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.
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