Millions of people all over the world watched the two World Trade towers, in the heart of New York City, plummet to the ground on national television. Images of such a tragic event reveal that not only has the disaster of 9/11 claimed more victims than we think, but also that terrorism can obliterate even the most unblemished sites, revealing that American idealism is just an illusion. Those who carefully planned the hijacking and destruction of the World Trade towers wanted, and hoped for there to be some long lasting damages and destruction. Unfortunately, the outcome was everything the terrorists who organized this attack had hoped for.
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N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.globalization101.org/uploads/Image/News-Analysis3/9-11-nyc.jpg>.
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As we can see, there is a very long black cloud of smoke trailing above downtown New York City in this photograph (left). This not only shows the juxtaposition between the burning World Trade towers and the highly dense and urbanized city, but also some unintended symbolism during the destruction.
This long cloud almost symbolizes the many long-term damages and effects caused by the attack, that at first, went unnoticed by most New Yorkers and victims of the 9/11 attack. Many of these long term damages include, the inhalation of toxic air, such as smoke, dust, and other toxins that came from the collapsed buildings. Others include families that had lost many friends and loved ones during the attack.
This long cloud almost symbolizes the many long-term damages and effects caused by the attack, that at first, went unnoticed by most New Yorkers and victims of the 9/11 attack. Many of these long term damages include, the inhalation of toxic air, such as smoke, dust, and other toxins that came from the collapsed buildings. Others include families that had lost many friends and loved ones during the attack.
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The contents of this photograph (right) question the flaws of the structure and construction of the World Trade towers. According to an air pollution expert, the dust from the collapsed towers was highly toxic due to a number of contaminants. The thousands of tons of toxic debris resulting from the collapse of the twin towers consisted of more than 2,500 contaminants. More specifically, 50% non-fibrous material and construction debris, 40% glass and other fibers, 9.2% cellulose, and 0.8% of the extremely toxic carcinogen asbestos, as well as detectable amounts of lead, and mercury. This made a lot of Americans question the construction and materials used during the construction of the twin towers. Many of these materials were actually found to be highly flammable as well as toxic. Americans wondered why they would construct such highly significant, and visited buildings with knowingly toxic materials. They also questioned why the World Trade Center collapsed in the first place, thinking that architects had done everything possible to ensure that the towers wouldn’t collapse in even extreme situations. This is also something that the terrorists intended to uncover, the flaws of American architecture and structure.
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"After a Decade of Denial, US Government Finally Admits 9/11 Toxic Dust Causes Cancer." N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.globalization101.org/uploads/Image/News-Analysis3/9-11-nyc.jpg>.
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Victims of 9/11 are not only the ones immediately killed when the hi-jacked airplanes hit the World Trade Towers. The long-term damage and health risks created by the destruction of the World Trade Center are serious, and can be life-threatening. The firefighters in this photo (left) wear masks in order to protect them from the toxic air from the collapsed towers. Many people that day, paramedics, firefighters, police officers, and citizens who came to help out, were exposed to many toxic materials, and toxic air. Over time, these toxins that people were exposed to on the World Trade Center site have been proven to cause cancer. The US government is providing $1.8 billion until 2015 to monitor and treat injuries stemming from exposure to toxic dust and debris at World Trade Center site. Nearly 60,000 people are enrolled in health-monitoring and treatment programs related to the 9/11 attack. There is scientific speculation that exposure to various toxic products and the pollutants in the air, surrounding the towers after the collapse, may have negative effects on fetal development. Due to this potential hazard, a notable children's environmental health center (Columbia University Center for Children's Health) is currently analyzing the children whose mothers were pregnant during the World Trade Center collapse. Until this day, Americans have been developing cancer and other health complications, due to an event that took place over a decade ago. The terrorists responsible for this attack have purposely created these long term health risks for those on the site that day, in order to be remembered years later. They want to be remembered years later for causing harm, and bringing pain to families once again.
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N.p., n.d. Web. <http://bucurestifm.ro/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/09/02-03-9_ee4bcd565f.jpg>.
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There is a lot of contrast in this photo (right), the juxtaposition here is of the burning twin towers amid the highly dense and so called “perfect” city that everyone in the world dreams of visiting. By targeting New York City, one of the most highly populated cities in the united states, the organizers of the attack send a message to many Americans and the government. This message is conveyed through the long-term damage that they created when hi-jacking those commercial airplanes, which carried over one-hundred and fifty passengers each, and crashing them into both World Trade towers. Approximately 50,000 people were employed at the World Trade Center, while another 200,000 visited or passed through each day. By choosing this as their target, they simply prove that America isn’t the ideal, and safe, country that everyone in the world sees it to be. They targeted the World Trade towers specifically because their intent was to cause as much pain, and destruction, as possible. After this attack, people realized that even in the heart of New York City they could still be victims of terrorism. The whole idea behind this event, was to show the rest of the world that idealism in America and the “American Dream”, are just an illusion. This juxtaposition is significant because it shows that even something so treasured and well-maintained, such as the heart of new york city, can be destroyed in the blink of an eye by two hi-jacked airplanes.
Work Cited
"9/11 Death Toll Rises as Cancer Cases Soar among Emergency Workers." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2015. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10994227/911-death-toll-rises-as-cancer-cases-soar-among-emergency-workers.html>.
"After a Decade of Denial, US Government Finally Admits 9/11 Toxic Dust Causes Cancer." N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.globalization101.org/uploads/Image/News-Analysis3/9-11-nyc.jpg>.
N.p., n.d. Web. <http://bucurestifm.ro/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/09/02-03-9_ee4bcd565f.jpg>.
N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.popularmechanics.com/cm/popularmechanics/images/l9/911-flight175windows-l.jpg>.
"Quora." What Did It Feel like to Be inside the World Trade Center at the Time of the 9/11 Attacks? -. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2015. <http://www.quora.com/What-did-it-feel-like-to-be-inside-the-World-Trade-Center-at-the-time-of-the-9-11-attacks>.
"World Trade Center History." World Trade Center History. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2015. <http://www.factmonster.com/spot/wtc1.html>.
Yes, I agree that the "American dream" is an illusion as well. In the first image you do not only see the populated dense city that surrounds the World Trade Centres in the background, but also in the foreground there are run down apartment builds and houses. This also reveals how the American dream is an illusion and not all people get to come close to experiencing it. That is also unbelievable about all the chemicals and how many people were not only impacted by the short term but long term as well. And the last image does portrait the chemicals by the purple smoke.
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