HW 53 - Independent Research A

1. Find 2 articles from the NYT

-Doctors at funerals. One might think that doctors at funerals feel awkward because they feel some sense of guilt for the deceased, but Dr. Danielle Ofri discusses this feeling in a different way. In the hospital death is a feeling that is always around the corner, so one would believe that the relationship between doctors and patients is one that is not very intimate. Ofri shows that that is not always true, even knowing a patient for two years was enough to depress her when looking at this particular patients body. Not only that, but as a doctor Ofri feels that she is not allowed to show as much respect to the deceased as the family and that she JUST the doctor.http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/a-doctor-at-the-funeral/?ref=deathanddying

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/us/21funeral.html?ref=funerals

-With the economy in the state it currently is, home burials seem even more of an appealing alternative option. Typical funerals in the United States cost up to 6000 while home burials cost as low as 250. Besides cost, the feeling of intimacy during a home funeral is alot stronger than a typical one. Dressing a dead loved one gives that person a stronger connection to them.

-The perspectives of both of these texts are very different but similar in one way. That is that they are both written by people on the outside looking in on typical traditions in funerals in one way or another. The first article talks about the typical feeling doctors get when at a patients funeral while the other talks about a healthier more intimate funeral rather than a more expensive/typical one.

2. Interview someone in the death care industry

-When looking for a funeral home to interview someone, i was suprised by the fact that i didn't have to look far. The place is called Greenwich Village Funeral Home and i decided to call and interview the director. The first question i decided to ask was: "What is at least one other healthier option to care for the dead besides a typical funeral?" He told me the first thing on his mind: Creamation. He told me that creamation is a very popular option, but that it is a common misconception for people to believe that you can't have a typical funeral before creamation. The second question i asked was: "What kind of services do you provide at your funeral home?" He told me that they provide a wide variety of services such as arrangement for a grave marker, arranging for music (to give a more intimative feeling to the funeral) and an abundance of religious staff members to help you carry out a funeral (Priests, Rabbis). After reading about different types of caskets, their price and meaning, the third question i asked was: "What type of caskets do you offer?" He told me that they have a large selection of caskets from metal (copper, metal bronze) to wood (pine, oak, cherry).

-In conclusion, i now know what exactly funeral homes can offer. Although this was only one interview it gave me a basic overview. One question i should have asked was "How does your funeral home compare to others? Does it offer more or less?" After doing a little further research, i noticed that most websites for funeral homes do not provide as much, although i can't base my answer just from the website.