Death of the Death

My favorite trip during the second portion of the semester was by far the visit to Brompton Cemetery. I never imagined that would be something coming out of my mouth, but after arriving I was mesmerized by the amount of history packed into one lot within London. Traditionally I view a cemetery to be creepy and uninviting, but Brompton was the exact opposite. In fact, one thing I found to be especially surprising was the idea they actually incorporated a café within the cemetery creating a sense of warm welcoming. The reason I was so intrigued with the cemetery mainly was tied in with the Deborah Lutz article which coined the phrase “Death of the Death”. Sitting down and diving deep into thought brought up a lot of questions personally. Death of the Death refers to the idea the traditional traditions carried out during someones time of death during the Victorian era have completely faded. I wonder if we as a society are missing out on these traditions and the true feeling of death. The most striking material Lutz brought to my attention is the fact when someone is on their deathbed they realize it is the last time they will ever have to share final memories, secrets, and thoughts with those close to them who are surrounding their bed. It made me wonder the things people have taken to death with them and never shared with loved ones because of the fact our traditions have changed so much. Another area of change we saw from the Victorian age that is no longer relevant are relics. A relic is an item kept from someone who has passed away in their memory. For example, a common sign of friendship from the Victorian Age was clipping a strand of hair and weaving it into a bracelet. I feel less strongly about this tradition, but it was still interesting learning about it. Connecting back to the cemetery, I was able to understand death at the time on a much larger scale. I felt more invested in the stories behind several of the more popular tombstones of individuals within the cemetery. Specifically speaking, the two which I were drawn to the most were the ex air force pilot who was responsible for taking down the first Blimp during the war, and the founder of Chelsea Football club. During our class discussion I liked how someone pointed out the stadium was only a couple hundred yard away from the cemetery, and fans routinely walk through the cemetery pay their respects to this man. Death is a tough subject to discuss, and honestly one I always thought I would have no interest in. I am thankful for the trip to Brompton Cemetery for opening up my mind to the different traditions associated with death both during the Victorian Era, as well as now.