Hw 50

Precis:

My new job as an undertaker has let me explore how the care of the dead is viewed in today’s society. As time went on my thoughts on care of the dead changed and I found that undertakers make the dead come alive. The body is filled with artificial chemicals, dressed; powdered and put is a coffin all to mask death. At first working with the dead was not that pleasant, the smells and the chemicals that were used were not pleasant. I am learning that the care of the dead is a business out to make money more than a service for the dead.

Quotes: 

“The sociologist Zygmunt Bauman says that humans are the only creatures who know they’re going to die, and even worse, they know they know it, and it’s not something they can “unknow”.” (Page. 7)
“The whole puzzle of how we deal with death comes down that nasty poster: what to do what’s left behind?” (Page. 23) 

"In the office, Richard's quick estimate, not including cemetery expenses, comes to $7,680, which he rounds up to $7,900 to provide wiggle room. Then if the final bill is less than the estimate, they'll feel like they got a deal." (Page. 39) 

Hw 48

I interviewed my parents and it went great, they had a lot of insights and a lot to say on the subject. Both my parents have spent a good deal of time taking care of the dead but in very different ways regarding their religious backgrounds.

My father comes from a very Christian family even though he himself is not very religious. He was drafted into the military during the Vietnam War but was sent to North Korea to guard the DMV line. My father watched many comrades die and sent back to America to be buried. He told me that the army knew how to move dead body like a well-oiled machine, never messing up. Ten years after my father got out of the military his fathers died. His mother was very distraught and he took control of his father burial making all the arrangements for the funeral, the wake and the church, which were all things that by his religion must be done when a person dies. He found it very easy to make all these arrangements fast with no problems almost like what happened in the army. I later asked him from what he had gone through planning his father’s funeral and seeing how the army handled death if he thought that this was a common social practice across the U.S and if so was it good. He answered, “No; it’s perfect. People that are dealing with death should not have problems arranging a funeral. Our “system” if you want to call it that doesn’t make people worried and stressed.“

My mother comes from a Jewish family that escaped from Russia many years ago. As a late teen she experienced her mothers death and watched how her father and her family handled the care of her mother. She sat Shiva as all Jewish families do when a love one dies, rabies came to her house to pray with her family and she went to temple. Later in life my uncle, her brother died and she being the next oldest made all the arrangements for his burial. She found out surprisingly, how simple it was to plan everything. This shocked her because it was so routine for the people she called when planning the funeral. They didn’t make her feel less important but this was their job and they were proficient at it. I asked her if she thought this was common. She stated, “Yes I think it’s common and great.”

My parents believed that the dominant social practices concerning death in America are perfect and help maybe even save some of the pain that a difficult burial would bring about. My parents agree that the care of the dead should be handled in a timely matter and the system put in place is able to do that, still holding the life of the person in the highest respect. I agree with my parents even when I questioned the system being morally right. There is no more efficient way to bury a loved one respectfully. Yet I thought this system was a social practice and all social practices have bonders that if crossed you were out casted but the system allows for any variation imaginable which makes it beautiful.

I found that my parents experience and handle death almost the same way, which shocked me because they both came from very different religious backgrounds. They both sit in silence for a moment when they hear the news. Then they want to talk about their feeling with each other and call friends and family. If they are the closest relative they plan the funeral with out hesitation making it the exact way they person wanted it. My parents have been practicing this routine for years and they feel it’s the best way to pay their respects.

*********Hw 47*********

My Interviews below gave me a good overview at what teenagers think about the care of the dead. None of my interviews brought out big insights but I found that some of my beliefs align with other teenager’s beliefs.

The most common answer to a question came from the most personal question in the survey. Which I found weird but exactly aligned with my beliefs; do you know how you want to be taken care of when you die? The answer came with a straight face from every person; no I’m too young. I have the same feelings toward the issue because it just brings sad thoughts to the forefront of my mind. When people are young they tend to try to stay away from death. As children we our kept away from it and as teenagers we our taught that it can happen to any one at anytime. As adults we have to lean to embrace it because it is all around us everyday. Even though adults don’t want to think about death they can’t be blind to it because it’s their job to talk care of the dead. Most people in my interviews had been to funerals in their families, which means that they have seen what taken care of the dead is like but none of them knew how they wanted to be taken care of when they die. It’s a hard topic for a young person to think about but I think it’s important for every young person to give it some thought. You never know what could happen in the crazy world we live in.

Person # 1

Q: Have you had family members die in your life?

A: Yes, many. Three out of four of my grandparents and my uncle have died.

Q: Have you been to a funeral?

A: I have been to all the funerals in my family and more.

Q: If you have been to funerals, were they religiously oriented?

A: Yes my whole family is Jewish. We always sit Shiva, comforting the person who lost a love one and we always follow the wishes of the person passing in how they want to be berried.

Q: What our your belief on care of the dead?

A: I think that the dead should be put in their resting places as fast as possibly to move them to the after life.

Q: Do you know how you want to be taken care of when you die?

A: NO!!!! Don’t want to think about that.


Person # 2 

Q: Have you had family members die in your life?

A: Yes, just one.

Q: Have you been to a funeral?

A: Yes only one.

Q: If you have been to funerals, were they religiously oriented?

A: No it was not, my father just wanted the people that cared about him to pay their respects and for him to be berried.

Q: What our your belief on care of the dead?

A: The dead should be cared for because it’s respectful.

Q: Do you know how you want to be taken care of when you die?

A: No I’m too young


Person # 3

Q: Have you had family members die in your life?

A: No, not yet.

Q: Have you been to a funeral?

A: Yes a friend of mine committed suicide.

Q: If you have been to funerals, were they religiously oriented?

A: Yes it took place in a church because she was catholic. There was a wake before she was berried.

Q: What our your belief on care of the dead?

A: I believe that the care of the dead needs to be respected and taken care of.

Q: Do you know how you want to be taken care of when you die?

A: I have thought about it but it made me cry so I stopped. I’m too young to this about it.

Person # 4

Q: Have you had family members die in your life?

A: Yes my grandparents.

Q: Have you been to a funeral?

A: Yes it was sad.

Q: If you have been to funerals, were they religiously oriented?

A: Yes my family is catholic. The ceremony took place in a church and there was a wake.

Q: What our your belief on care of the dead?

A: The dead is to be cared for by the living it is like the cycle of life.

Q: Do you know how you want to be taken care of when you die?

A: Too much time left to live.

Hw 46

The first reaction I was taught to have after my initial grief of a love one is to rush to figure out what their final wishes were. I was also taught to find out what their religious background was and make sure that their religious beliefs will be satisfied. Theses are the basics in honoring a person’s death and I agree that this is what needs to be done so a person had a happy after life.

I personally have not taken care of the dead but I have seen what taking care of the dead is like. It’s not a pretty sight; it entails a person to put all there emotions aside and have a sense of determination to do right by the person who just passed. I have had a lot of my family members die throw out my life and I have seen how each side of my family handles the passing of their loved ones. Religion and the last will of the person passing plays a big role in how they are berried. My family follows the religious practices of the person who has died and honors how they wanted to be berried. This process is hard for any family but they must press through it as a family and come out stronger because of it.

Hw 45

Stephs comment to me -

Your main idea which compared and contrasted the difference between midwives that just practice at houses, and midwives who practice in birthing centers in hospitals was very interesting and caught my attention. 



I truly valued how you went out of your way to find a midwife who you could interview, I also valued how after you entered the 11Th floor and found no one, you continued your journey until you found a midwife who you cold interview. I wasn't interested in this topic before but after reading you project I realized how important this topic really is. I would like to dig deeper into your project and see how other midwifes compare or contrast to what Sandy said, and compare what doctors think. Great project, keep up the great work.


My comment to Steph-

Steph thank you very much for taking the time to read my post that means a lot to me. I want to dig deeper into this project because I know Sandy’s point of view does not apply for every midwife. The next steps I would take in this project would be to talk to a midwife that works at private birthing center and see what she says in contrast with what Sandy told me. If I wanted to take the project a step further I would relate all the information I collected to midwives that deal with home births.
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Jayson Comment to me -

Evan, I found your speech very influential, and the fact that you were able to interview a midwife at St Lukes Hospital is something that shows you put effort in to it. Also, I found it extremely interesting how the midwife responded to your question on nightmarish practices at hospitals with a "it all has a purpose if it is needed".


My comment to Jayson –

Thank you so much for reading my post it means a lot to me. I also found that line very interesting; it caught me off guard in my interview because I did not expect her answer to be that simple. I expected for a complex answer that would have confused me but yet the she gave me the simplest answer and it confused me.

Hw 44

Protege -

From what I heard, Sandy seems like a very confident midwife and seems to understand the ins and outs of the job well. I think that it was very interesting though, how she seemed to have a different opinion of the job than you did and how she perfers to work in a hospital becuase of the emotional security it gives her.

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To Steph -

The main point of your project was to find out if Leake & Watts, Spence-Chapin, Bethany Christian Services were accepting of same sex parents adopting children.

I really like that your project was very meaningful to you, it added a connection to your work that I could not find in my project. I found it weird that Spence-Chapin didn’t have an answer for you. Have they never been asked this question? I have no personal connection to your project but I have friends that are gay and they will one day face this dilemma; which really should not be a dilemma. I feel you could have either asked more questions or gone deeper in to why a orphanage would not want same sex parents to adopt.
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To Matt S -

The main point of your project was to understand why Latino woman don’t use midwifes.

I really like that you got many different sources to answer your question. It made your project stronger giving the option of a real people and statistics. This project is important to the Latino people of America and also to the other people of America. Matt you made a good point when stating “I also looked at teh idea of latin women getting pregnant at younger ages. 52 percent of latin women got pregnant at least once before the age of 20. Why is this valid? This shows that latin women are too young to understand birt.” This is important for all women to know at all ages. I learned a lot from your blog great job.
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To Michelle -

The goal of your project was to research the differences between birth in the United States and birth in India an contrasting them.

I found it very interesting that India woman did want their husbands in the delivery rooms. As you stated Indian woman vale there men but they don’t want them in the room while they give birth unlike in America where wives want there husbands in the room with them. Your project mattes to me because I plan to travel the world when I get older and I never know what I will need to know. You project was very interesting and it tough me knew things I would have not thought to look up on my own.
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Mentor -

This was a very good and interesting project. It allowed you to go deeper into the study of birth and let you explore a topic you care about. I found it great that you were determined to get your questions answered even when at times the outlook didn’t seem optimistic. “After seeing this sign I heard nothing. I was confused, was I in the wrong place? I expected to hear tons of talking, yelling and people moving all around but it was silent. I walked around the bland white hallways of the 11th floor and no one was there.” This let me know that you cared about your topic and that you were deeply interested in what you were learning. I learned a lot from your project even though I have already done this type of research before having my own baby.

Hw 42

After watching The Business Of Being Born and doing independent research I still had pressing questions about midwives and birthing centers. From the movie and our class discussions I gathered a vibe that midwives didn’t like hospitals and were against most of the practices that hospitals preformed on a women while they were in labor. I wanted to find out why then would a midwife want to work in a birthing center that was located in a hospital rather than work in a private birthing center. Didn’t they want to get away from hospital practices? This question could not be answered by research alone; I needed to interview a midwife that had made this choice for herself.

I went to my local birthing center at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital to get some of my questions answered by a midwife. I didn’t call ahead and didn’t have an appointment with a midwife but I was able to walk in and go to the birthing center on the 11th floor. It seemed strange and a little scary that I was never questioned about where I was going. Could anyone just walk in and do whatever they want? When I got out of the elevator, the sign on the wall said in big letters St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Birthing Center Welcome. This sign made me feel better after exiting a giant silver bright elevator that made me feel like I was locked in a prison. After seeing this sign I heard nothing. I was confused, was I in the wrong place? I expected to hear tons of talking, yelling and people moving all around but it was silent. I walked around the bland white hallways of the 11th floor and no one was there. It felt deserted. I finally saw a cleaning lady and found out that all the doors are locked and you need to buzz for entry. This was to make sure that no unauthorized personnel entered the baby areas as they called it. I buzzed the birthing center but no one was there, I could not believe it. A nurse came to the door and told me that no midwives were there and I could check the 12th floor where hospital births happen. The door shut and my jaw dropped. When the door was opened there was still no sound. Were birthing centers really that unpopular or that uncommon of a practice? This hospital gave up a whole floor to make a birthing center and there was not one patient?

When I got to the 12th floor it was quite again. This is not what they show in the movies. I walked down the hall and found a door where everyone was, located. I asked the anesthesiologist, who was sitting at the front desk, if I could talk to a midwife for a school project. He told me he would check and brought me a nurse. I repeated my clam to the nurse and she looked worried and skeptical. I asked her why she chose to work in a hospital and not a birthing center and she said she couldn’t answer that and told me she would get a midwife for me. I thought I had hit a dead end but after ten minutes she came back with Sandy, a licensed midwife of more than 35 years. She said she just delivered a baby but was glad to talk to me. I was delighted and shocked, sweating at the brow. I asked her why she chooses to work in a birthing center that is located in a hospital and not at a private birthing center? Her response was simple, I can be the midwife in the birthing center but if anything goes wrong I have a hospital one floor above ready for any emergency. It’s the best of both worlds. I was astonished it was that simple. Because of my preconceived notions about midwives I assumed it was a job issue or money issue. Unlike the midwife in The Business Of Being Born, Sandy was glade to have the hospital at her disposal.

I asked Sandy about all the other nightmarish hospital atrocities that I thought she would be against like inducing pregnancy, c-section, pain drugs, heart monitors and the beds with leg holders but she was for all of it and said it all has a purpose if it is needed. I was puzzled by her response. I stated that the rate of c-sections had risen dramatically over the past ten years and that I thought that the feelings of all midwives were that they were against them. She shut me down, stating that c-sections don’t just happen; two doctors have to agree that it’s a necessary procedure and while the rise in c-sections has occurred so have the number of malpractice lawsuits. Doctors are scared of malpractice lawsuits and losing their job. They would rather do the c-section and have a better chance of delivering a healthy baby then risk the baby dying because they didn’t. This made sense and I asked her if she approved of pain drugs? “Yes” she said in a perky voice; if you need them get them. I got all my questions answered and thanked Sandy for all her time.

Going into my interview I had a set view on midwives that was wrong but it was ok because through my questions I discovered another side of midwives that I didn’t know. I came into this interview with a set list of questions and left all of them answered.