Death is fearless, beautiful and free. This is how society should think of death. However, the fear of death is a prominent part of society today. It has almost become mysterious to some. Society is for the most part afraid of death because it is an unknown. Most individual's retreat from what they presume is unfamiliar. MORE In "Shaw's Mother's Cremation, George Bernard Shaw explains it best: "People are afraid to see it; but it is wonderful" (Shaw 1). Nevertheless, MORE.
Death is something each article portrayed differently. In "On the Fear of Death" Elisabeth Kubler-Ross describes death and why society is apt to be afraid of it. Kubler-Ross explains: "When we look back in time and study old cultures and people, we are impressed that death has always been distasteful to man and will probably always be" (Kubler-Ross 161). Kubler-Ross also goes on to explain that death is associated with a "bad act" and that "[it is] something that in itself calls for retribution and punishment" (Kubler-Ross 161). She is inclined to believe that the elderly population, as it increases rapidly, is introducing us to the fundamental problems of their emotional problems and an advanced understanding of the diseases that are associated with old age.
In "Our Allotted Lifetimes" Stephen Jay Gould goes about explaining life and death in a more factual description. Gould describes how long mammals of different sizes should live to how this is illustrated through mathematically calculations. Gould states that "[Homo sapiens] live far longer than a mammal of our body size should" (Gould 168). Gould is trying to point out that humans are a unique animal and we should embrace death with open arms, as we technically are not supposed to survive as long as we do as it is.
In Jessica Mitford's article "Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain" death is portrayed in a different kind of factual description. Mitford begins by right off the bat with the corpse preparation at the mortuary telling the story from the funeral director's point of view.
