Jacqueline Said:

Heathens, Pagans, Atheists, etc... Help with writing a eulogy?

We Answered:

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.

Brad Said:

Help with writing a fake eulogy for a celebrity?

We Answered:

You really have to combine all of his achievements/best facts into a nice story. You may want to put your won slant on his life such as Hollywood star that fell out of favour and then made a remarkable comeback following Pulp Fiction. Or the man responsible for the success of disco in the 70s.
This is taken from http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000237/bio but doesn't include his latest tragedy of the dath of his son.
One of six children born to Helen Travolta and Salvatore Travolta, John Travolta grew up in Englewood, New Jersey. His father owned a tire repair shop in Englewood. Travolta appeared in a local production of "Who'll Save the Plowboy?". His mother enrolled him in a drama school in New York, where he studied voice, dancing and acting. He decided to combine all three of these skills and become a musical comedy performer. At 16 he landed his first professional job in a summer stock production of the musical "Bye Bye Birdie". He quit school at 16 and moved to New York, and worked regularly in summer stock and on television commercials. When work became scarce in New York, he went to Hollywood and appeared in minor roles in several series. A role in the national touring company of the hit 1950s musical "Grease" brought him back to New York. An opening in the New York production of "Grease" gave him his first Broadway role at age 18. After "Grease", he became a member of the company of the Broadway show "Over Here", which starred The Andrews Sisters. After ten months in "Over Here", he decided to try Hollywood once again. Once back in Hollywood, he had little trouble getting roles in numerous television shows. He was seen on "The Rookies" (1972), "Emergency!" (1972) and "Medical Center" (1969) and also made a movie, The Devil's Rain (1975), which was shot in New Mexico. The day he returned to Hollywood from New Mexico, he was called to an audition for a new situation comedy series ABC was planning to produce called "Welcome Back, Kotter" (1975). He got the part of Vinnie Barbarino and the series went on the air during the 1975 fall season. The rest, as they say, is history.
Ranked #21 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]


Was among the guests at Tom Cruise's and Katie Holmes' wedding ceremony in Italy.

[2 April 2007] On his return flight from Germany to New York, the actor was forced to make an emergency landing in his Boeing 707 at Ireland's Shannon Airport. He'd been promoting his new movie in Europe and encountered technical difficulties on his return flight. Fortunately for the actor, he was flying over Ireland at the time he first detected his private jet's engine problems and was safely diverted to Shannon on Ireland's west coast. Not allowing himself to be fazed by the whole ordeal, Travolta grounded his 34-seater and continued his flight home on a commercial airline.

Friend of actor Billy Lockwood.

In 1985, Princess Diana asked him to dance at a party at the White House.

For his acting, drew inspiration from James Cagney, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and others.

Master of Ceremony at the Centennial of Flight Celebration at Kitty Hawk in December 2003, where he presented to John Glenn aviation's highest award.

Has been the Ambassador for Qantas since 2001.

One of his closest friends is Robin Williams.

He also owns an Eclipse 500 twin turbofan aircraft.

Appears in Hairspray (2007), opposite Michelle Pfeiffer, whose debut film was Grease 2 (1982), the sequel to Grease (1978), in which Travolta appeared.

He has claimed his favorite director to work with was Sylvester Stallone, for Staying Alive (1983). He said Stallone knew how to make him look the best on screen.

Stated that one of his favorite places is Gander, Newfoundland, Canada.

Jett Travolta, his 16-year-old son, died following a seizure at the family's Bahamas holiday retreat on Friday Jan 2, 2009.

His publicist is Paul Bloch.

Was offered the role of Melvin Udall in As Good as It Gets (1997). The part went to Jack Nicholson.

Close friend of Dakota Fanning.

Was in consideration for the part of Lester Burnham in American Beauty (1999) but Kevin Spacey, who went on to win a Best Actor Oscar for his performance, was cast instead.



Personal Quotes
[On his role in Carrie (1976)]: I wanted to work with Brian De Palma. I knew the film would be interesting and attract a lot of attention.

"I have fame on the level of a Marilyn Monroe or an Elvis Presley, but part of the reason I didn't go the way they did was because of my beliefs. People make judgments about Scientology, but often they don't know what they're talking about".

There is nothing gay in this movie (Hairspray (2007)). I'm not playing a gay man. Scientology is not homophobic in any way. In fact, it's one of the more tolerant faiths. Anyone's accepted.

When they asked me to be Edna Turnblad I said, 'Gee, 32 years as a leading man -- why me? What makes you think I'd be the perfect

Wilma Said:

Writing a eulogy for three teenagers brothers and sisters killed in a car crash?

We Answered:

I'm sorry to hear about your loss...you should write something from the heart and not from someone on the internet...

you can talk about there lives and the fondest memories that you have of them...something that made you and your family smile...don't over think it let it come to you...think about all the good times you and your cousins had...

Arlene Said:

Writing an eulogy to a character similar to Macbeth..?

We Answered:

Keep in mind Macbeth is crazy because he thinks he is like superman because his mom had a c-section.

Antonio Said:

How would you go about writing an eulogy for yourself?

We Answered:

First, an elegy and a eulogy, by definition, are slightly different things.

An elegy is a sad song of funereal poem - which may be why you get the extra credit. If the assignment says 'elegy', check with your teacher that it doesn't have to be a poem.

A eulogy, whilst usually referring to the speech given at a funeral, doesn't have to be specifically for when you're dead. It's just a speech or piece of writing that praises someone.

Things to remember when actually writing the speech:
1. You're going to have to be honest or it won't work. Don't try to be falsely modest, or exaggerate your achievements.
2. Make a list of your good qualities. Think about what you like about yourself. Think about what other people say they like about you.
3. Think about some of your quirks - maybe quirky flaws. Are you always late, do you always forget birthdays. That sort of thing.
4. Think about whether you're writing a speech or an essay. If it's a speech remember to read it out loud to yourself to see if it sounds like something someone would say. The way we structure words when we say them out loud is different to what works well on paper.

Good luck!

Leslie Said:

Is it ok to start writing a eulogy when the person it is for is still alive?

We Answered:

Ok well... I don't think it's bad to write it now, but I wouldn't ask the person dying if they have something to spice it up. This is your view of their life and how YOU felt about this person.

Also, I wouldn't expect an applause, even if it was the best eulogy in the world.