September 11, 2001

Who could ever forget that date? America, our country, our land, was attacked. Thousands of New Yorkers lost their lives in the destruction of the World Trade Centers; Mothers, Fathers, sons, daughters, friends, and loved ones were lost that day. Everywhere, tears were shed and anguish filled the hearts of many. I remember being in third grade having barely a clue, about the severity of the situation. I was in class at the time, and my friends were constantly leaving the room one by one. My teacher told us simply to go to the computer lab and play games until we were picked up. Like the clueless child I was, I was happy that school ended so abruptly. However, my mind got a big slap in the face once I realized the gravity of the situation. I came home to my mother sitting silently on the living room couch, staring at the TV screen nearly teary-eyed. I took a look at the TV and saw what she had been staring at. My face, excited for being home early, suddenly became empty. This was no happy situation. My mother came over to me and hugged me for a long time, talking endlessly about the people in the building. I didn’t know what to think. I was a mere child. The burning buildings didn’t pull me as much as it did to those who knew just what had happened. Now, when I think back about it, a great sadness just takes over me; I think of the people who died, their families, what they must be going through, and I always end up thanking God that no one in my family was hurt. Perhaps this is why, growing up early on, I never gave too much of my attention to the events of 9/11. If I had lost a family member, I’m sure I would be in deep pain even now, never forgetting their image as the numbers pass through my head.

Shortly after September 11th, the atmosphere over New York City changed. More security measures were being taken, racism against middle eastern people grew, a stark sadness came upon the City’s people as well as a great sense of patriotism, and the tallest building that loomed over everyone and everything, was gone. Fast forward to now, life in New York City is back to normal. One would think that after the attacks, city dwellers would be overcome with fear and flood the more suburban areas, and that no one would want to visit New York in fear of another attack, yet quite the opposite happened. A lot of people still live and work in New York City today and tourism is also pretty high just as it was before the attacks. For those outside of New York, their perception of New York City did not change (at least not significantly) despite the devastating event ten years ago. Foreigners from all over the world, and from other parts of America still come here for the same reasons they did before September 11th. They still come to see the art, the plays, the amazing city lights, and to do some sightseeing. However, this doesn’t mean that they just overlook what happened on 9/11. They are well aware of what happened, it’s just that the image and fantasy of New York still prevails in the minds of many.

Although the impact of 9/11 was widespread in America, it proved to hold more meaning to those who lived in New York City. For starters, that’s where the attack was directed. New York lost one of its biggest icons and thousands of its people. No one else felt the pain that New York felt. We lost people in our community. The people that don’t live in New York don’t understand how the loss truly feels, save a few. I can say this with certainty. The family men and women of New York in the World Trade Center, the first responders from our brave police and fire department, gone.

Although artists constantly portray September 11th in many ways, not one of them can truly portray the traumatic events as it unfolded that very day. There are many moving pieces of art about 9/11 that do capture great emotion and have a lot of meaning, but nothing comes close to expressing the first hand destruction of the Twin Towers but the event itself. There’s just too much for any one piece of art to capture. Recreating the confusion, the anger, and the sadness that enveloped that day just seems impossible. You can tell one story, or maybe hundreds about 9/11 with a piece of art, but you can never get the real feeling unless it is repeated, God forbid.

September 11th was a tough day for all of us in New York. Although it was only 10 years ago, we still remember. Every New Yorker has their own experience that they remember quite vividly. Even someone like me who was a mere kid at the time, can recall that very day (although in a much different way). I’ll never forget it. God bless the people who lost their lives that day, and the families that mourn them. In particular, I want to give my special thanks and prayers to Cesar Borja, a family friend, who was a first responder on that fateful day. God bless his soul, and may they all rest in peace.

*Flashback*
Date: September 11th, 2001
Place: New York City

There I was. Sitting in Mrs. Marcus’ third grade class, without a clue as to what was about to unfold. My day started off like any other day, breakfast, morning cartoons, failed attempt at trying to stay home from school by faking some sort of ailment, and eventually ending up at my elementary school, P.S. 46 located in Bayside. Mrs. Marcus had just told us to take out our grammar workbooks, when the commotion began to start. Being seated right next to the door, I could see that teachers started to roam the halls and whispering to one another. Since I was a mere eight years old, my logic was that the teachers were about to throw some major surprise party for everyone in the gymnasium… sadly I was wrong. RING RING RING! The phone rang and student number one was told to leave the room. My jealously raged as I saw this child freed from the tortures confined within this jail they called school, until the phone rang again. RING RING RING! Another student is told to gather their things and meet their mother downstairs. I could not believe how lucky these kids were, until the phone rang once more. RING RING RING! Astonishingly, I was the next kid told to go home. Jumping with joy, without thinking twice about why parents would be picking up their kids from school, I picked up my Scooby Doo backpack and skipped down stairs to find my mother in the office. All of a sudden my smile was wiped clear off my face. My little brother was being taken home too after being home sick for three days! That’s when I knew something was wrong. The phones were ringing off the hook in the office and parents were flooding the main entrance. We leave school to pick up my older brother, and I asked my mother what was wrong. She says, “I don’t know.” We get home and I turn on the T.V. to two buildings on fire, tons of smoke, and people in fear. I asked, “Where is that?” and my mother responds “In the city.” “Isn’t that where Dad works?” “Yes, his building is a couple of blocks away.” “Is he ok?” “I don’t know.”

This memory will forever be a part of me, and my perception of New York City. I didn’t know it at the moment, but with time I realized that this memory would always give me a sort of intimate connection with the city itself that no one else would understand. Yes, the nation was attacked and, as Americans, we all felt vulnerable for the first time in I don’t know how many years, but when you could see the cloud of smoke from your window, it’s difficult to actually take it all in. At first, it was the fear for my father’s life, then it was the fear for the people in that building, and eventually I was worried about my own well being. I’m not saying that the 9/11 experience New Yorkers felt was more traumatic than someone who wasn’t living in New York City, but it was very personal. Everyone was scared, nobody knew why or what was going to happen next, all we knew was that something terrible had happened.

I can definitely say that although 9/11 was a tragic event, it did bring out the best in most New Yorkers. For the next couple of months, my father told me how people were much more willing to help one another and console one another as if we were all one big family that had just experienced a death in the family. He said that he had never seen the city pull together so closely in his entire life. If you weren’t a New Yorker, you wouldn’t have been able to see the direct effect 9/11 had had on the people of New York City, which makes it that much more meaningful to New Yorkers in my eyes.

The artists who portray 9/11 in their work will all get the same emotion, fear, sadness, maybe even a little anger. But it’s those who take such a tragic event and use it to convey a sense of hope that I feel portray it effectively. Within all the heartbreak and tears, emerged a sense of good will and hope that urged people to pull together in under such tragic circumstances. The 9/11 Peace Story Quilt is a perfect example of an artwork that displays the events in a meaningful way. Not only does it present the stories of multiple New Yorkers on that day, but it also bestows people with that sense of hope felt afterwards that everything is going to be ok. Michael Moore and his film Fahrenheit 9/11, on the other hand, was a piece of artwork that not only exploited a tragic event to convey a political message but took advantage of people’s emotions. The last thing someone should do is take a terrible event and use it for his or her own personal gain, which is far from meaningful. Despite artists similar to Michael Moore, there are people out their who can and have effectively taken the events of 9/11 and portrayed them in way that brings hope into our hearts.

Everyone has their own memory of 9/11 that is just as important to them as it is to me. If one can remember the events as clearly and vividly as I do to this day, it definitely was a major milestone in one’s life. The traumatic events gave people a new perspective on New York City, and that all depends on how you look at it. Maybe it was some sort of sympathy, understanding, fear; regardless New York City would never be the same to anyone. The World Trade Center, two of the largest buildings in the world, were taken off the face of the earth only to live within our hearts and minds.

I must say I was never personally affected by the 9/11 attacks. I had never gotten the chance to set foot or even see the Twin Towers. I was in my third grade classroom at the time, struggling to pay attention in math class. I remember my classmates getting picked up by their parents. As the classroom grew emptier, I grew more impatient. I was terribly confused, but not at all scared. (I had no idea one of our country’s greatest landmarks was being destroyed by terrorists.) It wasn’t until I got home that I learned the Twin Towers had collapsed. I spent the rest of the evening sitting in front of the television with my family, watching the news in horror. I don’t really remember much else that had happened that day. Because I was so young at the time, and really hadn’t experienced the city at all, 9/11 did not change my perception of New York.

There were many others, however, that were directly affected by this incident. New York used to be seen as a city that was safe and lively. It was a symbolism of hope, a place where people could make their “dreams come true”. After the attacks though, people realized that no matter how prosperous and whimsical New York may seem, it could still be a target for catastrophic attacks. 9/11 destroyed the healthy image of New York City for many people. When the Twin Towers fell, a large part of New York’s majestic reputation was destroyed. Other than this, nothing much has changed in New York. Many people went about their business the very next day, and carried on with their daily routines. This incident epitomizes E.B White’s (author of “Here is New York” and Charlotte’s Web) words when he states that New York “is peculiarly constructed to absorb almost anything that comes along”. Even though our city suffered a traumatic event, it is still strong enough to continue functioning. Even ten years after the terrorist attacks, New York is still one of the most tourist-attracting cities in the country.

I don’t think 9/11 is any more meaningful to New Yorkers than it is for everyone else. If one of the states in America is attacked, the whole country is affected. Every American was affected in some way from this incident. Also, there were other sites in America that were under attack, such as the Pentagon in Washington D.C.

Artists can definitely portray 9/11 in a meaningful way. A perfect example would be the documentary Fahrenheit 9/11. Michael Moore was able to show the audience the significance of our loss of the Twin Towers. Though he chose a perspective that judged President Bush very harshly, Moore managed to express his message very clearly. Another piece of artwork that captures the importance of 9/11 is the 9/11 Peace Story Quilt at the MET. This quilt focuses on the 9/11 attacks but also stresses the importance of “communication across cultures and religions to achieve the goal of peace”. Artists can create works of art that help preserve our memories of the most significant historical events of our nation.

It is remarkable that two numbers can have such an impact in the minds of a New Yorker. Nine-elleven. It is a number that no one can mistake or erase from their memories, no matter how hard they may try.  It is a number that holds extreme significance in American society, as well as importance around the world. It is a number that many people associate with different ranges of emotions, from fear to pain to compassion to anger. The World Trade Center attack was more than just a number though. It was an event that destroyed the naivety of the city to the outside world. 9/11 was a wake up call.

Ringing phones bombarded my house the day of 9/11. Everyone was concerned for my mom, who worked downtown on Wall Street during the time. Luckily for me and everyone who knew her, my mom was late to work that day. She was just about to head into the city when she quickly turned on the T.V. and flipped on the news to look at traffic reports. What she saw instead was something that would change he perception of New York for the rest of her life. She remembers the day so vividly; her panic, calling her friends who were working across the street from the Towers, seeing the second plane crash into the building and in that moment the phone line going dead. She remembers the confusion surrounding how she should grapple the issue of explaining the event to my brother and I, who were 7 and 5 respectively. She remembers not going to work for 3 weeks afterwards and loosing a whole firm that she worked with to the attacks. Every single person in the company dead. She remembers the smell of burning rubble and the feeling of her burning eyes; from both the debris in the air and the tears she cried.

My perception of the event was extremely different. On that day I remember a strange feeling among the teachers in the school. There was a certain tense vibe about them, one that I never got from my calm second grade teacher. I remember being upset that I wasn’t allowed to play outside during recess that day, and not understanding why. I was so disappointed and cursed whatever reason stopped me from my playtime. I remember, selfishly, that I was happy that my mom wasn’t going to work for three weeks. I loved it when stayed home, and I remember during those weeks wishing something else would come up so that my mom would never have to work again and she could spend all her time with me. I was happy and unconcerned.

We both looked at the event of 9/11 through different lenses. One from the perspective of a mature adult and the other of an innocent child. Over the course of the past couple of weeks we have read and observed works of art from these two vastly different points of view. The Peace Quilt and parts of the novel of Extremely Loud and Incredibly close reflects the innocence yet complex emotions revolving around 9/11 from a child’s perspective. On the other hand, The Mercy Seat and the film Fahrenheit 9/11 both involve the morality and politics surrounding the day, ideas that involve a more mature audience. Both are significant and play a role in the portrayal of the event. The works of art we viewed all had a way of taking the trauma of 9/11 and making it personal or meaningful. They all served a purpose and reflection on the event, a way of expressing the varying changing feelings after the catastrophe. The most important fact is that the emotions in all the works of art are legitimate. They are a response to the attack and therefore are appropriate ways of coping, shaping, and recovering from the event. In order to move on and heal, people need to write, draw and express in any way they possibly can. Art is a necessary part of the process and includes portraying the event in ways that are meaningful to every individual.

Since 9/11 there seems to have been a growing wariness throughout the City, as well as the country. The World Trade Center attack was so impact full because in a sense it is the first time the U.S. was completely vulnerable and unaware. Before, the City was a place of life and vitality, somewhere that had never been in fear of attacks or “terrorism.” Since then, people are more aware of the who they are sitting next to on the bus. They keep their cellphones with them at all times. They dare not to take liquids on a plane or look the flight attendant in the eye for too long, for fear that they might be “suspicious looking.” On that day, the ignorance and bliss of America was destroyed. Now war is all we seem to read about and the economy is all we complain about. The perception of the world around us and our image of the United States to foreign countries was questioned. Maybe we aren’t so great after all? Why would another group of people be so bitter towards us…all we want is democracy, right? How could the U.S. have been so blind to the threats and not have taken any action to prevent this attack? The eyes of the American public are now opened.

I think the attack of 9/11 holds different significance to individuals based on how they were connected to the attack, rather than where they were located. For example, a person living on the Upper West Side could have been more removed from the event than a person living in Mississippi who had a brother that worked in the Towers. Meaningfulness is all relative. Obviously, those who live in New York City have a greater likelihood of being more intertwined with The World Trade Center attacks just because of where they live and who they know, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that people from outside weren’t effected as well, on another level. The 9/11 attacks effected individuals around the world in different ways. Whether it be their mentality of traveling to other countries or foreign policies or having to witness your parent’s death, 9/11 was traumatic and effected everyone in a certain way.

I don’t think there is a life in New York that wasn’t touched by 9/11. Even if it wasn’t personal, a sense of safety and security was diminished. Even though I myself don’t remember much from before 9/11, I do know that the airport wasn’t so ridiculously difficult to get into and you stare at the skyline without feeling like something is missing.

While I don’t think perceptions of New York were changed, New Yorkers themselves were changed. We were (and still are) proud people, but our ability to feel safe in the city we lived and worked in was diminished. Outsiders were too scared to come here and for a while New Yorkers were stunned. The event that occurred was literally unthinkable, especially because we all thought it was an accident at first. I remember sitting in my classroom feeling horribly jealous of all the kids that got to go home. My third grader mind didn’t register the fact that if more than half of my class had left that something terrible must have happened. I was ecstatic when my mom finally picked me up, but once I saw her face I knew I shouldn’t show my joy. The one thing I remember more than anything was watching the news when I got home. Some may think it was wrong for my mom to let me watch the news, but looking back on it I’m glad she did. It isn’t like the tragedy traumatized me, but it let me know that the world wasn’t a utopia and things could go wrong. The most destructive factor about nine eleven, besides the lives lost, is the loss of feeling safe. Obviously though, New York has built itself back up. It continues to be a center for commerce and tourism for people all over the world.

In all honesty, I do think that art can accurately portray the events that occurred on 9/11. Works like Fahrenheit 9/11 and The Mercy Seat hit home when it comes to the event that they surround their work with. Although Fahrenheit 9/11 used the tragedy to display why Bush was a horrible president, it still showed the importance of the event and the severity of it. The Mercy Seat took a more personal route. I love the fact that it took a point of view that more than always would never be considered at the time of a seriously devastating event. Art tends to get every angle of an event or an idea. 9/11 was such a huge event that so many artists can take their vision and portray it right. The Mercy Seat made us stop and think, Fahrenheit 9/11 made us angry and the peace quilts touched a soft spot in our hearts. All three separate works of art evoked different feelings in us for the very same event. To me, this is valid proof that art can truly portray 9/11 and the events that happened that day.

Although more than ten years have passed since September 11, 2001, it still feels like a very recent event. I still find it hard to believe that everything that has happened from the War on Terror to our $15 trillion in national debt has been the effect of a single day. The issues that have sparked from that attack continue to be left unsolved. How do we win a war when the enemy does not show us their face? Do we just invade countries on a hunch that their governments may be harboring terrorists and weapons of mass destruction? Does the new age of technology mean less privacy and more surveillance? When we finally kill the man responsible for the attack, does it end there? No? How far are we willing to go to “win” a war? In the world that we have drifted towards after 9/11, anger and terror are spread like butter on a hot piece of toast. The day of September 11, 2001 will not feel like history until the world decides to let go

Everyone who was in New York on the day of the attack has his or her own story of the event. Although I only began the third grade at the time, I remember vividly what happened. From my classroom in Bayside, Queens I could see the New York City skyline in the distance. It was a sight that felt so special because I thought Manhattan was extremely far away. Although I didn’t realize it till afterwards, on the day of September 11 I gazed at the skyline and saw an excess of black smoke. I was so excited with joy I said, “Hey, look a factory!” I was only eight years old at the time and I didn’t know what was really happening. When I was finally picked up from school that day my brother told me the World Trade Center blew up, to which I responded, “COOL!”

Cool wasn’t the word I should have used, nor was it the word anyone else was using. They all used words like attack, tragic, terrorism, and Muslim. As a Muslim, I’ve never felt differently than anyone else until the word terrorist was coupled with the word Muslim. My parent’s families lived in the United States since the 80s and I was born into this Pakistani-American Muslim family. I felt it was only until after the attacks when Muslims began to be recognized as a separate group. A group that contained a smaller group of radical terrorists hell bent on destroying America. The separation between Muslims and terrorists although obvious, was not apparent to many Americans protesting the recent “Ground Zero Mosque.” I was astonished like many other New Yorkers that these protesters actually believed that the people building the place of worship were the enemy. I like to blame the outsiders who came into New York City just to protest their hatred of Muslims in general. My friends and I did not take any of these protests to heart. It was a real “haters gonna hate” type of moment. It did open my eyes though to the affect that the fear of terrorism had somewhat led to the fear of the Muslim American population in America.

Although the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001 is a national issue, post 9/11 New York City started an era of its own. I believe New York has drastically changed in terms of its message to the rest of the world. It changed from a city of dreams to a city that will continue to dream no matter what the world decides to throw at it. The point of the attack was to show everyone that even the best city in the world could have a bad day. They wanted to destroy the iconic image of the city of dreams, but instead they did the opposite. New York after 9/11 is a stronger city with stronger people. Americans living outside of New York did not witness the way in which our city recuperated and was back on track to being the best city in the world. We overcame our loss in a way that no other city could have done. I do not necessarily remember ever living in a city before 9/11. What I have seen is a city that has gotten back on its feet and continues to express its glamor to the rest of the world.

I believe artists can express the traumatic events of 9/11 in a meaningful way only if they tell a real story. After watching “Fahrenheit 9/11,” I felt that Michael Moore effectively portrayed his hatred towards the government in the handling of the attack and its aftermath. Although his story was extremely biased, I felt it was also true in many aspects. It showed some of the shortcomings of George Bush’s presidency as well as the misinformed decision to invade Iraq. The documentary told a story that was not told before and it was a story that people wanted to listen to. The attacks of September 11 are still a current issue and any type of artwork that elucidates the reality of that day in a new way will be successful. I feel like works such as “The Mercy Seat” will only be successful when September 11 feels more like history. Because the issue is still current, a documentary that elucidates the government handling of 9/11 is more effective than a fictional story about a man pretending to be dead.

Having been very young when 9/11 happened, the gravity of that day did not truly take effect until years later. I remember sitting in a classroom and wondering why so many of my classmates were getting taken out of school early. When my turn came around, I was naturally excited. However, this excitement was soon met with confusion once I asked my mom what brought on this (fortunate) early dismissal from school.

I remember my mother’s expression when she tried to explain the tragedy in simple terms for me. For my eight-year-old mind, my largest concern was that my younger brother (who was born a month later) would never be able to see the two towers. I remember the chaos that was each and every supermarket that day as everyone stocked up on the necessities, and expected the worst.

Looking back, I’m glad that I was young enough to grasp some but not all of the aspects of that day. As a child, my biggest frustration was that no channel seemed to be showing cartoons. What good is getting out of school early if you can’t watch cartoons? Alas, most television watching was closely monitored in my house in the month that followed because the doctors felt that if my mother watched the news it would be too much stress for the baby.

There is no doubt that the events of 9/11 changed the perception of many Americans. America was no longer invincible, out of reach, and out of harm. America was now vulnerable, and that was a concept that brought fear to many Americans. Talk of the war on terrorism and a growing feeling of “Islamaphobia” began to fill the nation. Unfortunately, the latter is a sentiment that still fills many Americans with a misplaced sense of hatred and prejudice.

As a New Yorker, I can say without a doubt that 9/11 is a great deal more meaningful to those that live here. While the effects of that day spread not only around the country, but around the world, only an actual New Yorker can say that they witnessed the towers fall that morning. The image of the twin towers was a monumental figure in New York culture, featured in every skyline. After that day, the skyline for those living in the boroughs has an empty space, a gap left by a tragic, tragic event.

Like any event, artists of all trades have worked to portray the trauma of that day. I believe that it is crucial that artists incorporate 9/11 into music, film, exhibits etc. because it is crucial to keep 9/11 in our collective memory. We must never forget the lives that were lost, and the sense of unity that was felt as Americans worked to help those in need during that period of chaos. I think there is great meaning in art dedicated to 9/11 because it represents a moment that is crucial to this nation’s history, and can be analyzed through a variety of perspectives. Art pertaining to 9/11 helps us to establish a greater sense of understanding of the event, rather than settle for complacency.

9/11 – a day that New Yorkers who were old enough to remember it, will always remember when and where they were for the rest of their lives. I was in my third grade class and suddenly, my classroom was receiving multiple calls and the kids were being taken home. I didn’t know why everybody was being picked up, and thought why wasn’t I being picked up, but other than that, I didn’t really think too much of that until I came home and saw all the planes crashing into the towers and the buildings falling. I will admit, even until this semester, I was indifferent towards these events, mainly because it did not affect me directly and because nobody I knew died, but for many others–about 3,000 others, their associations with 9/11 were very different.

In the larger scheme of things, the tragic events that took place on 9/11 did not have a lasting impact on peoples perceptions of New York, but it did have an impact for the a few years following the attacks. Today, if you were to ask a foreigner from another country, or even another state, “What do you think of New York?” I’m sure the first answer they give wouldn’t have any relation to the burning towers as long as they didn’t know anybody who died that day, which most, fortunately do not. Although we may never forget these events, New Yorkers have learned to move on and take steps towards the healing process. One of these steps that we have taken is the building of the 9/11 memorial and the reflecting pools, it is a place where we can reflect on the past, and heal from it. The new towers that are being built as a replacement, are being called the “Freedom Towers” which will be a symbol of freedom in New York.

New Yorkers have a special bond when it comes to 9/11. It is a special experience that we all share together; we have experienced first hand the devastation of 9/11. People from other parts of the country and world have a way less meaningful association with 9/11 because you have to be here, in New York, to truly understand the impact that 9/11 has had. Somebody from Flat, Alaska undoubtedly has a different understand of the events that took place on that day from somebody who was in New York at the time.

In this day age, the media, and artists are always trying to capture these events, and cement them into our memories forever. While there are movies, pictures, paintings that all try to depict what happened, it is impossible to accurately do so, without actually being in New York at the time. These forms of art only add to what we know about 9/11, but it doesn’t give us the foundation that can only be given by actually experiencing the event. The Mercy Seat, is the fictional account of a couple who wants to take advantage of this devastating day, to elope from their families. Even though I think this play does speak to the altitude and havoc that this event brought, to me, it just seems totally unrealistic. I don’t think that after this, any sane—or even insane human being would try to take advantage of this and run away from their families, making them think that they are dead. The 9/11 peace story quilt on display at the Metropolitan Museum also makes another attempt at portraying the traumatic events and it definitely does have meaning to a lot of people, but again, only to those people who were old enough to remember. Children growing up now will not care about the art depicted because they don’t remember anything that happened that day but they will still know that it happened, which is actually a good thing. Because of these events, the nation has become united and stronger.

911- a number that once rescued people and represented safety and security, suddenly became horrific and took a dreadful turn to symbolize agony and fear. Who knew it’s meaning would change so drastically and painfully? A single day became so historic as made its way to newspapers, movies, books and even magazines. New York was shook with an earthquake of infinite magnitude as the terrorists ruthlessly hit the Twin Towers.  The sleepless and miraculous city of lights that inspired awes and wonders was suddenly forced to a foreign feeling of piercing silence. Looking back, one would wonder how much NYC has changed since the attacks…I would say, so much has changed yet so little is different.

Growing up in New York City and having almost all of my memories constructed after 9/11, my perception of NY lacked a true before and after effect. I was too young to notice New York’s unique aura and life. Every city was filled with yellow cabs, bright lights and wondrous skyscrapers, wasn’t it? Like any other city, we were terrified and enraged by the attacks. The event was difficult to swallow as we fell in a state of chaos, grief, and commemoration. I knew that the attacks were a harsh reality all along. Overtime however, I came to learn that the post 9/11 perceptions and atmosphere of a unique city such as New York were worth noticing as well.

At the very beginning when the wounds of 9/11 were raw and vulnerable, the world realized that it took a serious hit such as these attacks to truly stop the NYC. A sudden fear for safety and terrorism was born, and NYC’s image of being undaunted and full fantasies was shattered. This city too could be touched and attacked; it was not as amazing as the world drew it to be. New Yorkers themselves drowned in confusion, for what they thought was a highly admired place was now being attacked. They lived in a never-ending state of fear and alarm, for their city was no longer safe. Overtime however, the city slowly began to take its original shape again. It walked out of its darkness and confusion by taking the tragedy and pain to become even stronger. It proved its miraculous nature by keeping its inhabitants and even attracting more tourists than ever. People began to marvel at NYC’s phenomenal strength to continue as a fashion, business, art, and cultural capital. People’s perceptions today highly revolve around the city’s ability to overcome its loss. Granted that the city takes paranoid and strict measures to avoid safety today, it can be seen that it learned from its experience and made sure to keep the colorful bubble of NYC floating.

9/11 is definitely much more meaningful to New Yorkers compared to those who don’t live here. Watching an attack unfold solely through television miles away is nothing like experiencing hysteria and attack in one’s home state. To an extent, a television or newspaper story is just like that of a history book. It’s filled with facts and perhaps forced emotions that one cannot possibly grasp unless they stand amidst the event. We lost friends, family members, and an icon of NYC. People who don’t live here can express sympathy, but condolences fall too short to fill in the gaps of members lost and the throbbing pain of the incident. Only a New Yorker can understand how life has changed and he/she will experience it every single day. The world will forget this incident and newspapers will begin covering crime and finance again, but NYC will remain forever changed. It will not be the same for the New Yorker who has either lost a family member or was just too used to the twin buildings towering over the city. Whether it’s the tragedy of 9/11 itself or the post atmosphere of NYC, every New Yorker has been affected by 9/11 and his/her experience cannot match that of someone who does not live here.

Artists can uptake different lens to portray the traumatic events of 9/11 in an impacting and tearful way. However, I don’t think any artwork can embody the ecaxt heart felt shock and emotions that actual 9/11 footage stirs. Artwork is after all, a work of art that’s created to represent something. It cannot ever be the actual thing. In the same way, books, paintings and movies can recreate characters and stories of 9/11, but they can’t possibly come to represent the true trauma of the event. Every person experienced 9/11 extremely differently. Artwork can’t represent the very experience and emotion experience by an individual. The Mercy Seat is just one example of an uncommonly displayed, yet probable experience of people. All sorts of people were affected. People lost loved ones during the attacks, whether the victims were workers at the buildings or firemen just trying to help. People suffered from diseases and serious traumatic disorders as a result of the attacks. People became victims of post 9/11 racism, despite being innocent and equally grief struck. Seeing racism inflicted on my fellow Muslim friends and family as I grew up, I emphasize that there is this other world of victims that don’t come to mind when an average person thinks of the 9/11 attacks. Hence, only the actual 9/11 footage can evoke those strong emotions within each type of victim, because it is that sole scene that caused so much to happen in people’s lives in different ways. It is that sole scene that every victim wishes to undo somehow. Different artworks cannot do justice in delivering the trauma of the event for everyone.

It’s funny—my view of New York has not changed much, if at all, since 9/11.  It’s probably because I don’t remember New York City before 9/11, before the National Guard swarmed around Penn Station and before the city’s unofficial motto became “If you see something, say something”.  It also definitely has to do with how my family handled the event.  I know each family had to deal with it in their own way, but my parents were actually exceedingly calm about it (at least in front of my brother and me).  A few minutes before nine on September 11, I was getting ready to leave for school when my mom clicked over to the news because the picture on the cartoon I had on was fuzzy.  As chance would have it, the image in front of us was of smoke pouring out of the North Tower.  At that point no one knew what was going on, but my mom instantly reassured me that my dad was nowhere near the World Trade Center (at the time he worked at Teachers College).  From that moment on my parents tried to keep things as normal as possible.  They decided not to pick my brother and me up early from school that day, and although my dad came home late that night, he still went back to work at 7 in the morning the next day, just like he always did.  (But to be fair, my dad is also infamous for going to work in snowstorms and hurricanes.  And to think he hasn’t been a mailman for 40 years.)

Although my view of New York City was not really affected by 9/11, that certainly wasn’t the case for everyone.  I feel like at least in my town of Seaford, Long Island many people now view the city as an unsafe place.  There are plenty of people around here who never go to the city anymore because they’re terrified, and a bunch of my district’s field trips to the city were cancelled for years and years after 2001.  I also definitely think people began to view New York as a target.  I had never been on a plane until this past April, but you’d have to live under a rock to not know how much airline security has been tightened in the past decade.  I witnessed it for myself for the first time when I went with my school’s foreign language classes to France from JFK—I knew I had received my airline initiation when I had to take my shoes off and put all my belongings into that plastic cubby.  Even in this very class we witnessed New York being seen as a target when our first performance was cancelled because of the threats of terrorism on the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

Although I do think the attacks on the Twin Towers are more meaningful to people who lived in New York at the time, I also think there are other things we need to remember about September 11 that don’t directly involve New York.  The Pentagon was also hit, the planes originated from Boston, DC, and Newark, and we’ll probably never be 100% sure where exactly the fourth plane was headed.  My brother Chuck was actually in DC for a meeting that day and said it was the eeriest thing—there was one guy in the meeting who had one of the original Blackberries, and everyone was watching the events in New York unfold on the tiny screen when the news cut in to show the Pentagon up in flames.  So while I think that more people from New York have a direct personal connection to the Twin Towers collapsing, I wouldn’t necessarily say that all of the events of September 11 are most meaningful to New Yorkers.

Now, as for the art—I definitely think it’s possible for artists to accurately portray the events of that day.  We read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which I think captured the essence of a child missing a parent who had died in the event.  We also read The Mercy Seat, which conveyed that sense of “…well, now what?”  We watched Fahrenheit 9/11 which, despite (or perhaps because of) its sometimes unfair anger towards President Bush, serves as a manifestation of the post-9/11 disillusionment and anger.  We saw the 9/11 Peace Quilts at the Met, which show September 11 through the eyes of children in New York City.  There have been various concerts over the years in tribute to 9/11, and Bruce Springsteen’s album The Rising focuses on the aftermath of the tragedy.  The one thing that makes the emotions in these pieces believable is that each artist was personally moved by the events.  But really, I think for any work of art to be believable, the artist needs to have an emotional connection to the subject.

To bring everything full circle, I’d like to leave off with a little anecdote.  I mentioned that a lot of people in Seaford are afraid of the city—one person who surprisingly isn’t afraid is my mom, who is a chronic overreactor.  After our trip to the street performance got cancelled, we were talking about all the terrorist warnings and how they affect everyone’s lives.  She put it to me like this:  “Em, Dad is in Manhattan every day.  If something’s going to happen, it’s going to happen and he’s going to be there.  But I can’t live my life being afraid of that every day.”  Even ten years after the events occurred, we as a nation still fear an attack of that caliber or even worse.  Now I’m not saying I don’t sometimes fear that myself—I actually didn’t want to go to the city on September 11 of this year.  But I think it’s so important to work toward realizing that while being afraid is a lot easier than being brave, our strength and unity as a nation is just as powerful as any weapon.