Why Marriages Fail

Marriages can be very tough to maintain. They require a variety of skills. Looking at marriages in different cultures, we can see very different points of view towards marriage. We all know the American culture and how we view marriage. The article "Why Marriages Fail" by Anne Roiphe presents the gloomy side of American marriage. It takes mainly a negative look at American marriage. It does not seem to look at the positive parts of it. A culture that is completely opposite of ours is represented in the article "It Takes a Village to Make a Relationship" by Sobonfu Some. Ms. Some writes her article to try and convince us that her type of marriage is almost perfect. She is from a small village in West Africa from the Dagara tribe. It will be hard to compare and contrast the two articles and views of marriage, because each article gives only one point of view. However, I will try to show ways, in the areas of sexuality and conflict, that the Americans and Dagaras are similar and different.

The Dagara's view of sexuality is different from ours. We view sexuality in marriage as having two purposes. One is to have children, the other is for pleasure. This is not in Roiphe's article, but it is something we all understand and accept. The Dagaras view sexuality only in connection with their religion. Some states that "There is a spiritual dimension to every relationship, whether or not the participants acknowledge it. Two people come together because spirit wants them together." This means that they view their relationship with their husband or wife as something more sacred than sexual. The Dagara tribe does not look for pleasure in sex; it is very sacred to them. Both cultures are similar because they both at least start out with only one mate when they are married. They certainly both use sex to have children, whether it is a sacred act or not.

In the article "Why Marriages Fail" , Ms. Roiphe states that, "Most often extramarital sex destroys a marriage because it