I decided to speak with two people that attended prom on Thursday, Julian and Diaz. I would have like to get in contact with more of the seniors, but typically not many of them came in to school the next day. When asked about how it went, Julian responded, "It was alright. It didn't really go the way I had it planned out in my head, considering how my date ended up getting sick pretty early in the night, leaving me to get her home. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves though, so my experience probably was not as good because I didn't really have many close friends there...to you know, share the experience with." The next question I asked was how the after party went. "It was fun for a little, everyone was just getting really trashed and having a lot of fun, but then [name of date] ended up hooking up with some other guy which, was a little annoying, and it was even worse when she started getting sick. In general, it was not my idea of the perfect prom/after party experience, but f**k it cause it wasn't even my prom haha."
The next person I spoke to about their prom experience was Diaz. When asked about how his prom experience, he responded, "To be honest, it actually went a lot better than I expected. My date looked great, and she was probably the biggest jaw-dropper there, considering she usually dresses in much less feminine clothing. It was cool to see everyone in the grade together all in one place dressed up, I really got a feeling of community and looked back on all the times we had together, good or bad." The next question I asked was how the after party went. "It was f****n crazy! Everyone there was wildin' out, and from what I saw pretty much everyone was having a good time. It wasn't like a huge mess where everyone was hooking up with everyone else, but there were definitely people getting it in though."
If I were not so bad with computers, I would have posted some of the pictures from prom that were posted up on facebook. One of the most interesting things I heard was how [a girl who's name I don't have permission to use] ended up looking extremely feminine and nice, when usually she is dressed in the type of clothing that boys usually wear. This completely coincides with the idea that prom brings out the girl's desire to look as pretty and feminine as possible, and although I had not agreed with that at first, I am starting to have second thoughts. All this talk of prom is certainly getting me curious, so I will certainly be attending my prom.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
HW 58- Prom Interviews
Although I briefly touched on this subject in my last post, I decided to speak to my mom a second time to see if I could squeeze any more details out of her regarding her prom experience. When asked about what happened after the prom itself, she said, "Well, it probably isn't the typical experience that you might be imagining. Me and some of my friends and their dates all went back to my house actually, stayed up all night, you know, being teenagers, and then my parents made breakfast for everyone in the morning." This answer was extremely surprising to me, but I decided to leave that particularly subject at that. My mother also told me that she spent two days searching online for the perfect dress, but that when she found out that she would be taking her best friend, it didn't really matter to her as much.
The next person I spoke to about prom was one of my good friends who is a senior. He told me that he was glad he was able to avoid the drama of trying to find someone to take because he has been with his girlfriend, who goes to the same school, for almost a year now. "I still haven't gone out and got what I'm going to where to prom...to be honest it doesn't really matter that much to me, and I'm pretty sure [girlfriend's name] feels the same way cause she told me she wanted me to come with her this week to get her dress this week." (by the way, my friend's prom is this Friday) Finally, I asked him what he was planning on doing after the prom. "Well, there is an after party, but me and [girlfriend's name] probably won't stay at that very long. I'm thinking we'll just come back to my house and have sex, as quietly as possible of course haha." Well, it looks like I have managed to find myself the perfect stereotypical boy's plan for prom.
Finally, I decided to speak to my friend who is now a freshman in college about his prom. "I really didn't stress prom at all, from start to finish. I took a girl who I was pretty good friends with in high school, but really only for the pictures. I didn't expect to be doing much with her later." I then asked him about what his experience was like at the prom itself, and he told me it was pretty much boring. "It was awkward meeting my date's parents, but other than that the whole thing was pretty dull." I just posed for a few pictures, and chilled with [name of date]. I definitely was not dancing, haha." Finally, I asked him about what happened after the prom. "Yeah, that's where the night got a little more exciting. I pretty much left the girl I took to prom and hooked up with a bunch of girl's at the after party. I was drunk, but other than the liquor that was there I don't remember there being any other drugs there." Okay, I was wrong when I said my senior friend's planned experience was stereotypical, this kid's was practically the definition.
The one thing I found in common with all three people I interviewed was that prom really was not that big of a deal for them. This is admirable, in my opinion. Teenagers have enough stress in their lives, and the fact that all these people were/are able to avoid the stress of prom is truly impressive. I will certainly try to take all these people's experiences into account when I plan for my own prom, and I definitely plan on talking to some more people who have already experienced the event.
The next person I spoke to about prom was one of my good friends who is a senior. He told me that he was glad he was able to avoid the drama of trying to find someone to take because he has been with his girlfriend, who goes to the same school, for almost a year now. "I still haven't gone out and got what I'm going to where to prom...to be honest it doesn't really matter that much to me, and I'm pretty sure [girlfriend's name] feels the same way cause she told me she wanted me to come with her this week to get her dress this week." (by the way, my friend's prom is this Friday) Finally, I asked him what he was planning on doing after the prom. "Well, there is an after party, but me and [girlfriend's name] probably won't stay at that very long. I'm thinking we'll just come back to my house and have sex, as quietly as possible of course haha." Well, it looks like I have managed to find myself the perfect stereotypical boy's plan for prom.
Finally, I decided to speak to my friend who is now a freshman in college about his prom. "I really didn't stress prom at all, from start to finish. I took a girl who I was pretty good friends with in high school, but really only for the pictures. I didn't expect to be doing much with her later." I then asked him about what his experience was like at the prom itself, and he told me it was pretty much boring. "It was awkward meeting my date's parents, but other than that the whole thing was pretty dull." I just posed for a few pictures, and chilled with [name of date]. I definitely was not dancing, haha." Finally, I asked him about what happened after the prom. "Yeah, that's where the night got a little more exciting. I pretty much left the girl I took to prom and hooked up with a bunch of girl's at the after party. I was drunk, but other than the liquor that was there I don't remember there being any other drugs there." Okay, I was wrong when I said my senior friend's planned experience was stereotypical, this kid's was practically the definition.
The one thing I found in common with all three people I interviewed was that prom really was not that big of a deal for them. This is admirable, in my opinion. Teenagers have enough stress in their lives, and the fact that all these people were/are able to avoid the stress of prom is truly impressive. I will certainly try to take all these people's experiences into account when I plan for my own prom, and I definitely plan on talking to some more people who have already experienced the event.
Monday, May 23, 2011
HW 57- Initial thoughts on Prom
I am a little embarrassed to admit it, but I really don't know anything about prom at all. I have a few friends that have gone to their proms, but the stories from my friends usually end up being about the party that takes place afterwards (typical). However, the story my mom tells me about her prom is very different from the typical image that many teens I have spoken to today have displayed, which is probably in part because she is my mother. She broke up with her boyfriend right before prom, so she ended up taking her best friend. This was interesting to me because it completely contradicts the ideas/fantasies that involve sexual activity after prom which are often associated with the word "prom" itself.
I am not really sure about what happens at prom, other than that the boys are always wearing nice suits while the girls always try extremely hard to look their absolute best. People take lots of pictures, and maybe there is some slow dancing involved, but otherwise it seems like everyone is just standing around looking pretty. However, I am also aware that many people consider the occasion to be somewhat of a "rite of passage" and that it is when you "graduate your childhood" in a sense. I really don't know enough about the event to form an opinion on whether or not I think it is as important as many people describe it as, and I am hoping these five days will be enough to help me formulate an accurate one.
As of now, I am certainly planning on attending prom. I was thinking about taking one of my best friends like my mom did to give the event more of a casual feel, while still looking as "pretty" as possible. Otherwise, I might end up bringing someone from outside of school, and I would like to learn more about how that would work both as far as social status and pricing are concerned.
Some Questions-
Why do so many feel the need to dress extremely nicely for prom? Or is it actually required?
Where does all the money go that the students spend to pay for their prom?
What is the general procedure of how a prom works?
How involved is the school staff with the actual prom itself?
I am not really sure about what happens at prom, other than that the boys are always wearing nice suits while the girls always try extremely hard to look their absolute best. People take lots of pictures, and maybe there is some slow dancing involved, but otherwise it seems like everyone is just standing around looking pretty. However, I am also aware that many people consider the occasion to be somewhat of a "rite of passage" and that it is when you "graduate your childhood" in a sense. I really don't know enough about the event to form an opinion on whether or not I think it is as important as many people describe it as, and I am hoping these five days will be enough to help me formulate an accurate one.
As of now, I am certainly planning on attending prom. I was thinking about taking one of my best friends like my mom did to give the event more of a casual feel, while still looking as "pretty" as possible. Otherwise, I might end up bringing someone from outside of school, and I would like to learn more about how that would work both as far as social status and pricing are concerned.
Some Questions-
Why do so many feel the need to dress extremely nicely for prom? Or is it actually required?
Where does all the money go that the students spend to pay for their prom?
What is the general procedure of how a prom works?
How involved is the school staff with the actual prom itself?
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Extra Credit Option 1
Extra Credit Option 1
One difference I noticed between the two cemeteries was that St. Paul’s was certainly much more well-lit then Trinity, and the church was also much less eerie. In St. Paul’s, I noticed many stone casket-shaped objects that had large holes in them, which I found to be very strange and was not something I saw in either Trinity or the cemetery on 155th street. Both of these cemeteries were very small, and only took up 1 square block each.
The gravestones were surprisingly not as crowded as a thought they would be in either cemetery, considering how small both of the cemeteries are. When I drive past some of the cemeteries in Queens or Brooklyn, despite the enormous size of each cemetery, the gravestones seem to be very close together. When I was walking around each of the cemeteries, I was surprised to realize that I didn’t feel sad at all. Even though I felt like I had come to terms with my own mortality, it did not bother me that much because all the bodies had suffered the same fate and were still so close together, even in death. It gave me a strong spiritual feeling that I can’t really explain, but I am happy I did this assignment.
HW 56- Comments
- I really liked that this post provided detailed information on both the ways of caring for the dead that are thought of as most common. Your grandmother's perspective on cremation was particularly interesting to me because I sort of have similar ideas, and I believe that my grandmother felt the same way (she was cremated as well). "I believe our soul/consciousness survives beyond death and does not require a body for any kind of supposed resurrection." This quote does an excellent job of capturing the basic argument supporting cremation. Finally, I enjoyed the way you provided the historical traditions that were the reason for your other grandmother's decision to have an open casket burial. The argument seems to be for more practicality/freeing the soul from the body vs. preservation of the body & soul together. Nice job!
- One of the things I really enjoyed about your video is that it touched on the idea that funerals often seem awkward to many people, but otherwise they are almost always a time where families unite in mourning. I have experienced this same feeling of unity at a funeral, which is probably why I found the idea so interesting. I also liked how our societies obvious paranoia when it comes to preserving the body was exposed by your video, and your post did a very good job of touching on almost all of the ways of caring for the dead that I am aware of. Nice work!
- I think you did a very good job compiling your research. Not only was it a good idea to start by looking back to the previous illness and dying unit (sort of) by viewing the health care report, the fact that you actually took the time to send that e-mail was very impressive to me. One of my favorite lines was, "It’s a bit reassuring though, that there are ways to get around the restrictions of home funerals in the state." I liked this because you acknowledge that although it is not usually a good thing to dodge the law, certain restrictions neither promote the funeral or burial experience. Nice job!
- Great video! One of the things I thought was especially interesting was when Leslie said that when she was growing up, young children would often not be invited to funerals because it was a very "sad and sacred" occasion. I also loved the way Jim was so specific in his description of the first funeral home he was speaking about. I also think you did a very good job summarizing the contents of the video in you 2 written paragraphs. Nice work!
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- While reading Stiff, one of the topics that bothered me the most was donating our bodies to science. This post was really interesting and well-written. I was surprised to see that even recently, there are problems as the one you mentioned with the crematorium, "The article also states that over 16,000 lawsuits have been filed over the past 19 years arguing that the body parts of people's loved ones were being dismembered from the body and sold without the consent of the family." This is really disturbing, and made me less likely to donate to science. It may have benefits, but I don't like the risks since there are certain things I definitly don't want my body to go through after death (such as beautifications/plastic surgery)
- Jim Harker said...
- This post was truly startling to me. As someone who's mother has recently been cremated and had her ashes given to our family, I am now very concerned. The thing about this post that really stood out to me was the evidence you were able to gather. For example, "Instead, they were told that an unscrupulous crematorium owner secretly carved up her body — along with the bodies of hundreds of other newly deceased — and provided knees, elbows, heads and other parts to medical research organizations in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars." This quote is a perfect example of your whole argument. In addition to your online sources, you also did a very good job analyzing 'Stiff', and it is certainly a book that I am interested in reading now. Very intriguing and enlightening post!
- Raven said...
- I really think this paper is interesting. I think it's good that you focused on cadavers and the benefits and disadvantages of donating your organs to science. I liked the line: "Although some people may think that this is a very important procedure, the reality is that most people probably did not imagine their bodies being used for the beautification of others rather than helping the living with actual medical issues or conditions." Do you think that in the end it really matters what happens to the human body after death? (I mean yes it's important to respect the dead but what if someone needs organs the dead person has?)
- TIM said...
- This might be one of my favorite posts yet! This may be because I have always been interested by the topic of death, but the statistics you brought up were really scary to even think about. For one, I never realized dead bodies had the potential to be so useful for the living, but more importantly I can't believe people would be so disrespectful as to actually dig up a dead body! You also had many interesting quotes, such as "You can see the pulse of her heartbeat in her liver, and all the way down her aorta. She bleeds where she is cut and her organs are plump and slippery-looking." This one really made me want to learn more about the whole issue. Good job!
Monday, May 16, 2011
HW 55- Culminating Project for Care of the Dead Unit
There are many decisions to be made about what one wants to have done with their body after they die. They need to choose if they want to be cremated, buried, or have some other method of getting the body out of sight. They also need to choose if they want to have their body embalmed or not. But before all of these things, one must decide if they want to donate their bodies and their organs donated to science. The decision to donate ones entire body to science is certainly a noble one, considering that the organs of that person may be used to save the life of someone who is sick. However, are cadavers always used by science to advance medical research and save lives? Or are there some more "profitable" ways to deal with the organs and the body after it has been donated to science that are unjustly being utilized by medical institutions?
The act of donating the body, or even just one organ, to science has always been regarded as a very honorable and considerate action, as it should be. Cadavers are extremely important to medical students, because they allow them to practice dangerous procedures that they would not be able to risk on a living patient, and are therefore extremely valuable in the world of medicine. For example, in London in the 17th century, "resurrectionists" were paid to dig bodies out of graves and essentially served as "body snatchers" or "grave robbers", making about five times as much as the average person at the time. In fact, "The best known of the London surgeon-anatomists was Sir Astley Cooper. In public, Cooper denounced the resurrectionists, yet he not only sought out and retained their services, but encouraged those in his employ to take up the job" (Roach, 45). Although the action of stealing a body right out of the grave seems to be down-right disrespectful, it is understandable why some people might believe that the result justifies the means. Cadavers are essential for research and can be operated on as practice so that real surgeries have a much higher chance of being successful. Not only that, the inside organs of most dead bodies tend to look, feel and react just like those of the living, which makes the training even more realistic. "On the inside, H looks very much alive. You can see the pulse of her heartbeat in her liver, and all the way down her aorta. She bleeds where she is cut and her organs are plump and slippery-looking" (Roach, 169). In addition, cadavers can also be used to help one discover when and how an accident such as a place crash may have occurred.
Unfortunately, it has become apparent that bodies generously donated to science with the intention of helping the living and to save lives are not necessarily serving those purposes. "Human remains have become increasingly valuable as medical research expands. Body parts are in demand by companies that want to teach surgeons to use their products, and they're also used at medical seminars where doctors can practice techniques and earn continuing education credits" (Armour). As a result of this, the practice of dismembering bodies and "dealing" the body parts to medical institutions has become very popular among harvesters. For example, an article in USA Today describes children of a woman who passed away receiving what the assumed to be the ashes of their mother. "But in 2002, family members say, they learned that the ashes didn't belong to their mother. Instead, they were told that an unscrupulous crematorium owner secretly carved up her body — along with the bodies of hundreds of other newly deceased — and provided knees, elbows, heads and other parts to medical research organizations in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars" (Armour). The article also states that over 16,000 lawsuits have been filed over the past 19 years arguing that the body parts of people's loved ones were being dismembered from the body and sold without the consent of the family. To touch on one of the less severe problems with the way that bodies are treated after science, it turns out that some cadavers are being used so that surgeons-in-training can practice doing nose-jobs. Although some people may think that this is a very important procedure, the reality is that most people probably did not imagine their bodies being used for the beautification of others rather than helping the living with actual medical issues or conditions.
From crematorium operators dismembering and harvesting the body parts of dead bodies without consent and then proceeding to distribute them to medical organizations, to body snatching in order to continue medical research, to experimenting nose-job techniques on dead bodies, it is safe to say that donating the body to science has not always been and is still not a completely honest business. However, for many people, the chance of being able to donate their own body in order to save the lives of others is enough to get many people to do it. Not only that, it turns out that if you donate your body, you do not have to pay any money for the cremation or burial process, where normally a traditional burial in New York City costs around $15,000! In summary, donation of the body to medical organizations is an option that should certainly be considered, but those who consider it should also be aware of the potential risks of harvesting.
Armour, Stephanie. "Illegal trade in bodies shakes loved ones." n. pag. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.usatoday.com/money/2006-04-26-body-parts-cover-usat_x.htm>.
"The Value of Donating." Science Care. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.sciencecare.com/donate.htm>.
Roach, Mary. Stiff. 1st. London: W.Norton & Company Ltd., 2003. Print.
The act of donating the body, or even just one organ, to science has always been regarded as a very honorable and considerate action, as it should be. Cadavers are extremely important to medical students, because they allow them to practice dangerous procedures that they would not be able to risk on a living patient, and are therefore extremely valuable in the world of medicine. For example, in London in the 17th century, "resurrectionists" were paid to dig bodies out of graves and essentially served as "body snatchers" or "grave robbers", making about five times as much as the average person at the time. In fact, "The best known of the London surgeon-anatomists was Sir Astley Cooper. In public, Cooper denounced the resurrectionists, yet he not only sought out and retained their services, but encouraged those in his employ to take up the job" (Roach, 45). Although the action of stealing a body right out of the grave seems to be down-right disrespectful, it is understandable why some people might believe that the result justifies the means. Cadavers are essential for research and can be operated on as practice so that real surgeries have a much higher chance of being successful. Not only that, the inside organs of most dead bodies tend to look, feel and react just like those of the living, which makes the training even more realistic. "On the inside, H looks very much alive. You can see the pulse of her heartbeat in her liver, and all the way down her aorta. She bleeds where she is cut and her organs are plump and slippery-looking" (Roach, 169). In addition, cadavers can also be used to help one discover when and how an accident such as a place crash may have occurred.
Unfortunately, it has become apparent that bodies generously donated to science with the intention of helping the living and to save lives are not necessarily serving those purposes. "Human remains have become increasingly valuable as medical research expands. Body parts are in demand by companies that want to teach surgeons to use their products, and they're also used at medical seminars where doctors can practice techniques and earn continuing education credits" (Armour). As a result of this, the practice of dismembering bodies and "dealing" the body parts to medical institutions has become very popular among harvesters. For example, an article in USA Today describes children of a woman who passed away receiving what the assumed to be the ashes of their mother. "But in 2002, family members say, they learned that the ashes didn't belong to their mother. Instead, they were told that an unscrupulous crematorium owner secretly carved up her body — along with the bodies of hundreds of other newly deceased — and provided knees, elbows, heads and other parts to medical research organizations in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars" (Armour). The article also states that over 16,000 lawsuits have been filed over the past 19 years arguing that the body parts of people's loved ones were being dismembered from the body and sold without the consent of the family. To touch on one of the less severe problems with the way that bodies are treated after science, it turns out that some cadavers are being used so that surgeons-in-training can practice doing nose-jobs. Although some people may think that this is a very important procedure, the reality is that most people probably did not imagine their bodies being used for the beautification of others rather than helping the living with actual medical issues or conditions.
From crematorium operators dismembering and harvesting the body parts of dead bodies without consent and then proceeding to distribute them to medical organizations, to body snatching in order to continue medical research, to experimenting nose-job techniques on dead bodies, it is safe to say that donating the body to science has not always been and is still not a completely honest business. However, for many people, the chance of being able to donate their own body in order to save the lives of others is enough to get many people to do it. Not only that, it turns out that if you donate your body, you do not have to pay any money for the cremation or burial process, where normally a traditional burial in New York City costs around $15,000! In summary, donation of the body to medical organizations is an option that should certainly be considered, but those who consider it should also be aware of the potential risks of harvesting.
Citations
Armour, Stephanie. "Donated Bodies sometimes are sold for personal profit." 28 APR 2006: n. pag. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2006-04-27-body-parts-sold_x.htm>.Armour, Stephanie. "Illegal trade in bodies shakes loved ones." n. pag. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.usatoday.com/money/2006-04-26-body-parts-cover-usat_x.htm>.
"The Value of Donating." Science Care. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.sciencecare.com/donate.htm>.
Roach, Mary. Stiff. 1st. London: W.Norton & Company Ltd., 2003. Print.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
HW 54- Independent Research B
Although I was baptized and raised as Greek Orthodox Christian, for some reason I have always felt more closely connected to the religious beliefs on my fathers side of the family, which are that of the episcopal church. So I decided to do some research on episcopalian beliefs. Like all Christian faiths, Episcopalians believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, and the one who was, "sent by God to free us from the power of sin, so that with the help of God we may live in harmony with God, within ourselves, with our neighbors, and with all creation" (An Outline of Faith). In this faith, eternal life means a new existence after death where all the people of God are together either in Heaven or Hell. "By heaven, we mean eternal life in our enjoyment of God; by hell, we mean eternal death in our rejection of God" (An Outline of Faith). Episcopalians also clarify what form the body will go into heaven with after a person passes away. Apparently, God will raise the spirit, in the form of the human body that it used to be confined to in life, into the heavens. "Our assurance as Christians is that nothing, not even death, shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (An Outline of Faith) It appears that the Episcopalians believe in a strict afterlife that consists of Heaven and Hell, but whichever one you go to you will still be in the shape of your body on earth.
(information found at http://www.episcopalspringfield.org/faith_outline.html)
I was not aware of any Episcopalian church's anywhere near my area, so I decided to call the person in my family with the most experience in this particular faith that I could think of, which is my oldest aunt. When I asked her how she felt about death in relationship to her religious beliefs, she told me that she believes in a Heaven, but is not quite sure what to make of the idea of Hell. "It doesn't seem right, having someone suffer for all of eternity because of sins they committed in their short time on earth. No matter how bad of a person someone is, nobody deserves that. It seems like the atheist idea of oblivion after death would be bad enough." I then asked her how she felt about the religious affiliations with the way that bodies were cared for after the person has died. "Well, personally I think that I would want to be cremated like my mother did. For some reason, it feels more spiritual, like the soul would rise up with the smoke to heaven."
To first analyze what my aunt was saying, I think it is interesting that she feels that her soul will be freed more easily if she is cremated because I used to (and sort of still do) feel the same way. However, that is because of the only cremation I had ever seen before, which was actually in the first new Star Wars movie that came out. In the end, everyone was gathering around the man who had been killed, while is body was burned outdoors and completely exposed to the rest of the world. In my opinion, this is sort of a peaceful image, and is probably the reason why I initially was leaning towards cremation. However, after doing research by reading the assigned book and listening to guest speakers, I have learned that cremation is nothing like the image I saw in my childhood. As far as the episcopalian faith in general, I was surprised to receive an answer as to what form the spirit would enter heaven as. It seems that the fundamental beliefs between episcopal Christians and other Christians is that Episcopalians seem to be very progressive with their ideas in life, (such as gay marriage) but their take on the afterlife is pretty much the same.
(information found at http://www.episcopalspringfield.org/faith_outline.html)
I was not aware of any Episcopalian church's anywhere near my area, so I decided to call the person in my family with the most experience in this particular faith that I could think of, which is my oldest aunt. When I asked her how she felt about death in relationship to her religious beliefs, she told me that she believes in a Heaven, but is not quite sure what to make of the idea of Hell. "It doesn't seem right, having someone suffer for all of eternity because of sins they committed in their short time on earth. No matter how bad of a person someone is, nobody deserves that. It seems like the atheist idea of oblivion after death would be bad enough." I then asked her how she felt about the religious affiliations with the way that bodies were cared for after the person has died. "Well, personally I think that I would want to be cremated like my mother did. For some reason, it feels more spiritual, like the soul would rise up with the smoke to heaven."
To first analyze what my aunt was saying, I think it is interesting that she feels that her soul will be freed more easily if she is cremated because I used to (and sort of still do) feel the same way. However, that is because of the only cremation I had ever seen before, which was actually in the first new Star Wars movie that came out. In the end, everyone was gathering around the man who had been killed, while is body was burned outdoors and completely exposed to the rest of the world. In my opinion, this is sort of a peaceful image, and is probably the reason why I initially was leaning towards cremation. However, after doing research by reading the assigned book and listening to guest speakers, I have learned that cremation is nothing like the image I saw in my childhood. As far as the episcopalian faith in general, I was surprised to receive an answer as to what form the spirit would enter heaven as. It seems that the fundamental beliefs between episcopal Christians and other Christians is that Episcopalians seem to be very progressive with their ideas in life, (such as gay marriage) but their take on the afterlife is pretty much the same.
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