Tuesday Kelsch

Cemetery Field Trip

Life and death has always been critically thought of and analyzed throughout the deration
of human life. Seeing how a society treats and tends to their deceased is very important when
looking to uncover the way that particular society views death. It has always been clear as to
how a society feels about a death in their community due to the actions they take to care for
them. There are numerous amounts of societies who care for their dead in extremely different
ways. Some will cheer and celebrate the death, while others will cry and mourn. Visiting the
____________________ cemetery one can see that the tone or mood hovering around this
cemetery is both calm and quiet. The way society views death around this particular cemetery
can be seen by the atmosphere, the location of the cemetery, and the way the grounds are kept.
Visiting the ______________ cemetery was like visiting an abandoned, forgotten home.
There was nobody there, with the exception of my sister, myself, two girls visiting a lost family
member, and one man maintaining the grounds. As I wondered the grounds with my sister I
couldnt help but feel sad for all the deceased without family members visiting at that time. Yet,
it was clear that they were not forgotten. One grave with the name Jeremy D. Gaitin had a
customized headstone that had what seemed like a family memory on it. We love you, Worm
was written across the bottom of his headstone. This gave me a comforting feeling to know that
they still miss and love him. There was not much talk to be had between me and my sister as we
walked through the cemetery. Not because we didnt want to, but it felt as if there was an
unspoken law to be quiet and respect those around you who have passed on. The atmosphere of
the cemetery was very calming. It felt as if there was an underlying respect for all those who
have moved on in their lives. The thought of breaking that silence and disrupting the peace gave

me the feeling of being unkind to all those who lay below. It gave me the sense that if I were to
create a commotion or an unimportant disturbance I would be disrespecting the deceased.
The location of this cemetery was very ideal in my opinion. You entered this cemetery
through a main, busy rode but as you continued on down the same path it became more and more
isolated. I believe this location was perfect. It gave the sense of privacy so that family members
could come and visit without the interference of the outside world. The rode through the
cemetery wound around in smooth curves and circles it was never ending it continuously flowed.
I believe this was done intentionally as to give the feeling of serenity. If there were to be stop
signs in the middle of the cemetery for example it would take away from the divine heart a
cemetery can bring forth. In my opinion it would bring you back to worldly matters whereas
death is not a worldly matter, it is something that shouldnt be corrupted by earthly effects. The
location of the cemetery may be seen as a very important way that society views death. If the
society were to put a cemetery in the middle of a busy street it would seem as if they did not care
for the peace of their deceased. Placing the ____________ cemetery in an isolated area shows
that the society around it cares for the serenity, peace, and respect of their dead.
The grounds of this cemetery were kept very nicely. In fact, as I visited the graves around
the entrance of the cemetery my sister and I saw a man mowing the lawn. There was constantly
someone working on the area around us. I could feel that the grass had begun to grow longer and
it needed to be cut, so it was very perfect to see a man mowing at that time. The lawn was being
continuously watered, and the grass was the most beautiful, vibrant, and lively green. They had
grown trees in the cemetery as well. This allowed for shade for the visitors and for beautiful
scenery for others. I think the society around this cemetery really cared for its deceased they
looked as if they were trying to make this cemetery grounds the most beautiful that it could

possibly be. Many of the graves were filled with flowers and trinkets for their loved ones that
helped to make the grounds an even more delightful place to be. There were two head stones one
by the name Winston Paul Nich and the other Ann Dahle Nich. These two head stones had some
of the most beautiful elaborate flowers throughout the whole cemetery. The flowers brought to
the grave sides as well as how the grounds are kept are definitely ways of being able to tell how a
society views death. In my opinion they would not put so much effort into keeping their grounds
beautiful if they did not care for those who had died and are buried there.
Visiting a cemetery is a very easy and effective way as to tell how society views death.
Now, not all societies are going to view death the exact same. As I visited ______________
cemetery I realized how the people involved in this cemetery and the people around it view
death. They view it with respect and love. The put so much care into all the little details that are
put into creating a cemetery. They stay quiet and respectable while in and around the cemetery.
They find a perfect place to craft the cemetery that allows for seclusion and privacy without
being to desolate or abandoned. They also know how to maintain the land and attempt to make it
the most beautiful and desirable place for someone to want to visit loved ones, or even be buried
in their future. Society has and always will view death in very different ways, but no matter the
case there is always the feeling of respect left for the lost loved ones.