HW # 49 - Comments on Best of Your Break HW

Naima’s Post (my comments)

My first thought after reading about the deaths of your mother and of “Little Ped” was how proud your mother would be because of the feelings and values you have and how well you write about them. Your father, your brothers, and you had to be incredibly diplomatic with your grandmother, even allowing your mother to be buried in a dress you knew your mother hated. I think it was great that you found ways “to make sure that the ceremony reflected my (your) mother’s values.” I hope there was some drumming.

You also talk about the conflict between generations over the decision of your stepmother to end her pregnancy due to a fatal birth defect and the wishes of your father’s mother to
keep the baby alive and hope for a miracle. Burying Little Ped’s ashes under a tree you planted for him is about the best burial practice I can imagine. How great it would be if
we all ended our lives this way.

The only other comment I have is that your family’s experience with your mother’s death seems like an argument for people to write down what they want to have happen when they die to avoid conflicts. Your mother died much too young but for older people it
probably is a good thing to tell your family your if-I-die wishes.

Eloise’s Post (my comments)

I was impressed by the fact that you interviewed four people and had four different responses to death that represent the way many people feel about it. There was the Christian who will go to heaven or hell, the thoughtful guy who thinks we go to “a different place” the guy who thinks death is blankness and non-existence, and the guy who wants his body to rot but have one bone remain as a record of his having been here. I think you were just missing a Hindu who believes in coming back to earth in a different life form. It was interesting that the Christian said about death that there “seemed to be no thinking to do.” That line sounds like one of the big reasons religion had to be created, so that people don’t have to worry themselves about death. It is also interesting that three of the four of them want to be cremated and donate their organs. This is a trend
that should continue.

Nina's Post (my comments)

Nina does not have a blogger account...I cannot post comments

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From Eloise

I thought your post was intersting and insightful into your family dynamics.I could hear a good amount of family character in your post.

You discuss both your grandomthers perespectives and that of your fathers. You discuss how their perspectives differ, their similarties and how you compare to there views.

I really liked the way you peiced together the answer by also inserting your insight. I think that this poem resonates well with your post !


EXPENDABLE BY: LANGSTON HUGES

"We will take you and kill you,
Expendable.

We will fill you full of lead,
Expendable.

And when you are dead
in nice cold ground,
We'll put your name
above your head-

If your head
Can be found."

I think it is powerful to note that with generation and time big things change and in a mass size, most of my interviewees as well desired to be cremated. I wonder how our current dominate religous views reflect of the major cremation acceptance !

GREAT JOB.

From Naima

i appreciated the context in which you brought the reader. your use of quotes made your post more engaging and allowed your post to flow in a nicer way.

i also liked how you showed that normally, people in your family would be more attracted to burials, and how both of your grandmothers (on both sides) are breaking the tradition by preferring cremations.

your post bring the reader to speculate about how some people like to have a good image of the dead (you used the example of your grandmother spent lots of money to make her husband look nice. your post also makes the reader think about the different controversies in this decision making. all in all, good job.

From Nina (Nina does not have a blogger account Andy...How can she post comments?)