Annotated Bibliography

Bibliography: Glidden, Thomas. "The American Funeral." Pastoral Psychology 14.5 (1963): 9-18. In this print, Glidden gives the origin of the American funeral. Along with the explanation of its birth place, Glidden also gives examples of many other customs. Giving examples of the early American traditions and the birthplace for the customs, he makes the information given seem interesting. This source will be great for citing because not only will it credit my opinion and outlook on this subject, but it will also explain why America has adopted such traditions. Using this information to back my opinion will also lead to an interesting introduction; which in turn will capture my reader. Glidden makes a point to say commencing a death is extremely common in most cultures. He implies that the only difference in each ceremony is their customs. The tradition to celebrate a “home going” will always exist and remain the same; however, the way each culture does it will not be. From this observation I could make a transition in to comparing and contrasting the traditional American culture to other cultures. Mathias, Elizabeth. "The Italian-American Funeral: Persistence through Change." Western Folklore 33.1 (1974): 35-50. This source is a book that describes the funeral traditions of the Italian- American Funeral. Mathias declares her main purpose of her paper in her introduction by informing the audience that she is going to explain the form of the Italian-American funeral from the village to the urban setting (Mathias 35). She also assures her audience that she will explain the changes in formalities due to culture difference in modern times and past times. Using this book I could make the first transition into my first supporting detail. This printed source could help with showing the cultural contrasts between the traditional American funeral and another culture. Giving the comparisons and contrast between America and another culture could help my audience understand not only the traditional American funeral, but give insight on other countries’ customs. Also, in this book Mathias explains what elements are needed for the traditional Italian funeral. With this information I could move towards my next supporting detail, being the key components of a traditional American funeral. Barrett, Ronald K., and Karen S. Heller. "Death and dying in the black experience." Journal of Palliative Medicine 5.5 (2002): 793-799. In this source Barrett gives his perspective on the African American funeral. He expresses that as a child he experienced black funerals, and only heard of the white funeral experience. Only hearing of the “white traditional funeral” made him curious. He wanted to know and understand the white customs. When he started researching both cultures’ customs he then felt it necessary to compare and contrast the two. Comparing the two races he noticed the many differences each culture possessed. Although both cultures exist in America they differed tremendously. His observation makes the traditional American funeral seem deeper than what it appears. When you think of the traditional American funeral, most likely one would think of the culture as one body with few influences; when in actuality there are many layers. This article made me rethink my approach to my topic. I can now compare the many cultures within the traditional American culture, along with comparing the American culture to other countries’ customs. Long, Thomas G. "The Christian Funeral in American Context." The Papers ofthe Henry Luce III Fellows in Theology. Ed. Jonathon Strom 2: 87-106. Long argues that overseeing funeral ceremonies has changed tremendously. A minister within this article discusses that although he’s been an ordained minister for over 30 years, the alterations in funerals have transformed immensely. I could use this source to say that although America has practiced the funeral ceremony for centuries, there have been some changes. Knowing where the idea of funerals originated, I can explain to my reader that because time has passed, tradition has evolved. Other cultures have further influenced the funeral tradition. Since I’ve already compared the American culture to other cultures, and have shown how other cultures (Italian-American traditional funeral) have changed, I can use this article to also show change in the American culture. This print will support my claim of tradition, differences and comparisons in different cultures, and the claim of evolution throughout American culture. Turner, R., and Charles Edgley. " Death as theater: A dramaturgical analysis of the American funeral." Life as theater: A dramaturgical sourcebook (1990): 180-206. This source is a book, and its author informs his audience on the importance of the funeral director. The author explains that the funeral is the theater, while the funeral director and his or her staff are considered to be the actors of the “play”. As traditional American citizens we see funerals as a sign of respect. Seeing the body before it’s buried is a way for our society to pay respects to the dead. This source could be useful because it gives an insight on how funeral directors operate the traditional American funeral. Since I’ve already explained where the traditional American funeral has derived from and went into depth about the cultural similarities, and differences I can now explain what it takes to operate these funerals. My paper will not only consist of the origin of the American funeral; but also the work that goes in to it. This book would be an amazing resource for my topic. Hume, Janice. Obituaries in American culture. Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2000. This article written my Hume gives the history and function of the obituary. It explains that the obituary is not necessarily for the dead; however, it’s for the comfort of the family and friends of the deceased. It explains the importance and function of the obituary while giving you an inside look of the effects the deceased has on the people that were once in their life. I could use this article to explain one of the key components in the traditional American funeral It’s one of America’s most common customs to hand out an obituary upon entering the door to a traditional funeral. It’s also very common to have a person’s obituary in the newspaper. If a person didn’t know this fact this could be strange to them. With the help of a credited source I could not only back up my claim, but I could give interesting facts on the “why” and “how” of the use of the obituary. Using this source I could back up my claim of traditionalism among Americans and the many practices that Americans perform. James A. Hijiya. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society , Vol. 127, No. 5 (Oct. 14, 1983), pp. 339-363. This print is about the American gravestones and attitudes toward death. Along with the description given, this print also gives a brief history of tombstones that are placed on graves. The article explains that it’s an American custom to bury the dead underground, and place a tombstone at the head of the grave. Using the information from this article I could support my claim of what’s needed in a traditional funeral. Maposa, Marshall. "A loud silence: The history of funeral dress among the Ndau of Zimbabwe." DRESSIDENTITY MATERIALITY: 148. Maposa gives insight on the attire of people who attend funerals. He enlightens the audience on the “unwritten dress code” (Maposa 148). This source could be incredibly useful when it comes to my explanation of how Americans functions in such ceremonies. Since I’ve already discussed cultural difference, given the foundation for the funeral, this article would be a great asset to my claim of how people act in the traditional American funeral. It could help clarify the unspoken part of America’s tradition. This would allow the reader to feel as if he is getting information that no one else has; kind of like the “inside scoop”. Although the newspapers or the obituary don’t include the way you should act or dress in a funeral setting, funeral etiquette is still known throughout the country. I was to explain how we people were to act the reader would not only know what the funeral would be like, but get a sense of what it would look like. In conclusion, with these sources I could explain the origin of the traditional American funeral. Along with this explanation I could compare and contrast other cultures to the American culture. After explain my viewpoint on the similarities and difference I can then transition into my next supporting detail that explains what it takes to operate a funeral and all its key components. I would sum the paper up with the actions of the people that attend the funeral, give a brief look into the American customs and reiterate my thesis, and my supporting details.