Modern American Funeral Analysis

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The modern American Funeral is characterized by embalming. Embalming is an art that enquiries that dead bodies are prevented from decomposing and can also be viewed by the public; this is achieved through preservation of the dead bodies by the morticians. This is where the human remains are preserved by use of chemicals that prevent the dead bodies from decomposing; so as to achieve restoration, sanitization and presentation of the human corpse which are the main goals of embalming. This is an art that has been in practice in American culture and other cultures for a long time (LADERMAN, 2017).
Before the twentieth century bodies were being handled at home and at the moment the human remains in America are handled in the funeral homes. The
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This was because the cost of attending to the human remains at the funeral homes and that of organizing for the burial is seen to be on the higher side. The low-income families living in America are not able to afford; therefore causing a strain on the bereaved families. Even though the funeral directors stay with the bereaved families, it is purely a business transaction that is taking place (LADERMAN, 2017). The funeral homes and the specialists attending to the dead bodies are seen to be using deceitful means so as to take advantage of the bereaved families. Following these concerns; many scholars have put forward their concerns through writings of different books. For example, the American Way of Death which was written by Jessica Mitford; in her arguments in this book, the funeral directors use the grief the bereaved families are undergoing to make them pay for an unnecessary additional charges in the name of grief counselors which to her is unfair (SEVERO, 1996).
The religious organizations have also criticized the American Funeral. According to this group of critics, the preservation, sanitization and presentation of the human corpse are an act of practicing paganism in the name of showcasing the highest values of advanced civilization. To them, the funeral directors are propagating secular materialism by pleasantly dressing the corpses for public viewing (LADERMAN,