1 / 7

Analyzing Gravestone Motifs: American’s Changing Attitude Towards Death

Analyzing Gravestone Motifs: American’s Changing Attitude Towards Death. Gravestone Timeline Presentation. Teacher Presentation 1F. Plain Style Motif. Time Period: 1640-1710 Attitude: “resignation” Characteristics: name, date, little or no decoration

Anita
Download Presentation

Analyzing Gravestone Motifs: American’s Changing Attitude Towards Death

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Analyzing Gravestone Motifs:American’s Changing Attitude Towards Death Gravestone Timeline Presentation Teacher Presentation 1F

  2. Plain Style Motif • Time Period: 1640-1710 • Attitude: “resignation” • Characteristics: name, date, little or no decoration • Reason: Colonists had few tools, skills or money

  3. Death’s Head Motif • Time Period: 1670-1770 • Attitude: “fear” and “religious reverence” • Characteristics: human skull, wings, name, dates • Reason: In New England the Puritan religion was popular and emphasized a fear of death that focused on the deceased’s chances of getting into heaven

  4. Cherub Motif • Time Period: 1740-1820 • Attitude: “confidence” • Characteristics: human face, wings, name, dates • Reason: Between c. 1735-1750 the Great Awakening (a religious revival) changed attitudes towards death from the grim Death’s Head to the more optimistic, angelic cherub

  5. Urn and Willow Motif • Time Period: 1780-1850 • Attitude: “mourning” • Characteristics: drooping tree, urn, name, dates • Reason: Sorrow for the death of a person

  6. Monuments • Time Period: 1840-1920 • Attitude: “defiance” and “wealth” • Characteristics: large shapes, statues, sculptures, columns or crosses, accomplishments, names, dates • Reason: To remind us, not of a person’s death, but of their past life

  7. Garden Style Markers • Time Period: 1900- Present • Attitude: “denial” • Characteristics: small, flat, name, dates, little or no decoration • Reason: Does not draw attention to the dead; cemeteries resemble gardens or parks, not burial grounds

More Related