How to pay a written tribute to the dead
From ArticleWorld
To pay a written tribute to the dead may seem fitting if you are a close friend or colleague of the deceased. Of course writing a eulogy can add additional weight to the emotional load that you are already carrying but if people expect you to write as well as deliver the eulogy then it is a service that you should be very proud to perform. If you are worried about not being able to do a good job, your love, affection and respect for the deceased will make up for any lack of flowery language but also take the help of the following hints to do the deceased proud.
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A few suggestions
- Make the eulogy as unique and memorable as the deceased was and to that you do not need big words and fancy language, just words that are tasteful, loving and unforgettable will do.
- In fact delivering a long winded speech using language and incidents that half the people are unfamiliar with is just foolishness. Instead keep it somber (or lighthearted) and short to keep everyone’s attention.
- If you are close friend, relative, co worker or spouse of the deceased you are bound to be wracked by nerves and emotions in the trying time so a little help from someone else who is not so distraught will go a long way in solving your problem.
- Write the eulogy beforehand, doing it in the car, on your way to the funeral, with pen and napkin is trite and that is exactly how such a short notice eulogy is going to sound like to all the people present – trite.
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Do’s
- Speak in a conversational day to day manner. Adopting affectations for delivering the speech will not ring true.
- Keep it light hearted. Relate incidents from the life of the deceased that bring out his good qualities.
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Don’ts
- Don’t say anything in your eulogy that you would not be able to say in front of the deceased if they were still alive.
- Use of humor to lighten the atmosphere might be inappropriate.