Let's Talk Class

Academic class, that is... I know it may seem like I am on a four month vacation, but really I am studying.  Promise. Most classes here in the Daniel House are not what anyone would call traditional; we meet in a parlor, sit on couches, and take fieldtrips almost every day. London is a city full of history... it would be a shame to sit in a room and listen to a lecture, when in all reality that history is right outside our front door. One of the classes, I am taking while in London focuses on the lives of exiles and expatriates in London (Bob Marley, Freud (Psych shout out!), and Van Gogh... just to name a few). Our most recent fieldtrip was to the well-known Highgate Cemetery, which is the burial ground for many famous expats and exiles. Karl Marx, Claudia Jones, and Alexander Litvinenko are all buried within Highgate’s walls.

Highgate Cemetery was opened due to a lack of space for the dead in London; the city was being overtaken by death. The dead had no place to rest, so Parliament decided to open five new cemeteries on the outskirts of London. Thus in 1839, Highgate Cemetery was opened, and 17 new acres of land were available for burials. The cemetery was split into two areas, 15 acres for Church of England burials and 2 acres for other denominations and faiths.[1]

I found Highgate to truly resemble London is so many ways. There were so many cultures and such a variety of people buried within the walls. That is London... the center for numerous people from such a vast background and history; it would only make sense that London would take some of their lives. It is here they came to live, and here they also died. For example, there are areas known as Egyptian Avenue, Circle of Lebanon, and Terrace Catacombs. Even in death, London’s ability to attract people from all walks of life can be seen. Actually seeing all of these different areas was absolutely breathtaking, but what intrigued me even more were the graves left unattended, covered with vines and years of neglect. The cemetery has so many graves, that it would be impossible to care for each and every one, so it is inevitable that some fall to the waist side. London is the place where many come to flourish and seek their dreams, but in reality many are left neglected by the city and overrun. Hence, Highgate also mirrors London in this manner.

Another aspect that intrigued me was the inscriptions; the way someone can capture a person by an inscription is truly remarkable. How weighty those words are that will remain on a stone for eternity... declaring who this person was, their passions, and those they left behind. It is such an intimate aspect of death, yet we fleetingly glance at them in passing instead of truly understanding the weight these words hold. As I was walking through Highgate, Claudia Jones’ gravestone caught my attention. It reads:

valiant fighter against racism and imperialism who dedicated her life to the progress of socialism and the liberation of her own black people.

I read it and reread it. Such powerful words. Jones can truly be admired for her persistent seeking of equality among races. She fought for Civil Rights in New York and became a member of the communist party, but she was eventually deported from the states.  Thus, she fled to London, but she continued her pursuit for equality. She did not let even exile come between her passions for the human race. She is to be truly admired for such unceasing efforts; her gravestone’s inscription perfectly captures the essence of who Claudia Jones was and what she believed in. [2]

However, it would be quite easy for someone to overlook her beautiful inscription due to the extremely large bust of Karl Marx prominently protruding from his grave just right of her own. Marx is obviously the founder of communist ideology, but you may be wondering why he is buried in London...  Marx found refuge in London, after being exiled from Paris. He had published a newspaper that received quite a bit of backlash, so he decided to settle in London as an exile. While in London, Marx continued to write political pamphlets, but the most well-known of his writing while in London was The Capital, a book outlining capitalist process of production and labor theory. Although Marx only published Volume I, both Volume II and III were published after his death.  Marx died in 1883, and was buried in Highgate Cemetery three days later. [3]

If someone had asked me a few weeks ago if I would enjoy visiting a cemetery for class, I probably would have responded with negative.  However after visiting Highgate Cemetery, I would most definitely have to retract that response. It was truly an enlightening and interesting visit. I was able to visually associate pictures, graves, and words with the exiles and expatriates I have been studying. Even without the class aspect, I enjoyed getting to see a part of London’s history that does not make it on the typical tourist itinerary. London is such a remarkable city that holds a vast amount of knowledge even in the lives of those it has claimed, and to see this first hand allowed for my visit to evolve from a class activity to a personal understanding of London and those who have called it home. 

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[1] Highgate Cemetery, “A History of Highgate Cemetery,” Highgate Cemetery, http://www.highgate-cemetery.org/index.php/history (accessed on 10 October 2011).

[2] Highgate Cemetery, “Inscriptions – the touching, poetic and bizarre,” Highgate Cemetery, http://www.highgate-cemetery.org/index.php/inscriptions (accessed on 10 October 2011).

[3] History Guide, “Karl Marx, 1818-1883,” History Guide, http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citationguide.html (accessed on 10 October 2011).