Erwin Kowalke is described as a man who “collects the bones of soldier[s] who died” in World War II, believing that “the dead deserve a bit of honor”. In the article “ Search for the Fallen in a Now-Quiet Forest”, Kowalke has a hobby of finding bones in the earth and preserving them for future generations. In relation, other ideologies would not agree with this act. For Antigone, the idea of digging up excavating bodies and preserving them for future generations would appeal as unjust. During this time period the symbolism of burying the dead was especially important because it brought honor and closure to the deceased person. This type of ideology follows an idea of religion and respect for one’s own family, an obligation to give them honor. As said in lecture, some people believed that your biggest obligation was to your parents and your siblings. Here we are able to see the differences of the ideologies, how some people may feel that bones may be simple objects or a symbol of religion and self worth. As said within the article “Bone have a feel at different ages”. This idea does not only comment on the actual feel of the age of bones however it may as well reflect the change in values of the body as time moves on, such as the modern idea of Kowalke and the thinking of Antigone. This is not to say that there is an abandonment in the value of the body is not still taken into account, but it hints that perhaps there may be less of a value emphasized on religion as there once was.
7 comments:
It is true that those in Antigone’s time may see what Kowalke is doing as unjust. The unearthing or exhuming of the dead may seen by some as unusual – that Kowalke should just leave the dead where they are and leave them be. Kowalke’s intentions – from the quotations the HCC reader provided – are good and virtuous ones. Although he may be unearthing the bones of those already dead, their death was untimely and most of them were unidentified and not given proper burials or markings to who they were. Kowalke feels the need to identify these lost soldiers – provide names and closure to the families who lost love ones during the war.
i love the question that is posed in your blog--that there could be something "unjust" in unburying bones/bodies, even if to give them the proper respect and burial. i also love how you connect the idea that the ideologies and beliefs related to burial to the material "feel" of the bones, as kowalke says, "at different ages." very nice.
I really like how you present the Kowalke article and our text of Antigone next to each other. When you compare their relationship to each other, you find your claim about how some people during Antigone's time would have seen what Kowalke was doing as unjust. In a modern sense however, i believe that what he is doing is necessary to identify all the people that have been lost. Great points in this response though!
I agree that Antigone would probably find Kowalke's acts of digging up the bones and reburying them. Because to Antigone and the people of her time, not burying the dead meant that they would roam around the earth for 100 years (something like that), if they were to unbury the dead, they would believe that their spirits would be disturbed form their peace. Even though Kowalke reburies them, Antigone might feel like he is disturbing them because they are already buried under the earth.
I believe that you could expand on your claim that "other ideologies would not agree with" the act of unearthing remains to rebury them. Are you referring specifically to Ancient Greek ideology or another set of beliefs? I also thought it was interesting that you pointed out the decline in religious fervor that may explain the decrease in the body's value.
I like how you talk about how different sets of ideologies reflect how people of a time and place react to notions of "proper burial." What is proper burial? This could be taken further than just classical Greek civilization and modern-day America or Europe. The ancient Egyptians buried their dead with items they treasured while they were alive so that they could be happy with them in the after-life. What I am trying to say is that religion has as big a role in life as it does with death, maybe even more so with the latter. Antigone comes from a time when death and burial was probably viewed just as extremely with regards to religion as in the case of the Ancient Egyptians.
Another interesting thing to note is that the prime motive behind both Kowalke's and Antigone's actions is kinship. Just as Antigone sought proper burial for her brother, Kowalke is essentially re-burying the bones of the dead in a proper manner to partly account for his father's anonymous death in France during World War II while he was three years old.
I agree with you when you said at the end of your blog that religion doesn't have the same value as it once did. We can clearly see this in our times when sex before marriage isn't such a big deal and living with a man/woman without being married seems like a phase you have to go through before being married.
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