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Sydney Underwood Elizabeth Caruso English 1102 February 22, 2012

September 11th, 2001 On September 11th, 2001, our world was forever changed. Four passenger planes were hijacked and two of these were flown into the World Trade Centers by terrorists. Within hours, the towers collapsed. This event left Americans wondering what was next to come, and what exactly this meant for America. Many say history repeats itself, so this thought left us with the similar attack on Pearl Harbor, that was a sudden attack on the United States as well. Looking back on both of these events, a nation that thought they were secure, were unexpectedly surprised by attacks on its own land. Many lives in return were affected in several different ways. No matter what happened on that day, the next day America had to pick up the pieces and move on. September 11th left America with many lost and forgotten lives. The attack was not geared toward military nor government officials, but sadly civilians going about their everyday lives. Americans knew who their attackers were and even that they may be at war, but did not know what the future held. Through all the chaos and tragedy, the nation responded with urgency and patriotism. Civilians started to buy and display American flags, donate to charities across

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the nation, and come together as a family. But, difference of opinions still remained and cause havoc. There are many conspiracies that have arisen following September 11th1. People believe that there were inside traders that knew about the attack even before it happened (Aleshinloye pp. 2). Questionable business was taking place in the stock market and insurance companies prior to the attack. Such as, an enormous about of put options and stocks being put into United Airlines, which were the airlines to be hijacked. Many believe that traders profited from the attacks (Aleshinloye pp. 2.) Another conspiracy was that the trade centers were bombed. The collapse happened very similar to that of a controlled demolition. Witnesses reported that on their way out, they heard explosions. Scientists as well as architects have studied the incident and say that a planes fuel cannot produce enough heat to melt the steel frame in which the towers were built (Aleshinloye pp.3). The fourth hijacked plane, Flight 93, was reported to have crashed in Pennsylvania. Many believe that the plane landed safely while another staged plane was shot out of the sky. Others believe that the planes passengers were murdered and relocated, never to be found. Also, the hijackers are believed to be alive in other countries (Aleshinloye pp. 5.) The question has been raised, that how has the passports and identifications survive an explosion that destroyed buildings? Another shocking conspiracy was that the cell phone calls made from the plane were in fact fake calls (Aleshinloye pp.7.) Scientists pointed out that cell phones could not receive reception from the altitude that planes typically fly at. It was documented that well over 4,000 Jewish employees took off work on the day of the attack. The first recordings of the attack were

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those from Jewish cameras. Lastly, commercial airplanes are constructed out of aluminum in order to make it easier to fly. Scientists believe that aluminum airplanes could not do the damage that was done to the steel tower (Aleshinloye pp. 8.) No matter what caused this tragedy, it still happened. It all happened on November 11th, 2001,at about 8:15am2, Flight 11 begins to no longer respond to FAAs Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center. The plane had gotten hijacked along with three other passenger airplanes. These planes were headed to Los Angeles on a daily routine. At 8:26 a.m., Flight 11 makes a sudden turn towards New York City, New York, hitting the World Trade Centers at about 466 miles per hour between floors 93 and 99. Many employees did not even have a clue as to what was going on. They were not alerted by officials, codes, or alarms. They heard crashing and bombing and looked out the window to see what was going on. It was nearly an hour after the planes hit that several workers even began to try and escape. As one woman was working on the 64th floor, her and her co-workers werent given any information as to what was going on, so it was nearly an hour before they started to head down the stairs. As she stopped on the 13th floor to take her shoes off, the building collapses. (Guzman-McMillan.)3 This just shows how fast and unexpected this whole ordeal happened. The life thereafter September 11th, is definitely a different one4. Not only personally but governmentally as well. There is no such thing as leisure flying anymore (Lawrence 2). Long security lines and pat downs require more time and effort, so you have to plan ahead and it has made flying more of a hassle rather than a fun experience. You are likely never going to be somewhere without an emergency response kit handed to you (Lawrence 4). Whether it is in

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your office at work, doctors office, or just everyday places, chances are you will find an emergency kit at your access. Many families have sought professional help in creating an emergency action plan for their household (Lawrence 5). Families and offices have come together and created an emergency action plan in case of a catastrophe. The attacks made many people want to join the military, but now more than ever, they dont leave the same way they came (Lawrence 6). Americans have less trust in the security and our government as a whole (Lawrence 7). Americans feel as though our national security is weak and fragile because they let this tragedy happen. Right to privacy no longer exists (Lawrence 8). Law enforcement is able to search everything from medical records to your phone records. Overall, the events of September, however they came about, have changed, influenced, and left an impact on each and every Americans lives.

I really liked learning and researching about the different conspiracies that have been raised into question, and I definitely want to incorporate some of these into my concept and maybe add a few of my own to add a little twist. 2 This is the time that my main character will be at work going about his everyday routine. I will open up with his night before and the events leading up to the plans crashing. 3 My character in my concept story will have a similar experience as this lady did. He will not have any clues as to what is going on. He will stay in the building for an extended amount of time before he convinces his self that he needs to escape. 4 For the life after 9/11, my character will display a great amount of heroism and get reunited with his family after several hours of lying in the debris. His life afterwards will demonstrate courage, bravery, determination, and strong willed relationships.

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Works Cited Aleshinloye, Samuel, writ. The 11 Most Compelling 9/11 Conspiracy Theories. NewsOne: 01/10/2011. Television. <http://newsone.com/newsone-original/samalesh/the-11-most-compelling-911-conspiracy-theories/>. Guzman-McMillan, Genelle. Internet Videoconference Interview. 08/23/2011. Lawrence Jr., Calvin. "September 11th: 7 Ways 9/11 Has Changed Your Life." ABC news. ABC, 06/10/2011. Web. 14 Feb 2012. <http://abcnews.go.com/US/september-11th-ways-911-changed-life/story?id=14324226 Sloan, Brian. "WTC VIEW: MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF NEW YORK AFTER 9/11." N.p., 03 10 2011. Web. 8 Feb. 2012. <http://keepthelightsonfilm.com/archives/art-and-autobiography/wtc-view-my-autobiography-of-new-york-after911>. Tobin, Lisa. "9/11 Stories: A Flight Attendants Calm Final Call." 90.9 WBUR, 09 06 2011. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://www.wbur.org/2011/09/06/911-stories-flight-attendant>.