Personal Narrative: Tomb Sweeping

I buried Little Ann by the side of Old Dan. I knew that was where she wanted to be. I also buried part of my life along with my dog… Then, with painstaking care, I carved their names deep in its red surface. As I stood looking at the two

Rain began to lightly drizzle onto my shoulders as I passed the endless headstones. It seemed like the cement markers continued for miles, and for miles they did indeed. With my fellow freshman, I ascended the hill of Arlington National Cemetery; the expanse of graves produced a feeling of sorrow within me almost impossible to illustrate. Tears began to well within me, and I had to choke them back. It was not yet time to cry.

Since the person and the deeds would need to be remembered in order to continue on in the underworld, plaques or carved stones were placed at the burial sites to remind the living of the deeds of the dead (Mark). This also continued in the form of regular visits to the burial site long after death to show further remembrance. Again, there was considerable effort needed to be put forth by the living. The rituals performed over the body took time and funds to complete.

Every day, every hour, a person passes away. What would they say? What would they say if they knew what would happen to their corpses’ after their passing? What would they say if they knew the cost of their funeral? In Jessica Mitford’s “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain” the practices of the funeral agency are examined in detail.

A well maintained country church had established a peaceful cemetery near the a bend in the river. The cemetery contained the graves of adventurous settlers. They had died from typhoid fever in the 1840 's.    The wild flowers on the well manicured graves were a haven for butterflies and bees. The opportunity for a nice outing and a well deserved break from the classroom was appealing.

One last memorial that I saw in the “Cremation Garden”, that stood out to me was a man named “Emil Kranzler” who’s plaque said “I’m Off to See the Wizard”. I researched Emil Kranzler and found that he played the role of a munchkin in the original Wizard of Oz movie (Find a Grave). Just by observing the grave markers and memorials located within this cemetery, I learned so much about so many of the people who are buried there. While I learned a lot about the people buried there, I also learned a bit about the living people who visit the cemetery. Almost all of the graves appeared as though they had been visited fairly recently, with some

2. Quotation: “When people die they are sometimes put into a coffin, which means that they don’t mix with the earth for a very long time until the wood of the coffin rots.” “But mother was cremated. This means she was put into a coffin and burned and ground up and turned into ash and smoke.” (pg.33) Response: This gives a bit of knowledge to the reader about what happens to people after death and what

Special clothes are still in white with less complicated materials than it was. Modern cars are used to transfer the coffin to burial places rather than hearses. (See appendix 3,4). “The sense of the dead is that of the final,” says a Vietnamese proverb, meaning that funeral ceremonies must be solemnly organized. (Vietnam Tourism news).

In countless people's lives, the loss and grieving of a loved one, will most probably be experienced. In Steven Herrick's novel ‘by the river’ many of the characters from this novel too face the loss of loved ones as well due to death or physically leaving the town of which the novel is set in. These characters deal with the losses in a myriad of ways, however the most prominent of them would be the rituals that are undertaken to respect the person that they lost. They also try to escape the town physically and mentally, and feel the presence of their loved ones.

It is now cold and her clothing is old and tattered. He then takes her to her home, “ A Swelling of the Ground” (752). This describes her grave. It has been centuries since her death, it seems to her like it has only been a day although she still sees the horses that took her to eternity. She does not realize how long she has been gone.

Judson Dukes Period 9/11/17 Dia de los Muertos Dia de los muertos (Day of the dead) is a three day event in Mexico where the living can remember and honor their deceased love ones. This holiday is not gloomy nor a morbid occasion, but it is a bright, colorful, and happy holiday. The holiday is held annually on October 31st through November 2nd, a lot like Halloween in The United States. During this holiday the Mexicans visit cemeteries, make ofrendas, make special food, attend in the Catrina parade, and make calcases. Often times Mexicans visit cemeteries and decorate their loved ones graves, and spend time in the cemetery for their deceased family and friends.

When it was time to bury Teofolio, members of this Pueblo community including old men with candles and medicine bags, went to the funeral as a sign of respect to the dead and to say their goodbyes.

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY As the birds are singing their sweet melody, the terrain of Arlington National Cemetery is filled with sadness. Although the brilliant rays of the sun are shining through the thick treetops, there is a chill in the air. While watching the mourners, the feeling of their sorrow is all too real. Thousands of headstones in the far distance create a magnificent maze against the horizon.

A Ghostly Spark Introduction (reveal): Native American culture has always been an interest of mine. Since my beginning with the Boy Scouts of America on my path to Eagle Scout, I have come closer to the dense but often forgotten history of the First Nation people of America. Upon joining the Order of the Arrow, the BSA’s honor society centered around Native American virtues and beliefs, I have continued to take it upon myself to learn more about the long forgotten Native history. While I knew about the general struggles the Native Americans faced as “white man” invaded the unharnessed Western frontier, I had not learned about the specific catalyzing incidents that caused such conflict and suffered between these two cultures. While searching through topics like native music and combat, I knew I needed an event that sparked the rift between these two types of people, growing U.S. government and early

Sandburg portrays the peace and restfulness in death through different words, such as “shoveled into the tombs”, “cash and collateral turned ashes”, and “streetful of people” (1, 2, 4). “Shoveled into the tombs” shows the importance of nothingness in which the body is just being “recycled to dust without sentiment and ceremony” (Napierkowski, “Themes” 46). This concept of nothingness stresses the silence of death in that peace is obtained. The “cash and collateral turned ashes” stresses the idea that earthly materials are not taken to the grave with you. In other words the “streetful of people” and the hero are no different because “all people…are finally united at the grave”, so “death remains unimpressed by wealth, power or even virtue” (Napierkowski and Evans, 48, 8).