Ok, I updated the wiki with the last version of the proposal.  Also I thought I would post some of the information from yesterday so that Cathy can know whats going on.

The final project will consisit of 5-6 pages written by each person in the group along with (still a bit unclear about this part) 3 pages for the intro and conclusion.  Not sure whether this means 3 pages together or 3 pages for each.

Some suggested topics were as follows:

Death Rituals and different traditions for different cultures/religions

Death in the secular age, do we still need to mourn and grieve?

A literary anthology of death literature

The lecture yesterday reinforced my interest in exploring the eulogy/eulogizing of the dead.  Is it a cathartic experience?  Do we do it because we want to have a positive memory of the dead to hold onto?  How much of it is for the deceased and how much of it is for the survivors.  What exactly do people mean when they state that "this is exactly what the deceased would have liked"

So just to post and explore our topic and different ideas, and for Betty's benefit, here's a little bit of what we discussed.  We are still on the topic of eulogizing but it is such a rich topic.  One potentially specific question I thought we might be able to use was 'who do we eulogize at death/funeral'.  Is the person we are eulogizing the "true" person or an idealized portrait?  Is it the eulogizer's idea of the person?  Do we ignore or augment certain aspects of the person?  If it is an old person or troubled person, do we ignore the bad, focus on the good?  If it is a young person, how do we focus on what little life was lived or instead do we mourn what could have been?

Any other thoughts?

So what we've decided on is Expected vs Unexpected Death, which is the better death for both the dying and the survivors.  I'll just post the quick sketched outline I've been mulling over.

I. In literature, what depiction of death is more prevalent and more sympathetic and engrossing.

II. East of Eden by John Steinbeck (expected death)

    A. Dying process of Samuel Hamilton

    B. Funeral and aftermath for survivors

    C.  meaning of his death, how it reflects his life

III.  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (sudden death)

    A. Death of Jay Gatsby

    B. Funeral and aftermath

    C. meaning of his death, his legacy

IV.  Which death is depicted as the better/more desirable/admirable.  (I'm leaning towards the expected)

V. Conclusion, tying in how prevalent death is in literature and culture, even from a young age (Bambi, Charlotte's Web, Where the Red Fern Grows, etc.).  Literature builds the expected death as the meaningful death, better for all.

Any thoughts you all have will be apprechiated.  I am still trying to find a better example of the sudden death.  The Great Gatsby works because he is murdered and there are a few pages describing his funeral.  I am going to flip through Little Women to see if that can fit better so I'll see how that goes.  See ya!