Cremation Vs Burial Case Study

You’ve probably heard the old saying. “Only two things in life are certain: death and taxes” It’s true: at some point, we all will die. Although you may think death is an unpleasant subject, it is something that everybody must cope with. People are different all over the world, but death is one thing that everyone has in common. ( Stair, choosing a career in mortuary science and the funeral industry 6)

According to an essay written by Jessica Mitford titled “Embalming in the U.S.A” states that the mass population in the United States have lost interest of embalming over the years. She later proves this by saying “not one in ten thousand has any idea what actually takes place and books on the subject are extremely rare to come by”. She later goes on saying that America has made a complete reversal on how the treated the Embalming. In the old days of America it was mandatory for one of the family members of the deceased to stay with the mortician while he carried on his business. Now in these the majority of people cannot stand the sight of blood. As the essay continues Jessica later states how She under stands

Dead?" AlterNet. In this article, Frankie Colmane looks into how dead bodies are treated in the United State even after Mitford's expose of the funeral industry was published. The article takes both a philosophical and scientific issue with the procedure of embalming sighting proven negative effects to human beings and the environment. Colmane shows that even though people are aware of the malfeasance and misappropriations of the funeral industry following pieces like Mitford's, very little has changed. Therefore problems that have been discussed in earlier works should not be forgotten. Rather they should be continually brought up until the issue is solved. During the 1800s, embalming became common practice because the dead family member would lie in state within the home for a period of days or weeks until it would be buried (Colmane 2010). The article shows the duplicity such as when "funeral directors were arguing forcefully against charges that their mediation between the living and the dead translated into social obstruction that barred the stricken from facing death with maturity, realism, and honest" (page 2). This article will be used to illustrate that things have not changed with funereal practices despite the publication of Mitford's essay.

The idea of human composting is almost exactly the same. Composting works when bacteria release carbon dioxide and nutrients from organic materials that help plants thrive (Ashford n. pag.). These are the same plants that provide the oxygen we need to survive and the beauty of nature that people will travel thousands of miles to witness in some cases. Human composting is the most ecologically friendly way to dispose of bodies; cremation pollutes the air with gases and chemicals such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and hydrochloric acid while bodies that are buried can take more than fifty years to decompose (Huffman n.pag., Memorial Pages n.pag.). The earth does not get the nutrients it needs from burial until the casket and body break down, and even then it receives materials that could be utilized for something other than holding bodies: “Each year, over 30 million board feet of wood, 1.6 million tons of concrete, 750,000 gallons of embalming fluid, and 90,000 tons of steel are buried underground in the United States alone,” (Herzog n.pag.). Cremation and burial are neither environmentally friendly to the earth nor economically friendly to the family left

Criticisms of American funeral practices have been made publicly aware since the 1920’s, and actually go back to ancient times in the scope of human’s ceremonies for the dead. Since the first published argument against modern funerals various authors joined the movement publishing their disparagements of customs for the deceased; that in essence contend the grandiosity and lavish displays are merely a social and psychological representation of the monetary opportunity of funerals (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2015, p. 306-307). Even further, regarding the encompassing funeral industry as exploiting grieving loved ones for their financial gains, while disregarding the actual needs of modern society (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2015, p. 307).

Some cultures are traditional and want to bury love ones in a traditional way. However, younger generations are more creative in the way they bury loved ones. For example, sea lovers may have their ashes put into an eternal reef and put into the sea. A positive spin is being put on funerals and now being called “celebrations of life”. The death rate is low right now but as baby boomers get older the death rate will rise, and the funeral service industry will see a big boost.

1. Watch “The Undertaking” where this video examines a family who works in the funeral industry as a window into American feelings on death and dying. Then, respond to the following questions: How do funeral rituals describe by the Lynch family show our cultural values about death and dying? How would a sociologist create a research question to systematically evaluate the claims that the Lynch family makes about death and dying? The funeral industry arguably exists to serve micro-level relationships, consoling individuals who have just lost others central to their social existence. How is the funeral industry connected to institutions at the community and

Throughout the course, I have paid close attention to the different methods of burial with hopes of finding an option suitable for my interests when I pass in the future. At Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, I took an interest in Amy Cunningham, an advocate for green burials. She had many wonderful experiences and expert opinions on the subject matter of types of burial practices but mostly accommodated natural full-body burials. The topic of green burials interested me greatly and upon further research, I found a sect of green burials where participants would use their cremains to help facilitate the growth of a tree. These tree burials seemed like a great solution the question I had proposed to myself while also aiding in the issue of overcrowded

After some research on five current trends in the funeral service operations, I decided to choose the following submerging topics: personalization, technology, “green” funerals, women in the industry and pet funerals. In regards to personalization, Shivon loved the idea that more services were becoming specific to a deceased individual’s life. Families are trying to seek ways to make meaningful funeral services, while helping with the grieving process. “The idea of personalization has resulted in an explosion of unique services that reflect the hobbies, passions and interests of someone who has died” (National Funeral Directors Association, 2017). With technology on the rise, it is only appropriate for funeral homes to jump on the

The Holy Gardens Crematorium will cater services not just the clients of Funeraria Royale but also to the other Funeral Service. They will serve as the primary clients or customers of the Crematorium.

It’s assumed that people have knowledge of what is appropriate planning for life after death, but nobody is ever prepared; and that is why preplanning is necessary. Death and dying is a part of life nobody likes to discuss, plain and simple, it makes us uncomfortable. This is a major contributor to why no one plans ahead. Nobody likes to think about death, it isn’t a pleasant thought to most of us. However, unfortunately, in our lifetime, avoiding a funeral is inevitable.

Mankind’s history of burial practices and funeral customs are as old as civilization itself. There is no specific way to planning a funeral. Every civilization and culture has provided for their dead in different ways. Religion and personal beliefs play an important role in the burial practices and funeral customs of a given culture or civilization. Furthermore, each civilization and cultured ever studied have three things in common: some type of funeral rites, rituals, and ceremonies; A sacred place for the dead; and memorialization of the dead. As far back as the time of Christ, burials have been noted to take place. In time burial and funeral customs have become very distinct, interesting and

Amy is having difficulty with depression as well. She is unable to move to the last stage of grief, acceptance, until then she will be stuck in the same stage, reliving the same emotions over and over until she is able to cope with the feelings that were aroused

Today the society is looking for ways to ease life and to find solutions for problems which oppress our lives and make it hard to live through. Because of many reasons, the traditional burials in this century are becoming a problem. (Prothero,2001). The fact that they cover a lot of land to build cemeteries and other things that are attached to these traditional burials is enough for us to search for a practical solution. About a century ago the term "cremation" was unknown to many people. It is believed that it began to be practiced during the early Stone Age and still exists today. Since that time cremations have been made all

     Because of the increasing education of the consumer, many may choose to bypass the funeral home as a way of lowering costs.