While reading the article written by John Updike, I was captivated by the way he perceived New York during that time. His adjective choices created such a detailed picture in my mind that I felt I was in his place. What I realized once the article was finished was that I wasn't dwelling on what had happened that fateful day, but more on what was taking place afterwards. He seemed to switch back and forth from a gloomy state of mind to what I perceived as a hopeful outlook. Every time he would write something that might make the reader uneasy or sorrowful, an optimistic refutation would soon follow. For example, at the beginning of the second page Updike compares the explosions inside the buildings to a "nightmare ballet." This is his way of describing what he saw, while easing the tension that his audience already has built up from his earlier descriptions.
The article Susan Sontag wrote was a little more pessimistic than I hoped for, especially while portraying such a daunting time in history. This is the type of article that you either agree or completely disagree with. Sontag has a definite opinion and outlook on the events on September 9th, 2001, but even more about what occurred afterwards. Throughout the entire article she blames the media for giving America cookie-cutter sympathy. For example, repeating "our country is strong." That upset her the most because we know our country is strong, "but that's not all America has to be." I can understand where she was coming from while writing this article, but I believe at that point America was just looking in someone to believe in. It was a weakness we didn't know we had. People were scared and searching for answers. Sometimes even robotic responses can be just as comforting.
Nice comparison of the two essays, Danielle: I agree with your observation that Sontag's essay is very polarizing. There were a lot of strong reactions to it after it was written.
ReplyDeleteGood job on getting your blog up and running. One thing to do now is check out some of the other students' blogs and leave them some feedback. A couple of comments a week would be just fine. Make sure you keep a record of where and when you comment so I can give you credit for it. A list of all the blog addresses is on my teacher web page.
Hope your summer is going well, Danielle-- keep cool!
Danielle, my response to these essays were very similar. I wasn't too fond of the reaction that Sontag had to 9/11 and the opinions she expressed. I thought that she was taking a terrible situation and kind of making it worse. When a tragedy like that happens, people do seek comfort and you were right, even robotic responses have the power to do that for them. I agreed that the perpetrators were not cowards, seeing as they committed suicide for something they believe, but that was about it.
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