October 31, 4000 B.

Dear Editor,

I used to be a wealthy landowner who owned a large amount of territory in which I rented out for
farmers to grow their crops in. The area I owned was located in a valley, so flooding was always an issue and a
dam had to surround the entire region. I kept the dam in top condition, always sealing off any leaks as soon as
possible. I was happy with my prosaic life and lived comfortably before I became a slave. “How could that have
ever possibly happened?” may be questioned. The prosecution of law 53 of Hammurabi caused me to fall into a
lower social class, losing my wealth and power. “If any one be too lazy to keep his dam in proper condition, and
if the dam then breaks and all the fields get flooded, then whoever let the dam break shall be sold for money
(enslave) and the money shall replace the crops which he has caused to be ruined” (law 53). This code is well
formed and hard to disagree with. The law follows the Babylonian values of civic duty and replies with harsh
punishment. This code values having a functioning society rather than how much power one has, and shows that
there are harsh punishments that follow these actions. However, this code overlooks the honesty of the public,
which had put me in this exact position.

As I mentioned before, I was a very responsible landowner, I always made sure the farmers were
satisfied with their land and inspected the dam daily. It was only a year or so of renting the land that the dam
broke. One night, I woke up to hear footsteps near my house that resided near the dam. I peered outside to see
around half a dozen figures who I immediately recognized as several of the farmers that worked on my land.
They began breaking the dam with axes and hoes! The dam began leaking and water soon started pouring out.
The farmers ran away quickly seconds before the dam exploded from the pressure. I reported the incident to the
authorities and took the case to court. I began defending my side of the story and how I was not responsible for
the dam breaking. With the level of authority I had, I would’ve had a solid reason to being honest. Be that as it
may, the angry farmers who had their crops flooded and those who started the flood claimed that I was
responsible for the dam breaking. At the end, I had been overruled by the majority and sentenced into slavery
for life. This was a harsh punishment enacted on me because several citizens didn’t live up to the Babylonian
values. In other judicial systems, the laws would’ve been more fluid in certain circumstances and would
continue investigations on the case, rather than taking someone’s word for it. Because the Babylonians honored
the value of honesty, they would not think much of people lying in this society. There is already this expectation
of being honest, so there wouldn’t be a need to further investigate the authenticity of one’s claims. This causes
others to take advantage and those who are portrayed as the guilty party may truly be the victims. For justice to
be served, the rules of Hammurabi must change.

Please take altering this law into consideration and view all points of view before justifying if I truly
deserved this inhospitable punishment.
Sincerely,
Mimi Rai
 “If anyone is caught while committing a robbery, then s/he shall be put to death” (22). In Babylonian
times, this code would have been acceptable as they value civic duty and honesty to continue a functioning
society. When robbing in Babylonian times, you are disrupting society and putting civilization ahead of
yourself, and by robbing, you are a putting your own needs before the betterment of society. This would cause
regression in society and being sentenced to death would be a fair punishment for the sinful act. In this modern
era, especially in the United States, this law would be considered unjust. In the United States, the laws have less
of a harsh punishment compared to Babylonian times and wouldn’t really benefit the betterment of society.
These laws the United States have constructed consists of punishments that depend on the situation. In the
United States, the punishment for robbing would be a penalty of up to 15 years of jail time. While this
punishment is not as harsh as death, the punishment enacted today would be considered fair in this day and age.
The way the society functions, as well as how their beliefs and government is set, all affects what consequences
follow certain actions.