Colin Gallagher
After Life: Culture of Death
Blandford
10-27-08
Response to “The Undertaking”
I thought that his documentary was profoundly moving. I grew up in a small town in Michigan similar to the one depicted in the piece – and seeing such a small community dealing with death and the loss of loved ones hit home for me in a way that I didn’t expect. The idea of a small town in which everyone knows each other, in which everyone goes to the same man to take care of their dead, reminded me of the environment that I grew up in.
I was particularly struck by the recitation of the undertaker’s poetry throughout the documentary. When he first started off reading his work, my initial reaction was that it would be corny and overdone. However I quickly realized quickly that his poetry was very well constructed. Perhaps I was a little too easily swayed but it seemed to me that although he truly has a corner on the market, he doesn’t seem to be in the business just for the money. In particular, his passage about the passing of children really made him seem like a genuine person. The fact that he sold child sized coffins at cost to grieving parents in exchange for him never having to experience such loss says a great deal about his character.
In regards to the depictions of corpses and the embalming process, I really wasn’t affected the way others in class were. Both my parents are physicians and I worked in the medical field for nearly a year – so I’ve come to regard the body as merely a vehicle for the human spirit. Viewing the deceased has never really given me a gross feeling.
Colin Gallagher
After Life: Culture of Death
Blandford
11-4-08
Thoughts on Service Learning Project
When I first heard about the opportunity to volunteer at Mount Auburn Cemetary, I knew that I would be well suited to the job. I was happy to jump at the chance of doing a greater service for both the deceased, and generations that have yet to come. The prospect of spending some time outside while getting my volunteer hours in didn’t hurt either.
Arriving at Mount Auburn, I had no idea how involved or important the work I was about to undertake was. I knew that I would be spending roughly 3 hours recording the inscriptions and epitaphs on gravestones to preserve them from the elements. However I didn’t really grasp the weight of such a task until I was trained how to do it myself.
The means of recording hard to read inscriptions is fairly genius in its simplicity. I was instructed to record the words on gravestones, some over 100 years old, that appeared to have no writings left on them at all. Then I was shown how to hold a mirror to bounce sunlight across the tombstones and reveal the sublte inscriptions still left on the memorials. I was really surprised to see how effective this overly simple method was.
Though I understood how important it was to record these inscriptions before they’re errased forever, I didn’t fully grasp exactly how important keeping these records were. While it’s important to record dates of birth and death, names, spouces and epitaph inscriptions, there are other reasons to records the names and dates shown on headstones. The official records kept by the cemetary are only of those who are actually interred (buried) within the cemetary grounds. However many headstones represent just the memorials of the deseased, people whose remains aren’t actually buried there – such as those killed in foreign wars. The records that volunteers like us create are the only proof that the momorials of these people exist at all. So when a family member wants to visit the memorial of a relative who isn’t actually interred there, they rely on epitaph records like the ones I helped log.
Overall I was very happy to take part in this program. It was much more than busy work, or an activity to be completed for class credit. Though my week had already been a busy one, filled with lots of work and class, and the weather was a little colder than I would have preferred, it was a rewarding experience. I left with the feeling that I had done a service both to those who have made Mount Auburn their final resting place, and those who wish to visit and learn about the deseased.
Colin Gallagher
Gaynor Blandford
Afterlife: Culture of Death
10-26-2008
Response to Mount Auburn Trip
I couldn’t make the class scheduled trip to Mount Auburn cemetary, and having now visited the site on my own I’m almost glad I experieced it by myself. I chose to go on Sunday, October 26th. And happily, the weather turned out to be perfect – near 60 degrees and sunny. Rather than take the bus from Harvard Square I chose instead to make a bit of an adventure of the journey and walk along Mount Auburn Street. I had taken a quick glance at a map before leaving home and just as I was beginning to suspect I had taken a wrong turn a plot of headstones behind a chain link fence came into view.
What first struck me upon entering Mount Auburn was how beatiful the landscaping was. The gravestones weren’t arranged single file on a flat plain of land with minimul shrubs here and there (as many cemetaries in the midwest are). Instead, they were woven into the seemingly natural landscape of the area, amongst the trees, hills, and ponds.
I was also interested in how many newer tombstones were arranged and embedded amongst memorials that were obviously much older. Modern granite markers lay interspersed with old stone ones whose inscriptions were nearly worn completely away by years of exposure. It gave me the impression that while the cite was certainly old, it was still constantly evolving and growing.
I was also impressed by some of the more ornate carvings at Mount Auburn. Many of them displayed some of the symbols and designs that we discussed earlier in the term, and I managed to snap a few pictures of some of my favorites. These will be posted on digication shortly.
Overall I found my trip out of Boston and into Mount Auburn extremely relaxing. And though I made the trip by myself, I wasn’t alone.. I crossed paths with several other people, visiting graves, taking pictures, admiring the scenery and even painting the landscape. It seems that Mount Auburn Cemetary has become a place for the living as well and the deceased.
Colin Gallagher
11-16-08
After Life: Culture of Death
Blandford
Response to TV Viewing Selections
I enjoyed viewing the death related television excerpts presented in class. I though that both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Six Feet Under effectively used comedy to comment on the very serious subject of death’s role in our society. They accomplish this why still remaining both tasteful and entertaining.
I thought that the death of Chuckles the Clown brought about a view of death that was quite daring for the time of its release. I think the idea of laughing at death because inside we’re all deeply afraid of it is something that everyone feels. And though to laugh at the circumestances of another’s death is generally considered to be socially unacceptable, the writers of the show bring the idea into the spotlight by killing off a clown.
In regards to the series premiere of Six Feet Under, there is so much going on that to analize everything could fill a fairly extensive paper. What I though was most interesting though, was the clashing views of death presented by the family’s two brothers. While one brother (by the epsisode’s end) is determined to unsanitise the funeral process, the other clings to tradition to provide closure to the grieving. I think that both points of view seem to have some merit. On the one hand is seems like it would be more theraputic to openly grive and mourn the loss of a loved one, to forget about expensive caskets and flower arrangments and focus on the one who has passed on. However if perparing all of those elements for a funeral brings some sort of closure to some people, more power to them I guess.
Colin Gallagher
Culture of Death
Blandford
11-27-2008
Reaction to Spiritual Speakers
I found the talks by the spiritual speakers to be very interesting and thought provoking. I have had some dealings with Rabbi Al in the past, and it is always a pleasure to hear him speak. Not being of the Jewish faith, most of the traditions he discussed regarding the mourning process were completely new to me, and it was interesting to hear that prospective.
I have similar thoughts regarding the information that Dean shared with us about The Church of Later Day Saints. Prior to this I hadn’t had much exposure to the Mormon faith with the exceptions of stereotypes in the media. Again, I found their ideas and traditions to be interesting. Being from a Catholic background, it was interesting to see how different the two forms of Christianity are.
There was definitely a bit of tension in the room between Rabbi Al and Dean when it came to the topic of conversion. And after thinking about it for a bit, I think I side with Rabbi Al on the subject. I think to enter someone’s home and readily announce that you think you’re faith is more worthwhile than another’s is rather insulting. But that’s just my opinion.
I wish that the Llama had gone more in depth into what it means to be a Buddhist, both as it relates to dying and in general life. This is because out of the three I definitely know the least about Buddhism.
All in all I think it was really interesting to have three representatives of different faiths all together on a panel discussing their different views on the same topics - definitely a worthwhile lecture.
Colin Gallagher
Culture of Death
Blandford
11-27-2008
Reaction to Spiritual Speakers
I found the talks by the spiritual speakers to be very interesting and thought provoking. I have had some dealings with Rabbi Al in the past, and it is always a pleasure to hear him speak. Not being of the Jewish faith, most of the traditions he discussed regarding the mourning process were completely new to me, and it was interesting to hear that prospective.
I have similar thoughts regarding the information that Dean shared with us about The Church of Later Day Saints. Prior to this I hadn’t had much exposure to the Mormon faith with the exceptions of stereotypes in the media. Again, I found their ideas and traditions to be interesting. Being from a Catholic background, it was interesting to see how different the two forms of Christianity are.
There was definitely a bit of tension in the room between Rabbi Al and Dean when it came to the topic of conversion. And after thinking about it for a bit, I think I side with Rabbi Al on the subject. I think to enter someone’s home and readily announce that you think you’re faith is more worthwhile than another’s is rather insulting. But that’s just my opinion.
I wish that the Llama had gone more in depth into what it means to be a Buddhist, both as it relates to dying and in general life. This is because out of the three I definitely know the least about Buddhism.
All in all I think it was really interesting to have three representatives of different faiths all together on a panel discussing their different views on the same topics - definitely a worthwhile lecture.
Colin Gallagher
Culture of Death
Blandford
11-27-2008
Reaction to Spiritual Speakers
I found the talks by the spiritual speakers to be very interesting and thought provoking. I have had some dealings with Rabbi Al in the past, and it is always a pleasure to hear him speak. Not being of the Jewish faith, most of the traditions he discussed regarding the mourning process were completely new to me, and it was interesting to hear that prospective.
I have similar thoughts regarding the information that Dean shared with us about The Church of Later Day Saints. Prior to this I hadn’t had much exposure to the Mormon faith with the exceptions of stereotypes in the media. Again, I found their ideas and traditions to be interesting. Being from a Catholic background, it was interesting to see how different the two forms of Christianity are.
There was definitely a bit of tension in the room between Rabbi Al and Dean when it came to the topic of conversion. And after thinking about it for a bit, I think I side with Rabbi Al on the subject. I think to enter someone’s home and readily announce that you think you’re faith is more worthwhile than another’s is rather insulting. But that’s just my opinion.
I wish that the Llama had gone more in depth into what it means to be a Buddhist, both as it relates to dying and in general life. This is because out of the three I definitely know the least about Buddhism.
All in all I think it was really interesting to have three representatives of different faiths all together on a panel discussing their different views on the same topics - definitely a worthwhile lecture.