Ian McEwan described the images shown by the media on 9/11 as one’s with a “curious kind of silence”. He noted that, as a viewer at home, he could only imagine the human panic inside the burning buildings as “breaking news” images sullied the television screen. He noted that various TV crews rushed to track down family members of those who tragically died in the burning buildings. As messages were played over the news of those trapped in the buildings to their loved ones, McEwan was amazed at how cell phones “so completely penetrated daily life, even dying moment when people were trapped in buildings and rooms they knew they couldn’t get out of”. The simple words “I love you” was all that these innocent victims had to say as they knew that would be the last instance of human contact. He established an emotional legacy of September 11TH – an expression of love- that revealed to America “love was all they had to set against the hatred of their murderers”.
McEwan said the most terrifying thing about the tragic event was that we had “to imagine ourselves in the position of people on those planes”. Our moral understanding encompasses humans imagining themselves into the minds of other people- an act of empathy. He also noted the image of people jumping from burning buildings revealed no hope to him and left him with an image of “utter desperation…sheer panic”. McEwan felt from the events that took place on 9/11, America needs to have more doubt, skepticism and less certainty, especially when it comes to defining evil. He says we have to take in all of 9/11 in human terms, not put into the hands of the “sky gods”. After the effects of 9/11 have been consumed by viewers and their minds and beliefs have been shaken up, McEwan reveals the balance of our capacity to love and what human nature is capable of need to be held together in balance.
In both this article and McEwan’s Saturday, a plane crash occurred. As Perowne wonders what story lies behind the mysterious plane that crashed in the middle of the night, McEwan also describes how America imagines, from pictures and news reports, what the tragic of event 9/11 entailed. Perowne’s assumptions of the plane and what the passengers were thinking were confirmed when he saw the news report that stated the status of the plane’s passengers and the reasons for the crash. The people in the streets of New York and viewers throughout America also had their assumptions confirmed through the news reports of the terrorist attack on September 11TH. Although McEwan description here of the images and America’s reaction to them is much more tragic that the minor plane crash in Saturday, the power of images and imagination our both equally present.
Word Count- 473
McEwan said the most terrifying thing about the tragic event was that we had “to imagine ourselves in the position of people on those planes”. Our moral understanding encompasses humans imagining themselves into the minds of other people- an act of empathy. He also noted the image of people jumping from burning buildings revealed no hope to him and left him with an image of “utter desperation…sheer panic”. McEwan felt from the events that took place on 9/11, America needs to have more doubt, skepticism and less certainty, especially when it comes to defining evil. He says we have to take in all of 9/11 in human terms, not put into the hands of the “sky gods”. After the effects of 9/11 have been consumed by viewers and their minds and beliefs have been shaken up, McEwan reveals the balance of our capacity to love and what human nature is capable of need to be held together in balance.
In both this article and McEwan’s Saturday, a plane crash occurred. As Perowne wonders what story lies behind the mysterious plane that crashed in the middle of the night, McEwan also describes how America imagines, from pictures and news reports, what the tragic of event 9/11 entailed. Perowne’s assumptions of the plane and what the passengers were thinking were confirmed when he saw the news report that stated the status of the plane’s passengers and the reasons for the crash. The people in the streets of New York and viewers throughout America also had their assumptions confirmed through the news reports of the terrorist attack on September 11TH. Although McEwan description here of the images and America’s reaction to them is much more tragic that the minor plane crash in Saturday, the power of images and imagination our both equally present.
Word Count- 473
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