In
the “America Now” book the idea presented in chapter two was all about
marriage. I believe the idea of
marriage is alive and strong in America, but I also believe that the idea of marriage and actually being married itself are two completely
different stories. I’m a girl and let’s face it, girls often think about
marriage, but particularly one component when it comes to marriage: the wedding.
When
I say that weddings are a particular component to a marriage, I don’t mean that
it is the only component. Marriage is a big deal, it’s a lifelong commitment
between two individuals, of course there are going to be more components than
just the wedding part. However, the wedding is what makes people go gung ho,
especially in today’s society. We have television shows dedicated to weddings,
to wedding dresses, even to the wedding cakes. Constantly we see woman posting
on their social networking sites their engagement rings, their wedding
invitations, this huge wedding that takes place. Everyone’s trying to showcase
what they have; people spend thousands, sometimes even millions of dollars on
weddings. For example, take Kim Kardashian’s marriage to Chris Humphrey. Their
wedding cost approximately $20 million; the ring she got was $2 million by
itself, the wedding cake for the ceremony was $20,000, the dresses she wore
cost from about $135,000 to $150,000. It was aired on television and millions
of people watched it, talked about it, even hyped it up calling it the “Fairytale
Wedding”, and for what? A marriage that only lasted 72 days. Now I’m not saying
that weddings are awful, it should be a celebration and woman should be proud
to even have the ceremony. I just feel as though society has lost sight of what’s
really important in a marriage.
As
I stated before, marriage is a lifelong commitment between two individuals. It’s
a bond recognized by law, a union of two becoming one, in some religions it’s
even considered as a sacrament. Which is why I don’t believe that it should be
taken lightly or treated as a though it’s something to get a lot of “likes” on
Facebook or Instagram. When I read the Rivera essay about “temporary marriages”,
I weighed out the pros and cons.
I thought that
a temporary marriage was a good idea because the fact that a marriage can be a
lifelong bond is a lot of pressure that comes with many questions: What if you
are unsure about the person you’re with now? What happens if things don’t work
out the way you thought it would? What if marriage isn’t everything you thought
it would be? With a temporary marriage you
wouldn’t have to break off the marriage by getting a divorce. It’s like a test run or a contract, if after
the two years or after the married time is over and you‘re still happy with
that person, then renew your marriage license. If you aren’t happy and you
absolutely cannot stand that other person, at least you aren’t stuck with them for
the rest of your life and you don’t have to pay an outrageous amount for a
divorce. The downside to a temporary marriage, in my opinion, is that the
marriage loses some of its sacredness. It loses the meaning of a “lifelong bond”
and becomes “a bond we’ll have until this contract is over”. Either way,
marriage can be a controversial topic and it may or may not be for everybody. Which
is why in conclusion, I think that a temporary marriage is a much better
alternative than getting a divorce.
Sources:
http://www.mtv.com/news/1673495/kim-kardashian-kris-humphries-money/
I agree with you that society forgot the importance of marriage. And I understand more the other side of Rivera's essay because of your work. Nice!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you and your opinion on temporary marriages. Also with the fact that the wedding itself is a bit overated.
ReplyDeleteI liked when you described Kim Kardashians wedding. that was an expensive marriage and it did not even make it a few months. unfortunately in todays society that happens quite often. I think this factor plays into a lot of relationships, couples don't want big extravagant weddings because even they have insecurities behind how long will the marriage really last.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the importance of love in a marriage is overran by the wedding and how much it means to people rather than the two people in love and their vows to each other. Your explanation of Rivera's essay helps people think of more than just one side and slows them down to actually think of the possiblity.
ReplyDeleteI find your statement, "...calling it the 'Fairytale Wedding', and for what? A marriage that only lasted 72 days," interesting due to the fact that we are constantly bombarded from a young age that love is some kind of fairy-tale; thus, expectations are always elevated to an unobtainable idea. Exactly like you said, this expectation obscures the true meaning of the event.
ReplyDeleteI like your statement on marriage itself being a lifelong bond. I believe it should be a lifetime bond but with someone you find is worth having that bond with.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the wedding is the part that makes people go gun ho. I think a lot of female will deal with the wrong person for them just to have a big fabulous wedding.
ReplyDeleteThe wedding is a pretty important part. I think being with someone forever would be difficult to handle.
ReplyDeleteI liked that you used web sources. i think thats something im considering doing myself to make my essay's better, awesome technique!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts on temporary marriage. I agree with your definition of marriage.
ReplyDeleteI liked the way your post was written. It was well-organized and it was enjoyable to read your opinions.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that weddings have become something of a show. A marriage should be about the bond between two people instead of going broke to impress people.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you mentioned Kim Kardashian and her big display for a wedding. It just goes to show marriage is becoming more of a concert than an actual sanctified ceremony. Temporary marriages will only distort the truth about marriage. It'll give people the illusion that you can be with whom ever you want for only two years at a time, and you can exchange spouses like items in a store.
ReplyDeleteI like when you explain about Kim Kardashian and Chris Humphrey wedding. How much money they spent, and talked about it for nothing. They were together for 72 days. That is just waste of money and time. The part when you say “a union of two becoming one,” I strongly believe it because once you find your significant; you become in tune with your partner and become a hole. That is why I think marriage should be forever.
ReplyDeleteLoved the web sources and how you used Kim's wedding with Chris.
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree with you when you say marriage is a lot of pressure knowing its a life commitment.
ReplyDeleteI like when you said " the idea of marriage and actually being married itself are two completely different stories," I agree, this is so true. I also liked when you mentioned Kim and Chris' wedding, it was a really good example.
ReplyDelete