HW 59 - SOF Prom 2011 & DSPs

Not going to prom this year didn't bother me at all. Not participating is normal in my opinion, because most 11th graders don't attend a senior(12th grade) prom. There are times when 12th graders don't go to their own grades prom, so why should I feel bad, or left out if I don't go when I am just in the 11th grade. Even if you don't go when your a senior, maybe you just celebrate the end of high school differently, or maybe your not the type of person to be with your classmates one final time.

Future plans... I do expect to attend my senior prom, and I do expect to enjoy it. I am already looking forward to it based on all the people I talked to, and all the articles I read. Prom seems like a good opportunity for a great finale. High school seems to be going very well for me so far, and I know that when I do attend my senior prom, it will be a great experience for me.

After prom has a different meaning to everyone, when it comes to my after prom, I really can't say. Anything could happen, but I expect "good" things to happen.  

  

HW 58 - Prom Interviews

My age, never went to prom:

The first person that I interviewed, was one of my best friends from SOF. We are in the same grade and the same school, so I asked him if he was going to the prom next year, and what he thinks he might expect.

Response: "I would expect to dance at the prom, socialize with my classmates, and have a good time."

I then asked him why he would want to go.

Response: "I want to go, because I have an opportunity to go."

My last question was: Name a DSP of prom

Response: "Dancing. If anything, dancing is the main way of celebration, and celebration is what prom is all about."

Older, went to prom:


The next person I interviewed, was my guidance counselor.

I first asked him what he experience from the prom/ proms he went to.

His response:
"I never went to my high school prom, but i've been to every SOF prom since 2002. It's really cool how all the students are happy and enjoying themselves. It's like the last celebration that they will have together. I also like how all the students are dressed up. The women are all in dresses, and some guys went from baggy jeans, to a tuxedo, and a nice hair cut." A dominant social practice that he identified, was how all the students could change  there whole appearance for just one night."

Parent on prom:


I finally interviewed my father about the dominant social practices for prom, and his insights for it,

Response: "Prom is a time where you celebrate and dance with the person you have feelings for, and celebrating with the people you care about. The end of high school, and saying goodbye to all you friends teachers, and classmates."

Analysis:
In my opinion, I feel like everyone said the same thing. Prom is always going to be thought of as a celebration,  a farewell, and an accomplishment. You have to look and feel at your best, so that you can have the best time. Celebrating prom is like the end of a book, or something that turns boys into men, and girls into women. In my opinion prom is a moment in someone's life that will never be forgotten.

HW 57 - Initial Thoughts on Prom

Prom. To me prom seems like a time where teenage boys and girls celebrate their last times of high school, and reflect on everything that has happened to them throughout there time in high school. I feel like it is more than just a school dance, or a block party, or an end of the year overnight trip. It is like a ritual. Everyone is supposed to go to prom. Date or no date, limo or no limo, sex or no sex. Prom is like a wedding or a bar mitzvah, It makes you feel like your on top of the world if everything goes as planned, and afterwards you feel like your not a boy or girl anymore.

Going to prom is a social norm in my opinion, because you hear about it from your friends, family members, older siblings, books, shows, and movies. Everyone goes, and going there is like a second graduation. There are also certain rules that need to be followed, like dress codes, and the boy has to ask the girl etc. These rules are very strict, and even one person could possibly change the way prom is thought of. The rules of prom are always the same, and are always going to be the same; and in m opinion, I think that there will always be a prom night. Prom will always be a celebration in the U.S. and it's the kids that keep it alive every year.

Questions:
Why does the boy have to ask the girl?

What happens if you arrive not properly dressed?

Will prom ever stop?

What is the difference between a prom and a wedding?

What are the similarities?

Comments

Jasper, I liked how you and your group decided to go for a hands on experience. Even if you weren't ready for the wake, your group members still tried to get as much information as possible. What you learned from this experience should help you with other projects in the future.

Ariel, I liked how you gave your perspective on death. Usually people are sad when death is around them, but you think the opposite. I would be sad if someone died, but I don't need to agree with you, for you to be correct.

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Ruben, I feel like your blog post covers the question that I had over the entire unit but in a different way then what I thought the answer would be. You made your blog about the planning of a funeral and I feel like you got a lot of evidence that helped to show the cost portion of funerals. I think there is a lot of information that you have here that you could have used in your elevator speech which could have made it better because you start to talk about funerals at the beginning then you transition to cremation and I feel like there could have been more talked about this in your speech. I think one thing you can work on is format. 


Chris.

I agree with Chris that you can work on formating. I liked how you had strong evidence to support your points. You had good quotes but you could work on maybe having better transitions.

Travis.

i really enjoyed reading this "essay?" i don't if it's an essay or not. well either way i felt very informed. about the cost of funurals and stuff

Dmitry.

HW 55 - Culminating Project - Care of the Dead

  
    When someone important to you dies, it affects you, your family, and possibly your friends also. There are
different things that you have to take into consideration when planning their funeral: Burial or cremation. There
are also different ways to bury or cremate someone of a certain religion. If everything doesn't turn out perfect, it isn't really a big deal, but if you were the person being buried, you would want it to be as best as possible. Making plans for funerals are hard, because of the price and long procedure, how religion takes place in the event, and how to get rid of the body peacefully(burial or cremation).

    Funerals are a way of letting yourself know that there was someone in your life that is gone now, and that they will be remembered forever. Even before you can actually have the funeral, you have to plan it out first. what you need to know first, is how it is going to be set up, and how much everything will cost. Funerals are very expensive, and without pre-planning, you could be wasting a lot of money. "Each year, Americans grapple with these and many other questions as they spend billions of dollars arranging more than 2 million funerals for family members and friends. The increasing trend toward pre-need planning - when people make funeral arrangements in advance - suggests that many consumers want to compare prices and services so that ultimately, the funeral reflects a wise and well-informed purchasing decision, as well as a meaningful one."(Federal Trade Commission,2000)
Funerals are very expensive, and everyone wants to have the best funeral possible, when their loved one or friend dies. They feel like the the person deserves to be the center of attention, but without planning ahead, people will waste thousands of dollars for a celebration that could have cost less, and still made the person that you cared about appreciate it. "Funerals rank among the most expensive purchases many consumers will ever make. A traditional funeral, including a casket and vault, costs about $6,000, although "extras" like flowers, obituary notices, acknowledgment cards or limousines can add thousands of dollars to the bottom line. Many funerals run well over $10,000."(Federal Trade Commission,2000) Without planning, or a well thought out procedure to making sure that a funeral is at it's best and shows how much you care about the certain person, you would be spending thousands of dollars.




    The way that someone you love or care about is buried, is a really important thing. Making sure to plan out how they are going to be buried is just as important, or even more important than the price. Some people have special requests for how they want their body to rest, and others do it because of religion, and/ or tradition in their culture. It is different around the world. Different people want to "go away" differently, and there are different ways to send them away."The funeral and religious custom of burying the dead in the floor of dwelling-houses has been to some degree prevalent on the Gold Coast of Africa. The ceremony is purely animist, and apparently without any set ritual." People in that specific part of Africa bury their dead, in their own homes. Their isn't any           
specific speech you should give, but anything that the people there want to say is what they want to say. There are other areas of the world, and different religions people follow when caring for the dead. "Except where it is not allowed, Mormons prefer to bury their dead rather than cremate them.

Embalming is accepted and allowed and if the dead person has received their temple endowment they will be buried in temple clothes.

Funerals usually take place in an LDS chapel or mortuary under the direction of the bishop of the ward.

Family members usually give the family prayer and dedicate the grave, but are not expected to give a talk.

Because Mormons know that families will be reunited after death, the natural grief at funerals is tempered with certainty and hope of what is to come.

One writer has said that a Mormon funeral is not a final goodbye, but more like the farewell said to someone who is going away for a long time, but who we know we will eventually meet again."(Jacobs French School of Knowledge,2006) Mormons are allowed to give prayers to their deceased families and friends. The funerals for Mormons are all about reuniting. To them someday they will be able to see their families again. There are probably other cultures and religions that believe the same, but everyone has a different perspective of death, and how to be let to rest.


    Planning a funeral could be a different process to everyone who tries, but it is still important, to make the funeral celebration better. It saves you money, and gives you a better idea of how you friend or loved one wants to leave this earth. During class on May 16, 2011, I spoke to one of the guest speakers. I asked skip what the advantages were, to planning out a funeral before actually going through with it. He said: "when you plan out a funeral before having it, it allows you to get better deals, and save money, you also have an idea of how your friend or family member wants it to be. Do they want to be cremated, or buried, when, and where. Once they are dead, the decision gets harder, and you don't know what to do, and you get stuck. It is one of the most important decisions you have to make in life; if you ever get to make that decision. The longer you wait, the harder the decision is to make." He also gave me a book on how to plan for funerals. I forgot the name of the book, but on the first page, there was a quote that said: "Plans are nothing, planning is everything." Dwight D. Eisenhower. I agree with this quote, because this whole paper is about planning, and what planning ahead can do for you.  




Bibliography:


"A to Z of Manners and Etiquette." Jacobs French School of Knowledge 2006: n. pag. Web. 16 May 2011.


federal trade commission, Facts for consumers. "Funerals: A Consumer
Guide." June 2000: n. pag. Web. 16 May 2011.