Petraglia 1 Ana Petraglia Ms.

Gardner English 10H 2 31 Oct 2013 Arranged Marriage Imagine that you are a native Indian girl at the age of 14. Imagine your parents pressuring you to already find a husband. Imagine at the age of 16 marrying a man you barely know. Muslim and Hindu Indian girls should not be forced into this kind of tyranny, let alone any girl at all. I know that it is part of Indian culture and religion to see their children get married and have children before they die, and to see them live a comfortable and successful life, but do you truly think that planning an arranged marriage for Indian teenage daughters will make them happy? The question isnt about what they think is best for their daughters future, its about whether or not she lives the life that she wants; forced marriage or willful marriage. Marriage isnt something to hasten into. It isnt a chore in which you are trying to wash the dishes as quickly as possible so that you can finish watching your TV show. It is the planting of a seed which takes time to grow and develop, but in the end produces a beautiful rose; delicate but full of love and strength. These Indian girls should not be forced into such an extremely impactful decision this early in their lives, but unfortunately it is their parents that arrange these marriages. It isnt just in India that these arranged marriages occur. Many Indians living in America also have pre-planned marriages; although, they are not as strict with the age the girls must be married by. It is still a tyrannous act. To fulfill the expectations, to make sure he has a wellpaying job, and to marry him in under 6 months of meeting him are the constant pressures of an

Petraglia 2 Indian girl living in America or India. You may not have heard of many Indian girls being forced into marriage by their parents, but it has been a tradition for their culture since the fourth century. In an article form the New York Times an Indian girl living in the U.S. speaks of the requirements of an eligible husband: My father excludes non-veg suitors. There is, however, a loophole for meat-eaters who earn over $200,000. Not only are the prerequisites of the possible husbands very specific, but the idea of an arranged marriage is inconceivable to people in our society. So what should we do about this? It is hard to say what we should do. In America, Indian women have less pressure to participate in this mandatory matrimonial ceremony before the age of 18 than native Indians do. American cultural Indians expect their children to marry in their 20s, or find their husband before then, but when that doesnt happen, the parents take control and often put their daughters up on online dating sites to find a match. On the other hand, teenagers in India starting at the age of 15 are being forced against their will to engage in a marriage ceremony with a man double their age before the girl turns 18 and can be legally married. So, one thing we can do is give these women and girls a choice; a choice to not worry about falling in love, hence a choice to have an arranged marriage, or a choice to take time and fall in love with the person that you wish to spend the rest of your life with. Which would you choose? Some Indian people very engrossed in their culture and preserving their heritage and practices would not be satisfied with letting their children and grandchildren have the choice of an un-arranged marriage. It goes against the ethics and traditions of having your future planned out for you. Regardless, when it comes to the free will of these women, they should have freedom of marriage.

Petraglia 3 The act of forcing one into an unwanted marriage with someone you have only just met, is tyranny. It is a tyranny that you dont witness often in our American society, but is present in dedicated Indian peoples. It is a tyranny which engages young teenage girls to pre-determined men because their parents dont want to see them grow old without a husband. In other words, its better to be happy and unmarried, than to be married and unhappy.