Hello everybody,
It’s been two weeks since the second semester began, hopefully everyone had a wonderful Christmas break. We already read the first literature in our class about the 9.11 attack, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”, a touching story of a nine-year old boy name Oskar hold on a key from his father who tragically died in the Twin tower. Oskar called 9.11 “the worst day” which have a tremendous impact on his family and left trauma in his heart. Although the book partially narrative about the life in Manhattan and the terrorist attack. However, the novel also involves two other significant characters which are Oskar Grandparents who both came from Dresden, Germany and had experienced the airstrikes by the Allies towards the end of the WII.
Two historical tragic events mentioned in the book give Oskar and his grandfather, Thomas Sr. a serious aftermath effect in both mental and physical aspects. Today, I want to only focus on one the one of three attack sites on morning of September 11th, 2001, the World Trade Center, the main targets that was taken down by hijackers
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Regardless many records that the Twin towers broke in world architectures realm or how much fame gained from the travellers came from all over the world. It was an important symbol inside many New Yorkers’ minds while also represent the economic prosperity of the United States. Although, I never able to visit this great modern architecture, but through my grandfather’s photos which he took during a business trip to the American in 80’s, I was able to see it’s “true colors” in young age. After I living in Canada, I had been to New York few times and went to the National September 11 Memorial twice within two years. (Pictures in this blog are actually took by myself when I was there.) The memorial has a museum and two fountains build at exact where the towers were. It truly surprises me when I read the novel that Oskar questioning about the skyscrapers for living people is building upwards. He thought are there buildings extend underground for people who pass away and can elevators will take them down to the under world? Fountains in the memorial are construct follow a very close idea, they are black and going very deep to the ground. The names of the victims are carved in the edge of two square fountains. Visitors who like me look at the words and put their hands on it while occasionally I saw roses and flower stab on some names. The water coming under the names flow down the black wall and into a hole in the middle which no one can see its ends. I pause when I reading Oskar’s questioning, my minds had gone into a completely silence and my thoughts are totally stopped by the two entire black fountains.
In the big pictures, Oskar life change is one of the portrays of the three thousand American family been effect by the terrorist attack. His experience of traumatic event results his symptoms of Autism after the event might be exaggerated by the novel when we compare to 10 years old children. However, the author uses the figure/character as a lens that reveals the “behind the scene” of 9.11, who also suffering other the 2977 death and 6000 injured in a way which the pain of lost families may last for their whole lives. In larger sense, everyone one us are effect by this tragic incident, especially clear on the border security in most of the country. Before the 9.11, the airports security inspection was less concerned for publics. Some airlines were allowing passenger bring on all sort of things which today seems ridiculous and fewer weights restriction were applied on baggage. The frightening of the attack sound the alarms for all governments authorities to pursue a safety condition on their borders and transportation facilities.