Patriot Day in the United States - Research Paper Example

Task: Outline Thesis: Patriot Day in the United s Introduction of the thesis ment 2. Describing and analyzing apoem by Adam Zagajewski entitled ‘Try To Praise the Mutilated World’ 3. Analyzing the first visual text on the 9/11 attacks- attacking the twin towers. 4. Analyzing the second visual text on the 9/11 attacks- attacking the pentagon. 5. Rhetorical concepts in the texts (Ethos and Pathos) 6. Summary from the scholarly source ‘The Politics of Terror’ by William Crotty 7. How I agree or disagree with the source Patriot Day in the United States Introduction of the thesis statement Patriot Day is a special day in the United States whereby the nation pays allegiance to the victims of September 11 terrorist attacks, commonly referred to as the 9/11 attacks. This day, terrorists attacked America using four hijacked planes, which they ran into major buildings in the United States, i.e. The World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and Shanksville field, causing great havoc of property and humanity. The country’s national flag flies at half-mast in respect to all those people who lost their lives during the 9/11terror attack. This takes place in all American homes, White House and all government buildings across the world, i.e. embassies of the United States (Crotty 64). Furthermore, all American citizens collectively take the moment of silence at the same time, i.e. exactly at 8.46 AM, marking the moment when the first plane hit the WTC (World Trade Center). Consequently, some communities who suffered the most from the attack hold prayer meetings and special church services. Those personally affected during the attack and those who lost their loved ones or got injured, lay flowers where they buried their loved ones or visit memorial centers, such as the Ground Zero. However, this is not a national holiday and therefore businesses and schools do not close, neither do public transit systems change their operating schedules. What most organizations do is to take some time out of their busy schedules to hold prayers for those who suffered. This is in commemoration of the Patriots Day in the United States, as clearly outlined in the three texts discussed below (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks 464). Describing and Analyzing a Poem by Adam Zagajewski Entitled ‘Try to Praise the Mutilated World’ A Polish national Adam Zagajewski wrote a poem ‘Try to Praise the Mutilated World’ in Polish language. Another author, Clare Cavanagh translated it from Polish to English. It was issued on September 24, 2001. The poem refers to America as the world, mutilated after the attack by terrorists on the 11 of September 2001. After the attack, the rosy features of the country changed from blossoming to perpetual failure. Several excerpts from the poem describe how parts of the country and the economy were undergoing successful development and growth, until the fateful attack brought them to a standstill. Thousands of young and capable men and women lost their lives during the attack. The citizens with a lot of potential to give back to the society succumbed to injuries during the attack that transformed them to weaklings and dependants (Mills Vii). The poet uses metaphors and synonyms in presenting America before the attack. The poet uses themes such as wild strawberries to paint a vivid picturesque of America to the readers. He outlines the impacts of the attack using touching phrases, such as abandoned homesteads as their owners run away to exile, stylish ships and yachts at sea in salty oblivion of the dangers awaiting them, refugees who had nowhere in particular to go to in escaping the wars at home. This is a mutilated world and a complete contrast of the original blossoming and successful world where people sang joyfully and music flared. The author equates the terror attack as the main cause of mutilating the world (Mills Vii). Analyzing the First Visual Text on the 9/11, Attacks- Attacking the Twin Towers Visual texts regarding Patriots Day in the US show how terrorists, a group of Islamist extremists, hijacked four planes from an airport in the United States. The hijackers used these planes, unlike the bombs used in their traditional mode of terrorist attacks, to bomb three different buildings in the United States. The first target of these attackers was the World Trade Center. Two planes headed for the World Trade Center. Another plane targeted the Pentagon located in Washington DC. The Pentagon houses the headquarters of the federal government of the United States, including the Department of Defense. The third target was an open field at Shanksville (Crotty 64). This visual text concentrates on the attacks made on The World Trade Center. It shows how two of the four planes disengaged from their group and headed for their target in the hub of New York City. They also show how each hit the duo structures simultaneously. The planes flew directly into the buildings and exploded. This explosion led to the collapse of the building. After the accident, smoke and fire engulfed the two buildings and they crumbled down to the ground. These were the tallest buildings in the world at that time. There are also pictures of people falling off from the building due to the explosion. This visual text clearly outlines the events that occurred before the attack as well as the actual happenings during the 9/11 attack. A reader following these pictures can easily interlink the events, from the attack planning to its execution, and have a feeling as if they personally witnessed the attacks (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks 464). Analyzing the Second Visual Text on the 9/11 Attacks- Attacking The Pentagon. The next visual text concentrates on the attack these terrorists made on The Pentagon. The text shows how the two planes left behind the first two planes targeting The World Trade Center in New York City. One of the planes left the other heading to Shanksville and veered off heading to The Pentagon in Washington DC. In addition, the text shows how the plane came into crash-land against one of the sides of the five-sided building that housed the USA’s Department of Defense. As a result, a great smoke engulfed the building as it burned up due to the explosion (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks 464). The text clearly outlines the intention of these terrorists. By attacking the headquarters, they hoped to paralyze every retaliatory activity that the federal government of US may take with its armed forces. The causalities in this attack were not many because this area was out of bounds to common citizens. As such, only the staff working in the building at that time suffered from this terrorist attack. The World Trade Center attack is the one that caused most of the causalities because of its location at the hub of the city center. In total, over three thousand people lost their lives during the 9/11 attack, and thousands of others got severely injured (Crotty 64). Rhetorical Concepts in the Texts (Ethos and Pathos) Ethos refers to an appeal of ethics. It is the ability of a person to convince another individual about the credibility and character of the persuader. The three texts outline the 9/11 attacks credibly to the extent of other people’s understanding and belief in the images and figures written in the texts. The three texts outline clearly how the attacks occurred, how the terrorists planned the attacks, and how the terrorists implemented their attacks. The images and texts apply ethos. For example, the writer of the poem uses the strawberries strewn on the ground as an imagery of fallen buildings and heroes who died during the terrorist attack (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks 464). Pathos is a way which a writer can use to appeal to the emotions of their audience. Pathos is a mode of convincing an audience in an argument through creation of an emotional response. The authors of these texts make use of pathos to appeal to their readers emotionally. For instance, the first visual text incorporates words alongside the pictures showing the events that transpired before, during, and after the attack. The poem through its title ‘Try to Praise the Mutilated World’ emotionally appeals to readers as it outlines the difficulty that individuals face while trying to cover up their sorrows and tribulations inflicted during the attack (Mills Vii). Summary from the Scholarly Source ‘The Politics of Terror’ By William Crotty ‘The Politics of Terror’ is a scholarly source written by William Crotty, who talks about the events that transpired before, during and after the terror attacks. William Crotty outlines the causes and events of the September 11 terrorist attack. The 9/11 attack caused the most damages and losses, both of lives and property, in the history of the US. (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks 464). The attack caused a lot of paranoia in the country whereby every citizen now fear terrorist attacks. In addition, the book discusses the politics behind the terrorist attacks in the United States. The federal government of the United States of America enacted numerous policies and constitutional amendments to safeguard the nation and its citizens. These amendments to the constitution to safeguard the country against terrorism as well as policies enacted to reduce or eliminate the threat of terrorism against the country changed the entire political dimension of terrorism in the United States. Politicians used the platform of terrorism to run their campaigns during elections. For example, President George Bush used the anti-terror campaign for his re-election as the president of the United States of America. Furthermore, law-enforcing agencies got more permission to infringe into the rights of citizens, invade their privacy, and search their homes and offices, all in the name of terror. The country is more apt to prevention of terrorist attacks in the country than ever before. In addition, citizens are more willing to co-operate with law enforcement agencies to prevent acts of terrorism on American soil (Crotty 64). How I Agree or Disagree With the Source I completely agree with suggestions and thoughts outlined by the author in The Book Politics of Terror. The act of terrorism in America was not just a common occurrence. It is unlikely for a terrorist to attack you for no reasons at all. Most terrorists attack a country or a region in order to send a message, or to show their stand against or in support of a given policy taken by a given country. The United States of America has a serious stand against terrorism and all acts of terrorism. Politicians come up with policies to set up these stands of the federal government of the United States against terrorism. The United States is one of the active supporters of anti-terror movements in the world. It takes firm positions against any threats of terrorism, or any activity purported to be a threat of terrorism (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks 464). This stand is what triggers terrorist attacks by terror gangs in America and their affiliates across the world. The 9/11 attack was a statement by the terrorists that they do not want America to continue micro managing the world and let the world decide what path it intends to take. This is especially so in the case of Islamic and Arabian countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran. These countries harbor religious extremists who abhor the act of America in policing the world against terrorism (Crotty 64). Works cited Crotty, William. The Politics of Terror: The U. S. Response to 9/11. Lebanon, New Hampshire: UPNE, 2004. Print. Lee, Albert. “Best of the Web.” Framework. framework.latimes.com. 10 Sep 2010.Web.14 May 2013 http://framework.latimes.com/2010/09/10/best-of-the-web-4/ Mills, Linda. Insult to Injury: Rethinking our Responses to Intimate Abuse. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2009. Print. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks. The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. New York, NY: Cosimo, Inc., 2010. Print.   Read More