“What’s Love Got to Do With it,” is about the transition of marriages throughout the centuries. Marriage has just recently begun to be centered and initiated due to love rather than as a business transaction. Stephanie Coontz has researched and written many articles based on varying topics between marriage and family. In this article Coontz (2005) argues that many marriages had absolutely nothing to do with love, in fact she found that it was not uncommon for marriages to not only be similar to a business transaction but that it was not uncommon for there to be multiple people in marriage. Multiple people in a marriage seems ludicrous to many people, myself included, but for a very long time what happened between a man and a woman was also between the entire community. Coontz wrote in another article “authorities and neighbors were more concerned with wives who challenged patriarchal power than with husbands who abused it” (2005:141). This states that society was more disturbed by a woman possibly overturning the authority that society had set out for the grosser sex. The contexts of marriage began to change when Luther argued that parents should not be able to force their children into a loveless marriage; allowing people to marry whom they want while making the process of getting married less like a …show more content…
The history that Coontz has researched is laid out in incredible detail. The history and the lay of information regarding the transitions of marriage through out time is compelling and because of the accuracy surrounding the history, the lay of the topic makes it even more persuasive. I personally have a counter argument; I agree that the transition of marriage from business to love is completely accurate, but due to the perception of how society attempts to push the traditional patriarchal marriage on citizens, proves that marriage has
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Show MoreMarriage: It’s one of the most desired systems on the planet, yet it is still one of the most misunderstood ideas known to mankind. The definition of being in matrimony has evolved with time, and through the years society has been seemingly reluctant to such changes. From the end of anti-miscegenation laws to the legalization of interracial marriage, society has grown to understand the importance the choice of getting married has on the individual. As of now, the right of matrimony is given to all but one group of Americans.
Throughout the years, societies view on marriage and cohabitation has been changing, especially from the 1950s up until now. Marriage and cohabitation are in relation to social location, education, immigration and social class. In addition, these changes are influenced through socialization and their surrounding environments as people’s beliefs and expectations vary from what a defined family really is. Same-sex couples are now getting married and the divorce rate is on the rise, including non-married couples raising children. Most importantly, each individual determines who they marry or whom they share their love with through conditioning or in the course of shared similarities. People have dissimilar values, beliefs and attitudes and throughout the life course may change again, including the future generations. This paper reviews why marriage is on the decline and cohabitation is now the accepted social norm, including other aspects such as specific rights that couples have over others in the past. Religion is a powerful tool that alters minds of those who are affiliated with it. As a result, their beliefs are conditioned and marriage is valued differently than those who are not married. All in all this paper will further explain the change, continuity and
For as long as we can remember, the idea that marriage is sacred, desirable, and even necessary has persisted in the western world. In a way, society has taught us that in order to live a normal, fulfilled life, one must find their soul mate, marry them, and spend the rest of eternity together. According to tradition, a perfect marriage is characterized by a husband that goes to work every day while the wife remains within the home cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. Tradition has further dictated that once the husband returns from work, the wife has dinner ready and the family sits down around the table to share a meal together. American literature is full of stories that both play on or challenge these traditional roles within a marriage. But, one might ask, does
does without love imbibed in it. I agree with the view and definition of love and marriage in
Not being married was not always accepted as what it is today. People of the older generation were forced into marriage, even if they didn’t love that person. It was more of the concept of “they will learn to love each other.” Whereas today, anyone has the option of when to get married, who to marry, or even to never get
Marriage has existed longer than written history and there still a great demand. Over half of the adult population in the United States is married which consists of over 2 million people. At some point, two thirds of all Americans heterosexual or homosexual will vow to better or for worse till death do us apart. Despite, the recent decreased in the amount of people to get married, it’s still at a soaring 80 percent. Marriage is an integral part of who we are as humans but the real question is that because of evolutionary development or creation by God. These two belief systems play a fundamental role in the way we understand and live out marriage. The first view is evolutionary development which believes that marriage wasn't created by God and it was not originated in the beginning, however it was develop by society in the context culture. Therefore, concluding that marriage was a human institution invested throughout history as a way to carry out social roles. The second view would fall under the biblical view. Marriage is not of human origin, because it began with the Creator God. It was created by God from the beginning of history when He created the heavens and the earth . As the Creator of marriage, God has the right to tell us which rules should control marriage. Tim Keller affirms this in his book Meaning of Marriage; “Marriage is God’s idea. It is certainly also a human institution and it reflects the character of the particular human culture in which it is embedded. But the concept and roots of human marriage are in God’s own action, and therefore what the Bible says about God’s design for marriage is crucial.” Marriage is one of the most important institution in the world we living, however there is a...
A contradictory essay titled “Societal Suicide” by the authors Anne Morse and Charles Colson conveying that marriage ought to be realized as an old – fashioned and traditional way were people come together in holy matrimony when they said “traditional building block of human society.” Their essay continues to explicate the weary and unfair assumptions of marriage by concluding that there should only be the existence of man and woman relationships. The authors, due to gay couples overloaded with longing to marry one another, have also questioned marriage extinction. A question often asked is “How is it the end of marriage if same-sex couples marry?” Allowing gays to get married indorses marriage as well as supports the rights to care for every person. An...
When Love Story first appeared, our society was still extremely absorbed in a marriage culture that encouraged and supported getting and staying married. But inside a few years, the women's movement, the pill, the sexual revolution, and various economic shifts had permanently transformed that marriage-centric society. Marriage is not an endangered species, but it is surrounded by enormous difficulties that were not readily apparent 35 or 40 years ago. Divorce is a very serious presence — over 50 percent of our marriages end in di...
Marriage is a topic that throws me off. As a child, I always wanted that Cinderella story to find my Prince Charming. I grew up listening to my parents fight on a daily basis over finical issues, unhappiness, and parenting aspects. My parents were married; they were married for 22 years until my mom finally left my father. She did this for her own happiness, many people may call it selfish but she stuck out her marriage for her children which I give her much appreciation for. As stated in our text, only 25% of Americans believe that parents in an unhappy marriage should stay together for their children, she was part of this statistic. I may appreciate not having a split home, rotating weekends between parents but living with parents who were
Marriage has changed more over the last 30 years than the previous 3,500 years. As
A History of Marriage by Stephanie Coontz speaks of the recent idealization of marriage based solely on love. Coontz doesn’t defame love, but touches on the many profound aspects that have created and bonded marriages through time. While love is still a large aspect Coontz wants us to see that a marriage needs more solid and less fickle aspects than just love.
In the article, “The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love” author Stephanie Coontz argues that love is not a good enough reason to get married. People shouldn’t marry just because they love one another, Coontz suggests that perhaps marriage should be based on how well a couple gets along and whether or not if the significant other is accepted by the family. One will notice in the article that Coontz makes it very clear that she is against marrying because of love. In the article is a bit of a history lesson of marriage and love within different cultures from all over the world. Coontz then states her thesis in the very end of the article which is that the European and American ways of marriage is the
Since the beginning of time, marriage exists as a large part of life. The values of marriage change on a year to year basis and as trends continue to change so will marriage. There have been numerous reasons for marriage throughout time such as arranged, wealth, love or many others. In the 18th century, many marriages were based on one’s class and wealth and not true love. Today, many marriages do not take wealth or class into account they focus on that person’s inner self and love. Marriage exists as an overlying theme throughout Pride and Prejudice and every marriage appears for a different reason.
In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen shows examples of how most marriages were not always for love but more as a formal agreement arranged by the two families. Marriage was seen a holy matrimony for two people but living happil...
In recent years, same-sex marriage has become a more controversial topic on whether it’s right or wrong. People should not feel coerced to agree with something they believe is wrong; clearly, same-sex marriage is immoral and unnatural. Many complications come with same-sex marriages including financial pressures, social pressures, moral pressures, and health risks.