The author, Bess Lovejoy, basically summarizes how people have been treating death since the beginning of time. She says that in the Middle Ages, cemeteries were actually town squares and that people often slept with corpses because there was no other room for them. She also writes about how we used to always die at home, in a natural setting, although for a while that changed. The hospice movement, however, has caused people to once again pass away in their homes.
I don't really enjoy talking, or thinking really, about dead people, and I chose this article not because of that but because the author is criticizing the fact that Halloween has drifted from its Pagan and spiritualistic roots. Although I agree this is true, I don't think it is a bad thing. I really like Halloween, and I think its a great holiday where people can have fun dressing up and eating free candy. And of course, scaring people. Sure, this is not what Halloween was once about. But then again, we no longer sleep with corpses. Just because something was one way a long time ago does not mean it has to stay the same now.
If not intellectual or agreeable, this article was still an interesting read, and now I know a little more about dead people! Hope everyone has a happy Halloween!
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