Use link below for reference
(3) Writing Assignment 3 (ch 9) – Family & Marriage
“In India, Castes, Honor and Killings Intertwine,” by Jim Yardley. The New York Times, July 10, 2010, p. A1. Available online: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/world/asia/10honor.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=honor%20killings%20caste&st=cse (Links to an external site.)
Nirupama Pathak, a young woman who was a member of the Brahmin caste, the highest caste in India, is
found dead, her mother accused of killing her. Pathak was secretly engaged to be married to a man from a lower caste and her postmortem revealed she was pregnant. Many in India feel death is justified on moral grounds when people marry outside of the caste or otherwise violate marriage traditions. Even Pathak’s
father is quoted as saying it is their cultural way, that all societies have cultural rules that should be followed.
The article states that Pathak’s father wrote her a letter to convince her to change her mind about her
engagement. In it he says that while India’s Constitution permits marriage outside one’s caste, the
Constitution is only decades-old and Hindu law is thousands of years old. Indian society has been rapidly modernizing. Pathak, a single woman, was away from home studying in a graduate program in New Delhi.
Respond to the following questions. This assignment should be NO LESS than 300 WORDS. Include
citations to the text and/or website, a title page, and a reference page. Must include at least one citation.
Why do you think the caste system is so resistant to change, despite other cultural changes?
Do you see any parallels between the question of intercaste marriage and interracial marriage in the U.S.?
Discuss the role of culture in defining institutions such as marriage.
How does this demonstrate that culture is integrated and holistic?
