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.