9/11 and United 93
I remember that Tuesday quite clearly.
I was a 9-year old 3rd grader attending a weekly music group with a few other children of my age. We were unexpectedly interrupted by the teacher’s daughter, who excitedly guided us to the family television. The next thing I remember is the incredible, seemingly unbelievable picture: a passenger jet blasting into one of America’s mightiest symbols.
At the time, I was captivated by the whole series of events – the way in which the world suddenly turned upside down. In my naïve state, I collected information about the attacks and created a PowerPoint presentation, which I showed to family and friends. Unfortunately, I have since lost that presentation.
Tonight, that captivation relived itself. I had the opportunity to see a film I have anticipated for a long time. United 93 is a real-time representation of the events on the morning of 11 September 2001, focusing on the story of the only plane that didn’t reach its target.
The film itself is dramatic and shocking. Unstable camera images and quick follow shots contribute to a strong tension throughout the events. The viewer is sucked into the Boeing 767 in a way that only a movie can achieve. Furthermore, the music (and lack of it, at some stages) provide a subtle tragic backdrop for the moving imagery. Pounding drums in the soundtrack make it hard not to share in the fright and shock that the passengers experienced on board.
Apart from the various cinematic effects, the strong focus on the hijackers’ emotions – from their morning prayers to the last moments before the crash – contrasts most other Hollywood representations of 9/11. Furthermore, the dramatic (but realistic) take on the events gives a better understanding of the American nation’s patriotic backlash, that followed 9/11.
When I wake up tomorrow morning, I may have forgotten my immediate emotions. In a few weeks’ time, I may not even remember the detail of the movie. And yet, one thing will remain: the strong urge not to become indifferent – indifferent to the events, everyday pain and suffering that define us as humans.
When that urge may finally one day leave my body, I can no longer consider myself a part of humanity.
I don’t want to response about the film you were writing about, I just wanted to share my memories of the morning of that unglory day. For me it was an usual day in primary school and when I got there every guy in my class was talking about the happening. All were saying something but noone did know anything proper about the terror attac. When our teacher told us what she knew, none of us did understand what this really was about. Somehow I remember that she was saying somekind of “the Muslims did it” with earning sad and frightend looks from the bunch of Muslims in our class that time. Then she added “but not all of them are like these terrible terrorists”.
Today I’m thinking alot different than that day about the attac. I would never blame a people, a nation or a religion for what happened, as my old teacher form primary school did (when I’m looking back to my primary school day now, that I somehow got the feeling that Mrs. Teacher was a bit stuck in the 18th century with some principal ideas of humanity).
In two years there’ll be the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and I guess that to this day the world will have changed alot again. Obama is building a bridge from the west to arabic world. Doing this the hate against america in all the arabic nations will decline, I guess, an with it the support for terror, some men got down there.
My girlfriends unkle was killed by the taliban, because he was an well educated Quran teacher, telling the truth about whats written inside. This is one reason I got to think that a lot of guy from pakistan to marocco are living in fear of militant radicals and would be glad if the bad image the got in these day would be replaced with an image of what they really are.
So far, Chris
23 September, 2009 at 14:21Thanks for sharing your memories, Christian.
Very true words indeed. I agree that the Western misconception of a completely militant Islam religion is definitely a big boulder in the road to world peace (or rather, a more peaceful world).
In the past couple of months, Obama has been one of the beacons of hope for me. Although I believe that he’s taken a step in the right direction with his recent relationship with the Arabic world, I think that his efforts will be in vain without the complete cooperation of the Middle Eastern leaders. The next few years will certainly be very interesting.
23 September, 2009 at 20:53