HW 47\

Interview 1

For my first interview I talked to a close friend of mine. He is also in highschool and is 17 years old. When asked how he thought about how the dead were cared for, he like many other people did not have much to say about it. He said "that is one of those traditions you don't really question much." It was obvious he hadnt thought much about it. So when asked how he would want to be cared for after he died he didnt have much of a response. He thought for a while and then finally answered he would definitely not want to be buried. He then half jokingly started listing different alternatives. I asked other questions about his experience andhis ideas on burials, funerals, and other traditions and he thought that although the traditions dont make much sense he has never really thought about it.

Interview 2

For this one I interviewed an old friend I hadn't seen in a while also a senior. I asked him why he thought people were cared for the way they are after death. He responded by saying it was simply tradition. He then talked about religon. In his family they are very religious and therefore all the ceremonies are extremely important because of their religous ties and meanings. He then basically said he imagines his own post-death care being very similar.

Interview 3

For this interview I interviewed a friend who is a few years older then I am. I started by asking her some questions about the common traditions of the care of the dead and what she thought about them. She said she personally did not like the idea of funerals and a big burial, etc. She then said that it was simply traditions passed along. this was very similar to the other two interviews. She then said that she had no real preference as too what happened to her body after she died. She then mentioned maybe giving her body for science.

Basically what I found was that most people simply accept tradition as tradition, and many times the basis of the tradition is religion or family and therefore it is harder to break out of that tradition. What I would like to know is where the tradition for the common practices for the care of the dead were derived. Also, what are some other alternatives?