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THANKSGIVING 1963, by             Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography


"Thanksgiving 1963" by Philip Booth is a reflective and somber meditation set against the backdrop of a beach scene, intertwining personal and collective experiences of loss, isolation, and the search for solace in nature's cycles. The poem's setting and timing, implied by its title, suggest a connection to the national mourning following President John F. Kennedy's assassination in November 1963, offering a poignant exploration of grief and endurance in the face of profound tragedy.

The poem opens with a stark image: "She walks a beach assaulted by the sea." This line immediately establishes a scene of confrontation between the individual and the relentless forces of nature. The sea, with its "Gray waves horse the tide ashore," becomes a symbol of the overwhelming and uncontrollable aspects of life and death, echoing the suddenness and violence of the assassination. The use of the word "assaulted" conveys a sense of aggression and intrusion, mirroring the shock and violation felt by the nation.

The juxtaposition of the woman walking the beach and the man sailing "far out, alone, beyond retreat" introduces a motif of separation and isolation. It suggests the distances—emotional, physical, and existential—that tragedies can create between individuals and within communities. The sea's "muffled drums slowly on her heart" evokes the steady, oppressive weight of sorrow, a personal grief that resonates with the collective heartache of the period.

Booth's depiction of the wind that "never sleeps" and the sea that "originates and ends" speaks to the eternal, cyclical nature of life and the natural world, which contrasts with human mortality and the abruptness of loss. The imagery of the woman keeping "the beachhead, reining in an empty horse" and her solitary beachfire guiding "long ships on their long course" symbolizes the struggle to maintain control, hope, and direction in the face of despair and the unknown.

The poem's closing lines, "Now may she sleep by how the slow sea breaks / And finally weep, this night of our dark thanks," offer a resolution of sorts—a permission to find rest and release in the constancy of the sea's rhythms. The mention of "this night of our dark thanks" subtly transforms the traditional connotations of Thanksgiving from one of celebration to a more complex acknowledgment of gratitude intertwined with sorrow, marking the endurance of the human spirit in the face of tragedy.

"Thanksgiving 1963" is a deeply evocative piece that captures a moment of national and personal mourning through the lens of a solitary figure against the vastness of the sea. Booth employs the natural landscape as a mirror to the internal landscape of grief, offering a contemplative space where the personal and historical merge. Through its somber tone and vivid imagery, the poem invites reflection on the ways in which we navigate loss, seek connection, and find meaning in the continuation of life amidst the inevitability of death.

POEM TEXT: https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/21/opinion/thanksgiving-1963.html


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