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Arranged Marriages

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Arranged marriages: painful history or our reality? Professor ENG 113

Marriage has always been a very difficult and controversial topic to be discussed in any part of the world. The reason why, is that it’s always been connected directly proportional to the happiness in personal life. During previous twenty centuries, values of contentment and success have been changing radically due to the political and most important religious streams. Despite all the signs that have been encrusted so powerfully on our humanity perception, many parts of our world still promote and believe in arranged marriages. Although the Western Culture is considered to be outspoken and free, does it really manage to escape the phenomenon of arranged marriages? Regardless of what is the reason, an arranged marriage should never be taken as the right answer to the eternal question of finding personal happiness. In the earlier centuries arranged marriages were performed on the wealthier levels of society. Various reasons were embraced by this act: gaining more authority, power, money, family name. The only consistently overlooked fact was the couple’s opinion and feelings. Despite this reality, powerful families would arrange their children’s marriage in order to expand their influence, financial stability, history. According to Lacey Savage, “arranged marriages are commonplace in a number of countries, such as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan and India”, and I agree with this statement, but they do become more frequent in the Western Society as well. I could outline several types of arranged marriages: shotgun, forced, and child marriage. They are all alike and poles apart at the same time. But they happen without the total agreement of both partners simultaneously. Some people have the unfortunate destiny to be born in one of the countries where

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