As It Was in the Beginning by E. Pauline Johnson

E. Pauline Johnson’s story, As It Was in the Beginning, was very interesting to read. Instead of the usual romantic moments and happy endings, it depicts dark thoughts and sad ending. However, as I was intrigued with the plot and the characterization, I could not help but disagree with Esther’s way of thinking. In my opinion, killing is never a good solution nor is it the right thing to do. I understand Esther’s anger towards Father Paul’s words about how Lawrence should not marry her because of her skin color and where her parents are from. Racism is never a good thing to heat, and it can be quiet upsetting to hear those kinds of words from the people whom you respect. Her jealousy is understandable, too. It is not an unusual thing to feel when you love someone. Still, that does not give her the right to kill Lawrence. I do not believe that Esther did that out of her love for Lawrence. It was done out of hurt and anger. If she was able to kill the one she loves and flee from the scene just like that, I doubt that she even loves him in the first place.

              

 A lot of people say that love can kill. Either you kill the one you love, other people, or even yourself. I partly agree with that saying, because there are situations where death seems like the better or even best option. For example, when your loved ones are suffering from an incurable illness and the only thing keeping them alive are some life-supporting machines. Can you bear with the thoughts that they are hurting every single day and night? Maybe it is better to end their misery and let them rest in peace rather than making them live in pain. But of course, that decision should depend on their concern, unless they are in a coma or unconscious. Because, as much as we love and want the best for them, we should never disregard their opinions and wants.

               

  I do not agree, however, with the case where a mother killed her children and herself in fear of them not having a good future. How could she think that death is the only solution when what she feared has not even happened yet? I really cannot understand this. Her action was not based on love; it was based on her cowardice and fears. She did bot has enough confidence in herself and her children. She was afraid of what people would say if she failed to raise her children, she feared the shame she might has to endure if her children were nor successful, and she doubted that her children would have a bright future. Those are not love. She would not give up before the actual fight if she truly loved them. She should not. No love gives you the right to decide other people’s future. Only God knows what will happen later, we should not interfere just because of what we think might happen. If that mother really loved her children, she should give them the chance to live their life and brace their future, no matter how good or bad that future is. If her worry turns out to be true and her children fail to have a good life, then she should help them get back on their feet and face it together. That is how love should be for me, to stay together in good or bad.

                

One thing that perks my interest is alteristic love. It brings so many questions in my head. Is there such a thing as alteristic love? Can someone really sacrifice themselves for the people they love? Am I willing to sacrifice myself for love? Is there anyone out there who would do this for me? I am still not entirely sure about the answer of these questions, but I think it is a beautiful and amazing thing if you are able to sacrifice yourself for your love. Like the one in the Finding Nemo movie. Even though they were arguing when they were separated,  the father still care about his son and did his best to get his son back. He went far away from home, came across sharks in the way, got lost a few times, rode a dangerous current, swan through jelly fishes, and he never gave up until he reunited with his son. That kind of love and sacrifice is very touching and inspiring for me. How he didn’t care about himself and risk his life just to meet his son again.

                

Love is a beautiful thing. We should not taint it with greed, jealousy, anger and selfishness. It should be the source of strength, not weakness. I think love cannot give a license to kill. If you can kill someone you love because you don’t want him to be with someone else, like what Esther did in Johnson’s story. That is not love. That is her possessiveness and greed taking control of her.

                

In conclusion, I partly agree with the idea of killing people or suicide out of love. Not the ones done out of greed, jealousy and possessiveness, but the ones which are done in order to put the people we love out of misery or pain. I believe alteristic love is justified, as long as it is still acceptable from moral or religious standpoints. Sacrificing our self for love is good, unless you over do it to the point where you purposely harm yourself. 

How Your Birth Order Influences Your Life Adjustment

Lucille K. Forer stated in her article that birth order plays a big role in people’s characterization, from how they act in the family, how they react when faced with a problem, to how mature they are. However, I do not entirely agree with these statements because these theories hardly apply to the children in my family, which just like a typical family in the United States, consists of my mother, father, sister, and I. What makes it different from the family in Forer’s discussion is that my sister and I are twins. Therefore, even though I play the role as the younger sister, there is no such thing as age difference between us. I have never known how it is to be forced to act more mature from having younger siblings nor to feel dependent to my older siblings, like how Forer said in her article. I think that is one of the perks of being a twin, we act more like a friend and feel more at ease with each other since we learn things and solve problems together.

             
As for other families, I do not think that birth order will determine children’s life adjustment. It does have an influence, but that does not define how we are going to be. Not every first child is mature, independent and responsible, just like not every later child is dependent and irresponsible. There can be a case where the oldest child acts more immature and careless because of the pressure she or he got from people around them. It can also be because they want to get their parents’ attention since parents seem to give more affection to later child. The environment in which they grew up and the people to whom they spend their time with also have some effects to how they act. For example, a child who grows up in a loving family will more likely become a happy and bright child, while a child who grows up in a strict family will either become timid and cold, or rebellious, regardless of their birth order.

             
School also has an important role in character building, since children spend most of their time at school with their friends aside from home. At school, children will learn how to be responsible, independent and develop their social skills. There will be a difference between children who do home schooling, normal school, and boarding school. Most of the time, those who attend boarding school are more mature and independent than those who go to normal school or home schooling because they are away from their parents. However, school can also bring bad influence to children, because of the pressure it gives, be it pressure from teachers or peer pressure. If children spend their time with the wrong people and cannot handle the urge to fit in, that could end up bad.  Once again, it all depends on the person itself.

In conclusion, I do not entirely agree with Forer’s theory about birth order’s influence to children’s character. It is true that most of first born children are more mature than their younger siblings, but that does not always mean that it was caused by their birth order. There are things which have more influence to our character and personality than birth order, such as family, how the parents act, school, friends, and many other things.