Tragedies can cause indescribable pain and suffering to a city, state, or even a country. Whether they affect millions of people or just a few, the impact is devastating. Though unfortunate, they are inevitable. It's the sad truth that people may not realize. Today marks 14 years since the tragedy on 9/11, where the unjustified attacks on the twin towers occurred. For me, this event comes to mind when I hear the word tragedy. On that day, America went silent from the devastation. However, our nation bounced back strong, and proved our might. As George Bush put it, "Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundations of America." Our country is not based on our monuments, it is based on our people. And although we lost some courageous citizens that day, their presence will never be forgotten.
Writing about tragedies is complicated. Unlike other papers, you have to be careful that you don't come off too emotional or too aggressive. In order to properly engage with these tragic events, you have to be respectful and understanding. The writer's tone is one of the most important aspects. In addition, it is essential to have a purpose with you writing. Don't just write about the event to remind people of what happened. Provide insight, and shine some light on the tragedy. Remind people how it brought everyone together to come back even stronger than before. With these tools, you can write a meaningful essay and give people something to read.
Some things you need to consider, as always, is who your audience is when you are writing. When writing about tragedy, you have to be extra careful. The writing to your grandmother might a little different than the writing to your best friend. It might be wise to be more respectful and reserved when talking to your elders, while when talking to your peers you might be able to be more analytical and conversational. Also, if you were discussing 9/11 with a person from Iraq you may not come off as arrogant as you would from a person from New York. Adjusting to your audience is key in all types of writing as your purpose may change from person to person.
Looking back, it is hard to believe how long it has been since 9/11. Every year on this day, our country looks back on the event and pays its respect to those we have lost. We have come so far since then and though years have gone bye we will always remember what happened. Never Forget.
I like how you wrote about putting happiness into writing about tragedy. I also think that it is important to not always be depressing when writing about something terrible that happened. How would you be arrogant if you were talking about 9/11 to someone from Iraq? Aren't there ways to be respectful when you talk to an Iraqi about 9/11 also?
ReplyDeleteI suppose you are right, I had trouble finding the right word to use and arrogant probably isn't the right one.
ReplyDelete