Ryan Smithson

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

After 9/11, the team still enters the local football league, but they don’t know “How [one] replace[s] the men?”, and “How [one] go[es] on when so many guys are dead that you can’t even retire their jerseys because you wouldn’t have enough to dress the team?” Again, the losses on their team are more than physical; close friends and brothers had their lives clipped short in a matter of seconds. Readers feel sympathy, shock, and sadness when faced with those questions because they state the obvious with blunt wording. Reilly’s writing lacks flowery words or confusing structures that obscure his argument, and his questions provoke thoughts in the reader’s mind. Questioning how their friends and teammates could be replaced allows Reilly to highlight the pathos and logos in his

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.

Young people often do not know what to expect of the future. They do not know how to act when something unexpected comes along, and their actions are based on what they do know; usually limited, biased information. This idea is central to the short story, ʺWar,ʺ by Timothy Findley. The young boy, Neil Cable, narrates the day he found out his father had joined the army. He speaks of his actions, feelings, and confusion surrounding that day. At first glance, his actions are all too often misinterpreted as violence and hatred, but after careful consideration, one can see that they are merely his way of dealing with the troubling news. He has not experienced enough in his lifetime to have a true understanding of war, and acts upon what

Ryan White may not have lived a long life, but his life definitely made an impact on our nation and the world. Ryan faced a life full of discrimination and pain, but he learned how to overcome everything. Ryan Wayne Wright was born on December 6, 1971 in Kokomo, Indiana, to Jeanne Elaine Hale and Hubert Wayne White. Ryan was only 6 days old when doctors diagnosed him with a severe form of type A hemophilia. Hemophilia is a blood disease that causes the sufferer’s blood cannot clot and minor injuries can cause them to even bleed to death. Because Ryan had hemophilia, he had to receive blood transfusions of Factor VIII, a product of blood that aids in clotting. Although Ryan had this severe disease, he could still go about his

“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is a story literally exaggerated to its limit by showing, in the near future, what it means to be equal in every way by having people not being able to show any form of intelligence or creativity whatsoever. When Harrison Bergeron breaks the chains of government oppression, he dies for his failed cause. He dies because he chooses not to conform to the rest of his oppressive society. His parents, George and Hazel, who are nothing more than two bodies under the government’s mind control, can do nothing to save their son or seek justice for his death. The story is not only a reflection of the author’s concern with controlling the masses through

Right from the beginning of the chapter, Welch comments, “to say that America changed on September 11 is more than a cliché; the nation’s identity as a target – and victim – resonates both symbolically and substantively” (4). When you turn on the news, it is common to hear about so many countries that experience widespread violence and attacks on a near daily basis, but Americans felt removed from that since they did not have to endure

All of these things that go into the training are just to make the soldier more aware of the choices they have, and to make sure they understand they are not alone in this.

Terror, shock, desperateness, all feelings of the Columbine victims. Through the narration of the encounter between Patti Nielson and the shooters during the beginning moments of the Columbine shooting in chapter 11 of Columbine, a memoir, Dave Cullen adopts an informative tone in order to focus young adults’ attention to the ruthlessness of the Columbine shooting.

"If I tried to get away with it, then other people'd get away with it—and soon we'd be right back to the dark ages again…" This statement by George Bergeron sums up Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s short story "Harrison Bergeron" in one line. "Harrison Bergeron" is the story of a futuristic United States in the year 2081, where all individuals are made equal regardless of what their natural born characteristics were. They are made equal both mentally and physically, all to the same measure of intelligence and strength. In "Harrison Bergeron" the society has become apathetic and equally conformed because of the power of the Handicapper General, the forced use of handicaps, and the people within the society who continued to let

For Mike Cross, September 11 was a different story. He started out his day by going to work for Planning Systems Incorporated in Stephenville until he heard about “a plane that crashed into a tower, you didn’t know it was a terrorist attack.” Mike’s office had an irregular approach to the situation, nobody made a big deal about it. Nobody went home. “It seemed like a far off distant place of New York.” Before 9/11, “Terrorism wasn’t in the vocabulary.” After the attack, nothing went back to the way it was before. “Everything was looked through the lens of terrorism.” The trust between fellow men and coworkers was gone, lost in the past. “Everyone was viewed as suspicious… and

The circumstances surrounding September 11th 2001 seem to be too much for a young child to grasp. At the age of eleven, I remember this day so vividly, but at such a young age I was unable to understand everything that was taking place before me. Although this day did not affect me directly, with time I have come to understand that situations as this one affects a nation as a whole. It seemed to be my first exposure to war in which I could remember. Beforehand, I knew nothing about what terrorist were and my country fighting in war seemed to be the least of my worries. Over time, I would learn more about the two. Today, as I grow into an adult I see the effects of current wars on children. I work in an environment where I come in close contact with children whose parents serve in the military. Although many of these children have no idea about the purpose of war or the outcome it may bring, they do know it as the single thing that takes their parents away for months at a time. I am mindful of the different reactions of these children. The stability in their life is altered with the absence of one parent being gone for long periods of time. The stability is what helps to build a strong family, and Garbarino states:

emotions by assuring them that even in dismal economic times there is hope for all of us. He used an Atlanta newspaper editor?s (Chapman) quote from 2010 to prove that through our challenges, we still adapt and prevail, ?the Great Recession didn?t kill the American dream. But the promise of a good life in exchange for hard, honest work has been bruised and frayed for millions of middle class Americans? (1045). King agrees with the author that the American dream is not dead, although it has faced many trials and endeavors. One recent example in history that perhaps demonstrates this is the 9/11 terrorist attacks. What was meant to kill, steal, and destroy the American Dream, caused Americans to unite and become stronger than ever. During these difficult challenges, King stresses that the American Dream may have been put on hold, but we overcame the struggles and continued to fight for that dream. King does a good job of his use of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to appeal to readers? emotions. This was an event that still evokes deep emotion within individuals when recalling that horrific day. People can remember where they were, how they reacted, and the impact it had on them personally and on America as a nation. Americans have never forgotten nor will they ever forget that fateful day. More importantly, we are also reminded of how we overcame in the face of evil to rise up stronger and better than

September 11th, 2001 is now a date discussed in history lessons. While the post-9/11 generations may not have witnessed the changes of this tragic event, which rapidly filled every crevice of US society, they have an entire generation ready to narrate what they witnessed on and after that day. The expeditious reaction made a permanent mark on American culture.

When someone starts new in the army and start going trough basic training (BCT) they learn a new meaning of