Hello there, everyone! Today, I want to discuss a serious issue, which is the tragic 9/11 event, with all of you. I remember my 9/11 experience vividly, even though this traumatic event occurred over a decade ago. I recall being in front of my large “60 inch” television screen, watching the footage of the first plane, and eventually the second plane, crashing into the two monumental buildings. At that moment, I was with my brother and mom, getting ready for school. Due to my naivete at that young age, I could not comprehend what had just occurred. The only thought that occurred to me was “Is Daddy, okay?” because I knew he worked in the city. I also remember my mom’s worried expression, rapidly dialing the numbers on the home telephone with her nimble fingers. Fortunately, my dad was safe from harm and far from the disastrous event at that time. Next, I could see the billowing dark clouds of smoke engulfing the very atmosphere of the earth in front of the television screen. At that time, I was just hoping everyone would be all right.
Now that many years have passed and I am more knowledgeable about the 9/11 tragedy, I want to use this opportunity to reflect upon this unfortunate incident. That day over 3000 thousand innocent lives were lost, including our tenant’s son. I was heartbroken when I found out that our friendly tenant had lost his one and only son amidst this distressing event. Even though this event did not impact me as severely as other individuals, I can imagine vicariously their pain and deep grief over the loss of a loved one. Who knew such an unexpected occurrence would transpire? I’m just glad everyone in my family was fine, but I greatly feel sorry for those who actually lost someone dear to them. It truly causes me much agony to see the unrelenting tears and the extreme destruction that was caused that day. The Twin Towers, one of the powerful financial symbols of this nation, completely obliterated… While viewing Fahrenheit 9/11 and my own research, I grasped a clearer understanding of why 9/11 took place. Yes, the lives of over 3000 civilians had perished in the deadly attack, but we were at fault, too. My feelings towards this event are ambivalent. I definitely sympathize with the families that had to witness their loved ones pass away in front of them and understood the immoral deeds done upon this nation. Nevertheless, why does a country as powerful as the United States have to interfere in the status quo of other foreign nations? Maybe if we were not so nosy, a tragedy such as this could have been precluded.
I am in accordance with the fact that Michael Moore may have criticized George W. Bush severely, but I think that President Bush should have been more decisive about his actions. In my opinion, I just feel that President Bush worsened the situation. For instance, he foolishly and incorrectly came to the conclusion that Iraq was in possession of nuclear weapons, and decided to drop bombs on the country. Little did he know that Saudi Arabia was the main cause of this event, not Iraq. Thus, even more innocent people died and many families suffered. I mean for goodness sake, the man (President Bush) can barely pronounce the word “nuclear.” I do not mean to be so harsh, but President Bush should have at least thought twice before coming to a final decision.
After 9/11, I think most people’s perceptions of New York changed. For example, many people thought security measures should be more strictly enforced (as seen from the Patriot Act) and that the people of New York felt more united than once before (more supportive of a war on terrorism). 9/11 made New Yorkers realize that the unexpected can happen at any given moment and racial stereotypes were wrongly made about all Muslims being terrorists. Essentially, this event caused the people of New York to fear traveling by plane due to risk of another terrorist attack. I believe that while 9/11 may have had more of a direct impact on the people of New York, it also affected the people who do not live there. Individuals outside of New York may have had family members in New York that suffered from the event and they also understood the loss of a “big symbol” of this country. Just because we are far apart from the event doesn’t mean we can’t feel the pain of others.
Moreover, I agree with Rui Yan’s comment about 9/11 being a part of history and that it should not be portrayed as art. I feel that the works of an artist can definitely arouse memories of the event and enable us to ponder the severity of it. However, I believe that artists cannot depict the actual traumatic experience that the people have viewed with their own eyes. When someone actually witnesses such a tragic event occur in front of them, an indelible mark is left upon them. Viewing the 9/11 event via art will cause emotions to rise within us, but the sentiments we experience on the day of the event are different because the images are so lucid in our memory. Overall, I just feel that the work of these artists gives us the chance to remember that such an event had occurred. Just like any other major historical event, 9/11 will continue to be passed on for the generations to come as a depressing and shocking day for many.
Life can be very volatile at times and who knows what may happen the next minute or even second. It’s important to be prepared for what lies ahead in the future and I just hope that a horrible event, such as 9/11, never happens again. When I watch the videos of people mourning over the loss of those they lost that day, a sudden pain strikes my heart. Like everyone else, I wished this event had not taken place. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Now that we are a more modernized country, I hope that whatever decisions that are made in the future are the right ones, for even the smallest of decisions can have drastic consequences.
