Hammurabi Dbq Essay

If a son hits his father should he have his hands cut off. Hammurabi was a king that was trying to help his people by telling them that a god told he about laws to control his land. He made 282 laws in all to try to protect his people. Were king hammurabi’s just. Now you may be thinking are hammurabi’s laws just what, but that is not what we are asking. Just means fair, so what we are asking is that are hammurabi’s codes “fair.” I believe that hammurabi’s laws/codes are unfair. I will look at a few of hammurabi’s laws to try to prove my point.

Hammurabi’s code is unfair in property law. Law 195 (Doc C) states that if a son has stuck his father his hands shall be cut off. The boys hands should not be cut off because he could die, and it could be an accident or it could have been self defence. Law 21 (Doc D) states if a man has broken through the wall to rob a house, they shall put him to death and pierce him, or hang him in the hole in the wall which he has made. I feel like they shouldn’t kill him because of that, they should make him rebuild the wall, give the stuff back, and do some type of jail/prison time.

Hammurabi’s code is unfair and fair in family law.

Law 129 (Doc C) states that if a married lady is caught in adultery with another man, they shall bind them and cast then into the water. They should just go their separate ways if the women does not want to stay with one man. Law 129 (Doc C) states if a man has married a wife and a disease has seized her, if he is determined to marry a second wife, he shall marry her. He shall not divorce the wife whom the disease has seized. She shall dwell in the house they have built together, and he shall maintain her as long as she lives. There was no nursing homes or anything so the old and sick people could go and there was no good medicine for anyone so there really wasn’t a good cure sos it makes seen for the first wife to stay with

them.
Hammurabi’s code is unfair in personal injury. Law 196 (Doc E) states that if a man has knocked out the eye of a free man, his eye shall be knocked out. That is unfair because the man that knocked the other man’s eye out they should just pay for the doctor bill not get his eye knocked out to. Law 199 (Doc E) states if a man has knocked out the eye of a slave … he shall pay half his value. That is not fair because everyone should be worth the same thing so the man should pay the whole thing.
Finally, hammurabi’s code is fair in some cases, but it is unfair too. Like law 199 (Doc E) states if a man has knocked the eye out of a slave he shall pay half his value. That isn’t fair because everybody is the same so they should be treated the same, so he should pay full price. Law 129 (Doc C) states if a woman is caught cheating on her husband she shall be cased in the water to drown. That is unfair too because they should go their separate and go their own ways. Law 200 states the if a man has a wife that became disable he will keep her till she dies. That is fair because everyone needs to survive long as possible.