hw 47

My first interviewee’s ideas on death and the care of the dead have been strongly influenced by her religious beliefs. According to her beliefs she feels very strongly about burials vs. cremation. She was not in favor of cremations as a way to let go of the dead “I personally think that cremation is wrong. If there is nothing left of the body you can't say your prayers to it or you won't really have any proof of that being ever living...those burnt up ashes can be ashes of anything or anyone, but with a buried body you actually have proof that someone indeed passed on”. She also felt as if the religion made dealing with death and the care of the dead easier for her to deal with “we have a set of rules for everything in life, so you don't have to give much thought into making your own decision or trying to figure out what’s right for you. I mean we are already lost amongst ourselves while caring for the dead, the last thing anyone would need is trying to figure out how to dispose the body.” When I asked about the public viewing of the dead at funerals she felt as if was something she wouldn’t prefer “I personally would not be comfortable seeing a dead body. I think that there should be a sense of privacy between the body and the outside world. I don't know how to explain it but it just seems wrong for some reason”.

My second interviewee felt uncomfortable with the topic of death and the care of the dead and didn't care that much to talk about it.Maybe because he had attended a couple. He felt as if funerals were "horrible to attend" but felt that they "make you cherish your life more and think about the person that passed away". He noted that the dead look "different" at funerals, but didn't elaborate on that. He had also only been to open casket funerals which were "scary" and didn't feel comfortable with the showing of a dead corpse.

My third interviewee didn't have much experience with funerals ,but felt as if "they are part of the process of letting our loved ones go". she stated that she would want to have a funeral for her death and she would rather be buried than cremated so that her family could visit her grave site. She also felt that having an open casket at a funeral is a way for people to say goodbye to the person one last time and as if were part of the grieving process and realizing the reality of the situation by actually getting to see it. She also felt as if funerals were depressing and wouldn't want hers to be a sad affair.

Doing these interviews made me realize the difference of opinion on the way people think others should be buried and what influences their thinking.Religion seems to play a huge role in the way people decide how they or their loved ones should be buried. Religion often makes it easier for people to deal with the care of the dead because all they have to do is follow the dominant burial practices as their religion. Also the decision to have an open or closed casket at a funeral had some mixed feeling on whether or not it was necessary or right.

The topic of care of the dead can be a confusing one for some because they either don't have much experience on it or they just haven't talked about. So their funeral experiences can be over whelming and uncomfortable for them because they don't clearly understand the practices and rituals they are witnessing.