The Struggle To Understand Death

Abstract: 6 pages in length. The Irish rejoice. Americans agonizes. The Victorians adorned their bodies. The Native Americans embrace symbolism. Modern Chinese cremates. The common denominator between and among all these cultures is the manner by which they ritualize death, an enigma of human existence that has puzzled, frustrated and angered man since the dawn of time. Why must people leave this mortal life? What waits beyond the eternal sleep? Is there really life after death? Clearly, humanity has yet to uncover the seemingly unrealizable truth about death and why the human body must cease to exist. In trying to cope with the inevitable, cultures developed different ways to pay homage to the deceased, while at the same time allow mourners to process their own grief. These rituals, which can be quite diverse from one culture to another, represent the passage of body and soul into another realm. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

---

Catagory: Race, Politics & Society

Subcatagory: Sociology, Social Work, & Counseling

---