The symbolism of the Twin Towers

I was seven years old when the twin towers were attacked and destroyed. As a young kid, I was not able to absorb the enormity of this event, but I was able to ascertain that something was wrong. At the time, my mom worked on Wall Street and was about to head out to work, in a building across from the World Trade Center, when she saw on the news the towers crashing to the ground. I remember coming home from school, wondering why we did not have recess that day, and facing my mom, with tears in her eyes, as she tried to explain the meaning of the attacks to me in the simplest way. What I gathered at that age, was that the Twin Towers were a symbol for something bigger, something American and that there were “outsiders” who wanted the that image destroyed.

As I have grown through the years, I have obviously been able to learn about the complexity and intricacies of the September 11th attacks. I know now that the United States was not completely innocent, although the people in the towers that died were. The Twin Towers were not randomly picked. It was a very purposeful attack. Think of all the places that they could’ve crashed a plane into that would’ve been equally detrimental: Statue of Liberty, Empire State building, etc. But the terrorists chose the Twin Towers with much deliberation.

The Twin Towers are a symbol of the economic and global power of America. It is a representation of everything other countries loathe and envy about the United States. The Towers represent the power and weaknesses of America; the greediness and the generosity,  the empathy and the apathy, the freedom and constrictions. To my mom, the Towers meant her work. It was the center of the stock market and brokerage dealers. It was everything she worked for and it was shot down in minutes.

Harvey makes some very interesting points in his work. He explains that the Twin Towers were the perfect target for a terrorist attack. He also shows how America was expanding globally and become a center city for international trades. Because New York City has become a global city, it has become an easier target for those who may not be as happy with the “American principles.” Although obviously the attacks were horrible and innocent people should never be killed, he explains from an outside perspective why other countries would be unhappy with the values and actions of the U.S. An interesting point he made, which made me think about the decisions of the U.S. was that more innocent people were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan during the war, than that of the World Trade Center bombing. Yet that was never really publicized in the American media during the time. It makes one think about our policies and our role in international affairs. Are we really as good as we think we are, or do we really stand up for what we say we believe? I’m not so sure anymore.