For this assignment, I interviewed my aunt and my uncle. The questions that were asked to them were very basic, such as "What comes to mind when you think about the care of the dead?", "How do you think the world around you treats the dead?", "Do you agree with their tactics? Disagree? Why/Why not?". My aunt's answers were the "mainstream" answers you would expect from most people. The reason for this assumption is because, when I asked her about her initial thoughts on the care of the dead, she responded, "I think about funerals, burials, and cremation". My uncle on the other hand, responded with much more knowledge on the isolation of the dead. His initial thoughts on the care of the dead were based around the opinion that, no one wants to be reminded of dead people. The isolation of cemeteries, and the uncomfortableness associated with talking about the dead is a result of his opinion.
When digging deeper in to my aunts perspectives on the care of the dead, I realized her common, expected answer is due to ignorance. There is no way to learn about the care of the dead in an average school, or television program. Deeper independent research usually has to be done in order to learn more about the subject. My aunt is a prime example of someone who has not been informed on the subject, she has witnessed a burial, funeral and the result of a cremation, however; she wasn't exposed to the subject enough to analyze it. The social and medial isolation of the care of the dead leads to ignorant claims and opinions about it.
In the case of my uncle, from personal experience I know that he independently researches topics after watching a national geographic program on television. During the interview he mentioned that he watched an episode of National Geographic's "Taboo" in which they looked at tribal rituals on burying the dead. My uncle than thought back to that episode of taboo and came up with the connection between tribes from third-world countries, and society around him, that if other people around the world can openly exhibit rituals for the dead, why can't we? His exposure to learning about the care of the dead led him to his perspective. Overall, I believe that in the case of my aunt and uncle, it is the amount of knowledge on the topic of care of the dead, that leads to varied perspectives.
Some questions these interviews led me to wonder:
- Does religious beliefs play a role in the way people handle the dead?
- Does isolating the dead from society decrease the amount people think about it?
- What if, there were cemeteries on every few blocks within the city that were as common a sight as a McDonalds?
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
HW 46 - Initial Thoughts On The Care Of The Dead
My experiences around the care of the dead are limited, however ; one moment that stands out in my mind when thinking about this topic is, a funeral I attended as a young child. A very close family friend passed away from a heart attack and the funeral that was held for him was the first funeral I have ever attended. As a 5 year old child, my first thoughts were, Why is his body here for everyone to see? Why would anyone want to see him in this condition? It was a very confusing concept to me.
It was from this memory that I made a significant observation. During his death, my entire family lied to me and said that he died from being burnt while cooking, as if to cover up the truth about dying. The entire subject of caring for the dead seems to be something too "sacred" for just anyone to be aware of. It is kept isolated from normal society. As a 5 year old child it was kept a secret from me, and even now as a 17 year old young adult, I know little about the process after a person has died. I hope from discovering more during this unit that I gain more insight and learn more about the care of the dead.
It was from this memory that I made a significant observation. During his death, my entire family lied to me and said that he died from being burnt while cooking, as if to cover up the truth about dying. The entire subject of caring for the dead seems to be something too "sacred" for just anyone to be aware of. It is kept isolated from normal society. As a 5 year old child it was kept a secret from me, and even now as a 17 year old young adult, I know little about the process after a person has died. I hope from discovering more during this unit that I gain more insight and learn more about the care of the dead.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
HW 44 - Comments on other people's project
To Stephen G.
Stephen, the pros and cons that you mentioned were very influential. The statistics of home birth vs hospital births particularly were well thought out and analyzed. The information you had on the hormonal/mental advantages of home births was interesting to me.
To Evan D.
Evan, I found your speech very influential, and the fact that you were able to interview a midwife at St Luke's 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".
To Jessica C.
Jessica, To agree with Rigel, I found it very interesting that your project was based on abortion because, the topic in itself is something that we didn't really touch on as a class. Bringing that in to your project made me think more about what if my own family chose to have an abortion? What if certain family members ceased to exist? Your project made me ask myself those questions. Good job.
Stephen, the pros and cons that you mentioned were very influential. The statistics of home birth vs hospital births particularly were well thought out and analyzed. The information you had on the hormonal/mental advantages of home births was interesting to me.
To Evan D.
Evan, I found your speech very influential, and the fact that you were able to interview a midwife at St Luke's 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".
To Jessica C.
Jessica, To agree with Rigel, I found it very interesting that your project was based on abortion because, the topic in itself is something that we didn't really touch on as a class. Bringing that in to your project made me think more about what if my own family chose to have an abortion? What if certain family members ceased to exist? Your project made me ask myself those questions. Good job.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Hw 39 - Insights from book - Part 2
Baby Catcher
Peggy Vincent
Scribner
2002
Q: List several topics/areas the book has taught you about that the "Business of Being Born" either ignored or treated differently or in less depth.
A: - Doctors/hospitals want the labor process to go their way, as quick and artificial as possible.
- The more medication applied, and time saved, the better.
- Although bound by a patient's wants; the doctors try to persuade vulnerable patients in to taking certain routes to shift the process in to their direction
Q: The major insight the book tries to communicate in the second 100 pages (1-3 sentences) and your response to that insight (2-4 sentences).
A: The major insight that I am getting out of "Baby Catcher", is the spirituality aspect of birth. This idea of a parallel world in which you feel you are a part of while pregnant/birthing.
I feel that the spiritual rituals and beliefs that come in to place seem to stem from the hormones of excitement and attachment, such as Oxytocin. The hormones of a woman's body may be a tricky thing to grasp for most women, and a rational explaining for them may be this idea of spirituality. Woman, during birth, may feel at ease and relaxed knowing that they're safe because of spiritual reliefs.
Q: List 5 interesting aspects of pregnancy and birth discussed in the second hundred pages that you agree deserve wider attention.
A: - The idea of spirituality and actuality being one, a soon-to-be mother should be in touch with her spirit.
- The idea of "spirit babies" which demonstrate those born to a mother who's birthing process went wrong. This idea can bring a lot of peace to some mothers
- The "perfect" births which actually do occur. All the negative, unfortunate birthing accidents are shared quickly, however many births go off without a hinge. Which are shared by Peggy Vincent.
Peggy Vincent
Scribner
2002
Q: List several topics/areas the book has taught you about that the "Business of Being Born" either ignored or treated differently or in less depth.
A: - Doctors/hospitals want the labor process to go their way, as quick and artificial as possible.
- The more medication applied, and time saved, the better.
- Although bound by a patient's wants; the doctors try to persuade vulnerable patients in to taking certain routes to shift the process in to their direction
Q: The major insight the book tries to communicate in the second 100 pages (1-3 sentences) and your response to that insight (2-4 sentences).
A: The major insight that I am getting out of "Baby Catcher", is the spirituality aspect of birth. This idea of a parallel world in which you feel you are a part of while pregnant/birthing.
I feel that the spiritual rituals and beliefs that come in to place seem to stem from the hormones of excitement and attachment, such as Oxytocin. The hormones of a woman's body may be a tricky thing to grasp for most women, and a rational explaining for them may be this idea of spirituality. Woman, during birth, may feel at ease and relaxed knowing that they're safe because of spiritual reliefs.
Q: List 5 interesting aspects of pregnancy and birth discussed in the second hundred pages that you agree deserve wider attention.
A: - The idea of spirituality and actuality being one, a soon-to-be mother should be in touch with her spirit.
- The idea of "spirit babies" which demonstrate those born to a mother who's birthing process went wrong. This idea can bring a lot of peace to some mothers
- The "perfect" births which actually do occur. All the negative, unfortunate birthing accidents are shared quickly, however many births go off without a hinge. Which are shared by Peggy Vincent.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Hw 38 - Insights From Pregnancy & Birth book - Part 1
Baby Catcher
Peggy Vincent
Scribner
2002
Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent, is organized in to separate "parts" in which are broken down further in to sub-sections. The individual sub-sections each explain further in to specific events that can be experienced during the pregnancy/birth process.
In my opinion, the primary question that this book asks, is how do experiences from a midwife's perspective differ from that of a doctor's? Based on what I've read so far, I feel that a midwife has more of a personal attachment with the different events that occur during the pregnancy process, than that of a doctor. The doctor wants to be efficient for both the patient AND the hospital whereas a midwife has more of a personal attachment to the patient and can help both as an acquaintance/friend and also from an educated perspective.
The strongest insight that I've observed so far, is that each step throughout pregnancy should be broken down and handled sufficiently and patiently to ease the process. I feel that although this process sounds very organized and effective, at the same time it sounds unrealistic. Most pregnant women and their partners are going to do the medical solution for the phase of pregnancy they're in, there is no point of stopping to handle it, in my opinion, most soon-to-be mothers are going to follow doctors' orders ALL THE TIME.
- The decision between having a midwife or doctor during birth should be thought out and analyzed, because each person and their pregnancy will be different.
- Home births vs Hospital births. Similar to midwife vs doctor, however even with the decision for a midwife still comes the decision of a home birth or a hospital birth. This decision is detrimental for both the parents and the baby.
- Technological advances in hospitals does not make them the more suitable, wise choice. The traditional, planned out, organized, family/community oriented and intimate birth with a midwife can be more favorable for certain pregnancies.
- Hospitals are as much an organization/business as it a "safe haven" for sick people and pregnant women.
Peggy Vincent used a calm tone throughout the entire book. Since the story is told from a midwife's perspective, and midwifes are often associated with calm, cool and collective care takers, it makes sense that she would use this tone. What helped me come to this realization is a quote from page 73. "I sat hugging my knees as the scent of coffee, cinnamon, and burning logs filled the cozy room"
Peggy Vincent
Scribner
2002
Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent, is organized in to separate "parts" in which are broken down further in to sub-sections. The individual sub-sections each explain further in to specific events that can be experienced during the pregnancy/birth process.
In my opinion, the primary question that this book asks, is how do experiences from a midwife's perspective differ from that of a doctor's? Based on what I've read so far, I feel that a midwife has more of a personal attachment with the different events that occur during the pregnancy process, than that of a doctor. The doctor wants to be efficient for both the patient AND the hospital whereas a midwife has more of a personal attachment to the patient and can help both as an acquaintance/friend and also from an educated perspective.
The strongest insight that I've observed so far, is that each step throughout pregnancy should be broken down and handled sufficiently and patiently to ease the process. I feel that although this process sounds very organized and effective, at the same time it sounds unrealistic. Most pregnant women and their partners are going to do the medical solution for the phase of pregnancy they're in, there is no point of stopping to handle it, in my opinion, most soon-to-be mothers are going to follow doctors' orders ALL THE TIME.
- The decision between having a midwife or doctor during birth should be thought out and analyzed, because each person and their pregnancy will be different.
- Home births vs Hospital births. Similar to midwife vs doctor, however even with the decision for a midwife still comes the decision of a home birth or a hospital birth. This decision is detrimental for both the parents and the baby.
- Technological advances in hospitals does not make them the more suitable, wise choice. The traditional, planned out, organized, family/community oriented and intimate birth with a midwife can be more favorable for certain pregnancies.
- Hospitals are as much an organization/business as it a "safe haven" for sick people and pregnant women.
Peggy Vincent used a calm tone throughout the entire book. Since the story is told from a midwife's perspective, and midwifes are often associated with calm, cool and collective care takers, it makes sense that she would use this tone. What helped me come to this realization is a quote from page 73. "I sat hugging my knees as the scent of coffee, cinnamon, and burning logs filled the cozy room"
Monday, February 28, 2011
Hw 36 - Pregnancy & Birth Stories
Interview # 1
Diana, the oldest sister of my uncle had a tragic complication regarding birth. She was ready to give birth to a girl, when complications led to her having to give birth to a still-born baby. The emotional distress that surrounded her was obvious whenever we had a celebration during Thanksgiving and Christmas, however I wanted to see what else it affected around her life.
One of the questions I asked her was, What feelings come back to you when you remember labor and giving birth? Her response was something like this: "I try not to think of it for obvious reasons, but it is a part of my life I can never forget, all the trauma it has left me makes it unforgettable.
I felt it was extremely relevant that she mentioned that although she experienced tremendous trauma behind her labor process and the still-born, she could never forget it because it is a part of her life that regardless of the reasons for it, she can never forget it.
- How does the memory of a birth change depending on how successful your birth was?
Interview # 2
My older cousin Brandon, described to me his point of view during the pregnancy that he witnessed first, his sisters. He explained to me that he was scared for his sister, because he knew of all the possibilities of sickness that come along with pregnancy. He told me that in the moments leading to the birth, he did last-minute research on pregnancy to inform himself. All the extra information he obtained made him slightly paranoid.
A question I asked him, was : "Do you feel that informing yourself made you feel safer knowing that your sister is giving birth?"
His response was, yes. He felt that since he was less ignorant about the topic that he could help his sister along the process more. Since he knew that he could help more, he was more confident in changing his life and surroundings for his sisters child. This made me think that researching something before you make your life involved in it, will help you tremendously. Brandon was a good example of this to me.
When analyzing this, I thought about connecting this to taking a test/exam in school. You lose confidence in doing well on your exam if you don't study for it, however once you study for an exam, you feel that your much more confident in taking your test. The same concept can be applied to most real-life application such as in this case, birth/pregnancy. Brandon researched something that he was about to be involved in, and in doing so, he gained confidence and was better suited for the birthing process of his sister.
- How does researching something improve your ability to prepare for something?
Diana, the oldest sister of my uncle had a tragic complication regarding birth. She was ready to give birth to a girl, when complications led to her having to give birth to a still-born baby. The emotional distress that surrounded her was obvious whenever we had a celebration during Thanksgiving and Christmas, however I wanted to see what else it affected around her life.
One of the questions I asked her was, What feelings come back to you when you remember labor and giving birth? Her response was something like this: "I try not to think of it for obvious reasons, but it is a part of my life I can never forget, all the trauma it has left me makes it unforgettable.
I felt it was extremely relevant that she mentioned that although she experienced tremendous trauma behind her labor process and the still-born, she could never forget it because it is a part of her life that regardless of the reasons for it, she can never forget it.
- How does the memory of a birth change depending on how successful your birth was?
Interview # 2
My older cousin Brandon, described to me his point of view during the pregnancy that he witnessed first, his sisters. He explained to me that he was scared for his sister, because he knew of all the possibilities of sickness that come along with pregnancy. He told me that in the moments leading to the birth, he did last-minute research on pregnancy to inform himself. All the extra information he obtained made him slightly paranoid.
A question I asked him, was : "Do you feel that informing yourself made you feel safer knowing that your sister is giving birth?"
His response was, yes. He felt that since he was less ignorant about the topic that he could help his sister along the process more. Since he knew that he could help more, he was more confident in changing his life and surroundings for his sisters child. This made me think that researching something before you make your life involved in it, will help you tremendously. Brandon was a good example of this to me.
When analyzing this, I thought about connecting this to taking a test/exam in school. You lose confidence in doing well on your exam if you don't study for it, however once you study for an exam, you feel that your much more confident in taking your test. The same concept can be applied to most real-life application such as in this case, birth/pregnancy. Brandon researched something that he was about to be involved in, and in doing so, he gained confidence and was better suited for the birthing process of his sister.
- How does researching something improve your ability to prepare for something?
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Hw 35 - Other People's Perspectives 1
For this assignment, I interviewed two of my cousins who are 17 and 20 respectively, and my closest friend who is 18. I asked them all a very basic question, "What are your thoughts on birth?". To sum up the general descriptions they all offered; they felt that birth is a major event that demands celebration and is a major point that changes the lives of everyone involved with the child. As shown by my friend's response, " When my little brother was born, my parents changed everything around the house all over again, even though this wasn't their first child". The main idea of his claim seemed to be that birth is so highly celebrated and cherished because it is a major turning point in people's lives. My older cousin stated that he witnessed almost the same outcome after each birth he's been a part of. He has been around for the process of 5 births, his three younger sister's, my baby cousin's, and his brother's birth. His realization was that no matter how many times a birth occurs, or how common it is for the family, the celebration is still the same and the changes are still drastic afterwards.
Through my interviews it seems that the common ideology is that the hardship that follows having a child gets celebrated, and the environment is altered around the birth of a new child. The celebration of the child seems to be to help the transition in to having another baby. The idea of change seems to dominate people's perspectives on birth, the fact that everyone involved in the birthing process knows that huge changes are about to be made, makes people pay tons of attention when a birth is on the way. Our society as a whole changes with every birth, and this can be the reason why birth is such a celebrated process that demands a lot of attention.
Through my interviews it seems that the common ideology is that the hardship that follows having a child gets celebrated, and the environment is altered around the birth of a new child. The celebration of the child seems to be to help the transition in to having another baby. The idea of change seems to dominate people's perspectives on birth, the fact that everyone involved in the birthing process knows that huge changes are about to be made, makes people pay tons of attention when a birth is on the way. Our society as a whole changes with every birth, and this can be the reason why birth is such a celebrated process that demands a lot of attention.
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