I really enjoyed this piece of writing, and it hit me on a strong emotional level. The first section, written by John Updike, gave me a much stronger sense of understanding for the emotions one must've felt watching the collapse of the twin towers. On September 11, 2001 I had only just turned seven and had just started second grade. Though I had been told by my father of the events that took place, I did not begin to comprehend them until a few years later. We have talked about 9/11 in the classroom, at home, with friends, but it's completely different to see it first hand. This essay really opened my eyes to the intense destruction and sorrow. Further, Updike's use of vivid descriptive words helped me form a faint picture of what he and his wife witnessed. Not only did he successfully capture me through emotion, his writing style was great.
The second section, written by Susan Sontag, had a totally different feel. It didn't necessarily reach me on an emotional level as Updike had, but Sontag brought up the political aspect of 9/11; which coincided with Updike's emotional essay quite nicely. Sontag's piece in "Talk of the Town" was very powerfully written and she conveyed her message quite clearly. She talked about the naivety of the public at the time and the near silence of the government and it's adminstrations. She writes, "But the public is not being asked to bear much of the burden of reality." Which was true at the time, and I also feel many of us don't attempt to bear it either. Many would rather sit back and allow themselves to be uneducated on the happenings of the United States.
Overall, both contributions got me thinking; which, in my opinion, makes a good essay. The contrasting writing styles of Updike and Sontag was refreshing and the topic was intriguing. I'm interested to see where our class discussion on "Talk of the Town" will lead.
I can remember as well being in second grade, I was actually out at recess when all the teachers were told about it. I didn't understand what really was going on for a long time. I did enjoy reading this article because I found it interesting to hear the different sides of the same story. I did like Susan's half better, it was more entertaining and I was able to understand it better!
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