September 11, 2001, an important date to be remembered in history. Just like the other experience of New York City, if people are not in it, they cannot understand it. I was not in New York City during this painful event, so I do not know how New Yorkers’ feeling has change since this event. My memory of September 11 was vague. News was inserted in the middle of every television programs. I watched the reports of the planes crashing the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. People in the Twin-Towers were waving white towels, and many of them jumped off the window soon after. People on the streets were covered with dust and blood. The Twin-Towers fell, creating huge cloud of dust. My mother was busy calling her sister in New York to see whether she was safe. That was all I could remember. After all, I was only a second-grader living on the other side of the Earth. I didn’t think much about it because it was not important to me, at least at that time. As I grow up, September 11 became a political term to me rather than a tragic event. I have always heard on the news about how the event has affected the international economy, how the position of the United States has changed since that day, etc. September 11 is a turning point that the politicians and economists always refer to. It is also an event that is so deviated from me that I almost doubt about its existence. Of course, September 11 has impacted New Yorkers more than anyone else. You simply cannot expect a Chinese farmer to know what happened in New York City on September 11, 2001.
While New Yorkers’ perception on New York City has changed a lot after September 11, the international position of New York City didn’t change. The city is still the most important international financial center. People from different countries still look upon it as one of the most modern and significant cities in the world. Although September 11 has added a sense of sadness and horror to New Yorkers and placed the city in a more sensitive political position than before, what New York City represents doesn’t change. It is still a very symbolic place.
The arts of September 11 are as symbolic to New Yorkers as New York City is to people around the world. In my opinion, September 11 is a part of history, and arts cannot and should not portray history. Arts serve as remedies in such tragic event. The “9/11 Peace Story Quilts” are the most palpable examples. They remind people not to forget this tragedy while encouraging them to live peacefully and harmonically with each other. People who saw these quilts can easily connect the tragic event with the messages of the quilts. New Yorkers who has experienced it directly can seek comfort from them; people who didn’t experience it would have a deeper memory of this tragedy. No matter who they are, they will all understand the importance of peace, tolerance and acceptance. The quilts convey messages that can help people greatly in their healing and learning processes. “The Mercy Seat” is a less meaningful piece of arts to me in regard of September 11. This play is considered a masterpiece because it zooms into people’s real reactions of the event instead of telling a trite heroic story. Yet, I don’t see anything that is worth mentioning in this play. Although the heroic stories are cliché, they will be passed on for years. The reality is, when facing a national tragedy, every citizen became so tiny that individualism is simply meaningless. It is true that there were people who act like Ben and Abby, but artists shouldn’t create works base on these inhumane stories. Artists should encourage people to continue on with their lives, or to remind them about the morals related to the events. What I read in “The Mercy Seat” are two “traitors of society.” While people are overcoming every obstacle in this tragedy, there are some people in some corners of the city are trying to escape all of their responsibilities. Even if these stories are true, is it proper to present them as arts of September 11?
Arts do not and cannot portray the facts in history. Yet, artists can often change people’s views through their works. In a tragic event like September 11, arts should cure people’s wounds. It should also encourage people to continue with their lives, and be aware of the issues exist in the world. September 11 is certainly an important event, but what people learn from it is equally important.
