Eulogy Case Essay Example for Free

Eulogy Case Essay The obituary is a section that most newspapers have and despite being buried in the back of the newspaper, is a section of the paper that most people read, at least in passing. Older people read it to see if they can find anyone that they know. Younger people might read it to see how old somebody was when they died or if they are aware of history, to see what famous person might have died. There are also people who are fascinated by others and wish to read what one has accomplished in their life. It is amazing that an entire life can be summed up in a few paragraphs. What else is amazing is exactly who receives an obituary in the paper at all. The small town papers will memorialize anyone whose information they receive from a family member or other source. That person would pass unnoticed except for the kind remembrance of their family members still living. This is not the case in the larger newspapers. The Chicago Tribune, with a readership estimated at just fewer than three million, has limited space and therefore, can only print the obituaries of people who have distinguished themselves in a way that society deems worthy. For the week of February 18th to February 23rd, the obituaries were studied to see exactly who was receiving the posthumous honor of having their name in one of the largest newspapers in the country. The first eulogy is that of Jack Kipp. (1923-2007) (Kates, 2007) The man had humble beginnings in Chicago. His mental and physical deficiencies left him out of service for WWII but yet he found his way onto the Midwest Stock Exchange in Chicago, second only to the New York Stock Exchange in size and influence. Mr. Kipp was a man who straddled both financial classes. Since he worked for the Chicago Stock Exchange, he would accurately be considered among the upper class. This would continue as he helped form another financial firm in the 1970’s and made a good deal of money at this venture. But when he retired, he remembered the people who were not given a chance to reach the heights that he had attained and spend the last 16 years of his life tutoring individuals into earning their GEDs. His son said that he had a desire to help his fellow man and saw this as his chance to do so. So his social status helps him get into the Tribune? He lived a long life 84 years, all of them in Chicago. This is a helpful contributing factor and the fact that he formed his own investment firm was probably the factor which helped to secure his place in the Tribune. Only in the byline does it talk about his volunteer work. This would lead the reader to believe that if he were just a volunteer and did rise to the financial levels that he had, his obituary would not have been found in the Chicago Tribune but perhaps a local newspaper since the Chicago land area is able to support dozens of smaller though, significant newspapers. Another notable obituary is that of Dr. Joan Swift. (1919-2007) Dr. Swift was hired as the coordinator of the child development program at Wilson Junior College. In only three short years, she was promoted to the Dean of Directors in 1968 which is a position that she held until 1983. She grew up in New York but spent the last 55 years in Hyde Park, a suburb of Chicago. Here are two examples where an individual has lived a long life, most of it in and around Chicago and rose to a moderate level of success to which that success was met by a notable duration. The article did not specify her financial background and even though she did rise to a high level within the teaching profession. The headline and byline of the obituary makes the reader believe that simply a teacher would not have been given so many inches of column space unless the duration of his/her tenure was to the length that it was noteworthy. The third and last obituary is of Dr. Kenneth Rehage. (1910-2007) (Jensen, 2007) He was from the area as a professor at the University of Chicago in the 1960’s. This fact alone, on a slow news day would ensure his placement within the obituary section of The Chicago Tribune along with his long life. But what made his life even more noteworthy was the fact that he spent the last half of his life setting up secondary schools in Pakistan. Not only did he set up schools there but traveled there hundreds of times in order to help train the instructors there. Dr. Rehange spoke the language and left his home open to students from Pakistan to stay and consider his home and place away from home. He is remembered fondly by his former students even though he stopped teaching in the 1970’s. Dr. Rehange was not a man of great wealth and the headline of his obituary talks only about his development of schools in Pakistan. In this respect, his social class was a contributing factor but if he was just another rich man who had died, it does not seem probable that his life would have made the obituary section. He was a humanitarian to a degree that is not seen in a day to day basis and that is why he made the Tribune. The Chicago Tribune, reaching a population of millions, has a great deal of space restraint that they have to follow. There has to be a selection process in order to place the obituaries of people who have established their life as one whose death will serve as an impediment to some aspect of Chicago and its surrounding area. The kindly neighbor down the street will not be a likely selection to make the Tribune but would rather be a better fit in any of the local papers in the area. Each of the three obituaries that were described had a 1 inch by 2 inch picture along with roughly 300-400 words used to describe their life. It is impossible for the obituary section to follow this format for every person who dies in Chicago on a given day. So unfortunately, a father who is extremely important to his family as well as his co workers and wife of 50 years, will not be seen as â€Å"important enough† to make the Tribune. He has no great wealth, made no special discovery or contribution to science nor did he hit 500 home runs. But if his family wants him to be remembered in print, most towns will have the space available to detail their loved ones life in print in a way that would honor their humble, though important, achievements. LITERATURE CITED Kates, Joan. Longtime Securities Trader. Chicago Tribune February 19, 2007 Section 3 p. 9 Jensen, Trevor. Helped Develop Schools in Pakistan. Chicago Tribune February 21, 2007 Section 3 p. 11