The Significance Of Gazette Obits In American Culture

Few of us realize that, when examined historically, they can reveal not only information about the departed but also much about american culture and about who and what we value. They also offer hints about the way americans view death. In her major study obituaries in american culture janice hume (2000) analyses the corpus of more than 8,000 newspaper obituaries and death notices spanning the period from the early 1800s to early 1900s with the aim of seeing what they reveal about america over time and how americans understand their lives through the way they record their.

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Hume analyzes obituary content regarding four framing categories: Name and occupation, cause of death, character traits, and description of the funeral. She draws the distinction between content designed to chronicle (convey information) and commemorate (reinforce values). It shows how, in memorializing individual citizens, obituaries make a public expression of our values.

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Far from being staid or morbid, these death notices offer a lively look at a changing america. Indeed, obits are little windows through which to view america's cultural history. Janice humes obituaries in american culture has much to say about how americans understand their lives by how they record their deaths. Obituaries are part of a whole societys experience; The media (in this case, newspapers) reflect the society back to itself;

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