Michael Jackson's Burial

Last Thursday, August 20, we read and discussed a BBC report on "Jackson's Birthday Burial," dated August 19. The report is part of Words in the News, an ongoing series of articles and lessons produced by the BBC for students of English. We will be studying and discussing Words in the News reports throughout the semester as part of our in-class and out-of-class coursework.

Before we listened to the audio recording online and read along with the article, the class brainstormed on words that we might expect to see in a story about burying the King of Pop (see a photo of Jackson taken in 1982 for his album "Thriller," above). "Cemetery," "to bury" and "deceased" were among the words that did, indeed, appear in the BBC's article, which triggered an unusual class discussion on things one says at a funeral!

The phrase "to lay to rest" is a polite way to say "to bury" in English. ("He was laid to rest last week.") The custom of using gentler language to describe things related to death is a commonality between Peruvian and American and British cultures.

The vocabulary we discussed will be helpful for those who like to watch the award-winning HBO series Six Feet Under, which is set in and around a funeral parlor in the United States.

Our homework assignment for Tuesday, August 25, is to read the full BBC article ("Jackson to Be Buried on Birthday") and to find three additional facts in that article that weren't mentioned in the shorter story we read on Thursday. Come to class with your three facts and be prepared to discuss them.

One important detail not mentioned in "Jackson to Be Buried on Birthday" is that the pop star's burial plans have been delayed yet again. On Friday, August 21, the Jackson family announced that the date has been pushed back to September 3.

I wonder if this is the last time the burial will be postponed?