I did not go to prom, and I did not get to question many people who went about their experience, because most of them weren't in school. However, thanks to Facebook, I got to read about it all anyways. For the past few weeks I have heard people talking about where they are going to college, or what they are doing over the summer, so what I got when looking through people's photos and posts was a sense of something finishing. Prom seems like sort of an afterthought, something no one really thought about until it was about to happen. Even though there are many more things to be done as the year ends (graduation, etc.) I got the impression that prom sort of marked the beginning of the end.
And in a way, prom really is the perfect way to end high school. Everyone goes out on a high note, looking like the best possible version of themselves. The night serves the function of foreshadowing the next few years of everyone's life, all the adult things they'll get to do, and how mature and put together they'll look doing them. Simultaneously, it is a chance to reflect, and spend time with people, possibly for the last time. So perhaps it is more of a stage of transition than an actual ending point.
After reading about prom and talking to people about it, I have decided that while I don't want to make a huge deal of prom, I do want to go (at the beginning of this unit I didn't want to; me and one of my friends joked about going to an anti-prom). It is one of the few stereotypical high school events I would regret missing. However, I want the experience to be unique in some way, or challenging. I don't know how yet - maybe I'll try to spend less than $100 on everything, or plan everything in the week before - but it will be different than what I've read about.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
HW 58 - Prom Interviews
I interviewed three people: E (who has not been to prom yet but is going this year), L (who went to four different proms when she was in high school), and my mother (who went to her junior prom).
E is going with a friend. She thinks that prom doesn't seem to be as big a deal in New York City as it is in the suburbs. "The culture is different," she said. "It's not so much about boyfriends and girlfriends. This might be because in other places people couple up and take limos, so you might feel awkward if you're the only one without a date, but here we can just go on the subway." She said she was looking forward to going and seeing everyone dressed up, even if going did involve taking a lot of pictures and "cheesy dancing". She also thought that prom would give more of a sense of community than other school events, because most people go, and everyone sort of plans for it together. She also said that while she didn't think prom was exactly a 'rite of passage', she still thought it was a good thing to experience - "everyone has their prom story."
This interview got at aspect of prom people have brought up in class - the fact that prom is different here than it would be other places. Several people have mentioned that at SoF, prom isn't really a big deal, especially considering it almost didn't happen. I thought this might be because here, people usually have other stuff going on besides school, and it isn't where they spend all their time, whereas someone at a high school in a more suburban or rural area might be more involved. I also noticed how E said that everyone has their prom story. This conjured to my mind a time one of my friends said something similar about the SAT, that no matter who you are, you have to suffer through it. While originally it annoyed me that prom seems to be the exact same night everywhere, it is something that most people can tell a story about - it's something that people can bond over. There aren't many experiences like that, that almost anyone can say they had.
L said:
"I went four times (to junior prom in 9th and 10th grade, senior prom in 11th grade, and to a friend's senior prom in 11th grade). It was always sort of awkward. One time I got a dress and I found out a senior girl had bought the same one, so I exchanged it for another one only to arrive to see someone else wearing that one too. I think it's funny how now people have Facebook groups where they post what dress they bought so that that doesn't happen. The last prom I went to, which wasn't at my school, was the one I liked the most because there was less stress, since I didn't know everyone there. Also, we went bowling afterward, which I thought was cool, because at my dad's high school the Italian kids would go to prom and the Jewish kids would go bowling, and I got to do both. The only regret I have is that I didn’t go to my senior prom. I think that prom is mean to be a celebration, but people spend too much money on it, and there's too much planning involved. I also don't like that people worry so much about where to go afterwards, because that shouldn't be the most important part of it - it should be about getting to see everyone you know one last time, a celebration for everyone graduating."
I thought it was interesting that she said when she went to her friend's prom, it was less stressful, because she didn't know anyone. This highlights the pressure people are under to have a perfect night, to look and act a certain way (as does the whole prom dress thing). I guess if you don't know anyone there, some of the stress might be taken off because nothing is expected from you. Her opinion that people worry too much about prom reinforced my original thought on the subject, which was that people shouldn't take it as seriously as they do, it should just be another part of graduating.
E is going with a friend. She thinks that prom doesn't seem to be as big a deal in New York City as it is in the suburbs. "The culture is different," she said. "It's not so much about boyfriends and girlfriends. This might be because in other places people couple up and take limos, so you might feel awkward if you're the only one without a date, but here we can just go on the subway." She said she was looking forward to going and seeing everyone dressed up, even if going did involve taking a lot of pictures and "cheesy dancing". She also thought that prom would give more of a sense of community than other school events, because most people go, and everyone sort of plans for it together. She also said that while she didn't think prom was exactly a 'rite of passage', she still thought it was a good thing to experience - "everyone has their prom story."
This interview got at aspect of prom people have brought up in class - the fact that prom is different here than it would be other places. Several people have mentioned that at SoF, prom isn't really a big deal, especially considering it almost didn't happen. I thought this might be because here, people usually have other stuff going on besides school, and it isn't where they spend all their time, whereas someone at a high school in a more suburban or rural area might be more involved. I also noticed how E said that everyone has their prom story. This conjured to my mind a time one of my friends said something similar about the SAT, that no matter who you are, you have to suffer through it. While originally it annoyed me that prom seems to be the exact same night everywhere, it is something that most people can tell a story about - it's something that people can bond over. There aren't many experiences like that, that almost anyone can say they had.
L said:
"I went four times (to junior prom in 9th and 10th grade, senior prom in 11th grade, and to a friend's senior prom in 11th grade). It was always sort of awkward. One time I got a dress and I found out a senior girl had bought the same one, so I exchanged it for another one only to arrive to see someone else wearing that one too. I think it's funny how now people have Facebook groups where they post what dress they bought so that that doesn't happen. The last prom I went to, which wasn't at my school, was the one I liked the most because there was less stress, since I didn't know everyone there. Also, we went bowling afterward, which I thought was cool, because at my dad's high school the Italian kids would go to prom and the Jewish kids would go bowling, and I got to do both. The only regret I have is that I didn’t go to my senior prom. I think that prom is mean to be a celebration, but people spend too much money on it, and there's too much planning involved. I also don't like that people worry so much about where to go afterwards, because that shouldn't be the most important part of it - it should be about getting to see everyone you know one last time, a celebration for everyone graduating."
I thought it was interesting that she said when she went to her friend's prom, it was less stressful, because she didn't know anyone. This highlights the pressure people are under to have a perfect night, to look and act a certain way (as does the whole prom dress thing). I guess if you don't know anyone there, some of the stress might be taken off because nothing is expected from you. Her opinion that people worry too much about prom reinforced my original thought on the subject, which was that people shouldn't take it as seriously as they do, it should just be another part of graduating.
And my mom said:
"I went to my junior prom, but not my senior prom. The theme was 'Stairway to Heaven'. People didn't have after-prom stuff, since in the neighborhood I lived in parents were very strict and wanted to know where their kids were at all times. I also don't think it was as elaborate as what people do today - it was in our high school gym, and people just went in their cars, not limos. Most kids had jobs, and if they were going to prom, the money for it would have been their own. It just wasn't as big a deal as it is now, it was just a night to have fun."
Since my mom's prom was a while ago, I thought maybe this was why it wasn't as "planned". It seems like putting a lot of effort into planning for prom was a fairly recent thing, perhaps the result of all the 80s and 90s movies that seemed to glamourize prom. It would make sense that this glorification of prom started then, because this was also when teenagers started being a more visible part of society. They were also another group of consumers, and a group with a lot of money, so it was a good move to sell them the idea of prom, a night where if you have the right dress and shoes you can be a princess.
Overall the interviews showed me that not everyone is enamored with the idea of prom, and not everyone thinks it is a 'rite of passage'. While they all assured me that it was not to be missed ("go, even if you think it's lame"), no one seemed to have had the romantic movie version of it either - it was just a night with friends. While originally I disliked the fact that prom seems like something people are forced into doing, and they go because they feel like they have to, I now sort of like that it's something most people have in common. I like the idea that I could one day be in a room full of people I don't know, but they would have had roughly the same experience.
Since my mom's prom was a while ago, I thought maybe this was why it wasn't as "planned". It seems like putting a lot of effort into planning for prom was a fairly recent thing, perhaps the result of all the 80s and 90s movies that seemed to glamourize prom. It would make sense that this glorification of prom started then, because this was also when teenagers started being a more visible part of society. They were also another group of consumers, and a group with a lot of money, so it was a good move to sell them the idea of prom, a night where if you have the right dress and shoes you can be a princess.
Overall the interviews showed me that not everyone is enamored with the idea of prom, and not everyone thinks it is a 'rite of passage'. While they all assured me that it was not to be missed ("go, even if you think it's lame"), no one seemed to have had the romantic movie version of it either - it was just a night with friends. While originally I disliked the fact that prom seems like something people are forced into doing, and they go because they feel like they have to, I now sort of like that it's something most people have in common. I like the idea that I could one day be in a room full of people I don't know, but they would have had roughly the same experience.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
HW 57 - Initial Thoughts on Prom
At the beginning of the year, when I was introduced to the five topics we would be studying (food, illness & dying, birth, care of the dead, and prom), Prom stuck out for obvious reasons: It isn't something you encounter on a regular basis (like food or illness) or a stage of life (like birth or death). It's also a more specific topic, and unlike many of the other topics, there's sort of a scripted way that it's done. There is no specific way to eat or die, but prom generally goes a certain way: Girls wear dresses, guys wear tuxedos, they get there in a limo, and everyone takes awkward pictures that they laugh at later. It seems odd that in a country like the United States, where we take pride in the fact that "we are all different", we would have this tradition that's basically the same no matter who you are and where you live - it's almost standardized.
Personally, I think that all the ideas that other people seem to have about it (which I got from the articles we read on Monday, and from movies) - that it's the pinnacle of your high school experience, that it's a girl's chance to be Cinderella, that it's a step into adulthood - are sort of laughable. I feel like there are much better parts of high school, and of life, than that one night. Prom seems to encapsulate all the best parts of adulthood (independence, glamour, etc) in order to make us look forward to it, even though few moments in adult life are like that. It also seems to be a way for people to pretend that they are more well off than they really are, that they are glamorous and new and sparkly, if only for one night.
However, it's also the only time someone might get to dress up to that extent, and spend time with people they know in that sort of setting, where they are expected to act polite and grown up and classy. It also seems to be looked back on pretty fondly - everyone remembers their prom, the beautiful awkwardness of it. Prom does seem sort of a nice idea, as long as it isn't taken too seriously.
Questions:
Does the place someone lives, the high school they go to, or the family they grew up in affect how they view prom, or how important/relevant they think it is?
How have proms changed over time, especially in light of modern cultural influences (the internet, Facebook, etc.)?
How/where did the idea of prom originate?
How do changes in prom traditions (ex. a school not electing a prom king and queen) reflect changes in cultural norms?
Conversely: Why, when so much else has changed, are many aspects of prom still the same?
Personally, I think that all the ideas that other people seem to have about it (which I got from the articles we read on Monday, and from movies) - that it's the pinnacle of your high school experience, that it's a girl's chance to be Cinderella, that it's a step into adulthood - are sort of laughable. I feel like there are much better parts of high school, and of life, than that one night. Prom seems to encapsulate all the best parts of adulthood (independence, glamour, etc) in order to make us look forward to it, even though few moments in adult life are like that. It also seems to be a way for people to pretend that they are more well off than they really are, that they are glamorous and new and sparkly, if only for one night.
However, it's also the only time someone might get to dress up to that extent, and spend time with people they know in that sort of setting, where they are expected to act polite and grown up and classy. It also seems to be looked back on pretty fondly - everyone remembers their prom, the beautiful awkwardness of it. Prom does seem sort of a nice idea, as long as it isn't taken too seriously.
Questions:
Does the place someone lives, the high school they go to, or the family they grew up in affect how they view prom, or how important/relevant they think it is?
How have proms changed over time, especially in light of modern cultural influences (the internet, Facebook, etc.)?
How/where did the idea of prom originate?
How do changes in prom traditions (ex. a school not electing a prom king and queen) reflect changes in cultural norms?
Conversely: Why, when so much else has changed, are many aspects of prom still the same?
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
HW 56 - Culminating Project Comments
My comments on others' blogs
Amhara:
I thought this post was beautifully written, especially the last paragraph. Your writing was very descriptive, and I could visualize the woman swerving over in her car. I agree that people are in denial over the fact that they will die someday, but when they realize they will, they feel ashamed.
I really liked this part:"Even though this didn't work out as we wanted I still looked at it as a somewhat successful experience. It showed me how serious and sensitive death is to people. I saw how serious the dress code was because I felt horrible that I was the only one (besides Kevin) who wasn't dressed up in a black suit and I don't know if I should feel bad about that. I saw how the funeral home approaches death, because the vibe of serious and quiet was very strong as soon as you walk in the place." This was my favorite part, because I always wondered why people dressed up for funerals. It doesn't really make sense - when people are unhappy, they generally don't want to put a lot of effort into the way they look. I suppose it is out of respect, but I still don't understand why people would be so strict about it.
I liked that even though your original idea for the project didn't work out, you still got something out of the experience. Your descriptions of the funeral home were interesting, and although you didn't get to go to the wake, it still seems like you got something out of the experience. My favorite line was: "We waited here for about fifteen minutes in that time everything was pure and clean. There was a sound of a water fall."
Comments on my blog:
Jasper:
I liked your post I thought the idea was very interesting to look up: what would happen if you just left a body to rot? I was surprised that it takes almost 20 years to completely decompose! It makes sense that people are buried under ground. Then most importantly I like how you connected it back to people embalming bodies and getting "sealed" caskets in this fantasy that they're body will remain the same forever. Nice post.
Amber:
I like how you questioned your reader at first, then started to answer these questions throughout your essay. Your questions made me pause and think about an answer to each of them before reading on. I was interested in how a body decomposes; as a class we discussed different approaches to death such as burial, cremation and embalming, but we never really went into each approach to death and how it is played out. I think it would have been even more interesting if you had put in some pictures for each stage of decomposition. I was able to create pictures in my head while reading your paper, but I was curious to see what each stage actually looks like. I know some of these photos might have been disturbing to some viewers, but this is a natural way of death; there is nothing abnormal about it. Nice job.
Eloise:
HOLA LINDA,
En su "blog post" usted habla de lo que pasa con el cuerpo cuando muere y es dejado a descompóngarse, y los etapas differentes hasta que son uno con la tierra.
Me da felizidad que mi "blog post" le dio la inspiracion de escribir este ensayo. Yo creo que dio mucha informacion buena rapidamenete y muy claramente. Creo que era muy interesante.
Pero me pregunata como usted personalmente piensas sobre este subjeto y lo que usted quiere hacer con su cuerpo. Me gusto much so texto.
perdon que mi espanol es tan "rusty" !
BUEN TRABAJO LINDA CON EL PELO RIZADO !
Amhara:
I thought this post was beautifully written, especially the last paragraph. Your writing was very descriptive, and I could visualize the woman swerving over in her car. I agree that people are in denial over the fact that they will die someday, but when they realize they will, they feel ashamed.
I really liked this part:"Even though this didn't work out as we wanted I still looked at it as a somewhat successful experience. It showed me how serious and sensitive death is to people. I saw how serious the dress code was because I felt horrible that I was the only one (besides Kevin) who wasn't dressed up in a black suit and I don't know if I should feel bad about that. I saw how the funeral home approaches death, because the vibe of serious and quiet was very strong as soon as you walk in the place." This was my favorite part, because I always wondered why people dressed up for funerals. It doesn't really make sense - when people are unhappy, they generally don't want to put a lot of effort into the way they look. I suppose it is out of respect, but I still don't understand why people would be so strict about it.
I liked that even though your original idea for the project didn't work out, you still got something out of the experience. Your descriptions of the funeral home were interesting, and although you didn't get to go to the wake, it still seems like you got something out of the experience. My favorite line was: "We waited here for about fifteen minutes in that time everything was pure and clean. There was a sound of a water fall."
Comments on my blog:
Jasper:
I liked your post I thought the idea was very interesting to look up: what would happen if you just left a body to rot? I was surprised that it takes almost 20 years to completely decompose! It makes sense that people are buried under ground. Then most importantly I like how you connected it back to people embalming bodies and getting "sealed" caskets in this fantasy that they're body will remain the same forever. Nice post.
Amber:
I like how you questioned your reader at first, then started to answer these questions throughout your essay. Your questions made me pause and think about an answer to each of them before reading on. I was interested in how a body decomposes; as a class we discussed different approaches to death such as burial, cremation and embalming, but we never really went into each approach to death and how it is played out. I think it would have been even more interesting if you had put in some pictures for each stage of decomposition. I was able to create pictures in my head while reading your paper, but I was curious to see what each stage actually looks like. I know some of these photos might have been disturbing to some viewers, but this is a natural way of death; there is nothing abnormal about it. Nice job.
Eloise:
HOLA LINDA,
En su "blog post" usted habla de lo que pasa con el cuerpo cuando muere y es dejado a descompóngarse, y los etapas differentes hasta que son uno con la tierra.
Me da felizidad que mi "blog post" le dio la inspiracion de escribir este ensayo. Yo creo que dio mucha informacion buena rapidamenete y muy claramente. Creo que era muy interesante.
Pero me pregunata como usted personalmente piensas sobre este subjeto y lo que usted quiere hacer con su cuerpo. Me gusto much so texto.
perdon que mi espanol es tan "rusty" !
BUEN TRABAJO LINDA CON EL PELO RIZADO !
Monday, May 16, 2011
HW 55 - Culminating Project - Care of the Dead
I decided to write an essay (Choice 3) about how bodies decompose if left alone (mentioned in Stiff, but not in detail), in order to shed light on why people embalm, cremate, etc. This was inspired by Eloise's blog post about the idea of not having to be "cared for" after death - simply letting one's body decompose naturally.
The Decomposition of a Dead Body
What happens after someone dies?
They are embalmed for a funeral and then buried. Or they get cremated, and their ashes are put in a container and buried, perhaps spread somewhere by family members.
What happens after someone dies if no one does anything? If they let nature take it's course, and leave the body outside to rot?
Immediately after death, the body will gradually go into a state of livor mortis, also called pallor mortis. This is when the blood is no longer being pumped around the body by the heart, so it settles in the lower half of the body. This stage takes about 12 hours to happen and can help someone determine how long ago someone died, useful information for coroners or anyone else examining the body. About 3 hours after death, the body will go into rigor mortis, which is when the muscles of the body become stiff (this is why cadavers are sometimes called ''stiffs''), due to lack of oxygen.
The body also begins to lose heat almost immediately after death, about 2 degrees Celsius in the first hour and one degree every hour after that, until the body is the same temperature as it's surroundings. Body temperature is also useful in determining when someone died. After three days, rigor mortis ends and the body becomes soft again (when animals are being processed for meat, rigor mortis is prolonged with "alternating current", in order to preserve the meat).
The next step is decomposition. Bloat, or putrefaction, is the first stage of decomposition. Gases accumulate inside the body, and body parts look bloated. These gases also cause liquids to leave the body through the mouth, ears, nose, and other exits. The gases also cause pressure, and sometimes the skin will tear open. Around this time, maggots and other insects will begin to feast on the body, if they haven't already. This makes the skin "slip" and rupture, causing more gases and fluids to be released.
The second stage of decomposition is decay. The body will lose much of its mass during this period, due to the maggots having fed on it, and most of the fluids having been absorbed by the surrounding environment (this puddle of fluids is called a "cadaver decomposition island"). Any maggots or insects that fed on the body will leave. The soil surrounding the body will absorb some of its nutrients.
The final stage of decomposition is skeletonization, or diagenesis. All moisture in the body is lost, and only the bones are visible. At this point, the bones will be the only thing left in the area that surrounded the decomposing body, as the rest of it has either been eaten by maggots or had turned into soil. Eventually, plants will begin to grow again (if the body was outside), and the bones that aren't taken by animals will fully decompose after 20 years or so (in the meantime, moss or algae may grow on them). Occasionally, the bones will become fossils.
The rate at which a body decomposes depends on many factors. Generally, if the body is exposed to "the elements" - air, water, etc. - as described above, it will decompose at a faster pace. Warmer weather tends to cause the body to decompose faster, whereas colder weather causes it to decompose more slowly. There are also instances where the body is naturally "embalmed", and does not decompose (for instance, if it is in an extremely dry environment, or in a peat bog).
Throughout the process of decomposition, bodies generally look disgusting, and more like zombies than actual people. Since decomposition starts to be visible a few days after death, it is understandable that people would want to reverse or pause some of the effects by embalming the body, or not have to deal with them at all by cremating it. However, it seems like embalming and cremation stem from the denial that a loved one is simply a human who will eventually rot if left untouched, and both methods function as a way to avoid this realization. People like to believe that their friends and family are special in some way, exceptions to biological rules, and that if they are put in a casket that is sealed with super glue they will never change. However, this simply is not true.
Bibliography
How long does it take a dead body to decompose? . (n.d.). Curiosity.com, Retrieved from http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/take-dead-body-to-decompose
Stages of decomposition. (2009). Australian Museum, Retrieved from http://australianmuseum.net.au/Stages-of-Decomposition
Kade, A. (2010, August 23). A human corpse post-mortem: the stages of decomposition. Environmental Graffiti, Retrieved from http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/chemistry/news-afterlife-human-corpse-stages-decomposition
Raymunt, M. (2010, December 02). Down on the body farm: inside the dirty world of forensic science. The Atlantic, Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2010/12/down-on-the-body-farm-inside-the-dirty-world-of-forensic-science/67241/
The Decomposition of a Dead Body
What happens after someone dies?
They are embalmed for a funeral and then buried. Or they get cremated, and their ashes are put in a container and buried, perhaps spread somewhere by family members.
What happens after someone dies if no one does anything? If they let nature take it's course, and leave the body outside to rot?
Immediately after death, the body will gradually go into a state of livor mortis, also called pallor mortis. This is when the blood is no longer being pumped around the body by the heart, so it settles in the lower half of the body. This stage takes about 12 hours to happen and can help someone determine how long ago someone died, useful information for coroners or anyone else examining the body. About 3 hours after death, the body will go into rigor mortis, which is when the muscles of the body become stiff (this is why cadavers are sometimes called ''stiffs''), due to lack of oxygen.
The body also begins to lose heat almost immediately after death, about 2 degrees Celsius in the first hour and one degree every hour after that, until the body is the same temperature as it's surroundings. Body temperature is also useful in determining when someone died. After three days, rigor mortis ends and the body becomes soft again (when animals are being processed for meat, rigor mortis is prolonged with "alternating current", in order to preserve the meat).
The next step is decomposition. Bloat, or putrefaction, is the first stage of decomposition. Gases accumulate inside the body, and body parts look bloated. These gases also cause liquids to leave the body through the mouth, ears, nose, and other exits. The gases also cause pressure, and sometimes the skin will tear open. Around this time, maggots and other insects will begin to feast on the body, if they haven't already. This makes the skin "slip" and rupture, causing more gases and fluids to be released.
The second stage of decomposition is decay. The body will lose much of its mass during this period, due to the maggots having fed on it, and most of the fluids having been absorbed by the surrounding environment (this puddle of fluids is called a "cadaver decomposition island"). Any maggots or insects that fed on the body will leave. The soil surrounding the body will absorb some of its nutrients.
The final stage of decomposition is skeletonization, or diagenesis. All moisture in the body is lost, and only the bones are visible. At this point, the bones will be the only thing left in the area that surrounded the decomposing body, as the rest of it has either been eaten by maggots or had turned into soil. Eventually, plants will begin to grow again (if the body was outside), and the bones that aren't taken by animals will fully decompose after 20 years or so (in the meantime, moss or algae may grow on them). Occasionally, the bones will become fossils.
The rate at which a body decomposes depends on many factors. Generally, if the body is exposed to "the elements" - air, water, etc. - as described above, it will decompose at a faster pace. Warmer weather tends to cause the body to decompose faster, whereas colder weather causes it to decompose more slowly. There are also instances where the body is naturally "embalmed", and does not decompose (for instance, if it is in an extremely dry environment, or in a peat bog).
Throughout the process of decomposition, bodies generally look disgusting, and more like zombies than actual people. Since decomposition starts to be visible a few days after death, it is understandable that people would want to reverse or pause some of the effects by embalming the body, or not have to deal with them at all by cremating it. However, it seems like embalming and cremation stem from the denial that a loved one is simply a human who will eventually rot if left untouched, and both methods function as a way to avoid this realization. People like to believe that their friends and family are special in some way, exceptions to biological rules, and that if they are put in a casket that is sealed with super glue they will never change. However, this simply is not true.
Bibliography
How long does it take a dead body to decompose? . (n.d.). Curiosity.com, Retrieved from http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/take-dead-body-to-decompose
Stages of decomposition. (2009). Australian Museum, Retrieved from http://australianmuseum.net.au/Stages-of-Decomposition
Kade, A. (2010, August 23). A human corpse post-mortem: the stages of decomposition. Environmental Graffiti, Retrieved from http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/chemistry/news-afterlife-human-corpse-stages-decomposition
Raymunt, M. (2010, December 02). Down on the body farm: inside the dirty world of forensic science. The Atlantic, Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2010/12/down-on-the-body-farm-inside-the-dirty-world-of-forensic-science/67241/
Monday, May 9, 2011
HW 53 - Independent Research A
1.
A Doctor at the Funeral
Death is something doctors see all the time. However, I sometimes find it hard to deal with the death of a patient, especially one I have known for a long time. I will sometimes go to the funeral, but it is hard to know where I fit in amongst the patient's family and friends. And it never gets any easier.
Grief, Unedited
In books and pop culture, we often see the image of a widow or widower who takes a very long time to get over the death of their significant other. As it turns out, several studies show that people who lose their spouses may not actually bemoan this loss for as long as we think. Many people begin to get over their loss after six months or so, which conflicts with the popular notions people have regarding the grieving process. Perhaps these studies will change these notions.
Analysis:
Both of these articles brought up topics that were different than the ones addressed in Stiff. The book focused more on various practices of caring for the dead, and veered more toward the direction of scientific descriptions and commentary rather than the feelings of those who have lost a loved one. Both of these articles are about how people grieve. The first article is from the perspective of a doctor, which is interesting because this is someone whose feelings aren't normally considered, although they should be - some doctors have known their patients since they were born. The author mentioned that while people at the funerals she went to were usually perfectly nice, it was sort of awkward to be there - she felt like she was intruding. The second article talks about a survey that asked people about their feelings after their spouse died. This article was interesting, because the results of the survey contradicted the widespread idea that people take a long time to grieve. The writer even mentioned that many people did not believe the findings, which shows how people often find it hard to get used to a new idea.
2.
I went to the Riverdale Funeral Home (Which, interestingly enough, is not in Riverdale) and spoke with Jim, who is the office manager (he works with families to see what they want and orders things for them). Because I already knew about embalming and cremation from reading Stiff, my questions were more focused on the day to day life of working at a funeral home. First I asked why he had started working there, what got him interested in the job. He said he had been working there for almost 30 years, and he had started working there when he was a junior in high school, because his brother knew the owner from little league. He also said that his grandmother was taken here, and he had always had a curiosity about this line of work. He is also a high school English teacher, and he said that the jobs were alike in the way that "you can't bring things home with you" - you have to be able to separate yourself from it. This is especially hard because sometimes he has to arrange a student's funeral, or the funeral of a family member or close friend (it is a family - owned funeral home, so they know a lot of the people coming in).
The reason I asked more personal questions as opposed to general ones was because I wanted to get a sense of what it was like to work in a field where you're seeing something all the time that most people only get a glimpse of, when someone they know dies. It does seem to give people a different perspective, but not as much as I thought. Working at a funeral home always seemed to me like it was something that would define the way someone lived, the way having a very specific job or passion that required a certain lifestyle would. I didn't think about the fact that it is a nine to five job like many others - that people do get to go home at the end of the day.
A Doctor at the Funeral
Death is something doctors see all the time. However, I sometimes find it hard to deal with the death of a patient, especially one I have known for a long time. I will sometimes go to the funeral, but it is hard to know where I fit in amongst the patient's family and friends. And it never gets any easier.
Grief, Unedited
In books and pop culture, we often see the image of a widow or widower who takes a very long time to get over the death of their significant other. As it turns out, several studies show that people who lose their spouses may not actually bemoan this loss for as long as we think. Many people begin to get over their loss after six months or so, which conflicts with the popular notions people have regarding the grieving process. Perhaps these studies will change these notions.
Analysis:
Both of these articles brought up topics that were different than the ones addressed in Stiff. The book focused more on various practices of caring for the dead, and veered more toward the direction of scientific descriptions and commentary rather than the feelings of those who have lost a loved one. Both of these articles are about how people grieve. The first article is from the perspective of a doctor, which is interesting because this is someone whose feelings aren't normally considered, although they should be - some doctors have known their patients since they were born. The author mentioned that while people at the funerals she went to were usually perfectly nice, it was sort of awkward to be there - she felt like she was intruding. The second article talks about a survey that asked people about their feelings after their spouse died. This article was interesting, because the results of the survey contradicted the widespread idea that people take a long time to grieve. The writer even mentioned that many people did not believe the findings, which shows how people often find it hard to get used to a new idea.
2.
I went to the Riverdale Funeral Home (Which, interestingly enough, is not in Riverdale) and spoke with Jim, who is the office manager (he works with families to see what they want and orders things for them). Because I already knew about embalming and cremation from reading Stiff, my questions were more focused on the day to day life of working at a funeral home. First I asked why he had started working there, what got him interested in the job. He said he had been working there for almost 30 years, and he had started working there when he was a junior in high school, because his brother knew the owner from little league. He also said that his grandmother was taken here, and he had always had a curiosity about this line of work. He is also a high school English teacher, and he said that the jobs were alike in the way that "you can't bring things home with you" - you have to be able to separate yourself from it. This is especially hard because sometimes he has to arrange a student's funeral, or the funeral of a family member or close friend (it is a family - owned funeral home, so they know a lot of the people coming in).
The reason I asked more personal questions as opposed to general ones was because I wanted to get a sense of what it was like to work in a field where you're seeing something all the time that most people only get a glimpse of, when someone they know dies. It does seem to give people a different perspective, but not as much as I thought. Working at a funeral home always seemed to me like it was something that would define the way someone lived, the way having a very specific job or passion that required a certain lifestyle would. I didn't think about the fact that it is a nine to five job like many others - that people do get to go home at the end of the day.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
HW 52 - Third Third of the COTD Book
Precis:
In 1700s and 1800s Paris, there was much discussion over whether the soul was contained in the head, and if a head cut off by a guillotine was aware of what had happened to it. This was due to various accounts of people having seen eyes open and close, or a jaw clench, after the head was cut off. In the 1960s, a neurosurgeon named Robert White began experiments which took the brain out of a human and connected it to the body of another animal. In the past, many cultures have used various parts and wastes of humans (dead and alive), such as saliva, urine, teeth, blood and fat to cure an array of ailments. Some people also eat parts of humans, due to scarcities in food or cultural norms. There are many other ways to care for the dead, including "water reduction" cremation, which uses lye and water pressure as opposed to fire, as well as "human composting". I have decided that unless I am brain dead and people can use my organs, my husband will decide what happens to me. If I have to decide, I want to be given to a medical school to be used for dissections.
Quotes:
"Do you know that it is not at all certain when a head is severed from a body by the guillotine that the feelings, personality and ego are instantaneously abolished...? Don't you know that the seat of the feelings and appreciation is in the brain, that this seat of consciousness can continue to operate even when when the circulation of the blood is cut off from the brain...? Thus, for as long as the brain retains it's vital force the victim is aware of his existence." (200, S.T. Sommering quote)
"Could there come a day when people whose bodies are succumbing to fatal diseases will simply get a new body and add decades to their lives - albeit, to quote White, as a head on a pillow? There could." (215)
"It seems to me that the Chinese, relative to Americans, have a vastly more practical, less emotional outlook when it comes to what people put in their mouths.....The fact that Americans love dogs doesn't make it immoral for the Chinese of Peixian city, who apparently don't love dogs, to wrap dog meat in pita bread and eat it for breakfast, just as the Hindu's reverence for cows doesn't make it wrong for us to make them into belts and meat loaves. We are all products of our upbringing, our culture, our need to conform." (236)
"I will include a biographical note for the students who dissect me, so they can look down at my dilapidated hull and say, 'Hey, check this. I got that woman who wrote a book about cadavers.' And if there's any way I can arrange it, I'll make the thing wink." (292)
Analysis:
When the author started discussing the modern human compost movement (taking place in Sweden), I was reminded of the food unit, and the organic food movement - both seem to be people going back to the "natural order" - the way things were before they got industrialized and complicated. However, human composting isn't what I thought it would be - simply burying the body whole, and letting nature take it's course. The deceased is first put into a chamber of liquid nitrogen, and into one where ultrasound waves or mechanical vibrations will break him into small frozen pieces, which are then freeze-dried and used as compost for a memorial tree or shrub (262). This was slightly disappointing to hear, as it doesn't actually sound that much more "natural" - but I guess it isn't trying to be. Human composting is simply a more environmentally friendly alternative to cremation, where the dead person is used to facilitate the growth of a plant, which will hopefully continue to live for a long time. However, a man named Tim Evans did compost someone in the way I imagined it would happen - he simply composted the body with wood shavings and manure. However, this necessitates using a shovel to break the body down as it decomposes, the thought of which might upset some people.
In 1700s and 1800s Paris, there was much discussion over whether the soul was contained in the head, and if a head cut off by a guillotine was aware of what had happened to it. This was due to various accounts of people having seen eyes open and close, or a jaw clench, after the head was cut off. In the 1960s, a neurosurgeon named Robert White began experiments which took the brain out of a human and connected it to the body of another animal. In the past, many cultures have used various parts and wastes of humans (dead and alive), such as saliva, urine, teeth, blood and fat to cure an array of ailments. Some people also eat parts of humans, due to scarcities in food or cultural norms. There are many other ways to care for the dead, including "water reduction" cremation, which uses lye and water pressure as opposed to fire, as well as "human composting". I have decided that unless I am brain dead and people can use my organs, my husband will decide what happens to me. If I have to decide, I want to be given to a medical school to be used for dissections.
Quotes:
"Do you know that it is not at all certain when a head is severed from a body by the guillotine that the feelings, personality and ego are instantaneously abolished...? Don't you know that the seat of the feelings and appreciation is in the brain, that this seat of consciousness can continue to operate even when when the circulation of the blood is cut off from the brain...? Thus, for as long as the brain retains it's vital force the victim is aware of his existence." (200, S.T. Sommering quote)
"Could there come a day when people whose bodies are succumbing to fatal diseases will simply get a new body and add decades to their lives - albeit, to quote White, as a head on a pillow? There could." (215)
"It seems to me that the Chinese, relative to Americans, have a vastly more practical, less emotional outlook when it comes to what people put in their mouths.....The fact that Americans love dogs doesn't make it immoral for the Chinese of Peixian city, who apparently don't love dogs, to wrap dog meat in pita bread and eat it for breakfast, just as the Hindu's reverence for cows doesn't make it wrong for us to make them into belts and meat loaves. We are all products of our upbringing, our culture, our need to conform." (236)
"I will include a biographical note for the students who dissect me, so they can look down at my dilapidated hull and say, 'Hey, check this. I got that woman who wrote a book about cadavers.' And if there's any way I can arrange it, I'll make the thing wink." (292)
Analysis:
When the author started discussing the modern human compost movement (taking place in Sweden), I was reminded of the food unit, and the organic food movement - both seem to be people going back to the "natural order" - the way things were before they got industrialized and complicated. However, human composting isn't what I thought it would be - simply burying the body whole, and letting nature take it's course. The deceased is first put into a chamber of liquid nitrogen, and into one where ultrasound waves or mechanical vibrations will break him into small frozen pieces, which are then freeze-dried and used as compost for a memorial tree or shrub (262). This was slightly disappointing to hear, as it doesn't actually sound that much more "natural" - but I guess it isn't trying to be. Human composting is simply a more environmentally friendly alternative to cremation, where the dead person is used to facilitate the growth of a plant, which will hopefully continue to live for a long time. However, a man named Tim Evans did compost someone in the way I imagined it would happen - he simply composted the body with wood shavings and manure. However, this necessitates using a shovel to break the body down as it decomposes, the thought of which might upset some people.
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