I would like to discuss something that seemed to only apply to me in class. Prof. Smith mentioned the talk given by Elizabeth Young briefly and how that might be an example of how cultural change can change the views of religion, in this case specifically about death. I was a little caught off guard when it was mentioned in class and I talked it down a little bit. I feel I was a little hasty in my comments in class. Prof. Smith was trying to say that the talk suggested that the Civil War could have changed peoples views on death. However, that is not what the talk was focusing on. However, I attended the talk because of a class I was taking on the Civil War, and though it was not about a change in death, I can see how the Civil War could have changed peoples views on death. Before the Civil War people had a very interesting view about death. It was common practice to take photographs of dead children in live action poses (it is verry creepy, verry creepy). The view of death was one that beilieved that it was an extention of life and it was a very glorified view of death. Once the Civil War took place, the view on death became more real. Hence the photographic book that I mentioned in class. The pictures of that time tried to portray death as it was, and make it more real. It changed from a glorified version to one that was studied closer and there was a need to give the death of these soldiers meaning. I think that this is an example of how the views of death changed. Death needed meaning and people connected death with honor and this helped to get young men inlisted in the different armies.