death notices and information

Lesson plan: 1. Writing obituary – theory 2. Reading and obituary analysis 3. Discussion (Nationalism, Far right groups and their political agenda) Obituary Many people start their day reading the obituaries published in the paper. Benjamin Franklin once wrote of obituarites, "I wake up every morning at nine and grab for the morning paper. Then I look at the obituary page. If my name is not on it, I get up." Whether the information sent to the paper comes from the funeral home or crematorium or from an obituary writtten by the family, ultimately it is up to the family to get the correct information in the newspaper. What do I need to know about writing an Obituary? Most people do not know anything about obituaries before they have to write one. Several things to consider before placing an obituary or death notice include: 1. Many newspapers have limited space for publishing obituaries. Therefore, not every obituary submitted to the paper is published. 2. Newspapers often select those obituaries that have the greatest public interest to their readership to publish in the papers. 3. Some newspapers publish a short obituaries or death notices for free. 4. Many newspapers require a significant fee to publish an obituary or death notice. The fee is often determined by the size of the obituary, either by the number of words or the number of inches the obituary will take up in the paper. What Information Does the Newspaper Need?         Name, age, occupation and city of deceased. Time and place of death. Some include cause of death. Birthdate and birthplace. Survivors. Survivors listed depend on the age of the person who had died. Survivors listed in an obituary usually include spouse, children, grandchildren, siblings, parents and other close relatives. Memberships in local or national organizations Military service. Funeral, Memorial and Burial arrangements. Many longer obituaries or paid death notices may also include:  Education.       Occupation and work or employment history. Achievements, publications and/or awards. Offices held in government, professional or community organizations. Memberships in fraternal, religious, community or civic organizations. Hobbies or activities. Anecdotes and recollections of friends and relatives. One private obituary that ran in the New York Times in August 2008 for Monique Yazigi was reported to have a price tag of $5,000 to publish. More featurized obituaries A well-written obit conveys a colorful portrait of its subject. Over time, biographical obituaries form a collective history of an area telling how people lived, laughed, cried and died. When open-ended queries fail during interviews, specific questions often lead to a chain of stories or memories. And confining those memories to warm fuzzies is a mistake. One obituary writer, Robin Hinch, said. Go ahead and ask about drinking, smoking, swearing or other bad habits. Families often appreciate realistic portrayals. Hinch suggested the following questions to get a sluggish interview rolling:         Did they have a nickname? How did they get it? Give me a physical description of them. Heavy? Skinny? Tall? Bony? Did they like clothes? How did they dress? Where did they buy clothes? What kind of jewelry did they wear? Makeup? Did they own or rent their home? How was it decorated? Did they have a garden? Bird feeders? Did they cook? What did they like to cook? To eat? Where did they eat out? Did they travel? Where? What did they like to do on a typical weekend? Were they good with money? Did they have credit cards? How many? Give me a mental image of how you will remember the person. For example: ''Sitting in the den in his battered green recliner watching ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' with a Stroh's in one hand and his white Persian cat Fifi in his lap.'' Any of these questions, or ones like them, can be the trigger that opens a flood of memories that will serve you and your readers well. New Words and Phrases die funeral remember pass away visitation miss B. Conversation Sam: Your uncle just died? I´m sorry. Tell me about it. Ken: Yes. He passed away yesterday. We got the phone call last night. He was a good friend. I will miss him. Sam: Will you go to the funeral? Ken: Yes. We will drive there tomorrow. The visitation will be in the evening. The funeral will be at 2:00 p.m. the next day. I´m sorry I´m crying. Sam: That´s O.K. This is a time to cry and remember. C. Other Useful Words grief sadness sorrow loss funeral home mausoleum coffin, casket viewing burial wake memorial service cemetery mortuary grave tombstone headstone cremation urn Jörg Haider, Austrian Rightist, Is Dead at 58 By NICHOLAS KULISH and EUGEN FREUND Published: October 11, 2008 BERLIN — Jörg Haider, the controversial and charismatic far-right politician who transformed Austria’s politics in recent decades, died of injuries sustained in a car accident early Saturday. He was 58. Mr. Haider’s sudden death touched off an outpouring of shock and mourning in Austria, and it occurred at a crucial political moment for the country: between the parliamentary election in Austria two weeks ago, in which right-wing parties made tremendous gains, and the formation of the new government. Mr. Haider, the governor of the province of Carinthia and the leader of the right-wing Alliance for Austria’s Future, was a populist politician known for his strong anti-immigrant and anti-European Union stances. He was most notorious for a series of outrageous statements, including praising the Waffen-SS and the employment policies of the Nazi government. Yet in Austria, his legacy may be the way that he helped put an end to the dominance of the two biggest political parties, the left-leaning Social Democratic Party and the conservative People’s Party. “The spectrum in Austria is totally different today from what it was yesterday,” said Thomas Hofer, an independent political consultant in Vienna. “This is the end of an era. He was more controversial than any other, but also one of the most politically talented individuals in the country’s history.” Austria’s two mainstream parties suffered significant losses in September’s election. The Social Democratic Party and the People’s Party had been governing together in an uneasy coalition. Nearly a third of voters voiced their discontent by turning to Mr. Haider’s former party, the Freedom Party, and his new one, the Alliance for Austria’s Future, which placed fourth, nearly tripling its share of the vote to 11 percent from the last vote two years ago. The result was a political comeback to the national stage for Mr. Haider, after leaving the Freedom Party, which he led and raised to prominence in the decades before. But his death also left the Alliance leaderless at a crucial moment. “For us, this is the end of the world,” said Stefan Petzner, the party’s secretary general. Austrian news media were filled with photographs of Mr. Haider’s black sedan, crushed after flipping over several times. Mr. Haider was wearing his seat belt at the time of the accident, the police said, but his injuries were so grave that he had died by the time he reached the hospital. Mr. Haider’s death has led to an outpouring of emotion hardly ever seen in Austria, compared by some observers to the swell of mourning in Britain after Princess Diana’s death in 1997. Mr. Petzner, 27, openly wept on Austrian television recalling how he had said goodbye on Friday night to his boss. Gerhard Dörfler, Mr. Haider’s deputy and now the acting governor of Carinthia, said, “The sun has fallen from the sky.” Condolences rushed in from across the political spectrum. President Heinz Fischer, a Social Democrat, called Mr. Haider a “politician of great talent,” and said he was “deeply affected” by the news. Even those opposed to Mr. Haider mourned his death on Saturday. “I did not particularly like him,” said Almut Rieken, 67, in the village of Lanzendorf in Carinthia, “but I still feel touched by it.” The political fallout of Mr. Haider’s death was far from clear. Some analysts said they believed that it would hasten the reconciliation between the major parties, others saw an opening for a right-wing coalition government. “This will unify the right-wing camp,” said Emmerich Tálos, professor of political science at the University of Vienna. Mr. Tálos said that Mr. Haider’s legacy would be the way that he brought the right wing back into the mainstream of Austrian politics, from a position of weakness in the 1970s and early 1980s. “He made the right in Austria a truly relevant political factor in the party system,” he said. Jörg Haider was born in Upper Austria, the son of a shoemaker, to parents who were both active Nazis. He went on to study law before becoming active in the Freedom Party. As leader of the Freedom Party, his greatest success came in 1999 when the party captured 27 percent of the vote. After the conservatives formed a coalition with the Freedom Party in 2000, it provoked international outrage and sanctions by other European countries. He is survived by his wife, Claudia, and two daughters. According to news reports, he was planning to celebrate his mother’s 90th birthday over the weekend. Nicholas Kulish reported from Berlin, and Eugen Freund from Lanzendorf, Austria. Work sheet Obituary Questionnaire 1. Who died? __________________________________________________________________ 2. How old was this person? __________ 3. What was the cause of death? __________________________________________________ 4. Where did this person live? ____________________________________________________ 5. Was she/he married? _________________ 6. (If married) How many children did s/he have?________________ 7. What were the children’s names? _______________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ _________ 8. Did this person work?________________ If so, where? _____________________________ 9. Where will the funeral be? _____________________________________________________ 10. Where will this person be buried? _______________________________________________ Obituary Questionnaire 1. Who died? __________________________________________________________________ 2. How old was this person? __________ 3. What was the cause of death? __________________________________________________ 4. Where did this person live? ____________________________________________________ 5. Was she/he married? _________________ 6. (If married) How many children did s/he have?________________ 7. What were the children’s names? _______________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ _________ 8. Did this person work?________________ If so, where? _____________________________ 9. Where will the funeral be? _____________________________________________________ 10. Where will this person be buried? _______________________________________________ Handout #3 / Lesson 11