Essay #2

In today's society, our way of remembering the people we have lost is quite different from the ways of the early 1900's, namely the 1920's, after World War I. In the 1920's, they would set up mass grave sites for the dead to have a national cohesion for those lost. Many families were upset by this idea, because they felt as if they should have the right to decide what happens to their family members who had passed, and that the government should not be allowed to decide where the fallen soldiers were buried. Because of the amount of technology we have today, and the advanced nature of it, there are ways in which me memorialize our dead using websites such as "www.mydeathspace.com." These types of websites are under heavy scrutinization by many, because some people feel that these sites can be derogatory towards those who have passed away.

After World War I, the dead were memorialized through the use of mass graves. Every soldier who died was remembered through these grave sites. The intent was to keep their spirit alive through these graves by burying them all together, so that people knew what these soldiers did for their country. There was a dilemma, however, because of the families that felt as if it was their right to bury and memorialize these soldiers the way that they pleased, and not the way the government wanted.

Today, we memorialize our dead in many different ways. One of the most widely used ways is through the use of technology. "www.mydeathspace.com" is a popular site among teens especially, who are looking for a way to express their grievances and feelings about the deaths of these people. This can be a definite great way for people to post their condolences about others. However, there can be people who make comments that could be considered downright disrespectful. A quote that stood out to me in the article "Mydeathspace and Cinema" was this; "The first comment left on the thread for Sid Skibinski-Gonzalez, who was 'found dead the morning after chugging an entire bottle of Bacardi 151,' simply stated, 'RIP dumbass.'" This is definately a disrespectful comment that was made towards the person that had died. There are better ways of expressing our respects or dissapointments than simply leaving a rude comment, especially when you weren't even acquainted with the person.

In conclusion, the ways we memorialize our deaths today differs greatly from the 1920's era. We now use technology to spread the word of people who have passed away. Anybody is able to pay their respects or express their feelings towards these people. In the 1920's many families did not get to do this as we would today. The deaths of their loved ones after the war were remembered by the use of large grave sites, through which anybody could memorialize the fallen soldiers, but it was much more impersonal than it is today.