Captured In An Image

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Captured in an Image Beyond the black and white haze of time, there is a young boy in a tailored blue coat and plaid shorts saluting his father’s coffin as it is driven through the streets of the Washington Capitol. It was this image that restored the hearts of the countless civilians who had been distraught by their leader’s sudden death. The American public was able to find some sort of comfort through the little boy they dubbed, “John-John”, the son of the overwhelmingly adored President John F. Kennedy. This young boy would grow to be a man forever seen in the spotlight. The pictures of his youth remain the pieces of a national photo album. JFK Jr. was just another seedling of the flourishing family tree that remained tied down through its deep roots of political royalty and legacy. It is these particular roots that have given such a definitive form to the short branch of his life. On November 25, 1960, JFK Jr. became the first infant born to a president elect. As most members of his family, he too, would play a role in the country’s Kennedy obsession. Along with a constant presence in the political world, the Kennedy saga was comprised of an infamous propensity for adulterous relationships, scandals and run-ins with the law, and a substantial amount of tragedy. All of which were seemingly front page news throughout the decades. They were a family of mystique tainted by myth, and America found them to be a great source of fascination. They were often referred to as a type of American Royalty and JFK Jr. may be seen as the hesitant crowned prince caught in the mass of media attention and insurmountable expectation. The pressure of withholding a name and the constant hounding of media were the typical endeavors that ha... ... middle of paper ... ...achusetts, with his wife and sister-in-law. The plane tragically crashed ending their short-lived lives. A premature branch on the tree of legacy had fallen. The nation was once again distressed by the death of another beloved Kennedy. However, this time there was no new “John-John” to lift the spirits of the mourning nation. From the moment the camera had captured the small saluting figure of innocence amongst the crowd of mourners, his life became stuck forever in the frame of an image as the many outsiders freely peered in. Works Cited Hellman, John. The Kennedy Obsession. New York: Columbia University, 1997. Leamer, Laurence. Sons of Camelot. New York: Harper Collins, 2004. Powell, Michael. “JFK Jr.: A Child and Man, America’s Crown Prince.” Washington Post Online. 18 Jul. 1999

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