Framing John F. Kennedy in the History Books

FRAMING JOHN F. KENNEDY IN THE HISTORY BOOKS -- Regardless of whether or not they were alive at the time of his presidency, most people "know" or "remember" John F. Kennedy through visual images, says Temple magazine professor Carolyn Kitch. "These iconic pictures appeared primarily in magazines during Kennedy's time in office and his assassination, and, more importantly, have reappeared repeatedly in mass media over the past 40 years, especially when Jackie died in 1994 and when JFK Jr. died in 1999," notes Kitch, an expert in social memory and author of the journal article, "'A Death in the American Family': Myth, Memory and National Values in the Media Mourning of John F. Kennedy Jr." Interestingly, many of these pictures do not include the president himself, or do not feature him as the primary figure. "The best 'remembered' images of Kennedy are images of him as a family man, rather than of him with other world leaders. And that's one reason for their lasting appeal, with which millions of Americans with far more ordinary lives can identify. The most famous photo is the one of Jackie, Caroline, and John in mourning, watching the casket pass by, with little John saluting--the same image through which JFK Jr. was 'remembered' when he died, even though he was a 38-year-old man." Another reason for their appeal, says Kitch, is that these specific images are beautiful and sad because we now know what happened later--not only the president's assassination, but also the deaths of his wife and son. "This is an important aspect of memory--we understand and 'recall' the past based on what we know happened afterward. So, when we look back today, we 'remember' much more than JFK's 1963 assassination itself."