Ground Zero Suzanne Berne Summary

Not a word was spoken as an array of people, including myself, studied the pictures of that horrific day that aligned the wall of the dimmed entrance to the 9/11 Memorial Museum. The silence was an eerie and somber stillness that invoked grief into the hearts of all, even those such as myself who were too young to even remember the terror that took place nearby. Projected on the pillars were the stories of people and their reactions to the attack as it was happening, adding to the solemn mood. Already, even before I had reached the part that was the museum, a heavy grief for people that I never even knew swelled in my heart.

Fourteen years ago, our country appeared to come to a halt at 8:46 am. As the first hijacked plane hit the north tower of the World Trade Center, Americans were filled with fear and melancholy. And as they held their breath, awaiting some sense of hope, you did what most people could never imagine doing. You went into the buildings while people were going out, holding your own, in the midst of the immense heat and disintegrating steel.

“Emptiness stretching for miles, the sense of space, the vastness of the sky above, passing no farm or cottage, no kind of dwelling house at all in three miles. All was emptiness.”

If there is one day I dread most upon its arrival, it would be 9/11. Sure there was an immense amount of strength as a nation represented, following the terrorists attacks, but it also brought a great amount of grief and sorrow. I remember watching videos of innocent people jumping from windows in the twin towers hoping to escape the terror. These people believed there was no one to help and no one to help them. They lost hope. In “Remembering a Hero, 15 Years After 9/11” written by Peggy Noonan, published in The Wall Street Journal on September 11th 2016, Alison Crowther—Welles Crowther’s mom—recalls the courageous actions to save the lives of others, made by her son on this horrific day. Noonan utilizes pathos, ethos, asyndeton, and

September 11, 2001 is a day that shook the United States to its core. Millions of Americans felt the pain, the loss, and the anger that came with the attack on their nation. It was a day of mourning, and when it comes to days of mourning it is difficult putting one’s pain into words. However, Leonard Pitts Jr. was able to move past the emotion. He put into his words, not only his own feelings, but the feelings of an entire nation. Pitts conveys the emotion felt after the terror attacks in his essay “Sept. 12, 2001: We’ll go forward from this moment” through his mournful, angry, and righteous tone.

In Ground Zero Berne uses many examples of imagery and metaphors to paint a descriptive picture of her surroundings and what she saw to enhance her reader’s experience. She uses the imagery to make her readers feel as if they were there and make them feel the same feelings of awareness, and sadness she did. Suzanne achieves this by recalling back to the horrid memories of 9/ll when “the skyscraper shrouded in black plastic, the boarded windows, the steel skeleton of the shattered Winter Garden.” (Berne 176), By using these extremely explicit and descriptive details Suzanne allows her readers to experience the rude awakening she had when she saw nothing in Ground Zero, but was able to recall the chaos that went on that day. Suzanne lets her readers understand what was going on in her mind , and clearly experience what she was feeling that day

On the morning of September 11, 2001 millions of people were in shock the moment they received news that the World Trade Center was hit. The images from this horrific day flooded the media’s television screens and newspaper articles. Perhaps the most gruesome images shown were those of people jumping out of the building as they were collapsing. Tom Junod, a writer for the Esquire magazine, illustrates his perspective of this shocking incident through pictures, media coverage, and depicting people’s reactions in his article The Falling Man. Tom Junod’s article should be read by anyone who believes they have felt all there is to feel from the 9/11 attack. He will prove otherwise that there is indeed still much emotion to

The momentous tragedy that occurred on September 11th, 2001 has been engraved into the memories of United States citizens. What began as an ordinary day quickly evolved into an tragedy no one could have predicted: thousands of lives had been taken and countless more devastated and ruined by the acts of terror. Although unpredicted, the horrific and frightening news affected all. The four planes individually plummeted into their targets—two crashed into the Twin Towers, another struck the Pentagon, and the final hurtled into an empty field—eliciting a wave of panic throughout the nation. The jarring images of commercial airplanes hijacked by members of the terrorist group Al-Qaida managed to instill a fear. As the terrified country anxiously fretted about the future, President George W. Bush delivered a speech to address the nation in order to soothe the tensions and worry. In George W. Bush’s “9/11 Address to the Nation,” the terrorist attack orchestrated against the U.S. is addressed with rhetorical devices such as parallel structure, imagery, and various appeals in order to inspire and heal the country.

In 102 Minutes, the authors force the reader to absorb the significant toll that the events of 9-11 had on the families involved and people across America; also, Dwyer and Flynn seek to inform them of the errors in the design of the towers and decisions made by rescuers that preceded the catastrophic events that took place. The authors mention these facts and arguments to ensure the improvement of future architectural practices, prepare people for intense situations, and to personalize the tragedy that holds such an important place in our country’s history. Through various rhetorical strategies, the writers appeal emotionally and analytically to their audience.

On Sept. 11, 2001, A date that will live in infamy for Americans, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York City. At 8:48 a.m. flight 11 crashed into the north tower. As it continued to burn a second plane flight 175 carrying 65 people crashed into the south tower around 9:05 a.m.. as smoke and debris fill the air in New York City after one of the World Trade Center towers collapsed. Police officers and rescue workers on the disaster scene in New York are covered in Ash that was two to three inches deep in places. People wandered dazed and terrified, Several firefighters coated with dust sat on the ground gasping for breath. One top fire official was asked if both towers had completely collapsed: "You

On the date of September 11th 2001, a horrific terrorist attack took place on the World Trade center. From this one act of evil caused thousands of individuals to perish in the matter of minutes. As time progresses on, the things that still remain are the memories and the footage of what occurred on that day. As the two buildings were in engulfed in flames and people stood helpless on the ground, some witnesses turned to photography and video footage to hopefully help this day to never be forgotten.

At the scene of the bombing, “A local hospital administrator explained modestly, ‘With the enormous outpouring of medical volunteers we received, it would have been nearly impossible not to have done a great job’” (Ray 2). After the terrorist attack of the twin towers, it was the survivors of the Oklahoma City Bombing who gave the 9/11 victims the most effective support. Janet Walker made the statement, “We’re the only ones who can truly say, ‘I know how you feel’ (Tanner 1). Kathleen Treanor, a woman who lost her daughter and both of her in-laws, said “It’s an immediate connection” (Tanner 1).

Another example of absolute language used towards the author's’ tone for the destruction of the towers is when the authors say, “poisonous smoke” (Dwyer and Flynn 39). Just like the last passage, smoke is being introduced as an effect of the plane collision. This demonstrates the fact that heavy smoke made breathing unbearable, or near impossible for the employees inside the north tower at the time. The growing flames only increased the amount of smoke, making the ability to breathe within the towers more difficult. The neutrality in the tone of both of the authors greatly impacts the topic of the destruction of the towers. By not using a sarcastic or incredulous tone, Dwyer and Flynn are able to paint a perfect picture of the happenings inside and out of the World Trade Center. After the collision of flight 11 and the north tower, the novel states, “... like a black hole, the gaping, blazing wound in the north tower had a gravitational pull” (Dwyer and Flynn 63). This describes the vast amount of attention in Manhattan being pulled toward the

September 11, 2001 brought many different feelings that were new to Americans. Americans had not experienced something of this magnitude in their own country. Even to this day, America continues to resonate what took place in our culture and in politics. The magnitude is definitely shown throughout many songs, books, and television shows that were created and released immediately following 9/11 (Melnick, 64). They try to illustrate the on-going thoughts of what happened and the attitudes that have evolved due to this tragedy.

September 11, 2000. Boom. Broken. These two words alone are enough to describe the date that is now 16 years behind us. To many, the day still feels like yesterday, and always will. Leonard Pitts is likely one of these people. Sitting behind a clunky desktop with trembling hands, a cluttered brain, and a shaken heart, the man was responsible for one task on the mere day after America was altered forever: finding the right words to say. All he had was his own words to give Americans what they needed at this very moment: unity. To do this, he directs his piece “We’ll Go Forward from This Moment” towards the ones that gave America this desperate need. However, through his acknowledgement of what happened and determination