hw 58

My first interviewee who will be attending prom is participating in the event because she feels as if it's going to be one of the last times to be with everyone before graduating and like it would be a good way to end the school year. Feels prom is going to be a special night and is happy she's attending with someone she actually likes. She sees everyone putting their differences aside and coming together for that one night. Imagines her prom to be like a scene out a movie.Most looking forward to the stories that are going to be told the day after and seeing the transformations of everyone. Feels as if looking good for prom is important , but doesn't want to be the center of attention. Hasn't stressed too much about prom because she has prioritized more important stuff first instead of worrying about it.

My second interviewee who hasn’t attended prom yet wants to attend because he feels as if prom would be a memory he can look back on and remember. He wants to attend to be with friends and have a good time. He called prom ”a night I won’t forget”. Would still want to attend prom if there was no date and wouldn't feel bad about not having one.Feels as if a lot of preparation and money is going to go into it, so is therefore going to enjoy it. Wants to participate in the party. Feels like if he doesn’t attend prom he’ll be missing out a little bit ,but there’s always the after party. Has already started talking and planning prom with friends. Expects it to be a long night and hopefully end in getting lucky.Thinks that the after party is going to be better than the actual prom because there won’t be any teachers or supervision around.

NOT DONE

hw 57

I feel like prom is something that is eagerly anticipated for many seniors. There is a lot of planning that goes into making the night magical or one to remember. It’s seen as an event where anything can happen. People put a lot of time and effort into making sure that prom is going to be one of the highlights of senior year. For those attending prom the key moments are important and really focused on and planned even up until the actual day. Everyone follows the script in order to make sure that there is a good ending to the night they’ve waited for, planned and spent so much money on.
I personally feel proms are a little over hyped. I don’t plan to “go all out” for prom, but that doesn’t stop people from paying for the prom experience. Lots of money is spent in making the night memorable, from the limos to the dresses and tuxedos, even the after parties. I question why if it’s only for one night?

Why are people who don’t go to prom stigmatized?
Why is prom such a big deal for people?
Why are the guys usually the active agents when it comes to prom and not the girls?

Hw 56

Rossi,

I enjoyed reading your recap of the interview with the women at the funeral home. I liked that you decided to go out and explore this topic more and ask questions to someone who is in the business and knows a lot more. Something I found interesting was the woman's take on home funerals and how she was against them. Since I did my project on home burials which just goes to show that everyone has their own way of dealing with the death process that makes easier for them. That in the end it's all about remembering that person and honoring their life and wishes.
(http://rossi63blog.blogspot.com/)

Bryanna,

I thought it was good that you decided to get your family's perspective on death and what they want to happen to them when they die which is something that I think is worth thinking about. I think hearing your family's thoughts on the topic helped develop your own in a way. I liked how you talked about your view on death and religion compared to your mom's and how it doesn't matter in the end because it's based on the type of people you are and how you want people to remember you.
(http://lovelifebry.blogspot.com/)

Ally,

I liked your elevator speech, which brought me to your blog. I liked that you decided to make an informative brochure on the alternative burial options compared to a conventional one. I liked that the brochure had pictures of each one and and little story and info on the burial and why it was chosen.
(http://normalisweirddaj.blogspot.com/)

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Jay said:
Larche,

Your research and explanation of home funerals is well structured and informative. It was easy to read without being too fluffy. A counter-argument paragraph would have been an interesting addition and there were a few grammatical errors. But the fluidity and amount information made up for that. Strong post.

Bryanna said:
Hey Larche,
I like how you explained what a home funreal is to that if people didn't know they know do. I also like how you have a quote. As well as write all the soucres that you use good. But I like you explain why home funeral is a good thing. I think home funerals are a good thing to really say bye to your love ones. What do you think you would do or want done for you?

Rossi said:
Larche,
I liked your blog because it provided me with a lot of information. While it had a research paper style your analysis made reading it far less boring than I expected from this assignment. I particularly liked the sentence, “The experience of a home burial can also much more meaningful and personal than a traditional funeral because families are able to carry out the wishes of their dead in a private setting rather than being surrounded by strangers and allowing them to handle the death process, but by handling the death process of their loved one themselves can help the grieving process and make it easier to say their final goodbyes.” While this is an interesting point it is clear to me that some may need the assistance of a “stranger” like a funeral director. They can possibly ease the pain and make the process less difficult and stressful for the family member(s) whom experience the loss. In my opinion I feel that would help me to cope with my loss rather than having to deal with it myself. This was a strong post however I think proofreading is far too often discredited. While the quote above stood out to me it was also a running sentence. Had you proofread I am sure you would have caught it. All in all, good job.

Protege said:
I enjoyed reading this post considering I didn't know much about home burials before. I found it informative and very interesting. I got a better sense of why home burials could be an option for people and made me consider it as an option for myself. I would feel more comfortable knowing that my family member's were handling my funeral and burial arrangements rather than outsiders who are just trying to make money.

hw -extra credit

COTD: After watching "Harold and Maude" the theme of living life to the fullest was present. Harold is so obsessed with his own death and faking his own suicides that he's not focused on living life. After meeting Maude at a funeral of a stranger, they develop a relationship over attending funerals. I think that Maude brings life back into Harold's life. Harold feels as if life isn't worth living anymore, but Maude makes him realize that it is.

For Harold, it seems that since he is so consumed with his own death he forgets how to live his life. He gets the feeling that perhaps life isn't worth living, but when Maude comes into his life she chances his outlook on how he should be living instead of focusing on things related to death. Maude allows for him to start living again and experience life before it comes full circle and eventually does end in his real death.

Maude on the other hand has a love for life and wants to share that love with Harold. She sees the beauty in life and lives the way she wants to. Her perspective on life is something Harold can benefit from. Harold is taught by Maude to make the most of his life on earth instead of being focused on the depressing stuff like faking his own suicides.It seems as if Maude is the answer that leads Harold off of his self destructive path while ultimately realizing her own.

COTD: I visited two cemeteries with David and Michelle. The first one was St. Paul's cemetery and the second was Trinity Church's cemetery. I noticed that both cemeteries were connected to a church and that both were not very big compared to other cemeteries I've seen. Walking through the cemeteries I found it very peaceful. I didn't get a weird feeling walking through at all, maybe because there was a lot of other people in the cemeteries with us at the time. Everyone was walking through and taking pictures just as we were. I think the fact the both were historical cemeteries is what attracted the people compared to a regular cemetery which might not see that many visitor's in a day.


Walking through both cemeteries I noticed that the tombstones were all very old and some were even chipping away. I noticed quite a few of the tombstone's at Trinity read "Here lies the body of ____ who departed from life" and gave a little description of who the person was name,age,etc. None of the graves except one had flowers placed on top of it. I noticed that there were benches in each cemetery which provided an inviting feeling.

Being in both cemeteries and having that relaxed feeling walking through made me realize how life comes full circle, from birth to death and that it is eventually going to happen and it's something we have to accept.

hw 55

Home Burials

Home burials which is an alternative to a traditional funeral allows for people to take care of their dead without getting a funeral director or funeral industry involved because they feel it’s is more personal and meaningful experience spending their last moments will their dead and handling all the arrangements themselves. Author Lisa Carlson describes why she decided on a home burial in her book Caring for the Dead: Your Final Act of Love after being faced with the death of her husband John “The task of grappling with “arrangements” seemed enormous. I understood just how easy it would be to let a funeral director take over as I drained my body with tears. But I felt a strong need to express my love and caring for John, even in death.” (pg 19) Instead of allowing a funeral home to take care of the burial, she felt the need to handle all of the arrangements herself without the interference of strangers who couldn’t show her husband the same love and care in death that she could. Home burials allow for the families to show their loved ones the same kind of personal care they devoted to their loved ones before their death. This is one of the reason people choose to have home burials, to be able to assure that their loved ones will be taken care of the way they want to. Even if allowing a funeral home to handle the entire death process seems easier, they know that the funeral home handles the body from the minute they get it to the minute the body is buried which doesn’t leave much room for the family to get involved in the process.

Home burials can be a transforming experience for families and friends who decide to do it. In the New York Times article “home burials offer an intimate alternative” by Katie Zezima, Nancy Manahan described her mothers home burial which had a profound effect on her “There’s something about touching, watching, sitting with a body that lets you know the person is no longer there,” Nancy Manahan said. “We didn’t even realize how emotionally meaningful those rituals are, doing it ourselves, until we did it.” Home burials provide families with an intimate and familiar setting instead of a funeral home where they are able to spend alone time with their dead while being surrounded by family and friends all of whom cared for the deceased. The experience of a home burial can also much more meaningful and personal than a traditional funeral because families are able to carry out the wishes of their dead in a private setting rather than being surrounded by strangers and allowing them to handle the death process, but by handling the death process of their loved one themselves can help the grieving process and make it easier to say their final goodbyes.

Another reason people choose to have a home burial and handle all the arrangements themselves without the funeral industry involved is because it’s a more cost effective alternative to a traditional funeral which can cost up to $10,000. “The cost savings can be substantial, all the more important in an economic downturn. The average American funeral costs about $6,000 for the services of a funeral home, in addition to the costs of cremation or burial. A home funeral can be as inexpensive as the cost of pine for a coffin (for a backyard burial) or a few hundred dollars for cremation or several hundred dollars for cemetery costs.” (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/us/21funeral.html) Home burials are an alternative to families who aren’t willing to shell out thousands of dollars on a funeral that doesn’t allow for them to have personal involvement in. It allows for them to take care of the body on their terms. Some people even decide to make the coffins themselves.

Overall home burials are an alternative for people who don’t want to hand the death process of their loved ones over to professionals. Home burials can be more affordable than conventional funerals as well as giving the families a more meaningful and personal experience while paying their final respects to their loved ones.

Sources:
Zezima, katie. "Home Burials Offer an Intimate Alternative ." New York Times (2009): 1. Web. 16 May 2011.
Carlson, Lisa. Caring for the Dead: Your Final Act of . 1. 1. Upper Access, 1997. 640. Print.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/us/21funeral.html

hw 53 A

1.) Article 1: Precis: After the earthquake in Haiti, the thousands dead were buried in mass graves without identification which the public feared that the dead bodies posed a health risk such as the spread of disease and infection. Though their assumptions might seem valid, bodies of people who die healthy don't spread disease but the people when handling the bodies without proper care can run a risk. The important thing was to identify the dead so the families can grieve for them and properly dispose of the bodies using chemicals and such to disinfect.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8465464.stm

Article 2 : Precis: Picking the perfect coffin is important as it's part of your final say in your send off even though you won't be able to see your funeral play out at least you can choose the coffin. By pre- planning your own funeral or someone else's can help make the entire process a lot easier to handle. It assures you that you or your dead will be handled with care. Death and how what you want to happen to your body is something that should be talked about and planned ahead of time.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10636368

The first article spoke about the lack of the care of the dead since they were buried in mass graves or left rotting on the roadsides after the quake without identification. when people are buried in mass graves without identification it becomes difficult to keep tack of the death toll not to mention the relatives of the decease would have a hard time with the grieving process if they knew the type of care their dead received. The second article which focused on the preplanning of the funeral and burials unlike just shoving the dead into mass graves without a care. The arranging of your funeral can actually be helpful like picking your own coffin instead of leaving in the hands of others.


2. Michelle and I went to a funeral home called The Funeral Chapel owned by Frank E. Campbell. We got a tour of the place which didn't seem very warm or inviting. The lighting in the place was very dim,it was cold and all the staff were either dressed in all black or dark colors and kept a very cool composure. We found out that the funeral home require an authorization to obtain custody of the body and must be released to them upon their request. We found out that the funeral homes direct cremations are more expensive than their direct burials because you get to choose from a range of alternative containers to place the remains inside. The type of container affects the price of the cremation. They have more packages for cremations than they do for burials. We also found out that embalming needed to be done if you wanted an open casket funeral or viewing and that can be done in their "preparation room". There was also a chapel located on the ground floor where funeral services are held. They also stated that their staff is on call for anything regarding the service you choose. They pretty much take care of every aspect regarding the care of the dead from the funeral service to the hearse ride to the cemetery. Everything can be handled by them at a price.

The funeral industry is a money making business . I got the sense from the funeral home that everything can be taken care of for the death of your loved one, but at a price. The cost of the different services can be very expensive. It costs a lot to die. Funeral homes stand to make a lot of money off of people who simply don't want to be involved because they handle everything from the moment they get custody of the body to the moment it's placed in the ground while you pay all the expenses along the way. So it's as if you're paying for something that doesn't turn out to be personal at all. Which lead me to think about the alternative funeral and burial options out there. Without getting a funeral home involved in the process such as home births or sea burials. Instead of paying strangers to take care of and handle your death rather handle the arrangements yourself and have it be less expensive while making the experience more meaningful and personal.

Hw 51

Precis: I would argue that death is a natural part of life. We should treat it and see it that way, as part of the cycle of life. Deaths and burials should be natural and meaningful as a part of letting go. Some ways you can make burials natural are by having sea burials which are an alternative to the traditional funeral.

Quotes:

"Unlike most standard funerals back on land, sea scatterings rarely take on the atmosphere of formal affairs." (80)

"At that moment I know that this is really the end, and that I'm going to miss two people who were very important to me in my life, we're finalizing the end of their lives."(81)

"I really don"t know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea...We are tied to the ocean, and when we go back to the sea-whether it is to sail or to watch it-we are going back from whence we came." (101)

"When you allow the funeral director to whisk away a body, you miss out on the rewards that come from having a home funeral." (105)

The book gives a lot of information on the alternative to a traditional funeral. Ways to make burials as a natural process. It gives stories of other people's burials to distinguish the differences between the way they chose to bury their dead vs the dominant social practice of funerals.