Questions for “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain”
- What is the thesis of “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain”?
- Mitford employs a considerable amount of verbal irony (saying one thing but suggesting or meaning another). For example, in paragraph 2 she refers to the casket as a “suitably costly container,” but she does not really think the cost appropriate. Cite two or three other examples of verbal irony from the essay. What purpose does verbal irony serve? How does it reveal the author’s attitude toward her subject?
- A euphemism is a polite or indirect substitute for an unpleasant expression. Mitford notes a number of euphemisms common in the funeral industry. For example, in paragraph 7, she refers to a body “reposing in the preparation room” rather than “dead on a slab in the embalming chamber.” Cite other euphemisms that appear. Explain what effect these euphemisms have on perceptions of death and burial.