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Communicative Meaning: Otherwise Than the Denial of Death Douglas John Marshall

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Communicative Meaning: Otherwise Than the Denial of Death Douglas John Marshall Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2012 Communicative Meaning: Otherwise than the Denial of Death Douglas John Marshall Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Recommended Citation Marshall, D. (2012). Communicative Meaning: Otherwise than the Denial of Death (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/879 This Immediate Access is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COMMUNICATIVE MEANING: OTHERWISE THAN THE DENIAL OF DEATH A Dissertation Submitted to the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Douglas John Marshall December 2012 Copyright by Douglas John Marshall 2012 COMMUNICATIVE MEANING: OTHERWISE THAN THE DENIAL OF DEATH By Douglas John Marshall Approved September 21, 2012 ________________________________ ________________________________ Ronald C. Arnett, Ph.D. Janie Harden Fritz, Ph.D. Professor, Department Communication & Associate Professor, Department Rhetorical Studies Communication & Rhetorical Studies (Committee Chair) (Committee Member) _ _______________________________ Richard H. Thames, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department Communication & Rhetorical Studies (Committee Member) ________________________________ ________________________________ James C. Swindal, Ph.D. Ronald C. Arnett, Ph.D. Dean, McAnulty College and Graduate Chair, Department of Communication & School of Liberal Arts Professor of Rhetorical Studies iii ABSTRACT COMMUNICATIVE MEANING: OTHERWISE THAN THE DENIAL OF DEATH By Douglas John Marshall December 2012 Dissertation supervised by Dr. Ronald C. Arnett The overall assumption of this dissertation project is that there is something wrong with how humans typically communicate about death in regard to both the acknowledgment of one‟s own death as well as the passing of others. Through the primary utilization of the work of Ernest Becker and Viktor Frankl, this deficit of human communication is discussed, defined, and reoriented toward finding meaning in the moments of life that are often mistook for being meaningless. This metaphorical march of this project is toward finding the music in both life and death that allows the importance of both to be at the forefront of conscious communication. This project engages elements of sociology, philosophy, psychiatry, and the rich culture of New Orleans in order to uncover meaning-rich communicative spaces in which one can begin to consider the inherent power and responsibility that one must communicate about death. Though this project is guided by the iv metaphor of mythical Grim Reaper, the reader should not be confused about the menacing tone; ultimately this dissertation is about life more than it is about death. v DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to the elementary school teacher who informed my parents that I would be lucky to graduate high school and to never expect me to go to college. More so this project is dedicated to my parents who knew better than that teacher. My mother has never read Ernest Becker, but she taught me to not deny the things in life that cannot be controlled. She has never read Viktor Frankl, but she showed me how to do the right thing, appreciate others for what they give to you, and to find meaning in all aspects of life. My father has never been to New Orleans, but he has taught me to honor traditions, enjoy myself, and not give a damn about what I look like when it is time celebrate. I also dedicate this project to the most beautiful city in the world––The Crescent City, The City That Care Forgot, The Big Easy, America‟s Most Interesting City, N‟awlins. I love New Orleans and this dissertation is dedicated to the people, the traditions, the culture, the music, the musicians, the food, the parades, the beads, the bars, the religious, the pagans, the history, and the Kings that one may encounter when visiting. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to thank Dr. Ronald C. Arnett, who has inspired me and motivated me throughout this process. Dr. Arnett‟s guidance has helped form me into a young scholar and teacher with a dedication to service. His example has been the most influential aspect of my entire academic experience thus far. I would also like to thank Dr. Janie Harden Fritz and Dr. Richard Thames, who have been great allies and mentors throughout my time at Duquesne. I would like to thank the entire Department of Communication & Rhetorical Studies at Duquesne University, including Rita McCaffrey, who has been one of the best professional friends that a person could ask for. I also owe so much gratitude to my friend and dissertation editor, Heather Blum There is not enough space to mention all of my classmates who have guided me through the strikes and gutters of graduate school, but they know who they are and I will spend a lifetime repaying my debt to them. I must also thank the people in my personal life that supported and loved me throughout this process. Jabe, Abby, Matt, Roy, and Kiley––I could not have done this without your friendship. Lastly, this project could not have been accomplished without the support and understanding of my family. They did not always understand what I was writing about, but their unwavering support served as my motivation to the very end. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Chapter 1: Dancing with the Reaper Introduction..............................................................................................................................1 Meeting the Reaper..................................................................................................................3 The Denial of and Conversations with the Reaper............................................................5 Resisting the Reaper................................................................................................................8 Philosophical Perspectives of the Reaper..........................................................................12 The March, the Music, and the Reaper..............................................................................16 Singing with the Reaper........................................................................................................18 The Stand Against The Reaper............................................................................................25 Engaging the Reaper: The Communicative Dance..........................................................26 Chapter 2: The Denial of the Reaper Introduction...........................................................................................................................28 Situating Becker within an Era that Denied the Reaper..................................................29 Becker‟s Contributions to an Era that Denied the Reaper.............................................31 Prior to the Denial Project.....................................................................................32 Becker‟s Scholarly Contributions..........................................................................32 Academic and Professional Struggle.....................................................................33 A Scholarly Home....................................................................................................36 Becker‟s Understanding of the Reaper...............................................................................37 A Terrifying Place....................................................................................................38 The Basic Anxiety....................................................................................................41 The Unconscious Conspiracy................................................................................44 viii The Heroic Paradox................................................................................................47 In Extremis: Becker‟s Meeting with the Reaper...............................................................52 The Communicative Importance of Engaging the Reaper.............................................56 Freedom of Will.......................................................................................................57 Will to Meaning........................................................................................................58 Meaning of Life........................................................................................................59 Chapter 3: Confronting the Reaper in Western Philosophy Introduction...........................................................................................................................62 Confrontations with the Reaper..........................................................................................64 Discovering the Reaper...........................................................................................64 Confrontation...........................................................................................................65 Nature of Life...........................................................................................................66 Value of Death.........................................................................................................69
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