9/11

Addressing tragedy is never an easy task. There is a lot that needs to be considered when talking to people about tragedy. You can never be sure how those that you are talking to were affected by this tragedy. It is extremely important to be very aware of their feelings, and how sore of a subject it is for that person. Were they directly affected by this tragedy? Was one of their friends or family members affected? Knowing the audience greatly impacts how you would talk about the tragedy. 9/11 is a perfect example.  

If you were talking to someone in New York about 9/11, you would have to be very careful, and be incredibly mindful of their feelings. This would be vitally important especially if they vividly remember the day, or even lost a loved one on that horrible day. Talking to an audience that included people from Iraq would be drastically different. Instead of being very mindful of your audience’s feelings, you would want to be sure to portray to them the impact that this tragic day had on Americans. It would be very important to still maintain respect, but also important to let them know the extent of the heartbreak that occurred on that day.

I don’t remember too much from 9/11. I was just a happy little 5 year-old enjoying Pre-K, when my mom came to pick me up early from school. I could tell something was wrong, but I didn’t know what. I remember other parents coming to pick their kids up early with that same worried face. Being so young, I didn’t think to ask what was wrong. Once my mom picked me up, and I was back home, she told me, “Today is a very sad day for America.” Being 5, I listened to what she said, but didn’t ask any further questions. Looking back on that day now, I can’t imagine the fear and heartbreak that everyone who was old enough to understand what was going on felt.