HW 59: SOF Prom 2011 and DSPs

Well first off I did not attend prom this year. I think that it is silly that prom is on a weekday instead of a weekend. As much as I hate to admit it ,there is just no way that my mom was allowing me to stay out until 3am partying on a school night. That's the only reason I did not go to prom. I would have loved to attend prom, for all the reasons that I can not talk about. This is one of the few units where I don't think the nightmarish industrial atrocities of prom are going to make me change my viewpoint on whether I attend or not. Prom is just one of those things that I want to be apart of before I graduate.


My plans for participating in prom next year will include all of the cliches guy asks girl out, guy wears a tux, renting a hotel room and a limo, and all of the other things that prom has to offer. If anything this unit will only hamper my "golden" prom experience. It will make me aware of all the gender expectations, and social norms that me and my peers will be buying into which will just make things less enjoyable.  I particularly enjoy the way prom is and I still am not sure that the cons of prom are that big of a deal. The way Disney, and cliche movies have advertised prom to me is very appealing. I just want it to truly be the one night where I get to feel like an adult more than usual without actually being an adult yet.


Due to the details shared in this interview the student whom I interviewed will remain anonymous.
Me: So, how was  prom?
Student: It was crazy, I was dancing so much and drinking so much it was awesome.
Me: Wow, I'm not surprised I didn't see you in school today.
Me: How did prom make you feel in terms of were people generally looking their best, were their limos, and hotel rooms after?
Student: Yes it was basically all that you could expect from prom you had your tuxes and dresses, limosounes before and after prom, and people crashing in hotel rooms.
Me: That sounds just like how prom should be, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.
Student: I did and remember next year just enjoy yourself and have fun.

HW 58: Prom Interviews

Interview 1(Summarized): The person that I chose to interview from our age group who has not been to prom is my friend Stephen. When I asked Stephen what he expected prom to be like he immediately being smiling. He described going shopping with his friends to get his tuxedo, getting the freshest haircut of his life, summing up the courage to ask a girl to prom, paying for his limo and hotel room, and just celebrating what may be the last time he ever sees some of these kids.  When I asked Stephen why he wanted to participate in prom he explained to me that it's basically one of the most important things in 12th grade. It' s going to be one of the best nights of his life, and he wants to spend it with his friends before he never sees some of them ever again. He even went far enough to say he would consider himself lame if he didn't go to prom saying only losers and people who can't get dates do that. When I asked him what his thoughts on the dominant social practices of prom were he didn't really know what to think. He said to me what does that even mean?  Prom is just set up the way it is because kids need some significant event in their life before they go to college.


Interview 2(Summarized): The second person that I chose to interview that is a freshman in college is my cousin Cory. When I asked Cory what he experienced at prom, he described it as literally being the best moment of high school. He got to hang out with his friends outside of school, he got to hang out with his teachers outside of school and see them as real people instead of authority figures.  To him this was truly the fun part about prom since he thought his teachers were interesting and cool people, he really got to see this during prom where everyone is dressed professionally but is still chilling. When I asked him his thoughts on the dominant social practices about prom he was confused. He realized like most people he had never really thought about it.He began asking himself questions out loud. Some of his questions for himself were why did I feel the need to dress up, why were the teachers and staff even there, why did I have to ask my date out why couldn't it be the other way around? I left him in the room by himself so that he could take a step back and analyze himself. He needed the time to himself.


Interview 3(Summarized):  The third person that I chose to interview was my mother. When I asked my mother what she thought about the dominant social practices of prom she described kids being forced to act into gender roles. "The men have to seem big and brave and force up the courage to ask the women to go to prom. The women have to try and pick out the most beautiful/revealing dress which is often very expensive so that they can impress the men and out do the females. The prom industry knows this and they make millions off these kids. Limousines and hotel rooms it all tricks these kids into thinking that their grown ups, that way they don't mind as much. Kids even have an easier access to alcohol specifically at prom. This is the most outrageous aspect to me drugs at a social event such a prom. It's all a joke. Me personally I didn't even go to prom when I was a kid. I saved a lot of money and time.It didn't set me back socially, mentally, or emotionally because anyone that tried to tease got their a**es beat. It's really just a personal decision that everyone has to make. Do you or do you not want to go, simple as that?"


Analysis Paragraph:  While reviewing my interviews I began to realize I had some interesting unexpected responses. What a joke it was predictable the kid who did not go to prom was extremely exited for prom. He had his own Disney like idea of what to expect.  All the cliches wrapped around prom could be found from Stephen's interview. As for my second interview with Cory who went through prom already as expected he had a blast it was the best moment of high school for him. Instead of mainly enjoying the company of his peers he enjoyed the company of the adults around him. Could prom be the reason for this? Was he so caught up in the "moment" that he considered himself an adult already? His rite of passage was complete already. Last but not least was my mother's interview the educated older women who seemed fixed on bashing the prom industry, and kids interested in prom all because she decided to not be part of it during her childhood. It was a waste of money to her and simply unimportant. She turned out fine for the most part completing her rite of passage into adulthood in her own unique way.

HW 57: Initial Thoughts on Prom

My experiences with prom aren't really that interesting. I have never been to prom, so I guess you can say I have not gone through that rite of passage. At this point in my life, prom is not really something that I'm looking forward to. This is partly because I'm only a junior, I'm sure next year I will be much more exited about prom. I regret making the decision to not attend prom this year, because I feel as though it could have really helped me with this unit, and prepared me for the experience in the best way possible since I would have first hand experience.


The way I've been taught to think and act towards prom is really similar to the social norms that men and women normally play in America. This comes at no surprise to me, the women get asked to go to prom for some reason, men don't show that much skin since they have to look very gentleman like, and women show more skin so they can look better than the other girls in the room and attract more attention to themselves. Not only do people fall into gender roles during prom, they just naturally fall into them because everyone wants to fit in whether they realize this or not. Prom is simply a modern idea, that could be defined in three words aspirational, approximation, of adulthood( as Andy put it together in class today). 


As far as social norms go around the treatment of prom in our culture, the woman is essentially a passive object of male desire. Women are sought out and competed for by men all throughout prom. Prom is just a rite of passage that is supposed to help make you a man or woman. There are the fancy clothes, slow dancing, alcohol, hotel rooms which you pay for, and last but certainly not least there are possible sexual opportunities.

List of Interesting Questions:

1. Did past cultures and civilizations have prom and if so how does our modern idea of prom compare and differ from theirs?

2.  Are the alternative social practices more difficult to attain as they have been in previous units?

3. Has there been much movement to prevent the nightmarish industrial atrocities, and if so how are we comparing to other world superpower countries with this atrocity?

4.Would simply not going to prom be a way of beating "the system" of prom?

5. How can alcohol be allowed into prom when clearly we know the drinking age is 21 and most of the people at prom are 17-18 years old?

XC: COTD # 4 Poems About Death

Poem 1:Shiralkar, Snehal Amembal. "The Last Waltz." PoemHunter.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2011. <http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-last-waltz-2/>.


Shiralkar provides the point that you can't see the dead after death. You just get to live life once and there are no second chances.This poem may be useful to people trying to better understand care of the dead because it really gives you this sense that you can be with the ones you love and care about forever. As the poem reaches the end it pulls you out of this concept and basically tells you no this isn't true life doesn't work that way, you have to move on eventually.


Poem 2: Tercio, Ronberge Anno." Death in The Morning." Poem Hunter.com. N.p.,n.d. Web 18 May 2011.< http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/free-form-death-in-the-morning-death-death-death-death-death-death-death-death-death-death-death-death-death-death-death-death-death-death-death-death-death-death-death-death/>.


Tercio provides this idea than when you all life and functioning truly is at an end for that individual.  You become motionless and no different than that of a pencil or a door. Just plain old lifeless. 
This poem may be useful to people trying to understand care of the dead because it really lets you know that when you die you die. There's no afterlife and no coming back it's all over, just move on.


Poem 3: laughter, Mark R. "Punishment." PoemHunter.com. N.p.,n.d. Web 18 May 2011.
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/punishment-16/ 


Mark provides us with this idea that religion and death are intertwined. If you disobey God after death you will go to hell if you obey you go to heaven. He combines his personal opinions on death and religion into the poem to express his ideas.  


Poem 4: Slaughter, Mark R. "Death, Inevitable Death." PoemHunter.com. N.p.,n.d. Web 18 May 2011.
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/death-inevitable-death/  


Mark provides us with a bit of different idea this time, he puts this idea out that death is something we must face inevitably. There no escaping it but there are ways to ease your worries/fears about death. Being religious is certainly one of them.


Poem 5:  Yah, Udiah." Passing On." PoemHunter.com.N.p.,n.d. Web 18 May 2011.     http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/free-form-passing-on-death-death-death-faith-faith-faith-faith-faith/


Yah provides us with this spiritual death aspect.  When our souls leave our bodies it goes to heaven with God. Your physical body decomposes and your soul goes to where it originated from God.


Poem 6: Dickinson, Emily. "What care the Dead, for Chanticleer." American Poems . N.p., Published/Written in 1955 . Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/emilydickinson/10544>.


Dickson provides us with this spirtual sense of the dead being around us all the time. There spirits do exist around Earth and can help us throughout our life. This can be very reassuring news to people having trouble griefing.


Poem 7:  Dickinson, Emily. "I measure every Grief I meet."American Poems . N.p., 1955. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15394>.


Dickson provides us with this sense that griefing isn't neccesarily a bad thing. There's nothing wrong with giefing but to much griefing can be dangerous. It's not all about you and your problems all the time, and people need to realize that instead of worrying about themselves all the time.


Poem 8:  Dickinson, Emily. " It struck me -- every Day."American Poems . N.p., 1955. Web. 18 May 2011. <http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/emilydickinson/10314>.


Dickson provides us with the idea that mourning someone you truly care about is one of the most difficult things you can go through in life. It's something that will be on the back of your mind throughout your entire life and it may or not be beneficial to you.


Poem 9: Slaughter, Mark R. "Body." PoemHunter.com. N.p.,n.d. Web 18 May 2011.
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-body-11/

Mark provides us with this sense that life is something enjoyable that we all go through.  Then she completely turns the table and says it doesn't really matter because were going to die eventually. Then it contradicts itself again and says to live life to the fullest because life is short and your here on Earth for a certain amount of time.


Poem 10: Dickinson, Emily. "It is an honorable Thought."American Poems . N.p., 1955. Web. 18 May 2011. <http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/emilydickinson/10898>.


Dickson provides us with the idea the humans tend to think that things are immortal when it turns out they actually aren't. We just want it that way because we don't want to die and we don't want things to come to an end. There is where religion comes into place it provides people with this feel good alternative after death. Immortality with God in heaven, what reasuring news?


Poem 11: Slaughter, Mark R. "In Death, My Final Part." PoemHunter.com. N.p.,n.d. Web 18 May 2011.
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/in-death-my-final-part/ 

Mark provides us with the sense that death is not something we should give into. We shouldn't let death overcome us. None of your actions prevent death. However, I disagree our basic bodily functions/actions exist so that we don't die. 

Poem 12: Slaughter, Mark R."A Fresh Endeavour." PoemHunter.com. N.p.,n.d. Web 18 May 2011.

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-fresh-endeavour/ 

Mark jabs at a personal experience this time. There's this touching story of someone that loves their loved one. He is somehow able to move on from the topic 

HW 56: Culminating Project Comment's

For Devin,


Your blog seemed to be about this idea that all humans are going to end up rotting no matter what so why don't we stop being selfish and give back to the earth in a "greener" way. Instead of making the decomposition process longer than it should be why don't we just get it over with and give back, even though this may be hard for some of us Americans.


One aspect of your post that I particularly valued was that you provided five alternative to a a typical burial(slow burial). This is more than I learned in my care of the dead unit book. I guess I should have just waited for you to post this amazing blog and just not have read the book.  You took the time out to research and not only state but you explained each alternative which is what I greatly appreciated.


Your project matter to me because these are alternatives to our dominant social practice which as we found out in all of the units is more dominant than we would like. These alternatives all have their pro-s and cons,but it seems as though they all outweigh the dominant social practice. I'm not sure if our dominant social practice will change though it appears as though cremation is next on the list to take over which would send us more in the direction of Japan as far as care of the dead is concered. When you think about that isn't to bad since America doesn't seem to know what there doing with issues like oh I don't know food, illness and dying, birth, and care of the dead. Overall great job best work in the class( as hard as that is to admit to myself) I expect nothing more from Mr. Class of 2015 Cornell. 
http://normalisweirddevinm.blogspot.com/2011/05/hw-55-culminating-project-care-of-dead.html?showComment=1305676781442#c8043783277546807863



For Abdullah,


Your blog seemed to be about, you wanting to really make a change for care of the dead thus, resulting in an activist project. Read Grave Matters inspired you with the ideas and information it presented however, you felt as though you could take the information and make it more accessible and easier to understand. I think you succeeded.


One aspect of your post that I particularly valued was that you decided to use the resources available to you ( Brooklyn  College) to spread the word for your activist project. This is something I truly admire since it does take a lot of courage to go to a college and stand there in hand out fliers. This is truly an activist project, getting out there in the real world and making change.


Your project matters to me because in a way you did three activist projects. You interviewed a High School Student who lives on the other side of America and enlightened him on the death care industry. During this interview I'm sure you fixed many of his misconceptions. The second thing you did was find a Brooklyn College undergrad and interview. What a bold move, whether that person realize it or not you genuinely tried to help them with their life and make the death experience a bit easier for them. The third thing you did was you went out to Brooklyn College. Even though it wasn't necessarily out of your reach you still did it. How many people can actually say they did all of that just for a history project. Well done Abdullah I'm impressed.
http://abdullahisnotweird.blogspot.com/2011/05/hw-55-culminating-project-care-of-dead.html#comments
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From Abdullah,
Abdul,

I thought that the fact that you interviewed your mother was a very courageous move on your part. I can understand how difficult and uncomfortable it must have been to sit there and talk about what she would like to be done with her body when she dies, since the death of a parent is an agonizing experience. I think it is interesting to compare and contrast two different thoughts on taking care of the dead from two different people who come from different educational backgrounds. I think your choice of donating your organs is a noble one and you should stick to that choice.
Good post.

Abdullah


From Natalie:
Abdul,

I think it is interesting that your wants to be cremated with all of her organs, while you are so intent on giving all of yours away. It seems to be the only difference between the two of your plans. What makes you want to give yours away so badly? And what makes her want to keep hers? If she's cremated, they won't exist in their original form. I wish I had been there yesterday for the speaker because they seemed to have had an impact on a lot of people's projects. I find it intriguing that you were so happy to get these forms. It's weird to think that they're even useful at our age, something that I believe a lot of us do not realize. You mentioned that you did not expect them for a couple decades, however then come to the realization that you could die tomorrow. Perhaps we should have more experience with these documents throughout our lives as to not be so surprised when eventually confronted with them.


From Stephen(Protege):
Hey Abdul,
Your most beautiful line was," These are two sheets where I honestly hadn't expected to see for about a decade or so. I guess now was the perfect time since I would have been pretty upset if something bad had happened to me and I hadn't had this on a piece of legal paper." This is a very interesting line because although you didn't expect to see the sheets for a couple years, you soon came to the realization that you could die and day. A wise realization if I must say so myself. Although it may be hard for some people to admit myself included that I could die the next day. Nicely told story Abdul keep up the good work and I look forward to reading your blog posts.


From Bryanna:
Hey Abdul,
I think that it was cool that you could sit down and really talk to your mom about this. As well as her taking this serious because i know that we all going to die but not everyone can talk about nor go out and change the will. So think that is a good relations that you and your mother have good job


From Ms.D(Mentor): Hi Abdul

It's fascinating to me that you are still in high school but have  
written up a 'death plan', since I've never considered such a thing.  
In fact, I've never see the 'wishes sheet' or other forms and  
pamphlets you mentioned. It made me wonder whether planning out one's  
death makes a person more or less afraid of dying, and more or less  
mindful of their mortality. (I'm not afraid of death, but I'm also not  
very good at planning ahead).

I was interested by your mother's wish to keep her ashes in a family  
home, passed down over generations. I can imagine that there would be  
something comforting about having a remnant of a loved one near, even  
symbolically. It reminds me of the many passages in the Bible  
describing how difficult it was for people to give up idols and images  
and worship a God that they could neither see, hear, nor depict in any  
way. When I've seen people pray to Catholic saints, or orishas, or  
Hindu goddesses, or images of the Virgin Mary, it seems more  
accessible- the worshippers have something that they can see and often  
touch, that they know represents something far greater. Ashes seem  
similar: we know that they're not the person, not the spirit or soul  
or even body of the person we loved, but somehow it can be reassuring  
to feel a piece of them physically near.

I wonder how many generations your mother would like her ashes passed  
on until. Someone once told me that you die twice- the second and  
final time is when your name is spoken for the last time. (This idea  
is seen in the quest for immortality in Greek myths, and maybe even  
today with the desire for celebrity). Someone else said that you're  
only truly dead when the last person who can remember you with love  
dies too. If your mother is interested in the former, in being  
remembered, then perhaps she'd like the ashes passed down indefinitely  
along with stories about her- a kind of immortality. If the latter is  
more important, then maybe her ashes would only be passed down to her  
eventual grandchildren or great-grandchildren. Or maybe her plan is  
less about her legacy, and more about staying near to her descendants,  
primarily you; in that case the ashes would be passed down as long as  
they were needed. I also noticed that you wrote about her plan in a  
matter of fact way, even though thinking about parents dying is often  
extremely painful.

As for your plan, I commend you for choosing to donate your organs. As  
you've probably already learned, all organs and flesh are eviscerated  
during cremation. What people call 'ashes' are actually just remains  
from bone and maybe metal fillings in teeth. Since the organs are not  
in the ashes (or more accurately cremains) it makes sense for you to  
donate them to help others live healthy lives. As far as legacy goes,  
donating organs is a powerful way to influence the world even after  
death, since you're saving lives and sometimes enabling those whose  
lives you saved to bring new life into the world. (That said, it can  
be scary to think of one's organs wandering around inside strangers; I  
think it's a brave and impressive choice). Have you ever read Never  
Let Me Go? It connects directly to this issue (I won't elaborate so as  
not to give too much away) and I highly recommend it.

Lastly, I agree with your mother that it is unwise to post private  
documents online. You actually have a lot of personal information on  
this blog, about your own views but also about your family members'  
opinions and experiences, and I recommend deleting it all when this  
course is over. Privacy is so much more precious and threatened than  
we realize, and even if we're proud of our experiences and confident  
in our viewpoints, it doesn't necessarily mean that we want the person  
we met at a party or a potential boss to read intimate details of our  
upbringing and beliefs. At least I don't. Your mother sounds like a  
smart woman!

I've enjoyed reading your posts, Abdul. Sorry I haven't always  
responded in a timely manner. Congratulations on wrapping up your  
final semester as a high school student!

XC: COTD # 5 Six Feet Under

 "Pilot." Six Feet Under. HBO: 3 June, 2001. Television. 17 May 2011. 

Six feet under is basically a comedy which revolves around  a family of undertakers. Since their undertakers they have a very interesting kind of sadistic way a living.The first episode starts off with these three siblings who find out their father was killed in a car accident .Nate  who is one of the sons works in Seattle must travel to town to deal with his father's death. Nate's brother David  is a  homosexual(though I'm not sure his family knows this)is secretly sleeping with a male police officer. Their mother Ruth  has to confess that she's been having an affair with a hairdresser. Oh and there is the sister Claire who seems to be the most normal of the family.  Episode one shows you  how family surrounded by death by nature deals with their own personal deaths, kind of how the rest of the world does so. No one is immune to death and everyone suffers at least once because of death.

The Will." Six Feet Under. HBO: 10 June, 2001. Television. 17 May 2011.

 Episode two shows this inventor that dies leaving behind his family to take care of all of his problems and debts. There's not even any money left over for a decent funeral. Nate from episode one comes and offers them some help since he is also grieving for his father's loss.He proposes a unique idea one I've never even heard. He told them to rent out a casket for awake like purposes, and then later on when they gather more money they can cremate their father. This would have been a genius plan but it's currently illegal to sell back a used casket.While the reading of the will takes place , Ruth receives many gifts which include stocks, cash and insurance. As for the the rest of the family the  funeral business ends up getting split  between David and Nate much to Nate's dismay, as for Claire she gets a college fun. Basically everyone wins, how nice is that. Episode two shows an example of  dealing with the death of a family member, and dealing with the legal responsibilities(wills etc). This is a process most people in America go to so it can relate to the audiences which is good.

The Foot." Six Feet Under. HBO: 17 June, 2001. Television. 15 May 2011. 

 Episode three shows  a bakery owner die, which leaves Federico  to take care for the death.The third episode  explores how a family or anybody really can rise pass whatever tragedy their stricken with and go on with their merry lives.

Episodes Consolidation of Dominant Social Practices:

Six Feet Under seems to really focus on the emotional aspect of  care of the dead. It helps prove that the experts, on death are still subject to the emotional/mental, and even physical stress that comes from  death. Just like with Birth even doctors get sick, while being doctor may help reduce this chances it can't stop it from happening. With death even undertakes die/have to deal with personal death's, while being an undertaker may reduce the stress associated with death it doesn't stop it from happening.

Six Feet Under is an interesting show because it attempts to challenge the dominant social practices of grieving for the deceased. Six Feet under shows that no matter how much time and effort we put in there is no way guaranteed way to prepare yourself for death. Six Feet Under does challenge the idea of being able to move past the seemly impossible grievance period. Each episode revolves around death in a different way. As of episode three I don't see how's it's possible for this family to escape the idea of death I mean they do come from an undertaker family after all.

XC: COTD #1 Cemeteries

On Saturday I decided to visit two cemeteries. The first cemetery I visited was the New York City Marble Cemetery. My first thoughts on the cemetery were to see tombstones sticking out of the ground. I was actually shocked since all of the tombstones were flat on the ground. Another thing I noticed is as soon as you enter a cemetery you feel sort of self-conscience. I mean I know I don't believe in ghosts but just knowing that your stepping over peoples graves and bodies just makes me really uncomfortable.  This was one of the less attractive looking cemeteries that I've ever seen. I mean I've only been to two this one and Cypress Hills Cemetery which is the other one I visited. While at Marble cemetery I also realized to myself I've never been at a cemetery unless I was visiting a deceased relative. I found it very weird just snapping photos and observing a cemetery.  A cemetery is just not a place where happiness is expected.   

On Sunday I decided to visit one more cemetery. This time it was completely different. The moment I entered the cemetery I felt sad. My whole family is buried in this cemetery all within 1000ft of one another so being here was quite emotional for me which was unexpected. This cemetery was much more fancy than Marble cemetery and about 10x the size. Due to my knowledge Cypress Hills is the largest cemetery in the city. My family section is so far away I had to be driven to the tombstones. In the car it took about 10 minutes to get there. When I finally got there all I could do was play back the funeral service of my grandmother in my head. Her funeral was the last funeral I've been to which was in 2007.  Her tombstone still looked as beautiful as ever although I was a bit angry since the grass underneath her tombstone seemed as though it was being cared for poorly.  I figured it was best to not say anything since I had the driver wait 10 minutes for me to drive me back. Before I left I dropped off some new flowers which you can see in the picture and I cried the whole drive back to the entrance.  Being in cemeteries just isn't fun, my brain has made an automatic association with cemeteries and death that I don't think can ever be erased.

Since I was taking the picture it was hard for me to get in the picture, and also the driver was rushing me so this is the best I have.

XC: COTD #2 Harold and Maude

 Harold is an extremely weird individual. He's clearly obsessed and interested with death beyond the norm. In the beginning of the movie he tried to hang himself possibly to get his mother's attention, meanwhile she just ignored him. Soon after Harold staged a bathroom death where there was blood all over the mirror and on himself. Harold even dries a hearse.  These are just two examples of Harold's weird obsession with death.  When he's at a funeral for a random person which he does regularly he meet's an old woman named Maude who just happened to be chilling at the funeral. They immediately click since there both just weird people. The significance of the theme of death in the life of Harold is clear he drives a hearse around( very odd because I didn't even know that was legal), he usually wears a lot of black fancy clothing which he can afford since his family is rich, and he pretends to kill himself which eventually will scare his mother to death and give her a heart attack.  The music for the movie is also incredibly odd since it sounds like music you would play for someone at their funeral.  Harold's mother finally sends him to a psychiatrist who does absolutely nothing for him.  I mean the man goes to funeral's for fun and stages suicides for fun why wasn't he placed in a psych ward or something. A new thing I noticed is Harold is extremely pale, he simply looks death I'm sure this was done intentionally by him to fit in with his death practices. While Harold's psychiatrist continues to try to crack him Harold says he has no friends and if he does he has one who is probably Maude. To beat his mother's antics Harold stages some more suicides for his dates and of course it sends them running. Harold clearly wants affection from his mother, which is something which his psychiatrist should have noticed a long time ago. This is probably the cause for his disturbed outtake on life. When Harold tells Maude the story of himself dying the first time in school ending with his mothers collapse after hearing his alleged death Harold decided to himself he enjoyed being dead. This is probably what let Harold to joining the society for which he lives without meaning. I was quite shocked to find that Harold wasn't happy to join the army, since he would be surrounded by death. He would be seeing death, and participating in death. What more could he possibly want?For Harold Maude gives him purpose in life and allows him to finally enjoy living.

Maude takes Harold to her house where he instantly captivated by all of her death items. It turns out her home also looks like a funeral home, she has a piano, lots of flowers, and the windows of a church home( the ones with Jesus). Maude seems to have taken a liking to Harold so now they are both being weird together. Going to watch cranes take out buildings, going to funerals, going on dates at the cemetery, accompanying each other as Maude steals cars. There made for each other. Maude also doesn't seem as interested in death practices as Harold because when she told Harold the story of her umbrella she actually got emotional. The indicated to me that she was human and death did make her uncomfortable. I have noticed Maude has a very carefree attitude to life and death as we see in the end when she essentially kills herself. She basically does what she want's living life to the fullest and death also. Maude believes 80 years is enough to live for a reason which I don't know so she kills herself.

Mrs. Chasen is a woman who should under the utmost scrutiny also. Her son is crazy and I doubt all of his problems came from himself. Mrs. Clasen doesn't show any affection for him what so ever. She's to controlling and snotty and I'm sure Harold finds this annoying. Although they are rich and she provides him with everything he could want materialistically speaking. It's clear to me she doesn't appreciate Harold's weird obsession with death as she buys him a jaguar instead of a hearse which he was currently driving.

HW 55: Culminating Project

For my culminating project I chose to write up my mother's and my own death plans. Luckily for me our guest speakers that came in today had forms and legit pamphlets specifically for people that may have been doing this type of project. I turns out that my mother plans on being cremated meanwhile keeping all of her organs. She wants me to keep her ashes in my house/apartment and pass them down from generation to generation. In my eyes she is the most important woman in her family. She is a idol and a role model for me and for generations to come. 


As for my own funeral plans me and my mother talked about it for hours and hours. I have decided that I will be cremated also in hopes that my ashes can be passed down to my children and for many generations to come. I also plan to be an organ doner. I will literally donate every single organ in my body to whomever needs it or get's to it first. Thanks to our guest speakers today I was given the 5 wishes sheet and the dignity memorial individual personal planning guide. These are two sheets where I honestly hadn't expected to see for about a decade or so. I guess now was the perfect time since I would have been pretty upset if something bad had happened to me and I hadn't had this on a piece of legal paper. I would just like to thank the speakers again, and thank you very much for bringing them into class Andy.


Tomorrow I will bring in both of these pamphlets filled out and they will each be my prop. Due to a late change of plans it seems I was not allowed by my mother to upload any pictures of the pamphlets to this blog page because my mother seems as though it's to private. I tried to sneak and post pictures up but since my mom has a blog name she checked my blog three times already. Sorry guys.

HW 54: Independent Research B

Growing up in a Christian household, when I was finally able to make some life changing decisions on my own I came to an agreement being religious isn't for me. Even though heaven and hell is a part of Christianity I've never been able to completely say there isn't a heaven or hell.  I read the words of John Matthew, and Luke as was recommended. I even interviewed my godmother who is a preacher. Since she preaches the words of the "lord" everyday she should know what she's talking about especially after 27 years.

What Luke, John, and Matthew all say is fairly understandable. However, I am a bit disappointed all there doing is explaining what heaven is not how to get into it.  This is very annoying it makes me feel as though they don't even know the answer themselves. There in a way deceiving people to get into heaven even if it doesn't exist/isn't a good place to go to.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." -

 John 3:16 (King James Version)

My interpretation of the quote is that God loved everybody on Earth so much; he was willing to give up his own son so that everyone who believes in him and his power will be able to live in heaven with him forever. Basically because God gave up his son everybody must bow down to his absolute power and authority. What reassuring news?

"On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus." Teacher, he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"- Luke 4: 18

My interpretation of the quote is that everybody isn't actually sure how to get to the "promised land" where eternal life is given. Everyone seems to have heard of it but people don't exactly know for sure how to get there and obtain eternal life. I feel the bible is often misleading, why can't they just directly tell people what they want from them. If you want people to devote their entire lives to you then you at least owe them enough to be 100% honest with them.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven."- Matthew 7:21

My interpretation of the quote is pretty simple since it's clear what Jesus wants. Jesus says "not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord" does this mean some people who say that will get into heaven, because that's just not fair. Also can listening to Jesus alone not get you into heaven, but you also have to listen to God.

Overall I have come to a census that the quotes from the bible didn't exactly specify what goes on in heaven. All I really learned was that if you don't follow God's preaching’s you’re in trouble. The bible doesn't specify what "trouble" you get into but it can't be too good. After all it is God's wrath. I imagine he sends you directly to hell to let the devil do what he pleases with you. I haven't learned what the afterlife is, but I did learn that there might be one which could be full of good things or bad things.

Since I didn't get much information from the bible, luckily I was able to interview my godmother the preacher. I asked her very simple questions that she should know about for example I asked her what it means to go to heaven. She answered saying that you've been chosen to live in harmony with the lord himself for all eternally. She also said I don't understand what people have a hard time struggling with, just read the bible, and do what he says and you'll be rewarded after death.

This interview showed me how subjective heaven is, like many things in this world. But, since no one really knows what heaven is how can people have been devoted for centuries to god, to  even go so far as to kill people over god. I think people just can't handle all life has to offer and need someone to guide them through life (god). As long as people can start to believe this and accept this themselves then it's fine to believe in heaven.

HW 53: Independent Research A

1st Article:
Cohen, Debra."Religion Journal; More Jews Turn to Ritual Of Caring for Their Dead." New York Times. New York Times, December 24 2004. Web. 9 May 2011.<
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.htmlres=9400E1D91E30F936A15751C1A9629C8B63&pagewanted=all >.
Precis of 1st Article:
In the 1950's and 1960's there was a major movement to prevent orthodox synagogues from doing "hevra kadishas". This movement started to prevent the Jews from doing difficult tasks involving death and burial so that it become professionalized, and indeed it has changed in that sense. Orthodox synagogues have long held hevra kadishas so that members following ancient Jewish rituals could care for the deceased in the community, and care for them during death and their burials. Times are finally beginning to change again and it is very comforting for families to know their beloved deceased are being cared for by volunteers at local synagogues instead of the nightmarish funeral home industries.
2nd Article: 
Dolnick, Sam." Dance, Laugh, Drink. Save the Date: It’s a Ghanaian Funeral." New York Times. New York Times,  April 11 2001. Web 9 May 2011.<
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/nyregion/12funerals.html?_r=1&ref=deathanddying >.
Precis of 2nd Article:
What is often mistaken for a nightclub or a wedding hall is a Ghanaian funeral. The only signs that it's even a funeral are the shirts, posters, and CD's that have pictures of the deceased on them. The funeral's in Ghana culture are literally parties made to celebrate the life of the deceased. Ghanaians see funerals as a celebration of life, while on the other hand Americans see funerals as a place of sadness. If you were to go to one of these funerals crying you would certainly stand out and look awkward, how ironic? 
Analytical Paragraph:
These two incredibly interesting texts can  compare to each other because in each of them they involve some alternative to the standard funeral process. Times are indeed changing, and just like I would like to see people are trying new ideas and bringing forth old suggestions. This is truly the dominant social practice being challenged by the alternative social practices.   In the first article the alternative practice is the ancient Jewish ritual which is hevra kadisha. Volunteers go to their local synagogue and help care for the deceased community members. This is truly a remarkable feat, one which I've never even heard Andy( Social Studies teacher) or anyone talk about in my life. In the second article the alternative practice is the Ghanaian celebration tradition. Instead of a funeral being a time and place for sorrow and sadness, it's a place for laughter and fun. This is what America should be aiming for. How does Ghanaian culture have a better process of dealing with the dead than American culture?
Interview of Someone in Death Care Industry:
Interviewee: Jorge Hernandez (GraveDigger at Cypress Hills Cemetery)
Abdul: Hello sir in 2007 my grandmother was buried right here in this cemetery. Now you are gravedigger so tell me how do you feel about your job and what made you decide to be a ... gravedigger.
Jorge: Well my job actually involves a lot of work in case you didn't know. Digging graves 6ft and 3ft down, digging family plots it;s all hard work. For how I feel about my job it's a depressing job, I mean your digging graves for dead people. It can't get more depressing than that. I decided to be a gravedigger because I've always had respect for the dead. I believe in the supernatural, I'm catholic, and I just feel comfortable around death for some reason. I'm not sure why but it just is something that I want to be involved in.
Abdul: Are you allowed to watch/observe funeral services?
Jorge: I mean were not allowed to intrude on family events since there private and we have to respect families and their grieving time. But I try and go to as many as possible.
Abdul: How many people have you seen in caskets
Jorge: Probably over 1000
Abdul: How do you sleep at night( laughing)
Jorge: I'm used to it after 10 years(more laughing)
Abdul: Well I think your off your lunch break now but thank you very much for all your help Jorge it won't go to waste
Jorge: Anything to help the kids out
Highlights from the interview:
I was really nervous while going to the funeral home since I thought they would shoot down since I'm a kid. I tried to look presentable with my black blazer,white button down, matching black pants, and Ray Ban shades. I mean how could you turn that down. I came in and spoke to the lady at the front desk getting straight to the point. It turns out they respected me for that and were probably also pleased that it wasn't going to cost them anything. My interview was quick wit Jorge who just happened to be walking by on his lunch break. I was lucky to get whatever information I could out of him, though not much.

HW 52:Third Third of the Care of The Dead Book

Precis: 

The healthcare industry is  going blow for blow with the funeral industry. The healthcare industry is struggling to keep people "alive" and the funeral industry is trying to keep dead people, dead all the while making them look alive.  People have a hard time admitting to themselves they we cease to exist. Who doesn't want to live forever and be invincible. Funeral homes use this idea to their advantage which is why they provide them to us. As long as no one knows what happens after death the afterlife concept will forever exist.

Quotes:

•  "You cant mark the sea like you mark the land, it wont let you, and if it matters to know where your dead are, the sea responds with a wet salty question mark" (Jokinen 230).
• "The myth that the vaulted body lasts forever is hard to shake, and the idea of dissolving into a conservation easement, no matter how beautiful the view, is still too much like going ovo-lacto: only a few have the taste for it" (Jokinen 217).
• " I think the funeral industry is ahead of the curve," he says. "They're at the level of Disney"(Jokinen 247).
• "When people are on their deathbed, what they want is to make sure they're not forgotten"(Jokinen 251).
• "There'll be plenty of time for shop talk and theology later -- a life- time, whatever that may be. For now we have to work to do. I follow him into the chapel"(Jokinen 277).

Analysis:

    Hearing about the death care industry from only Tom's point of view really began to bore me. I certainly think that's one of the faults of the book. To connect this book to the Food unit  people will always tend to want what they want while putting the least amount of effort into getting it. For example in the food unit people pay for the cheapest food for because it is easily prepared, cheap, and taste good. Now the example for the funeral business is that most customers prefer to buy the cheapest package but tend to get something a bit more expensive so they don't feel guilty.  These two systems(food and death industries) are improving but are far from perfect.

HW 51:Second Third of Care of The Dead Book

 Precis:

I have officially learned that  if someone would like to have their after the dead practices taken care for them by a professional, it can done but it will be carried out a certain way. If the financial situation hasn't been taken care of before the death, things become even more complicated since the funeral must decide the "quality" of the funeral. It can range from as little as $1000 to $20,000 easily. When it comes the time for a funeral we often seem conflicted as we are stuck grieving and arranging an incredibly difficult thing to do. As we begin to move to the future it seems as though preparing funeral plans before the actual funeral has an "unexpected benefit" it takes some pressure off the  family.

Quotes:

• " The Factory at night is a menacing sight. Locking up my bike, the 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.'' (Jokinen 123)
• "Neil thinks it matters to people that the bag they get back is as close to pure former-human being as us Factory monkeys can make it.  That's why he charges more than the local deep-discount bake-and-shakers.  It's the difference between a silk tie and clip-on." (Jokinen 120)
• “What made Ray Brent Marsh different from his neighbors was not that he was insane, but that he’d lost all reverence for and fear of the dead” (Jokinen 131)

• "For nearly two hundred years, funeral service has had a firm foundation in American culture based upon Judeo/Christian priorities... The question is, what does the consumer really want, and how could operators achieve superior profits by breaking with the past." (Jokinen 141)

Analysis:

Part two of curtains was just as enlightening and enriching as the first part in my opinion. When my grandmother died in 2007 we went to the funeral home to pick out caskets. It turns out my grandmother was also somewhere in the funeral home and was just finishing her embalming. Only the adults were allowed to see here as it my "taint my innocence". Ever since then I have always wanted to know what happens to a dead body once they are taken away from their site of death. I never knew that the undertakers and other funeral home people put so much effort in trying to make a dead body look alive. Personally I always thought they did a bad job, there was either too much makeup on or, too much embalming fluid in, I never really seemed to notice the lipstick since I've been to mostly funerals for females. But this all might seem necessary to help us cope with the pain of losing her beloved since it really is one of the hardest things. Our dominant social practices might be right on this one, or at least I think so.

HW 50 First Third of Care of the Dead Book Post

Jokinen, Tom. Curtains Adventures of an Undertaker-In-Training.

Precis

I have begun to explore the life of an undertaker since I quit my government job. I'm trying to place myself in the culture of the care of the dead with my new job. Fortunately I still have some old tricks and prior knowledge from my past job experience.  While becoming so intimate with care of the dead I really am learning to take a look in the mirror and understand my own thoughts on the matter, as well as societies take on things. I'm finding myself unable to adapt to the smell of all the chemicals used on the dead  who already smell bad if you ask me. To help protect the innocence of the dead we whisk them away to the next life in  extravagant caskets, and  use pink and purple lipstick to give them more of a lifelike feel.

Quotes

• "In my head, it sounds like a fairy-tale: the dead come from a magic place called the Silver Doors, from which they are whisked into boxes or made to drink potions that turn them from yellow to green, then they're painted pink and purple and powdered, and some are baked in an oven where they are turned into flour by special death-fairies" (Jokinen 19).
• "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" (Jokinen 39).
• "To me, the heart of the debate she left behind is a nagging question: what is the body, anyway?Is it charged,mystical, something to be marked and honored with ceremony and balm, or is it "discarded clothing"?(Jokinen 33)

Analysis

After reading  the first third of Curtains, I have literally been able to picture everything I've read. It's basically the book's plot colliding with my own experiences at a funeral home. I find myself saying " I don't remember that", I wonder what that's like in person."  Similar to all of our previous units there are the clear dominant social practices, some being nightmarish atrociously industrialized . Tom really uses his humor and real life experience to show me what its like to be a undertaker. He doesn't really use historical information and this saddens me a lot because I'm one of the people who like to see how these systems evolved.The most interesting part of the first third of the book is the part where he mentions the many techniques that he and his staff use when selling coffins. The author also stated one line that really caught my attention was " Mitford saw embalming as a way to "make the corpse presentable for viewing in a suitably costly container. And only North Americans still did it."This specific line really gave me more of an understanding of the funeral homes jobs and responsibilities no matter how silly or absurd they may be.