Teen Issues Speech: Outline

Intro:
Imagine being born and raised only to be married or even sold to a man twice your age, so that
your family could repay their debt or surprisingly, to buy drugs! Over the years, arranged
marriage has decreased in popularity in various nations, but unfortunately it still remains in
others. In the 16th century, arranged marriage was an everyday phenomenon. For example in
Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet, Capulet arranges Juliet to marry a successful, wealthy,
nobleman, without Juliets consent (III, 5, 20-21). What happened with Juliet was very common
in that time period because fathers wanted to wed their daughters to men twice their age, to
ensure the wealth of the family. In todays world young women have begun to resist their
familys traditions; they see how unfair their life is with the help of the internet. They see young,
independent, women that decide who and when they marry. Alas, it is not as simple as it sounds;
in some cultures going against ones parents wishes is considered a disgrace and could
sometimes lead to serious consequences. In the modern world, adolescent women suffer the
aftermath of arranged marriages resulting in depression, self-harming, or even in some cases
suicide; however the worst outcome of arranged marriages is that those women, who eventually
grow up, never find true love.
Body 1:
Young adults in America have a right to marry whomever and whenever they choose by the
means of love. Unfortunately in Asia, that is not the case; in countries such as India or Pakistan,
it is customary for an adolescent girl to me wed to a man in order to tie the two families together.
Additionally, with the marriage, the bond between the families is confirmed and the wealth
begins to circulate, benefiting both families. Sadly, the only people who do not have a say in
these situations are the young girls. This often leads to horrible acts of self harming or even
worse, suicide. According to Tim Arango, Iraqi officials are alarmed by what they describe as a
worsening epidemic of suicides, particularly among young women tormented by being forced to
marry too young, to someone they do not love. Arango also added, Officials say there have
been as many as 50 suicides this year in this city (Sinjar) of 350,000. Arango, T. (2012, Jun 07).
Where Arranged Marriages are Customary, Suicides Grow More Common. New York Times.
Families in countries such as India or China do not care about their daughters needs or wishes.
This leads young women to become depressed and the epidemic of suicides begins. Fathers are
usually the ones that decide who agree whether their daughters accept or deny the proposal,
leaving their daughters to suffer the consequences that come after the wedding. Sometimes the
young wives cannot continue living the lie, which is called marriage by their families, so they
decide to take their own life. The reason behind this is women not seeing another alternative, so
their final frontier is to take their own life. 16 year old, Jenan Merza was a victim of arranged
marriages. She explains how she was shot. She started off by telling her family that it was an
accident and that she had no idea the gun was loaded. The family later concluded that she had, in
fact, lied. Jenan explains, I tried to kill myself. I didnt want to get married. I was forced to get
engaged. Mr. Merza later told the interviewer that Jenan was arranged to marry her cousin.
Most people who have passed a course of biology know that if two people, who are closely
related, have children, their children have mutations or disorders such as Down syndrome, or
autism. Worst of all, Jenans parents did not care about her wound as much as they cared about
Jenan going back to her cousin. Most families like Jenans care more about the wealth and
property that comes with the marriage, rather than their own children, leaving their daughters to
suffer the consequences.
Body 2:
Imagine living in one house with your spouse, knowing that he or she will never love
you, and you will never love them. Another result of arranged marriage is loneliness. Young
women, who marry men due to an arrangement, often find themselves feeling as though they are
being held as prisoner rather than a wife. These women talk about never finding love, but just
being required to live with men twice their age. Huriya Manzar, a computer programmer in her
mid thirties explains, For us, marriage is not so much about two people being in love. It is about
a relationship to a larger community, our family, our friends, and our neighbors. Manzar also
added that she cares about her husband but she does not feel that she was ever in love with
him. Goodale, G. (2008,). First the Marriage, Then the Courtship. Christian Science Monitor.
Manzars story shows that when a family weds their daughter they are also doing it for the
community of people that surround them. Once again the woman in this situation has absolutely
no opinion about what will happen to her. Another reason why arranged couples are not in love
when they are married is because it is customary to get married almost as soon as they meet. The
families believe that it is more important to tie the knot before letting the couple get to know
each other better. This happened to Lisa Clampit, co-founder of the Matchmaking Institute, she
notes, She and her husband of five years, barely knew each other when they wed. he proposed
within 20 minutes of meeting me. These young men and women have no idea who they are
going to marry which leads to many fights between the two newlyweds. In some cases, these
arrangements could even become dangerous because the men that the young women are wed to
could sometimes be very aggressive, leading to domestic violence. Unfortunately in countries
like China or India sexism rules the nation, therefore not justifying these helpless women.

Conclusion:
Women all around the world are wed everyday to men that do not care for them or love them.
These men are sometimes twice their age and treat the young girls with little to no respect. All of
this is done to ensure wealth within the two united families. The result of these arranged
marriages is depression, self harming, or even in some cases, suicide. So, it is up to our
generation, today, to stop these horrible acts of tradition or punishments to be held out. The
young women, who are already married or are planned to be married, in other countries need our
help to stop their suffering.