In my Contemporary American Fiction class, we watched a documentary about September 11 to prep us for reading Khaled Housseini’s “The Kite Runner.” Before the prof started the movie I started jotting down some reflections:
“I was at school. One of the few times I was punctual. Mrs. Strickland’s husband called and told her there had been a horrible accident in New York so she turned the tv on. We watched the second plane hit. I don’t know anyone who died that day. I felt numb when I saw it – worse when it became clear that it was intentional. Tears came later after watching the Towers fall over and over again on the news. Loss of life always shakes me. Not sure how to feel now. Political issues cloud my emotional response. Conspiracy theories come to mind…”
Then she started the video. All the footage in “911” is firsthand. It was initially just 2 French filmmakers shadowing firefighters. Everything was pretty normal and then the day “became” 9-11. The firefighters were on another call when they saw the first plane hit the Tower. Their first response, without being called or anything, was to get to the Tower and put the fire out. When they got to the building they didn’t know what was going on; they just wanted to get up to where the fire was. Then the second plane hit. More firefighters came. They were just worried about how to put out the fire –still. Then we hear all the May Days. A lot of noise. And THEN. We see the building collapse. From inside.
It’s one thing to see it on the news. It was hard watching it from outside in 2001. You see it in movies all the time. But it’s so different when you know it’s not CGI and that was and ACTUAL plane into an ACTUAL building with ACTUAL people. Seeing from the inside? Totally different. No words can explain how that felt.
I’ve been sent back to 2001 on some “Back to the Future” type stuff. I think the point of engaging those memories is force us to be honest about our prejudices and ignorance regarding the people of Afghanistan. Obviously “The Kite Runner” will challenge all that. I’m ready.
“I was at school. One of the few times I was punctual. Mrs. Strickland’s husband called and told her there had been a horrible accident in New York so she turned the tv on. We watched the second plane hit. I don’t know anyone who died that day. I felt numb when I saw it – worse when it became clear that it was intentional. Tears came later after watching the Towers fall over and over again on the news. Loss of life always shakes me. Not sure how to feel now. Political issues cloud my emotional response. Conspiracy theories come to mind…”
Then she started the video. All the footage in “911” is firsthand. It was initially just 2 French filmmakers shadowing firefighters. Everything was pretty normal and then the day “became” 9-11. The firefighters were on another call when they saw the first plane hit the Tower. Their first response, without being called or anything, was to get to the Tower and put the fire out. When they got to the building they didn’t know what was going on; they just wanted to get up to where the fire was. Then the second plane hit. More firefighters came. They were just worried about how to put out the fire –still. Then we hear all the May Days. A lot of noise. And THEN. We see the building collapse. From inside.
It’s one thing to see it on the news. It was hard watching it from outside in 2001. You see it in movies all the time. But it’s so different when you know it’s not CGI and that was and ACTUAL plane into an ACTUAL building with ACTUAL people. Seeing from the inside? Totally different. No words can explain how that felt.
I’ve been sent back to 2001 on some “Back to the Future” type stuff. I think the point of engaging those memories is force us to be honest about our prejudices and ignorance regarding the people of Afghanistan. Obviously “The Kite Runner” will challenge all that. I’m ready.
Good post big homie. I felt the exact same
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