I am happy to say that I attended prom. At first I was worried that I would not enjoy myself because of the music, or the people or whatever. Although I didn't enjoy the music it was a different setting in terms of the way people treated one another. We were much nicer to eachother and I can say that I acknowledged more people as well as others acknowledging me and my appearance. There were definitely transformations that occured but I also feel that it't not like these transformations occured in one day, they were always there some people just never noticed them. At first I was also worried about competition with peoples dresses and although this problem existed while in the process of buying dresses it was no longer an issue at prom. At prom I complemented everyone on their dresses and tuxedoes because everyone looked beautiful and it was definitely a night to remember.
It makes me sad that this was my only chance at prom because there were certain things I wish I could change but I guess I have up untilw e graduate to do those things. I enjoyed the dancing at prom because it wasn;t about who was dancing and how were they dancing, everyone was dancing and enjoying themselves. At times I wished that I had brought a date with me because from time to time, I would see some couples making out on the dance floor and though I didn't want to be like them I wanted to have that person there that is special to me. There was also a lot of picture taking because like all of the people I interviewed said that prom night was all about the memories we create on that night. It is true that things that are not planned may happen because on prom night I saw a lot of people interacting that I would never expect to be together and it makes me wonder if it was prom night that made this happen or the tension that was building up between those people. Prom was a night to remember and I will always remember it.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
HW 58 - Prom Interviews
People attending prom:
Person #1
Prom to me wasn’t that important I felt as though it was my last chance to hang out with my friends, in a more formal setting. I was forced to go my mother. I expect to have fun dancing with my friends even though not all of them are going. I still expect to have a great time on the night or prom.
Person #2
I expect a typical prom. People will dress nice in heels, tuxes. I expect maybe a few funny moments and a lot of good times as people dance and take photos. I want to participate not only because of the once in a lifetime opportunity to attend prom but because we haven’t done much as a grade, there was no senior trip. I find some dsp of prom that you must have a date to enjoy yourself but that is not true.
People that attended prom:
Well prom night was a night where everyone got along and was happy with each other. For some reason it was a competition to see who looked the best. But for me it was great there I got dressed up and looked nice, I was with my friends, I danced and made memories. I will never forget the food and the dancing.
Much older people and their insights on prom:
My mother didn’t go to her prom but she does think that prom is important in our society. It is sort of like a coming of age event. Prom as she explained is a part of enjoying the last days of your senior year because there’s no place like high school. There may never be these kinds of combinations of people in college. Prom is about making memories and talking people and taking lots of pictures to remember those fun times.
I think it’s very interesting that most of the people mentioned that the memories are the most important thing they would like to take or have gotten from the night. It is important that we have good memories and life after high school is very different so prom is the one night where we can make our dreams come true. I think there is a lot of competition about a dress or a tux because we want to stand out more than the next person. Most people that have decided to go were not really excited about going to prom but became happy after going and despite what they thought they actually enjoyed themselves. Prom night can bring many surprises.
Person #1
Prom to me wasn’t that important I felt as though it was my last chance to hang out with my friends, in a more formal setting. I was forced to go my mother. I expect to have fun dancing with my friends even though not all of them are going. I still expect to have a great time on the night or prom.
Person #2
I expect a typical prom. People will dress nice in heels, tuxes. I expect maybe a few funny moments and a lot of good times as people dance and take photos. I want to participate not only because of the once in a lifetime opportunity to attend prom but because we haven’t done much as a grade, there was no senior trip. I find some dsp of prom that you must have a date to enjoy yourself but that is not true.
People that attended prom:
Well prom night was a night where everyone got along and was happy with each other. For some reason it was a competition to see who looked the best. But for me it was great there I got dressed up and looked nice, I was with my friends, I danced and made memories. I will never forget the food and the dancing.
Much older people and their insights on prom:
My mother didn’t go to her prom but she does think that prom is important in our society. It is sort of like a coming of age event. Prom as she explained is a part of enjoying the last days of your senior year because there’s no place like high school. There may never be these kinds of combinations of people in college. Prom is about making memories and talking people and taking lots of pictures to remember those fun times.
I think it’s very interesting that most of the people mentioned that the memories are the most important thing they would like to take or have gotten from the night. It is important that we have good memories and life after high school is very different so prom is the one night where we can make our dreams come true. I think there is a lot of competition about a dress or a tux because we want to stand out more than the next person. Most people that have decided to go were not really excited about going to prom but became happy after going and despite what they thought they actually enjoyed themselves. Prom night can bring many surprises.
HW 57- Initial thoughts on Prom
I think prom can be exciting because although pretty expensive and traditional, people can have a lot of fun with their friends and other people in their grade. Something I look forward to most at prom is the transformations that people will make in terms of the gown or tuxedo they chose to wear, and how their hair looks. This is important because in school we see people in a different atmosphere, at school people are mostly focused on getting their work done, but at prom people just want to have fun.
Prom, in my family, has been a big event because my brother didn’t go to his prom so my mother really enjoyed buying me the dress, and making all of the other preparations for prom. Although my mother would have liked for me to have a date I didn’t think it was necessary for me to bring a date. I don’t think you need a date to prom to enjoy yourself, you can have fun with your friends. It’s nice to have a date because every girl wants to feel like Cinderella for just one night, but it’s more beneficial to you if your prom date is your boyfriend or someone you really like. If you bring someone just to have a date it will be pretty awkward if you don’t talk to that person and interact with them everyday. I think that either you enjoy prom because you enjoy the people you are with or you don’t enjoy prom because you don’t like the people you were with. It seems that one of the main reasons people are not attending prom is because they don’t like the people in our grade. I may not like or communicate with everyone in our grade but for me personally I am not going to prom to talk to them I am going to hang out with my friends and enjoy myself.
Some questions that I hope to explore in the week are:
What needs to happen for someone to have the best prom experience?
Why are girls pitied if they don’t bring a date to prom? Why do you need to bring a date to prom?
Why do things change after prom? Why don’t these things occur before prom rather than the night of? (Including: hookups that people would never expect, and transformations)
Prom, in my family, has been a big event because my brother didn’t go to his prom so my mother really enjoyed buying me the dress, and making all of the other preparations for prom. Although my mother would have liked for me to have a date I didn’t think it was necessary for me to bring a date. I don’t think you need a date to prom to enjoy yourself, you can have fun with your friends. It’s nice to have a date because every girl wants to feel like Cinderella for just one night, but it’s more beneficial to you if your prom date is your boyfriend or someone you really like. If you bring someone just to have a date it will be pretty awkward if you don’t talk to that person and interact with them everyday. I think that either you enjoy prom because you enjoy the people you are with or you don’t enjoy prom because you don’t like the people you were with. It seems that one of the main reasons people are not attending prom is because they don’t like the people in our grade. I may not like or communicate with everyone in our grade but for me personally I am not going to prom to talk to them I am going to hang out with my friends and enjoy myself.
Some questions that I hope to explore in the week are:
What needs to happen for someone to have the best prom experience?
Why are girls pitied if they don’t bring a date to prom? Why do you need to bring a date to prom?
Why do things change after prom? Why don’t these things occur before prom rather than the night of? (Including: hookups that people would never expect, and transformations)
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
HW 56 - Culminating Project Comments
To Michelle,
I found your post very interesting because you focused on the way people in the Indian culture view death. I think the ceremony is interesting because it describes the way the body is cared for such as being covered in flowers, I do think in some ways this practice is similar to that in America because we do wash the body but there are differences int eh tradition based on religion. Do you think religion has an impact on the way traditions are adopted regarding death and the care of the dead?
To Megumi,
I think it's interesting that you chose to focus on the aspect of funeral homes and care of the dead rituals in New York. "A family undertaking" was an informative movie because it helped me to think about different options for the care of the dead rather than the traditional model that is dominant in our society. Good job.
To Ben,
I really think this paper is interesting. I think it's good that you focused on cadavers and the benefits and disadvantages of donating your organs to science. I liked the line: "Although some people may think that this is a very important procedure, the reality is that most people probably did not imagine their bodies being used for the beautification of others rather than helping the living with actual medical issues or conditions." Do you think that in the end it really matters what happens to the human body after death? (I mean yes it's important to respect the dead but what if someone needs organs the dead person has?)
To Stephanie,
I think your video was very creative and interesting and I was also interested in the different perspectives about what people believe happens after death. I think people don't think about death very often and that is why they are sometimes surprised when asked questions about death.
__________________________________________________________________________
From Mom,
I found this video very interesting because I have honestly never thought about death in this sense. I may not ever decide how I would like to be buried but I have thought about some social norms that exist in our society based on the care of the dead. Many of those rituals have to do with someone's religion because there are certain principles and requirements. There are also different opinions about the after life based on religion. I enjoyed watching this project good job.
From Angela,
I liked your video it was very creative and made me more interested in this aspect of death. Young children are shielded from death because our parent's don't know what to tell us or they are afraid that we will keep asking them questions but it is important to be informed about death. Good Job.
From Megumi,
I really enjoyed the video and I found each intereviewee's answers interesting and unique. I think you did a great job with your video and I especially found the idea of our social norm of making a big deal of caring for someone after they have passed away very true. I thought not having consent before using a body for organ donations was disrespectful, but after hearing one of the interviewees I found myself convinced that regardless, people should donate their bodies after death to serve a purpose before decaying to the ground. Overall though, good job!
From David,
Though the video wasn't posted yet I still found your presentation and project interesting. I really liked that you found alternative point of views from other people on their thoughts about death. From what Melanie said I've tried to think the same way about what happens to my body when I die but I would always worry about it. Just knowing that if you're buried there would be bugs (something I dislike a lot) all over me and if I got a memorial reef I there would be litter in the water from boats on my ashes. Also do you think how people are raised affects their views on death and care for the dead?
From Ben,
One of the things I really enjoyed about your video is that it touched on the idea that funerals often seem awkward to many people, but otherwise they are almost always a time where families unite in mourning. I have experienced this same feeling of unity at a funeral, which is probably why I found the idea so interesting. I also liked how our societies obvious paranoia when it comes to preserving the body was exposed by your video, and your post did a very good job of touching on almost all of the ways of caring for the dead that I am aware of. Nice work!
I found your post very interesting because you focused on the way people in the Indian culture view death. I think the ceremony is interesting because it describes the way the body is cared for such as being covered in flowers, I do think in some ways this practice is similar to that in America because we do wash the body but there are differences int eh tradition based on religion. Do you think religion has an impact on the way traditions are adopted regarding death and the care of the dead?
To Megumi,
I think it's interesting that you chose to focus on the aspect of funeral homes and care of the dead rituals in New York. "A family undertaking" was an informative movie because it helped me to think about different options for the care of the dead rather than the traditional model that is dominant in our society. Good job.
To Ben,
I really think this paper is interesting. I think it's good that you focused on cadavers and the benefits and disadvantages of donating your organs to science. I liked the line: "Although some people may think that this is a very important procedure, the reality is that most people probably did not imagine their bodies being used for the beautification of others rather than helping the living with actual medical issues or conditions." Do you think that in the end it really matters what happens to the human body after death? (I mean yes it's important to respect the dead but what if someone needs organs the dead person has?)
To Stephanie,
I think your video was very creative and interesting and I was also interested in the different perspectives about what people believe happens after death. I think people don't think about death very often and that is why they are sometimes surprised when asked questions about death.
__________________________________________________________________________
From Mom,
I found this video very interesting because I have honestly never thought about death in this sense. I may not ever decide how I would like to be buried but I have thought about some social norms that exist in our society based on the care of the dead. Many of those rituals have to do with someone's religion because there are certain principles and requirements. There are also different opinions about the after life based on religion. I enjoyed watching this project good job.
From Angela,
I liked your video it was very creative and made me more interested in this aspect of death. Young children are shielded from death because our parent's don't know what to tell us or they are afraid that we will keep asking them questions but it is important to be informed about death. Good Job.
From Megumi,
I really enjoyed the video and I found each intereviewee's answers interesting and unique. I think you did a great job with your video and I especially found the idea of our social norm of making a big deal of caring for someone after they have passed away very true. I thought not having consent before using a body for organ donations was disrespectful, but after hearing one of the interviewees I found myself convinced that regardless, people should donate their bodies after death to serve a purpose before decaying to the ground. Overall though, good job!
From David,
Though the video wasn't posted yet I still found your presentation and project interesting. I really liked that you found alternative point of views from other people on their thoughts about death. From what Melanie said I've tried to think the same way about what happens to my body when I die but I would always worry about it. Just knowing that if you're buried there would be bugs (something I dislike a lot) all over me and if I got a memorial reef I there would be litter in the water from boats on my ashes. Also do you think how people are raised affects their views on death and care for the dead?
From Ben,
One of the things I really enjoyed about your video is that it touched on the idea that funerals often seem awkward to many people, but otherwise they are almost always a time where families unite in mourning. I have experienced this same feeling of unity at a funeral, which is probably why I found the idea so interesting. I also liked how our societies obvious paranoia when it comes to preserving the body was exposed by your video, and your post did a very good job of touching on almost all of the ways of caring for the dead that I am aware of. Nice work!
Monday, May 16, 2011
HW 55 - Culminating Project - Care of the Dead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od4eayM8eCo
For this project I interviewed people with different perspectives about death regarding their thoughts on what happens when you die, and other intriguing questions. I noticed that sometimes when I asked people questions they seemed shocked that I would ask a question such as: "How do you want to be buried?" because they may have never contemplated this question before. I thought it was interesting that when I asked Melanie about the human cadavers in relation to donating organs, she mentioned that although we treat the dead with respect and honor their bodies after you die your physical body doesn't matter. Since the physical body is no longer in use after death we should be willing to donate our organs to people that need them.
Something else that's important to consider is that no one truly knows what it feels like to be dead. We have many different ideas about what the after life may be like such as: going into eternal sleep, going to heaven or hell, or even being reincarnated. We fear death because it is unknown in the same way that we don't remember what life was like in the womb some may say that this state of mind may remain the same in the after life. This video highlights different people's similar as well as different opinions about death.
For this project I interviewed people with different perspectives about death regarding their thoughts on what happens when you die, and other intriguing questions. I noticed that sometimes when I asked people questions they seemed shocked that I would ask a question such as: "How do you want to be buried?" because they may have never contemplated this question before. I thought it was interesting that when I asked Melanie about the human cadavers in relation to donating organs, she mentioned that although we treat the dead with respect and honor their bodies after you die your physical body doesn't matter. Since the physical body is no longer in use after death we should be willing to donate our organs to people that need them.
Something else that's important to consider is that no one truly knows what it feels like to be dead. We have many different ideas about what the after life may be like such as: going into eternal sleep, going to heaven or hell, or even being reincarnated. We fear death because it is unknown in the same way that we don't remember what life was like in the womb some may say that this state of mind may remain the same in the after life. This video highlights different people's similar as well as different opinions about death.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
HW 54- Independent Research B
I grew up and now have adopted practices from the Christian religion. The Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John are similar in the sense that they explore the teachings of Jesus while he was on earth but they are also different because after all each book was written by a different author. The book of Matthew was written by a man named, Matthew sometime between A.D. 60 and 70. Matthew gives a description of signs of the end, “At that time the son of man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the son of man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other” (The Bible, Pg. 1325). This means that when Jesus comes everything will be in an uproar because the son of God has returned. Jesus will come back to bring those back with him that will return to heave. There are many descriptions of what you need to do before you can get into heaven such as living your life for God, and giving our commitment to Jesus and practicing his teachings.
The book of Luke was written by Luke around A.D. 60. The book of Luke was written to explain why Jesus came to earth which was to save us from our sins. “Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will save it” (Luke, Pg. 1380). This passage is significant to me personally because it connotes that in order to save ourselves we must reject ourselves, because our ways are not his ways, and we must follow Christ wholeheartedly. It’s not possible for one to be born again but not live out the life that Jesus wants us to. Matthew and Luke are similar because both claim that in order to get into heaven one must follow the teachings of Jesus but the difference is that in the book of Matthew there are many parables and the people that never accepted Jesus were not invited to the banquet or accepted by God. However, in the book of Luke there are many opportunities to accept Jesus as the Son of God.
The book of John was written by John sometime in A.D. 85-90. The book of John was written in the same respects as the other books were written which is to honor that Jesus is God and he was sent for the forgiveness of our sins and to live in our hearts eternally. “Jesus said to her: I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (The Bible, Pg. 1429). This passage relates to the book of Revelation which is the last book in the bible and guarantee God’s control and eventual return. “Then I saw a new heaven and new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband….The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass” (The Bible, Pg. 1650). It’s interesting that heaven is being compared to a bride beautifully dressed for her husband and this is a symbol of God’s love for us. The chapter also mentions being carried away in the sky through the spirit, not the physical body. These chapters compare because throughout the bible the promise of heaven is mentioned but each chapter of the bible has a different value to help us live our lives the way god wants us to.
I interviewed a leader from my church about her perspective of heaven and this is what she said: “Well I believe that heaven for us Christians is a place where we get to finally see the God who we put our trust in the creator who helped us through our situations over and over again. We get to give him honor and praise for the many blessings he has done in our lives. Heaven is just indescribable because we get to interact with people that made it to heaven and ask them questions about why they did what they did (ex: Adam and Eve). Heaven will be a place of rejoicing and love.”
I agree with everything that was said and I noticed that there were so many different examples she used to describe heaven because it means so much Christians. One thing that is mentioned a lot is the fact that people are afraid of death because they don’t have something to look forward to. People would be less fearful of death if they knew they would be going someplace whether its heaven or any other beliefs.
The book of Luke was written by Luke around A.D. 60. The book of Luke was written to explain why Jesus came to earth which was to save us from our sins. “Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will save it” (Luke, Pg. 1380). This passage is significant to me personally because it connotes that in order to save ourselves we must reject ourselves, because our ways are not his ways, and we must follow Christ wholeheartedly. It’s not possible for one to be born again but not live out the life that Jesus wants us to. Matthew and Luke are similar because both claim that in order to get into heaven one must follow the teachings of Jesus but the difference is that in the book of Matthew there are many parables and the people that never accepted Jesus were not invited to the banquet or accepted by God. However, in the book of Luke there are many opportunities to accept Jesus as the Son of God.
The book of John was written by John sometime in A.D. 85-90. The book of John was written in the same respects as the other books were written which is to honor that Jesus is God and he was sent for the forgiveness of our sins and to live in our hearts eternally. “Jesus said to her: I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (The Bible, Pg. 1429). This passage relates to the book of Revelation which is the last book in the bible and guarantee God’s control and eventual return. “Then I saw a new heaven and new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband….The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass” (The Bible, Pg. 1650). It’s interesting that heaven is being compared to a bride beautifully dressed for her husband and this is a symbol of God’s love for us. The chapter also mentions being carried away in the sky through the spirit, not the physical body. These chapters compare because throughout the bible the promise of heaven is mentioned but each chapter of the bible has a different value to help us live our lives the way god wants us to.
I interviewed a leader from my church about her perspective of heaven and this is what she said: “Well I believe that heaven for us Christians is a place where we get to finally see the God who we put our trust in the creator who helped us through our situations over and over again. We get to give him honor and praise for the many blessings he has done in our lives. Heaven is just indescribable because we get to interact with people that made it to heaven and ask them questions about why they did what they did (ex: Adam and Eve). Heaven will be a place of rejoicing and love.”
I agree with everything that was said and I noticed that there were so many different examples she used to describe heaven because it means so much Christians. One thing that is mentioned a lot is the fact that people are afraid of death because they don’t have something to look forward to. People would be less fearful of death if they knew they would be going someplace whether its heaven or any other beliefs.
Monday, May 9, 2011
HW 53 - Independent Research A
1)
Vitello, Paul. "Reviving a Ritual of Tending to the Dead." New York Times 12 Dec 2010, Print.
Jewish tradition follows a specific ritual that tends to not just the body but the physical state of the dead. This ritual begins by washing the head, and washing the face before getting to the neck and right shoulder. The right side is washed before the left; the back is washed before the front. The purpose of this ritual is to prepare the body for burial. Over time in the past with the Jewish community less people used this traditional protocol but currently 25 percent of Jewish burials incorporate the burial rituals. According to Rabbi Phillips this ritual is based on treating the dead as one of the most helpless members of one’s community and this statement is true. It is important that prayers are said over the deceased person and that they are at the hands of people that love them.
Zezima, Katie. “Home burials offer an intimate Alternative.” New York Times 20 Jul 2009, Print.
Home funerals offer another alternative rather than spending around $6,000 for a traditional funeral or prices for cremation. Home funerals are a positive alternative but are not recommended for everyone but if the family is unable to pay for a funeral service then a home burial would be the better option. When Mr. Nathaniel Roe died, instead of his children taking him to a morgue they cared for him the same way they did each day. They dressed him up in his favorite clothes and gathered the family together so they could say their last goodbyes. This ceremony was more intimate because it gave him his dignity and he was in the comfort of his family and friends the people he loves. There are different ways to store the bodies such as putting dry ice under the body to keep it cool. The number of home funerals is growing in states where home funerals are allowed.
These two articles were very similar because something I noticed that both of them mentioned that they were in the company of family and friends that loved them and that was better than being surrounded by strangers. The only difference is that with the “Reviving a ritual of Tending to the Dead”, the Jewish culture has a ritual that is done to prepare the body for burial. In the “Home burials offer an intimate Alternative,” article the author provides an alternative to traditional funerals that is less expensive and more intimate. Both these rituals have a specific meaning and both work for the people that have adopted these practices and use them in their culture/society. The way you decide to have your burial depends on the person you are and how you would like to have your ceremony done.
2)
I interviewed a funeral home director about his perspectives on the care of the dead. I started off with interviewing the director about the way he would like to be buried when he dies and he mentioned that he would like to have a traditional burial. Then I asked him about his opinion on home funerals and he believed that home funerals are very unique because they give the family more time with their loved one and it helps them come to better terms about their death. He believed that many people view death as something that is taboo because Americans are not comfortable with death and they don’t want to deal with it. “We feel that if we talk about death it will bring death closer to us, it’s almost like a superstition.” He then went on to say that those that ignore the topic of death and avoid it are less prepared than those people that plan for the kind of burial they want. There is nothing wrong with death it is a natural part of life and in some way it has its own beauty.
I do agree with the things the funeral director mentioned because death is a topic people avoid in this country and we wait until the last minute to try to plan these things rather than think about the different options we have now. I think people are afraid of death because they don’t know where they will end up they will not know what happens to us after we die. This question is very important but this is something I struggled with at one point but I know where I will be going after death hopefully, and that’s heaven. After watching the movie “A Family Undertaking” it made me really reconsider how I want to be buried. Before I was leaning more towards cremation but after watching the film I would like to have a home burial. It is a more intimate experience and it will not leave my family wondering what has happened to my body and they will know because they have seen me and have had time to comprehend that I am gone. I would also think about moving in the future to a state that allows home funerals and then allow my family to take me to a morgue after they have had time to spend with me physically being there.
Vitello, Paul. "Reviving a Ritual of Tending to the Dead." New York Times 12 Dec 2010, Print.
Jewish tradition follows a specific ritual that tends to not just the body but the physical state of the dead. This ritual begins by washing the head, and washing the face before getting to the neck and right shoulder. The right side is washed before the left; the back is washed before the front. The purpose of this ritual is to prepare the body for burial. Over time in the past with the Jewish community less people used this traditional protocol but currently 25 percent of Jewish burials incorporate the burial rituals. According to Rabbi Phillips this ritual is based on treating the dead as one of the most helpless members of one’s community and this statement is true. It is important that prayers are said over the deceased person and that they are at the hands of people that love them.
Zezima, Katie. “Home burials offer an intimate Alternative.” New York Times 20 Jul 2009, Print.
Home funerals offer another alternative rather than spending around $6,000 for a traditional funeral or prices for cremation. Home funerals are a positive alternative but are not recommended for everyone but if the family is unable to pay for a funeral service then a home burial would be the better option. When Mr. Nathaniel Roe died, instead of his children taking him to a morgue they cared for him the same way they did each day. They dressed him up in his favorite clothes and gathered the family together so they could say their last goodbyes. This ceremony was more intimate because it gave him his dignity and he was in the comfort of his family and friends the people he loves. There are different ways to store the bodies such as putting dry ice under the body to keep it cool. The number of home funerals is growing in states where home funerals are allowed.
These two articles were very similar because something I noticed that both of them mentioned that they were in the company of family and friends that loved them and that was better than being surrounded by strangers. The only difference is that with the “Reviving a ritual of Tending to the Dead”, the Jewish culture has a ritual that is done to prepare the body for burial. In the “Home burials offer an intimate Alternative,” article the author provides an alternative to traditional funerals that is less expensive and more intimate. Both these rituals have a specific meaning and both work for the people that have adopted these practices and use them in their culture/society. The way you decide to have your burial depends on the person you are and how you would like to have your ceremony done.
2)
I interviewed a funeral home director about his perspectives on the care of the dead. I started off with interviewing the director about the way he would like to be buried when he dies and he mentioned that he would like to have a traditional burial. Then I asked him about his opinion on home funerals and he believed that home funerals are very unique because they give the family more time with their loved one and it helps them come to better terms about their death. He believed that many people view death as something that is taboo because Americans are not comfortable with death and they don’t want to deal with it. “We feel that if we talk about death it will bring death closer to us, it’s almost like a superstition.” He then went on to say that those that ignore the topic of death and avoid it are less prepared than those people that plan for the kind of burial they want. There is nothing wrong with death it is a natural part of life and in some way it has its own beauty.
I do agree with the things the funeral director mentioned because death is a topic people avoid in this country and we wait until the last minute to try to plan these things rather than think about the different options we have now. I think people are afraid of death because they don’t know where they will end up they will not know what happens to us after we die. This question is very important but this is something I struggled with at one point but I know where I will be going after death hopefully, and that’s heaven. After watching the movie “A Family Undertaking” it made me really reconsider how I want to be buried. Before I was leaning more towards cremation but after watching the film I would like to have a home burial. It is a more intimate experience and it will not leave my family wondering what has happened to my body and they will know because they have seen me and have had time to comprehend that I am gone. I would also think about moving in the future to a state that allows home funerals and then allow my family to take me to a morgue after they have had time to spend with me physically being there.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
HW 52
Precis:
Cadaveric medicine, though perceived as disgusting is justifiable in some cases. Each culture is different and in some way each of us value different things in our culture that may not be seen as “normal”. Although cannibalism is not th proper way to dispose of a body there are many other options. Those other options may consist of cremation, burial, water edcution, composting and many other possibilities but it's up to the family to decide.
Quotes:
“Those of us who undertook the experiment pooled our money to purchase cadavers form the city morgue, choosing the bodies of persons who had died of violence- who had been freshly killed and were not diseased or senile. We lived on this cannibal diet for two months and everyone’s health improved” (Pg. 229).
“Of the thousands of instances of cannibalism throughout China’s history, the vast majority of the perpetrators were driven to act either by starvation or the desire to express hatred or exact revenge during war” (Pg 237).
“A sailor on the damaged and drifting schooner Sallie M. Steelman in 1878 described the flesh of one of the dead crewman as being “good as any beefsteak” he ever ate. Rivera- if we are to believe his anatomy lab tale- considered the legs, breasts, and breaded ribs of the female cadavers “delicacies”, and especially relished “women’s brains in vinaigrette” (Pg. 238).
"In the mid-1800s, it was widely (and wrongly) believed that buried, decomposing bodies gave off noxious gases which polluted the groundwater and made their way up through the dirt to form deadly, hovering graveyard "miasmas" that tainted the air and sickened those who wandered past" (Pg. 258).
"You only have to look at the story of cremation to appreciate that changing the way
America disposes of its dead is a feat not easily accomplished" (Pg. 258).
Analysis:
We can relate to some of the claims stated in the book such as donating blood which in a way can be thought of as a form of cannibalism. Some of the ideas presented in the book were interesting because I never knew about cadavers being used as tests for surgical procedures. I think the issue of consent is important because I do believe that if people were allowed the opportunity to consent to having their bodies used in medical hospitals, the people that work in those hospitals will not feel guilty and stoic about having to work with cadavers. Although many people, including myself, believe that cadaveric medicine id disgusting it became a way of life for some people that were lacking food. It makes me wonder what I would do for some food if food supplies were scarce. Would I kill and eat humans if there was no other way to survive? Although I can say no positively I am not sure that if I were in that situation I would hold to that position. There are many different types of burials that exist but that I had never thought about before. This makes me want to do some more research about the least expensive forms of burial and what plans I need to make to make sure this plan lasts.
Cadaveric medicine, though perceived as disgusting is justifiable in some cases. Each culture is different and in some way each of us value different things in our culture that may not be seen as “normal”. Although cannibalism is not th proper way to dispose of a body there are many other options. Those other options may consist of cremation, burial, water edcution, composting and many other possibilities but it's up to the family to decide.
Quotes:
“Those of us who undertook the experiment pooled our money to purchase cadavers form the city morgue, choosing the bodies of persons who had died of violence- who had been freshly killed and were not diseased or senile. We lived on this cannibal diet for two months and everyone’s health improved” (Pg. 229).
“Of the thousands of instances of cannibalism throughout China’s history, the vast majority of the perpetrators were driven to act either by starvation or the desire to express hatred or exact revenge during war” (Pg 237).
“A sailor on the damaged and drifting schooner Sallie M. Steelman in 1878 described the flesh of one of the dead crewman as being “good as any beefsteak” he ever ate. Rivera- if we are to believe his anatomy lab tale- considered the legs, breasts, and breaded ribs of the female cadavers “delicacies”, and especially relished “women’s brains in vinaigrette” (Pg. 238).
"In the mid-1800s, it was widely (and wrongly) believed that buried, decomposing bodies gave off noxious gases which polluted the groundwater and made their way up through the dirt to form deadly, hovering graveyard "miasmas" that tainted the air and sickened those who wandered past" (Pg. 258).
"You only have to look at the story of cremation to appreciate that changing the way
America disposes of its dead is a feat not easily accomplished" (Pg. 258).
Analysis:
We can relate to some of the claims stated in the book such as donating blood which in a way can be thought of as a form of cannibalism. Some of the ideas presented in the book were interesting because I never knew about cadavers being used as tests for surgical procedures. I think the issue of consent is important because I do believe that if people were allowed the opportunity to consent to having their bodies used in medical hospitals, the people that work in those hospitals will not feel guilty and stoic about having to work with cadavers. Although many people, including myself, believe that cadaveric medicine id disgusting it became a way of life for some people that were lacking food. It makes me wonder what I would do for some food if food supplies were scarce. Would I kill and eat humans if there was no other way to survive? Although I can say no positively I am not sure that if I were in that situation I would hold to that position. There are many different types of burials that exist but that I had never thought about before. This makes me want to do some more research about the least expensive forms of burial and what plans I need to make to make sure this plan lasts.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
HW 51 - Second Third of COTD Book
Precis:
Doctors tried to invent different ways to verify the death of a patient. Based on this research questions about the conditions of someone’s soul based on people’s different philosophies was proposed. These doctors conducted experiments about the functionality of personality, and the state of one’s nervous system without their head because some doctors believed that your head consisted of your soul while the rest remains a lifeless body. The idea of donating organs was also proposed as well because if you are healthy some useful organs may remain that can be beneficial to different patients.
Quotes:
“The confusion people feel over beating-heart cadavers reflects centuries of confusion over how, exactly, to define death, to pinpoint the precise moment when the spirit-the soul, the chi, whatever you wish to call it- has ceased to exist and all that remains is a corpse” (Pg. 170).
“It was phenomena like this that threw eighteenth-century medical philosophers into a tizzy: If the soul was in the brain and not the heart, as may believed at that time, how could the heart keep beating outside the body, cut off from the soul” (Pg. 180).
“On a rational level, most people are comfortable with the concept of brain death and organ donation. But on an emotional level, they may have a harder time accepting it, particularly when they are being asked to accept it by a transplant counselor who would like them to okay the removal of a family member’s beating heart” (Pg. 188).
“White would very much like to see the church change its definition of death from “the moment the soul leaves the body” to “the moment the soul leaves the brain,” especially given that Catholicism accepts both the concept of brain death and the practice of organ transplantation..” (Pg. 216).
Analysis:
This passage was interesting because it made me question some of the opinions our society may have about death and the condition of one’s soul. What does it feel like when you die? It was also interesting reading about the Guillotine I never knew that the guillotine replaced the noose and it was said to be a much more humane way to die. The remains of those prisoners were then used to conduct research about the soul. Another point that was brought up throughout this section of the book was organ donation. After conducting research about the human head researchers considered when the first head transplant would take place. Honestly I never even considered what would happen to the body if it is without certain functions but there are people who experience that everyday. What parts of the body are needed for the human body to function?
Doctors tried to invent different ways to verify the death of a patient. Based on this research questions about the conditions of someone’s soul based on people’s different philosophies was proposed. These doctors conducted experiments about the functionality of personality, and the state of one’s nervous system without their head because some doctors believed that your head consisted of your soul while the rest remains a lifeless body. The idea of donating organs was also proposed as well because if you are healthy some useful organs may remain that can be beneficial to different patients.
Quotes:
“The confusion people feel over beating-heart cadavers reflects centuries of confusion over how, exactly, to define death, to pinpoint the precise moment when the spirit-the soul, the chi, whatever you wish to call it- has ceased to exist and all that remains is a corpse” (Pg. 170).
“It was phenomena like this that threw eighteenth-century medical philosophers into a tizzy: If the soul was in the brain and not the heart, as may believed at that time, how could the heart keep beating outside the body, cut off from the soul” (Pg. 180).
“On a rational level, most people are comfortable with the concept of brain death and organ donation. But on an emotional level, they may have a harder time accepting it, particularly when they are being asked to accept it by a transplant counselor who would like them to okay the removal of a family member’s beating heart” (Pg. 188).
“White would very much like to see the church change its definition of death from “the moment the soul leaves the body” to “the moment the soul leaves the brain,” especially given that Catholicism accepts both the concept of brain death and the practice of organ transplantation..” (Pg. 216).
Analysis:
This passage was interesting because it made me question some of the opinions our society may have about death and the condition of one’s soul. What does it feel like when you die? It was also interesting reading about the Guillotine I never knew that the guillotine replaced the noose and it was said to be a much more humane way to die. The remains of those prisoners were then used to conduct research about the soul. Another point that was brought up throughout this section of the book was organ donation. After conducting research about the human head researchers considered when the first head transplant would take place. Honestly I never even considered what would happen to the body if it is without certain functions but there are people who experience that everyday. What parts of the body are needed for the human body to function?
Saturday, April 30, 2011
HW 49- Comments on Your Best Break HW
To Ben,
It's interesting that you mentioned when you interviewed both your mother and father that after hearing death they thought of after death and what may have happened to relatives that died. Through the assignments over break I also thought about after death and many of the people I interviewed including myself believe that if people had some place to look forward to after life they would not be so afraid of death. I do believe that people have different opinions about death based on their beliefs. I enjoyed reading this post.
To Megumi,
Your post was very interesting because I also agree that a social norm in our society is that funerals should be depressing but if everyone is going to die one day death should not be something we mourn. I have not decided how I want to die because it's difficult to decide if I would like to be cremated or donate my organs but hopefully by the end of this unit I will decide. A question I have for you is: Do you think religion is the only determining factor for the way we want to die?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
From Ben,
The broad variety of opinions that are in this post is what made this especially interesting for me. It seems like some of the people you interviewed made their decisions in large part based on their religion, where others did not. One of the quotes that inspired the most thought for me was, "Dying freaks me out more than dead bodies because while death can happen at any unpredictable time, I know eventually I'm going to end up dead." This seems to be the reason that I (and probably many others as well) do not think about care of the dead as much; the concept of death pretty much overshadows everything that comes after it, as far as human life is concerned. This is kind of unfortunate, because the way that cadavers are dealt with can be beneficial for many people. Your post did a great job getting me thinking, good job.
From Megumi,
I found these perspectives on caring for the dead were very interesting and thought-provacative. I also thought you did a good job analyzing these interviewees. One line I found insightful was, "...if people understood the promise of heaven and if they knew it was a place they would be going they would no longer be afraid about death." Though I don't have a clear opinon/belief around afterdeath and heaven I think this is one of the reasons why I fear death. If I had a certainty that nothing negative will happen when I die, than my fear wouldn't be that serious.
From Angela (Younger Reader),
I found these perspective for caring for dead were interesting.I liked that you read threw the interviewees. Nice Job. One line that I liked was the line that said"if people understood the promise of heaven and if they knew it was a place they would be going would no longer be afraid of death ."
From my Mom ,
I think it's interesting that you mentioned the fact that dead bodies are preserved by putting make up on the dead and trying to make them look as alive as possible. I wonder of in some way we are in denial about the whole thing and don't truly understand what death is. I believe that when you die, you die. Death is not something you should fear if you have some idea of where you are going but after death your physical body has no life. I really enjoyed this post.
HW 50 - First Third of Care-of-the-Dead Book Post
Stiff by Mary Roach
Precis:
The title of the chapter is “A head is a terrible thing to waste.” An important principle we have always been taught is to have respect for the dead. Cadavers (parts of the human body used for dissection) are used for surgical procedures such as face lifts, nose jobs, and other cosmetic surgeries. The chapter also gives the history of human bodies regarding the poor being exploited at research hospitals, when the first dissections took place, and doctor’s experiences with surgery.
Quotes:
“The surgeons don’t seem queasy or repulsed, though Theresa told me later that one of them had to leave the room. “They hate it,” she says. “It” meaning working with heads. I sense from them only a mild discomfort with their task. As I stop at their tables to watch, they turn to me with a vaguely irritated, embarrassed look. You’ve seen that look if you make a habit of entering bathrooms without knocking. The look says, please go away.” (Stiff, Pg. 23).
“I was surprised to learn that even when surgeons are in residencies, they aren’t typically given an opportunity to practice operations on donated cadavers” (Stiff, Pg. 27).
“Without exception, the only people who checked themselves in at teaching hospitals were those too poor to pay for private surgery” (Stiff, Pg. 30).
“They should probably just ask for permission: According to New England Journal of Medicine study on the subject, 73 percent of parents of newly dead children, when asked, gave consent to use their child’s body for teaching intubation skills” (Stiff, Pg. 32).
“The far more common tactic was to sneak into a graveyard and dig up someone else’s relative to stuffy. The act became known as body snatching” (Stiff, Pg. 43).
Analytical Paragraph:
The beginning of the book presented information about a human head then used that to describe that she was looking at an actual head. It was interesting that when Mary was looking around at the different tables while people were dissecting faces, the surgeons were giving her dirty looks because they obviously felt uncomfortable with her seeing them handle heads. It’s ironic that the woman cutting off people’s heads was the one that gave her the most trouble when she was simply looking for information about the nature of their work. An idea that was also presented in the book was the issue of consent. I think that if there was a form where you were allowed to indicate whether or not your remains were donated after your burial it would make things much easier. Even if they are dead you have to consider what they would have wanted if they were alive. I thought the dead were respected but people were paid to dig up bodies for research studies, and body snatching was an actual crime. I did not know or even think about it before.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
HW 48 Family Perspectives on the Care of the Dead
After interviewing my uncle about his opinions of the dead he revealed that he would like to be cremated and sprinkled in a beach where his grandmother’s ashes were sprinkled. My uncle believes that funerals are a tradition and this is a dominant model presented in our society. There is a problem with this dominant model regarding death because it has made people believe that death is something we need to mourn but death happens to everyone so it should not be a depressing day.
After interviewing my mother about her beliefs on the care of the dead she expressed to me that the care of the dead is different if you are Christian or non-Christian. My mother said that if they are Christian it’s different because everyone will be celebrating their homecoming because hopefully they will be going to heaven. Dead bodies are not important anymore because when you die, you die either you go to hell or heaven. Funerals are a tradition used to celebrate the person that once lived. There is nothing wrong with reflecting on someone’s life and their accomplishments while living.
Both my mother and uncle agree that the dominant model presented is that we have funerals to reflect on the person that once lived. Something I never thought about before interviewing my friends and family members is the way I would like to be buried when I die one day. Before these interviews I never considered that question and wanted my family to make the decision for me. I would like to be cremated because it is a waste of space to be buried when there are buildings that could be built where cemeteries are. My family created the function that funerals mean that you are celebrating the life of the person who died and know that they are going to a better place. This is different for every person because other families may have different religious beliefs or no religion at all.
After interviewing my mother about her beliefs on the care of the dead she expressed to me that the care of the dead is different if you are Christian or non-Christian. My mother said that if they are Christian it’s different because everyone will be celebrating their homecoming because hopefully they will be going to heaven. Dead bodies are not important anymore because when you die, you die either you go to hell or heaven. Funerals are a tradition used to celebrate the person that once lived. There is nothing wrong with reflecting on someone’s life and their accomplishments while living.
Both my mother and uncle agree that the dominant model presented is that we have funerals to reflect on the person that once lived. Something I never thought about before interviewing my friends and family members is the way I would like to be buried when I die one day. Before these interviews I never considered that question and wanted my family to make the decision for me. I would like to be cremated because it is a waste of space to be buried when there are buildings that could be built where cemeteries are. My family created the function that funerals mean that you are celebrating the life of the person who died and know that they are going to a better place. This is different for every person because other families may have different religious beliefs or no religion at all.
Friday, April 22, 2011
HW 47 Interviews "Please Comment on this one"
When asking people about their perspectives with birth I asked them about how dead people are regarded in our society, any rituals their family practices with the care of the dead, how they would like to be buried and their personal opinion about death.
Interviewee #1
The dead are respected to a certain extent. There are laws forbidding people from digging up dead bodies, and even in hospitals they need consent before they can take an organ from a patient.
Interviewee #2
I have never seen a dead body. I have been told to stay away if possible. I wasn’t allowed too close to graves because they were said to have bad luck. We pay our respects to the dead by offering food and burning special paper. The special paper is regarded as money for the dead people. When I die I would like to be buried in a coffin.
Interviewee #3
The dead should be put to rest with dignity. In my culture like most others they dress them up and many of their family members gather to pay their respects. I feel that if everyone was saved and we held onto the promise of heaven then we would be able to cope with losing a loved one and then maybe we won’t feel like we have to take part in these kinds of ceremonies (funerals). When I die I would lie to be cremated. Sometimes I feel that we have so many graveyards and we should instead build things to help those that are still living.
Interviewee #4
I think the social norms in the U.S are mostly funerals and burials. My family doesn’t really discuss about caring for the dead, so I'm not too sure about their perspectives. I don't find caskets or anything else expensive necessary and I wouldn't want anyone spending so much money on my body after I'm dead. Dead bodies/death itself scares me but I understand that it is a normal, natural process we can't avoid. I don't care what's done to my body as long as it’s not an expensive process and if parts of my body can be donated to help those who need it (like a heart transplant) that would be great.
Interviewee #5
I think a lot of people are very obsessive over the afterlife and a lot of believe want to believe that their is something after death because just turning into nothingness is a pretty depressing thought. It's pretty ironic how so many people want to make such a big deal over people's death such as holding wakes and funerals yet no one wants to actually deal with touching said dead bodies. I think it's perfectly fine for people to hold these kinds of ceramonies for the dead if they desire. Dying freaks me out more than dead bodies because while death can happen at any unpredictable time, I know eventually I'm going to end up dead. Although I'm not exactly sure what I'd want to do with my body once I'm dead, I think it'd be nice to at least have a tiny gravestone so that I could imagine my soul/ghost/whatever the heck I turn into chilling there when people come to visit me.
I agree with everything interviewee #3 said regarding gravesites. I also agree that if people understood the promise of heaven and if they knew it was a place they would be going they would no longer be afraid about death. I was once afraid about death but I know that everyone is going to die someday and when I die I know that I will be going to a better place. Interviewee #2’s insight was very interesting because she gave her family perspective about the care of the dead, the way she was taught to avoid dead bodies. It’s also interesting to hear some of the rituals that take place for her family such as burning paper for the dead in hopes that the paper will help them wherever they go.
Interviewee # 1 brought up an interesting point about the laws protecting people from digging up dead bodies and needing permission before taking an organ. I never thought about this and it made me think. Why is it so important to preserve perfection of a dead body? When people die they are dressed in their best clothes and given make up but what is this for? Interviewee #4 also mentioned that she would like her organs to be donated if they are in good health once she dies and I agree with that. Many people are uncomfortable with seeing a loved ones organs be donated to someone else but in some situations I think this may be necessary. Interviewee #5 also brought up an interesting point about the fact that people want to in a sense celebrate death but no one really wants to deal with seeing dead bodies. These insights really helped me to think about insights regarding death.
Interviewee #1
The dead are respected to a certain extent. There are laws forbidding people from digging up dead bodies, and even in hospitals they need consent before they can take an organ from a patient.
Interviewee #2
I have never seen a dead body. I have been told to stay away if possible. I wasn’t allowed too close to graves because they were said to have bad luck. We pay our respects to the dead by offering food and burning special paper. The special paper is regarded as money for the dead people. When I die I would like to be buried in a coffin.
Interviewee #3
The dead should be put to rest with dignity. In my culture like most others they dress them up and many of their family members gather to pay their respects. I feel that if everyone was saved and we held onto the promise of heaven then we would be able to cope with losing a loved one and then maybe we won’t feel like we have to take part in these kinds of ceremonies (funerals). When I die I would lie to be cremated. Sometimes I feel that we have so many graveyards and we should instead build things to help those that are still living.
Interviewee #4
I think the social norms in the U.S are mostly funerals and burials. My family doesn’t really discuss about caring for the dead, so I'm not too sure about their perspectives. I don't find caskets or anything else expensive necessary and I wouldn't want anyone spending so much money on my body after I'm dead. Dead bodies/death itself scares me but I understand that it is a normal, natural process we can't avoid. I don't care what's done to my body as long as it’s not an expensive process and if parts of my body can be donated to help those who need it (like a heart transplant) that would be great.
Interviewee #5
I think a lot of people are very obsessive over the afterlife and a lot of believe want to believe that their is something after death because just turning into nothingness is a pretty depressing thought. It's pretty ironic how so many people want to make such a big deal over people's death such as holding wakes and funerals yet no one wants to actually deal with touching said dead bodies. I think it's perfectly fine for people to hold these kinds of ceramonies for the dead if they desire. Dying freaks me out more than dead bodies because while death can happen at any unpredictable time, I know eventually I'm going to end up dead. Although I'm not exactly sure what I'd want to do with my body once I'm dead, I think it'd be nice to at least have a tiny gravestone so that I could imagine my soul/ghost/whatever the heck I turn into chilling there when people come to visit me.
I agree with everything interviewee #3 said regarding gravesites. I also agree that if people understood the promise of heaven and if they knew it was a place they would be going they would no longer be afraid about death. I was once afraid about death but I know that everyone is going to die someday and when I die I know that I will be going to a better place. Interviewee #2’s insight was very interesting because she gave her family perspective about the care of the dead, the way she was taught to avoid dead bodies. It’s also interesting to hear some of the rituals that take place for her family such as burning paper for the dead in hopes that the paper will help them wherever they go.
Interviewee # 1 brought up an interesting point about the laws protecting people from digging up dead bodies and needing permission before taking an organ. I never thought about this and it made me think. Why is it so important to preserve perfection of a dead body? When people die they are dressed in their best clothes and given make up but what is this for? Interviewee #4 also mentioned that she would like her organs to be donated if they are in good health once she dies and I agree with that. Many people are uncomfortable with seeing a loved ones organs be donated to someone else but in some situations I think this may be necessary. Interviewee #5 also brought up an interesting point about the fact that people want to in a sense celebrate death but no one really wants to deal with seeing dead bodies. These insights really helped me to think about insights regarding death.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
HW 46 - Initial Thoughts on the Care of the Dead
I don’t have much experience regarding the care of the dead because the two funerals I attended, I was too young to really know what was going on. In class we discussed some of the religious rituals that take place at funerals. Some of these include giving a eulogy, singing songs, and mourning the death of loved one. I have always wondered why we mourn for death when we know that everyone is going to die someday. My mom has told my siblings and I that when she dies she wants it to be a celebration not a sad event because death brings new life. Most of my family members are Christian so we believe that when you die you physical body is no longer part of your spiritual body, and while your physical body remains in the grave your spiritual body leaves to either heaven or hell.
What makes people choose cremation over burial? Who takes care of the dead? These are some of the questions that I would like to have answered by the end of this unit. I am interested in learning about people that work in mortuaries and some of their philosophies about the care of the dead. I am also interested in learning about people’s different opinions about what happens in the afterlife and what different religious groups believe about the after life. The care of the dead is very similar to death because everyone dies but not everyone lives.
What makes people choose cremation over burial? Who takes care of the dead? These are some of the questions that I would like to have answered by the end of this unit. I am interested in learning about people that work in mortuaries and some of their philosophies about the care of the dead. I am also interested in learning about people’s different opinions about what happens in the afterlife and what different religious groups believe about the after life. The care of the dead is very similar to death because everyone dies but not everyone lives.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
HW 45 - Reply to Other Peoples' Comments
Dear Megumi,
Thank you for commenting on my blog I found your comments very insightful. It is true that doctors should care about their patients and not be so focused on decisions that will leave them safe from lawsuits. I enjoyed doing this research because it helped me to think about some of the atrocities within the practices of doctors such as ACOG using fear of litigation to control doctors and get them to follow their rules.
Dear Angela,
Thank you for commenting on my blog I found your comments very insightful. To answer your question I feel like slowly women are losing control of pregnancy and birth because it has become more medicalized in our society. The only way to change it is having midwives or even doing research to see if there are any good obstetricians out there, i'm sure there are some good ones out there.
Dear Michelle,
Thank you for commenting on my blog I found your comments very insightful. I really appreciate you giving me an alternative or something I could improve on. Next time I will know to include the other side’s point of view if possible. It seemed like ACOG thinks everything about their group is perfect and that they are doing everything they can to benefit the patient. This is how a company can portray itself while having a different agenda.
Thank you for commenting on my blog I found your comments very insightful. It is true that doctors should care about their patients and not be so focused on decisions that will leave them safe from lawsuits. I enjoyed doing this research because it helped me to think about some of the atrocities within the practices of doctors such as ACOG using fear of litigation to control doctors and get them to follow their rules.
Dear Angela,
Thank you for commenting on my blog I found your comments very insightful. To answer your question I feel like slowly women are losing control of pregnancy and birth because it has become more medicalized in our society. The only way to change it is having midwives or even doing research to see if there are any good obstetricians out there, i'm sure there are some good ones out there.
Dear Michelle,
Thank you for commenting on my blog I found your comments very insightful. I really appreciate you giving me an alternative or something I could improve on. Next time I will know to include the other side’s point of view if possible. It seemed like ACOG thinks everything about their group is perfect and that they are doing everything they can to benefit the patient. This is how a company can portray itself while having a different agenda.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
HW 42 - Pregnancy & birth culminating project
ACOG (American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology) represents the advocacy for equal health care for all women, and increased patient involvement of the medical process. While the mission statement of ACOG represents this statement in no way is this statement true, ACOG supports doctor’s needs much more than the patients. As a recommendation from ACOG doctors have continued to push for more C-Sections which explain the dramatic increase in c-sections of more than 50% since 1996 (Why has the USA’S cesarean section rate climbed so high). This provides an environment where nurses, midwives, and patients are not allowed to challenge the authority of an obstetrician and new drugs are tested on patients before they can be approved by the FDA. This causes sometimes fatal effects on the patient. This may also result in fear on doctors of litigation because they anticipate that something will go wrong.
In “Born in the USA” by Wagner Marsden a scenario was given where an obstetrician (Dr. S) decided to conduct a study using a drug to induce labor for women that had previously had c-sections. The label of the drug clearly stated that the drug should not be used for induction of labor but Dr. S decided to carry on with this study anyway. After working on creating the drug (although it wasn’t approved) Dr. S used the drug on a woman who came to him after previously having a c-section. “After a normal pregnancy, she was admitted to the hospital and without her knowing it, she became part of Dr. S’s study. (It appears that Dr. S’s claim that all women were informed of the study was false.) Dr. S gave her the drug to induce labor, the drug led to overly strong contractions, a condition known as uterine hyperstimulation, and then to uterine rupture. As a result, the woman’s baby was severely brain damaged and died in infancy” (Pg. 62). What action was taken against the obstetrician, one may ask. The obstetrician wasn’t penalized because he abused the idea that he was using this study for research. Some obstetricians are exploiting patients for the benefit of their practice.
Many doctors are fearful because the idea of being sued is not very pleasant. It means you would lose your practice and everything you have worked for. “ACOG also uses fear of litigation to control doctors and hospitals. If doctors and hospitals go against one of their recommendations, they are more vulnerable to litigation. At a policy level, ACOG uses another brand of fear to control women, politicians, and the media” (Born in the USA, Pg. 27). ACOG is what’s trying to make pregnancy and birth more medicalized in the United States. There are many recommendations they make for doctors and hospitals that they must follow or they will be sued. “Broadly, half (51%) of all physicians think that their ability to provide quality medical care to patients has gotten worse in the past five years. Further, more than three-fourths of physicians feel that concern about malpractice litigation (76%) has hurt their ability to provide quality care in recent years” (Fear of Litigation: The impact on Medicine). Is it justifiable to place most of the blame on doctors?
ACOG relates to the medicalization of pregnancy and birth in the United States. If we continue to let these companies control how we give birth then they will begin controlling even more aspects of our lives. This project has given me more insights on pregnancy and birth and after finding some of the atrocities I will keep these in mind because I plan to have children one day.
Works Cited:
*Common Good. April 11th, 2002. Fear of Litigation: The Impact on Medicine. http://commongood.org/healthcare-reading-cgpubs-polls-6.html
*Wagner, Marsden. Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System must be Fixed to put Women and Children first. California: University of California Press, 2006. Print.
In “Born in the USA” by Wagner Marsden a scenario was given where an obstetrician (Dr. S) decided to conduct a study using a drug to induce labor for women that had previously had c-sections. The label of the drug clearly stated that the drug should not be used for induction of labor but Dr. S decided to carry on with this study anyway. After working on creating the drug (although it wasn’t approved) Dr. S used the drug on a woman who came to him after previously having a c-section. “After a normal pregnancy, she was admitted to the hospital and without her knowing it, she became part of Dr. S’s study. (It appears that Dr. S’s claim that all women were informed of the study was false.) Dr. S gave her the drug to induce labor, the drug led to overly strong contractions, a condition known as uterine hyperstimulation, and then to uterine rupture. As a result, the woman’s baby was severely brain damaged and died in infancy” (Pg. 62). What action was taken against the obstetrician, one may ask. The obstetrician wasn’t penalized because he abused the idea that he was using this study for research. Some obstetricians are exploiting patients for the benefit of their practice.
Many doctors are fearful because the idea of being sued is not very pleasant. It means you would lose your practice and everything you have worked for. “ACOG also uses fear of litigation to control doctors and hospitals. If doctors and hospitals go against one of their recommendations, they are more vulnerable to litigation. At a policy level, ACOG uses another brand of fear to control women, politicians, and the media” (Born in the USA, Pg. 27). ACOG is what’s trying to make pregnancy and birth more medicalized in the United States. There are many recommendations they make for doctors and hospitals that they must follow or they will be sued. “Broadly, half (51%) of all physicians think that their ability to provide quality medical care to patients has gotten worse in the past five years. Further, more than three-fourths of physicians feel that concern about malpractice litigation (76%) has hurt their ability to provide quality care in recent years” (Fear of Litigation: The impact on Medicine). Is it justifiable to place most of the blame on doctors?
ACOG relates to the medicalization of pregnancy and birth in the United States. If we continue to let these companies control how we give birth then they will begin controlling even more aspects of our lives. This project has given me more insights on pregnancy and birth and after finding some of the atrocities I will keep these in mind because I plan to have children one day.
Works Cited:
*Common Good. April 11th, 2002. Fear of Litigation: The Impact on Medicine. http://commongood.org/healthcare-reading-cgpubs-polls-6.html
*Wagner, Marsden. Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System must be Fixed to put Women and Children first. California: University of California Press, 2006. Print.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
HW 41 - Independent Research
Aspect: OB/GYN’s
A) Grady, Denise. New Guidelines Seek to Reduce Repeat Caesareans. New York Times, New York Times, 21 July 2010.
In this article the author mentions that vaginal birth is better for the baby but due to c-sections that are being given that are not for medical reasons the rates of c-sections have definitely increased. This remains because after a patient has given birth through a c-section the doctor believes that it’s a risk to then have a vaginal birth. Statistics have proven that this is in fact not true. This relates to the movie “On the Business of Being Born,” which provides different scenarios where doctors make excuses to use c-sections because it is much shorter than a vaginal birth which can take hours, even days. Doctors don’t want to spend too much time on one patient so they speed up the process as much as possible. This in a sense does represent the fear of litigation placed on doctors because in the book “Born in the USA” by Wagner Marsden, he mentioned that OB/GYN feel as if they must compete with midwives so they just erase them from the competition by making false statements about their practices.
Marsden, Wagner. What Every Midwife Should Know About ACOG and VBAC: Critique of ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 5. “Vaginal Birth after Previous Cesarean Section.” Midwifery Today, July 1999.
In this article Wagner Marsden is bringing up some of the effects ACOG may have on patients and even the influence on OB/GYN. ACOG (American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologist) is an organization consisting of professionals who are interested in promoting the well being of the patient and the product they want to get approved. The article also mentions that there is a contradiction with that statement because they care more about the well being of the doctor before the well being of the patient. This also relates to “Born in the USA” by Wagner Marsden because the book gave different scenarios where the doctor was trying to test a new drug on a patient that had not been approved by the FDA. They didn’t care about placing the mother or child at risk; they only cared about testing the reliability of the drug and when asked about this one doctor replied that they will never know a drug is safe until they themselves prove it’s harmful. OB/GYN may feel pressured y this group called ACOG to follow their practice a certain way because it is not accepted for patients to file suit against a doctor because usually we believe that the doctor is always right.
Cantulpe, John, Fear of Malpractice Litigation. Media Health Leaders, 10 September 2010.
In this article the author is expressing some of the fears doctors face as a result of the fear of litigation or malpractice. Usually doctors do want to generally help people and do their jobs so they go into their job (handling a birth) fearful because they plan for something to go wrong. This reminds me of “The Business of Being Born” because the way midwives approach birth and the way OB/GYN’s approach birth is very different. A midwife is taught to approach birth as a ore natural process because birth is something your body does. An OB/GYN is taught to view birth as a mistake they must prevent before the mother harms the child with her body so they have to get the child out. This relates to the fear of litigation because doctors don’t want to have a lawsuit so instead if thinking about what’s best for the mother sometimes they only think about which way is best for themselves.
Brodesser-Akner, Taffy. Who Controls Childbirth-expectant moms or dads? MSNBC, 13 July 2010.
A woman wrote this article about her personal experience with birth and the way she was treated by her OB/GYN. She didn’t feel that her wishes were being respected as much as the doctors and she was the one giving birth. Despite her wishes the doctor gave her a c-section because after being given all those drugs she didn’t have the energy to give birth. The doctor began by breaking her water with a hook then giving her a c-section. This relates to “The Business of Being Born” because if the patient protested the doctor would threaten to give her a c-section, or vacuum the baby out if she didn’t push hard enough. This is wrong because doctors don’t really care about the patient they care about themselves and getting the baby out as soon as possible.
Hartocollis, Anemona. Doctors’ group fights a bill that would put fewer restrictions on midwives. The New York Times, 17 June 2010.
This article is about someone that is pushing for more independence for midwives. Some doctors agree that it’s best to have a written agreement because let’s say that a midwife took her patient to the hospital and she started bleeding uncontrollably it would be best to have a written agreement with a doctor that would help the midwife. This article relates to “Born in the USA” by Wagner Marsden because the books said that OB/GYN’s are in constant competition but I don’t feel like all doctors are that way this article provides a good example of OB/GYN who are trying to do the right thing.
B) For this project I am thinking about writing a paper about the training of OB/GYN and maybe using some historical evidence to support that the practice has changed a lot but there are still some similarities in their view of birth. I could use some of this research to support some of the factors OB/GYN’s have against them such as ACOG which doctors necessarily might not follow and how the fear of litigation causes them to practice medicine in a particular way. I can find new evidence about the rates of c-sections, episiotomies and other practices that have been used for pregnancy and birth.
A) Grady, Denise. New Guidelines Seek to Reduce Repeat Caesareans. New York Times, New York Times, 21 July 2010.
In this article the author mentions that vaginal birth is better for the baby but due to c-sections that are being given that are not for medical reasons the rates of c-sections have definitely increased. This remains because after a patient has given birth through a c-section the doctor believes that it’s a risk to then have a vaginal birth. Statistics have proven that this is in fact not true. This relates to the movie “On the Business of Being Born,” which provides different scenarios where doctors make excuses to use c-sections because it is much shorter than a vaginal birth which can take hours, even days. Doctors don’t want to spend too much time on one patient so they speed up the process as much as possible. This in a sense does represent the fear of litigation placed on doctors because in the book “Born in the USA” by Wagner Marsden, he mentioned that OB/GYN feel as if they must compete with midwives so they just erase them from the competition by making false statements about their practices.
Marsden, Wagner. What Every Midwife Should Know About ACOG and VBAC: Critique of ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 5. “Vaginal Birth after Previous Cesarean Section.” Midwifery Today, July 1999.
In this article Wagner Marsden is bringing up some of the effects ACOG may have on patients and even the influence on OB/GYN. ACOG (American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologist) is an organization consisting of professionals who are interested in promoting the well being of the patient and the product they want to get approved. The article also mentions that there is a contradiction with that statement because they care more about the well being of the doctor before the well being of the patient. This also relates to “Born in the USA” by Wagner Marsden because the book gave different scenarios where the doctor was trying to test a new drug on a patient that had not been approved by the FDA. They didn’t care about placing the mother or child at risk; they only cared about testing the reliability of the drug and when asked about this one doctor replied that they will never know a drug is safe until they themselves prove it’s harmful. OB/GYN may feel pressured y this group called ACOG to follow their practice a certain way because it is not accepted for patients to file suit against a doctor because usually we believe that the doctor is always right.
Cantulpe, John, Fear of Malpractice Litigation. Media Health Leaders, 10 September 2010.
In this article the author is expressing some of the fears doctors face as a result of the fear of litigation or malpractice. Usually doctors do want to generally help people and do their jobs so they go into their job (handling a birth) fearful because they plan for something to go wrong. This reminds me of “The Business of Being Born” because the way midwives approach birth and the way OB/GYN’s approach birth is very different. A midwife is taught to approach birth as a ore natural process because birth is something your body does. An OB/GYN is taught to view birth as a mistake they must prevent before the mother harms the child with her body so they have to get the child out. This relates to the fear of litigation because doctors don’t want to have a lawsuit so instead if thinking about what’s best for the mother sometimes they only think about which way is best for themselves.
Brodesser-Akner, Taffy. Who Controls Childbirth-expectant moms or dads? MSNBC, 13 July 2010.
A woman wrote this article about her personal experience with birth and the way she was treated by her OB/GYN. She didn’t feel that her wishes were being respected as much as the doctors and she was the one giving birth. Despite her wishes the doctor gave her a c-section because after being given all those drugs she didn’t have the energy to give birth. The doctor began by breaking her water with a hook then giving her a c-section. This relates to “The Business of Being Born” because if the patient protested the doctor would threaten to give her a c-section, or vacuum the baby out if she didn’t push hard enough. This is wrong because doctors don’t really care about the patient they care about themselves and getting the baby out as soon as possible.
Hartocollis, Anemona. Doctors’ group fights a bill that would put fewer restrictions on midwives. The New York Times, 17 June 2010.
This article is about someone that is pushing for more independence for midwives. Some doctors agree that it’s best to have a written agreement because let’s say that a midwife took her patient to the hospital and she started bleeding uncontrollably it would be best to have a written agreement with a doctor that would help the midwife. This article relates to “Born in the USA” by Wagner Marsden because the books said that OB/GYN’s are in constant competition but I don’t feel like all doctors are that way this article provides a good example of OB/GYN who are trying to do the right thing.
B) For this project I am thinking about writing a paper about the training of OB/GYN and maybe using some historical evidence to support that the practice has changed a lot but there are still some similarities in their view of birth. I could use some of this research to support some of the factors OB/GYN’s have against them such as ACOG which doctors necessarily might not follow and how the fear of litigation causes them to practice medicine in a particular way. I can find new evidence about the rates of c-sections, episiotomies and other practices that have been used for pregnancy and birth.
HW 41 - Independent Research
Aspect: OB/GYN’s
A) Grady, Denise. New Guidelines Seek to Reduce Repeat Caesareans. New York Times, New York Times, 21 July 2010.
In this article the author mentions that vaginal birth is better for the baby but due to c-sections that are being given that are not for medical reasons the rates of c-sections have definitely increased. This remains because after a patient has given birth through a c-section the doctor believes that it’s a risk to then have a vaginal birth. Statistics have proven that this is in fact not true. This relates to the movie “On the Business of Being Born,” which provides different scenarios where doctors make excuses to use c-sections because it is much shorter than a vaginal birth which can take hours, even days. Doctors don’t want to spend too much time on one patient so they speed up the process as much as possible. This in a sense does represent the fear of litigation placed on doctors because in the book “Born in the USA” by Wagner Marsden, he mentioned that OB/GYN feel as if they must compete with midwives so they just erase them from the competition by making false statements about their practices.
Marsden, Wagner. What Every Midwife Should Know About ACOG and VBAC: Critique of ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 5. “Vaginal Birth after Previous Cesarean Section.” Midwifery Today, July 1999.
In this article Wagner Marsden is bringing up some of the effects ACOG may have on patients and even the influence on OB/GYN. ACOG (American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologist) is an organization consisting of professionals who are interested in promoting the well being of the patient and the product they want to get approved. The article also mentions that there is a contradiction with that statement because they care more about the well being of the doctor before the well being of the patient. This also relates to “Born in the USA” by Wagner Marsden because the book gave different scenarios where the doctor was trying to test a new drug on a patient that had not been approved by the FDA. They didn’t care about placing the mother or child at risk; they only cared about testing the reliability of the drug and when asked about this one doctor replied that they will never know a drug is safe until they themselves prove it’s harmful. OB/GYN may feel pressured y this group called ACOG to follow their practice a certain way because it is not accepted for patients to file suit against a doctor because usually we believe that the doctor is always right.
Cantulpe, John, Fear of Malpractice Litigation. Media Health Leaders, 10 September 2010.
In this article the author is expressing some of the fears doctors face as a result of the fear of litigation or malpractice. Usually doctors do want to generally help people and do their jobs so they go into their job (handling a birth) fearful because they plan for something to go wrong. This reminds me of “The Business of Being Born” because the way midwives approach birth and the way OB/GYN’s approach birth is very different. A midwife is taught to approach birth as a ore natural process because birth is something your body does. An OB/GYN is taught to view birth as a mistake they must prevent before the mother harms the child with her body so they have to get the child out. This relates to the fear of litigation because doctors don’t want to have a lawsuit so instead if thinking about what’s best for the mother sometimes they only think about which way is best for themselves.
Brodesser-Akner, Taffy. Who Controls Childbirth-expectant moms or dads? MSNBC, 13 July 2010.
A woman wrote this article about her personal experience with birth and the way she was treated by her OB/GYN. She didn’t feel that her wishes were being respected as much as the doctors and she was the one giving birth. Despite her wishes the doctor gave her a c-section because after being given all those drugs she didn’t have the energy to give birth. The doctor began by breaking her water with a hook then giving her a c-section. This relates to “The Business of Being Born” because if the patient protested the doctor would threaten to give her a c-section, or vacuum the baby out if she didn’t push hard enough. This is wrong because doctors don’t really care about the patient they care about themselves and getting the baby out as soon as possible.
Hartocollis, Anemona. Doctors’ group fights a bill that would put fewer restrictions on midwives. The New York Times, 17 June 2010.
This article is about someone that is pushing for more independence for midwives. Some doctors agree that it’s best to have a written agreement because let’s say that a midwife took her patient to the hospital and she started bleeding uncontrollably it would be best to have a written agreement with a doctor that would help the midwife. This article relates to “Born in the USA” by Wagner Marsden because the books said that OB/GYN’s are in constant competition but I don’t feel like all doctors are that way this article provides a good example of OB/GYN who are trying to do the right thing.
B) For this project I am thinking about writing a paper about the training of OB/GYN and maybe using some historical evidence to support that the practice has changed a lot but there are still some similarities in their view of birth. I could use some of this research to support some of the factors OB/GYN’s have against them such as ACOG which doctors necessarily might not follow and how the fear of litigation causes them to practice medicine in a particular way. I can find new evidence about the rates of c-sections, episiotomies and other practices that have been used for pregnancy and birth.
A) Grady, Denise. New Guidelines Seek to Reduce Repeat Caesareans. New York Times, New York Times, 21 July 2010.
In this article the author mentions that vaginal birth is better for the baby but due to c-sections that are being given that are not for medical reasons the rates of c-sections have definitely increased. This remains because after a patient has given birth through a c-section the doctor believes that it’s a risk to then have a vaginal birth. Statistics have proven that this is in fact not true. This relates to the movie “On the Business of Being Born,” which provides different scenarios where doctors make excuses to use c-sections because it is much shorter than a vaginal birth which can take hours, even days. Doctors don’t want to spend too much time on one patient so they speed up the process as much as possible. This in a sense does represent the fear of litigation placed on doctors because in the book “Born in the USA” by Wagner Marsden, he mentioned that OB/GYN feel as if they must compete with midwives so they just erase them from the competition by making false statements about their practices.
Marsden, Wagner. What Every Midwife Should Know About ACOG and VBAC: Critique of ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 5. “Vaginal Birth after Previous Cesarean Section.” Midwifery Today, July 1999.
In this article Wagner Marsden is bringing up some of the effects ACOG may have on patients and even the influence on OB/GYN. ACOG (American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologist) is an organization consisting of professionals who are interested in promoting the well being of the patient and the product they want to get approved. The article also mentions that there is a contradiction with that statement because they care more about the well being of the doctor before the well being of the patient. This also relates to “Born in the USA” by Wagner Marsden because the book gave different scenarios where the doctor was trying to test a new drug on a patient that had not been approved by the FDA. They didn’t care about placing the mother or child at risk; they only cared about testing the reliability of the drug and when asked about this one doctor replied that they will never know a drug is safe until they themselves prove it’s harmful. OB/GYN may feel pressured y this group called ACOG to follow their practice a certain way because it is not accepted for patients to file suit against a doctor because usually we believe that the doctor is always right.
Cantulpe, John, Fear of Malpractice Litigation. Media Health Leaders, 10 September 2010.
In this article the author is expressing some of the fears doctors face as a result of the fear of litigation or malpractice. Usually doctors do want to generally help people and do their jobs so they go into their job (handling a birth) fearful because they plan for something to go wrong. This reminds me of “The Business of Being Born” because the way midwives approach birth and the way OB/GYN’s approach birth is very different. A midwife is taught to approach birth as a ore natural process because birth is something your body does. An OB/GYN is taught to view birth as a mistake they must prevent before the mother harms the child with her body so they have to get the child out. This relates to the fear of litigation because doctors don’t want to have a lawsuit so instead if thinking about what’s best for the mother sometimes they only think about which way is best for themselves.
Brodesser-Akner, Taffy. Who Controls Childbirth-expectant moms or dads? MSNBC, 13 July 2010.
A woman wrote this article about her personal experience with birth and the way she was treated by her OB/GYN. She didn’t feel that her wishes were being respected as much as the doctors and she was the one giving birth. Despite her wishes the doctor gave her a c-section because after being given all those drugs she didn’t have the energy to give birth. The doctor began by breaking her water with a hook then giving her a c-section. This relates to “The Business of Being Born” because if the patient protested the doctor would threaten to give her a c-section, or vacuum the baby out if she didn’t push hard enough. This is wrong because doctors don’t really care about the patient they care about themselves and getting the baby out as soon as possible.
Hartocollis, Anemona. Doctors’ group fights a bill that would put fewer restrictions on midwives. The New York Times, 17 June 2010.
This article is about someone that is pushing for more independence for midwives. Some doctors agree that it’s best to have a written agreement because let’s say that a midwife took her patient to the hospital and she started bleeding uncontrollably it would be best to have a written agreement with a doctor that would help the midwife. This article relates to “Born in the USA” by Wagner Marsden because the books said that OB/GYN’s are in constant competition but I don’t feel like all doctors are that way this article provides a good example of OB/GYN who are trying to do the right thing.
B) For this project I am thinking about writing a paper about the training of OB/GYN and maybe using some historical evidence to support that the practice has changed a lot but there are still some similarities in their view of birth. I could use some of this research to support some of the factors OB/GYN’s have against them such as ACOG which doctors necessarily might not follow and how the fear of litigation causes them to practice medicine in a particular way. I can find new evidence about the rates of c-sections, episiotomies and other practices that have been used for pregnancy and birth.
Monday, March 28, 2011
HW 40 - Insights from Book - Part 3
You find yourself at a cocktail party with the author of the book you just finished reading. To demonstrate that you really read it, you say, "Hey - thanks for writing “Born in the USA How a Broken Maternity System must be fixed to put Women and Children First”. Your main idea that midwives are ostracized and eliminated from the competition with obstetricians made me rethink pregnancy and birth in the U.S. made me rethink pregnancy & birth.
But the author, surprised to be talking to someone who instead of sharing their own birth story actually rephrased the main idea of the text s/he spent months giving birth to asks, "Really, which parts were most effective or important for you?" When you answer, "Well, in the last third of the book you focused on educating people about the medicalization of birth, which connected to some of the atrocities revealed to the readers in the first half of the book. But let me be more specific."
1. “Another key strategy for midwives must be to push for autonomy-recognition that midwifery is an independent health care profession with its own certification, licensure, and state boards- and for an egalitarian relationship with doctors “ (Pg. 125).
2. “Fear of litigation is a highly selective excuse used by some obstetricians when there is something which is not obstetrician friendly such as planned home birth (over which they have no control and no profit) (Pg. 151).
3.”Maternity care will become fully integrated into social and family services only when it has escaped the hospital” (Pg. 189).
At this point, realizing that s/he's having a unique conversation with a serious reader of her/his book, the author asks - "But what could I have done to make this a better book - that would more effectively fulfill its mission?" You answer, "Well, let's be clear - your text sought to provide (narratives, historical analysis, journalistic analysis, policy analysis) from the perspective of a (Woman giving birth) for the book-reading-public to better understand pregnancy & birth in our culture. Given that aim, and your book, the best advice I would give for a 2nd edition of the text would be, to have more narrative from obstetricians and midwives about the differences in their beliefs and maybe some obstetricians that are not cold. But I don't want you to feel like I'm criticizing. I appreciate the immense amount of labor you dedicated to this important issue and particularly for making me think about the fear of litigation that is placed on doctors and makes them more fearful & the treatment that some obstetricians inflict upon their patients. In fact, I'm likely to have a midwife hopefully if I give birth one day as a result of your book." The author replies, "Thanks! Talking to you gives me hope about our future as a society!"
But the author, surprised to be talking to someone who instead of sharing their own birth story actually rephrased the main idea of the text s/he spent months giving birth to asks, "Really, which parts were most effective or important for you?" When you answer, "Well, in the last third of the book you focused on educating people about the medicalization of birth, which connected to some of the atrocities revealed to the readers in the first half of the book. But let me be more specific."
1. “Another key strategy for midwives must be to push for autonomy-recognition that midwifery is an independent health care profession with its own certification, licensure, and state boards- and for an egalitarian relationship with doctors “ (Pg. 125).
2. “Fear of litigation is a highly selective excuse used by some obstetricians when there is something which is not obstetrician friendly such as planned home birth (over which they have no control and no profit) (Pg. 151).
3.”Maternity care will become fully integrated into social and family services only when it has escaped the hospital” (Pg. 189).
At this point, realizing that s/he's having a unique conversation with a serious reader of her/his book, the author asks - "But what could I have done to make this a better book - that would more effectively fulfill its mission?" You answer, "Well, let's be clear - your text sought to provide (narratives, historical analysis, journalistic analysis, policy analysis) from the perspective of a (Woman giving birth) for the book-reading-public to better understand pregnancy & birth in our culture. Given that aim, and your book, the best advice I would give for a 2nd edition of the text would be, to have more narrative from obstetricians and midwives about the differences in their beliefs and maybe some obstetricians that are not cold. But I don't want you to feel like I'm criticizing. I appreciate the immense amount of labor you dedicated to this important issue and particularly for making me think about the fear of litigation that is placed on doctors and makes them more fearful & the treatment that some obstetricians inflict upon their patients. In fact, I'm likely to have a midwife hopefully if I give birth one day as a result of your book." The author replies, "Thanks! Talking to you gives me hope about our future as a society!"
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
HW 39 - Insights from Book - Part 2
The book focuses on some of the atrocities we could never imagine with doctors, the amount of pressure they face and some of the things they do to get a drug approved by the FDA. The sad part is that sometimes the doctors are not telling the patients the dosages they are being given and even the drug and this has lead to many deaths of both the child and mother. Interviewer: “But should we wait until after we learn it before we say it is safe? Dr. Goldberg: It’s a catch-22. If you don’t use it, then you don’t learn” (Pg. 82). The main idea is that doctors use these pills and other medications on pregnant women as a test, they don’t actually know the effects but they feel that if the FDA won’t approve they have to make them. This is unsafe and dangerous because the doctor is not informing the patient of the kinds of medications they are being given that are potentially harmful to the child.
In the second 100 pages the book compares some of the differences between obstetricians and midwives. I do feel that obstetricians and midwives have a totally different approach to pregnancy. Midwives view birth as something your body does and obstetricians view it as a surgical procedure rather than something natural.
3. List 5 interesting aspects of pregnancy and birth discussed in the second hundred pages that you agree deserve wider attention (include page number).
1. Midwifery should be an available option because it is statistically proven to be safer than going to an obstetrician (Pg. 111).
2. Men are intimidated by midwives because other women are going to a woman for advice and men feel excluded from birth. With obstetricians it’s more of a man’s world because there are more male obstetricians than female, with nurses which are mostly women (Pg. 101).
3. Women need to feel confident of their situation, and that they can do it before they actually give birth. In a hospital setting the woman has less control of what’s happening to her body (Pg. 105).
4. Doctors do not like companies regulating their practices, such as the FDA (Pg. 97).
5. Inducing labor is a very risky process that leads to many different complications. Doctors use it for their benefit rather than the benefit of the “patient” (Pg. 93).
4. Independently research one crucial factual claim by the author in the second hundred pages and assess the validity of the author's use of that evidence.
I decided to research some of the rates of inducing labor during pregnancy. The rates of labor induction have risen from 0% of deliveries to more than 22%, between 1990 and 2006. Having a C-section is more common than a natural birth. Pregnancy has become more medicalized because more women are having their labor induced but this is more for the doctor’s benefit because they want to get out as soon as possible. (http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2007754,00.html)
In the second 100 pages the book compares some of the differences between obstetricians and midwives. I do feel that obstetricians and midwives have a totally different approach to pregnancy. Midwives view birth as something your body does and obstetricians view it as a surgical procedure rather than something natural.
3. List 5 interesting aspects of pregnancy and birth discussed in the second hundred pages that you agree deserve wider attention (include page number).
1. Midwifery should be an available option because it is statistically proven to be safer than going to an obstetrician (Pg. 111).
2. Men are intimidated by midwives because other women are going to a woman for advice and men feel excluded from birth. With obstetricians it’s more of a man’s world because there are more male obstetricians than female, with nurses which are mostly women (Pg. 101).
3. Women need to feel confident of their situation, and that they can do it before they actually give birth. In a hospital setting the woman has less control of what’s happening to her body (Pg. 105).
4. Doctors do not like companies regulating their practices, such as the FDA (Pg. 97).
5. Inducing labor is a very risky process that leads to many different complications. Doctors use it for their benefit rather than the benefit of the “patient” (Pg. 93).
4. Independently research one crucial factual claim by the author in the second hundred pages and assess the validity of the author's use of that evidence.
I decided to research some of the rates of inducing labor during pregnancy. The rates of labor induction have risen from 0% of deliveries to more than 22%, between 1990 and 2006. Having a C-section is more common than a natural birth. Pregnancy has become more medicalized because more women are having their labor induced but this is more for the doctor’s benefit because they want to get out as soon as possible. (http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2007754,00.html)
Monday, March 14, 2011
HW 38 - Insights from pregnancy & birth book - part 1
1. The book is designed to show some of the corruptions behind the obstetrics and gynecological care at hospitals. The system is changing and women no longer have rights when it comes to giving birth and hospitals can’t protect them because doctors are facing issues themselves.
2. The essential question of the book seems to be: “The system of birth is seriously flawed but what can we do to improve women’s experiences with birth in the United States?” “This book will show that by embracing a medical model of birth and allowing obstetricians control of our maternity care, we Americans have accepted health care for women and babies that is not only below standard for wealthy countries but often amounts to neglect and abuse” (Pg. 5).
3. The book is trying to express why obstetrics and gynecology are so sacred and why women are almost always referred to hospitals rather than having the option of a midwife. For example having a midwife is not an option in some cities. “Obstetricians ‘attend’ 90 percent of births and have a great deal of control, essentially a monopoly, over the maternity care system” (Pg. 5).
I never thought about the power obstetricians had and reading the book made me a little more skeptical because there are certain things obstetricians are not allowed to do for fear of litigation and for a bond of silence between doctors. If a doctor finds something that is not right, maybe a patient being abused by a doctor they would be reprimanded for standing in rather than trying to help the patient. This is the same with doctors if there is something going on with another doctor one doctor is not allowed to testify against another out of fear of being fired. It’s sad the position a doctor is placed in.
4. *That women should not be pressured into being given drugs even without their knowledge.
*Doctors should actually stay with the women while they are in the process of dilating and having contractions so they understand the situation before they come into it.
*A doctor should need to provide statistics about the number of patients that have been given c-sections, episiotomies, and general statistics from the doctor they choose.
*Women should be allowed to choose whatever kind of birth they would like to have, because in some states there may be more obstetricians than midwives.
*The fact that doctors have an unspoken bond of silence toward one another and are not allowed testifying against another doctor who may not be giving patients the proper treatment.
5. The book gives statistical data to support each of the topics the author is referring to throughout the book. I can trust this information because the statistics speak for themselves; however the book continues restating the same point multiple times. The text does not convince me because I didn’t know that some of these things existed in our society but the book doesn’t make me want to become more motivated to make a change it seems like the author is saying that this is the way it is and that’s that.
2. The essential question of the book seems to be: “The system of birth is seriously flawed but what can we do to improve women’s experiences with birth in the United States?” “This book will show that by embracing a medical model of birth and allowing obstetricians control of our maternity care, we Americans have accepted health care for women and babies that is not only below standard for wealthy countries but often amounts to neglect and abuse” (Pg. 5).
3. The book is trying to express why obstetrics and gynecology are so sacred and why women are almost always referred to hospitals rather than having the option of a midwife. For example having a midwife is not an option in some cities. “Obstetricians ‘attend’ 90 percent of births and have a great deal of control, essentially a monopoly, over the maternity care system” (Pg. 5).
I never thought about the power obstetricians had and reading the book made me a little more skeptical because there are certain things obstetricians are not allowed to do for fear of litigation and for a bond of silence between doctors. If a doctor finds something that is not right, maybe a patient being abused by a doctor they would be reprimanded for standing in rather than trying to help the patient. This is the same with doctors if there is something going on with another doctor one doctor is not allowed to testify against another out of fear of being fired. It’s sad the position a doctor is placed in.
4. *That women should not be pressured into being given drugs even without their knowledge.
*Doctors should actually stay with the women while they are in the process of dilating and having contractions so they understand the situation before they come into it.
*A doctor should need to provide statistics about the number of patients that have been given c-sections, episiotomies, and general statistics from the doctor they choose.
*Women should be allowed to choose whatever kind of birth they would like to have, because in some states there may be more obstetricians than midwives.
*The fact that doctors have an unspoken bond of silence toward one another and are not allowed testifying against another doctor who may not be giving patients the proper treatment.
5. The book gives statistical data to support each of the topics the author is referring to throughout the book. I can trust this information because the statistics speak for themselves; however the book continues restating the same point multiple times. The text does not convince me because I didn’t know that some of these things existed in our society but the book doesn’t make me want to become more motivated to make a change it seems like the author is saying that this is the way it is and that’s that.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
HW 37 Comments on Birth & Pregnancy Stories
From Megumi,
I found your post really interesting. The post made me re-think about the difficulty and feelings that comes across people during the process of birth. A line in particular that I liked was, "When she became pregnant it was no longer about herself, it was about “I have a baby growing inside of me, what I need to do to take care of this child?” She also began talking about how through raising children you are able to reflect and change some of the things you were brought up with." This is a pattern I notice with the people I interviewed as well. I think its because a new life brings joy but also a responsibility. And, raising a child is no easy task so mothers always learn a few life lessons along the way. This makes me wonder if there is such a thing as an 'ideal' way to raise a child if the parent is also in a way learning from the new life.
From Ben,
I really liked your decision to choose three women who had experienced the processes of pregnancy and giving birth in order to gain multiple perspectives on a similar situation. One of your lines that was most interesting to me was, "So she believed that having children would be the best option, and another thing she mentioned was that she didn’t want to have kids too young and she didn’t want to have them when she was too old so then was the perfect time to have children." One of the reasons this caught my eye is because I have a similar belief, and also because it sparks questions such as, "Statistically speaking, what are the best ages to have a child?" Your post certainly got me thinking about even more aspects of pregnancy and birth, great job!
From Berenise (Mentor),
I really found your post interesting, interviewing three different types of women and being able to see their different takes on birth. Birth is an amazing experience and a part of a mother or even woman's life. I loved how you placed a question at the end which said, "How do you become prepared to actually care for a baby? How do parents know what they should and should not do for the care of their child?". In reality you really think you can prepare but not actually prepare until you go through it because every child is different, every birth is different and no one can actually give you step by step instructions for how to care for a child, or even the process of birth.
From Angela (Protege),
What I liked most about it was that it is true it did help her realize and accept having a natural birth. your post is really interesting and it made me realize the difficulties that people have going through the process of birth and pregnancy
_________________________________________________________________________________
For Megumi,
I enjoyed reading the account of your birth and it’s interesting that you mentioned the experience a person has with giving birth. I have always wondered what makes someone more experienced with giving birth than the next person and that is something I hope to learn in this unit. I also liked the line: “Living in Japan, my mother was affected by the assumptions people made about marriage and birth. This made me wonder if the culture here, in America, affects our decisions about pregnancy and birth as well.” I do believe the cultures in our society do influencec the way we view the process of pregnancy and birth because we follow the cultures of our society. I enjoyed reading your blog.
For Ben,
I think it was really interesting that you told a story of the way things were before your mom found out she was pregnant. I really liked this line: “This might be because she had a good man and friends who were by her side the whole time, a gift which should not be taken for granted considering the amount of people who are not so fortunate.” In the interviews I conducted I noticed that most people said that when you have a child it should be planned, meaning you should have a stable career and marriage before having a baby. The woman I interviewed mentioned that she also had a baby because she was in love. It seems like in our society pregnancy should be planned, but even some of the babies that were not planned are still accepted. I also liked how you showed a positive account of teen pregnancy. Teen pregnancy is usually associated with the child being raised by a single parent, never enjoying life. This account was shocking as well a good to hear that the father of the child stuck through it because not many men are ready to stand up for their responsibilities. I really enjoyed reading your blog.
I found your post really interesting. The post made me re-think about the difficulty and feelings that comes across people during the process of birth. A line in particular that I liked was, "When she became pregnant it was no longer about herself, it was about “I have a baby growing inside of me, what I need to do to take care of this child?” She also began talking about how through raising children you are able to reflect and change some of the things you were brought up with." This is a pattern I notice with the people I interviewed as well. I think its because a new life brings joy but also a responsibility. And, raising a child is no easy task so mothers always learn a few life lessons along the way. This makes me wonder if there is such a thing as an 'ideal' way to raise a child if the parent is also in a way learning from the new life.
From Ben,
I really liked your decision to choose three women who had experienced the processes of pregnancy and giving birth in order to gain multiple perspectives on a similar situation. One of your lines that was most interesting to me was, "So she believed that having children would be the best option, and another thing she mentioned was that she didn’t want to have kids too young and she didn’t want to have them when she was too old so then was the perfect time to have children." One of the reasons this caught my eye is because I have a similar belief, and also because it sparks questions such as, "Statistically speaking, what are the best ages to have a child?" Your post certainly got me thinking about even more aspects of pregnancy and birth, great job!
From Berenise (Mentor),
I really found your post interesting, interviewing three different types of women and being able to see their different takes on birth. Birth is an amazing experience and a part of a mother or even woman's life. I loved how you placed a question at the end which said, "How do you become prepared to actually care for a baby? How do parents know what they should and should not do for the care of their child?". In reality you really think you can prepare but not actually prepare until you go through it because every child is different, every birth is different and no one can actually give you step by step instructions for how to care for a child, or even the process of birth.
From Angela (Protege),
What I liked most about it was that it is true it did help her realize and accept having a natural birth. your post is really interesting and it made me realize the difficulties that people have going through the process of birth and pregnancy
_________________________________________________________________________________
For Megumi,
I enjoyed reading the account of your birth and it’s interesting that you mentioned the experience a person has with giving birth. I have always wondered what makes someone more experienced with giving birth than the next person and that is something I hope to learn in this unit. I also liked the line: “Living in Japan, my mother was affected by the assumptions people made about marriage and birth. This made me wonder if the culture here, in America, affects our decisions about pregnancy and birth as well.” I do believe the cultures in our society do influencec the way we view the process of pregnancy and birth because we follow the cultures of our society. I enjoyed reading your blog.
For Ben,
I think it was really interesting that you told a story of the way things were before your mom found out she was pregnant. I really liked this line: “This might be because she had a good man and friends who were by her side the whole time, a gift which should not be taken for granted considering the amount of people who are not so fortunate.” In the interviews I conducted I noticed that most people said that when you have a child it should be planned, meaning you should have a stable career and marriage before having a baby. The woman I interviewed mentioned that she also had a baby because she was in love. It seems like in our society pregnancy should be planned, but even some of the babies that were not planned are still accepted. I also liked how you showed a positive account of teen pregnancy. Teen pregnancy is usually associated with the child being raised by a single parent, never enjoying life. This account was shocking as well a good to hear that the father of the child stuck through it because not many men are ready to stand up for their responsibilities. I really enjoyed reading your blog.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
HW 36 - Pregnancy & Birth Stories
1) I talked to a woman I know well enough, to ask her about her experience giving birth. She began talking about how it felt as though an alien took over her body because she was amazed by the different things her body could do. Luckily she didn’t experience morning sickness which made the process much more fun for her. She wanted a more natural birth rather than taking antibiotics and other drugs. She participated in birthing classes and I enjoyed the moment when she realized what a joy giving birth was. In her birthing class the teacher asked everyone to go around and share a time when they experienced pain, most people talked about pain they experienced from a skiing incident or sports. Then the teacher asked does that kind of pain compare to the pain of giving birth? The answer is no. The pain of being injured is because something is wrong but the pain of giving birth is natural because that’s what women’s bodies are made to do. This realization helped her to become unafraid and more accepting to the idea of having a natural birth.
When I asked her about some of the reasons she decided to have a baby she mentioned that she was married, so she had a stable relationship, she had a good career, and experience because she had obtained her masters. So she believed that having children would be the best option, and another thing she mentioned was that she didn’t want to have kids too young and she didn’t want to have them when she was too old so then was the perfect time to have children. Pregnancy provides experience because the first time around you may not be prepared and know what kind of birth you want (natural vs. unnatural), and you are more prepared for the emotional, physical, and mental changes your body experiences.
2) The next mother I interviewed also mentioned the many changes her body went through, such as weight gain and her feet began swelling. Another factor was that she was very young so all she wanted to do was have the baby and get it over with. During the time she was pregnant they didn’t have the same technology and self-help books that are provided to pregnant mothers now. She wasn’t able to do many things to prepare for the coming of the child besides deciding whether she wanted to breast feed or use formula for the child, and shopping for clothes. She enjoyed the process of giving birth because it brought about joy and pain at the same time. Joy because she was bringing a new life into this world and pain because it was pain that she had never experienced before.
When I asked her why she decided to have a baby she mentioned love. Something I noticed was that she said you have a mutual respect for someone, then you get married, and then you plan to have children. This is similar to what interviewee #1 mentioned. Although she didn’t marry before she had her child she believes that it’s something you must do. She mentioned that another reason she had a baby was because she wasn’t using birth control. This child that she had wasn’t planned but she wanted to take care of her and did everything she needed to provide for her. When she became pregnant it was no longer about herself, it was about “I have a baby growing inside of me, what I need to do to take care of this child?” She also began talking about how through raising children you are able to reflect and change some of the things you were brought up with. There were many bad times but there were also many good times because the family stuck together. When you have family they become your protectors so you care about where they are going and the impact they are making in the world.
3) The last person I interviewed about birth had very similar opinions and actions as interviewee #2. She had morning sickness for the first four months of her pregnancy and it was very challenging because there were different things happening to her body that she wasn’t used to. For her pregnancy was a very draining and strenuous process that became difficult with each child birth. She didn’t really do much to prepare for the actual birthing process besides purchasing clothes since she knew the sex of the baby before. Every pregnancy that happened wasn’t planned and it’s interesting because after the first time people would be more prepared but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. Words can’t describe how she feels sometimes I guess it relates to the fact that she is watching her children grow up and see how they are growing as individuals based on the instruction she had given them for many years.
How do you become prepared to actually care for a baby? How do parents know what they should and should not do for the care of their child?
When I asked her about some of the reasons she decided to have a baby she mentioned that she was married, so she had a stable relationship, she had a good career, and experience because she had obtained her masters. So she believed that having children would be the best option, and another thing she mentioned was that she didn’t want to have kids too young and she didn’t want to have them when she was too old so then was the perfect time to have children. Pregnancy provides experience because the first time around you may not be prepared and know what kind of birth you want (natural vs. unnatural), and you are more prepared for the emotional, physical, and mental changes your body experiences.
2) The next mother I interviewed also mentioned the many changes her body went through, such as weight gain and her feet began swelling. Another factor was that she was very young so all she wanted to do was have the baby and get it over with. During the time she was pregnant they didn’t have the same technology and self-help books that are provided to pregnant mothers now. She wasn’t able to do many things to prepare for the coming of the child besides deciding whether she wanted to breast feed or use formula for the child, and shopping for clothes. She enjoyed the process of giving birth because it brought about joy and pain at the same time. Joy because she was bringing a new life into this world and pain because it was pain that she had never experienced before.
When I asked her why she decided to have a baby she mentioned love. Something I noticed was that she said you have a mutual respect for someone, then you get married, and then you plan to have children. This is similar to what interviewee #1 mentioned. Although she didn’t marry before she had her child she believes that it’s something you must do. She mentioned that another reason she had a baby was because she wasn’t using birth control. This child that she had wasn’t planned but she wanted to take care of her and did everything she needed to provide for her. When she became pregnant it was no longer about herself, it was about “I have a baby growing inside of me, what I need to do to take care of this child?” She also began talking about how through raising children you are able to reflect and change some of the things you were brought up with. There were many bad times but there were also many good times because the family stuck together. When you have family they become your protectors so you care about where they are going and the impact they are making in the world.
3) The last person I interviewed about birth had very similar opinions and actions as interviewee #2. She had morning sickness for the first four months of her pregnancy and it was very challenging because there were different things happening to her body that she wasn’t used to. For her pregnancy was a very draining and strenuous process that became difficult with each child birth. She didn’t really do much to prepare for the actual birthing process besides purchasing clothes since she knew the sex of the baby before. Every pregnancy that happened wasn’t planned and it’s interesting because after the first time people would be more prepared but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. Words can’t describe how she feels sometimes I guess it relates to the fact that she is watching her children grow up and see how they are growing as individuals based on the instruction she had given them for many years.
How do you become prepared to actually care for a baby? How do parents know what they should and should not do for the care of their child?
Thursday, February 17, 2011
HW 35 - Other Peoples' Perspectives 1
Some of the questions I asked people having to do with birth were: If your child was mentally disabled would you care for them?, When is a baby considered alive?, Why do people put restrictions on the ages of the child’s birth parents?, and finally How would you feel if you were infertile? I noticed that all of the people I interviewed said that they would care for their child if he or she was mentally disabled. One interviewee said, “If my child was mentally ill I would still take care of the child because he or she is a part of me.” I also agree that if I were to have a mentally ill child I would still take care of them because I have no right to deny them life or my love just because they have an illness. People with mental illnesses are rejected in our society and most people are afraid of them but I think it’s because we never take the time to understand them.
I noticed that most people said they would be very sad if they were infertile but they would try to adopt children. I also agree because I do plan to have children one day and if I can’t have any children of my own I would like to care for some children that can’t find a good home. I continued a discussion with one of my friends after we discussed why people put age limits on childbirth. Age limits are placed because in some ways we want to protect the welfare of the child. If the child is too young we believe they may not be able to support the child because they didn’t continue their education and if the parent is too old we may not believe they will love long enough to see their child age.
Another issue that I received many different responses from was when is a baby considered alive? One of the people I interviewed said, “I believe a baby is considered alive when you can hear the heartbeat.” And two of my friends also agreed on the fact and believe that a baby is alive once it’s formed in the womb. As my friend said, “How can something grow if it’s not alive?” So this is the same with a child, a child must be alive in the beginning while it’s a fetus, and grow into a fully developed baby. It seems like with birth we pray that our child is not one of the children that end up with a mental disorder or some other birth defect.
I noticed that most people said they would be very sad if they were infertile but they would try to adopt children. I also agree because I do plan to have children one day and if I can’t have any children of my own I would like to care for some children that can’t find a good home. I continued a discussion with one of my friends after we discussed why people put age limits on childbirth. Age limits are placed because in some ways we want to protect the welfare of the child. If the child is too young we believe they may not be able to support the child because they didn’t continue their education and if the parent is too old we may not believe they will love long enough to see their child age.
Another issue that I received many different responses from was when is a baby considered alive? One of the people I interviewed said, “I believe a baby is considered alive when you can hear the heartbeat.” And two of my friends also agreed on the fact and believe that a baby is alive once it’s formed in the womb. As my friend said, “How can something grow if it’s not alive?” So this is the same with a child, a child must be alive in the beginning while it’s a fetus, and grow into a fully developed baby. It seems like with birth we pray that our child is not one of the children that end up with a mental disorder or some other birth defect.
Monday, February 14, 2011
HW #34
When I think of birth I think of the existentialist point of view which is the idea that “existence precedes essence”. This means that when we are born that’s all that happens we have no ideas about who we are but another idea exists that “essence precedes existence.” Personally I do believe that we are all born with a special talent that only we can do and we can use our gifts and talents to benefit those less fortunate in our society. When a baby is born we may not see them coming out of the womb playing an instrument or taking a liking to a sport but as they get older they may discover their likes and dislikes and this may help to figure out their talents.
Something else I wonder about are the stages of life for a baby. When does life begin? I believe birth starts at the moment of conception when the sperm fertilizes the egg because in 9 months a child will be formed. I would also like to learn some statistics about miscarriages because someone in my family lost a child. I can imagine some of the pain women go through when they are pregnant but I can’t imagine the emotional state they are in with all these changes happening to their bodies. How would it feel to be pregnant? I would imagine that I would be irritable because I have noticed that pregnant women walk bent over because of their stomachs and it is very difficult for them to stand for very long. I am looking to learning more about the process of birth from different cultures.
Something else I wonder about are the stages of life for a baby. When does life begin? I believe birth starts at the moment of conception when the sperm fertilizes the egg because in 9 months a child will be formed. I would also like to learn some statistics about miscarriages because someone in my family lost a child. I can imagine some of the pain women go through when they are pregnant but I can’t imagine the emotional state they are in with all these changes happening to their bodies. How would it feel to be pregnant? I would imagine that I would be irritable because I have noticed that pregnant women walk bent over because of their stomachs and it is very difficult for them to stand for very long. I am looking to learning more about the process of birth from different cultures.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
HW 32 Comments
For Leah,
I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts throughout the semester because they have been very interesting and have made me think about things I never considered before this unit. I enjoyed the lines, “One of the most nightmarish about our social practices is that we as people take in so many medications and put so much chemicals in our body. Can we wonder if it's really helping us?” It is true that we take different medications and things but I’m not sure we really understand what some of those things are doing to our bodies. We take medications for acne, pain, and many other things but it’s important not to become too dependent on medications. I also liked that you said you would try a spiritual healing but I’m sort of confused about what you mean? Are you referring to religion or allowing our bodies to heal on their own? Keep up the great work!
For Michelle,
I really enjoy reading your blogs because they provide background information. This blog focused on health care insurance and the atrocities of insurance companies. I liked how you encouraged the reader to think about how they would handle their situation if they suddenly found out they had a life threatening disease such as: cancer or heart disease. We never know what’s going to happen to us but we pray that we stay healthy. I also agree with the idea of home death because I would rather spend my last moments with people that I love, rather than nurses and doctors that may not be making me feel comfortable. I am also very sure about death because I have become more comfortable knowing that everyone is going to die someday, we just never know when.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
From Michelle,
"I agree, "we begin to classify them as their illness, rather than the person fighting the illness." This was your best line because in a reading from class it talks about the several ways not only to the sick but anyone who is stigmatized. For the treatment of the elderly was also new to me, had no idea how harsh it can be in these institutions, facing death in a strange place that is not your home."
From Leah,
"I like how said that we don't treat the sickness/dying people the same because they are their sickness just like Michelle had said. I agree because i know with personal experience, i have done that in the past with my sick family members. Maybe ill try it differently this time. My favorite part was when you said "We should not pity people for having an illness, neither should we reject them because they are different, but instead we should treat them as our equal because they are just like us, human." The nursing homes was something that came unexpected to me as you mentioned."
I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts throughout the semester because they have been very interesting and have made me think about things I never considered before this unit. I enjoyed the lines, “One of the most nightmarish about our social practices is that we as people take in so many medications and put so much chemicals in our body. Can we wonder if it's really helping us?” It is true that we take different medications and things but I’m not sure we really understand what some of those things are doing to our bodies. We take medications for acne, pain, and many other things but it’s important not to become too dependent on medications. I also liked that you said you would try a spiritual healing but I’m sort of confused about what you mean? Are you referring to religion or allowing our bodies to heal on their own? Keep up the great work!
For Michelle,
I really enjoy reading your blogs because they provide background information. This blog focused on health care insurance and the atrocities of insurance companies. I liked how you encouraged the reader to think about how they would handle their situation if they suddenly found out they had a life threatening disease such as: cancer or heart disease. We never know what’s going to happen to us but we pray that we stay healthy. I also agree with the idea of home death because I would rather spend my last moments with people that I love, rather than nurses and doctors that may not be making me feel comfortable. I am also very sure about death because I have become more comfortable knowing that everyone is going to die someday, we just never know when.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
From Michelle,
"I agree, "we begin to classify them as their illness, rather than the person fighting the illness." This was your best line because in a reading from class it talks about the several ways not only to the sick but anyone who is stigmatized. For the treatment of the elderly was also new to me, had no idea how harsh it can be in these institutions, facing death in a strange place that is not your home."
From Leah,
"I like how said that we don't treat the sickness/dying people the same because they are their sickness just like Michelle had said. I agree because i know with personal experience, i have done that in the past with my sick family members. Maybe ill try it differently this time. My favorite part was when you said "We should not pity people for having an illness, neither should we reject them because they are different, but instead we should treat them as our equal because they are just like us, human." The nursing homes was something that came unexpected to me as you mentioned."
Friday, January 21, 2011
HW 32- Final Comments on Illness & Dying
The most nightmarish atrocity is that we isolate the dying & sick. Their illness becomes their “stigma” because we begin to classify them as their illness, rather than the person fighting the illness. The article “Stigma”, by Erving Goffman reveals how critical we are of people with certain illnesses. We should not pity people for having an illness, neither should we reject them because they are different, but instead we should treat them as our equal because they are just like us, human. Each person goes through different things and they have to come to terms with themselves and seek treatment on their own. There is a big process of dealing with an illness in addition to people improperly judging you based on your illness.
One thing I never knew about was the treatment of the elderly in nursing homes. I knew that people leave their relatives and friends in nursing homes because they may be unable to provide the proper care and attention to the elderly so they put them in a nursing home. I suspected that a nursing home would be a little town for the elderly to develop their own relationships with other elderly people but sometimes that’s not always the case. According to Leah, some elderly people feel neglected because they don’t get enough visitor and this leads to crankiness and very rude behavior. I always thought the elderly were bitter but I never thought about why. They are feeling this way because they are being rejected by people because they are getting old. This is not a good look and we should develop more relationships with elderly people. I enjoyed this unit because I enjoyed going deeper into different meanings behind death and the topics we avoid.
One thing I never knew about was the treatment of the elderly in nursing homes. I knew that people leave their relatives and friends in nursing homes because they may be unable to provide the proper care and attention to the elderly so they put them in a nursing home. I suspected that a nursing home would be a little town for the elderly to develop their own relationships with other elderly people but sometimes that’s not always the case. According to Leah, some elderly people feel neglected because they don’t get enough visitor and this leads to crankiness and very rude behavior. I always thought the elderly were bitter but I never thought about why. They are feeling this way because they are being rejected by people because they are getting old. This is not a good look and we should develop more relationships with elderly people. I enjoyed this unit because I enjoyed going deeper into different meanings behind death and the topics we avoid.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
HW 32-Comments 3
For Leah:
I really enjoyed reading your blog because it was an interesting account of patients in the nursing home. It is true that most patients don’t get enough visitors and I could never imagine being lonely in a nursing home without getting visits from my family and friends. It is also true that we would rather leave someone in the care of a stranger rather than actually taking care of the person yourself. I know that it may be difficult to decide whether to leave a family member in a nursing home but at the end of the day I will probably decide to take care of that family member the same way they took care of me time, and time again. I really enjoyed reading your blog :)
For Michelle:
I think your blog post was really interesting because I never really thought about what goes on behind closed doors in nursing homes. I do feel that some nurses are used to having to deal with old, cranky patients but I only believe they are cranky because they are people too and they have emotions, so how would you feel if you never received any visitors? I liked that you also included statistical evidence to support the idea that there are certain types of neglect a patient may face in a nursing home. Even despite some of these facts why do people send their relatives to nursing homes? The answer is simple, because we would rather have a stranger take care of someone than ourselves, we have lives, we need to look after ourselves, let alone someone else. I enjoyed reading your blog :)
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From Michelle,
I enjoyed your blog and elevator speech because having this disease affected a family member of yours so it gave you more perspective on this illness. My family fortunately has not but I have several family members who are affected by high blood pressure so felt a connection while reading your blog. The diet the people who are diagnosed with diabetes the way you describe seems exhausting and stressful. Does it make for a shorter life span? Can it leave for other complications? well good job!
From Leah,
Your opening sentence was a good grabber. I can relate alot to your post because i know a lot of people who had diabetes which made me more engaged in the post. I liked how you referred back to your own family history to what you want to do in the future to prevent yourself from getting diabetes. One thing that stood out to me was when you said "When people are diagnosed with an illness their illness becomes them", i thought that was very bold. People become their illness, i never thought of it like that. Overall your post was enjoyable and keep posting!
From Berenise (Older Reader)
WOW!! Diabetes. This is a tough one but I can relate. As a side job I baby-sit two girls and one of them, a 4 year old girl named Elizabeth has diabetes. Seeing all the stuff she and her family goes through in a couple of hours is hard to grasp. Her mother has to control everything she eats, and maintain a balanced schedule. I am so thankful for technology. The monitor monitors everything; it keeps track of her blood sugar. It records whether or not it is too high or too low, and it makes a noise to alert you. The monitor also calculates how much insulin should be given according to the carbs intake. As me being the outsider it is very hard, watching her go through it. It is hard for me to do the blood check because it hurts her and she cries. My heart goes out to everyone, children and adults with diabetes, fighting a good fight.
From Angela (Younger Reader):
I like the way you said the kids would get diabetes of they don't change their eating habits.
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2 Additional Comments
For Casey,
I really liked your post and it was cool that using a text from class, gave you the idea to conduct a survey about our ideas of being remembered and death. I liked how you said, " I learned from this project that teenaged males are probably more afraid of death than teenaged females are, and thus live in more misery." Using the survey you created you were able to draw that conclusion so you had evidence to support it. In some ways I agree with the conclusions you made because some people fear death because they fell that they have not made a sufficient impact on society. I really enjoyed reading your blog because it was creative, interesting, and informative.
For Sarah L.,
I really enjoyed your blog because you incorporated your ideas and feelings about death and connected it to the death of your grandfather, due to Alzheimer’s. I liked the line, "We should come to terms with reality and accept the fact that we are all going to die." This line is very true because we are all going to die someday and this is one of the many things people fear, its death. You also talked about the process he went through while living with Alzheimer’s and as you said I can't imagine my life changing that drastically. I am so thankful that I am healthy because there are so many sick people that are not receiving proper care.
I really enjoyed reading your blog because it was an interesting account of patients in the nursing home. It is true that most patients don’t get enough visitors and I could never imagine being lonely in a nursing home without getting visits from my family and friends. It is also true that we would rather leave someone in the care of a stranger rather than actually taking care of the person yourself. I know that it may be difficult to decide whether to leave a family member in a nursing home but at the end of the day I will probably decide to take care of that family member the same way they took care of me time, and time again. I really enjoyed reading your blog :)
For Michelle:
I think your blog post was really interesting because I never really thought about what goes on behind closed doors in nursing homes. I do feel that some nurses are used to having to deal with old, cranky patients but I only believe they are cranky because they are people too and they have emotions, so how would you feel if you never received any visitors? I liked that you also included statistical evidence to support the idea that there are certain types of neglect a patient may face in a nursing home. Even despite some of these facts why do people send their relatives to nursing homes? The answer is simple, because we would rather have a stranger take care of someone than ourselves, we have lives, we need to look after ourselves, let alone someone else. I enjoyed reading your blog :)
----------------------------------------------
From Michelle,
I enjoyed your blog and elevator speech because having this disease affected a family member of yours so it gave you more perspective on this illness. My family fortunately has not but I have several family members who are affected by high blood pressure so felt a connection while reading your blog. The diet the people who are diagnosed with diabetes the way you describe seems exhausting and stressful. Does it make for a shorter life span? Can it leave for other complications? well good job!
From Leah,
Your opening sentence was a good grabber. I can relate alot to your post because i know a lot of people who had diabetes which made me more engaged in the post. I liked how you referred back to your own family history to what you want to do in the future to prevent yourself from getting diabetes. One thing that stood out to me was when you said "When people are diagnosed with an illness their illness becomes them", i thought that was very bold. People become their illness, i never thought of it like that. Overall your post was enjoyable and keep posting!
From Berenise (Older Reader)
WOW!! Diabetes. This is a tough one but I can relate. As a side job I baby-sit two girls and one of them, a 4 year old girl named Elizabeth has diabetes. Seeing all the stuff she and her family goes through in a couple of hours is hard to grasp. Her mother has to control everything she eats, and maintain a balanced schedule. I am so thankful for technology. The monitor monitors everything; it keeps track of her blood sugar. It records whether or not it is too high or too low, and it makes a noise to alert you. The monitor also calculates how much insulin should be given according to the carbs intake. As me being the outsider it is very hard, watching her go through it. It is hard for me to do the blood check because it hurts her and she cries. My heart goes out to everyone, children and adults with diabetes, fighting a good fight.
From Angela (Younger Reader):
I like the way you said the kids would get diabetes of they don't change their eating habits.
----------------------------------------------
2 Additional Comments
For Casey,
I really liked your post and it was cool that using a text from class, gave you the idea to conduct a survey about our ideas of being remembered and death. I liked how you said, " I learned from this project that teenaged males are probably more afraid of death than teenaged females are, and thus live in more misery." Using the survey you created you were able to draw that conclusion so you had evidence to support it. In some ways I agree with the conclusions you made because some people fear death because they fell that they have not made a sufficient impact on society. I really enjoyed reading your blog because it was creative, interesting, and informative.
For Sarah L.,
I really enjoyed your blog because you incorporated your ideas and feelings about death and connected it to the death of your grandfather, due to Alzheimer’s. I liked the line, "We should come to terms with reality and accept the fact that we are all going to die." This line is very true because we are all going to die someday and this is one of the many things people fear, its death. You also talked about the process he went through while living with Alzheimer’s and as you said I can't imagine my life changing that drastically. I am so thankful that I am healthy because there are so many sick people that are not receiving proper care.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
HW 30 - Illness & Dying - Culminating Experiential Project
An aspect of the illness & dying unit that I explored was diabetes. Although diabetes is not genetic it is possible that your children may also get diabetes if they don’t change their eating habits. There are several forms of diabetes: the first type of diabetes is type 1, which is prevalent among younger children, and their parents have not had diabetes, type 2 diabetes depends on more environmental factors according to diabetic live. “If you have a family history of diabetes it will increase your chances of getting it, but only if you lead an unhealthy lifestyle with a poor diet and little or no exercise” (Diabetic live).
My family has a long history of high blood pressure which also has something to do with the food we eat. My family, on both sides, comes from the south and soul food is the main food prepared in southern households and this doesn’t keep you healthy but it does taste good. Diabetes relates to low blood sugar and high blood pressure may contribute to diabetes if the proper medications are not taken. I can avoid the possibility of having diabetes but that means I would have to change my eating habits to become healthier. My mom prepares healthy food and I do not eat as many fatty foods as I used to, I have stopped drinking so much soda and eating lots of sweets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AOvhKZUIGY&feature=more_related On NBC a special edition was done about the effects of diabetes. An 11 year old named Elena was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Elena doesn’t enjoy living with diabetes because she wants to be like the other kids who don’t have to worry about the amount of carbs they eat, in most cases. Elena has a sensor that monitors her blood sugar levels. Elena’s mother mentioned that the technology today makes it easier to address this illness. Doctor Anne L. Peters wrote a book about conquering diabetes that encourages patients with type 2 diabetes to exercise and try to lose weight; it also gives many other tips about living with diabetes. When we have other people going through the same issues that we are experiencing, who are willing to give us encouragement in our situations it makes it easier to accept that our illness requires more attention.
There are many people that live with diabetes that are able to get proper care because of the technology. I am so thankful that my grandmother is able to receive proper treatment for her diabetes because although things may have been different when she was growing up there has been some change since that time. When people are diagnosed with an illness their illness becomes them and the doctor is mainly focused on doing what they can to prevent this sickness from spreading and getting worse. Doctors do all they can to benefit the patient, and then they begin to create alternatives to benefit the patient. Sick and dying people matter in our culture because they are a “stigma”, we are more concerned with the illness and not so much the person behind it, the main goal may become to beat this illness but we never consider how much it can affect our daily lives.
Sources:
Diabetic live.http://www.diabeticlive.com/diabetes-101/is-diabetes-genetic/
Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AOvhKZUIGY&feature=more_related
My family has a long history of high blood pressure which also has something to do with the food we eat. My family, on both sides, comes from the south and soul food is the main food prepared in southern households and this doesn’t keep you healthy but it does taste good. Diabetes relates to low blood sugar and high blood pressure may contribute to diabetes if the proper medications are not taken. I can avoid the possibility of having diabetes but that means I would have to change my eating habits to become healthier. My mom prepares healthy food and I do not eat as many fatty foods as I used to, I have stopped drinking so much soda and eating lots of sweets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AOvhKZUIGY&feature=more_related On NBC a special edition was done about the effects of diabetes. An 11 year old named Elena was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Elena doesn’t enjoy living with diabetes because she wants to be like the other kids who don’t have to worry about the amount of carbs they eat, in most cases. Elena has a sensor that monitors her blood sugar levels. Elena’s mother mentioned that the technology today makes it easier to address this illness. Doctor Anne L. Peters wrote a book about conquering diabetes that encourages patients with type 2 diabetes to exercise and try to lose weight; it also gives many other tips about living with diabetes. When we have other people going through the same issues that we are experiencing, who are willing to give us encouragement in our situations it makes it easier to accept that our illness requires more attention.
There are many people that live with diabetes that are able to get proper care because of the technology. I am so thankful that my grandmother is able to receive proper treatment for her diabetes because although things may have been different when she was growing up there has been some change since that time. When people are diagnosed with an illness their illness becomes them and the doctor is mainly focused on doing what they can to prevent this sickness from spreading and getting worse. Doctors do all they can to benefit the patient, and then they begin to create alternatives to benefit the patient. Sick and dying people matter in our culture because they are a “stigma”, we are more concerned with the illness and not so much the person behind it, the main goal may become to beat this illness but we never consider how much it can affect our daily lives.
Sources:
Diabetic live.http://www.diabeticlive.com/diabetes-101/is-diabetes-genetic/
Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AOvhKZUIGY&feature=more_related
Saturday, January 8, 2011
HW 29
1) Terminal Illness
Facing a terminal illness can prove to be difficult because we wonder why such a terrible thing can happen to such a strong-willed person. The truth is we all go through our own battles, and those battles are only there to make us stronger. In the book “My brother”, by Jamaica Kincaid, Jamaica returned to her home of Antigua after her brother was diagnosed with a terminal illness, AIDS. Jamaica said, “But his life was real, not yet a part of history; his reality was that he was dead but still alive; his reality was that he had a disease called AIDS (My Brother, Pg. 95). Jamaica didn’t understand how her brother could get AIDS at such a young age, because to her it seemed like his life was just beginning, “his life was real, not yet a part of history.” Many people who have suffered from a terminal illness have never been able to live their lives and create history, in a sense, because they were diagnosed at an unexpected time.
Another example of a patient facing a terminal illness was Beth’s husband Erik. She met her husband and they feel in love but the problems began when he began getting sick but like so many people, he didn’t go to the doctor about the problems he was facing. After finally going to the doctor he was diagnosed with metastatic kidney cancer. The family went into oblivion because no one could believe Erik was facing cancer, “he was a good father, husband, artist, and this wasn’t going to beat him” (Beth’s Presentation). Erik fought this cancer with everything he had until the end when it was his time to go. The point is when people are diagnosed with terminal illnesses they go about living their lives doing everything that makes them happy, but why don’t we do those things now. We don’t know when our time will come so we should be prepared.
2) The process of dying
In Near Death, a documentary was done about the background of death in the hospitals. One of the doctor’s kept saying that “it’s in god’s hands,” this meant that if they decided to take the ventilator off they will pull the plug because he will be brain dead anyway and if he died it was in god’s will. Sometimes this idea is tossed around but people don’t understand the true meaning of god’s will. Everything happens for a reason but when our time comes we will die, there will be no other way to avoid death when our time comes. This is another issue that presented itself in the movie, the issue of consent and its connection to death. In one case a patient was getting worse as each day progressed and his lungs were too weak to work by themselves, and even with help they wouldn’t get better. The doctors had to come up with the decision of whether they should just let the patient die or keep him alive just a couple more days. Doctors take an oath that they must do everything they can to make sure a patient lives but they must also decide whether to help that patient who is near death or help a child suffering from a minor illness.
Death is something that is avoided, ignored until the right time has come to die. “Today, more Americans die in hospitals than anywhere else, and the most frequent response to critical illness there is to try and stave off death with the most sophisticated technological means available (American Hospitals, Pg.25) More people have died in hospitals than anywhere else, and hospitals should be the one place where you feel you can be supported or fought for until death. In Near death, while the patient was dying instead of thinking about how he was going to stay alive all he could think about was what he did in the past. He began reflecting on his life and whether he believed he lived a happy life. When we are close to death something we do is think back on everything we ever did wondering if we would do something different.
3) Isolation
The sick are regarded as people that don’t belong to our society. People have a stigma in which they feel they must bring up other attributes people possess and compare those undesirable attributes to their own skills and make that person look like they don’t belong. This is how illness is approached in our society. In “My brother”, by Jamaica Kincaid, Jamaica’s brother was isolated by many people after he got AIDS. “Stigma”, by Erving Goffman, reveals how critical we are of people with certain illnesses. A stigma is an attribute that people can’t change about themselves, but people hold themselves on a higher pedestal while regarding people with illnesses on a much lower pedestal. “A stigma then is really a kind of special relationship between attribute and stereotype…there are important attributes that almost everywhere in our society are discrediting” (Stigma, Pg. 4). People with some type of illness, say cancer for example will always be associated with their illness. Rather than looking at the person and not the illness, we look at the illness as the person.
Usually when old people are placed in a nursery it’s because we believe there are workers who can take better care of them than we can. In some cases this is true because when people are diagnosed with an illness or when they become dependent on others to eat, sleep, and do many other things it may be more difficult to care for them. In an old folk’s home, seniors will be around people who are facing a similar situation to theirs and they will be more able to connect with others rather than having no one who understands their situation.
Facing a terminal illness can prove to be difficult because we wonder why such a terrible thing can happen to such a strong-willed person. The truth is we all go through our own battles, and those battles are only there to make us stronger. In the book “My brother”, by Jamaica Kincaid, Jamaica returned to her home of Antigua after her brother was diagnosed with a terminal illness, AIDS. Jamaica said, “But his life was real, not yet a part of history; his reality was that he was dead but still alive; his reality was that he had a disease called AIDS (My Brother, Pg. 95). Jamaica didn’t understand how her brother could get AIDS at such a young age, because to her it seemed like his life was just beginning, “his life was real, not yet a part of history.” Many people who have suffered from a terminal illness have never been able to live their lives and create history, in a sense, because they were diagnosed at an unexpected time.
Another example of a patient facing a terminal illness was Beth’s husband Erik. She met her husband and they feel in love but the problems began when he began getting sick but like so many people, he didn’t go to the doctor about the problems he was facing. After finally going to the doctor he was diagnosed with metastatic kidney cancer. The family went into oblivion because no one could believe Erik was facing cancer, “he was a good father, husband, artist, and this wasn’t going to beat him” (Beth’s Presentation). Erik fought this cancer with everything he had until the end when it was his time to go. The point is when people are diagnosed with terminal illnesses they go about living their lives doing everything that makes them happy, but why don’t we do those things now. We don’t know when our time will come so we should be prepared.
2) The process of dying
In Near Death, a documentary was done about the background of death in the hospitals. One of the doctor’s kept saying that “it’s in god’s hands,” this meant that if they decided to take the ventilator off they will pull the plug because he will be brain dead anyway and if he died it was in god’s will. Sometimes this idea is tossed around but people don’t understand the true meaning of god’s will. Everything happens for a reason but when our time comes we will die, there will be no other way to avoid death when our time comes. This is another issue that presented itself in the movie, the issue of consent and its connection to death. In one case a patient was getting worse as each day progressed and his lungs were too weak to work by themselves, and even with help they wouldn’t get better. The doctors had to come up with the decision of whether they should just let the patient die or keep him alive just a couple more days. Doctors take an oath that they must do everything they can to make sure a patient lives but they must also decide whether to help that patient who is near death or help a child suffering from a minor illness.
Death is something that is avoided, ignored until the right time has come to die. “Today, more Americans die in hospitals than anywhere else, and the most frequent response to critical illness there is to try and stave off death with the most sophisticated technological means available (American Hospitals, Pg.25) More people have died in hospitals than anywhere else, and hospitals should be the one place where you feel you can be supported or fought for until death. In Near death, while the patient was dying instead of thinking about how he was going to stay alive all he could think about was what he did in the past. He began reflecting on his life and whether he believed he lived a happy life. When we are close to death something we do is think back on everything we ever did wondering if we would do something different.
3) Isolation
The sick are regarded as people that don’t belong to our society. People have a stigma in which they feel they must bring up other attributes people possess and compare those undesirable attributes to their own skills and make that person look like they don’t belong. This is how illness is approached in our society. In “My brother”, by Jamaica Kincaid, Jamaica’s brother was isolated by many people after he got AIDS. “Stigma”, by Erving Goffman, reveals how critical we are of people with certain illnesses. A stigma is an attribute that people can’t change about themselves, but people hold themselves on a higher pedestal while regarding people with illnesses on a much lower pedestal. “A stigma then is really a kind of special relationship between attribute and stereotype…there are important attributes that almost everywhere in our society are discrediting” (Stigma, Pg. 4). People with some type of illness, say cancer for example will always be associated with their illness. Rather than looking at the person and not the illness, we look at the illness as the person.
Usually when old people are placed in a nursery it’s because we believe there are workers who can take better care of them than we can. In some cases this is true because when people are diagnosed with an illness or when they become dependent on others to eat, sleep, and do many other things it may be more difficult to care for them. In an old folk’s home, seniors will be around people who are facing a similar situation to theirs and they will be more able to connect with others rather than having no one who understands their situation.
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