When someone “pops the question,” they normally kneel on one knee, the paradigm of a Prince Charming. The illusion is shattered when the proposal is performed not just on one woman, but on many. So it's not just one bride. She is part of a series of brides. Polygamy, of course, still exists today. Although no religion mandates it, and it is, in fact, illegal in the United States, it is still a realized phenomenon. Western popular culture has moved away from this style of wedding. Nowadays, a typical Westerner prefers monogamy. The emphasis is on the couple, not on the different ones. Both essays, My Husband's Nine Wives by Elizabeth Joseph and In Defense of Polygamy by B. Aisha Lemu, describe different situations involving polygamy, through a series of personal thoughts, experiences, and beliefs. This raises concerns about the nature of polygamy and its practices. In the essay My Husband's Nine Wives, Joseph consistently and emphatically describes the difficulties of a monogamous relationship; the Western concept of marriage. Marriages turn into arguments between the two involved and a compromise is reached to restore order. This is something that, according to Josephus, should not be done (769). Polygamy offers alternative solutions. Joseph states, “Pick up any women's magazine and you will find article after article about the problems of successfully juggling career, motherhood, and marriage” (769). Problems like these ultimately lead to frustration, but polygamy offers an alternative, “attractive to the modern career woman” (769). In such a marriage, the woman does not have to worry about living according to the unrealistic guidelines of a perfect wife and mother. For example, while a wife/mother is at work, the children... in the center of the paper... the union. A union presumably desired by the two people involved. The arguments proposed by Lemu and Joseph ask a lot of the woman and little of the man. In fact, most of the topics have to do with easing the burden of the working woman/mother/wife. Both authors may want to rethink the traditional role of women. Perhaps this is where the problems many marriages face lie. Both parties enter the relationship with preconceived notions of gender roles that are actually impossible to live up to. If we were to recognize that gender roles need to be reevaluated, perhaps the value of polygamy as a positive tool for marriages would diminish. Works Cited Barnet, Sylvan and Hugo Bendau. Current Issues and Enduring Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking and Argumentation, with Readings. 8th ed. Boston/New York: Bedford/Saint Martin's, 2008. 769-7