Interviewing people who went to prom and my personal experience (with a middle school prom) i have realized their is this large idea of traansitioning into adulthood and as Andy said in class prom is what we view as a glimpse into what it is like to be an adult. building on this idea i realized that their are two different glimpses into adulthood on the night of prom. On one hand you have the main event PROM, where you get this feeling of being a mature adult with a steady flow of money that you can spend on your tux and limo, and you get to take a date and you feel matured and important but their is also this glimpse into the immature adulthood at the after prom which is this feeling of being 20 something and your out partying and drinking alcohol and having sex, not caring about anything else for those few hours.
Interviewing people who went to prom it was abundantly clear that even though they were looking forward to the prom they were really excited for the after-prom. One student (who's identity will remain secret so that they don't get in trouble) said that the after prom was where the real action happened referring to the sex and alcohol. Which raises the question, why does the alcohol and sex seem more attractive then the dancing and attempt at social superiority that occurs at the prom. my thought is that it may be because of the fact that both alcohol and sex are considered taboo (at least for people at our age) and therefore it is seemed as more of an achievement, which then leads to quicker jump to a higher social level. I did not participate in prom because I'm in the 11th grade but from what i was told by a friend who did go to prom is that it was not magical or transformative, it was more like just another opportunity to compete for social dominance.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
HW 58 - Prom Interviews
The first person i interviewed was my friend Dean (age 16). Dean and i have been friends since we were kids so i usually value his insights and he usually has something intelligent to say but on this matter i really didnt find much interesting in what he or anybody i interviewed said. Dean an i discussed his thoughts and anticipations for prom, which revealed that his answers were relatively similar to that of the dominant social practice response. he hopes prom will be a fun experience where he takes the beautiful girl and all the guys are jealous. He is planning on renting a limo and weariing his dad's tuxedo. i tried going deeper and asking what he thinks the guys role and importance v.s. the girls to the prom process is to which he responded with the guys are their to make the girls look socially acceptable and hopefully to get a little something after for their troubles.
The second person i interviewed was my cousin monsoora. She is in college now but went to her high school prom and was willing to share her experience with me. she told me she went with a guy sort of like your classic prom and was pretty happy with the way it turned out. She got to wear a pretty dress and put on make up and be the center of attention for a bit kind of like she would when she would dress up like a princess for parties when she was a kid. This got me thinking, is prom a rite of passage to transform into an adult or is it a way for teens to regress back to their former child selves. The more i thought about it i felt that the latter was becoming more and more true.
The third person i interviewed was my mom. Growing up not in the U.S. she didnt have a prom and actually never heard of one until coming to the U.S. in her culture prom isnt a dominant social practice and in fact is somethign that may even be kept hidden because of the sexual aspect that is a part of it. Knowing this i wanted to know what she believes prom is like. She told me prom is when the girl dresses up like CINDERELLA and goes to the dance with a guy. I asked what she thought the role of the guy was compared to the role of the women, to which she said that she thinks the prom is mainly for girls, a moment for them to pretend that they are the most important person in the world and the guy is just their to support that fantasy.
All three interviews revealed that the dominant social practice abProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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t prom is very widely known, even people who didnt grow up learning about it found out someway. With all these stories about cinderella and being a princess the males role is really overshadowed. When interviewing my cousin the person who had been to prom before she said something about going to prom is like being a princess at parties back when you were a kid. I found that the most insightful in questioning the true purpose of prom but i also enjoyed the comment my mother made about how prom is a night where the girl can fantasies that she is the most important girl in the world, which i think for those who do prom in the DSP way may be true.
The second person i interviewed was my cousin monsoora. She is in college now but went to her high school prom and was willing to share her experience with me. she told me she went with a guy sort of like your classic prom and was pretty happy with the way it turned out. She got to wear a pretty dress and put on make up and be the center of attention for a bit kind of like she would when she would dress up like a princess for parties when she was a kid. This got me thinking, is prom a rite of passage to transform into an adult or is it a way for teens to regress back to their former child selves. The more i thought about it i felt that the latter was becoming more and more true.
The third person i interviewed was my mom. Growing up not in the U.S. she didnt have a prom and actually never heard of one until coming to the U.S. in her culture prom isnt a dominant social practice and in fact is somethign that may even be kept hidden because of the sexual aspect that is a part of it. Knowing this i wanted to know what she believes prom is like. She told me prom is when the girl dresses up like CINDERELLA and goes to the dance with a guy. I asked what she thought the role of the guy was compared to the role of the women, to which she said that she thinks the prom is mainly for girls, a moment for them to pretend that they are the most important person in the world and the guy is just their to support that fantasy.
All three interviews revealed that the dominant social practice abProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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t prom is very widely known, even people who didnt grow up learning about it found out someway. With all these stories about cinderella and being a princess the males role is really overshadowed. When interviewing my cousin the person who had been to prom before she said something about going to prom is like being a princess at parties back when you were a kid. I found that the most insightful in questioning the true purpose of prom but i also enjoyed the comment my mother made about how prom is a night where the girl can fantasies that she is the most important girl in the world, which i think for those who do prom in the DSP way may be true.
Monday, May 23, 2011
HW 57 - Initial Thoughts on Prom
Being a junior in high school i am starting to think a bit about prom.the big questions that come to mind for me is who am i going to take? Which thinking about it is a little strange. Why is the first thing i think of when thinking about prom is my date? Does this ritual emphasize promoting my sexual dominance over other guys or is it just me following ritualistic script without any sort of other meaning. Prom promotes social success. Only the cool kids have dates, the most popular students become prom king and queen and for that moment the not so popular kids are outcasted the furthest being excluded from the most "memorable transformation" of their lives (it obviously all depends on where you go).
I have had my own experience with prom in middle school. I couldn't afford a limo but i did have a date, and at that moment being able to have my own date and get her flowers and take her through the door while all the others kids watched me felt amazing. I know they say that the girls crave the attention from the crowd of other kids but i wanted some too. i was with a pretty girl in a nice suit and everyone noticed that. It promoted my social standing and boosted myself esteem which i think really helped make the night more enjoyable. Being a male, prom isn't focused on making me feel special (mostly the girl), its their time to shine, to wear the expensive dress and show off how pretty they look. But is this fair to the guy who does play a significant yet undermined role in the prom experience.
Questions:
I have had my own experience with prom in middle school. I couldn't afford a limo but i did have a date, and at that moment being able to have my own date and get her flowers and take her through the door while all the others kids watched me felt amazing. I know they say that the girls crave the attention from the crowd of other kids but i wanted some too. i was with a pretty girl in a nice suit and everyone noticed that. It promoted my social standing and boosted myself esteem which i think really helped make the night more enjoyable. Being a male, prom isn't focused on making me feel special (mostly the girl), its their time to shine, to wear the expensive dress and show off how pretty they look. But is this fair to the guy who does play a significant yet undermined role in the prom experience.
Questions:
- Does prom promote social success?
- Does going with a date allow the male to feel more sexually dominant?
- Is this feeling of being special only apply to the girl?
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
HW 56 - Culminating Project Comments
To Arden: http://gardenwithouttheg.blogspot.com/2011/05/project-right-way-to-death.html
Arden, I felt that your project really took a look at the spiritual aspect of caring for the dead. The fact that your grandmother is already planning her death is not something to common but when it happens it is commendable. I feel that it personally takes a lot of courage to be able to accept your mortality and then face it head on. One line specifically stood out to me. "This plan of action has been in place for about 8 years now. This was a decision that was made as a result of her brother’s death. That experience was so emotionally challenging that my grandma did not want anyone in our family going through it when she died. " These lines showed that death does not only bring about negative effects but can also positively affect you. The fact that your grandma's brother’s death affected her in such a way that she was able to go out and change an aspect of her life for the better is really exciting and inspiring.
To Ariel: http://ariib17.blogspot.com/2011/05/hw-culminating-project-care-of-dead.html
Arden, I felt that your project really took a look at the spiritual aspect of caring for the dead. The fact that your grandmother is already planning her death is not something to common but when it happens it is commendable. I feel that it personally takes a lot of courage to be able to accept your mortality and then face it head on. One line specifically stood out to me. "This plan of action has been in place for about 8 years now. This was a decision that was made as a result of her brother’s death. That experience was so emotionally challenging that my grandma did not want anyone in our family going through it when she died. " These lines showed that death does not only bring about negative effects but can also positively affect you. The fact that your grandma's brother’s death affected her in such a way that she was able to go out and change an aspect of her life for the better is really exciting and inspiring.
To Ariel: http://ariib17.blogspot.com/2011/05/hw-culminating-project-care-of-dead.html
I thought your project was hilarious. not only were the images funny but they also made the text more fun to read. Your thoughts on cremation where exciting to read. there is one line however at the begging where you said "In my point of view, I do not think someone's death should keep you from doing what you normally do. I know that if Proxy-Connection: keep-alive
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died instead of having people cry i want them to be happy for me. They should be happy for the memories we shared and because I got to accomplish a wonderful life." i personally think that this is a very common view. An idea could have been for you to expand on to a deeper level of thinking that is something oProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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er than the dominant cultural view.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Mentor-
It’s interesting to me that in Islam there is so much emphasis placed on the washing of the body when it is acknowledged that the body will then be put somewhere unclean (ie in the ground). If the body is to be purified, then why can’t the Qur’an be buried with the body once it has been purified?
My prevailing thought is about how similar it all is. It seems like there is more in common among the three “great” monotheistic traditions that we acknowledge. If that is true, then we should be able to create more or better understanding among ourselves and each other. Particularly, it seems to me that there are close ties between Islam and Judaism, for example in the emphasis on the physical nature of the dead body between death and burial.
You might examine the concept of “dominant social practice” a bit more because I think it is circular. For example, you say that Muslims will attend to the dead in the way of the dominant social practice. But why is the dominant social practice the way that it is? So many times these things are influenced by religion itself. When you consider that a vast majority of Muslims live in countries that are predominantly Muslim, you will see that the dominant social practice in a place like Turkey, for example, is the way it is because of Islam. So it may be circular to say that Muslims follow the dominant social practice because that practice itself exists because of Islam. I hope I explained that well enough.
Nice writing, Mr Shadi.
T
Protege (steven):
The comparisons you made throughout these three religions based on a single topic (Care of the Dead) was very thought provoking. It got me thinking about other religions (or the lack of one) such as Buddhism, or Atheism. This is an interesting subject because it has such a big variety. There are many different branches of religions and branches of religions off of those branches. Although each "branch of religion" may have similar or the same ways, many may not. This can be something you can do to further deepen your study. (As well as adding on more religions).
The various paragraphs you wrote including Hinduism, Judaism, christianity and catholcism were very informative because you gave an outline of what goes on in each religion and zoomed in on more significant details of each religions. You also had an excellent conclusion to tie all of your ideas back together.
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died instead of having people cry i want them to be happy for me. They should be happy for the memories we shared and because I got to accomplish a wonderful life." i personally think that this is a very common view. An idea could have been for you to expand on to a deeper level of thinking that is something oProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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er than the dominant cultural view.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Mentor-
It’s interesting to me that in Islam there is so much emphasis placed on the washing of the body when it is acknowledged that the body will then be put somewhere unclean (ie in the ground). If the body is to be purified, then why can’t the Qur’an be buried with the body once it has been purified?
My prevailing thought is about how similar it all is. It seems like there is more in common among the three “great” monotheistic traditions that we acknowledge. If that is true, then we should be able to create more or better understanding among ourselves and each other. Particularly, it seems to me that there are close ties between Islam and Judaism, for example in the emphasis on the physical nature of the dead body between death and burial.
You might examine the concept of “dominant social practice” a bit more because I think it is circular. For example, you say that Muslims will attend to the dead in the way of the dominant social practice. But why is the dominant social practice the way that it is? So many times these things are influenced by religion itself. When you consider that a vast majority of Muslims live in countries that are predominantly Muslim, you will see that the dominant social practice in a place like Turkey, for example, is the way it is because of Islam. So it may be circular to say that Muslims follow the dominant social practice because that practice itself exists because of Islam. I hope I explained that well enough.
Nice writing, Mr Shadi.
T
Protege (steven):
The comparisons you made throughout these three religions based on a single topic (Care of the Dead) was very thought provoking. It got me thinking about other religions (or the lack of one) such as Buddhism, or Atheism. This is an interesting subject because it has such a big variety. There are many different branches of religions and branches of religions off of those branches. Although each "branch of religion" may have similar or the same ways, many may not. This can be something you can do to further deepen your study. (As well as adding on more religions).
The various paragraphs you wrote including Hinduism, Judaism, christianity and catholcism were very informative because you gave an outline of what goes on in each religion and zoomed in on more significant details of each religions. You also had an excellent conclusion to tie all of your ideas back together.
Monday, May 16, 2011
HW 55 - Culminating Project - Care of the Dead
How do different religions have an affect on the rituals we perform when caring for the dead and how are they similar or different to each other?
Religion like other forms of guidance is a way to direct your life, but what happens when your life ends; how does religion play a role in the way you are cared for when you die? In Islam the rituals preformed are very similar to that of the dominant social practices, in Christianity the Church of England and the Catholic Church have views that are similar to Islam, in which they bury their dead using religious rituals, and in Judaism there is a ritualistic process in which the family prepares the dead for their funeral. They all have common themes when it comes to what type of ritualistic process they undergo when caring for their dead and all seem to incorporate their own specific beliefs, but then why do three different religions with three different beliefs have such similar practices.
In Islam rituals are preformed which seem similar to that of the dominant social practice. The loved ones bury the body in a cemetery with others (friends and distant family) attending a ceremony. It is traditionally considered haram (not permissible) to leave the deceased with a Qur’an or any sort of other materials as it is considered a waste of money because of the fact that it benefits nobody and throwing dirt on objects like the Qur’an (as you would do when burying a body) is a definite no, it is considered a large insult to Allah. Death, according to the Qur'an, is not the end of man's life; it only opens the door to another, a higher form of life: " We have ordained death among you and We are not to be overcome, that We may change your state and make you grow into what you know not." Qur'an 56: 60 - 61. Interviewing an imam, I discovered that although caring for the dead is basically the same as the dominant social practice. The ritual of caring for the dead is much different simply because of the religious aspect. A big aspect of this ritual is this idea of paradise (heaven) vs. hell. According to the imam, the point of life is to do enough good to reach paradise in the after-life. He specifically said that "Those who are blessed with nearness (to AlProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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h) in gardens of bliss. They will be sitting on thrones woven with gold reclining on them facing each other. They will be served in rounds by Immortal boys with bowls and jugs and a goblet of pure wine. Which will neither cause them to suffer headache, nor will they be intoxicated. They will be given fruits of their choice and the meat of birds that they desire. And for them there will be women having lovely big eyes all neat and clean like a hidden pearl as a reward for what they used to do (from good) in their worldly life." he clearly says that you will be rewarded for doing well in your worldly life and that if you don't you will be sent to hell. Learning about the Islamic perspective on care of the dead I realized that it is what people would consider a "normal funeral".
An Islamic Funeral usually follows this format: First, Washing the body- A male's body is to be washed by a male. A female's body should be washed by a female. A minor's body can be washed by either a man or a woman A husband can wash his wife's body and vice versa. To wash the body you must place the body on the washing table. Keeping the sexual organs of the body covered. Gently but firmly press the stomach and clean out by a towel or cloth any excertions that may have resulted by stomach pressing. The body is now ready for washing. Body should be washed with your hands or a piece of clean cloth. Use clean and warm water to wash the body. The body is to be washed three times, five times or seven times-always an odd number of times. For each washing, first place the body on its left and wash the right side using warm water and soap. Then reverse and do the other side. Male's hair should be unbraided, washed and combed. Female's hair should be gathered into two braids, with loose hair at end of each braid (kind of reminds me of how my sister would braid her hair when she was younger, reminds me of innocence). Now perform wudu (abultion) for the body. Second, there is Wrapping the body (kafan): For men, three pieces of clean, cotton preferably white cloth should be used. Each piece of cloth should be large enough to cover the entire body. For women five pieces of cloth are used. Apply non-alcoholic perfume to the kafan. Use a piece of cloth and tie the top and bottom. Third, is the Janazah prayer which is said standing only. Like any other prayer, this prayer is offered facing Qibla. Form at least three rows where the body of the deceased should be kept in front of the Imam. The Imam stands approximately by the center of the body if the deceased is a male, and by the shoulder if the deceased is a female. Fourth, is the funeral: When not carrying the casket, one should walk in front or beside it. One should either be silent or still praying or doing Zikr; recite Surah Fatiha and Surah Ikhlas. No music or outburst of emotion is allowed. When you enter the cemetery, you should recite: “Assalam alaikum yaa ahlil kuboor” (Peace be upon you O people of the graves). Fifth (and last) is Burial: A grave should consist of two parts. Lower part is smaller than the upper part. Both parts of the grave, should however, be spacious and uniformly excavated and dug to a depth of at least five feet. The body of the deceased should be slowly and gently put on the ground of the lower part of the grave. The face of the deceased should be toward the qibla. The deceased's head should be raised a little from the ground by using a hard object like stone or a brick or hard soil, but under no conditions any foreign object including a pillow should be put in the grave. Now make a roof on the lower part of the grave by using a large stone or laying bricks side by side or a very hard wood slab. Everyone accompanying the Janazah should pour three handful of soil on the roof of the grave. The remaining part of the grave should then be filled up with soil. Again all present should contribute at least three handful of soil to finally complete the grave. The grave can be raised above the ground so that it is not more than a foot above it.
In Christianity it is believed that when someone dies, they are judged by god. The righteous go to Heaven and the sinners go to Hell. Christians believe that Hell is the absence of gods love. In the Bible it says “ They shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified by his saints.” 2 Thessalonians 1:9-10 (“they” meaning the sinners). When a Christian dies, it is the end of their life on earth. If someone is on their deathbed, a minister will prepare them for death (usually after a long period of illness). When the minister is in the room prayers of preparation and reconciliation are said. Family and friends can participate in the Prayer. The funeral is held about a week after death. It can either take place in a church or at a crematorium. This rituals usually takes this form: First, The Gathering: the priest will open the service with this reading from the scriptures: “I am the resurrection and the life,' saith the Lord; 'he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. I know that my Redeemer liveth...” Book of Common Prayer 1979. Second, Readings and sermon: a section of the Bible is read out. It is often Psalm (A sacred song or hymn, in particular any of those contained in the biblical Book of Psalms and used in Christian and Jewish worship) 23, 'The Lord is my Shepherd'. Third, Personal readings: The priest will talk about the person who has died, reflecting on the person's life and their role in the Christian church. A family member or friend may wish to read out a poem or a passage from the Bible (similar to that in a wedding). Fourth, Prayers: prayers of thanksgiving, penitence and readiness for death are said, which is the congregation’s way of saying good-bye almost. Fifth, Reflection: Silent time for reflection. The congregation is given a minute to reflect on the deceased. Sixth, Commendation and farewell: The priest speaks these words: "Let us commend (insert name here) to the mercy of God, our maker and redeemer." The priest then reads a prayer of entrusting and commending. And seventh, the committal: this is probably the most formal and serious section of the service. At a burial, this is when the coffin is lowered into the grave. At a cremation, the curtains are closed around the coffin. A common phrase that is said is, "We therefore commit their body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life."
In the Catholic Church the rituals are slightly different. The Catholic Church defines a funeral as “A liturgical celebration of the Church. The ministry of the Church in this instance aims at expressing efficacious communion with the deceased, at the participation in that communion of the community gathered for the funeral, and at the proclamation of eternal life to the community.” Catholics believe in Heaven and Hell, but also in Purgatory. This is a place for those who have died in a 'state of grace' (that is, they have committed 'venial' or forgivable sins) and may not go straight to Heaven. Catholic funerals usually follow this form: First, The Vigil for the Deceased: this is a service of prayers before the day of the funeral. , songs and homilies either at the home of the deceased or in church. Second, Introductory rites: the priest greets the congregation and says: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." He leads the coffin and congregation down the church aisle. Holy water is sprinkled and there is an opening song and prayer. Third, Liturgy of the Word: sermons from the Bible are read out, as well as a homily (a practical rather than theological sermon) and a Psalm. Fourth, Liturgy of the Eucharist: Gifts are prepared, a Eucharist prayer is said and Holy Communion is received. Fifth, Final commendation: Mass ends, prayers are said and the coffin is taken out of the church. And Sixth, Rite of Committal: prayers are said by the final resting place (at the graveside for burial and before the curtains close for cremation).
In Judaism the family of the deceased should consult a Rabbi when death occurs. Judaism requires that burial take place as soon as possible, preferably within 24 hours of death (can be delayed if necessary) and is considered inappropriate to make arrangements on Shabbat itself. Attending to the body it is required that the deceased not be left alone prior to burial. It is preferable that shomrim (guardian) be members of the family, friends of the deceased, or members of the congregation. Tehillim (Psalms) are recited by the shomrim. Before burial organ donation is encouraged, as it is a way to respect the dead by providing for the living, embalming (and the use of cosmetics) however is not permitted. Taharah also known as ritual cleansing is required as an expression of respect and should be done by a Hevra Kadish (holy society) or a Jewish funeral director. It is also required that the dead where a white shroud to represent equality in everyone, and the casket should be made entirely of wood so not to disturbed the process of becoming part of the earth once again. A traditional Jewish funeral usually follows this form: First, Services - Funeral services may be held in the synagogue, in a funeral home, or at the gravesite. The funeral service is usually brief and simple. It usually includes the chanting of psalms and Eyl Malei Rahamim (the traditional memorial prayer), and a hesped (eulogy) honoring the deceased. Often the Cantor chants the psalms and Eyl Malei Rahamim. Second, The Viewing which done either publicly or privately is contrary to Jewish tradition. Third, at a funeral, the casket may be covered with a specially prepared cloth, called a pall, and is borne from the funeral service to the gravesite by family or friends (pallbearers) selected by the mourners. Fourth, The pallbearers customarily stop seven times while carrying the casket to the grave. The mourners, family and friends follow the casket as a mark of respect. Fifth, in traditional practice, the casket is lowered into the earth and the grave filled, using a reversed shovel until a mound is formed over the casket. The Kaddish is recited at the grave after k'vurah is completed. There are different customs or variations and the Rabbi should be consulted. And sixth, it is customary for the mourners to pass between two rows of people in attendance to receive traditional expressions of consolation. After burial, washing one’s hands when leaving the cemetery or before entering the house of mourning is also traditional.
All of these Religions bare a striking resemblance to each other and to what we think of as the dominant social practice. They all basically follow the same format when it comes to ritualistically caring for their dead. Although they may have different beliefs and social customs they seem to have very similar rituals when it comes to caring for their dead. All of these religions have some way of preparing their dead whether it is putting a shroud over the casket or praying before they are lowered into the ground and although these preparations are different they seem to be for the same purpose which is a basic burial of the dead body and also have a this idea of allowing the dead body to become part of the earth again. Reviewing this I realized that they all have something else in common which is the emphasis they put on the way the loved ones of the dead person should act before (preparation), during (the ritual) and after (mourning) the funeral which begs the question why is the physical aspect of the dead body so important, don’t we have these rituals set up so that we can get rid of the physical and move towards the spiritual?
Bibliography
• "BBC Religions." BBC. BBC, 6-23-2009. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/ritesrituals/funerals.shtml>.
• "Guide to Jewish Funeral Practice." USCJ.org. nited Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.uscj.org/guide_to_jewish_fune6211.html>.
• "A Guide for the Muslim Funeral." ISNA.net. Islamic Society of North America, n.d. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.isna.net/Services/pages/A-Guide-for-the-Muslim-Funeral.aspx>.
• "Question and answers on Burial and Funeral." ISNA.net. Islamic Society of North America, n.d. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.isna.net/Services/pages/FAQ-on-Burial-and-Funeral.aspx>.
Religion like other forms of guidance is a way to direct your life, but what happens when your life ends; how does religion play a role in the way you are cared for when you die? In Islam the rituals preformed are very similar to that of the dominant social practices, in Christianity the Church of England and the Catholic Church have views that are similar to Islam, in which they bury their dead using religious rituals, and in Judaism there is a ritualistic process in which the family prepares the dead for their funeral. They all have common themes when it comes to what type of ritualistic process they undergo when caring for their dead and all seem to incorporate their own specific beliefs, but then why do three different religions with three different beliefs have such similar practices.
In Islam rituals are preformed which seem similar to that of the dominant social practice. The loved ones bury the body in a cemetery with others (friends and distant family) attending a ceremony. It is traditionally considered haram (not permissible) to leave the deceased with a Qur’an or any sort of other materials as it is considered a waste of money because of the fact that it benefits nobody and throwing dirt on objects like the Qur’an (as you would do when burying a body) is a definite no, it is considered a large insult to Allah. Death, according to the Qur'an, is not the end of man's life; it only opens the door to another, a higher form of life: " We have ordained death among you and We are not to be overcome, that We may change your state and make you grow into what you know not." Qur'an 56: 60 - 61. Interviewing an imam, I discovered that although caring for the dead is basically the same as the dominant social practice. The ritual of caring for the dead is much different simply because of the religious aspect. A big aspect of this ritual is this idea of paradise (heaven) vs. hell. According to the imam, the point of life is to do enough good to reach paradise in the after-life. He specifically said that "Those who are blessed with nearness (to AlProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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h) in gardens of bliss. They will be sitting on thrones woven with gold reclining on them facing each other. They will be served in rounds by Immortal boys with bowls and jugs and a goblet of pure wine. Which will neither cause them to suffer headache, nor will they be intoxicated. They will be given fruits of their choice and the meat of birds that they desire. And for them there will be women having lovely big eyes all neat and clean like a hidden pearl as a reward for what they used to do (from good) in their worldly life." he clearly says that you will be rewarded for doing well in your worldly life and that if you don't you will be sent to hell. Learning about the Islamic perspective on care of the dead I realized that it is what people would consider a "normal funeral".
An Islamic Funeral usually follows this format: First, Washing the body- A male's body is to be washed by a male. A female's body should be washed by a female. A minor's body can be washed by either a man or a woman A husband can wash his wife's body and vice versa. To wash the body you must place the body on the washing table. Keeping the sexual organs of the body covered. Gently but firmly press the stomach and clean out by a towel or cloth any excertions that may have resulted by stomach pressing. The body is now ready for washing. Body should be washed with your hands or a piece of clean cloth. Use clean and warm water to wash the body. The body is to be washed three times, five times or seven times-always an odd number of times. For each washing, first place the body on its left and wash the right side using warm water and soap. Then reverse and do the other side. Male's hair should be unbraided, washed and combed. Female's hair should be gathered into two braids, with loose hair at end of each braid (kind of reminds me of how my sister would braid her hair when she was younger, reminds me of innocence). Now perform wudu (abultion) for the body. Second, there is Wrapping the body (kafan): For men, three pieces of clean, cotton preferably white cloth should be used. Each piece of cloth should be large enough to cover the entire body. For women five pieces of cloth are used. Apply non-alcoholic perfume to the kafan. Use a piece of cloth and tie the top and bottom. Third, is the Janazah prayer which is said standing only. Like any other prayer, this prayer is offered facing Qibla. Form at least three rows where the body of the deceased should be kept in front of the Imam. The Imam stands approximately by the center of the body if the deceased is a male, and by the shoulder if the deceased is a female. Fourth, is the funeral: When not carrying the casket, one should walk in front or beside it. One should either be silent or still praying or doing Zikr; recite Surah Fatiha and Surah Ikhlas. No music or outburst of emotion is allowed. When you enter the cemetery, you should recite: “Assalam alaikum yaa ahlil kuboor” (Peace be upon you O people of the graves). Fifth (and last) is Burial: A grave should consist of two parts. Lower part is smaller than the upper part. Both parts of the grave, should however, be spacious and uniformly excavated and dug to a depth of at least five feet. The body of the deceased should be slowly and gently put on the ground of the lower part of the grave. The face of the deceased should be toward the qibla. The deceased's head should be raised a little from the ground by using a hard object like stone or a brick or hard soil, but under no conditions any foreign object including a pillow should be put in the grave. Now make a roof on the lower part of the grave by using a large stone or laying bricks side by side or a very hard wood slab. Everyone accompanying the Janazah should pour three handful of soil on the roof of the grave. The remaining part of the grave should then be filled up with soil. Again all present should contribute at least three handful of soil to finally complete the grave. The grave can be raised above the ground so that it is not more than a foot above it.
In Christianity it is believed that when someone dies, they are judged by god. The righteous go to Heaven and the sinners go to Hell. Christians believe that Hell is the absence of gods love. In the Bible it says “ They shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified by his saints.” 2 Thessalonians 1:9-10 (“they” meaning the sinners). When a Christian dies, it is the end of their life on earth. If someone is on their deathbed, a minister will prepare them for death (usually after a long period of illness). When the minister is in the room prayers of preparation and reconciliation are said. Family and friends can participate in the Prayer. The funeral is held about a week after death. It can either take place in a church or at a crematorium. This rituals usually takes this form: First, The Gathering: the priest will open the service with this reading from the scriptures: “I am the resurrection and the life,' saith the Lord; 'he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. I know that my Redeemer liveth...” Book of Common Prayer 1979. Second, Readings and sermon: a section of the Bible is read out. It is often Psalm (A sacred song or hymn, in particular any of those contained in the biblical Book of Psalms and used in Christian and Jewish worship) 23, 'The Lord is my Shepherd'. Third, Personal readings: The priest will talk about the person who has died, reflecting on the person's life and their role in the Christian church. A family member or friend may wish to read out a poem or a passage from the Bible (similar to that in a wedding). Fourth, Prayers: prayers of thanksgiving, penitence and readiness for death are said, which is the congregation’s way of saying good-bye almost. Fifth, Reflection: Silent time for reflection. The congregation is given a minute to reflect on the deceased. Sixth, Commendation and farewell: The priest speaks these words: "Let us commend (insert name here) to the mercy of God, our maker and redeemer." The priest then reads a prayer of entrusting and commending. And seventh, the committal: this is probably the most formal and serious section of the service. At a burial, this is when the coffin is lowered into the grave. At a cremation, the curtains are closed around the coffin. A common phrase that is said is, "We therefore commit their body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life."
In the Catholic Church the rituals are slightly different. The Catholic Church defines a funeral as “A liturgical celebration of the Church. The ministry of the Church in this instance aims at expressing efficacious communion with the deceased, at the participation in that communion of the community gathered for the funeral, and at the proclamation of eternal life to the community.” Catholics believe in Heaven and Hell, but also in Purgatory. This is a place for those who have died in a 'state of grace' (that is, they have committed 'venial' or forgivable sins) and may not go straight to Heaven. Catholic funerals usually follow this form: First, The Vigil for the Deceased: this is a service of prayers before the day of the funeral. , songs and homilies either at the home of the deceased or in church. Second, Introductory rites: the priest greets the congregation and says: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." He leads the coffin and congregation down the church aisle. Holy water is sprinkled and there is an opening song and prayer. Third, Liturgy of the Word: sermons from the Bible are read out, as well as a homily (a practical rather than theological sermon) and a Psalm. Fourth, Liturgy of the Eucharist: Gifts are prepared, a Eucharist prayer is said and Holy Communion is received. Fifth, Final commendation: Mass ends, prayers are said and the coffin is taken out of the church. And Sixth, Rite of Committal: prayers are said by the final resting place (at the graveside for burial and before the curtains close for cremation).
In Judaism the family of the deceased should consult a Rabbi when death occurs. Judaism requires that burial take place as soon as possible, preferably within 24 hours of death (can be delayed if necessary) and is considered inappropriate to make arrangements on Shabbat itself. Attending to the body it is required that the deceased not be left alone prior to burial. It is preferable that shomrim (guardian) be members of the family, friends of the deceased, or members of the congregation. Tehillim (Psalms) are recited by the shomrim. Before burial organ donation is encouraged, as it is a way to respect the dead by providing for the living, embalming (and the use of cosmetics) however is not permitted. Taharah also known as ritual cleansing is required as an expression of respect and should be done by a Hevra Kadish (holy society) or a Jewish funeral director. It is also required that the dead where a white shroud to represent equality in everyone, and the casket should be made entirely of wood so not to disturbed the process of becoming part of the earth once again. A traditional Jewish funeral usually follows this form: First, Services - Funeral services may be held in the synagogue, in a funeral home, or at the gravesite. The funeral service is usually brief and simple. It usually includes the chanting of psalms and Eyl Malei Rahamim (the traditional memorial prayer), and a hesped (eulogy) honoring the deceased. Often the Cantor chants the psalms and Eyl Malei Rahamim. Second, The Viewing which done either publicly or privately is contrary to Jewish tradition. Third, at a funeral, the casket may be covered with a specially prepared cloth, called a pall, and is borne from the funeral service to the gravesite by family or friends (pallbearers) selected by the mourners. Fourth, The pallbearers customarily stop seven times while carrying the casket to the grave. The mourners, family and friends follow the casket as a mark of respect. Fifth, in traditional practice, the casket is lowered into the earth and the grave filled, using a reversed shovel until a mound is formed over the casket. The Kaddish is recited at the grave after k'vurah is completed. There are different customs or variations and the Rabbi should be consulted. And sixth, it is customary for the mourners to pass between two rows of people in attendance to receive traditional expressions of consolation. After burial, washing one’s hands when leaving the cemetery or before entering the house of mourning is also traditional.
All of these Religions bare a striking resemblance to each other and to what we think of as the dominant social practice. They all basically follow the same format when it comes to ritualistically caring for their dead. Although they may have different beliefs and social customs they seem to have very similar rituals when it comes to caring for their dead. All of these religions have some way of preparing their dead whether it is putting a shroud over the casket or praying before they are lowered into the ground and although these preparations are different they seem to be for the same purpose which is a basic burial of the dead body and also have a this idea of allowing the dead body to become part of the earth again. Reviewing this I realized that they all have something else in common which is the emphasis they put on the way the loved ones of the dead person should act before (preparation), during (the ritual) and after (mourning) the funeral which begs the question why is the physical aspect of the dead body so important, don’t we have these rituals set up so that we can get rid of the physical and move towards the spiritual?
Bibliography
• "BBC Religions." BBC. BBC, 6-23-2009. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/ritesrituals/funerals.shtml>.
• "Guide to Jewish Funeral Practice." USCJ.org. nited Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.uscj.org/guide_to_jewish_fune6211.html>.
• "A Guide for the Muslim Funeral." ISNA.net. Islamic Society of North America, n.d. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.isna.net/Services/pages/A-Guide-for-the-Muslim-Funeral.aspx>.
• "Question and answers on Burial and Funeral." ISNA.net. Islamic Society of North America, n.d. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.isna.net/Services/pages/FAQ-on-Burial-and-Funeral.aspx>.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
xc - COTD2
This film tells the story of Harold, a young man obsessed with death and haunted by answerless questions that is until he meets Maude, an eighty-year-old extroverted woman that is obsessed with life and its avails. Although, Maude does not answer all of Harold's questions she leads him to realize that there is a light at the end of everyone's tunnel. Although these two are polar opposites they obviously help each other in many ways in the film. Maude introduces Harold to her way of life and liberates him from the self-imposed prison and loveless life he has been stuck in for so long.
Harold was born an only child who was raised by a single mom. His mom seeks control of all aspects of his life as most mothers do and shows virtually no emotion at all. She wants him to fit in with society and abide by the dominant social norms. She gives him no chance to think for himself as she speaks for him in almost every situation whether its filling out a dating form or talking to dates for him when they come to visit. She serves as a wall to remind Harold of his past and to constantly remind him that he has nothing else but her, which may be why he is so obsessed with death. He performs various suicides much to the displeasure of his mother. Maude played a better role model to him than his mother. She acted wild and crazy and continually demonstrated freedom, something Harold wasn't familiar with.
Funerals serve as a way for Harold to be closer to his obsession with death which spawns from his obsession for some sort of emotional connection with his mother, however as Maude becomes a part of Harold’s life his obsession with death becomes more of an expression of affection to Maude as in one part of the movie where he drives his car over a cliff, but in reality, he is not in it when it plunges to the ground. He walks away, playing his banjo and dancing, which are things that Maude had taught him. By driving his car over the cliff to make people think he has “died” again, Harold will be happier since he enjoys being “dead,” but the banjo and his dancing are symbols of the effects of his relationship with Maude. She shares many of her ideas and beliefs with Harold before she commits suicide, teaching him to dance, play the banjo, enjoy his life more and really live life to thProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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fullest. She claims that by “aiming above morality” he can live his life better, and tells Harold that he should do things he enjoys and not be a part of societies restricting social norms. Maude committing suicide signifies that she feels she has done her part in helping Harold be a happier person and has succeeded in teaching him how to love and enjoy life, which are specific qualities he never had before their encounter and most likely would have never had without her. She allows him to understand this by later telling him to go and love some more.
ver had without her.She allows him to understand this by later telling him to go and love some more.
Harold was born an only child who was raised by a single mom. His mom seeks control of all aspects of his life as most mothers do and shows virtually no emotion at all. She wants him to fit in with society and abide by the dominant social norms. She gives him no chance to think for himself as she speaks for him in almost every situation whether its filling out a dating form or talking to dates for him when they come to visit. She serves as a wall to remind Harold of his past and to constantly remind him that he has nothing else but her, which may be why he is so obsessed with death. He performs various suicides much to the displeasure of his mother. Maude played a better role model to him than his mother. She acted wild and crazy and continually demonstrated freedom, something Harold wasn't familiar with.
Funerals serve as a way for Harold to be closer to his obsession with death which spawns from his obsession for some sort of emotional connection with his mother, however as Maude becomes a part of Harold’s life his obsession with death becomes more of an expression of affection to Maude as in one part of the movie where he drives his car over a cliff, but in reality, he is not in it when it plunges to the ground. He walks away, playing his banjo and dancing, which are things that Maude had taught him. By driving his car over the cliff to make people think he has “died” again, Harold will be happier since he enjoys being “dead,” but the banjo and his dancing are symbols of the effects of his relationship with Maude. She shares many of her ideas and beliefs with Harold before she commits suicide, teaching him to dance, play the banjo, enjoy his life more and really live life to thProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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fullest. She claims that by “aiming above morality” he can live his life better, and tells Harold that he should do things he enjoys and not be a part of societies restricting social norms. Maude committing suicide signifies that she feels she has done her part in helping Harold be a happier person and has succeeded in teaching him how to love and enjoy life, which are specific qualities he never had before their encounter and most likely would have never had without her. She allows him to understand this by later telling him to go and love some more.
ver had without her.She allows him to understand this by later telling him to go and love some more.
xc-COTD5
* "Six Feet Under (pilot)." Six Feet Under. HBO: 3 June, 2001. Television. 15 May 2011.
Six feet under is a demented dark comedy based around a family of undertakers with an almost sick view on the life. The pilot starts off with three siblings discovering the news that their father died in a car accident. Son, Nate who works for an organic food co-op in Seattle must come home and deal with his demented family, his brother David who is a closet homosexual who has been seeing a police officer, his mother Ruth who has to face that she has been having an affair with a hairdresser, and his sister Claire who is your average rebellious high-schooler.
This first episode gives you a look at HBO's interpretation of how this out of the ordinary family deals with the after effects of their father's death. It shows that even those surrounded by death, these people we call experts are not immune to deaths many turmoil’s.
* "The Will." Six Feet Under. HBO: 10 June, 2001. Television. 15 May 2011.
In episode 2 the inventor of a franchise dies leaving his widow and daughter in an ocean of debt and no money for a proper funeral, hearing this Nate offers them a solution which is to rent a impressive casket just for the viewing then cremate the body afterwards, which is perfect accept for that fact that by law you can not sell back a used casket. Later at the reading of Mr. Fishers will, Ruth receives stocks, cash and insurance money while the funeral business is split between David and Nate (leaving David humiliated), and Claire gets a college fund which she considers trading in for cash.
This second episode explores the dealing of the death of a family member, from settling affairs to properly dealing with the will. It sheds some light on how we as humans tend to process our emotions when it comes to this topic.
* "The Foot." Six Feet Under. HBO: 17 June, 2001. Television. 15 May 2011.
In episode 3 a bakery owner suffers a tragic death, which then Federico (a partner in the fisher funeral business) has to take care of. The fisher's consider selling the business to Kroehner but decide agaProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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st it when they meet with gilardi, to which they respond with purchasing the building across the street and turning it into a cheap crematorium but not before it suspiciously burns to the ground.
The third episode drifts away from the other two episodes exploring more of this concept of giving up. Then explores how this family can rise up from their tragedy (in a way) and learn to almost move past it.
Six Feet under is a dark, dramatic, (almost) comedy. It explores the emotional rollercoaster that is care of the dead. It shows that the people we call experts, who have associated and in some cases pride themselves on being able to handle death in a professional manner with no emotional instabilities are still subject to the emotional stress that comes with dealing with the death of a loved one and in this case the loss of direction regarding their lives.
This show challenges the dominant social practice when it comes to their way of grieving for a loved one but consolidates the way that we attempt to deal with everyday problems. Six Feet under shows that we are never prepared for other peoples deaths, no matter how much we surround ourselves with it we can never really fully be contempt with it. Our dominant social practices all explore this idea of grievance that the characters in the show all experience, granted that some do it differently than others they all do it. This show did however challenge the idea of being able to move past this experience. Each episode is centered around death and therefore it is almost like saying it is really impossible for this family to escape death, something that a majority of other people who aren’t surrounded by death can do very easily compared to these characters.
Six feet under is a demented dark comedy based around a family of undertakers with an almost sick view on the life. The pilot starts off with three siblings discovering the news that their father died in a car accident. Son, Nate who works for an organic food co-op in Seattle must come home and deal with his demented family, his brother David who is a closet homosexual who has been seeing a police officer, his mother Ruth who has to face that she has been having an affair with a hairdresser, and his sister Claire who is your average rebellious high-schooler.
This first episode gives you a look at HBO's interpretation of how this out of the ordinary family deals with the after effects of their father's death. It shows that even those surrounded by death, these people we call experts are not immune to deaths many turmoil’s.
* "The Will." Six Feet Under. HBO: 10 June, 2001. Television. 15 May 2011.
In episode 2 the inventor of a franchise dies leaving his widow and daughter in an ocean of debt and no money for a proper funeral, hearing this Nate offers them a solution which is to rent a impressive casket just for the viewing then cremate the body afterwards, which is perfect accept for that fact that by law you can not sell back a used casket. Later at the reading of Mr. Fishers will, Ruth receives stocks, cash and insurance money while the funeral business is split between David and Nate (leaving David humiliated), and Claire gets a college fund which she considers trading in for cash.
This second episode explores the dealing of the death of a family member, from settling affairs to properly dealing with the will. It sheds some light on how we as humans tend to process our emotions when it comes to this topic.
* "The Foot." Six Feet Under. HBO: 17 June, 2001. Television. 15 May 2011.
In episode 3 a bakery owner suffers a tragic death, which then Federico (a partner in the fisher funeral business) has to take care of. The fisher's consider selling the business to Kroehner but decide agaProxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0
st it when they meet with gilardi, to which they respond with purchasing the building across the street and turning it into a cheap crematorium but not before it suspiciously burns to the ground.
The third episode drifts away from the other two episodes exploring more of this concept of giving up. Then explores how this family can rise up from their tragedy (in a way) and learn to almost move past it.
Six Feet under is a dark, dramatic, (almost) comedy. It explores the emotional rollercoaster that is care of the dead. It shows that the people we call experts, who have associated and in some cases pride themselves on being able to handle death in a professional manner with no emotional instabilities are still subject to the emotional stress that comes with dealing with the death of a loved one and in this case the loss of direction regarding their lives.
This show challenges the dominant social practice when it comes to their way of grieving for a loved one but consolidates the way that we attempt to deal with everyday problems. Six Feet under shows that we are never prepared for other peoples deaths, no matter how much we surround ourselves with it we can never really fully be contempt with it. Our dominant social practices all explore this idea of grievance that the characters in the show all experience, granted that some do it differently than others they all do it. This show did however challenge the idea of being able to move past this experience. Each episode is centered around death and therefore it is almost like saying it is really impossible for this family to escape death, something that a majority of other people who aren’t surrounded by death can do very easily compared to these characters.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Hw 54- Independent Research B
Being a Muslim, care of the dead and funerals were never discussed a lot growing up because of the fact that it is almost considered taboo. Doing research on the topic I realized that there isn't really that much that is special about a Muslim funeral. The rituals preformed are very similar to that of the dominant social practices. The loved ones bury the body in a cemetery with others (friends and distant family) attending a ceremony. It is traditionally considered haram (not permissible) to leave the deceased with a Qur’an or any sort of other materials as it is considered a waste of money because of the fact that it benefits nobody and throwing dirt on objects like the Qur’an (as you would do when burying a body) is a definite no, it is considered a large insult to Allah. Death, according to the Qur'an, is not the end of man's life; it only opens the door to another, a higher form of life: " We have ordained death among you and We are not to be overcome, that We may change your state and make you grow into what you know not." Qur'an 56: 60 - 61.
There are a few little things in the Qur’an however that got me thinking a bit. Doing research on ISNA.net (Islamic Society in Northern America) I discovered a section where funeral and care of the dead are discussed. A question is posed about whether or not it is permissible to place flowers on the grave to which the response was "The practice should be shunned. One should do pious deeds that will be of benefit to the deceased, for example reciting the Qur'an, giving charity, etc. on behalf of the deceased. Placing flowers on the grave does not benefit the deceased in any way. It is waste of money. Rather, that money is given to the poor and needy as charity on behalf of the deceased. Insha’Allah, the deceased will benefit from that immensely." which almost directly contradicts a answered posed to the question of whether or not cremation is allowed in Islam, that answer was "The procedure of honorably dispensing the corpse by burying is explained in the Qur'an and Ahaadith. Even in the burial procedure, the corpse must be handled with utmost care. The beloved Prophet (upon him be peace) said, ‘ Breaking the bone of a corpse is like breaking the bone of a living person.' Obviously, in the cremaProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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ng procedure, the entire body is damaged. In view of the above, cremating a body is Haraam". Now in the first quote it is stated that the practice of doing things like putting flowers on the grave should be shunned because it doesn't benefit anybody and yet it is not ok to cremate somebody, I find cremation to be a much more useful and beneficial way of caring for the dead than burial. Cremation is much more flexible with what can be done with the dead after the ritual while after burying someone there is not much you can do with them. Crematoriums also are as Dr.Troyer said a way to power other objects such as houses, homeless shelters, or even mosques. It seems to me that being cremated can benefit people much more then it a burial can.
Interviewing an imam, I discovered that although caring for the dead is basically the same as the dominant social practice. The ritual of caring for the dead is much different simply because of the religious aspect. A big aspect of this ritual is this idea of paradise (heaven) vs. hell. According to the imam, the point of life is to do enough good to reach paradise in the after-life. He specifically said that "Those who are blessed with nearness (to Allah) in gardens of bliss. They will be sitting on thrones woven with gold reclining on them facing each other. They will be served in rounds by Immortal boys with bowls and jugs and a goblet of pure wine. Which will neither cause them to suffer headache, nor will they be intoxicated. They will be given fruits of their choice and the meat of birds that they desire. And for them there will be women having lovely big eyes all neat and clean like a hidden pearl as a reward for what they used to do (from good) in their worldly life." he clearly says that you will be rewarded for doing well in your worldly life and that if you don't you will be sent to hell. Learning about the Islamic perspective on care of the dead I realized that it is what people would consider a "normal funeral". Friends and family come to pay their respects and the body is buried into the ground only to be covered up with dirt. I feel Islam puts so much emphasis on its followers being useful and beneficial that it does not realize that some of its practices and rituals are not very beneficial. That being said I want to know why Islam is structured in such a way where it seems like there is only pure good or pure evil, similar to the idea of being cartoony we discussed in class.
There are a few little things in the Qur’an however that got me thinking a bit. Doing research on ISNA.net (Islamic Society in Northern America) I discovered a section where funeral and care of the dead are discussed. A question is posed about whether or not it is permissible to place flowers on the grave to which the response was "The practice should be shunned. One should do pious deeds that will be of benefit to the deceased, for example reciting the Qur'an, giving charity, etc. on behalf of the deceased. Placing flowers on the grave does not benefit the deceased in any way. It is waste of money. Rather, that money is given to the poor and needy as charity on behalf of the deceased. Insha’Allah, the deceased will benefit from that immensely." which almost directly contradicts a answered posed to the question of whether or not cremation is allowed in Islam, that answer was "The procedure of honorably dispensing the corpse by burying is explained in the Qur'an and Ahaadith. Even in the burial procedure, the corpse must be handled with utmost care. The beloved Prophet (upon him be peace) said, ‘ Breaking the bone of a corpse is like breaking the bone of a living person.' Obviously, in the cremaProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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ng procedure, the entire body is damaged. In view of the above, cremating a body is Haraam". Now in the first quote it is stated that the practice of doing things like putting flowers on the grave should be shunned because it doesn't benefit anybody and yet it is not ok to cremate somebody, I find cremation to be a much more useful and beneficial way of caring for the dead than burial. Cremation is much more flexible with what can be done with the dead after the ritual while after burying someone there is not much you can do with them. Crematoriums also are as Dr.Troyer said a way to power other objects such as houses, homeless shelters, or even mosques. It seems to me that being cremated can benefit people much more then it a burial can.
Interviewing an imam, I discovered that although caring for the dead is basically the same as the dominant social practice. The ritual of caring for the dead is much different simply because of the religious aspect. A big aspect of this ritual is this idea of paradise (heaven) vs. hell. According to the imam, the point of life is to do enough good to reach paradise in the after-life. He specifically said that "Those who are blessed with nearness (to Allah) in gardens of bliss. They will be sitting on thrones woven with gold reclining on them facing each other. They will be served in rounds by Immortal boys with bowls and jugs and a goblet of pure wine. Which will neither cause them to suffer headache, nor will they be intoxicated. They will be given fruits of their choice and the meat of birds that they desire. And for them there will be women having lovely big eyes all neat and clean like a hidden pearl as a reward for what they used to do (from good) in their worldly life." he clearly says that you will be rewarded for doing well in your worldly life and that if you don't you will be sent to hell. Learning about the Islamic perspective on care of the dead I realized that it is what people would consider a "normal funeral". Friends and family come to pay their respects and the body is buried into the ground only to be covered up with dirt. I feel Islam puts so much emphasis on its followers being useful and beneficial that it does not realize that some of its practices and rituals are not very beneficial. That being said I want to know why Islam is structured in such a way where it seems like there is only pure good or pure evil, similar to the idea of being cartoony we discussed in class.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Eco Friendly Burial sites gives a chance to be green forever (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/13/national/13cemetery.html?pagewanted=all)
Forever Fernwood cemetery has debut a new and greener way to care for the dead. Devoting 16 acres of the Fernwood land to try and make this cemetery a little more green. Tyler Cassidy opened this old cemetery said that each of these little graves are ecosystems directed primarily at the dying baby-boomer generation. Mr.Cassity being in this $15 billion dollar funeral industry had to do what about 140 woodland cemeteries in England did and make his cemetery a bit greener. You can't just be a corspse anymore you have to be a eco-friendly corpse.
Biodegradable coffins (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/magazine/09_6_coffin.html)
"Green" has become more and more popular lately so why not "green" burials which has been increasing in popularity lately and the ecopod is one of the first green products to hit the funeral industry that satisfies consumers. this eco-pod is a coffin that is 100 % biodegradable held together by recycled paper. Cynthia Beal, the founder of The natural burial company is hoping that this although simple concept will help encourage a push popularity towards natural burial parks which there aren't many of.
Analysis-
Both of these articles address this concept of being green/natural. The first article discusses having green cemtaries while the second article discusses having green coffins. Both articles address the popularity of the subject (whether high or low) yet still did not discuss an alternative to their own way of being "green/Natural" which i felt would have made their arguments much stronger (a question i asked my expert). I wanted to know how much being eco-friendly like this cost and is it a reasonable goal that can be achieved on a wider scale whether national or international. The articles here inspired my questions for my expert and gave a chance to learn a little more abProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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t the perspectives on green and natural burial.
Dr.Troyer Interview and Analysis:
I interviewed Dr.Troyer regarding his thoughts on the green and natural burial process. He (being a world expert) had alot of very intelligent things to say about the topic. I basically wanted to know if green/natural burial were the same thing and if they really did help the enviornment more than other forms of care of the dead. I wanted to know what defines a natural burial? to which hes responded saying "A Natural Burial generally means nothing is done to the body (embalming for example) and the corpse is placed in a simple casket or burial shroud and then buried in a shallower-than-normal grave. The natural burial cemeteries often look like forests or woodlands. Generally speaking, a large or even medium sized grave marker is not used." and is natural burial the same as a green burial, he said "Not all the time. The natural burial usually means in the ground. A green burial can involve all kinds of technology: cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, promession, etc. Sometimes green burials don't even look that 'natural' even if they're more eco-friendly."
I also wanted to know of examples where this green burial/ natural burial has really single handedly helped be more eco-friendly. I really wanted to know if this would work on a large scale possibly maybe even on a national one and if so would it really help us? i asked what Dr.Troyer thought and he told me that the countries with the best practices were the Western European countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Norway etc. he said that those countries have been looking at these issues for a while and really doing a lot with new kinds of technology. I don't know if there's a direct correlation with natural/green burials as much as it is evidence of a different way of thinking. he said that the technologies there haven't run into problems (or not too many) and it's largely because the general population supports the idea, which i think is what we need to do here.
We put so much emphasis on being individually green that we dont realize that the few of us that are doing it aren't doing much. According to Dr. Troyer the reason it is workign so well in western europe is because this idea of green/natural burial is supported by the people therefore it has to be practiced by the people. If we would both support and practice this way of caring for the dead it may have an impact. However this begs the question how big will the impact even be. According to Dr. Troyer there is no obvious correlation between having green/natural burials and being a more eco-friendly country. I want to know whether or not there is another option, whether or not we can find a way to be green that is both reasonable and feasible?
Forever Fernwood cemetery has debut a new and greener way to care for the dead. Devoting 16 acres of the Fernwood land to try and make this cemetery a little more green. Tyler Cassidy opened this old cemetery said that each of these little graves are ecosystems directed primarily at the dying baby-boomer generation. Mr.Cassity being in this $15 billion dollar funeral industry had to do what about 140 woodland cemeteries in England did and make his cemetery a bit greener. You can't just be a corspse anymore you have to be a eco-friendly corpse.
Biodegradable coffins (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/magazine/09_6_coffin.html)
"Green" has become more and more popular lately so why not "green" burials which has been increasing in popularity lately and the ecopod is one of the first green products to hit the funeral industry that satisfies consumers. this eco-pod is a coffin that is 100 % biodegradable held together by recycled paper. Cynthia Beal, the founder of The natural burial company is hoping that this although simple concept will help encourage a push popularity towards natural burial parks which there aren't many of.
Analysis-
Both of these articles address this concept of being green/natural. The first article discusses having green cemtaries while the second article discusses having green coffins. Both articles address the popularity of the subject (whether high or low) yet still did not discuss an alternative to their own way of being "green/Natural" which i felt would have made their arguments much stronger (a question i asked my expert). I wanted to know how much being eco-friendly like this cost and is it a reasonable goal that can be achieved on a wider scale whether national or international. The articles here inspired my questions for my expert and gave a chance to learn a little more abProxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0
t the perspectives on green and natural burial.
Dr.Troyer Interview and Analysis:
I interviewed Dr.Troyer regarding his thoughts on the green and natural burial process. He (being a world expert) had alot of very intelligent things to say about the topic. I basically wanted to know if green/natural burial were the same thing and if they really did help the enviornment more than other forms of care of the dead. I wanted to know what defines a natural burial? to which hes responded saying "A Natural Burial generally means nothing is done to the body (embalming for example) and the corpse is placed in a simple casket or burial shroud and then buried in a shallower-than-normal grave. The natural burial cemeteries often look like forests or woodlands. Generally speaking, a large or even medium sized grave marker is not used." and is natural burial the same as a green burial, he said "Not all the time. The natural burial usually means in the ground. A green burial can involve all kinds of technology: cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, promession, etc. Sometimes green burials don't even look that 'natural' even if they're more eco-friendly."
I also wanted to know of examples where this green burial/ natural burial has really single handedly helped be more eco-friendly. I really wanted to know if this would work on a large scale possibly maybe even on a national one and if so would it really help us? i asked what Dr.Troyer thought and he told me that the countries with the best practices were the Western European countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Norway etc. he said that those countries have been looking at these issues for a while and really doing a lot with new kinds of technology. I don't know if there's a direct correlation with natural/green burials as much as it is evidence of a different way of thinking. he said that the technologies there haven't run into problems (or not too many) and it's largely because the general population supports the idea, which i think is what we need to do here.
We put so much emphasis on being individually green that we dont realize that the few of us that are doing it aren't doing much. According to Dr. Troyer the reason it is workign so well in western europe is because this idea of green/natural burial is supported by the people therefore it has to be practiced by the people. If we would both support and practice this way of caring for the dead it may have an impact. However this begs the question how big will the impact even be. According to Dr. Troyer there is no obvious correlation between having green/natural burials and being a more eco-friendly country. I want to know whether or not there is another option, whether or not we can find a way to be green that is both reasonable and feasible?
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
HW 51 - Second Third of COTD Book
Precis-
Tom Jokinen uses his somewhat morbid humor in the second half of the book to help bring the reader in. Tom Jokinen has a dry wit that works very well in this second half of Curtains. He describes funeral practices with a lot detail, inserting just a bit of commentary to keep the narrative both entertaining and informant. Additionally, he finds himself in some pretty funny situations. The commentary about the funeral industry was surprising. Tom Jokinen gave us information that I didn’t expect mainly, the growing popularity of cremation. It was really interesting to read about the politics between different funeral homes, as well as the relationships these institutions try to develop with the living. It’s these kinds of moments that make the book morbidly amusing yet worth reading.
Quotes-
Analysis-
What i found really both funny and sad was his morbid sense of humor. At one part he’s driving a hearse with a dead body behind him in the back and listening to Mr. Roboto. When reflecting about it, he turns off the radio, thinking that Mr. Roboto is probably not the best song to be playing when you send a person off. Tom Jokinen although allows his sense of humor to direct his commentary in can sometimes be a little dry (and not in a positive way) which i think takes away from the enjoyment some people might get.
Tom Jokinen uses his somewhat morbid humor in the second half of the book to help bring the reader in. Tom Jokinen has a dry wit that works very well in this second half of Curtains. He describes funeral practices with a lot detail, inserting just a bit of commentary to keep the narrative both entertaining and informant. Additionally, he finds himself in some pretty funny situations. The commentary about the funeral industry was surprising. Tom Jokinen gave us information that I didn’t expect mainly, the growing popularity of cremation. It was really interesting to read about the politics between different funeral homes, as well as the relationships these institutions try to develop with the living. It’s these kinds of moments that make the book morbidly amusing yet worth reading.
Quotes-
- "To richard and me the glasses are a prop. Same with the watch. To the families, they're the women who wore them." Pg 113
- "The factory at night is a menacing sight. Locking up my bike, thee only lights i can see are those of the airport to the west, and the open garage door of the crematorium, where adina and glenn are waiting for the delivery." Pg 123
- "Buffering the door handle on the back of the coach, and i think to myself: here's a species i've never encountered, the mellow funeral director."
Analysis-
What i found really both funny and sad was his morbid sense of humor. At one part he’s driving a hearse with a dead body behind him in the back and listening to Mr. Roboto. When reflecting about it, he turns off the radio, thinking that Mr. Roboto is probably not the best song to be playing when you send a person off. Tom Jokinen although allows his sense of humor to direct his commentary in can sometimes be a little dry (and not in a positive way) which i think takes away from the enjoyment some people might get.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
HW 49 - Comments on Best of Your Break HW
To Matt:
I felt that your blog post was really interesting, being able to explore the choices that correlate between faith and non faith was a very good idea. the one specific line i enjoyed was "She said that her mother had no sense of a afterlife, she had utterly no hope of ever seeing her beloved husband again. She abandoned all the faith she had after he died." i felt that this was very descriptive the thought of how she lost her faith, i was more curious as to what she had faith in to begin with which could have been a good question that you could have asked.
To Arden:
Your blog post as usual was very thoughtful. i felt your analysis was very strong and contained no "bubbles" but instead all somewhat deep thoughts. my favorite part was when you said "It is a helpful way for loved ones to gain emotional support. A Memorial or a funeral is a public display of acknowledgment of the persons life. Some are held with traditions and some not as much. I was intrigued by the religious tradition addressed in this interview. Due to my lack of knowledge about it in the fist place. From this conversation I began to search for excerpts from the Torah. Ideas of the after life seem to be vaguely discussed." i thought that you went above and beyond what most students would have done and actually did your own research into the subject of your specific religious afterlife beliefs.
___________________________________________________________________________________
From Steven (protege)-
Im glad that you were able to really think deeply about this topic, and it is clearly represented in your analysis paragraphs (2 & 4). For example, in the second paragraph, you dont only analyze your mothers point of view, you follow up with some questions about how her point of view vs. our point of view would change the way we thought about certain ideas. You did a great job analyzing your dads opinion because you immediately connected it to utilitarianism and you were able to draw a conclusion about what he believes and follow that up by asking a relavant question.
However, i think that you made a pretty big assumption. You said, "The only reason we don’t react like that is because we are used to the idea, our understanding is much more broad". I actually personally dont think this. It doesn't freak me out, but it certainly is a scary idea. Its a little nerve wrecking to think of your body basically being put into a furnace and left to turn into ash. I still think your question is applicable, but i also might add onto it by asking besides our decisions, but about our beliefs based on culture and generation.
From Matt-
You did a nice job in this post Sharif. I liked how you really analyzed your interviews,You did a great job At building a contrast between your mother's /father's point of view and "our view's". You also asked some great questions.
However I disagree somewhat when you say "The only reason we don’t react like that is because we are used to the idea, our understanding is much more broad. We were lucky enough to grow up in a generation where tradition isn't something that is held to as high a standard as the ones before us, which allows us to be able to accept things the my mothers generation and culture really could not, which then begs the question how much does our culture/ generational norms effect our decisions?"
I think that in alot of ways we as a generation have still been made to believe in certain taboos of death. So which your statement is more then valid. I think we are more close minded then we even realize
I felt that your blog post was really interesting, being able to explore the choices that correlate between faith and non faith was a very good idea. the one specific line i enjoyed was "She said that her mother had no sense of a afterlife, she had utterly no hope of ever seeing her beloved husband again. She abandoned all the faith she had after he died." i felt that this was very descriptive the thought of how she lost her faith, i was more curious as to what she had faith in to begin with which could have been a good question that you could have asked.
To Arden:
Your blog post as usual was very thoughtful. i felt your analysis was very strong and contained no "bubbles" but instead all somewhat deep thoughts. my favorite part was when you said "It is a helpful way for loved ones to gain emotional support. A Memorial or a funeral is a public display of acknowledgment of the persons life. Some are held with traditions and some not as much. I was intrigued by the religious tradition addressed in this interview. Due to my lack of knowledge about it in the fist place. From this conversation I began to search for excerpts from the Torah. Ideas of the after life seem to be vaguely discussed." i thought that you went above and beyond what most students would have done and actually did your own research into the subject of your specific religious afterlife beliefs.
___________________________________________________________________________________
From Steven (protege)-
Im glad that you were able to really think deeply about this topic, and it is clearly represented in your analysis paragraphs (2 & 4). For example, in the second paragraph, you dont only analyze your mothers point of view, you follow up with some questions about how her point of view vs. our point of view would change the way we thought about certain ideas. You did a great job analyzing your dads opinion because you immediately connected it to utilitarianism and you were able to draw a conclusion about what he believes and follow that up by asking a relavant question.
However, i think that you made a pretty big assumption. You said, "The only reason we don’t react like that is because we are used to the idea, our understanding is much more broad". I actually personally dont think this. It doesn't freak me out, but it certainly is a scary idea. Its a little nerve wrecking to think of your body basically being put into a furnace and left to turn into ash. I still think your question is applicable, but i also might add onto it by asking besides our decisions, but about our beliefs based on culture and generation.
From Matt-
You did a nice job in this post Sharif. I liked how you really analyzed your interviews,You did a great job At building a contrast between your mother's /father's point of view and "our view's". You also asked some great questions.
However I disagree somewhat when you say "The only reason we don’t react like that is because we are used to the idea, our understanding is much more broad. We were lucky enough to grow up in a generation where tradition isn't something that is held to as high a standard as the ones before us, which allows us to be able to accept things the my mothers generation and culture really could not, which then begs the question how much does our culture/ generational norms effect our decisions?"
I think that in alot of ways we as a generation have still been made to believe in certain taboos of death. So which your statement is more then valid. I think we are more close minded then we even realize
Saturday, April 30, 2011
HW 50 - First Third of Care-of-the-Dead Book Post
Jokinen, Tom. Curtains Adventures of an Undertaker-In-Training.
Precis-
Tom Jokinen in the book Curtains explores the life of an undertaker after quitting his very comfortable government job. Inserting himself in the job and culture that surrounds it while still using his own on the job experience, some journalistic investigation and a good sense of humor. He explores his own thoughts on the subject while also comparing it to that of societies. Discussing the way funeral homes sell there product while still competing with growing popularity of cremation.
Quotes-
Analysis-
Tom Jokinen uses his humor and personal accounts to express to the reader this idea of being and undertaker. He doesn't use historical or even statistical information but uses personal accounts to make it seem more like he is the readers friend telling him a story and less like the reader's author.the most interesting part of the first part of the book is the small section where he discusses the techniques is selling coffins. he is so descriptive with the way Richard studies his clients focusing on the person in the family who he knows is in charge even if they aren't focused on him. The author also stated one line that really caught my attention when describing Richard, he said " He doesn't want to be your friend he wants to be your funeral director something that most corporate funeral directors do not do." this specific line really gave me more of an understanding as to the type of person that Richard is, which is one thing i really appreciate about the author's writing style he is always very descriptive.
Precis-
Tom Jokinen in the book Curtains explores the life of an undertaker after quitting his very comfortable government job. Inserting himself in the job and culture that surrounds it while still using his own on the job experience, some journalistic investigation and a good sense of humor. He explores his own thoughts on the subject while also comparing it to that of societies. Discussing the way funeral homes sell there product while still competing with growing popularity of cremation.
Quotes-
- "In the office, Richard's quick estimate, not including cemetery expenses, comes to $7,680, which he rounds up to $7,900 to provide wiggle room. Then if the final bill is less than the estimate, they'll feel like they got a deal." (page 39)
- "Just under two hours and a lunch later, we open the heavy door to reveal her scattered skeleton, pieces of white bone blown around by the powerful gas jets."
Analysis-
Tom Jokinen uses his humor and personal accounts to express to the reader this idea of being and undertaker. He doesn't use historical or even statistical information but uses personal accounts to make it seem more like he is the readers friend telling him a story and less like the reader's author.the most interesting part of the first part of the book is the small section where he discusses the techniques is selling coffins. he is so descriptive with the way Richard studies his clients focusing on the person in the family who he knows is in charge even if they aren't focused on him. The author also stated one line that really caught my attention when describing Richard, he said " He doesn't want to be your friend he wants to be your funeral director something that most corporate funeral directors do not do." this specific line really gave me more of an understanding as to the type of person that Richard is, which is one thing i really appreciate about the author's writing style he is always very descriptive.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
HW 48 - Family Perspectives on the Care of the Dead
For this assignment, I interviewed my mother and father. They both grew up in Middle Eastern countries but as you'll soon see there ways of caring for the dead are very different. I first interviewed my mom, who was a bit reluctant about talking about this topic. I personally have never had this conversation with her before and so I wasn't sure what to expect. I asked how she would liked to be cared for after her death, to which she responded saying that she would want to be buried like everyone is. I got the assumption that she wasn't too familiar with the other forms of caring for the dead so I told her about cremation and "natural" care of the dead. She wasn't a big fan of cremation the idea of having her body burned kind of freaked her out, which when you think about it, is kind of weird.
Analyzing this interview I realized that her reaction to cremation is completely understandable. The only reason we don’t react like that is because we are used to the idea, our understanding is much more broad. We were lucky enough to grow up in a generation where tradition isn't something that is held to as high a standard as the ones before us, which allows us to be able to accept things the my mothers generation and culture really could not, which then begs the question how much does our culture/ generational norms effect our decisions?
The second person I interviewed was my dad. His perspective was a little different, I asked him similar questions to that of my mother and got some very different answers. I asked him how he would like to be cared for after his death and he said that it didn't really matter, I asked him why to which he responded that he would be dead its not like he is going to have any feeling or memory of how he is cared for after his death. I asked him which he feels is better cremation or burials and he told me that the truth is, whichever one is more beneficial to society and his loved ones afterwards would probably be the better one for him that is at least.
The one thing I noticed about my dad's point of view is that it is very utilitarianism. His ideas on care of the dead are very unselfish and its not because he wants to be a unselfish man but because being able to provide for his loved ones and/or society may be his way of making death work for hProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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benefit. Instead of allowing death to be unbeneficial he makes it so that it is beneficial. Which then also is a gateway to asking the question do people make excuses for death to be a part of their life or is it genuine kindness that causes people to do things like donate money or make the care of them after their death as easy as possible?
Analyzing this interview I realized that her reaction to cremation is completely understandable. The only reason we don’t react like that is because we are used to the idea, our understanding is much more broad. We were lucky enough to grow up in a generation where tradition isn't something that is held to as high a standard as the ones before us, which allows us to be able to accept things the my mothers generation and culture really could not, which then begs the question how much does our culture/ generational norms effect our decisions?
The second person I interviewed was my dad. His perspective was a little different, I asked him similar questions to that of my mother and got some very different answers. I asked him how he would like to be cared for after his death and he said that it didn't really matter, I asked him why to which he responded that he would be dead its not like he is going to have any feeling or memory of how he is cared for after his death. I asked him which he feels is better cremation or burials and he told me that the truth is, whichever one is more beneficial to society and his loved ones afterwards would probably be the better one for him that is at least.
The one thing I noticed about my dad's point of view is that it is very utilitarianism. His ideas on care of the dead are very unselfish and its not because he wants to be a unselfish man but because being able to provide for his loved ones and/or society may be his way of making death work for hProxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0
benefit. Instead of allowing death to be unbeneficial he makes it so that it is beneficial. Which then also is a gateway to asking the question do people make excuses for death to be a part of their life or is it genuine kindness that causes people to do things like donate money or make the care of them after their death as easy as possible?
Friday, April 22, 2011
Future Death: The Dead Human Body as Biomass (extra credit)
Attending this lecture i feel that i have gotten a better look into the care of the dead. Dr. John Troyer The deputy director of the Centre for Death & Society focused mainly on cremation. He really wanted to get across this feeling of how cremation is one of the more popular ways for caring for the dead. He started off with informing us about his work, but then eventually started talking about new and innovative ways of caring for the dead. He mentioned that there is an infrastructure inside this idea of care for the dead. he talked about controversial topics regarding burial (what is natural Burial?) and then even discussed the problems with the system right now. He also discussed the use of crematoriums as a energy source that could power 20 houses at once(one of my favorite parts of the lecture). However he mainly focused on informing the audience on the basics and then choose to go deeper into a specific part of care of the dead which again is cremation.
I was surprisingly entertained by the lecture. I went in there scared because of all this talk about death. I remember the first thing Dr.Troyer saying was that he the Centre for Death & Society wasn't a bunch of Gothic fanatics obsessed with death which gave me a big sense of relief. The topic i really enjoyed was his focus on new and innovative ways to care for the dead. Specifically he discussed this machine that feeds off of biomass which can be a very resourceful tool in retrieving the thousands of bodies that are to radioactive to touch in japan right now. I started off thinking care of the dead is a part of life that wasn't necessarily important, however after attending this lecture i realized that this is what so many other people think as well which is why care of the dead is such an important topic. There are 54 crematoriums in NY that handle about 700 bodies, if one were to shutdown for any reason there would be 700 bodies with nowhere to go and then all of a sudden care of the dead would become an important subject. I have a new respect for care of the dead and am excited to learn more about it. At the beginning of this unit i mentioned that i can't see any nightmarish industrial atrocities, however it is becoming clearer what they are now.
I was surprisingly entertained by the lecture. I went in there scared because of all this talk about death. I remember the first thing Dr.Troyer saying was that he the Centre for Death & Society wasn't a bunch of Gothic fanatics obsessed with death which gave me a big sense of relief. The topic i really enjoyed was his focus on new and innovative ways to care for the dead. Specifically he discussed this machine that feeds off of biomass which can be a very resourceful tool in retrieving the thousands of bodies that are to radioactive to touch in japan right now. I started off thinking care of the dead is a part of life that wasn't necessarily important, however after attending this lecture i realized that this is what so many other people think as well which is why care of the dead is such an important topic. There are 54 crematoriums in NY that handle about 700 bodies, if one were to shutdown for any reason there would be 700 bodies with nowhere to go and then all of a sudden care of the dead would become an important subject. I have a new respect for care of the dead and am excited to learn more about it. At the beginning of this unit i mentioned that i can't see any nightmarish industrial atrocities, however it is becoming clearer what they are now.
HW 47 - Peer Perspectives on the Care of the Dead
For researching peer perspectives on care of the dead i interviewed my sister (age 14 similar background), my friend dean (age 16 similar age), and George (someone i met a few days ago who is very wealthy). The first person i interviewed was my sister. She like me has not been exposed to death very much, other than the death you see on T.V. (when you think about it, that's really actually a lot), which lead me to my first question. How do you feel care of the dead portrayed in today's entertainment industry compares to your experience with care of the dead? to which she responded, "When i watch T.V. the only thing i can think about when you say care of the dead is the doctors who examine the body after the person is dead." I explained to her that they were called morticians and then proceeded to ask her about cremation (whether she knew about it or not and her thoughts on the topic). To my surprise she knew what it was but really didn't know much about it.
The next person i interviewed was my friend George. His grandmother passed away a few years ago and had agreed to tell me what the process was like caring for her after she had died. I asked if she was buried or cremated and he said she was buried but not buried your average way. He said that she was buried naturally. I asked what that meant to which he responded, "she wasn't buried in a cemetery with a metal coffin or gravestone she was buried on our property upstate without any casket and had a rock instead of a gravestone.
The last person i interviewed was my friend dean. I have known dean for 16 years but this topic has never came up. I asked dean what he knew about care of the dead. He told me that he knew about cremation and burials and was very familiar with mortuary's. hearing that i wanted to know how he came about knowing about them, maybe his answer was similar to my sister's. He told me he watches a lot of CSI and Law and Order. He said that although he hasn't had many close experiences regarding care of the dead that he feels he knows a lot about it. I asked if he feels that the entertainment industry represents care of the dead well, to which he responded that it doesn't represent it well because they leave a lot of things out.
I wanted to focus my questions surrounding there thoughts on care of the dead represented in the entertainment industry. I did this because i felt it is something we all can say we have some sort of connection to. During the interview i noticed that all of them got there general ideas of care of the dead from television, Shows like Law and Order depict this care for the dead in almost every episode. This lead me to think about how we base our own knowledge on care of the dead based on what we see on T.V.? which also begs the question is this a good or bad thing? Do our thoughts and ideas that come from T.V, the internet, and video games give us a good platform to start off when going deeper into this unit or does it stop us from growing as we do?
The next person i interviewed was my friend George. His grandmother passed away a few years ago and had agreed to tell me what the process was like caring for her after she had died. I asked if she was buried or cremated and he said she was buried but not buried your average way. He said that she was buried naturally. I asked what that meant to which he responded, "she wasn't buried in a cemetery with a metal coffin or gravestone she was buried on our property upstate without any casket and had a rock instead of a gravestone.
The last person i interviewed was my friend dean. I have known dean for 16 years but this topic has never came up. I asked dean what he knew about care of the dead. He told me that he knew about cremation and burials and was very familiar with mortuary's. hearing that i wanted to know how he came about knowing about them, maybe his answer was similar to my sister's. He told me he watches a lot of CSI and Law and Order. He said that although he hasn't had many close experiences regarding care of the dead that he feels he knows a lot about it. I asked if he feels that the entertainment industry represents care of the dead well, to which he responded that it doesn't represent it well because they leave a lot of things out.
I wanted to focus my questions surrounding there thoughts on care of the dead represented in the entertainment industry. I did this because i felt it is something we all can say we have some sort of connection to. During the interview i noticed that all of them got there general ideas of care of the dead from television, Shows like Law and Order depict this care for the dead in almost every episode. This lead me to think about how we base our own knowledge on care of the dead based on what we see on T.V.? which also begs the question is this a good or bad thing? Do our thoughts and ideas that come from T.V, the internet, and video games give us a good platform to start off when going deeper into this unit or does it stop us from growing as we do?
Saturday, April 16, 2011
HW 46 - Initial Thoughts on the Care of the Dead
Growing up I have been lucky enough (or not depending on your interpretation) to have never been to a funeral or even seen a dead body. That being the case I have never even had a conversation with my parents about the topic, so telling you how I’ve been taught to think about death is impossible. Maybe because it is a scary subject to bring up? Some people I know think talking about death will cause it. When you think about it there are a lot of superstitions surrounding death, the superstition really depends on the culture. When I think of death and the care of the dead I tend to think about mortuaries and murder because of the fact that today society popularizes the subject with shows like Law and Order and Criminal Minds.
The topic I really want to explore this unit is how ancient cultures cared for the dead specifically Ancient Greek vs. Roman. These two cultures are very similar and I would like to know if they have similar rituals when caring for the dead. Another topic I would like to focus on is superstitions regarding death (especially ones in our culture) and also how these superstitions affect our rituals? This topic then begs the question what rituals surrounding the care of the dead are there? On that note I can't seem to think of any obvious nightmarish atrocities surrounding care of the dead. What is so nightmarish about care of the dead? And is what’s weird about the care of the dead (considering the fact that we are going to be exploring what’s normal about it and exposing it as weird)?
The topic I really want to explore this unit is how ancient cultures cared for the dead specifically Ancient Greek vs. Roman. These two cultures are very similar and I would like to know if they have similar rituals when caring for the dead. Another topic I would like to focus on is superstitions regarding death (especially ones in our culture) and also how these superstitions affect our rituals? This topic then begs the question what rituals surrounding the care of the dead are there? On that note I can't seem to think of any obvious nightmarish atrocities surrounding care of the dead. What is so nightmarish about care of the dead? And is what’s weird about the care of the dead (considering the fact that we are going to be exploring what’s normal about it and exposing it as weird)?
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
HW 45 - Reply to Other Peoples' Comments
Response to comments:
Abdul, Ben, Sarah, and Andy thank you for commenting on my blog. In general i felt your comments revealed that the aspect you were all particularly fond of was our interview of the students from hunter. We had actually interviewed multiple others who were not willing to share their thoughts on camera so we began to target groups that seemed more relaxed and excited. The first group was a normal group of friends who later turned out to be pre-nursing students which worked in our favor in terms of revealing what those who want to become professionals in the field, actually knew about it. The second group we interviewed were actually grad students doing there own video project which we ended up having to be in if we wanted them in ours.
The suggestions you all made will definitely be taken into account if i ever do another video project. Abdul educating people or telling them what to use to educate themselves regarding this topic is a terrific suggestion and Ben i will definitely try harder to get the information from the hospital if i do this same project again. Andy and Sarah, the sound was obviously not incredible ill try my best to use a different camera or get a microphone so that the sound quality is better next time.
Thanks again for commenting, much appreciated.
Abdul, Ben, Sarah, and Andy thank you for commenting on my blog. In general i felt your comments revealed that the aspect you were all particularly fond of was our interview of the students from hunter. We had actually interviewed multiple others who were not willing to share their thoughts on camera so we began to target groups that seemed more relaxed and excited. The first group was a normal group of friends who later turned out to be pre-nursing students which worked in our favor in terms of revealing what those who want to become professionals in the field, actually knew about it. The second group we interviewed were actually grad students doing there own video project which we ended up having to be in if we wanted them in ours.
The suggestions you all made will definitely be taken into account if i ever do another video project. Abdul educating people or telling them what to use to educate themselves regarding this topic is a terrific suggestion and Ben i will definitely try harder to get the information from the hospital if i do this same project again. Andy and Sarah, the sound was obviously not incredible ill try my best to use a different camera or get a microphone so that the sound quality is better next time.
Thanks again for commenting, much appreciated.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
HW 44 - Comments on Other People's Projects
To Devin,
Your project focused on the cutting of the umbilical cord, which includes, when to cut it (do doctors cut it too early).
The one aspect of this project that I truly valued was way you divided up the information at the beginning (anesthesia, convenience, and technology) although those were the shortest parts of your project I found them to be organized in a way where I enjoyed them the most.
The reason why this project matters to me is the fact that this could possibly affect my future decision when having a child. I am now definitely more likely to tell the doctor to wait a second before he cuts it. I will also be telling my friends (those who don't go to SOF) and family to check out this blog and to learn what i have.
The only suggestion I would make is to organize the second half a little better I felt it was a bit out of place although it was still a great project.
To Andy,
Your essay is a look into the cover-up that is in the movie The Business of Being Born. I found this essay to be very well written, this cover up is one I did not notice until you wrote about it. There is one specific line that I particularly found interesting which was where you analyze Muhlhahn’s interview, "Although Abby’s baby boy arrives safely, the physician says that Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) occurred. Do you want to talk about that? In the film it appears like the baby was starving, everybody missed it, and the doctor saved the day. But the situation was misconstrued because of a critical detail that was lost during the emergency transfer. The physician who received the transfer was under the impression that the baby was 40 weeks. Abby’s baby was actually born at 35 ½ weeks. A 3 lbs, 5 ounces baby at 40 weeks would have been much more serious than at 35 ½ weeks" I felt that here she began to make excuses almost as if deflecting the blame onto the viewer for not knowing this information. Doing research on my own I discovered the same thing as you. at 35.5 weeks a 3 Ib and 5 ounce baby is very small and way off the growth curve which makes me question some of the other information in the movie, not for any particular reason except for the fact Proxy-Connection: keep-alive
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at we were mislead here so there is a chance we were also mislead somewhere else.
Overall this paper was written very well. The only bit of constructive criticism is to start off the essay with a statistic rather than someone’s opinion because of the fact if someone not in our class who was reading this may be uninterested in Ina May’s opinion on the movie (since they don’t know who she is) however I think an interesting statistic on birth (specifically "Intra-Uterine Growth Restriction" (IUGR)) would be more compelling to a reader. Also the way you concluded the essay was especially good. The line “I also conclude that we must critically investigate the claims and evidence of ESPECIALLY the people we most agree with, in order to avoid entrapment in dishonest and/or oversimplified representations of our situation.” Is something I feel is important too; the best way to avoid a situation where someone else challenges you on your information is to challenge the information yourself.
To Abdul,
It seems that your project was a deeper look into the industrial nightmarish atrocities that surrounds pregnancy and birth.
One particular aspect I liked about your project was this look into both statistical information and historical information. This brings not only a general look onto the subject but also analyzes how we have evolved and how are opinions/practices have changed regarding the subject.
This project definitely matters to me, mainly because it has helped solidify the information I had learned in class. Knowing that a fellow classmate who has put hours of time into researching the subject discovered generally the same thing as the information we received in class allows me to be more confident in it.
The only suggestion I would make is to focus on a single aspect. It seemed that your project might have been a bit broad. Perhaps focusing on maybe cost, or historical information (although it seemed you mainly leaded towards cost) would have made this project a bit better. However this project was still well written and a joy to read. GREAT WORK!!
________________________________________________________________________________
From Andy:
Sharif,
Hilarious that you went to a college and interviewed those people and asked them those questions. Your interpersonal skills seem to have been working well, since you got them to talk at length on camera. Its easier when its two people, so they don't think you're a lone crazy.
You can hear for yourself here that the main problem with amateur film is the audio.
Why the baby picture at the end?
From Abdul:
For Sharif( Classmate):
Shairf it seems as though your post was about gathering information about people's understanding of birth. You really seemed passionate about this topic since you took the time out to venture out into the city and figure out what the common people knew regarding the topic. Since the common people are the majority of people in the city it's important that they understand birth and be knowledgeable about it.
One aspect of your post that I particularly valued was the fact that you used your connections(college now class id card) to get into Hunter College to find out what people who are seeking more knowledge, and are supposedly more educated than the average citizen know about birth. It's a very creative idea I don't think many more people thought of going to a decent college in the city and interviewing regular students, as well as pre-nursing students. Your elevator speech in class really made me want to go to your blog and watch these interviews.
A reason why I think your project matters is because the common people are the majority of people that are affected by birth. It's most important for them to be educated and knowledgeable about such an important aspect of life that many people involve themselves in. These people need to be prepared for for brith and I really think by you going to Hunter College and investigating people's opinions, you tried to really see what's in people's minds. Since were both enrolled in a Psychology class in Hunter, I think that helped with your drive to uncover what was in the Hunter student's heads.
I would have appreciated more from you on this topic.Although your blog was solid and much better than mines, I think if you would have maybe tried to educate people at Hunter more after you found out how little they knew. Perhaps posting fliers with some knowledge we learned from the unit on the bulletin boards on some of the floors, or just handing them out to students would have helped. If that wasn't possible you could have had sheets that told the Hunter students how to educated themselves better by having the names of the books we read this unit, or even the name of the movie we all watched. Clearly you didn't need to do any of this since your blog and elevator speech were solid, but there just suggestions. Nicely done Sharif I'm very proud of your work here.
From Ben:
For your project, I believe that you intended to explore how much knowledge people had on the topic of hospital births and what their impressions were. You explored to different hospitals to see how they handled birth, as well as interviewing multiple students at Hunter College.
This topic is extremely important to me, and it should be to everyone else as well. Understanding the procedures of hospitals is essential in the woman's decision to either have a hospital birth or go with a midwife instead. It is also important to be aware of the general public's understanding of a topic like this, so one can observe what knowledge people still need to acquire in order to take an educated stance on the matter.
I think you guys did an amazing job making that video! The fact that you were able to get all those students to talk to you for such a long time is impressive in itself, but your choice of questions in the interview provided very informative answers. The effort you put into this project was clear, and it showed through the observations you made in the hospitals.
It would have been nice if you had been able to get the necessary information out of the hospital staff, but nevertheless, great job!
Your project focused on the cutting of the umbilical cord, which includes, when to cut it (do doctors cut it too early).
The one aspect of this project that I truly valued was way you divided up the information at the beginning (anesthesia, convenience, and technology) although those were the shortest parts of your project I found them to be organized in a way where I enjoyed them the most.
The reason why this project matters to me is the fact that this could possibly affect my future decision when having a child. I am now definitely more likely to tell the doctor to wait a second before he cuts it. I will also be telling my friends (those who don't go to SOF) and family to check out this blog and to learn what i have.
The only suggestion I would make is to organize the second half a little better I felt it was a bit out of place although it was still a great project.
To Andy,
Your essay is a look into the cover-up that is in the movie The Business of Being Born. I found this essay to be very well written, this cover up is one I did not notice until you wrote about it. There is one specific line that I particularly found interesting which was where you analyze Muhlhahn’s interview, "Although Abby’s baby boy arrives safely, the physician says that Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) occurred. Do you want to talk about that? In the film it appears like the baby was starving, everybody missed it, and the doctor saved the day. But the situation was misconstrued because of a critical detail that was lost during the emergency transfer. The physician who received the transfer was under the impression that the baby was 40 weeks. Abby’s baby was actually born at 35 ½ weeks. A 3 lbs, 5 ounces baby at 40 weeks would have been much more serious than at 35 ½ weeks" I felt that here she began to make excuses almost as if deflecting the blame onto the viewer for not knowing this information. Doing research on my own I discovered the same thing as you. at 35.5 weeks a 3 Ib and 5 ounce baby is very small and way off the growth curve which makes me question some of the other information in the movie, not for any particular reason except for the fact Proxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0
at we were mislead here so there is a chance we were also mislead somewhere else.
Overall this paper was written very well. The only bit of constructive criticism is to start off the essay with a statistic rather than someone’s opinion because of the fact if someone not in our class who was reading this may be uninterested in Ina May’s opinion on the movie (since they don’t know who she is) however I think an interesting statistic on birth (specifically "Intra-Uterine Growth Restriction" (IUGR)) would be more compelling to a reader. Also the way you concluded the essay was especially good. The line “I also conclude that we must critically investigate the claims and evidence of ESPECIALLY the people we most agree with, in order to avoid entrapment in dishonest and/or oversimplified representations of our situation.” Is something I feel is important too; the best way to avoid a situation where someone else challenges you on your information is to challenge the information yourself.
To Abdul,
It seems that your project was a deeper look into the industrial nightmarish atrocities that surrounds pregnancy and birth.
One particular aspect I liked about your project was this look into both statistical information and historical information. This brings not only a general look onto the subject but also analyzes how we have evolved and how are opinions/practices have changed regarding the subject.
This project definitely matters to me, mainly because it has helped solidify the information I had learned in class. Knowing that a fellow classmate who has put hours of time into researching the subject discovered generally the same thing as the information we received in class allows me to be more confident in it.
The only suggestion I would make is to focus on a single aspect. It seemed that your project might have been a bit broad. Perhaps focusing on maybe cost, or historical information (although it seemed you mainly leaded towards cost) would have made this project a bit better. However this project was still well written and a joy to read. GREAT WORK!!
________________________________________________________________________________
From Andy:
Sharif,
Hilarious that you went to a college and interviewed those people and asked them those questions. Your interpersonal skills seem to have been working well, since you got them to talk at length on camera. Its easier when its two people, so they don't think you're a lone crazy.
You can hear for yourself here that the main problem with amateur film is the audio.
Why the baby picture at the end?
From Abdul:
For Sharif( Classmate):
Shairf it seems as though your post was about gathering information about people's understanding of birth. You really seemed passionate about this topic since you took the time out to venture out into the city and figure out what the common people knew regarding the topic. Since the common people are the majority of people in the city it's important that they understand birth and be knowledgeable about it.
One aspect of your post that I particularly valued was the fact that you used your connections(college now class id card) to get into Hunter College to find out what people who are seeking more knowledge, and are supposedly more educated than the average citizen know about birth. It's a very creative idea I don't think many more people thought of going to a decent college in the city and interviewing regular students, as well as pre-nursing students. Your elevator speech in class really made me want to go to your blog and watch these interviews.
A reason why I think your project matters is because the common people are the majority of people that are affected by birth. It's most important for them to be educated and knowledgeable about such an important aspect of life that many people involve themselves in. These people need to be prepared for for brith and I really think by you going to Hunter College and investigating people's opinions, you tried to really see what's in people's minds. Since were both enrolled in a Psychology class in Hunter, I think that helped with your drive to uncover what was in the Hunter student's heads.
I would have appreciated more from you on this topic.Although your blog was solid and much better than mines, I think if you would have maybe tried to educate people at Hunter more after you found out how little they knew. Perhaps posting fliers with some knowledge we learned from the unit on the bulletin boards on some of the floors, or just handing them out to students would have helped. If that wasn't possible you could have had sheets that told the Hunter students how to educated themselves better by having the names of the books we read this unit, or even the name of the movie we all watched. Clearly you didn't need to do any of this since your blog and elevator speech were solid, but there just suggestions. Nicely done Sharif I'm very proud of your work here.
From Ben:
For your project, I believe that you intended to explore how much knowledge people had on the topic of hospital births and what their impressions were. You explored to different hospitals to see how they handled birth, as well as interviewing multiple students at Hunter College.
This topic is extremely important to me, and it should be to everyone else as well. Understanding the procedures of hospitals is essential in the woman's decision to either have a hospital birth or go with a midwife instead. It is also important to be aware of the general public's understanding of a topic like this, so one can observe what knowledge people still need to acquire in order to take an educated stance on the matter.
I think you guys did an amazing job making that video! The fact that you were able to get all those students to talk to you for such a long time is impressive in itself, but your choice of questions in the interview provided very informative answers. The effort you put into this project was clear, and it showed through the observations you made in the hospitals.
It would have been nice if you had been able to get the necessary information out of the hospital staff, but nevertheless, great job!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
HW 42 - Pregnancy & birth culminating project
Video Link Here -------> http://vimeo.com/22095843
When brainstorming ideas for this project I initially wanted to do a film on the way hospitals handle their pregnant patients from c-section rates to how and when they use epidurals. However we decided that the topic was to broad and was honestly something you could look up online. I wanted this project to connect with the people watching it and mean something so I decided that the topic/main idea of the film would be what are perspectives of the common people and how is pregnancy and birth represented in hospitals. Lucas and I decided to visit Beth Israel hospital first the past Sunday, when we got there we noticed that at first they were friendly, the security guard obviously told us we couldn't go up but was gave us the number for the labor and delivery floor. We called up and were invited to talk with members of the staff. However when we got upstairs we began to start filming and were almost immediately avoided, the same people we were invited to talk to were told by a superior to completely avoid us stating that they were busy and had no time (when they clearly were not).
We decided that the next best move would be for us to go to Roosevelt hospital and see how they would react to us attempting to interview them. When we got there we were not allowed to film but they gave us a phone number that we could call to speak to the head nurse. We called multiple times but unfortunately we were never contacted back even after leaving several messages. When there we noticed that there were many similarities between Beth Israel and Roosevelt, for example they had the exact same logo (except for the name) we discovered this was because they were both owned by an umbrella corporation called Continuum Health Partners. We made the assumption that because they are both owned by this corporation that the procedures that they have when processing these pregnant women (funny how I said processing as if they were pieces of meat). However there were many differences, for example Roosevelt hospital seemed directed towards the wealthy with their private rooms and gourmet chefs (that's if you had the money) while Beth Israel seemed directed more at the common people because of the fact that it didn’t have that many luxuries.
Wednesday we went to Hunter College and decided to interview college students. We did this because college students are supposed to be the part of society that is constantly craving knowledge and to be the ones who already have an impressive amount of knowledge. We located a group of students first and found out that a majority of them were born c-section; we continued the interview only to find that their knowledge on the subject was similar to ours at the beginning of the unit. What is even more surprising is that 3 of them were pre-nursing students and were interested in going into the field of obstetrics and gynecology yet didn't know that much about it.
I felt that this project was very important to grasp a deeper understanding of the general’s public thoughts and knowledge of the subject. Although some knew more than others on the subject in general the knowledge on the subject was not so vast, which raises the question are we coming into this experience without the proper amount of knowledge making us unprepared for it? and Do we need to know about birth before going through the process? I think that we do go through this process unprepared and without the right amount of knowledge however I personally think we only need a little bit of knowledge on the subject because without a bit of knowledge we essentially allow the midwife or ob/gyn to make those decisions for us making them in charge of your process.
When brainstorming ideas for this project I initially wanted to do a film on the way hospitals handle their pregnant patients from c-section rates to how and when they use epidurals. However we decided that the topic was to broad and was honestly something you could look up online. I wanted this project to connect with the people watching it and mean something so I decided that the topic/main idea of the film would be what are perspectives of the common people and how is pregnancy and birth represented in hospitals. Lucas and I decided to visit Beth Israel hospital first the past Sunday, when we got there we noticed that at first they were friendly, the security guard obviously told us we couldn't go up but was gave us the number for the labor and delivery floor. We called up and were invited to talk with members of the staff. However when we got upstairs we began to start filming and were almost immediately avoided, the same people we were invited to talk to were told by a superior to completely avoid us stating that they were busy and had no time (when they clearly were not).
We decided that the next best move would be for us to go to Roosevelt hospital and see how they would react to us attempting to interview them. When we got there we were not allowed to film but they gave us a phone number that we could call to speak to the head nurse. We called multiple times but unfortunately we were never contacted back even after leaving several messages. When there we noticed that there were many similarities between Beth Israel and Roosevelt, for example they had the exact same logo (except for the name) we discovered this was because they were both owned by an umbrella corporation called Continuum Health Partners. We made the assumption that because they are both owned by this corporation that the procedures that they have when processing these pregnant women (funny how I said processing as if they were pieces of meat). However there were many differences, for example Roosevelt hospital seemed directed towards the wealthy with their private rooms and gourmet chefs (that's if you had the money) while Beth Israel seemed directed more at the common people because of the fact that it didn’t have that many luxuries.
Wednesday we went to Hunter College and decided to interview college students. We did this because college students are supposed to be the part of society that is constantly craving knowledge and to be the ones who already have an impressive amount of knowledge. We located a group of students first and found out that a majority of them were born c-section; we continued the interview only to find that their knowledge on the subject was similar to ours at the beginning of the unit. What is even more surprising is that 3 of them were pre-nursing students and were interested in going into the field of obstetrics and gynecology yet didn't know that much about it.
I felt that this project was very important to grasp a deeper understanding of the general’s public thoughts and knowledge of the subject. Although some knew more than others on the subject in general the knowledge on the subject was not so vast, which raises the question are we coming into this experience without the proper amount of knowledge making us unprepared for it? and Do we need to know about birth before going through the process? I think that we do go through this process unprepared and without the right amount of knowledge however I personally think we only need a little bit of knowledge on the subject because without a bit of knowledge we essentially allow the midwife or ob/gyn to make those decisions for us making them in charge of your process.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
HW 41 - Independent Research
Topic: NYC hospitals and birth centers - statistics, contacts, perspectives
Annotated Biliography:
My project is hopefully going to be an inside look at hospital maternity care and the birthing process. I am hoping that i will be able to film my experience in a hospital and the way the hospital treats their pregnant patients, if im lucky i may be able to witness a real birth. Through this project i am hoping to get a real feeling of what these women have to go through when giving birth and whether or not the information that i am receiving through the book and movie is true.
Annotated Biliography:
- "New York Presbyterian Hospital - Columbia Presbyterian Center." Department of Health. New York State Department of Health , March 31 2011. Web. 31 Mar 2011.
- "New York County Hospitals Maternity Information." Department of Health. New York Department of Health, February 2009. Web. 31 Mar 2011.
- "Birthing Center ." NY Womens health. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York , n.d. Web. 31 Mar 2011.
- SULZBERGER , A. G. "Bellevue Natural-Birth Center, Haven for Poor Women, Closes ." New York Times November 6, 2009 : n. pag. Web. 31 Mar 2011.
- "Hospital Maternity-Related Procedures and Practices." Department of Health. New York State Department of Health, December 2010. Web. 31 Mar 2011.
- "Hospital Maternity-Related Procedures and Practices." Department of Health. New York State Department of Health, December 2010. Web. 31 Mar 2011.
My project is hopefully going to be an inside look at hospital maternity care and the birthing process. I am hoping that i will be able to film my experience in a hospital and the way the hospital treats their pregnant patients, if im lucky i may be able to witness a real birth. Through this project i am hoping to get a real feeling of what these women have to go through when giving birth and whether or not the information that i am receiving through the book and movie is true.
Monday, March 28, 2011
HW 40 - Insights from Book - Part 3
You find yourself at a cocktail party (because yes your old enough to be at one) with the author of the book you just finished reading. You order yourself and apple martini and approach the bar where she is sitting alone. To demonstrate that you really read it, you say, "Hey - thanks for writing Birth. Your main idea of how the historical aspect of birth has had an effect on our perception of it today made me rethink pregnancy & birth for the better."
But the author looks up, surprised to be talking to someone who is clearly not old enough to be at a bar, but was more surprised to be talking to someone who instead of sharing their own birth story actually rephrased the main idea of the text she 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 the father's role in birth and the post birth time period, which added another angle to the first 2/3rds of the book. But let me be more specific." And then you listed the top 3 ideas/pieces of evidence/insights/questions from that final third of the book (and somehow even listed page number references because your just that good). I especially appreciated how you discussed
1. The father's role during the birth and how it was no longer optional but their duty. (207)
2. What happens physically after birth (specifically what happens to the placenta). (220)
3. And the bonding process, both how important it is for the mother and child as it can lead to effect the relationship between the two.(228)
At this point, realizing that she's having a unique conversation with someone who is underage yet still incredibly handsome and also who is a serious reader of her 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 historical analysis, from the perspective of doctors and yourself for the book-reading-public to better understand pregnancy & birth in our culture. Given that aim,Proxy-Connection: keep-alive
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nd your book, the best advice I would give for a 2nd edition of the text would be, to add a more emotional aspect to your book, make the reader feel as if they are connecting to you and not just researching the history of birth although it is interesting it can also make a reader feel disconnected. 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 historical aspects of birth & the effect it has had on our perspectives . In fact, I'm likely to do my birth unit final project differently as a result of your book, now why don't you let me buy you a drink." The author replies, "Thanks! Talking to you gives me hope about our future as a society! and i will take that drink you incredibly good-looking and intelligent young man."
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nd your book, the best advice I would give for a 2nd edition of the text would be, to add a more emotional aspect to your book, make the reader feel as if they are connecting to you and not just researching the history of birth although it is interesting it can also make a reader feel disconnected. 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 historical aspects of birth & the effect it has had on our perspectives . In fact, I'm likely to do my birth unit final project differently as a result of your book, now why don't you let me buy you a drink." The author replies, "Thanks! Talking to you gives me hope about our future as a society! and i will take that drink you incredibly good-looking and intelligent young man."
Monday, March 21, 2011
HW 39 - Insights from Book - Part 2
Cassidy, Tina. Birth The Surprising History of How We Are Born. New York: Grove Press, 2006. Press.
In Birth Tina Cassidy heavily discusses the historical aspects surrounding birth such as the tools, doctors and popular doctor practices. In "Business of Being Born" there is very little discussion about the historical aspect of birth specifically the tools used, The reason i find this to be important is because it poses the question can you truely understand the methods these doctors used to give birth without understanding what they used to engage these methods. The major insight the book attempts to to communicate is again, what are the historical aspects of birth and the process of giving birth. After learning about all the methods doctors would use to encourage childbirth i was astonished and astounded, some of these methods seemed very similar to torcher methods; the pumping of drugs, and the restraining of the pregnant mother with bed sheets. This major insight allowed me to pose the question how does this new information regarding the historical methods depicted in the book and the present methods depicted in the movie affect our interpretation of the birthing process? what can we see now that we were unable to see before.
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one letting others discuss birth with them. Doing independent research i discovered that Tina Cassidy was right, although not very popular with the obstetricians Elizabeth Bing is a co-founder along with Marjorie Karmel of the Lamaze Child Birth Preparation Method in the USA and also was a major contributor for achieving "family centered maternity", on Ourbodiesourblog.org i discovered even more information, Its supports my factual claim and tells you even more about Elizabeth bing's incredible story, "Elisabeth Bing, co-founder of the Lamaze Childbirth Preparation Method in the USA almost 50 years ago, made a major contribution in achieving Family Centered Maternity and changed birth in America for the better for all time. Birth in the 19th and 20th centuries went from the home to the hospital and was characterized by routine intervention with women being heavily drugged, restrained and isolated. By 1960, with co-founder Marjorie Karmel, Elisabeth Bing developed a grassroots movement with the support of only a few obstetricians, and showed that medical management was not necessarily safer." (http://www.ourbodiesourblog.org/blog/2009/04/lamaze-childbirth-preparation-method-elisabeth-bing) and for even more information regarding women and birth health stories visit http://www.ourbodiesourblog.org/blog/category/womens-health-heroes. However as convinvcing as this is it begs the question how can we be so interested and open about birth but be so scared and taboo when the topic of discussing of sex comes up, these two go hand in hand yet we don't treat them like they do?
In Birth Tina Cassidy heavily discusses the historical aspects surrounding birth such as the tools, doctors and popular doctor practices. In "Business of Being Born" there is very little discussion about the historical aspect of birth specifically the tools used, The reason i find this to be important is because it poses the question can you truely understand the methods these doctors used to give birth without understanding what they used to engage these methods. The major insight the book attempts to to communicate is again, what are the historical aspects of birth and the process of giving birth. After learning about all the methods doctors would use to encourage childbirth i was astonished and astounded, some of these methods seemed very similar to torcher methods; the pumping of drugs, and the restraining of the pregnant mother with bed sheets. This major insight allowed me to pose the question how does this new information regarding the historical methods depicted in the book and the present methods depicted in the movie affect our interpretation of the birthing process? what can we see now that we were unable to see before.
- Cesarean sections when preformed in other countries and the historical change in c-sections throughout time. (page 103)
- The birth of the modern day doctor. How they came to be and how our view on them has changed and how they have changed. (131)
- What tools do both midwives and doctors use throughout the birthing process, similarities and differences, pros-cons. (161)
- Inductions, how it developed and how it has changed and become what it is today. (174)
- Labor positions, which position is optimal and how has has labor positioning played an important role in birth (other than the obvious). Also how have different cultures used labor positions. (181)
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one letting others discuss birth with them. Doing independent research i discovered that Tina Cassidy was right, although not very popular with the obstetricians Elizabeth Bing is a co-founder along with Marjorie Karmel of the Lamaze Child Birth Preparation Method in the USA and also was a major contributor for achieving "family centered maternity", on Ourbodiesourblog.org i discovered even more information, Its supports my factual claim and tells you even more about Elizabeth bing's incredible story, "Elisabeth Bing, co-founder of the Lamaze Childbirth Preparation Method in the USA almost 50 years ago, made a major contribution in achieving Family Centered Maternity and changed birth in America for the better for all time. Birth in the 19th and 20th centuries went from the home to the hospital and was characterized by routine intervention with women being heavily drugged, restrained and isolated. By 1960, with co-founder Marjorie Karmel, Elisabeth Bing developed a grassroots movement with the support of only a few obstetricians, and showed that medical management was not necessarily safer." (http://www.ourbodiesourblog.org/blog/2009/04/lamaze-childbirth-preparation-method-elisabeth-bing) and for even more information regarding women and birth health stories visit http://www.ourbodiesourblog.org/blog/category/womens-health-heroes. However as convinvcing as this is it begs the question how can we be so interested and open about birth but be so scared and taboo when the topic of discussing of sex comes up, these two go hand in hand yet we don't treat them like they do?
Monday, March 14, 2011
HW 38 - Insights from pregnancy & birth book - part 1
The book is organized in more of a historical and statistical manor. The book does not give any sort of personal accounts from women who have gone through birth except for the occasional opinion of the author. the book is also organized efficiently, it seems as though the author is almost trying to cram information on each page. I think the main question the book is trying to answer is how birth and the activities surrounding it progressed throughout history. I feel that birth has become more of an industrial process instead of a natural one. It seems to me that birth has become less of a simple process because of the few occasions where birth can go wrong, instead of treating birth as a gift society views it as a disease and therefore treating it like one by using drugs and surgeries. The major insight the book attempts to communicate is that birth is a physical process originating from you and that it is important to be educated as to how birth and the birthing process has changed for the worse so that you can change it for the better. I feel as if the author is telling you about all the things that birth was before in a sort of angelic light not revealing the pain that may have also been present, for example on page 44 of the book Tina Cassidy discusses her opinion on the idea of hospitals and births while disguising it as a historical fact. She states that "There was a good reason for the medical establishment to accept nurse-midwives: as baby boomers began to reproduce, the birthrate outstripped the number of obstetricians- Meanwhile, women, empowered by the liberation movement, were looking for a kinder, gentler birth experience, one that did not invovle obstetricians or even hospitals." Tine Cassidy stated that hospitals and obstetricians were so-called "unkind and not gentle" which reflected her opinion on the topic very well. The 5 aspects that both the author and i agree on are
- Education about the birthing process, we both agree that this is not well known and should be exposed so that women know the choice they are making.
- Historical research regarding the topic, we both agree that to know what birth is truly like you need to know how it was before your own time.
- More exposure to mid-wives as an alternative way to give birth, we both feel that this is Proxy-Connection: keep-alive
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alternative option that some women should be able to choose and you can't choose it if you don't know about it. - Truth regarding "Hospital/Unnatural birth", we both feel that people should be informed about what hospital birth is really like and both the pros and the cons of it.
- Truth regarding "Home/Natural birth", we both feel that people should be informed about what home birth is really like and both the pros and the cons of it as well.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
HW # 36 comments
To Arden- Arden i felt that this post was the best one yet. i could tell you put a lot of thought into it (and not just because it is so long). i felt your ideas were very developed and showed a deeper thought process that not a lot of people are capable of doing. My favorite line was "Turns out that those women who didn't know they were pregnant until labor described her perfectly. The signs were mostly all the same as she described to me, My periods were already irregular, I just didn't think about it much.There were not any out of the ordinary food cravings seen in other pregnancies. Then of course there is the baby's growth, normally noticeable. With no drastic changes M justified her weight gain to stress, lack of sleep." I felt like this line was particularly interesting because of the fact that it involves the both physical and mental change of women during pregnancy,but not only that you also explore women who are unaware they are pregnant and what the physical and mental change is like for them.
To Matt- Matt i felt your blog was very thoughtful yet still focused mainly on the interviews themselves. By putting your personal thoughts after rewriting the interviews you allowed me to draw my own ideas and conclusions without them being influenced by yours. my favorite part was when you said that "All of these women oddly experienced a newfound freedom in relation to feelings , their bodies, and relationships. Many felt they could move forward in life in a new direction . It seems these feelings with other experiences in birth are just components of a much larger process of birth. While generally considered powerful and profound, the particular meaning and significance of these feelings seems to be overtime fading." i felt that this showed the depth of your analysis and thinking. i also feel like you got a good piece of insight into the process of birth and the effects it can have on the mother's personal life, such as their relationships and freedom.
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From Mr.T (Mentor)- I found this to be your most interesting post of the ones I have read so far. Particularly, I thought your comment on the tenuous grasp of life at the moment of birth was very interesting.
The most striking part of the post - Proxy-Connection: keep-alive
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d the one I think you could expand - is the investigation of the female and male perspectives on the process of becoming a parent. There is an interesting dichotomy in the way your mother and father experienced your birth. It was smart of you to ask them the same questions. I wonder if their sentiments are more global. Do mothers and fathers feel this way in general? This would be an area of further study. Does the lack of the physical connection, as you point out, influence the father-to-be's perspective on the process of becoming a father? These are questions worthy of further study.
Keep up the good thoughts.
From Steven (protege)- I know that this is very general, and a broad idea, but my favorite idea in your writing was the "emotional connection". I have never thought about how there could be an emotion connection between something that everyone consider "alive" and something that only some people consider "Alive" (given that sometimes alive means breathing, and being held, and others where alive means being a fetus). This idea was very significant to me and specifically caught my attention, which is why it has inspired me to think deeper about it.
This topic is a little bit challenging for me to fully comprehend as i believe that you have to experience it to believe it. To really know the emotional relationship and connection, i think it is one of those subjects that cannot be explained. This has led to deeper thinking and the trying to understand the topic more thoroughly even though i percieve it to be impossible for me to fully comprehend at my age.
Overall, i think this was a great topic, and a great explanation of it, and it will defenitly leave me thinking.
To Matt- Matt i felt your blog was very thoughtful yet still focused mainly on the interviews themselves. By putting your personal thoughts after rewriting the interviews you allowed me to draw my own ideas and conclusions without them being influenced by yours. my favorite part was when you said that "All of these women oddly experienced a newfound freedom in relation to feelings , their bodies, and relationships. Many felt they could move forward in life in a new direction . It seems these feelings with other experiences in birth are just components of a much larger process of birth. While generally considered powerful and profound, the particular meaning and significance of these feelings seems to be overtime fading." i felt that this showed the depth of your analysis and thinking. i also feel like you got a good piece of insight into the process of birth and the effects it can have on the mother's personal life, such as their relationships and freedom.
___________________________________________________________________________________
From Mr.T (Mentor)- I found this to be your most interesting post of the ones I have read so far. Particularly, I thought your comment on the tenuous grasp of life at the moment of birth was very interesting.
The most striking part of the post - Proxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0
d the one I think you could expand - is the investigation of the female and male perspectives on the process of becoming a parent. There is an interesting dichotomy in the way your mother and father experienced your birth. It was smart of you to ask them the same questions. I wonder if their sentiments are more global. Do mothers and fathers feel this way in general? This would be an area of further study. Does the lack of the physical connection, as you point out, influence the father-to-be's perspective on the process of becoming a father? These are questions worthy of further study.
Keep up the good thoughts.
From Steven (protege)- I know that this is very general, and a broad idea, but my favorite idea in your writing was the "emotional connection". I have never thought about how there could be an emotion connection between something that everyone consider "alive" and something that only some people consider "Alive" (given that sometimes alive means breathing, and being held, and others where alive means being a fetus). This idea was very significant to me and specifically caught my attention, which is why it has inspired me to think deeper about it.
This topic is a little bit challenging for me to fully comprehend as i believe that you have to experience it to believe it. To really know the emotional relationship and connection, i think it is one of those subjects that cannot be explained. This has led to deeper thinking and the trying to understand the topic more thoroughly even though i percieve it to be impossible for me to fully comprehend at my age.
Overall, i think this was a great topic, and a great explanation of it, and it will defenitly leave me thinking.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
HW 36 - Pregnancy & Birth Stories
When considering whom I would conduct this interview with the first people that I thought of were my mother and father seeming, as they would be the two easiest and most logical choices. The third person I decided to interview was a family member who is very close to me. The first person I interviewed was my mother, I asked about my own birth out of curiosity to which she responded with a very interesting story. I was born during an emergency C-section because the umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck and chocking me (she says I move around too much cause i wanted to get out and play with her). I asked my mother what was the emotional change during the process of being pregnant up until giving birth, specifically the emotional connection with the baby (me). She said that at first there was no emotional change other than the obvious "oh my gosh I am going to be a mother", she went on to say that she became nervous that when I was born that I was going to get hurt, not necessarily through child birth but some other way as well. I asked about her maternal instinct, whether there was one or not and if so what was it like. She said that there was a connection between her and that she could almost feel what I felt, both emotionally and physically.
My mom’s story of my birth allowed me to really be thankful for today’s medicine and the skill of those who delivered me. It also helped informed my understanding of my own birth and birth in general. I feel that birth is the closest thing that we experience to death in our lives. The barrier between the two is so thin that you could easily breakthrough to death while in birth. This also helped me question whether or not there is an easier way to give birth, one that causes no pain to both the mother and the fetus and what places in the world is death during birth more likely and why?
Next, I interviewed my dad. I asked him about my birth to see if there was any sort of common aspect about birth that my parents share. To see if there were any similarities I asked my father the same questions. When I asked him whether there was an emotional change during the process of your wife being pregnant up until giving birth, specifically the emotional connection with the baby; he gave a surprisingly honest response, one I didn’t expect. He said that he honestly had no emotional connProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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tion with me specifically but he had an emotional connection with the idea of me. When i asked him to explain it further, he said that his emotional connection was with him being a father and at the time he was more concerned with his ability to be one rather then me. He aid however he felt a very strong emotional connection with me when he held me for the first time, it gave him the realization that i was real, living, breathing human who he has to care for and not just this idea of "son" or "child"
This story defiantly gave me insight into the role and emotions the father/partner experiences when they are going through this process. I think that the reason this is could be because there is no physical connection like there is with the mother. This also helped me wonder whether or not there is paternal instinct? And also is there a real emotional change within the father during the process of pregnancy and birth? which also led to the question of is there a stronger emotional response/connection when the baby is born compared to when it is still in the mother.
The last person I interviewed was a family member whose name I am not revealing at her request. I chose to interview her because she has gone through an experience in which her died before its birth and was one of a pair of twins. I asked her about the emotional connection between her and her fetus (whether there was one or not). She told me that she did have an emotional connection with the twins and that she could feel that there was something wrong before she went to the doctor. She began to talk about her connection with the twin that was living and how she felt as if she was missing a piece of herself. She said that she felt like an unfinished puzzle. I pitied her but she told me not to look so sad she lives a happy life knowing that her fetus didn’t die while it was a baby. I asked her why she says that? And she responded by saying it didn’t get to experience life so death wasn’t a painful thing for the fetus.
This story had the strongest impact on me just because of the sadness of it. However what really gave me a strong impression was the strength the mother had to think about it that way. Most people wouldn’t have the courage to analyze the death of a loved one with such detail and to be able to move past it is something I haven’t been able to do yet. Her story helped produce the question of whether a fetus dying is really death since it technically hasn’t been alive yet? And also whether or not there is an emotional toll to pay when a mother has had a miscarriage or abortion?
The topic I want to explore during this unit is death during birth; specifically how these two completely different things exist so close together.
My mom’s story of my birth allowed me to really be thankful for today’s medicine and the skill of those who delivered me. It also helped informed my understanding of my own birth and birth in general. I feel that birth is the closest thing that we experience to death in our lives. The barrier between the two is so thin that you could easily breakthrough to death while in birth. This also helped me question whether or not there is an easier way to give birth, one that causes no pain to both the mother and the fetus and what places in the world is death during birth more likely and why?
Next, I interviewed my dad. I asked him about my birth to see if there was any sort of common aspect about birth that my parents share. To see if there were any similarities I asked my father the same questions. When I asked him whether there was an emotional change during the process of your wife being pregnant up until giving birth, specifically the emotional connection with the baby; he gave a surprisingly honest response, one I didn’t expect. He said that he honestly had no emotional connProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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tion with me specifically but he had an emotional connection with the idea of me. When i asked him to explain it further, he said that his emotional connection was with him being a father and at the time he was more concerned with his ability to be one rather then me. He aid however he felt a very strong emotional connection with me when he held me for the first time, it gave him the realization that i was real, living, breathing human who he has to care for and not just this idea of "son" or "child"
This story defiantly gave me insight into the role and emotions the father/partner experiences when they are going through this process. I think that the reason this is could be because there is no physical connection like there is with the mother. This also helped me wonder whether or not there is paternal instinct? And also is there a real emotional change within the father during the process of pregnancy and birth? which also led to the question of is there a stronger emotional response/connection when the baby is born compared to when it is still in the mother.
The last person I interviewed was a family member whose name I am not revealing at her request. I chose to interview her because she has gone through an experience in which her died before its birth and was one of a pair of twins. I asked her about the emotional connection between her and her fetus (whether there was one or not). She told me that she did have an emotional connection with the twins and that she could feel that there was something wrong before she went to the doctor. She began to talk about her connection with the twin that was living and how she felt as if she was missing a piece of herself. She said that she felt like an unfinished puzzle. I pitied her but she told me not to look so sad she lives a happy life knowing that her fetus didn’t die while it was a baby. I asked her why she says that? And she responded by saying it didn’t get to experience life so death wasn’t a painful thing for the fetus.
This story had the strongest impact on me just because of the sadness of it. However what really gave me a strong impression was the strength the mother had to think about it that way. Most people wouldn’t have the courage to analyze the death of a loved one with such detail and to be able to move past it is something I haven’t been able to do yet. Her story helped produce the question of whether a fetus dying is really death since it technically hasn’t been alive yet? And also whether or not there is an emotional toll to pay when a mother has had a miscarriage or abortion?
The topic I want to explore during this unit is death during birth; specifically how these two completely different things exist so close together.
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