...Irish McCarthy Dr. Gomez English 1120 4 March 2015 The Many Tones of W.H. Auden’s “Funeral Blues” Written in the first person, the speaker of “Funeral Blues” by W.H. Auden tells the story of deep grief over the death of a loved one. Although it is not clear if the speaker is male or female, to avoid confusion we are going to assume the speaker is a male. Auden’s use of tone, imagery, and metaphors make it is clear that the speaker wants others to feel the same grief, pain and hopelessness he feels. The tone of the first two stanzas is direct and forceful combined with sound and visual imagery the poem starts off pretty strong demanding the world to be silenced “Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, prevent the dogs from barking.” He also demanded that the pianos be silenced and the drums muffled. It almost feels like he wants everyone to pay attention and show more respect to what he is going through, everyone needs to feel his pain. The telephone being cut off represents the loss of communication with his beloved. Visual imagery takes over throughout the second stanza starting with planes writing a message in the sky the reads “He Is Dead” leading to the imagery of doves wearing bows and traffic police wearing “black cotton gloves” eludes to the idea that someone very important just died and the public needs to acknowledge it. The third stanza the tone changes from demanding to reflective in the first line “He was my North, my South, my East and West” expressing...
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...Christie Surin Mrs. Robinson Eng 1002-13 26 February 2013 Funeral Blues “A METEOR FROM the universe of Wystan Hugh Auden flashed into the atmosphere of American culture in 1994 when "Funeral Blues," a poem written in 1936, was recited in a eulogy scene in the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral.” (Johnson) Many people have wondered what it is like to lose someone they love; if one does not know the feeling they are very fortunate. Some people think that without that certain someone, their life will cease to exist. In W. H. Auden’s poem “Funeral Blues,” a woman loses her lover and cannot even imagine how she is going to get on with her life; she puts her deceased companion on a God-like pedestal; and she loves him so much that she believes that he is her whole world. In “Funeral Blues,” Auden makes the bitter attitude of the speaker toward the subject of death apparent to the readers through the use of symbols, imagery, and metaphor. In the first verse, the speaker states “stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone…” (Auden Line 1). The clock being stopped may signify the fact the man who died has run out of time, or possibly to ask those who knew him to stop what they are doing and grieve. With the idea of the telephone being cut off, she wants to show the deceased the respect he deserves by honoring him with a moment of silence. In the second verse the speaker states, “let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead” (Auden 5). She uses this metaphor to reveal the pointlessness...
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...Michael Billington Dr. Oguine College English 1202 ZAH Poetry Paper March 2, 2004 Death Reflected in Three Poems Death is a natural and inevitable part of life. Everyone will experience death, whether it is of a loved one or oneself. In W.H. Auden’s poem “Funeral Blues” (1003), he describes such a catastrophic event and the drastic effect that it has on his life. It is interesting how people choose to accept this permanent and expected event, death. Similarly, Emily Dickinson has written many poems about death, such as “The last Night that She lived” (843), which describes a family waiting for a woman or girl to die and the dreary and depressed mood that exists within the household. Mourning is considered a perfectly healthy reaction when someone who is deeply loved and cared about passes on, and this is illustrated in “The Memory of Elena” (1070-71) by Carolyn Forche. She writes about the events following a funeral and also flashes back to the actual moment that a wife has watched her husband die. W.H Auden’s “Funeral Blues,” Carolyn Forche’s “The Memory of Elena,” and Emily Dickinson’s “The last Night that She lived” are all poems which share death as their subject matter, but differ in the fact that they discuss death in a unique style with a variety of literary devices to make them more effective. Upon reading these poems, I could relate to each strongly on a personal level. Each poem expresses a different view of death and the different stages...
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...Funeral Traditions in America from Around The World America has many traditions, but one tradition that many don’t like to speak of is funerals. A funeral is when a loved one has passed and there is a celebration of life and put to rest, in this case with many traditions around the world there are different ways of remembering ones loved one when passing. America is a big continent where many people from around the world live in and bring their traditions with them and still continue them here, and one of those traditions is a funeral. To begin with one of the popular traditions that are regular to do in most places like in the article that Marian T. Horvat states is in the past, the funeral was held from the home or from funeral parlors. In the former case, rarely practiced in the United States today, the body was prepared to repose in the person’s own bed for twelve hours, during which time only family members were received to offer their last respects and prayers. After this the coffin was placed in the living room, and the bereaved family received condolence visits from friends and neighbors. As a point of honor and respect, the family made sure that at least one person kept watch over the deceased at all hours until the body was taken to the Church for the requiem Mass and then burial. The term wake came from this time of watch. The customs vary in each country, but in general, the deceased is laid out at the family home or the hospital chapel, often in an open coffin...
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...A Combat Medics Cry for Help Abstract In our lives we have experienced either personally, anecdotally or through the media of someone who has committed suicide, and being in the military is no exception. Even those that are trained to save lives can as well fall and never stand again. This paper describes my first experience receiving the dreadful call, one of my Combat Medics whom I will call SGT Medic, had committed suicide. The Soldiers’ cry for help and those who heard but did not listen to the warning signs of suicide. A Combat Medics Cry for Help Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs) are the back bone of the United States (U.S.) military. We are responsible for the training and leadership instilled in our Soldiers. This NCO had developed into an effective Combat Medic where his duty was to provide emergency medical treatment until further assisted. He lived his life helping others on and off the battlefield. This paper will provide an overview of an NCO Combat Medic battling his own internal daemons from the Iraq war that took away all that training instilled and the ability to adapt. In addition, this paper will give an example on how no matter the amount of training received, the amount of videos seen, numerous times hearing a Chaplain brief on Suicide Prevention there will come a time the warning signs are evident, and you will not react. The Call August 30th, 2015 approximately 19: 30 my husband and I were watching television, and in between commercials reading...
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...of passage. There are many rites of passage during a human life leading up to the final rite of passage, which is death. Funeral and death rites are used to mark the passing of a loved one and to help the living cope with and understand the departure of that loved one. These rituals are very different from one culture and society to the next. In the United States, funerals and death rites are usually one day affairs with no further rites practiced. In Japan, funeral rites are much more ritualized and not only deal with death, they also deal with life after death. The lack of funeral and death rites in contemporary Western society can lead to disenfranchised grief as they may be insufficient in helping people cope with the loss of a loved one. Japanese culture marks aging with milestone birthdays that are celebrated to map the progression of aging to the final destination of death. In this paper I will be examining funeral and death rites and if they adequately help with the grieving process and the acceptance of death. I will be examining the funeral and death rites in the United States from an etic perspective and contrasting this examination with an emic perspective of the same rituals as they are practiced in Japan, to show that my cultures rituals are lacking in the tools to deal with grief and acceptance of death. I will be examining funeral and death rites in my own culture from an etic perspective. In order to do this I will have to step outside my culture and...
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...Mortuary Science is the study of deceased bodies through mortuary work. Most people who study it usually become morticians or funeral directors. It teaches students everything about funerals business. Death is not about dreadful and horrifying aspects; it’s very important for the living and the deceased. Every human being at some point in time has to cope with death because death is unavoidable. Funeral homes take care of the remains and assist the families of the deceased. It’s very important to the grieving family to have proper closure their love one. They help the family and friends work through a terrible situation by consoling and comforting loved ones as they work to lay the deceased to rest. It’s also a time to remember and celebrate...
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...this moment does come to pass, spiritual leaders or funeral directors are often called upon to provide professional and suitable services, as well as comfort to the grief-stricken family and friends. Mr. Diamond, a licensed funeral director, was interviewed. This paper will depict Mr. Diamond’s experience with families and dying person’s expectations. Moreover, unusual requests and to conclude, his ways of dealing with people knowing that death was forthcoming would be discussed and the reward from it. In order to understand Mr. Diamond’s position as a funeral director, the author first questioned him about his motives to want to fill his role in the many different inconsolable individuals’ life. Mr. Diamond responded with an uplifting spirit: “ I have worn many hats in my line of work (Mr. Diamond, 2011). He added that, unfortunately, after personally dealing with different funeral directors, he realized the need for well-informed people with a compassionate heart for families, all the while maintaining a business approach. Mr. Diamond proceeded to explain that he had to be a businessman, with very detail oriented mind and concerned with the financial aspect of the profession. The most important aspect of his occupation was being a grief counselor. At all times, he had to be readily available to different family’s needs and provide utmost comfort. Death Rituals 3 With that said, the writer went on to ask if as a funeral director if Mr. Diamond serviced all types of ethnic...
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...30833 706 547-9764 Roxiewilliams108@yahoo.com Objective To obtain a position as a Front Desk Receptionist that uses my abilities as a communicator, and a leader Experience Funeral Home Attendant Freeman Funeral Home Answer the phone Drive funeral vehicles Carry flowers to funeral vehicle to transport To interment Offer assistance to mourners upon entering and Exiting out of the funeral home Arrange flowers or lights around the casket Greet and direct mourners Drivers License Examiner Department of Drivers Services Answer the phone The work involves conducting drivers...
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...suggestion. Death Care Industry The death care industry in United States is a mature and low growth one whose performance heavily depends on the death number per year. We use the Five Force Analysis to measure the performance of the industry. Entry Barrier (Green) The entry barrier to the death care industry is high. Since the keys to succeed in the industry are personal relationships and reputation, which need quite a long period to build. These result in a low entry and failure rates for funeral homes. Buyer Power (Red) We think the buying power is pretty high. Customers can choose the sites and professional service items according to their preference. Besides, with only 1% estimated death increasing rate, companies in the industry may decrease their service price in order to attract limited customer resource. Supplier Power (Yellow) The major cost in funeral service is casket which the funeral homes need to buy from manufactures. But in recent years, traditional funeral is gradually replaced by cremation, resulting in...
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...customs are being abandoned for today’s vision of praising the deceased. It can be stated that Christians are some-what celebrating the death of a loved one. A new pattern has developed drifting away from burial, moving towards cremation. Technically there is no set routine for a death, due to the fact that personal modifications and customs can change an arrangement. This new pattern is not firmly fixed (indeed, variations, improvisations and personal customizations are marks of the new rituals) but it generally includes the following characteristics: • a memorial service instead of a funeral (i.e., a service focused on remembering the deceased, often held many days after the death, with the body or the cremated remains of the deceased not present) (Thomas) • a brief, simple, highly personalized and customized service, often involving several speakers. (as opposed to the standard church funeral liturgies presided over primarily by clergy) (Thomas) • a focus on the life of the deceased (often aided by a physical display of photos and other mementos) (Thomas) • an emphasis on joy rather than sadness, a celebration of life rather than an observance of the somber reality of death. (Thomas) • a private disposition of the body, often done before the memorial service, with an increasing preference for cremation. (Thomas) Burying the dead is a corporal work of mercy because Christians care for the bodies of humans even though they are deceased. "The dead deserve as respectful a...
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...Analytic Essay First Image: In this first image, to me, it looks like it is describing two soldiers who are getting ready to go off into battle. They are weary at first but get on the horses and ride off. Meanwhile, it looks as if the king is in the castle trying to pick out which style robe or fabric he would like to have next. Being shown to him by the seamster, with two behind him looking as well. Second Image: In the second image, I see a funeral service. There are people mourning on the part that is cut off. There are many people carrying the body away to where the burial would be. Usually they would carry it to the burial site and burn the bodies or they would be put in the ground. Then at the end it looks like a king sitting on his bed pointing at something. Third Image: In this third image, if you start from the left, it looks like on the top story, it is a king being asked to do something about a situation. In the bottom it looks like an elderly man is being taken care of because he is ill. Farther over, it looks like there are guards guarding a palace or church building with the royal family sitting inside and on the outside of the doors are people praising. Fourth Image: This whole image looks like it is men at work making boats. At the beginning, it looks like the men are giving commands. Father down they begin to chop down the trees for the boats. Then you see them carving the boat form out of the trees and then you see the boats being painted and finished...
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...2015) Below are three tax research problems. You must complete two of the three research problems. Your analysis must be emailed to me no later than November 30, 2015. Completion of the problems makes up 50% of your internship grade. You must use the RIA Checkpoint database and correctly cite information from the Internal Revenue Code, Regulations, and tax court cases to support your conclusions. http://library.csuohio.edu/research/databases/index.html RESEARCH PROBLEM #1 Tranquility Funeral Home, Inc., your client, is an accrual basis taxpayer that sells preneed funeral contracts. Under these contracts, the customer pays in advance for goods and services provided at the contract beneficiary’s death. These payments are refundable at the contract purchaser’s request, pursuant to state law, anytime until the goods and services are furnished. Tranquility, consistent with its financial accounting reporting, includes the payments in income for the year the funeral service is provided. The IRS agent insists that the payments be prepaid income subject to tax in the year of receipt. Write a letter to Tranquility that contains your advice about how the issue should be resolved. The client’s address is 400 Rock Street, Memphis, TN 38152. RESEARCH PROBLEM #2 Esther owns a large home on the East Coast. Her home is surrounded by large, mature oak trees that significantly increase the value of her home. In August 2014, a hurricane damaged many of the trees surrounding...
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...one thing will always be inevitable of your ending; you will die. In all ways of life people have come accustomed to the practice of funerals, also known as death rituals. It has become common nature all around the world that when a person dies a ceremony will be held most likely involving their closest friends, family, or neighbors. It is understood that you live and die, but what funerals provide is a peace that can come with the inescapable end. However has anyone ever really stepped back and examined why we really do these ceremonies or death rituals? If at first we can understand the origins of the traditions, we can then see how different societies go about recognizing different people, and how these practices have been altered over time in our day and age. Funeral practices are as old as the human race itself, and this is made obvious in information found on the Neanderthals from 60,000 B.C. The ritual of a funeral starts when a persons heart stops or breathing ceases classifying them as dead. The time followed after a person is declared dead consists of various treatments of the body, time for disposing of the remains, and a period of mourning for all who knew the person. Neanderthals are considered the first people to perform death rituals/ funeral practices. According to one scholar Max Gluckman the origins of the traditions of funerals started with the Neanderthals and was developed as a way to “secure certain blessings, and provide protection as well as prosperity”...
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...Funeral Shopping Tips Here are some tips to help you shop for funeral services: ●Compare prices from at least two funeral homes. Remember that you can supply your own casket or urn. ●Ask for a price list. The law requires funeral homes to give you written price lists for products and services. ●Resist pressure to buy goods and services you don’t really want or need. ●Avoid emotional overspending. It’s not necessary to have the fanciest casket or the most elaborate funeral to properly honor a loved one. ●Recognize your rights. Laws regarding funerals and burials vary from state to state. It’s a smart move to know which goods or services the law requires you to purchase and which are optional. ●Apply the same smart shopping techniques you use for other major purchases. You can cut costs by limiting the viewing to one day or one hour before the funeral, and by dressing your loved one in a favorite outfit instead of costly burial clothing. ●Shop in advance. It allows you to comparison shop without time constraints, creates an opportunity for family discussion, and lifts some of the burden from your family. 3 The FTC Funeral Rule The FTC enforces the Funeral Rule, which makes it possible for you to choose only the goods and services you want or need and pay only for those you select, whether you are making arrangements when a death occurs or pre-need. The Rule allows you to compare prices among funeral homes. The Rule does...
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