46 pages • 1 hour read
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory
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Essay Topics
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains frank discussion of dead bodies, cremation, and death.
Caitlin Doughty’s approach to death is quite different from mainstream North American culture. In what ways does Doughty’s death philosophy contrast with mainstream norms? How is Doughty’s approach different from your own experiences with death?
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes describes several kinds of funeral practices, including cremation, embalming, natural burial, sky burial, and more. Choose two or more of these practices, and analyze them from a psychological, philosophical, spiritual, or environmental perspective. What are the benefits and drawbacks of each practice?
In this video, Doughty describes the importance of having a death plan in place, both as a practical matter and as a way to move toward death acceptance. Create your own death plan based on what you would like to have happen to your body after your death.
As Doughty makes clear, the details of the funeral industry are largely obscure to the general public, which leads to distrust of death workers. Why do people treat death workers with distrust and fear? How can the industry overcome these barriers?
Encounters with death can be deeply personal and can drastically change how people interact with the world. Has death ever had a big impact on your life, either positive or negative? Write a personal essay reflecting on your experiences.
Doughty touches upon classism within the death industry. In what ways does the death positivity movement address class issues when it comes to death? Are there any ways it perpetuates classism? Explain your reasoning.
In recent years, there have been some changes in North American death culture: Death doulas are becoming more common, as are green burial sites and other alternative funeral practices like water cremation. Describe the death industry where you live. What changes would Doughty recommend to improve the practices of your local death industry?
For some people, there are no specific rituals around death; for others, ritual is still very important. Are there any death rituals in your family or culture? How are they similar to or different from mainstream death culture in North America?
The death positivity movement remains controversial. Why might this be the case? What barriers does the death positivity movement need to overcome?
Compare and contrast Smoke Gets in Your Eyes with another book about death and funerals. Some options include The American Way of Death by Jessica Mitford, The Good Death: An Exploration of Dying in America by Ann Neuman, or From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty.
