Chapter 17 Mother’s Love: Death without Weeping
Scheper-Hughes, Nancy. "Mother 's Love: Death without Weeping." Conformity and Conflict Readings in Cultural Anthropology. 14th ed. Nancy Roberts, 2009. 155-163. Print. In the chapter Mother’s Love: Death without Weeping the author Nancy Scheper-Hughes describes the grueling conditions that new born babies are subjected too in Alto do Cruzeiro, Brazil. This chapter shows how the mother’s of Brazil decide what to do with their newborn babies. There was no grey area for these women it was just black and white. If a baby would not have the will to fight to stay alive then they would just let the baby die, and if the baby had the will to live they would help them more. The mothers would not get …show more content…
This is how Nacy Scheper-Hughes found that kinship helps create unbreakable ties between people that are forever lasting, but poverty, hardship, and hunger tear apart kinship. At first Nancy moved into a hut at the top of a shantytown called Alto do Cruzeiro, which in our language is Crucifix Hill. Nancy was placed in Alto do Cruzeiro, Brazil by the Peace Corps that she volunteered for. She would hear church bells ring often and she asked Nailza de Arruda why they rang. Nailza de Arruda responded to her by saying it isn’t anything but another angel going to heaven. Nailza had sent numerous little angles to heaven along with all the other women. When one of her babies died she addressed the child in a couple different tones of voice. These tones would differ from tearful to angry. Once she was done volunteering in the Peace Corp she …show more content…
With all of these deaths among the children there were many ceremonies. The ceremonies were quick without one single tear shed for the child. During these ceremonies neighborhood children had a tiny procession where they would carry the baby to the graveyard. There were no headstones or crosses in this graveyard because in a few months the same grave would be used again for another
Scheper-Hughes, Nancy. "Mother 's Love: Death without Weeping." Conformity and Conflict Readings in Cultural Anthropology. 14th ed. Nancy Roberts, 2009. 155-163. Print. In the chapter Mother’s Love: Death without Weeping the author Nancy Scheper-Hughes describes the grueling conditions that new born babies are subjected too in Alto do Cruzeiro, Brazil. This chapter shows how the mother’s of Brazil decide what to do with their newborn babies. There was no grey area for these women it was just black and white. If a baby would not have the will to fight to stay alive then they would just let the baby die, and if the baby had the will to live they would help them more. The mothers would not get …show more content…
This is how Nacy Scheper-Hughes found that kinship helps create unbreakable ties between people that are forever lasting, but poverty, hardship, and hunger tear apart kinship. At first Nancy moved into a hut at the top of a shantytown called Alto do Cruzeiro, which in our language is Crucifix Hill. Nancy was placed in Alto do Cruzeiro, Brazil by the Peace Corps that she volunteered for. She would hear church bells ring often and she asked Nailza de Arruda why they rang. Nailza de Arruda responded to her by saying it isn’t anything but another angel going to heaven. Nailza had sent numerous little angles to heaven along with all the other women. When one of her babies died she addressed the child in a couple different tones of voice. These tones would differ from tearful to angry. Once she was done volunteering in the Peace Corp she …show more content…
With all of these deaths among the children there were many ceremonies. The ceremonies were quick without one single tear shed for the child. During these ceremonies neighborhood children had a tiny procession where they would carry the baby to the graveyard. There were no headstones or crosses in this graveyard because in a few months the same grave would be used again for another