More handpicked essays just for you.
How did 9/11 change America politically, economically, and socially
Social effects of 9/11
Social changes due to 9/11
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Unintentionally Influenced In the allegorical story, “The Red Bow” George Saunders writes with amazing yet perceptive talent to interpret for the reader how the people of the United States and the government responded to the terroristic events on September 11, 2001. Ed, the narrator, is a father whose daughter Emily has just been killed by rabid dogs. His uncle, who lives with them, becomes authoritarian and takes on a vigilante campaign to put down all the sick dogs in town. Although his goal for doing this is so that no other family has to go through this pain, he ends up going overboard and his policy quickly degenerates into assassinating every single animal in town. Saunders uses three symbolic characters; Mr. Bourne, Ed and Uncle …show more content…
Matt, whose very presence within the story represent both societies’ reactions of disbelief, grief and guilt and our government’s overreaction in the want for immediate justice. Although a nominal character in the story, Ed’s neighbor, Mr. Bourne, is used as a symbol of the American people watching in disbelief and denial from afar; the ones who were seeing the attacks unfold on television and through the media. Mr. Bourne, when asked by Uncle Matt if his own dog, Cookie, had been infected by the other dogs, responds with a hesitant, “Well no I don’t believe so” (74). His disbelief and denial of the situation is clearly represented as “another shudder ran through Cookie” he says, “Oh Jesus Christ…and went inside” (75). He did not want to believe that his own dog, his friend, had been infected and would have to be put down, nor did he want to watch it. In just the brief moment involving Mr. Bourne, Saunders’ illustrates the reaction of those who are in denial during and after a traumatic event. In addition, the symbolic character of Ed represents the grief and the guilt that those who were in the direct vicinity of the attack felt. In the beginning, Ed is grieving for his daughter and his memory of “her stepping up on that footstool to put that red bow in, saying these like lady phrases to herself” is heartbreaking (76). His turning point from grief is when he recalls “as I brought her in…still holding her I bent down to—and she wasn’t there anymore, she wasn’t, you know, there, inside her body” (86). At this moment, he begins to feel guilty and questions himself, “why, why had I not, every single time, rushed up to her and told her everything” (86). He is now determined that “the chance that another father would have to carry his animal-murdered child into their home” should never happen to anyone else (86). All of these gut wrenching changes of emotions are illustrated in this one symbolic character. Saunders again demonstrates the aftereffect of feelings the Americans felt, with Ed’s character representing the way New Yorkers responded to this catastrophic event. Without a doubt, Uncle Matt is Saunders’ most dynamic and symbolic character.
He is a symbol of how the once calm and laid back government reacted and how they lobbied the American citizens to allow them to eliminate each and every threat. Uncle Matt, whose transformation went from someone “whose idea of a big day was checking the mail” (83) into to someone who is very determined to control the situation is a representation of how President George Bush snapped into gear in the weeks following the attacks. Saunders continues to develop this character into a person who displays “sudden strength—focus, certainty” (78). Then, “when [they] realized the problem was bigger than [they] had initially thought”, Uncle Matt decides to bring the whole town together for a meeting (82). He uses Emily’s baby picture and her red hair bow as propaganda to pull on the heart strings of the townspeople. This is his way to ensure they all agree to his mission that “All Infected or Suspected Infected animals must be destroyed at once” (83). In comparison, George Bush, during his very powerful speech to the nation on September 20, 2001, used the police shield of George Howard, a man who lost his life trying to save others at the World Trade Centers. In these similarities, Saunders shows the transformation on how quickly and easily the government went from comforting the nation to becoming exceedingly determined to get rid of each and every
terrorist. Even though the reactions of Mr. Bourne, Ed and Uncle Matt are comparable to the American citizens and George Bush’s reactions, Saunders’ mesmerizing story is not a story to communicate a political stance on this event. It is a perspective on how people change during a terroristic event and how it unintentionally influences our emotions and reactions. No more, no less.
In the Lilies of the Field by William E. Barrett, Homer and Mother Maria both display straightforward, hardworking, and stubborn character traits. Firstly, Homer and Mother Maria both display a straightforward personality by being brutally honest about their opinions. For example, when Mother Maria asks Homer to build a chapel, Homer speaks his mind by telling her he does not want to build it. Mother Maria shows her straightforward behavior during Homer’s stay at the convent. One morning, when Homer sleeps in late, Mother to becomes extremely upset and is not afraid to show how she feels about him. Secondly, both Homer and Mother Maria display a hardworking spirit. Homer is a hardworking man because after finally agreeing to build the chapel,
All the Pretty Horses involves many interesting characters in its story. Most of the characters are believable in this story. Many are flat and static with a few being round and dynamic. The characters are complex, with their own histories and personalities driving their actions. There are many minor characters in the story that do not really have any purpose than helping to move the plot along. There aren’t many characters with considerable roles. The protagonist is John Grady Cole and the antagonists are the captain, Jimmy Blevins, and Alejandra’s aunt. The main character is John Grady Cole, a round and dynamic character. He is revealed in the beginning of the story. He is a 16 year old boy and can be described as quiet, serious,
There was a game. The Westing Game. To find an heir. To win it all. Sixteen players. Eight teams. One winner. Who became the heir of Sam Westing. Sam Westing died, or supposedly did, and his sixteen heirs were trying to figure out who killed him, or if he was killed at all, which we found out, later in the novel was true. All of the teams had different clues, and they tried to figure out what those clues meant. In the mystery novel, The Westing Game, written by Ellen Raskin, the elements that were mysterious were: the main conflict, setting, characterization, and the technique the author gave clues to the reader.
AP English Literature and Composition MAJOR WORKS DATA SHEET Title: A Raisin In the Sun Author: Lorraine Hansberry Date of Publication: 1951 Genre: Realistic Drama Biographical Information about the Author Lorraine Hansberry was born in Chicago on May 19, 1930. She grew up as the youngest in her family. Her mother was a teacher and her father was a real estate broker.
...from the Germans. The Germans were drawn as cat to show the fierce authority and power they have over the Jewish. The Americans were drawn as dogs to show how they help the Jewish mice free themselves from the German cats. The relationship between the Jewish mice, German cats, and American dogs represents a dog-cat-mouse food chain. The Jewish rats are attacked by the German cats, and the Jewish mice are freed by the American dogs, by the Americans successful attempt to conquer the German cats. Also in the story, there is evidence of relationships and stereotypes of Poles, French, and Gypsies. The use of animals gives readers a better understanding of the Holocaust. It also gives reader the knowledge from a surviving victim’s perspective. It is significant that authors do more than write a story, but also tell a story in a way a person can visually experience it.
In “The Bronze Bow” many characteristics and themes are displayed. The author uses dynamic characters to express these characteristics. Elizabeth George Speare vividly demonstrates the virtues honor, duty, and love.
Bush demonstrates that with the use of metaphors, personification, and also repetition. Using metaphor, he compares America to steel, saying that America is like steel, but not pliable. Portraying that whatever dangerous act comes to America, America will stay strong and not move. Personification is to explain the reasoning behind the terrorists’ operations and the motives behind this move. Bush gives feeling and visualization traits to the nation, consequently putting it in the nation’s point of view, highlighting what the nation felt and saw. Repetition is to bring America together and strengthen everyone. It is to show that this heartbreaking event did not just affect the victims, but it affects the entire country. The way Bush uses repetition to get the people of America together makes America stronger because the more a country is together, the more power and strength it will possess. As a final point, President Bush’s usage of these three rhetorical devices grabs the attention of the people and helps Bush express the type of tone he wants to get
The play “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry has many interesting characters. In my opinion, the most fascinating character is Ruth because of her many emotions and captivating personality. She goes through extreme emotions in the play such as happiness, sadness, anger, stress, and confusion. Ruth is very independent, firm, kind, witty, and loving.
In “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich the two main characters Lyman and Henry are brothers that have an amazing relationship with one another. In the beginning of the story Erdrich writes about how Lyman and Henry bought a gorgeous red convertible; and together they went on plenty of road trips and bonded over the car. On the other hand, the two siblings in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” don’t have that same sibling bond. The siblings in “Everyday Use”, Maggie and Dee, are complete opposites. Dee is extremely vain, snobbish, and outspoken while Maggie is coy, insecure, and timid. Although Maggie and Dee aren’t as close as Lyman and Henry, they still have a very complex relationship in terms of being “close” to one another even though it seems as if they’re from two different planets. In the stories “Everyday Use” and “The Red Convertible”, the characters share one particular trait which is
Margulies, Joseph. 2013. What Changed When Everything Changed: 9/11 and the Making of National Identity. Yale University Press.
In Art Spiegelman’s comic series, MAUS, each race in the storyline is analogously depicted as a different animal. This essay will explore the various benefits, drawbacks and their counteractions, that are confounded with author’s choice of this illustration. It can be argued that choosing animals to represent humans, in an event as complex as the Shoah, dehumanizes victims even more. Humans conventionally see species of animals as collective entities rather than individual beings. Thus, by representing all the Jewish people as one type of animal, the reader might unconsciously generalize all the victims’ sufferings and discourses into one coherent image, in order to make sense of things. On the other hand, depicting each race as a certain animal
Article #1 is a very effective piece of propaganda in that it captures the reader?s attention successfully by placing a picture of a dog in the focal point of the article. The dog plays a vital role in this piece of propaganda in that it represents a loved one, family and anything cherished. It shows what could be left behind, if a driver chose to ignore safe driving. The breed of dog is also very important. Choosing a sorrowful dogs face, further enhanced the emotions of the reader, as the article wouldn?t have the same effect if a dangerous dog was shown instead
” (ESPN.com, 2001) is a story written by Hunter S. Thompson following the bombings that rocked New York City and dubbed the 9/11 attacks. In this story, Thompson looks out onto the grim and paranoid future he sees ahead. And what he envisions is a certainity of a war, a very expensive war in which victory is not guaranteed.
Throughout time, mankind has forged stories and legends to explain the unknown. As years went along the stories and tall tales were passed down to each generation. Each recount of the inherited stories are always told differently, how the story was told usually depended on the person and their particular region of habitance. Thus leading to hundreds of different versions of a single story told throughout the world, written and told by different people. Not only are these stories told as pure entertainment, they serve as wise life lessons and set examples for children when they were eventually introduced to society. These stories are so prominent in human history that even to this day the same stories that were told to children centuries ago
There has been much said about the relationship between humans and dogs. Some believe that dogs are a man’s best friend, while others believe that dogs are meant only to be used to perform a certain job. Even though some see dogs only as a tool, dogs have been known to help humans in times of despair and need. Whether it be a dog helping a disabled person, or searching for a human amongst a pile of rubble, dogs can be a key factor when it comes to the well being of humans. In enormous tragedies, such as September 11th, dogs were a key element in piecing back together the parts of America that the terrorists had destroyed when they administered the attacks. Dogs are able to bring unity and support in times of tragedy. While both the working dogs and firemen contributed to the restoration of 9/11, the dogs that helped in the aftermath of the attacks were needed for much more than locating trapped victims; they were needed for support, unity, and comfort as well.