British influenced in India

If you put it into simple words, it’s like someone inviting himself or herself into your own house, not only do they tell you that what you are doing is wrong, but they make u do what they want you to do. I’m convinced that most people would not accept this. What about the British invading countries and pretending like those countries belong to them? Some people would say that if it wasn’t for the British, this countries would not be as civilized as they are now, for example, India a country with its own believes and culture ended up speaking in English and drinking tea on the afternoon. British influenced had a tremendous impact on India, railroads where made so people could travel better, population growing, communication got better, people where starving, good education was introduced. It did affect India in various way, in my opinion it wasn’t the British right to change the cast system and violate the Indian culture.

By: Ana Chapela

British Reform of the Caste System - Elie Weinstein 10 A

In the modern and Westernized civilization we live in today, supposedly everyone is equal on a social level as stated by the law of most countries.Yet, how is it possible that traditions such as the caste system in India which predates centuries ago has still survived until today? In a world where mostly everyone is or is at least supposed to be entitled to equal chances and opportunities, rights, and privileges such as freedom of speech or the right to education; the existence of a primitive social structure in which freedom is limited for the lower class and only those with higher status can make important decisions on anything–as well as not being able to gain status–is truly atrocious. Although some parts of India still hold this age-old tradition which causes violence and massacre, wether or not Britain was right in reforming this system throughout much if India during the 19th and 20th centuries is unquestionable.

"Caste Systems" By: Stephanie LDE 10C

The British were wrong when they passed laws trying to reform the Indian caste system because firt of all that is not what they wanted. All they wanted from India first of all was their diamonds and other natural resources or goods. Yes, there duty were to make Indians united even though the caste system separated them in a way but they don't have to right to convert someone into another riligion if they don't want to. You can't force someone to believe something if they don't wish to. It is clearly that the British just wanted to be good with the INdians so that the Indians fall for it, and then they take all there good stuff and convert it into theirs. This is just wrong. But it is going on in the world every single day!

Was it right or wrong?

There are always arguments on who is right and who is wrong, and sometimes we can't decide who the right one is. However I believe that the British had no reason to try and reform the caste system in India. The British had no reason to go into neither Africa nor Latin America. Their only reason was to help themselves, and to take advantage of these regions. The British were greedy and only wanted more for them. It is only because of their greed did they decide to "help" the Indians. Although the caste system divided the people of India, the British had no right to invite themselves into someone else’s land and change whatever they wished to. It sounds strange to a lot of us that you were born and stayed in the same position for the rest of your life, but to the Indians this made complete sense. It was your choice, if you wanted to be a Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Sudra, or untouchable. It was your deeds that decided what you would be, and if your actions were that horrible in your past birth, you would become an untouchable in your next birth. The British could not change that; they could not go into your previous birth and make you a good person. It was not the duty of the British to try and fix up India. It was not right for them to try and convert the people in India into Christianity. It wouldn’t be right either if Indians tried to convert the British into Hinduism. There is no point in trying to make someone like you. The British told the Brahmins, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Sudra, and untouchables that they all had to do the same job and would get paid the same amount (which was almost nothing). This was unfair to the Indians. Why should the Brahmins have to do the same as the untouchables, when the Brahmins did not deserve to. Why were the Brahmins in the state that they were? Because they chose to in their previous birth, and the British could not do anything about it. The British apparently were trying to propose equality, but it wasn’t equal when the Indians had to do all the work and the British got all the benefits. Today, what has India ended up to be? A democracy. But still, there are millions of people wandering on the streets. It is only because the British wanted more that they invaded India, giving an excuse that they were responsible for their “younger brothers.” That was the excuse they used to take advantage of India’s riches. It was wrong, and it is wrong to have this greed. What do we do to stop it? It is hard, because the world is made up of a bunch of greedy people.

Sandhya Parwani 10C

The Cast System (By:Gaurav Ganwani 10C)

I think that the Indian cast system was perfectly fine and did not have to be reformed. The Indian people didn't need the help of the British and didn’t need any of their advice. The poor and hopeless African nations needed the help of the British, and needed to follow the "White man's burden”. Because in Africa. They were really poor and needed something to follow. But the Indians didn’t have to. They already had a set of rules and classes, and unlike Africa which was mostly poor India was a wealthy country because of their cotton export. The Indian cast system was that if you are born poor, you will be poor for the rest of your life. If you were rich you would be rich for the rest of your life. The British found this not good according to them. But to the Indians it was normal and they didn’t really have a problem. Because they had had this system forever, I think that the Indians wouldn’t have changed the caste system. But because of the British rule. The British took away the system, and made a new one which was that everyone was equal and no one is more superior than another. So this meant that everyone had the same amount of pay and it was like communism everyone was equal. I think the British people were wrong because if there was a system that India followed for so long it should have stayed like that because everyone was use to it, or at least given them a choice, and see what the Indians wanted.

The British are WRONG

The British who tried to pass on their reforms to the Indians was one of the biggest mistakes. The Indians are people who have the knowledge of their caste system and are not supposed to be thought by others except their swami's or guru's. The guru’s are the people that predict the future for you. People in India do not listen to anybody else besides their guru’s. The British were wrong in coming and teaching the Indians about religion. Just because few Indians are homeless and are not well educated, the British think they can come and teach the Indians to live a new caste. The poor Indians that are not well educated are the ones that believe more in religious and believe that they can lead to a better life with their guru’s advice.


Dhirenraj Dhruv

When will humans find balance? Adriana Baiz 10C

So the question is..Was it the British duty to change the Indian Caste System, or was it wrong for them to come in and do what ever they wanted? Well this question is very personal, as all right and wrong questions are. It all depends on who gets more benefited, and who doesn’t. In the case of Britain changing the caste system, well to me it wasn’t in their rights, but did it hurt India? No, it actually benefited them, why was it that if you were born untouchable you had to stay that way for ever. Well in my case it’s because my believes are different to maybe those of the Indians, and thereby I see western ideas as the right ones. Doesn’t necessarily mean I’m. Then there is another fact that Britain brings up, they make everyone equal in India, yet they come and make the natives work for them. This is call being hypocritical, this is not only presented in this situation, also in Africa where the British saw reforming as a duty, and favor they were doing to the natives. To me, all this has the trouble that it is taken to extremes; humans never try to achieve balance. The British worked mainly because of self benefits and in the process reform some cultures. The Indians will not admit that some western intervene benefited them. Which brings the whole question, was the empirelism era good or bad? It was a time where many cultures mixed and learned from each other, but to what price!

right or wrong?

Right or Wrong?

I believe it was not right for the British to change the Indian caste system. If you would ask the Indian people
this question, if it was right for the British to mess with Indian caste, some might say it was right some might say
it was wrong. Every one has their view, because maybe the people that said it was right, maybe they didn't like their
system at first, but they knew that the British would make it better. But the people that said it was wrong, they had a different opinion, they
believed that their caste system was perfect and they didn't know better. The way the British tried to change the caste was wrong, because they tried to change it
forcingly, what a right way would be is showing the people what they way is and see if the Indians want to adopt it. If the Indians don't like it, then the British should
go back, because they have nothing to decide for India. If it would have happened to them they would also not like it,because they would not like the Indian case system.

Traves Servage

The Caste System – Pierluigi Mancinelli

“Hatred is gained as much by good work as by evil.” — Niccolo Machiavelli

The caste system is detestable and foolish; but this is because human institutions—religion, and the system in question—are detestable and foolish nonsenses puffed-up to hypostatize almost blisteringly apparent untruths which, although offer comfort to the impressionable soul of man, play more upon its aptness at schism than egalitarianism. Surely no one would claim India today to be a model example of social equity amongst classes; and this was surely not the case during the days of the British Raj.

In addressing such gross inequality—gross inequality installed as a sacred obligation, and to which submission assures yonder the gardens of paradise—one could claim the British were oppressive and intrusive with regards to religious—and therefore “untouchable”—constructions.

But it is my belief that in the nation of India, and other places in the world with a tottering social network created by past, and in some cases ongoing inequalities, put in place to run nations and individuals, and which are in these respective places almost always created around religious principles, and in fulfillment of religious obligations, see today such abject poverty—amongst other serious troubles within their borders—because of their not having adopted secular systems presented to them by “evildoers”. Some of the most stable nations in the world today are those who are fundamentally secular in government and their education system; it is because of this that religion cannot NOT be blamed for alongside human stupidity (present in all of us and not just the pious, mind you) playing a roll in the issues present in countries like India today.

The British were justified.

"Evil is the product of the ability of humans to make abstract that which is concrete." — Jean-Paul Sartre

The Caste System - Persuasive Essay Introduction

Stephan C. 10b

The Caste System

Persuasive Essay Introduction


At the very essence of humanity you will find ideas based on discrimination and inequality. Our very existence is founded on the idea that “I am better than you”. This solitary notion has been the key to our very survival as a species. The caste system is an extension of this primitive idea, and makes it into a coherent measurement of ones life. It emphasizes the good in humanity and eliminating any worldliness that might clog our chances of redemption. The goal is to reach a state in your existence in which you are rid of all selfishness, you acquire wisdom with every action, and you spread love. This is the highest level of the caste system the Brahamas. Can you imagine a society in which this is achieved? There would be no need for military action or government, it would create a universal utopia. This is a noble intention in order to establish a peaceful society. This goal creates the desire of raising all people, slowly and gently towards a greater sense of spirituality, inner-peace and as an affect of this inner- peace of mind, a world of harmony is created. If you fail at achieving this in one shot, you will be given another shot. Redemption is not to be achieved in one shot. You will continue to grow and learn as a human being as your setbacks will send you down the system and your acts of kindness and goodliness will move you forward. It is a balance that creates a harmony between religion and society. When Britain began to impose itself upon the very sovereignty of India, it ruined the system. England as a hypocritical observer showed flaws in the system that it maintained in its respective nation. While the untouchables remained secluded from the rest of society, the poor tenants in industrialized Britain were forced to do labor that no one else wanted to do. How does this make them any different from any untouchable? Britain acted as nothing more than a snake, whispering and weaving lies to create discontent among India’s proud and diverse people. Fabricating false images of development and hope for the better tomorrow that would never come, and generating unrest between India’s children. We have all observed the effects of what we have called the “White man’s burden”, the need of the “paternal” European imperialist to ‘civilize’ the rest of the world. We have also seen the very devastation that this movement has caused to poor Africa which remains in the shambles; unable to survive in todays modern world. Drowning by the very Father who sought to raise it and carry it upon it’s shoulders.

Is the cast system a system to reckon with?

I believe that the Indian cast system should not have had to be reformed, unlike the "White man's burden" in Africa, the Indian people did no need the help of the western civilizations. The poor and hopeless African nations needed the help of the British, but the Indians do not. They have already established sets of rules and sets of hierarchies and classes, if you are born poor, you will be poor for the rest of your life. The British might find this to be alien to them but to the Indians it is as normal as can be. The cast system has worked for many years in India and the Indians, i believe they would not have had any intentions of changing it. Caste system has worked for India for centuries,except during British Rule. British used the Division of labor , promoted by Caste System to Divide and Rule.The British thought that everyone needed to be equal and that if you were born poor, you wouldn't necessarily be poor for the rest of your life. They also thought that everyone should be having the same amount of pay, even if you were a untouchable. This all sounds good to us, but for the people in India that followed the Caste system, this was out of the picture. The Indian people did not want change and didn't necessarily need the British too much. They id need them, but not to change their Caste system.



- Robbert van Doorn 10C

Right or Wrong?

Right or Wrong

They came in and took their goods. They wanted to change the Indians without a reason. They were doing this so they can benefit their lives and not the people. The Europeans came in looking for goods found some and told many. So, then the British came and got goods from the Indians and they were getting so much from India they decided to settle down. As they settled down and India made Britain prosper; Britain took over with their authority. They made India the jewel of their crown and took over as they settled missionaries also came. The authority wanted to change some customs and the missionaries wanted to convert them. They wanted to change the way they have been living. They might have tried to do something for the whole community which was change the caste system. But against all of that does doing one good thing make it all better? They wanted to end a culture that has shown us diversity. Now I ask you is this right or wrong?

Right or Wrong

Was it right for the British to come in and tell the Indian people that their way of life is not right. The caste system to the Indian people was a way to keep the peace. Indians believed that in which ever section of the caste system you will live your entire life, you will work and marry in the section. They also believe that it is part of their religion, where the section you are born in is either because of the good you did in the life before or you are getting punished for what you did. I don't think it was right for the British to come in. The British where used to a different way of living their lives, and that does not give them the right to come in and tell them to do otherwise.

By,
Wael Kaddoura

I am a ten year old!

We may have discussed many times what it means to be human. No matter how much we try answering it, we still keep thinking, what does it mean to be human? As much as I believe that being human means helping, I believe being human means culture, traditions, and values. Being human is made up of all of this. One destructive part about being human is greed and selfishness. If humans were able to get rid of that, groups such as the United Nations wouldn't be needed.

The British rule over India has many different aspects to it. Yes, Britain helped make India industrialized, nationalist, and got rid of many of the ridiculous traditions, but did Britain have the right? Maybe my belief is biased. But I feel the same about every region they conquered. I feel that Britain or any other power has no right to change another cultures values, morals, and traditions.

Yes the caste system created divisions in the society in India. The British wanted to bring equality into the society. If I may ask, what kind of equality was it to be making someone work for you, taking all the profits, and fooling them about giving them equality? Is that not hypocritical to some extent? Is that fair? They took all of the profits of these people that worked so hard for them, and gave them much less than what they deserved. By taking away their caste system, they think they payed back for it? They have no right to do so. Whether you talk about in Africa, India, or Latin America, was it ever right for the British to change the values and traditions of the natives? I firmly do not believe so. Even if that makes you think I am a ten year old.

-Himangi Bhavnani

Right or Wrong?

Was it right for the British to reform the Indian caste system? People may argue yes, because it might not have always been fair, but others may say that it was not correct for the British to do so, the reason being that the Indians should have had the right to rule over their own country and make their own decisions. Britain should have stayed out of it. Many people get very annoyed when others don’t mind their own business. In this case, the British came in and made the Indian caste system their business. This is not correct because every nation has the right to sovereignty, or the right to rule itself. The Indians thought that setting up a caste system was a good idea, and the British should have respected that. If it were the other way around, the British would not have been happy with the Indians deciding what they could or couldn’t do in their own country.

Stephanie v. Romondt
10b

Caste System

I believe that what the british were trying to do with the Indian caste system was not justified in any way, but that still does not mean that the indian caste system is actually effective for a functioning mutual society. The British like any western culture have no right to judge any aspect of a foreign nation's traditions and try to make them more like western traditions. The Indian people have the right to decide what's right for them, though they may or may not be right about it nobody else should impose anything on them, because they will only react violently as evidenced by the sepoy rebellion. The Indian caste system is, like most any sort of older social structure, rather flawed, and though it may have perhaps worked well enough for India as a whole, it still left many of its population suffering while the wealthy became powerful. India has gone its own way since then and it should be noted that good people in Indian society can admit that some aspects of their culture is flawed and that they will make progress more and more until it is no longer needed.

Jacob Krijt

caste system

I think what Britain did was disrespectful but that’s how they are. They went all over the world, and did the same thing they did in India, trying to change their lifestyle, religion, etc.
I respect the caste system, it’s their way of life, but I don’t like it myself as an individual born outside of India. You can only become something if you are born in a certain caste. You can only marry someone if your both born in the same cast etc.
I think people should be free to do whatever they want.

Ganesh Vanvani
10b

Casta!

The word 'caste' derives from the Portuguese word 'casta' literally meaning: race/breed. The caste system was introduced in India during the 1600s mainly by the Rigvedic people, and had been put into practice before the British arrived (think circa 1612), however; a system like this could be found in Hindu scriptures. When the British started to have more power (thanks to the fragility of the Mughal Empire), and as the years went by Britain's influence was remarkable, and people like, Ram Mohun Roy, wanted to reform the way the caste system worked. The caste system was split up into 5 different groups, the lowest ranking people were the outcastes/untouchables (aka Pariah), to the skilled workers which were in the middle (aka Vaisyas) and the highest ranking people being the priests (aka Brahmins). Each of the 5 groups was to stay in their own groups, marry to the people in their own groups, etc. The caste system can easily be compared to the system that the French had set up (Estates) before the French Revolution took place. You had the clergy, nobles and the rest of the people, even though their Estate system worked differently than the Caste system, there was still a kind of discrimination of where and from who you were born.

One could easily argue that the British were right for reforming the caste system that was in place in India, but someone could just as easily disagree. This is something that is hard to give a straight forward answer to. I agree, the caste system, before the British tried to reform it, was horrible, and I can't imagine living in something that restricted me from hanging out, or marrying other people outside of my 'breed/race'; but then again, it IS their religion and it was fine the way it was before the British showed up. It kept peace within the levels of society, and it kept a sense of order. The question of right or wrong is hard to answer for myself. It's like asking if the Arabs should give equal rights to women if it isn't in their religion, and if they don't know any better; how could it possibly be right or wrong? I suppose that the British were wrong in trying to reform the caste system, simply because the Indians were living in peace and had established this as a way of life before the British came venturing along and the Indians just didn't know any better. But then again I don't want to live in a society that restricts me from doing something that I want to, and I wouldn't want others to have to be restricted, and there I would disagree. One does have to come to the realization however, that we also live in a society in which we divide ourselves into groups. Not only in high school, where you have the preps, emos, jocks, nerds, and rebels; but also in the world itself. We've establish a kind of 'caste system' ourselves in which the rich marry the rich (they don't HAVE to, but why would a rich person marry an average person?), and the poor marry the poor (once again, they don't HAVE to, but why would anybody want to marry a malnourished, AIDS infected person if they can marry a well off person, let's be honest here for a second). Therefore, I believe that the British were wrong with reforming the caste system. Look at India now and there are still classes, and there is even a split in Hindus and Muslims.

-- Sara de Jong
10A

The Caste System. Mikey Ganga

That's an easy question with an easy answer!
What ever happened or what ever is planning to happen, you just can not change an other cultures rules or mess with their religion(s). I know that the English people only tried to help them in a way they thought it would be good. But you can't think that people will be happy or agree with it if someone came in and just changed everything. I think the Britain people would have started a war if the France or some other country would have came in to there land to tell them how to live their lives.

By,
Mikey Ganga

The caste System

The caste system is something that is very important to the Indians because that's how they live and follow there religion and how they think. I think that the British were wrong because you should let people believe in what they want and think of it how they want.




By:Hatem El Hage

Britain take away India Caste System (Phaedra)

I have mixed feelings about this topic, because I feel a great deal of respect to all religions and their views, so I think that other people should do the same. And for Britain to pass laws to reform the caste system, is somewhat disrespectful. Yes, I don't agree with the way it is set up, but maybe that's how they want it to be. On the other hand, although I respect the caste system I do not agree with it. One main thing I think is unfair is the fact that you can't change the caste you are in, you can't go higher or lower (unless it is the king or administrations order). And that isn't really fair in the sense that if I'm an untouchable and I work my butt of to provide for my kids, maybe open a business or two, even though I work for all of this, I still won't be eligible to be nothing else than an untouchable, just because I was born one.

The Caste System By: Amrit Khatwani

People! The British were wrong when they passed the law to reform the Caste System. It is totally wrong! Would you like if anybody steps up to you and tell you that we are going to tell you what religion and class you are from? Would you like that they insulted your class and "reassign" you a new class? That is like losing yourself respect and dignity people. I think what they did was wrong. Oh yea, one more thing to add, when the system was changed, they would tell you how to live there type of lifestyle, they tell you what to wear and what not, and they would mistreat you. So think about it, would like to live there lifestyle and lose your respect, or go against those Britis and live the life and follow the system how it is meant to follow.

What is a 'caste' system? - Stephen Fahey 10B

A caste system is a type of social structure that divides people into groups by being based on social status through inheritance. And in this type of class, people are supposedly only allowed to interact and marry other people within their same social class, but it’s not always like that. And India is very well known for having a system set up like this for its people. Caste mobility is extremely rare, and its first tendency is endogamy, meaning people only marry within the same caste. Typically, higher castes hold the most power, much like being very wealthy in the United States. And even though the caste system is mainly referred to being with India but also Portugal has its own type of caste system as well, the word being casta. And the word in English is meant to mean breeding or race. When India started to use the caste system in the 1600’s, it was also known as a caste system in Portugal. Castes are also divided by

· Language

· Culture

· Economics

And within each caste system, everyone generally knows his/her place as your own social status is said to be known to over people as well.

And Britain tried to go against it and I personally think that was wrong because the caste system seemed to work for India and it still works today, many years later. And also when tampering with a foreign countries religion, systems, culture etc... it tends to almost or nearly impossible to reclaim/get back. The British wanted India to be like them, wear their clothes, speak their language, same education, same religion, same habits and India didn't really want to take part in that. And Britain also seen the caste system in a sense of racism, and low morals for the standing of Indian peoples wealth/economic standings.