We all know that when the time comes, there will be weeping and goodbye’s heard. You may also have to prepare for the event to a tee. This includes writing out funeral invitations with the side of an obituary for the newspaper. All to announce that this person has passed on. But if your business involves writing eulogies or simply a funeral business, you may not be a stranger to writing out good funeral speeches, or simply called as eulogies. Have you ever made a eulogy before or have you heard of what a eulogy is or how it is written? To cite an example for a eulogy we have the following: “He was the sweetest man, anyone would have been lucky to have known him.” “She was the nicest person and would always be out there helping people without expecting anything in return.”
You may have encountered this kind of writing or may have heard this kind of speech before. If you also noticed, the speech sounds sad and yet happy at the same time. Speeches like the examples above are only used when someone has passed away, and they are planning on saying something nice or meaningful to the person. This speech can be done by a family member or even someone who may have been close with the person. Writing out a meaningful speech for a happy occasion is one thing, but writing out a meaningful and sympathetic speech for a sad and painful event is another thing. Having to know what you should be writing about and what you are going to imply in your speech should also be taken into consideration. So let’s take a look at what eulogies are, how they are written, their purpose and more.
To begin, we must first define what a eulogy means. Looking back at the examples above, we can see that a eulogy is a speech made to honor someone who has just passed away. It is a speech that is usually about the good qualities of the person when they were alive. In addition to that, a eulogy is a formal speech given during funeral services by either the relative of the deceased or the friend of the deceased. In some cases, it can also be both the friend and the family member of the deceased. A eulogy consists of the name of the deceased person, a little information about them and the good deeds that have been done by the person. Of course in an eulogy, writing something negative about the dead person is a huge no.
The purpose of a eulogy is to give a happy reminder of the person to the people present. A happy memory of the times the person has done while they were still alive. In addition to that, we know that a eulogy is a speech or a piece of writing, it is also often only done by the person whether family or friend who has known them well in life. Another purpose for a eulogy is to give praise and to let others find out more about the person and their deeds. However, a eulogy does not give out too personal information or the kind of information that should not be shared at all in public. Regardless of the fact that it is a speech.
Basically, a eulogy is like a funeral biography. A biography of the person who died and all their triumphs, failures, joys and sorrows are written down for the world to know. Often than not, eulogies are mistaken for obituaries. Of course these two words may have one thing in common and they are often used for funerals. But the difference between an obituary and a eulogy is that, a eulogy is a written speech that pays tribute to the deceased. It is a lengthy biography-like speech about the person that passed away and the accomplishments they have made throughout their lives. An obituary however is information being published in newspapers to show the relatives of the deceased person. A very short biography or a very short message is also added in the obituary. But an obituary and a eulogy are two very different things.
Given the circumstances of writing out an eulogy, you may be wondering to yourself where to begin. When is the best time to start with writing out a eulogy and what should be written. How will you compose a good eulogy to start with and how will you know it is already enough? If you are given the task to write out a eulogy either for a client or for personal reasons, you may want to check out the following ways on writing out a good eulogy.
Like any other kind of writing you are going to be doing, it is always best to start off by drafting and outlining your work. This way, not only is it going to be easy for you, you would also see where you can begin, how to begin and where to revise if anything needs to be revised. Drafting your work is not only the easiest thing you can do, it is also helpful in a way that if you need to add or to take anything out, you would not waste any time doing so as this is still the draft and not the final output.
For starters, to write out a good eulogy, you must know every single detail about the deceased. Whether the deceased person is a friend, a relative or your client’s deceased relative, you must at least have an idea. Every necessary information is key to writing out a good eulogy. You must know who the deceased person is, their occupation, as well as the achievements that have been done by the deceased. For you to know this, you may simply ask your client. If this is for personal reasons, you may begin by asking yourself. Who is the deceased person to you and what were their accomplishments in life? Start from there.
Apart from asking for some information about the deceased, you may also want to ask about or list some good qualities the deceased person had. If you have no idea as to what they may be, always ask family members or even friends for this. Those whose lives have changed because of the person. Do an interview, or simply give out some ideas if you know the person. However, avoid pointing the story at yourself. The story is about the deceased person and not you.
It may sound a bit mean or rude but, it is really okay to put a little humor into the eulogy. Laughter as they say is the best medicine, and it is also quite nice for a change to make the people there laugh at something that the deceased person did in life. However, too much humor should be avoided, as there will be a time for that. Adding a little bit of humor to the eulogy will make it less likely to sound boring. As it is a known fact, not everyone enjoys a good eulogy when it sounds too dragging. To avoid that, sprinkle a little humor.
Once you are satisfied with what you have written out, it is time you revise and finalize your work. Check for any grammatical errors, check if you have written out everything that needs to be said. Check if your information is complete and is also correct. This is to avoid any issues when you are making your speech. In addition to that, it is also best to write out what you really believe is sincere and true. Not only will this turn your eulogy into the best one written, you are also showing sympathy to those who have lost a loved one. Revise and finalize everything.
To simply put it, a eulogy is a funeral-biography based on a person who recently passed away. It involves the life and the accomplishments as well as the memories of the people they have helped. Eulogies are speeches made for people who are deceased.
Write from the heart. Write out a speech about the person if you know them personally. Write about the person’s accomplishments or your personal story with the deceased. Of course make it about the deceased and not you.
Just like writing any kind of speech, the best way to start is always to draft out. This helps you outline what you should write and what you should say. It also helps you take out what is not necessary and to add what is.
Eulogies are usually longer versions of the obituaries. As an eulogy it shares the life of the deceased person, their achievements, their happy memories. An obituary is just an excerpt.
An obituary is a short biography or short information about the deceased published in newspapers. A eulogy is a speech written by either a close friend or a family member about the deceased person. A biography of their life and works being presented in the funeral.
There you have it. The answers to questions that are often too difficult to ask or as some would say there is no difference. As we know, a eulogy is a biography of the deceased person. An obituary is an excerpt or a short biography published in a newspaper to inform others of the person’s passing. Eulogies are often done in funerals, however, there are those who may want to skip it as some wounds are too deep to heal yet.