9/11

                 Tragedy is a hard thing to write about.  The writer needs to be aware of the topic as well as the audience.  They do not know who will be reading their paper, and in the case of 9/11, someone who was directly affected by the attacks may react differently than someone who has no relation to the attacks except for being an American.  The writer also has to show extensive knowledge about the subject.  To get a fact wrong in an article about a tragedy would be extremely insensitive to the victims, as well as the rest of the people affected. 

                  How one writes about tragedy also changes with the level of understanding that the audience holds.  For example, when explaining a death of a family member to a child, a parent is likely to be more simplistic in their explanation, as opposed to when adults are speaking to each other, the person who is explaining will go into more depth, telling how the person died, and using more complex terms. 

                  The September 11 attacks are still a very touchy subject for a majority of people in the United States.  They had effects that are still seen prominently today.  I do not remember anything from that date in 2001.  My memories are false memories, ones that I think I remember, but they are really just from stories that I have heard or news specials that I have watched.  My memory of 9/11 is not one that happened on that date, but one that happened a few years ago.  While traveling in New York City, my family and I got into a taxi, whose driver was in the Twin Towers during the attacks.  He had written his story and had copies of it in the backseat of the cab.  He talked to us about what happened that day, and it was a chilling experience to meet a person who was directly affected by the tragedy. 

                  Tragedy is a tough subject for anyone, and addressing it takes time and patience.