S.A. HOMEWORK #2 1) Why is the article entitled Death Without Weeping? (What is the main argument/thesis of the article?

) In Alto do Cruzeiro (Crucifix Hill), high fertility and infant mortality rates among the women have been incessantly prevailing throughout the years. In a simpler context, these Brazilian women conceive or give birth numerous times throughout the year but at least a million of them die within that time frame as well. The paper Death Without Weeping written by Nancy-Scheper-Hughes entails about the death of children as a norm in the poor families, where grievance is very much criticized and indifference towards this passive infanticide is encouraged in the belief that a saint claims a child upon his/her death, and weeping or grieving for a lifeless child shows lack of faith and morals. This thesis rejects the concept that maternal love is universal. 2) What are the social institutions involved in the tolerance of death without weeping? Why? State - The registration of infant and child death is informal, incomplete and rapid. No written records are made about the details of the death. - Free coffins are given out which adds to the issue of tolerance Health Care - Failure to recognize or do the ample method of treating malnutrition and starvation among infants - The dispensation of free vitamins and health tonics are not sufficient to treat a sick Alto baby - Usage of tranquilizers and sleeping pills to quiet the cries of a child Religion - Liberation Theology: the bells dont peal for the death of Alto babies and no priests prays or accompanies the dead to the cemetery. The lifeless bodies are disposed of casually and without ceremony. - Belief that Jesus doesnt want all the dead babies that are sent to Him - Refusal of baptismal customs for dying babies 3) How are you going to explain the grim existence of death without weeping using the AGIL theory of Parsons? Adaptation- a system must cope with external situation dangers and contingencies; it must adjust to the environment and adjust the environment to its needs. (Parsons, 1971; Parsons, 1968; Parsons, 1951). The Alto women have adapted to the scab wage labor for a pittance for that is all what the hillsides and the economy of domestic work could provide them. They have also adapted through the constant droughts, food and water shortages, and political chaos caused by the military coup. Goal Attainment- the goals of societies and social institutions have to be defined, resolving goal conflicts, prioritizing some over others, determining resource allocations and directing social energies (Parsons, 1971; Parsons, 1968; Parsons, 1951).The goal of not being emotionally attached to a dying child is common among the women of Alto. The showing of stoicism and equanimity is also very imperative at the time of the death, while the nurturing for the survivors and children who show a knack or taste for life is a common learning among the Alto mothers. IntegrationThe institutions need to be regulated so that a harmonious society can emerge from their interaction (Parsons, 1971; Parsons, 1968; Parsons, 1951). The religious, health, and political

institutions of Alto de Cruzeiro have integrated in harmony for the implementation of the gruesome genocide upon infants based on their beliefs. Latency- The encultured patterns of behaviour required by the social system must be maintained (Parsons, 1971; Parsons, 1968; Parsons, 1951). The high mortality rates of infants and the continuous indifference upon their deaths is now a cultural taboo that may continue on for the future surviving generations of the Alto people as long as the social institutions manage and implement their beliefs and maintain the situation the way it is now. 4) Personal Interpretation As a young lady, I was genetically arranged to be a kid-lover. Its a characteristic many people know of me and if theres one thing I couldnt bear to see or hear about, it would be children being hurt, maltreated and not given the kind of care they deserve. After reading Death Without Weeping, I was particularly struck with their belief that grieving among mothers is inappropriate and not culturally accepted. I thought, How on earth could I not cry knowing my child, whom I carried and nourished for the last 9 months, just died? Its appalling how a mother could just give up on a new-born baby like that and leave it on a corner to die, believing that the infant does not have a knack or gusto for life, when all he/she yearns for is love and proper medical care. In my own religious opinion, God wouldnt send these children on Earth if they were meant to die. Death, for me, will always be tragic and I can't imagine a society actually taking death as casually as a blowing wind. Its very unfortunate that these children could have experienced ad enjoyed the world, if only they were saved like how NancyScheper-Hughes never gave up on thirteen-month-old Zezinho when everybody gave up on him and anticipated his death for he was, as they say--- a doomed child. Devastating as it may seem, the mothers of Alto de Cruzeiro remain to be indifferent and open regarding the maternal acceptance on the death of their own, leaving the stronghold on this inhuman, cultural, and controversial taboo by the Alto residents.