The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Essays

I think that the caste system that is described in the book is very accurate. especially when it mentions the part about politics. If you look at politicians, their demographics include being Caucasian and rich. They create a strong system of power that does not easily allow other people in, specifically minorities, because the minority group is outnumbered. Politics does not give the minority group

Make an analysis of how the caste system might function in the life of a particular Hindu individual.

Firstly, the caste system reflects the inequality of Indian society. Although religion in India is characterized by a diversity of religious beliefs and practices, majority of Indian population follow Hinduism. Therefore, the dominance of Hinduism beliefs is common in India. There is a belief in caste system, as Brood said, “a system of hierarchical social organization”1. Hindu society is divided into four main classes; the priestly class, the warrior and administrator class, the producer class who is farmers and merchants and the servant class. The remaining group of people who is “outcastes” is called “untouchables” or dalit. Brodd recognizes “dalits continue to suffer terrible oppression, especially in rural communities in India”. I still could not imagine how terrible this bottom class suffers until reading Max Bearak article. All sufferings of Rohith Vemula, from the hardships of growing up poor, interactions with society in caste to scholarship revoke and suicide, happened tragically because he was born in a dalit family. This is the

Caste system: A social system where your occupation and position in society is based on your ancestry.

lower levels. The caste system relates to the political battle between black and whites, racism,

When we talk about caste system, one must talk about the southern and border states of the United States during the 1877 to mid-1960. These states primarily operated and upheld what is called Jim Crow laws. Under Jim Crow laws it legalized anti-black racism; it was a way of life for black citizens to live under a series of rigid anti-black laws. It was a system which was supported by beliefs that white citizens were superior to black citizens to include intelligence, morality and civilized behavior. Jim Crows laws suggested by mixing of the races would produce mongrel race that would destroy America, treating blacks equal would encourage interracial sexual relations and violence was the means to keep blacks at the bottom of the race hierarchy

The caste system has been extremely stable in India for over two thousand years. It is only since the more modern, independent state of India was formed that the system has come under any scrutiny at all. It is presently outlawed, but many of the practices, attitudes and traditions remain ingrained in Hindu society (University of Wyoming, 1997).

The caste system itself is a system of social stratification, based on two concepts, varna and jati. Varna

What are the four major castes? What implications does the caste system have for everyday life? How does the caste system relate to Hindu ideas of spiritual life? “The four major castes of Hindu society are; seers ( brahmins ), administrators ( kshatriyas ), artisans or farmers ( vaishyas ), and followers or servants ( shudras)”( Smith 56). Smith writes, religious leaders, teachers, artists, and philosophers are members of the first caste, brahmins, khatriyas, the second caste, first known as warriors are now managers. The tillers of the land, the makers of bricks, and the builders are part of the third caste, vaishyas. The fourth caste is made up of servants, those who will take care of the other castes’ needs (56)”. While I was working in India, summer of 2001 and there at the invitation of the richest family in India and staying at one of their compounds, some of my co-workers and I were playing snooker. A young boy walked into the room where we were playing. He stopped and talked to us for a few minutes before continuing to bed. Accompanied by a man of about twenty years old, the boy’s shudra, who had been the boy’s personal servant for ten or more years. The shudra’s purpose was to protect and serve his charge’s every need. Although there is inequality between castes, Smith denotes.“ within each caste, there is equality, opportunity, and social insurance ( 57)”. Although the text

            The internal divisions and complexes hierarchy of the Indian society served an important social function.  The system provided each individual with a clear identity and role and offered the benefits of group solidarity and support.  Certain interactions and behaviors were appropriate only between those of equal status. The system assured that the religious, political, and financial powers were all separated into four different social classes (Bulliet, et. 2011).

A few disadvantages of India’s social system are that Religion, caste, and language are major determinants of social organizations. According to the US Department of State-Background Notes website, even though the government has declared the caste system as illegal, it still has a presence in occupational and societal hierarchies (The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs, 2010).

Throughout the novel Balram Halwai, the protagonist and the narrator, alludes to the issue of social mobility in the new social hierarchy of India. He discusses how the social hierarchy has undergone massive changes since the colonial times. Like we learned in class, there is considerable social mobility among the castes in India today (Week 5, Lecture 1). Adiga illustrates this transition and clash of ideologies in relation to caste beautifully through the various characters. On one hand is Mr. Ashok, who having being educated in America believes that the caste system is a thing of the past and on the other hand is his father, who still believes that caste lines are rigid and cannot be dissolved.

Vedic society was divided into four different classes, Brahmans, nobles, commoners and the serfs. These classes are part of the cosmic hierarchy and were based on purity. This gave way to the caste systems. Castes are arranged in the following order of the polarity of purity; Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and the shudras. With a fifth group called the untouchables at the very bottom. They are the untouchables because they are the most impure. The caste of an individual cannot be removed. Each caste has strict rules on caste endogamy.

There were three main points that explained the significance of the caste society: religious worship, meals, and marriage. Marriage across caste lines was not allowed, so most people just married within their own jati, which was just a Hindu caste or specific social group. When it was meal time, any of the people could take food from the Brahmins, but if a Brahmin took food from a lower class than them, than they would be considered contaminated, especially if taken from an untouchable (also, if an untouchable drew water from a well, then it was considered polluted and unusable by anyone else). Brahmins, being considered the religious priests of the society,

The caste system is a form of differentiation wherein constituent units of a system justify endogamy based on assumed biological differences which are semaphored by ritualization of multiple social practices. The idea of purity and pollution has had a very serious impact in the Indian society and the fates of people have been decided on this very notion almost forever now. B.R Ambedkar, the father of our constitution, in his book The Annihilation of Caste has made several strong points on why India as a country should abolish the caste system. When one comes to think of it, each and everything he has mention in that book needs to be given a very serious thought, for a country like India to develop and move forward.