Olivia Ceretti

Wilson Clasby
Eng Comp II: 180
21 October 2016
9/11 Memorial Museum: The 9/11 Memorial Museum has been the center for debate since its
birth over whether or not its construction disrespects the sacredness of Ground Zero and the lives
lost that day.
Annotated Bibliography

Sturken, Marita. The Objects that Lived: The 9/11 Museum and Material Transformation.
Memory Studies, vol. 9 (1), no. 13-26, 2016.
Sturkens essay examined how the destruction of the attacks on 9/11 is defined through
narratives and material transformation. Her essay revealed how material objects, from
personal belonging to entire fire trucks and bodies, were irreversibly transformed that
day. Sturken did not want to give a tour of the museum or talk about the controversies
surrounding it, but to interpret the museum's materials that are present and absent. The
overwhelming presence of dust was one of the most powerful and important material
transformations of the attacks, noted Sturken. She went on to elaborate that dust is so
powerful because once something is made into dust it can never be put back together
again, much like lives and objects destroyed during the attacks. Everything at Ground
Zero was covered in dust that day, dust of the buildings and the dust of bodies. Sturkens
essay focuses largely on how materiality plays such an intricate role in understanding
9/11 and the history it left in its wake. Sturken also touches on how the cultural memory
of 9/11 is arranged through material objects such as the absence of objects, the
exhibitions, personal and public objects, human remains and the controversy of
souvenirs. Absence, survivor objects, controversial objects, and the museum's gift shop
all play into the transformation of the Twin Towers to the 9/11 Memorial Museum,
according to Sturken. I will use this source to elaborate on the importance of the 9/11
Memorial Museum while also using it to highlight some of the museums controversies.
Sturken, Marita. The 9/11 Memorial Museum and the Remaking of Ground Zero. Project
Muse, vol. 67, no. 2, June 2015, pp. 471- 490.

Sturken earlier essay examines the remaking of Ground Zero into the 9/11 Memorial
Museum. This particular essay heavily discusses two very important objects in the
museum which encapsulates the problematic project that is the 9/11 Memorial Museum:
The Last Column and a glass display case containing a brick from the compound where
Osama Bin Laden was assassinated. Sturken explains the contradictory nature of the two
objects and how one is honored while one is the center for controversy. The Last Column
is a symbol of our perseverance that makes peace between the loss felt that day and the
vulnerable state of the nation at the time. The brick exhumed from the compound,
according to Sturken, is constantly debated over whether or not it is an appropriate
inclusion to the museum because it contradicts the aim of the museum. Sturken also
examines how by persistently attempting to tell the 9/11 narrative is a consequence of the
attack that allows us to frame that day and understand it better in the grand scheme of the
history of the United States. Sturken goes onto talk about how everything that makes up
the 9/11 Memorial museum, in a way, conflicts with each other. She explains how though
it is a memorial for those who passed, a historical museum, a shrine, and a sacred site; yet
it is also a tourist hot spot and commercial venture. Sturken argues, the $24 price tag for a
ticket and the vast collection of merchandise conflict with the sacredness of the site. I will
use this source to play into the side of the argument that does not agree with the 9/11
Memorial Museum because the article heavily speaks on the downsides of the museum.
Donofrio, Theresa Ann. Ground Zero and Place-Making Authority: The Conservative
Metaphors in 9/11 Families Take Back the Memorial Rhetoric. Western Journal of
Communication. vol. 74, no. 2, March- April 2010, pp. 150- 169.
Donofrios essay greatly highlighted the controversies surrounding the 9/11 Memorial
Museum, focusing mainly on Take Back the Memorial(TBM). Donofrio explained that
TBM is an advocacy group to help those who lost loved ones voice their opinion on how
the land at Ground Zero would be used. Donofrio used her essay to reveal how the family
members of the attack victims stand their ground concerning their right to having the
authority to define Ground Zero as a memorial. Donofrio asserted that TBMs mission to
give the families of the victims the power to shape the place of Ground Zero by
disregarding competing platforms as political. Donofrio explained that TBM greatly
repels the idea of making Ground Zero a commercial place drawing in Revenue.
According to Donofrio much of TBMs conversation is the belief that Ground Zero is a
stolen possession metaphorically. They believe that Ground Zero is a place that can be
stolen from its proper owners by people who claim it unlawfully. Anthony Gardner, a
family member of a victim, believed that there was intent to steal the memorial and
museum by robbing the family members of the victims of deeply personal items. TBM
also links Ground Zero to the likes of a cemetery and gravesite making certain practices
on Ground Zero improper. Overall Donofrio highlights greatly the negative aspect to the
9/11 Memorial Museum.
Grant, Daniel. The Cost of Culture. New Criterion. Vol. 33, no. 4, December 2014, pp28.

Despite how Grants essay expanded on the question for all museums: does charging high
admissions bring in more money to these institutions than is lost by those who
discouraged by the high price to get through the door? He largely focuses on the ticket
price controversy surrounding the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Grant opened his essay by
explaining that the 9/11 Memorial Museum is not for the faint of heart due to its high
volume of personal stories of loss by the families of the victims. The museum is filled to
the brim with photographs and videos of the attack as it happened in real time and also
personal objects. Grant explained that anyone looking to see how America has changed
since the attacks would make their first stop at the museum, but the high price of
admission might make that dream less possible. Grant revealed that there is a $24 adult
admission fee and a family of four, two children with two adults, would be paying
upwards of $78. Grant asks the reader why would anyone create such a site just to make
it so inaccessible to some. In his essay Grant drew upon the statement of David R. Jones
that the cost of culture has priced out a large section of the citys people, meaning high
admission prices prevent a good portion of residents from being able to walk through the
doors of most city museums. However, Grant also defended the high price of the 9/11
Memorial Museum admission tickets by explaining its reasoning. The 9/11 Memorial
Museum is a private museum who does not receive an endowment so it must earn its way
every day. He then concluded that though the price is justified he believes that the
admissions price goes against the mission of the museum which is to tell the history of
the attacks to the biggest number of people. I will also use this source to elaborate on the
controversial side of the 9/11 Memorial Museum.
Lacayo, Richard. Remains of the Day. TIME. vol. 183, issue. 20, May 2014, pp52-55.
Lacayos article for TIME highlighted the purpose and backstory of the 9/11 Memorial
Museum. Lacayo also goes into detail on the set and design of the museum, going in
depth to describe each layer visitors will encounter. It is clear through Lacayos article
that symbolism and metaphors play a very large role in the overall design of the museum.
The layout of the museum doesnt follow the traditional style one would expect; the
outside of the museum is layered with diagonal lines and glass and steel making the
building look crisscrossed. Lacayo explains that though the architecture is for decorative
purposes it also lets its viewers know that the 9/11 Memorial Museum is a museum that
has a duty to acknowledge the scars and upheaval the attacks created. Lacayo also
explained that the museum had an even bigger job than the memorial. Both the memorial
and the memorial museum were created to pay respects to the dead and heal the living,
but what sets the 9/11 Memorial Museum apart is that it also is there to reopen the scar.
Lacayo also touches on the $24 admission price calling it hefty. Lacayo uses the words of
Steven M. Davis to explain how the architects were guided in their design. Davis said
they followed four main principles: memory, authenticity, scale and emotion. Layaco
explained that for the architects they had to ensure that they preserved the memory
properly, make sure it was genuine, evoke the emotions from the viewer, and make sure
everything was scaled properly. The 9/11 Memorial Museum is a very ambitious museum
that dares to properly pay respect to the attacks, which is a heavy burden for a museum
built directly on the ground it is remembering.