Writing a Eulogy
PROGRAM: “IN A WORD”
EPISODE: WRITING A EULOGY
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
[FADE MUSIC]
I’m Candace Hastings with “In a Word,” your weekly communication tip.
If you’re ever asked to deliver a eulogy, you’ve been given both an honor and a heavy responsibility. Usually, you won’t have much time to prepare your remarks. Yet you’ll still want them to be meaningful and to reflect the character of the person you’re remembering. You’re also likely to be a bit nervous, and probably emotional, so you definitely don’t want to speak off the cuff.
One of the best ways to started writing the eulogy is to pick one or two qualities about the person that you want to focus on. When you think about this individual, what are the first words that come to mind?
When comedian John Cleese, of the famed Monty Python comedy troupe, gave a eulogy for his friend and fellow Python member, comedian Graham Chapman, he wanted to focus on the joy that Chapman took in shocking people. So Cleese began the eulogy by saying, “He has ceased to be, bereft of life, he rests in peace, he has kicked the bucket, hopped the twig, bit the dust, snuffed it, breathed his last, and gone to meet the Great Head of Light Entertainment in the sky …”
Cleese’s introduction, irreverent as it was, focused on the quality about Chapman that he most wanted to emphasize—and also recalled one of Monty Python’s best-loved routines. Cleese’s unconventional approach perfectly suited his unconventional friend.
Once you’ve picked a quality to focus on, emphasize it throughout the eulogy with specific memories.
When Cleese wanted to remind his fellow mourners of Chapman love for the unexpected, he recalled the time when Chapman was invited to speak at Oxford and arrived dressed as a carrot and merely stood and smiled. As Cleese recalled, “He just stood there, literally speechless, for twenty minutes, smiling beatifically.” Cleese called it, “The only time in world history that a totally silent man has succeeded in inciting a riot.”
As you prepare the eulogy for your loved one, ask friends and families to share their favorite stories.
Use the material they give you, along with your own memories, to craft a vivid remembrance of this unique individual. By celebrating that singular life, your eulogy will be the first step in developing the departed’s lasting legacy—as someone who was valued, who will be missed, and who will be lovingly remembered.
This has been “In a Word,” a program made possible by the Texas A&M University Writing Center and a production of KAMU FM on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. For more writing and speaking tips, visit our website at writingcenter.tamu.edu. I’m Candace Hastings, helping you make every word count.
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
EPISODE: WRITING A EULOGY
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
[FADE MUSIC]
I’m Candace Hastings with “In a Word,” your weekly communication tip.
If you’re ever asked to deliver a eulogy, you’ve been given both an honor and a heavy responsibility. Usually, you won’t have much time to prepare your remarks. Yet you’ll still want them to be meaningful and to reflect the character of the person you’re remembering. You’re also likely to be a bit nervous, and probably emotional, so you definitely don’t want to speak off the cuff.
One of the best ways to started writing the eulogy is to pick one or two qualities about the person that you want to focus on. When you think about this individual, what are the first words that come to mind?
When comedian John Cleese, of the famed Monty Python comedy troupe, gave a eulogy for his friend and fellow Python member, comedian Graham Chapman, he wanted to focus on the joy that Chapman took in shocking people. So Cleese began the eulogy by saying, “He has ceased to be, bereft of life, he rests in peace, he has kicked the bucket, hopped the twig, bit the dust, snuffed it, breathed his last, and gone to meet the Great Head of Light Entertainment in the sky …”
Cleese’s introduction, irreverent as it was, focused on the quality about Chapman that he most wanted to emphasize—and also recalled one of Monty Python’s best-loved routines. Cleese’s unconventional approach perfectly suited his unconventional friend.
Once you’ve picked a quality to focus on, emphasize it throughout the eulogy with specific memories.
When Cleese wanted to remind his fellow mourners of Chapman love for the unexpected, he recalled the time when Chapman was invited to speak at Oxford and arrived dressed as a carrot and merely stood and smiled. As Cleese recalled, “He just stood there, literally speechless, for twenty minutes, smiling beatifically.” Cleese called it, “The only time in world history that a totally silent man has succeeded in inciting a riot.”
As you prepare the eulogy for your loved one, ask friends and families to share their favorite stories.
Use the material they give you, along with your own memories, to craft a vivid remembrance of this unique individual. By celebrating that singular life, your eulogy will be the first step in developing the departed’s lasting legacy—as someone who was valued, who will be missed, and who will be lovingly remembered.
This has been “In a Word,” a program made possible by the Texas A&M University Writing Center and a production of KAMU FM on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. For more writing and speaking tips, visit our website at writingcenter.tamu.edu. I’m Candace Hastings, helping you make every word count.
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]