today is the 45th anniversary of the sinking of the USS Thresher

[Front-Ranger]

[mouk]

again, good on point observations! I just keep learning new ways of appreciating Annie Proux. You must be an instructor specializing in the American short story.   

How did you guess? 

Lol OilfieldFriend I have hardly read any American literature at all (blushes in shame). Now I see what I've been missing. Yet another side-effect of BBM...

[brokeplex]

How did you guess? 

Lol OilfieldFriend I have hardly read any American literature at all (blushes in shame). Now I see what I've been missing. Yet another side-effect of BBM...

how could you miss out on being dunked in American literature in school? 

are you in the US?  if not, where are you. just curious, as you really seem to have an excellent grasp AP's writing style.

[mouk]

I was dunked into littérature française instead, cos' I am French. I have lived all my adult life in the UK, though.

[brokeplex]

you should PM "Artiste", he speaks mostly French. 

what part of the UK? I have relatives in Scotland and Ulster, and have visited Britain several times. 

[mouk]

South west, not far from Bristol. Just been to Scotland last weekend, it's beautiful up there... but so cold, brrrr !!!

[Artiste]

Why did Annie mention it in her story?

The gay of the two gay tough old birds, the one who was murdered, he was hurt by horrible pressures of those criminals who tortured him removing his testicals... but no one wants to talk about that? No one prefers to think that could happen to him or her !!

So is life... is like that ship or torture for Annie?

Au revoir,
hugs!

[Dal]

Ooops sorry guys.  Getting here way late.  Anyway FWIW

... and the last sound we hear for Jack is the metallic tire iron and he drowned in his own blood;

Looking up and hoping for rescue maybe, also like the crew.

and the last sounds for Ennis are the 'scratching of fine gravel and sand' (like the bottom of the sea under the Thresher) and a 'load of dirt coming off a dump truck', (as if he was being buried alive)

Doesn't a trailer  remind you of a sub?  The "curved length" of  metal etc.

Nevermore - thanks for that post.  Always interesting to hear somebody who knows what they're talking about can give some additional information.   

[Shakesthecoffecan]

Noelie!  Thank you so much for sharing this.  I've wondered before about Annie's intention in mentioning the Thresher, but never quite understood it.  I think this is extremely insightful.

Lynne
 

I think AP has a mind like a steel trap (would that make her mystically connnected with you, Lynne?) and every word she writes is for a reason, we may not always recognize it right away, but in time it becomes apparent.

May these brave people rest in peace.

[southendmd]

I'm reviving this thread, as I heard a reference to the Thresher today. 

Today, I heard a piece on NPR about a new book called "Letters to Jackie" about the hundreds of thousands  of condolence letters written to Jackie Kennedy in 1963. 

The author, Ellen Fitzpatrick, then noted that she herself had received a letter of condolence from JFK after her husband died in the Thresher, which sank off Cape Cod. 

She had heard about the tragedy from Walter Cronkite, just as many heard about JFK's death from his lips.

Also, I didn't know that the Kingston Trio recorded a song about it:

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=882mvUlwXNc[/youtube]