Following Romney's Dreams

Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote a poem "Aurora Leigh" that is a Kunstlerroman, or coming of age story for an artist. Aurora's life is paralleled with E.B.B.'s own life. Aurora faces a fork in the road when she realizes her life's dream is to become a respected poet. Romney proposes to her and she declines his offer. Being with him would mean her own dreams wouldn't be allowed, she would only be helping him accomplish his own. There is no doubt we have all had those moments where we have to encounter our Romney and explain our dreams or accept his.

My mothers always wanted me to become a doctor or scientist. Doctors make a lot of money after all. However I have the habit of passing out around blood. My father would like for me to do something I love. I love talking with people about their lives. Perhaps a psychologist would be the thing for me. However my father has his masters in counseling and pointed out it's a very depressing career listening to peoples problems, addictions, and secrets day in and day out. Of my four siblings only my oldest sister has accomplished her goals, or she was the only one that had any. My brothers simply work odd jobs here and there. None of my other family members have done anything to brag about either. My father would love to be able to say his daughter was a doctor, or rocket scientist, and I'm sure my mother would like very much to know I had achieved some genius degree that pays loads of money. With the intention of accomplishing things to make my family proud I am majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry and psychology. Hopefully I'll become a children's dentist one day (I can deal with that amount of blood).

I'm going into my junior year and I've began thinking alto about what I want and need for myself. I sometimes doubt whether I enjoy science as much as someone majoring in it should. My grades are good, but to be a genius doctor you need a GPA above a 4.0 no doubt. Getting into med school is extremely competitive. Every time I bring up this topic with my parents I'm always told to just focus on my grades. I refuse to quit on a degree I've began, but will it make me happy in the end to do this the rest of my life? In a way I feel like an Aurora who is engaged to her Romney. An Aurora who has put someone else before herself. I'm a Tabitha committed to making her family proud and setting a new tone for my family's achievements.