Lesson plan:

Rights of the dead

While a comedy, this episode actually draws on a deep-seated belief - the right of the dead to be left in peace. Mr Gribble's plans seem tasteless and disrespectful to modern audiences because even in modern society the belief holds a certain amount of power. The power of the belief also often emerges in cross-cultural conflicts about sacred sites and the rightful resting place of relics. What is often at stake in such conflicts is the different attitudes to the significance of the relics or burial sites to the living. Societies tend to treat the relics of their own ancestors with respect but those of other cultures as curiosities.

Class discussion

Discuss with students the issue around which the plot is based. Ask them to articulate their views on Mr Gribble's proposal. Why would many people find his proposal objectionable? Would it be less objectionable if the bones had been animal bones? Or the bones of members of a different race of people who died thousands of years ago?

Teacher explanation

Describe the imperialist practices of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries whereby human relics from other cultures were taken to Europe for display and study. The most well-known example was the removal of Egyptian mummies. In recent times there have been demands for the return to Egypt of these and other items from tombs. It was also common practice to take back the skulls or preserved heads of native peoples. One example was that of Yagan who led Aboriginal resistance in Western Australia in the 1830s.

Class discussion

Discussion question: What do these practices reveal about attitudes to other races?

Sacred sites

Demands for the return of relics or the treatment of a site as sacred contribute to current political struggles. Declaring or treating a place as sacred because of its connection with the relics of previous generations is not only a sign of respect but a way of ensuring that this respect will be transmitted to future generations. It is thus a way of shaping a society's beliefs and conception of itself. Areas for discussion can include the consequences of treating the relic sites of some groups as sacred and not others in terms of how we define society.

Class discussion

Discuss demands for the return of these relics. Are such demands justified? Or is it rather pointless so long after the event?

Discuss different attitudes to sacred sites. How can the demands of respect for the dead be reconciled against modern needs for the use of certain sites? It is important to point out that not all sacred sites are burial grounds - but it can be one consideration in determining if a site is sacred or of historical significance.