Switched at the Birth - Essay Example

Switched at the Birth The article “Switched at the Birth” is about two baby girls who were swopped at the time of birth. The one of the mothers, Mrs. Miller, fell asleep when another child was immediately born of Mrs. McDonald, which led to a mix up leading to the two mothers ending with wrong babies. The babies later come to know about the fact at the age of 43, when one of the mothers, Mrs. Miller, writes a letter to them. This paper explores the diverse meanings of biological and social kin relations in Millers and McDonald families.

The transcript shows a cruel fact of the society that people prefer not to deny their family doctor and easily accept the exchange of the babies. The two babies belong to entirely two different families, which are not only physically different, but their attitudes and life styles are also entirely different from each other. The Miller family belongs to the ethnic group, which is different from the ethnic group to which MacDonald’s’ family belongs. The activities and the interest of both families are different and this difference is visibly seen in the complexion of the two switched girls.

The attitudes, behaviors and mannerism are different from the other family members, which is the symbol that these girls are not the original or natural part of the family. For example, Martha Miller is fond of music and the related activities whereas her siblings are very much serious and do not have any such interests like Martha. This attribute may come from her own biological family. The other major difference, which they talk about, is their color complexion difference. Martha is a blonde girl and rose up in a family having dark complexion.

Kinship is a system of relationships, which clarifies the roles, and responsibilities of the people depending upon their cultural position. These roles and responsibilities are highly dependent upon the part of family and the size of family. If we talk about the kinship within the family then it may tied by the genetic codes and the biological relationships. In other words, we can say that the concept of kinship family is based upon the connectivity of the members and the people like father, mother, and other siblings.

Different examples of family kinship include Patrilocality, Matrilocality or Neolocality. Another is the matrilineal kinship. If the newly married couple is living with the male’s family then it is patrilocality, if living with the female’s family then it will be Matrilocality. If the couple wishes to have their separate home then they come under the umbrella of Neolocality. If the family tree is started from the grandparents and ends at the grandchildren then this will be an example of matrilineal kinship.

“Switched at the Birth” depicts kinship, family and marriage; how we relate to each other. From the article, it is clear that kinship extends beyond the confines of daily activities of a family. Sue’s interests, for instance, differs from other McDonald family members. Nonetheless, the environment in which children are brought up influences their behavior to some extent and a bond usually develops with the people who are close to a person from her childhood. Works cited ‘Kinship, Family and Marriage’, How Are We Related to One Another?

Chapter No 10, page 349 - 364