long overdue
Well it's been 14 weeks since my last update. School is okay so far. I can already tell that AP English is going to be my favorite class. Anyway, for Journalism we had to interview one of our classmates about September 11, 2001. (Where he/she was, was he/she affected, etc.) Here it is:
On September 11, 2001, Stephanie Osorio, a senior at High School East, was only eleven years old when she and her classmates at Cedar Grove Elementary school experienced the shock of a lifetime. On that day, their worlds were shaken as the Sunni terrorist organization al-Qaeda committed unfathomable acts of large-scale destruction on the United States. As reports came in throughout the day surrounding the developing tragedy in lower Manhattan, Osorio’s sixth-grade class gathered around the radio with their teacher. By the end of that terrible day in United States history, hijacked planes had flown into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a field in Pennsylvania, leaving thousands dead and more injured.
Stephanie recounts that she was “shocked, and didn’t know what was going on”, although her teacher did make an attempt to explain to the class what had happened. Osorio remembers feeling “scared and confused”, emotions that most Americans undoubtedly felt after hearing the news. Fortunately, Osorio did not know anyone personally affected by the act of terrorism, though some were not as lucky. Friends and co-workers were separated, children lost parents, and couples were ripped apart on the day when a blanket of thick, dark smoke enveloped most of New York City and our faith and patriotism was truly put to the test.
As all major news stations continually broadcasted from across the country that day, the manner in which they chose to convey the story, especially regarding video footage, was found offensive and tasteless by some. Fox News, for example, captured people jumping from windows in the World Trade Center in a last-ditch attempt to save their own lives. Osorio, however, claims that “it was better that they did that so that people knew exactly what happened…the scale of the tragedy.” Now, six years later, have Americans forgotten? Or are the events of September 11 still memories fresh in our minds? Annual news coverage of the anniversary has prevented people of the United States from forgetting. Osorio considers the continued coverage “a good thing” because “it makes us remember.” Furthermore, teachers now use their discretion when deciding whether to discuss September 11 with their classes, as some students might have been personally affected. Osorio thinks that it is a topic that “should [be] talked about…kids should open up and get it all out there even if they were affected. It’s not good to keep things inside.” So on this sixth anniversary of perhaps the most vehement act of anti-Americanism our country has ever seen, we will not forget.
On September 11, 2001, Stephanie Osorio, a senior at High School East, was only eleven years old when she and her classmates at Cedar Grove Elementary school experienced the shock of a lifetime. On that day, their worlds were shaken as the Sunni terrorist organization al-Qaeda committed unfathomable acts of large-scale destruction on the United States. As reports came in throughout the day surrounding the developing tragedy in lower Manhattan, Osorio’s sixth-grade class gathered around the radio with their teacher. By the end of that terrible day in United States history, hijacked planes had flown into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a field in Pennsylvania, leaving thousands dead and more injured.
Stephanie recounts that she was “shocked, and didn’t know what was going on”, although her teacher did make an attempt to explain to the class what had happened. Osorio remembers feeling “scared and confused”, emotions that most Americans undoubtedly felt after hearing the news. Fortunately, Osorio did not know anyone personally affected by the act of terrorism, though some were not as lucky. Friends and co-workers were separated, children lost parents, and couples were ripped apart on the day when a blanket of thick, dark smoke enveloped most of New York City and our faith and patriotism was truly put to the test.
As all major news stations continually broadcasted from across the country that day, the manner in which they chose to convey the story, especially regarding video footage, was found offensive and tasteless by some. Fox News, for example, captured people jumping from windows in the World Trade Center in a last-ditch attempt to save their own lives. Osorio, however, claims that “it was better that they did that so that people knew exactly what happened…the scale of the tragedy.” Now, six years later, have Americans forgotten? Or are the events of September 11 still memories fresh in our minds? Annual news coverage of the anniversary has prevented people of the United States from forgetting. Osorio considers the continued coverage “a good thing” because “it makes us remember.” Furthermore, teachers now use their discretion when deciding whether to discuss September 11 with their classes, as some students might have been personally affected. Osorio thinks that it is a topic that “should [be] talked about…kids should open up and get it all out there even if they were affected. It’s not good to keep things inside.” So on this sixth anniversary of perhaps the most vehement act of anti-Americanism our country has ever seen, we will not forget.