Whetstone 1

Brandon Whetstone

ENG 1101-219

Dr. C

30 October 2018

The Day That Changed America

September 11th, 2001, is the day that changed America and started a different kind of war. This

day started out as any normal day. People woke up and went to work. But what they soon realized is that

the day would take a turn for the worst. Although I don’t have any recollection of this event, I have been

told numerous times and experienced the changes that this day brought. I have been to New York City

many times and seen where the fallen towers once stood, gazing at the big construction sites as the new

world trade center was being built. Many people don’t realize that because of this event, changes in

everyday life have occurred like terrorism threat has increased, security in airports and buildings, and

hate towards the Islamic people.

Al Qaeda is an Islamic terrorist group founded in 1988 by a man named Osama Bin Laden. This

terrorist group has been linked to many other attacks that have happened around the world, but the U.S.

has always been a significant target. On the morning of the eleventh of September, 19 Al Qaeda

members boarded 4 passenger planes heading to various states around the country. The men hijacked

each plane and redirected them to different targets, those targets being the North and South towers of

the World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. Each plane hit its target. The damage

resulted in the collapse of the north and south towers killing 2,995 people. (Convard, 2)

This single attack has made the biggest impact on America and the way we live our lives. The

attack also sparked the attention for other hate groups and terrorist groups all around the world. This

resulted in America pushing its efforts on the war on terrorism, working with other countries to stop
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these groups from hurting and killing people. The world was and is still at war with groups like Al Qaeda,

ISIS and many more Islamic hate groups. These people have been responsible for many shootings,

bombings, and killings in many different countries around the world.

These groups have caused a notion that all Islamic people in the world are bad and out to hurt

people. Many of these people have come to America in hopes of fleeing the hate groups in their own

countries and starting a new life. These hate groups target children in hopes to divert the focus of the

religion to thinking the people of the world are bad and making them want to hurt innocent people. The

stereotype that all Islamic people are bad is far from true. The fact of the matter is that less than one

percent of the people as a whole actually are bad. Many young people need to realize this fact as it is

becoming a bigger issue in the world today

One of the biggest notable changes that has had the biggest effect around the world, is security.

Whether its airport security, or just normal building security, it is notably one of the biggest things that

has changed in everyday life. I remember being told stories by my father, who once traveled a lot that

before the events happened, anyone would be able to walk through security clearances without being

checked. In society today, it is mandatory to put a carry on in a scanner and you have to walk through a

metal detector. These precautions have been put in place for the safety of millions of people around the

world and have diverted many attacks.

The war on terrorism has been raging on for years and will continue to for years to come. Many

other countries have joined to combat and stop terrorism, trying to give people homes back that the

groups have taken over for housing. Many of these terror groups take over towns full of innocent people

and force them out, taking their homes and people’s lives. Many of these countries don’t have any way

of defending themselves from the terror groups making them easy targets for hate and torment.
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Different anti-terrorism groups around the world have prevented many cities in Islamic countries from

being inhabited by these groups.

While these changes may not seem big, they have caused a major change to our government

and businesses. The cost to keep people safe in airports and buildings has greatly increased as the need

for security and metal detectors and other various safety equipment grows. The government has shifted

a military focus to stopping these terror groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS from hurting the people of

America and the rest of the world. This also costing more money for the deployment of forces and the

use of military equipment. As these methods of combating terrorism grows, so does the threat of

terrorism on our home country. (Godges, 181)

The most popular terror group of today is ISIS. They have conducted various attacks around the

world and still are a great threat to our lives. While these threats may not seem to affect you, many of

the people that believed that have been part of an attack. That shouldn’t mean that someone should

stereotype an Islamic person just for their religion and looks. These people have come to America to

seek a better life for their families and themselves. Not long after 9/11 occurred, these Islamic people

became the biggest target for hate amongst society. While not everyone believes in this stereotype, it is

still a big issue for the rest of the people who believe it. Many of these people have had their homes and

their families taken away from them.

I remember the first time I went and saw the 9/11 memorial, it was a cold, windy day in New

York City. I was with my father who had previously been to the city but had never been to the memorial.

We walked down Liberty St. after just getting off of a boat ride from Jersey City. Hearing all the sirens and

all different kinds of noises from the everyday life of New York City was very mesmerizing. I remember

seeing the 1,776-foot-tall One World Trade Center for the first time and the two infinity pools where the

twin towers once stood. Upon stepping foot on the memorial grounds, I felt a certain solemnness that I
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had never experienced previously. The silence around the grounds had an eerie feel considering I was in

a huge city. I realized the impact that the attack had when I walked up to the pool and saw the names of

the people whose

lives were taken. The names were engraved in the stone surrounding both of the pools. As I ran

my hands across the names, I felt the presence of all the people as if they were there standing with me.

My father was telling me about him originally hearing about the attack while he was at work. He said the

news spread like wildfire and soon was all across the world. I looked as the One World Trade Center

towered over all the other buildings in New York City. The memorial will always be my favorite thing in

New York City and it will always have the biggest impact on how I view the event as a whole.

This picture shows the infinity pool 9/11 Memorial. This memorial is in the exact spot the Twin towers once

stood in. The memorial first started being built in March of 2006 and opened on September 11 th, 2011 to the

families of the victims of the attack.

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While the threat for terrorism grows every day, the need for acceptance of the people that are

trying to make a life for themselves has to grow drastically. The One World Trade center is the beacon of

America and its people. It shows that when something gets torn down, another thing will grow in its

place only bigger and better. It shows that Americans can come together to make something great to

represent its people and the country.

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Brandon Whetstone

ENG 1101-219

Dr. C

4 October 2018

Works Cited

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Randell, Karen, et al. Reframing 9/11 : Film, Popular Culture and the “War on Terror.” Continuum, 2010.
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Convard, Quentin, et al. 9/11 : The Attack That Shook the World. 50Minutes.com, 2016. EBSCOhost,
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Stubblefield, Thomas. 9/11 and the Visual Culture of Disaster. Indiana University Press, 2014. EBSCOhost,
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Šalamon, Kristina Kočan. “Public Response to 9/11 in Politics: Patriotism, Fear and Language Issues.”
Informatologia, vol. 51, no. 1/2, June 2018, pp. 34–42. EBSCOhost, sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?
url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=130844319&site=eds-live.

Godges, John, and Brian Michael Jenkins. The Long Shadow of 9/11 : America’s Response to Terrorism.
RAND Corporation, 2011. EBSCOhost, sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?
url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=391564&site=eds-live.