subject: What Are Obituaries And Eulogies? [print this page] There is a slight difference between a funeral eulogy and an obituary although they are in most cases used at the same time and in some cases to mean the same thing. A funeral eulogy is a speech that lauds and often congratulates the deceased. In other words, it a memorial that is used to pay tribute to the life lived by the deceased. However, an obituary is a notice of someone's death. There are times when it usually has a short biography of the deceased. So clearly different writing formats for each are required.
The Funeral director Auckland advises that an obituary should be written as a notification of the death to those who have remained while at the same time striving to demonstrate honor and respect to the deceased. There are two basic types of obituaries; the short and concise or the long and more detailed. The concise type normally requires that you provide the following information: Name in full, Place of birth, Residence, Date of death and information on internment and memorial arrangements. The longer one should have the aforementioned information together with circumstances under which the deceased died, plans for body viewing, jobs held, religious affiliation and any organization to which the deceased belonged. It should be written with short and concise language and a picture may be used.
Remember that a funeral obituary is often paid for in case it is to be placed in a local daily. So when writing you will need to take into account the length with regards to both the cost and the restrictions imposed by the dailies.
When writing a eulogy on the other hand, you need to bear in mind that in a funeral you need not be a novelist. According to the funeral service Auckland, it is supposed to convey your feelings. It needs to be written in an informal and conversational way. When writing, you need to examine all the moments and feelings you and the deceased shared. Remember to include the deceaseds favorite poems, lines from songs and scripture verses among other literature excerpts that the deceased liked.
When writing a eulogy you should try being honest and truthful, such that you focus on the deceaseds positive qualities. If at all humor fits the deceaseds personality, then it is allowed. Brevity should also be given priority, though verification with the funeral director helps solve the time issue. If the time allocated for eulogizing the deceased is enough, you can then come up with a longer piece. As you, the eulogy writer, is most likely to be the one reading it, you will need to make sure that you have a good understanding of the meanings of the words used. Ambiguity in the type of words used can only end up sending wrong signals.
Obituaries and eulogies are both meant to pay last respects the departed. Careful creation of these documents is therefore required. If you follow these guidelines you will certainly create the best. In both cases a conversational style of writing that expresses the feeling of the moment should be used. Write in a coherent and simple style. As this is not a grammar contest it is not an opportunity to display extensive vocabulary.
