Last night, Alexa and I were lucky enough to be at the evening's most exciting event in Philadelphia, the Mountain Goats concert. The lead singer John Darnielle had a tendency to share little introductory anecdotes before he played each song. While stopping to figure out the chord progression for his next song, he began to talk about how a person's legacy can become so infused with pathos that they become more in death than they ever were in life. Upon hearing pathos, Alexa and I turned to each other and said "English!" at the exact same time. Please do not judge.
The impact of the introduction was somewhat lost, considering that neither of us had any idea who the subject of the song was (Dana Plato, who John described as an actress gone too soon). Regardless, John Darnielle's reference to pathos got me thinking about what we've been discussing in English class. Are there American icons that are associated with so much emotion that they become detached from their actual accomplishments? Marilyn Monroe immediately comes to my mind. Though only an actress, she is an immortal in pop culture. To a lesser extent, I think of JFK. While he was undoubtedly a remarkable man, his political accomplishments weren't as impressive or revolutionary as those of many of his predecessors, and many of the domestic reforms with which he is credited should rightfully go to Lyndon Johnson. In this respect, does Kennedy deserve to be deified in US history the way he has been? Both these instances seem to exemplify an American tendency to wrap those that have died early in a shroud of pathos and raise them to a level above what their actions would warrant. Or perhaps the Mountain Goats and I are just a cynical bunch.
-Colin
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First of all, I'm going to start this post by saying that I'm insanely jealous of you and Alexa for getting to go to the Mountain Goats concert last night.
ReplyDeleteI definately think people view people who have died, whether early or not, with a higher degree of pathos than in their lifetime. Look at all those famous artists and composers who were poor and starving all their lifes and were only recognized around the world for their works after their death.
I actually thought of Kennedy right away when I first read John Darnielle's comment. I clearly remember a time in first or second grade when my teacher asked us to name all the presidents we knew. I named Washington, Lincoln, and Kennedy. Thinking back on this, I realize how much more acclaim Kennedy is given, at least towards young children, than Johnson, whether he deserves it or not. This is probably because he did have an untimely death, not unlike Lincoln's, who is also one of the most famous presidents (although I think most of us can agree that he did accomplish a great deal). As for Marilyn Monroe, she would probably be an American icon even if she was still alive, mainly because of Andy Warhol's representation of her, which is one of the more famous American works of art.
It is a tendency of humans to erase the bad memories about a person who has died, giving that person, especially a nationally or internationally famous one, that "larger than life" representation.
-Audrey
First off, I would like to second Audrey's jealousy. I definitely would've gone had I not been busy that night.
ReplyDeleteAs for your question, I feel that people like John F. Kennedy deserve at least some of the credit they have recieved because of what they stood for. While Kennedy's actual political achievements are questionable, his ideas were extremely important and I question whether the reforms passed during the Johnson presidency would have been possible without Kennedy. In the end, I agree that some of the glorification of our fallen icons may be over the top. However, its important to note that nevertheless these people were powerful forces in shaping the world we know today.
-Bryce Cody