The Judgments Of Hammurabi In The Tale Of The Eloquent Peasant

The Judgments of Hammurabi are a set of laws that were written by a god. The laws were put in place “to promote the welfare of the people, to cause justice to prevail in the land, and so the strong might not oppress the weak.” The Tale of The Eloquent Peasant, depicts how a peasant has been robbed of his goods and how he eloquently appeals to the king for justice to be served. Both articles discuss; the division of a society’s social class, how gods/kings interpret justice and family relationships within the law.
The Judgments of Hammurabi laid out the rules for Mesopotamian citizens. Hammurabi’s code gives judgements and consequences for certain crimes. The punishment for a crime depended on one’s social rank. There were essentially three classes; the priests and noble landlords, the freemen, and slaves. Each law illustrated the division in the societies social status. As a particular law read; “If a man has destroyed the eye of another free man, his own eye shall be destroyed. If he has destroyed the eye of a

Women were not a part of a class, they were considered property. Men essentially owed their whole family. Men controlled the family and any property that they owned. Women had no power, authority, or voice in anything. If a man wanted to divorce his wife, he could do so. If a man wanted to disown his child, he could do so, if he had a valid reason. “If a man has decided to disinherit his son, and has said to the judge, “I disown my son,” then the judge should look into his reasons. If the son has committed two grave offenses the then the father may disown him.” Men had so much control, they could sell their spouse and children if they needed or wanted to. Hammurabi’s code, even permitted extreme ways men could discipline their children. “If a son has struck his father, his hands shall be cut off.” Hammurabi’s code presented a family relationship where the husband/father controls the entire