Hey readers! Over the past couple of weeks in my ASTU class we have been reading and analyzing various poems, some of which are directly written about 9/11. There are 2 that I am going to focus on: “Photograph from September 11” written by Wislawa Szymborska and “The Names” written by Billy Collins. Although both of these poems were written after 9/11, the two writers take different approaches. While Collins’ poem represents what we could call 9/12 or the mourning process rather than the chaos of 9/11, Szymborska’s piece is a clear representation of the day itself.
Another difference between the two poems is that for me, one clearly represents the memory of 9/11 while the other is not necessarily as obvious of a representation of that day. In Szymborska’s poem, starting with the title, the piece is obviously about 9/11 and her in depth description of individuals jumping out of the burning buildings gives me a clear picture in my head of that day. This poem also reminded me of the post 9/11 novel that we recently read, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. At the end of the novel, there are several pictures of a man jumping out of a building, which for me is a clear indicator of the trauma of 9/11. In Collins’ poem, although there were lines that made me think of the 9/11 memorial, I also think that this poem could easily be about other traumas as well. Lines such as “Names printed on the ceiling of the night. Names slipping around a watery bend” made me think immediately of the 9/11 memorial, with the two large fountains and the dark stone that each name is engraved in. Yet there are no other clear indicators that would suggest that this poem is written for the victims of 9/11.
Although Szymborska’s poem is about an extremely traumatic event, she manages to bring a more positive light to her piece. With lines like “There’s enough time” and “They’re still within the air’s reach”, Szymborska is able to make this poem not as sombre. Collins was able to produce a beautiful memorial poem, yet all of the names made this piece slightly more negative for me. Szymborska’s ability to make such a traumatic day be seen from a more positive perspective made this poem my favourite out of the two I discussed. As I sign off for this week I encourage you to reflect and decide which poem you think better represented 9/11. Lastly, do you agree with me and think that Szymborska’s poem indeed does succeed in putting a more positive light on such a traumatic day?