals I take part in within my sorority are special and sacred and after realizing their importance, I won't ever take another one for granted. The rituals are like an unspoken language that my Delta Phi Epsilon sisters and I can only understand and relate to. This makes them extra special to me.