Funerals are a dark, gloomy, and sometimes emotional subject for many people. Death rituals like funerals are times where we as a community come together to mourn someone’s loss; it is depressing and often turbulent. But we often overlook the positive aspects of events like these in favor of their negative ones. We can’t ignore the grief that comes with funerals and loss, but we can investigate how funerals are beneficial to those trying to cope with bereavement. In fact, funerals and death rites have many psychological benefits. This is pervasive to grief rituals no matter the culture or the time period: for example, the people of Ancient Greece and the people of modern-day America. As humans, it is in our nature to perform rituals on …show more content…
In Ancient Greece, for example, there were two main practices for dealing with loss: tombstones and lamentation. The earliest Greek tombstones found dated back to the Hellenistic period (323-31 BCE). They were mildly expensive, and as such most belonged to the middle class. Emotional expressions on the stones were evident through the use of elements of personal significance to the deceased. These ‘emotional expressions’ were most commonly found on children’s graves, and in the form of things like short biographical inscriptions or depictions of their favorite toys (Melin). Lamentation was the central death ritual in the world of Ancient Greece. The earliest evidence of it was in the Mycenaean period (1600-1100 BCE), on painted sarcophagi and clay figurines. A lament was without exception done by a woman, either a professional lamentress or a close relative of the deceased. It was considered an art form, a mixture of an improvised theater performance and a song, and addressed both the dead and the living (Stevanovic). In addition to the performer being considered an artist, she was also considered to have the role of a witch or a shaman because of how she acted as an intermediary between worlds. Emotional intensity was always present in a lament, the performer going so far as to mutilate herself by scratching and beating herself (Sijakovic). Furthermore, because women had such a powerful role in the Ancient Greece grieving process, they had a certain power over death. It was for this reason that in the sixth century, laws were passed against lamentation in some city states, like the Solonian Laws. The laws were not really about the lamentation, but more about suppressing women because many were fearful of the power they seemed to hold (Sijakovic,
In the late 1960’s, the FTC was a paper tiger. Ralph Nader, who began the consumer protection movement in this country with the publication of Unsafe At Any Speed, was a sharp critic of the Federal Trade Commission for its lack of consumer protection. Specifically, the FTC was criticized because it relied too heavily on consumer complaints and brought enforcement actions only on a case-by-case basis. The consumer protection movement wanted the FTC to proceed against entire industries rather than individual businesses.
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
The Disney Way of Death explains the unfortunate/sad reaction to the evident loss of a loved one (friends and family). The reactions associated were common characteristics that Americans experience when they encountered death- Invisibility, silence, dispassion, institutionalization and taboo. (Laderman, 2000)
According to the article, “Death and Grief in the Greek Culture”, the authors, Kyriaki Mystakidou, Eleni Tsilika, Efi Parpa, Emmanuel Katsouda, Lambros Vlahos believe that death, grieving, and illness are all aspects of life that are influenced by the culture that one lives in. The authors are referring to the Greek culture and how death has an enormous meaning behind it.
In this paper, we will discuss the different death rituals performed in different cultures. We view death rituals from Native Americans, Africans, those of the Chinese decent, and endocannibalism from the Fore tribe of Papua New Guinea. Death is universal to all people in every culture. Responses to how one deals with death and dying differ greatly. Death rituals are usually based on beliefs. This can come from religion, history, language, and art.
Turn on the television set or watch a movie, and chances are that you are going to see someone meet their fictional death. It is a frequent occurrence that is seen every day. Our culture accepts this as undisputed and unnoticed fact; it has become a commonplace minutia that has gotten lost in the speed of everyday life. Although we witness these horrific ends daily, it is important to recognize that this is a very real event that everyone will have to experience at some point. All too often, this point is ignored in contemporary American culture. The rites and rituals of death and post-death are critical to the American culture, yet are often overlooked.
At some point in our lives, we all come to realize that death is a part of life. Cultural diversity provides a wide variety of lifestyles and traditions for each of the unique groups of people in our world. Within these different cultures, the rituals associated with death and burial can also be uniquely diverse. Many consider ritualistic traditions that differ from their own to be somewhat strange and often perceive them as unnatural. A prime example would be the burial rituals of the Native American people.
This book is a written reflection of ongoing death studies. Each chapter has been designed to show the latest research, practices and ideas of each topic. Each chapter in this book also gives cultural and ethnic tradition in shaping relationships with death in diverse societies. The theme of the book boils down to two things: death and the dying process. These two concepts are heavily highlighted by examples, practices and ideas.
A universal theme that all human beings encounter that triggers emotional and physical aspects is grief. However, different cultures experience bereavement in a variety of ways (Pomeroy & Garcia, 2009). From a priest’s standpoint, Hater (2017) shared how he learned how to cope with death when he spent time with his ill father and during his priesthood. While he remained at his father’s side during his sickness, he stated how the emotional event was like an up and down rollercoaster, but at the end of the journey, the Holy Spirit invites us into a new life, which renews hope. Nevertheless, Hater (2017) discloses how the grief process helps us become stronger and support others who are psychologically and physically suffering from a loss of
When an individual dies, their death can greatly impact the loved ones they leave behind. Each mourner may feel and perceive the death differently from one another, but one common factor that can influence the mourner’s beliefs, values, and views about a person’s death is their culture. Their culture can regulate the way the mourner copes with the death of a loved one, what they do with the physical deceased body, and how they may honor the dead afterwards (Cartaret, 2011). For me, my culture is relatively related to the Catholic, Hispanic American culture, which is a broad and subjective category, but it is what I believe that guides my views towards life and death. I have additionally chosen to learn about the cultural practices of Hinduism of Indians on death
Every individual experiences the act of death, and most persons experience the death of someone they know of. Whether family, kin, or someone infamous, the living deal with the process of dying. Anthropology seeks to understand the universal process of death ritual and how different cultures deal with death differently. An anthropologist can extract social values of a given culture, past or present, from how death ceremony is practiced. Such values could be regarding political hierarchy or an individual’s status in a society, and about a culture’s spiritual or religious faith. By exploring death ceremony in ancient Egypt, contemporary Hindu death practice in India, and current North American funerary rites, it can be illustrated that
Funeral ceremonies were extremely elaborate, especially for upper class citizens. Funerals had five parts in Ancient Rome; the procession, the cremation and burial, the eulogy, the feast, and the commemoration. Ceremonies began closely after death, as soon as all necessary preparations were made. At the home, the deceased’s body would be washed with warm water and then anointed. If the deceased person had held office, a wax impression of his features would be taken. Next, the body would be dressed in in a toga with all the regalia of the rank he was allowed to wear. Incense would be burned and pine woul dbe places outside the door to signify death in the house. In early and late times, when burial was more popular than cremation, a coing would be placed in between the teeth of the deceased, as payment for Charon, the ferryman of the underworld. These rites were simplified in poorer funerals, as well as done by a family member. However, for the rich, an undertaker, or designator, would do so().
Deaths were a form of social event, when families and loved ones would gather around the bed of the dying, offering emotional support and comfort. Myth, religion, and tradition would combine to give the event deeper meaning and ease the transition for all involved. The one who was dying was confident in knowing what lay behind the veil of death, thanks to religious faith or tradition. His or her community held fast to the sense of
The life transition of death and dying is inevitably one with which we will all be faced; we will all experience the death of people we hold close throughout our lifetime. This paper will explore the different processes of grief including the bereavement, mourning, and sorrow individuals go through after losing someone to death. Bereavement is a period of adaptation following a life changing loss. This period encompasses mourning, which includes behaviors and rituals following a death, and the wide range of emotions that go with it. Sorrow is the state of ongoing sadness not overcome in the grieving process; though not pathological, persistent
Death is inevitable part of human experience, which is often associated with fear of unknown, separation, and spiritual connection. Death is an individual experience, which is based on unique perceptions and beliefs. Fear of death and dying seems to be a universal phenomenon, which is closely associated with apprehension and uneasiness. Death is allied with permanent loss, thus personal experiences of grief are similar in many different cultures. There are different mourning ceremonies, traditions, and behaviors to express grief, but the concept of permanent loss remains unchanged in cross cultural setting. With this paper I will identify cross-cultural perspectives on death and dying, and will analyze