On September 11th, 2001, I was a mere 5 years old and knew nothing about what the world entails. I can say that I was and still am tucked away into my own little world, away from a lot of the world's heartbreak. Looking back on that horrific day, I only know of what people tell me simply because of the safe life I have been so blessed to live. Not everyone can say that though. "Talk of the Town" is and essay written by two authors, John Updike and Susan Sontag. Both speak of their experience with 9/11 and both have expressed their very different opinions, but who is to say which one is right or not?
The first part of the essay was written by John Updike and he spoke about the actual occurrence and what it was like to be a bystander during the entire attack. What were people thinking when they witnessed this attack? He stated, "It seemed, at the first glance, more curious than horrendous," then later wrote, "We knew we had just witnessed thousands of deaths; we clung to each other as if we ourselves were falling." Although the attack couldn't have taken that long, Updike wrote with such a passion that included impeccable descriptions that allowed the reader to feel as if the attack was going on forever.
The attack may not have lasted long, but the aftermath would last forever. Updike touched base on the aftermath of what the attacks did to the United States by saying that all Americans would mourn this tragic event, but that they shouldn't let that stop them from maintaining their freedom. He stated that the survivors had to "pick up the pieces, bury the dead, take more precautions, and go on living." He then ended the essay by saying that New York was still glorious the day after the attacks. After the initial shock of the attack, Updike then appeared to be more positive about what it did America as a whole, unlike Susan Sontag, who wrote about 9/11 in the second part of the essay.
Compared to the first part of the essay, Susan Sontag appeared to take a more opinionated route about 9/11 and questioned whether or not America should be O.K. with what actually happened. Within the second paragraph, she stated, "Our leaders are bent on convincing us that everything is O.K... But everything is not O.K. And this is not Pearl Harbor." She believes that Americans are not facing the reality due to the burden that comes along with it. Although she believes our country to be strong, she also thinks that America has to be more than just that. But what would that be exactly? What does the public need to do in order to keep from doing something that could be considered idiotic or stupid? Sontag, I believe, leaves the reader questioning how America should continue on as a country, while Updike states that everything will eventually fall into place.
Hi Lydia!
ReplyDeleteUpdike's viewpoint did have "impeccable descriptions" that did allow us, the readers, to know what happened during this tragedy. I can not imagine what America, and those in New York at the time were thinking.
What you had to say about Sontag's viewpoint was interesting. We Americans "are not facing the reality due to the burden that comes along with it." I understand that we were going through a hard time, and we didn't want to face the reality but we did. Everyone helped each other out, we were strong because of that. Because of such bravery, I think that Updike was right. We should "continue on as a country" and everything "will fall into place," which it did. We will never forget what happened on 9/11, but we wont forget what happened after the fact.
Nice job Lydia! I think you're right. The attack seemed to play out over a long period of time. I don't think that Updike intended for it to be like that, though. I think that he, as a witness, was filled with all kinds of emotions as he watched the towers fall. He probably felt confused, helpless, and scared, and probably just let them all pour out into this essay. I have to say that I prefer to take pieces from both essays. You brought up a good point by mentioning that Sontag left the passage a little open-ended. I think she wanted American citizens to search themselves and find the answer for why the terrorists would have done such a thing. There were many events leading up to it in the latter stages of the Cold War and in America's demeanor as a whole. Sontag wanted a change, and she wanted it to come from both within the public and within the government. She wanted America, if it was going to be a leader in the world, to be an amiable one.
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