(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Cremation vs. Burial

            
            
             You've more than likely heard about cremation, the burning of the dead, and burial, the process of burying the dead under ground, as processes of after-life caretaking. But chances are you don't know the real facts about cremations and burials. But everyone, in my opinion, should know the facts and truths about cremations and burials.
             What is a burial anyway? A burial is the disposal of human remains by depositing in the earth, a grave, or a tomb. Religious and social attitudes determine how elaborate the burial should be; for example, "rank", or "classes", may determine whether the body is placed in the shallow trench of a simple burial or in an underground chamber of impressive findings like the earlier kings and leaders of ancient Rome and Egyptian times. Western burials in the 20th century have become fairly standardized. The dead are placed in cloth-lined coffins called caskets, and after ceremonies of eulogies and farewells the casket is lowered into a rectangular hole, usually dug 6 feet deep into the soil, which is then filled up with earth. Beginning in the 19th century, burials increasingly took place in cemeteries, which are special areas set aside as sites for graves. .
             A cremation is the practice of reducing a corpse to its essential elements by burning. Cremation now is very different compared to the past. Open fires are not used anymore; instead, the body is placed in a chamber where intense heat dissolves it in approximately two to five hours. Fragments of the bone are left and then ground into a fine dust like material. Then the ashes can be placed in an urn and can be scattered in a garden or some other preferred spot, placed in an urn and kept at home, or taken to a cemetery for burial in a small plot or placement in a columbarium. You must remember though that any body that is not burned will eventually rot overtime in the end. Cremation probably began during the early Stone Age - around 3000 BC - and swept the world by a new idea.


Essays Related to Cremation vs. Burial

1. Cremation

In the passage by George Bernard Shaw, George recalls his mother's cremation. George is obviously heartbroken by the incident but he displays an utmost positive and optimistic attitude towards the cremation. ... George's attitude throughout the cremation was one of optimism. ... In summary, George feels that the cremation is something that is positive. ... His mother's cremation is thus not an end, but only an extension to a new journey in her life. ...

  • Word Count: 302
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Death and Mourning

In Judaism, after the death occurs, there's the funeral, the burial, and the mourning period, and depending on personal belief, the afterlife or reincarnation. ... Burial of the body is a simple task, Jewish law states that the body must be whole, and buried in the earth, and for this reason, they forbid cremation, "For dust thou are and unto dust shalt thou return" . ... Shiva refers to the 7-day period of mourning following the burial, it is observed by the mother, father, wife, husband, son, daughter, brother, or sister. ... Most Hindu's are cremated, cremation is defined as comin...

  • Word Count: 992
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Beowulf Essay

The men cremate him and the bury him under a huge mound of dirt and treasure. ... They later discovered that the body had been cremated. ... When they have the funeral for Beowulf they construct a 4x4 mound of kindling and then put Beowulf inside it, surrounding him with helmets and other goods, thus cremating him. ... This is inaccurate according to history in Scandinavia, According to history, before the Viking Age 789-1100, when people died they would be cremated in their clothes, and cremated with any other good that they had with them. ... Could it be a burial for the rich? ...

  • Word Count: 2120
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Hopewell Ceremonial Enclosures: Construction, Function, and

In every great society there is a burial ritual, or a "death culture-. ... While all of these sites are attributed to the burial ritual, they differ in the number of burials and how the individuals are interred. ... The burials contained within the mound are both cremated and extended, unlike Mound City, where all of the burials are cremated. ... These pipes are also found in the burial context, and are thought to be prestige goods. ... For the most part, the Hopewell cremated their dead and sent them into the afterlife with burial goods. ...

  • Word Count: 1543
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Funeral Customs Around the World

They wash the body with warm water and then dress the body in white burial shrouds. ... After the burial, it is a custom for the family to sit Shiva. ... Caskets can be open or closed, the body buried or cremated. ... Cremation is the customary form of character, even though burial is not rare among assimilated families. ... Cremation have risen about fifteen percent because usually costs less than ground burial, there is a rising shortage of cemetery space, and modern cremation methods are clean, quick, and ...

  • Word Count: 2894
  • Approx Pages: 12
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Archeological Site - Sutton Hoo

The Sutton Hoo ship burial is a historical site found south-east Suffolk, Europe. ... It was then later used for simpler burials and even gibbets for execution to take place on site. ... In the early 5th-7th century in medieval England, the Anglo-Saxons carried out a range of burial practices. The two most frequent modes of burial were both cremation and inhumation. ... The landscape provided a vast amount of space for a range of ship burial, execution grounds and cremation sites. ...

  • Word Count: 1177
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Beowulf

Beowulf wishes for his body to be cremated and tells Wiglaf that he wants "a burial mound/ on the site of his pyre"(3096b-3097a). ... Although they were both great kings their burials were quite different. ... Beowulf was placed on a mound and cremated with his armor. ... Beowulf orders for himself to be cremated on a mound by the sea. The fire that cremates Beowulf is personified as a dancer dancing its way to heaven. ...

  • Word Count: 1146
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Home Burial and Death of a Hired Man - Robert Frost

In the poems "Home Burial"" and "Death of a Hired Man"," Robert Frost wrote of family, friends, betrayal and death. ... In brief, Mary and Warren have better communication in their relationship then the husband and wife in "Home Burial." ... In "Home Burial," the husband and wife's recently deceased child is the subject of the story. ... In "Home Burial," the overall theme of the story centers on the importance of communication in a relationship. ... The husband and wife in "Home Burial" have trouble communicating their feelings; therefore, their marriage could possibly be ending. ...

  • Word Count: 604
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question