Fear And Loathing In America Summary

One of the most controversial events ever to occur is still being talked about to this day. September 11th, 2001 will forever go down in history as one of the most tragic disasters to hit the United States of America. It was heartbreak for all of us to see those towers fall and thousands upon thousands of American lives destroyed. One might ask themselves; didn’t everything get explained a little too quickly? Why did everyone so quickly forget the details to this tragedy? The events of September 11th, 2001 are surely going to be remembered for its brutal truth and will always remind us of the hate that we as humans can create. The events of September 11th happened so fast that lots of details were overlooked but now, six years later one

Terrorist attacks have increased over the last twenty years, but one of the most remembered is the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. It happened on September 11, 2001; and is commonly referred to as 9/11. Americans grow up learning details about 9/11; but rarely do we learn about a personal experience. In Adam Mayblum’s email “The Price We Pay,” he tells the story of what happened to him, and others around him on the day of September 11, 2001. Mayblum explains in paragraph ten “If you want to kill us, leave us alone because we will do it by ourselves. If you want to make us stronger, attack and we unite.” He made an excellent point with that statement, because he is right. He provides us with imagery, thoughts on terrorism, and strong use of emotions throughout the story that brings us a very well written narrative.

Just like every Tuesday, Jane got up and ready for work. She got up at her usual time, about six AM, had a cup of coffee before she got her kids up and ready for school. As she’s helping her three year old daughter brush her teeth, Jane’s husband came in and said his final goodbyes to his wife. Sadly, neither Jane nor her husband knew that though. After about 7:45 AM Jane had her kids dropped off at school or preschool and was now on her way to work at The World Trade Center. September 11th use to be just a normal day in September until terrible events happened; these events changed America’s homeland security, started a war, and a memorial in New York.

Fear is often characterized as an irrational sense of negativity toward the unknown or the unlikeable. In the eyes of many Americans, the majority of whom proclaim their Christian beliefs, this sensation is considered unavoidable. Marilynne Robinson argues in her article “Fear”, published by The New York Review of Books in 2015, that “...first, contemporary America is full of fear. And second, fear is not a Christian habit of mind” (Robinson 1). In other words, it is ‘unchristian’ to fear. In both the beginning and conclusion, she clearly expresses credibility through her extensive credentials and strong emotional arguments; however, this is overshadowed by the wordiness, sarcasm, and lack of

September 11th, 2001 is one of the worst moments that has ever happened for America. With the Death Toll of Approximately 3,000 people, 400 of them firefighters and Police Officers, this day is often remembered with memories of fear. I think that this is one of the most influence events in America’s History for many reasons. First, because of the death toll. Second, because of how it affects life even today.

Thompson, H. S. (2001, September 12). Fear and Loathing in America. ESPN.com. Retrieved May 10, 2016, from

September 11, 2001 began as any ordinary day for Elvia Hogan as she left her home and headed for work. She recalled the sun shining and the sky a bright blue as she entered the counseling office at Hunter High School. As she approached her desk, she opened her computer to find the unbelievable image of an airplane in the top of one of the World Trade Center buildings. Phones were ringing, as the counselors began watching the news to follow what was happening when suddenly, a second plane flew into the neighboring tower.

Throughout the novel, “102 Minutes” by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn, a common tone is produced about the severity of the destruction of the World Trade Center. A neutral attitude is used when describing the events on the morning of September 11th. When narrating over the tragedies that took place, the authors use specific word choice and real-life examples to display the twin towers collapsing and the stress, fear, and panic being felt throughout Lower Manhattan. For example, Dwyer and Flynn write, “As easily as the roaring jet had knifed through the steel face of the tower, smoke now relentlessly, swiftly, seeped into the top of the building, finding paths around the concrete floors, emerging in billowing, ghastly clouds” (Dwyer and Flynn 37).

David Kennedy’s book Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War 1929-1945 shines light on the financial impacts that hit the country during the Great Depression and World War 2. This book shares how some people assumed that Franklyn D Roosevelt was a successor in getting things moving to a better economy but if it wasn’t for Hoover things may have been worse, or that’s what I took from it. Kennedy starts off the book with talking about the end of World War 1 and how the Great Depression started with the treaty of Versailles because it had led men of World War 2 to believe that they could be better leaders of their country. A prime example would be Hitler who believed that Jewish people were the reason Germany failed and this led to him rising to power.

Director, Rory O’Conner, in his documentary film 9/11: A Press for the Truth, portrays many facts from the 9/11 terrorist attack. The author has a clear purpose, to expose information about the attack, and defy what majorities of people think, he reveals the undiscovered aspects of the attack; which may have been purposely withheld from the public. He also gives credit and bases his documentary in some unfortunate group of woman called “The Jersey Girls”. He, O’Conner, adopts different tones from different personas, from harsh and severe, to soft, sad and unfortunate tones to appeal to all kinds of audience. The author opens the documentary by impacting images to the audience about the terrorist attack.

In the Article “Fear” by Marilynn Robinson, Robinson concludes that the cause of fear in many citizens deals partly with the second amendment meaning the right to carry and bear arms. Being said that, Robinson Attempts to convince the reader that the possession of weapons should be abolished due to the violence in The United States. People all around are facing violence, not necessarily due to weapons, but due to the fact that they cannot have the sort of self-protection. American citizens should be in favor of the second amendment because it keeps them safe when they carry weapons as a form of protection.

On September 11th, 2001, a horrific act of terror struck our nation to the core. Fear, devastating and humbling, lodged into our blessed lives. Over 2,800 American civilians were murdered in cold blood when two planes were hijacked and flown directly into the twin towers (Anderson 3). This atrocious event caused the entire country to mourn for its loss, and as American citizens, it is impossible to ignore the destruction of such an event.

When the two planes hit the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, the world paused in awe because the most majestic monument came crashing down at an uncanny speed, creating the thickest impenetrable cloud of smoke filling the streets of New York City. Every millisecond the towers were descending millions of people were slowly beginning to grasp the incomprehensible and unforgettable disaster that would change the lives of millions of Americans. Every smell, sound, sight, taste, touch from that fateful day produced a tragedy beyond our words; however all of the events leading up to the actual act of violence and the affairs after the violence sustain this tragedy, foster future tragedies, and further our development of the human experience.

September 11th changed the lives of many Americans, irrevocably. The horrendous attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon altered the way American’s viewed their positions within the world, not to mention their lives and their safety. The attacks brought terrorism to the forefront of national attention, in every aspect. The government became immediately immersed in an effort to understand and defeat terrorism, and simultaneously, the media, with its perverse fascination with violence and profit-driven espousal to round-the-clock, up-to-the-minute coverage, demonstrated an obsession with the attacks, by broadcasting almost nothing but the latest developments in the search and rescue efforts and investigations

Adrian Flynn’s playwright “The Valley of the Fear”, adapted from the novel by Conan Doyle, demonstrates how the writer uses techniques to convey an impression of suspense and mystery through scenes with a high level of anticipation and uncertainty. Suspense is achieved through the use of literary devices and events that stimulate the viewer’s moods. Readers wait with anticipation for the next secret to be revealed in strong, sudden scenes. Furthermore, Doyle creates a sense of tension by never giving the reader an entire answer so they can make up their own mind about what’s happening.