Ask Not: Ep 7 “Jackie Gets Creative and Cobbles Together the RIDICULOUS Myth of Camelot”

[MarshaAnderson-ij]

Protecting John’s legacy, protected her own.

[sondrasanchez]

I lost my husband of 29 yrs when I was 48 yrs old, I was broken, lost, and inconsolable. I am not defending jack or Jackie but we lived in a small town in Texas he ran the family pharmacy and was loved by many people.
I did think of these things when I planned his funeral I wanted him to be honored for all the good he did in his life helping people.
I am glad I did certain things because when I arrived at the very large church it was packed, I knew he was loved but had no idea how many lives he touched because he was a very humble man. I was able to give everyone who loved him a chance to visit.

[shellyjakes]

the play, Camelot, was a huge hit back in the 1960's. Most of America loved the Camelot metaphor Jackie offered.

[VivLeigh]

-She was only 34 years old. I find it so incredible that she was able to plan such a majestic funeral at that age and under that situation.

[JMay-]

I believe Jackie also recognized that having a dignified funeral after such a tragedy was important historically and for the reputation of our democracy. It was likely a relief for Jackie to exercise her impeccabile taste and knowledge of history as a buffer from her deep grief. Getting busy in tough times was a value of her generation. She showed the world that losing Jack was the world's loss, not just her own. We owe her a debt and I, for one, am grateful, and give her grace for her humanity post the most horrific and painful day of her life. May she rest in peace.

[blueneptune]

The fact that you keep your reading area unpretentious is refreshing as can be, Cheere. Wishing your child a very happy birthday!🎉🎈 🎂

[EJ-hhcs]

The aesthetic eye is something you don't turn off, not for funerals or any other crisis. It is ingrained.

[mariadoas]

For what it's worth, I like your background. It feels cozy. Someone who likes to read, with a bookshelf full of books, makes sense.

[vickiebrezee]

Camelot was pure Jackie. The pursuit of perfection.

[joannem]

Jackie's courage through the 4 days in November gave a strange comfort to the Nation. Watching her walk to the car upon arrival back to Andrews, with blood soaked skirt and stockings, which was visible on our little black and white TV was heartbreaking. The country was in great shock and sorrow, Walter Cronkite voice cracking as he announced the death of the President and anger rising throughout the Nation I remember it all. Someone said that the nation lost it's innocence because of this and that's how I would describe it. At 10 years old I realized that adults do horrific things and can't fix what went wrong. So if Jackie was a bit theatrical on the day of his funeral, so what. What she did that day gave a strange comfort as she walked behind the coffin, and nothing she did wrong after that can take that away.

[nicoledixon-ttvg]

15:44 This passage is so interesting considering William and Harry and how they turned out. William looking to the future because of his role, Harry seemingly "stuck" and looking backwards allowing his mother's death to be one of his most defining characteristics as a person.

[jillwang]

Based on Jackie's life, I believe the Kennedy family did not have a bottomless pit of wealth. They are still wealthy compared to most people, but they are not on the same level as the Whitney family, the du Pont family, the Mellon family, or the Rockefeller family. Jack probably does not have much wealth alone; otherwise, Jackie, if she was a wealthy widow, would not have married Aristotle Onassis.

[Librargirl]

Having lived during the Kennedy era, I don’t think you can fully understand the significance of that quote in Camelot. My mother was a young woman during that time and she relayed to me how excited she was to vote for Jack Kennedy. He was young and charismatic. The future looked promising. Jackie using that quote makes sense . For a moment in time the nation had a promising future, an adored leader who’s life was cut short. Whose presidency was cut short. The promise of what America could achieve. People believed that myth of Camelot for decades.
She romanticised the Kennedy presidency.

[silva]

I have always enjoyed your authentically personal book nook as a backdrop for your readings. People really can complain about the most ridiculous things!!

[flowerjpotter]

The strictly stylised funeral and Jackie striving for a future not dependent on the big Kennedy family sounds like Jackie needed to assert her own sense of control.

You look lovely in red Cheere.

[bluerose_]

Somehow, somewhere, I believe the narrative was lost on the whole Camelot metaphor. The point of Camelot is the pure-of-heart King set high ideals for his people and wanted nothing less than perfection for them. "The rain may never fall till after sundown, by eight the morning fog must disappear". The table was round so no one is above another. It was utopian dreaming and finally achieved, but only for a very short time because the darker forces of the human condition destroyed it. And that's what I believe Jackie wanted to portray..."Let them see what they've done"
The last line in the song is, "in short there's simply not, a more congenial spot, for happily-ever-aftering than here in Camelot"
I would invite anyone reading this book to listen to the whole recording of the song, it's pretty wonderful!
Jackie rose to the occasion on this one elevating JFK s legacy.

[carolwillingham]

I remember Jackie redecorating the White House befitting its place in our nation. Yes, she had a good eye for design. But also of propriety of situation. Hence the seemingly easy planning of the service. I seem to remember Elizabeth and Phillip chimed in with ideas too. Jackie was known for her simple elegance. It showed in these efforts too.

[HarrietCraig]

I always wondered why Jackie acted so destitute prior to getting with Ari.
She used the kids’ needs as an excuse to, but I think she was worried about her own standard of living.

[createstuff]

I think of military funerals, line of duty law enforcement funerals, royal funerals, etc. They are so exacting. The comfort comes, in part, from the ritual of the pomp and ceremony. It stiffens your back a bit even as it moves you. Everything must be precise - the medals, the uniform, the flags, everything. There is something in that which draws people together in the moment.

I could see channeling your personal grief into the last act of your marriage that you can unilaterally control before trying to figure out what a new normal looks like for your young family alone.

For as much as Jack respected her vision, I have to believe that he would probably have approved of her art directing his legacy.

[coletteharman]

I was in grade one when my teacher left the classroom to be told the news of the tragedy by the school principal. She came back into the classroom to tell all of us 5 and 6 year old children that ‘a great man had died today’. I am the same age as Caroline Kennedy so I remember JFK’s assassination with remarkable empathy…I could imagine how sad I’d be if my daddy died. Also, it was the first time I’d ever seen my mother cry. These two memories helped imprint this tragedy in my mind. Those of us of a certain age always remember where we were when JFK was killed.