Journal #6 tombstones and everyday writing

Through out this course, we have focused on the themes and main concepts of everyday writing. I think tombstones, is yet another “genre” or category of everyday writing which can be overlooked. We recently talked about how tattoos and graffiti are considered everyday writing. And they are because they have an audience, purpose, place/scene, and are non-institutionalized. These are categories tombstones also acquire. Morris explains tombstones as a “patterns of communication with those who view/use them” and I would agree. This is one factor that makes them everyday. Tombstones express a personal aspect, which the person who recently passed (or family member) picked, and this design, font, and structure of the tomb, is held to be personal with in this audience. This adds another category to “everyday writing” and that is display. Or, how something is structured. While this category is very similar with place/scene, it explains the structure of the writing, or tomb, which is very important to the audience.

            Tombstones are very unique. Similar to minds, no two tombstones are alike. Place/scene can also be reasoning with tombstones being classified as everyday. I have a friend whose grandmother insisted on being buried in Ireland, where his grandma spent most of her life. With this, she had a Celtic cross on her tomb. This makes it personal to the person. Tombstones are also non-institutionalized. They aren’t something we learn in school. WE just know they are there, and we don’t typically give more thought to theme than the mere fact that a dead body is underneath it. Because tombstones identify with the uniqueness and personal aspects, I see them as being categorized as everyday writing. The essay expressed very interesting points about death and the display of each person’s tomb.