1st Prize
We Need a Thoughtful Response
Vinh Bui, 15, Christopher Columbus HS:
The World Trade Center attacks caused hatred in some and sorrow in others. Some think we should strike back with all the might America possesses, while others think we should take a more cautious approach. Some want more security to insure greater safety, while others fear that if we have too much security, it will interfere with our much-loved civil liberties.
I think the ones who planned the attack should be punished severely for their crime. It hurt to know that the actions of a few psychotic individuals killed thousands of innocents.
Some people wonder how we should strike back against an unclear enemy. The enemy we’re facing is a formidable one whose primary weapon is not missiles or warplanes. Their primary weapon is the ability to brainwash people and turn them into killing machines.
There’s the proposal to capture terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice. This seems like a reasonable goal, but history has proved that if you kill the leader, his ideas will live on. I don’t fear one bin Laden; I fear many bin Ladens. We’re having a horrible time tracking down one of him. Imagine if there were dozens of bin Ladens all over the world.
There are also major debates on America’s military presence in Afghanistan; many people there don’t welcome us. I think we should make it clear to people there that we’re not there to interfere with their religion or invade their way of life.
There are several ways to do this. We can set up American-run television and broadcasting systems in the region to tell people our side of the story. We are spending millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to assist them and their country, but many people don’t know this.
Since this is an enormous campaign, we must take the thoughts and feelings of Afghans into serious consideration, because a misunderstanding can lead to embarrassing consequences.
On the home front, ever since the attack, thousands of people started stocking up on food and buying extra water just in case of an emergency. I think that this is a wasted effort. The U.S. is a rich country; we have plenty of food to go around.
Some people won’t fly again because they fear another hijacking. I think that the chance of another plane attack is unlikely because a good trick only works once. With all the extra security in airports, I don’t think terrorists will aim for airlines this time; they’re probably going to target something else.
Even though many people are overreacting, I do understand some precautions are better than none. Make no doubt about it: with the recent attack on our homeland, we need extra security to ensure our safety, but we should not overdo it to the point that our civil liberties and freedom as Americans are violated.
2nd Prize
Dad Ran for His Life
Angel Irizarry, 17, Edward R. Murrow HS
The attack on the World Trade Center deeply affected the life of my family. My dad, who works at One Liberty Plaza, was getting out of a subway station when the first tower was collapsing. He ran back into the train station, but the cops and another emergency person told him and other people to get out and run.
While he was running, two elderly women were being trampled by all the other people running. My dad helped them to their feet and ran with them, holding them by the arms. But then, someone bumped my dad and he let go of the women. He still doesn’t know if they got out of the area in time.
Earlier that day, I was at Edward R. Murrow High School in my first class. We turned on the TV set and were shocked to see one of the towers on fire. I thought that it was an accident. However, when I went to my second class, a teacher ran in and cried, “A second plane hit the other tower!”
I was scared for my father’s safety. I knew that he had to be getting out of the train or be close to the station at that time. After class was over, everyone was making calls to make sure their loved ones were OK. My cell phone wasn’t working and the lines to the pay phones were so long. So I decided to leave.
But the trains weren’t running. So I walked for a while. I called my cousin to see if she heard anything from my parents. She said no and that one of the towers had just collapsed.
I hung up and went to my grandfather’s job. When I got there, there were ash and pieces of paper on fire flying in the air. The smell was horrific.
About ten minutes later, my dad called me, crying. “I saw everything, people jumping out of the windows, concrete falling and landing on people,” he said. “I tried to help them, but I couldn’t.”
“Who?” I asked. “Two elderly women,” he said. “I held them up, but couldn’t hold them long. There were so many people who died.” He then told me to get home somehow, that he wanted me to be home.
My grandfather drove me home. When I got there, my father hugged me like he never did before. He was bringing pictures of my sister’s sweet 16 to show to his fellow employees.
“I held onto these pictures so tight,” he said. “If I was going to die, you, your mother, sister, and brothers were going to be with me.” As the day went by, my sister and brother finally arrived home. We were all waiting in anticipation for my mother, who was on the train going towards Manhattan. She got home about five hours after the towers collapsed.
For the rest of that day, we saw the chilling footage of the events that took place in Manhattan. My dad is still traumatized by what he saw and how close he was to dying. But he is strong and will get through this, just like the other Americans who will survive this tragedy.
3rd Prize
A New Feeling of Patriotism
Justin Bernstein
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America…” Many people have stood up reluctantly to recite this pledge in a dull and quick manner just to get it done. This led me to believe there was a lack of devotion to this country.
That all changed on September 11, 2001, a date that will live in infamy. America’s reaction to the terrorist attacks has had a significant effect on my feelings towards patriotism in this country.
I never thought that patriotism existed to the same extent here as it did in other nations. Sure, people go see fireworks on the 4th of July, or eat a big turkey dinner on Thanksgiving. But are these actions genuinely patriotic?
Because of the wrangling amongst different political parties, religions and races, it appeared as if Americans pledged loyalty to their small faction rather than the nation as a whole. As Americans, we tend to focus on our differences, magnifying them so much as to spark flames of hatred towards those expressing different opinions.
I felt that Americans would continue alienating each other into smaller and smaller fractions. I began to wonder if I was patriotic, because I felt alienated.
My feelings on patriotism totally reversed after September 11. In the depressing aftermath, we felt lost and confused. But the attacks did something totally unexpected-rather than splitting Americans further apart, they brought us together.
I walked down the street by my apartment building the other day and American flags hung from the window of many apartments. They were attached to the doors of private houses. They hung from flagpoles next to businesses. They were taped on the antennas of cars.
The change wasn’t only symbolic. Congress put aside its differences to quickly sign laws into action unanimously. Caucasians, African Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans, Christians, Jews and Muslims came together for vigils to say they were proud to be Americans. It felt good to know that America was able to pull together.
3rd Prize
Where’s Our Intelligence?
Kimberly Bodden, Canarsie HS
I think the U.S. has to take some blame for what happened on September 11. Don’t misunderstand me, what happened is terribly sad, but did those innocent people die because of our mistakes? Where was the CIA when this happened? How come we didn’t know?
We’ve been given three chances and we should’ve learned from them: the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa, and last year’s attack on the U.S.S. Cole.
Why is it now that the U.S. is finding all of these people all over the country and the world? How come they didn’t know about them before?
Also, why is it that other countries have stricter security for airports? America has military knowledge, so what about using our intelligence to be prepared?
If other countries were as careless as America, then we might’ve seen the Eiffel Tower or the Tower of London bombed. It’s only now, after a calamity, that the U.S. government is making security stricter.
I truly hope that America learns something from this. CIA, FBI, do not fall asleep again! We need to use our intelligence! If we truly believe in God, then we should use the brain that God put in our heads because, who knows, America’s carelessness could cost us our lives.
3rd Prize
Punish the Terrorists, Not Those Who Look Like Them
Kwok Wan, Edward R. Murrow HS:
No one deserved the fate that befell the passengers of the hijacked planes or those in the World Trade Center on September 11. Even though I didn’t lose anyone, I feel sadness and sympathy for those who did, anger over what happened, and fearful that more terrorist cells might exist in the U.S., but are dormant for now, waiting until we’ve let our guards down to strike again. This has been a wake-up call for me on how precious life is, and that it would be unwise if I didn’t take advantage of it while I can.
One of the responses provoked by this tragic incident is the harassment of American Arabs and Muslims because the hijackers were of Middle Eastern descent. Al Qaeda is a vast network with people of all nationalities and it could’ve been another group of people who crashed planes into our buildings instead of those of Middle Eastern descent.
If the hijackers had been Asian instead of Middle Eastern, I would feel fearful because people would be more wary of my race. This is racial profiling, and I don’t believe that it’s morally right. Why should an entire group of people be punished for actions taken by individuals from their group? Placing the blame on American Arabs and Muslims only brings out the bad side of America and degrades our image as a tolerant country.
The people who really deserve to be punished are those involved in the Al Qaeda network, not innocent people who look like them. But things are still going to be hectic, with tightened security for everyone working towards getting back to normalcy. It takes time to heal such a wound, so people should still respect one another, regardless of their race, and work together to fight terrorism.
Following are excerpts from additional essays submitted to the contest.
Knew a Victim
I’m Angry
Nina Caceres, 17, Port Richmond HS
I’m angry because of all the lives we have lost, but most of all I’m angry because of the family member I have lost. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about my aunt, who was a victim of the World Trade Center attack. She was in Building One on the 97th floor. My family and I were told that is where the bull’s-eye was, and my aunt died instantly. Not only was my aunt a victim, but my mother and godmother were also employees of the World Trade Center. I feel the terrorists have attacked me on a personal note.
I Worked There
Jarell Davis, Grace Dodge HS
On September 11, thousands of people were killed, yet some got lucky and I was one of them. I was an employee at One World Trade Center and I worked on the 69th floor. I knew many people who worked in disbursements. My work experience there was a great one. The people there treated me with courtesy and respect. I left on Aug. 17. One of my co-workers, Cheryl, said, “You don’t have to say goodbye to me, because I will see you right here next year.”
My Father Cried
André Anderson, Ronald Edmonds Learning Center
My father, Errol Anderson, is a New York City firefighter. I found out that he was at ground zero. He called me and my sister to say he was OK. When we arrived home at 7:15, we met my dad at the door. His fire van was covered with thick, white soot. Something wasn’t right. He asked me to take his hand and help him down the steps. To my horror, my father could not see.
He had been down near the World Trade Center, helping a woman who was having a heart attack, when someone yelled to run. My father said he pulled the woman to her feet and started to run. He lost contact with her, tried to find her in the dark, but to no avail. My father had to literally run for his life. The soot and debris engulfed him from head to toe as it caught up to him. He thought he was going to die. As he told us his story of survival, the most painful part of it was his loss of sight due to the debris and glass chips that flew into his eyes.
We had to help my father back into the house so that we could help treat his burning eyes. I will never forget what happened next. It was the day my father cried. He cried out of the pain and terror he felt after almost losing his life. We all cried with him.
Something Had Happened
Keisha Williams
My sister came rushing in the living room and told me to turn on the news. I couldn’t believe it. I hoped my friend Kevin Jones and his brother David didn’t get caught in that.
The next day, Kevin’s mother knocked on my door, crying. Right then I knew that something had happened. When she told me Kevin and David were gone, I gave her a hug and started crying so hard, I couldn’t stop.
Kevin’s mother talked to my parents. She said how sweet Kevin and David were, that they would always be her babies, that they would always be best friends.
On September 14, my family and I went to the funeral. A lot of people were crying, but I just thought about all the good times we had with each other.
Eyewitness or Close By
A Tiny Photograph
Nicole Russo, 17, Edward R. Murrow HS
As I got home on September 11, my heart sank to the floor. I put on my television and there it was, mass destruction. I couldn’t believe it, but the World Trade Center was gone. Immediately, I started crying.
I went into my backyard to see the skyline and strewn all over my backyard were burnt papers that had flown in from Manhattan. In my rose bushes was a tiny photograph of a small baby. So many things ran through my head at that moment. How could this happen? I picked up the papers and threw them out. When I threw them out, I tried to throw out my fears with them.
The next day I walked into the 99-cent store by my house and there they were: flags. I must have bought 10 flags. I hung them up in front of my house, in my school, anywhere I could put them. Seeing that flag gave comfort to me.
Now, when I go over the bridge to Manhattan and see the bright beams of light coming from the disaster site, I’m sad. However, I look down at my flag pin and the sadness goes away and a wave of patriotism comes through my body, and that’s more important than anything during this dreadful time.
A Sense of Agony
Xing Jie Chen, 17, Murry Bergtraum HS
Through the windows of my 1st period classroom, I, along with my classmates and teacher, helplessly watched the second plane crash into the World Trade Center. Suddenly, everyone trembled in fear. Some students cried, some screamed out profanities. I was near the window with the others. I covered my mouth and started to wonder if this was all a terrible nightmare. A few minutes later, we were immediately evacuated.
I saw people with tears on their faces, confused and terrified. I saw people standing on long lines in front of public phones, with anxious looks on their faces, trying to reach their loved ones. By the time I got home, I saw a neighbor of mine, around my age, hugging his mother in tears. I soon realized that his father used to work in one of the Twin Towers. I walked into my building with a sense of agony and helplessness deep in my heart.
A Family Apart
Wen Ruan, 15, Murry Bergtraum HS
The attack seriously affected my life. My school, Murry Bergtraum HS, is on Pearl Street, near the World Trade Center site, and was closed for 10 days afterwards.
My mother was about to come to the U.S., but because of the attack, the hope of a family reunion becomes distant. I miss my mother. My father wanted to go back to visit my mom, but we were afraid to take the risk of taking a plane.
I am only an ordinary girl. I feel helpless.
The Whole School Shook
Jenny Lin, 16, Murry Bergtraum HS
When the second plane crashed into one of the Twin Towers, I was in my second period classroom. I could feel the whole school shaking. After that, my friend and I quickly walked out. I was thinking, “What if I died? I didn’t get the chance to tell my mom, dad, Lisa and Nancy that I loved them.” They’ve always been a pain in the neck, but I love them from the bottom of my heart.
As soon as I found a pay phone that was available, I called my parents. When I got home, my sister Nancy called and asked if I was OK? That phone call surprised me because Nancy is very independent. She never calls me, so when she called, it meant a lot.
After the attack, I realized how much I love my family and how much I care about them.
Victims of Prejudice
I Avoid Eye Contact
Asad Rizvi, 16, Port Richmond HS
September 17, 2001. It’s my first day back to school after the attacks. I am dismissed from school, and as I walk out into the corridor I hear whispers of hatred among fellow students. They say, “Hang that terrorist, he’s America’s most wanted.” Some try to follow me to my bus stop as I shrug the harassment off.
To think that it is simply my brown skin that causes people to point the finger of blame in my direction. An unjustified finger it is. Already aware of hate crimes throughout the nation, I avoid eye contact. For I know when our eyes meet the tension will climax, and I will fall victim because of a shameless atrocity committed in the name of my faith. I sense the jingoism flowing throughout the cities and suburbs of America. It is a time of fear.
The red, white and blue is causing my seclusion from society. It is a flag that many have grown to dread in a time of fear.
Misplaced Blame Is Unjust
Krystal Campbell
Americans are frightened and angered. People have begun to act out. Some have become wrathful, and Arabs and Muslims have felt the brunt of these violent emotions.
Blaming a whole race for a few people’s actions is wrong under any circumstances. Blaming those not involved in the terrorist attacks is unjust. Harming more innocent people will not bring loved ones back or help make this nation any safer. It is instead going to cause more problems. We need to unite.
Discrimination against Arabs and Muslims is similar to racial profiling. A crime is being used to stereotype a whole race. As such, we have our own beliefs and emotions. Not everyone is alike, and it’s unfair to treat us as if we were.
Stop Racial Profiling
Pradeep Kadimcherla, 17, Samuel Gompers HS
After the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, I saw Arabs being threatened by their neighbors and, in some instances, by their friends of many years. I also saw a TV show about an Arab family that lives in a small town in New Jersey. This fourth-generation Arab family was afraid to come out the house to buy groceries or even to allow their children to play in their own backyard. After watching this, it made me feel that I would be suffering from the same thing if my so-called “race” had done something.
The actions of the town toward the Arab family made me ask questions about other terrorist attacks such as the Oklahoma bombing by Timothy McVeigh. After that happened, Americans did not go around threatening, attacking or killing other White Americans. So why should people go around and do those things now? We have to stop this racial profiling and think about what America really stands for.
What Is The Best Response?
War Will Test Everybody’s Patriotism
Jonas Alcantara
Will we go to war? Will we actually go and defend our country by killing, dying and causing more pain? How do you prepare for war? Do the armed forces teach you how to handle your emotions in a “safe” way? If I fought in a war, I don’t know what I would do. Would I give into my anger of seeing my friends killed and the thought of the World Trade Center being destroyed? Or give into my fear and just curl up and die? Are we, as teens ready to fight in a war not knowing whether we’ll make it back home alive or in a body bag? That is a difficult question to answer. You’ll have to do a lot of soul searching in order to know if you’re ready for something like that. War will test everybody’s “patriotism.”
Don’t Let WW III Happen
Jermaine Adderley, 17, Benjamin Cardozo HS
In the face of a national tragedy like this one, we can all find ourselves tempted by blind reaction to get revenge. I fear that many of our citizens are screaming about how our military can make someone pay for this disaster. I am strongly opposed to this. As Mohandas Gandhi once wrote, “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.” I ask that we not let World War III happen. It is very important that the United States look for a non-violent means of addressing this mindless act. Another issue that America needs to think about is our racism on a global level-racism toward Muslim and Arabic people. The United States has got to show respect toward people from the Middle East and other cultures in order to find a solution to a problem that has been building for many years.
Emotional Reactions
I Have Been Violated
Matthew Levine, 16, Edward R. Murrow HS
I have a friend who lives in Israel and for the first time he called me in Brooklyn and asked if I was OK. I usually call him when a bomb goes off in his neighborhood. He lives in a war zone and he is very used to having a lot of security everywhere he walks. He called and said, “It happened. How do you feel?” I said, “Like I am in Israel and I have just been violated.”
I Flashed Back to 1993
Dana Lewis, A. Philip Randolph HS
On September 11, I was terrified when I heard what happened at the World Trade Center. I tried calling home to my mother and aunt, but the phones didn’t work. I then had a flashback to when I was 7, in 1993, and the World Trade Center was first bombed. My mom was trapped in that explosion, and all I could remember was waiting for a phone call and hoping that my mother’s name wouldn’t come up on the people-who-are-dead list. I just wanted my mom and I knew I wouldn’t be able to see her.
I Feel Guilty
Jarrett Mathis, 15, John F. Kennedy HS
I will never forget that day at school. I witnessed teachers so frustrated and mad they couldn’t teach, students crying because they were worried about family members who worked at the World Trade Center, administrators who were going crazy trying to keep the school as normal as possible, and I even saw some ignorant students who were happy about the attacks because they figured they would have a few days off from school.
No matter how much we try, things will never be “normal” again. I don’t feel as safe as I once did living in America. This opened my eyes. I realized that anything can happen no matter where you are at. One of the worst things that happened since September 11 is that people, including myself, feel a little guilty about laughing and having fun. It’s a shame when you have to feel guilty for enjoying life’s simplest pleasures.
Hell on Earth
Tom DiSario, St. Mary’s Children & Family Services
A week after the tragedy, I volunteered with the food service company I work for to cook for firefighters at Ground Zero. The food facility had been moved to the World’s Fair Marina the day before I volunteered, so I didn’t actually see the rubble. But I could see it in the eyes of the firefighters and hear it in their voices.
We arrived at the sight around 4 a.m., an hour before the shift was to arrive. We decided to cross the street to Shea Stadium and get cases of water. The entire stadium parking lot was filled with Gatorade, water and canned food. It was an awe-inspiring sight to see how generous Americans could be.
When we returned, 10 MTA buses piled in, packed with firefighters returning from Ground Zero after a 12-hour shift. When they came off the buses, it was like watching a sea of zombies come out of the grave. They said nothing except, “Thank you,” with an odd humbleness. We felt it was the least we could do.
During a break, I had the honor to talk with a fireman for a little while. He said that it was worse than a war zone. It was like hell on earth and we better make sure this never happens again.
The Pain Is Too Immense
Natalie Anne Herschkowitz
Ever since childhood, I’ve looked forward to taking the train with my parents to the ferry. Maybe it was the crisp air from the water that soothed my nerves, but it was definitely the tall buildings that made me adore Battery Park even more.
Now, at 17, the great tragedy of the attack still won’t completely penetrate into my broken heart, for the pain of it is far too immense to endure. I refuse to accept it. I’m still the same little girl who gleefully watched the skyline from the big orange boat years ago. The only difference is that I’m soon going to graduate from high school.
It was not until September 11 that I truly appreciated that the World Trade Center was visible from my classroom window. Unfortunately, I never saw the buildings up close, but one day I would have enjoyed going to the 110th floor to view the vast and fanciful landscape of New York harbor. This is simply one of those terrible situations that makes us recollect that something is cherished more fondly when it is no longer there.
The Future, Ripped Away
Emily Rojas, Canarsie HS
When I was a little girl, my mother took me to the World Trade Center for the first time. I can remember looking up higher and higher, trying to count all the windows. Every year at around the same time, my mother and I would take the train to the World Trade Center. As I got older, I’d think to myself, “You know what? I want to bring my children here.” Who would have thought those future plans would have been ripped away in a matter of minutes?
My Family Is Still Here
Lisa Chow, 17, Edward R. Murrow HS
It was such a nice, sunny day and then boom, it happened-the World Trade Center collapsed.
It seemed like a dream, a nightmare. One of those nightmares that causes you to wake up with your heart beating quickly and tears rolling down your cheeks. One of those nightmares that you think would never happen in reality. But it wasn’t a nightmare. It happened very close to home, very close to what we had thought was safe and secure.
As a result, some of my views changed. That Monday before the incident, I was worrying about the college application process and the SATs. Now I realize that even though school goals are important, so is spending time with my family and friends. About two weeks after that Tuesday, I spent a day with my family at the Museum of Natural History and, as simple a trip that might have been, it meant a lot to me that my family is still here and we are spending time together.
Why?
Jessie Smith, Bronx HS of Science
It always comes down to why. Why would someone do that? Why are they capable of such hatred? There are never any answers. The newscasters try to explain that they are misinformed or fanatics, but that’s not a good enough answer. Can you ever really explain why groups of men would be willing to end their lives by crashing airplanes into buildings?
First one hit, and they told us it was an accident. Then the other hit, and it was an attack. Classes stopped, teachers were just as lost as students, none of us knew where we were anymore. We no longer had answers, we all had questions. Who was alive? Are we going to go home? Is there a home to go to?
My friend was crying. I was afraid to ask why. Her uncle went in with the fire department, to try and save people. This was before the collapse. No one had heard from him since. Who could explain why to her? Who would want to try? No one knew what to say. There wasn’t anything you could say.
We didn’t go home that night. We stayed with friends who lived by the school. No one wanted to go home. We watched it on TV all night. We saw the images played over and over again, and we cried. We were scared, and no one had answers. No one will ever have an answer. My friend’s uncle never came home.
- Race & Ethnicity
- Religion
- Social Justice
- Trauma