Dying In American Culture Essay

Americans view death and dying in a different way than other cultures. Americans fear death, so they avoid it in any way they can. Rather than thinking death is a natural and another chance in the afterlife, Americans fear the end of a life. What happens after life is unknown; therefore, it must not be explored. Because the fear of the unknown, words such as “death” or “dying” are replaced with other phrases. The phrases Americans use to replace one of the most feared word distance us from reality. In addition, people spend thousands of dollars to make themselves feel and appear younger. Looking younger makes people feel further away from death, but are ending up avoiding the inevitable. As medicine progresses more and more, doctors think that a

In the Victorian era, death was welcomed. It was common and it was quick. Writers would use death as a subject in their books; death was well explored and was written creatively. Family members would often die in front of his or her family. Consequently, Victorians became fixated on death. They had strict rituals and mourning periods, and had many superstitions. Death was a main part of Victorian culture. Then, with the new advancements in medicine, death started to be seen as a problem in America. Americans’ need to fix every problem is dominating their lives; it is a failure in our lives. Another factor of how American deal with death is their presence in the actual death of a family member or close friend. In the Victorian Era, when someone died the whole family was there. Everyone was involved in the funeral and burial planning. In our current era, grandparents are sent to homes, and most people are not there at the time of death. The funerals are usually only planned by a minority of the family. Some family members may live thousands of miles away, and might not make it to their loved one’s funeral. Death is no longer an intimate process, no one wants to witness