Dying for a Dowry

Member since 2002 · Posted 13 Oct 2002 · Edited 13 Oct 2002 · 9 comments

Twenty-five thousand brides are burned to death in India each year, a million more young woman live in fear; beauty deprived of breath; society made sick by what it hides. This putrid smell, a burnt offering from hell made for the dubious benefit their dowries gain Is quite illegal ... yet their bodies fall like rain. poisoning the country with their pain. The murders ... husbands and relatives, people ... who care for Tvs more than human lives, go unpunished, uncondemned, set free by other people, men, who quietly think, if these be thoughts amid such moral stink. "I'll take his cash, the truths is hard to see" How can humanity be sunk so fearful low? If they could just perceive, then they would know. They curse themselves, more than they can believe. Life teaches us ourselves and so I say. "See all the truth and weep. Too deep the well and too bitter all the world for those who sell... humanity so cheap."

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10 votes so far. Yours would make 11.10 votes so far

9 comments

[9] INTRANSIT 13-Oct-02/6:28 PM Reply

Where did the quote come from? Good work, very serious tone. The truth stings but the solution isn't always easy. I pray,every little bit helps. If you care,9

[n/a] Blue Magpie › INTRANSIT 13-Oct-02/8:21 PM Reply

Hi,
Glad you liked it, the story came from New Scientist, which I get months behind time, I can go check out the exact issue if you wish, I put them in my school after I have read them.

Line 5 should be women not woman
The murders should be Their murderers

its amazing the mistakes that a spell checker doesn't pick up.

[n/a] Nicholas Jones 14-Oct-02/1:27 AM Reply

The problem is its easy to disapprove of other people's cultural practices. When Britain conquered india, they declared the practice of suttee illegal, and in some ways it became a way of resisting imperial rule. It clearly is barbaric, but attacking it from outside raises comples moral issues.

There's a well-known article by the post-colonial theorist Gayatri Spivak called 'Can the Subaltern Speak?' which addresses this issue, and is very good, if hard going.

[n/a] Blue Magpie › Nicholas Jones 14-Oct-02/8:53 PM Reply

Hi Nicholas,
Nice to be read by someone who knows what is happening. Yes I am well aware the English di an aweful lot of harm in India, including winding up the Hindu/Muslim thing the precurser of todays border problems.

I see my changing 'truth's' to 'truth is' at sometime has added another unnecessry error, I cover my head with ashes and bemoan my foolishness.

[n/a] Christof › Blue Magpie 18-Oct-02/6:49 AM Reply

The interesting paradox is that when the British banned suttee, they were performing a civilised act (amongst lots of admittedly uncivilised acts) but the Indian culture clung onto it almost as a way of raising to fingers to Imperial rule. But I think most rational people are with the English on this particular question. So where does this leave us in the morally relatvistic world? Is there basic morality, or do we let cultures get on with their own lives? Which leads us to the Arab world and America...

[n/a] Blue Magpie › Christof 19-Oct-02/9:38 PM Reply

Well I guess I am not in a position to make decisions for others, but even though Hinduism is not a moralistic religion, in the wat Islam, Christianity and Buddhism are, India is full of teachings that say you benefit by living a moral life, suttee is no more acceptable from the point of view their own societies teachers than from ours, to this extent we are more a manifestation of Karma, than an outsider interfering, how you see it depends on whether you are looking for truth and light, or just an excuse to hate. You will find what you look for.

[2] Tintagiles 16-Oct-02/7:01 AM Reply

Humanity hasn't sunk this low, it's simply always been this low and never risen higher.

[7] Caducus 22-Nov-02/8:05 AM Reply

A powerful statement indeed, its well written and you need to name more specifically those responsible for this atrocity,(e.g the government, the husbands, local authorities, the u.n.) because the subject is sensitive and to some an outsider viewing the insider may provoke racial accusations.

I think however you've researched the facts, the last line could be more affecting, maybe 'Vishnu's Infasdel' would go better for the last line.
Bottom line I liked it, (7)

[n/a] Blue Magpie › Caducus 24-Nov-02/10:10 PM Reply

Hi Caducus,
Thanks for the vote and taking the time to comment. I thought I did specify that it is husbands and the hudbands families that are the murders.