Book Progress

So far, I have a clear idea about where I want to head with my book, but I am having trouble putting all my thoughts together as one composition. I have decided already that I will do a picture book, in which I will add text for a clearer narration to reinforce my point.  I have lots of ideas I feel very strong about, things that really matter to me, but I'm not sure about how to create a narration that unites them all. My original idea was to create a story about my perspective on how I feel that people tend to trap themselves in being "productive," valuing activities that in their point of view brings an immediate outcome. The purpose of that idea was to show the importance of seeing beyond, how there is something to be gained in every situation in my opinion, and the importance of having the ability to stop the social pressure of time and just withdrawing yourself. I also had an idea of how my my book would look physically, but I can't come up with enough pages to construct the book. That is why I started searching for more ideas, and got to a long list of things I care about and that I want others to sense it. After all, I think I'll eventually stay with my original idea, but I have to think about the narration that could come with such an abstract and simple, yet important idea.

Action = Reaction Project #1

Part 1
Citation

1. http://www.isr.umich.edu/cps/har/ps_article.pdf

How Americans Responded: A Study of Public Reactions to 9/11/01 , done by a series of "political Scientists, psychologists, sociologists, demographers, and survey methodologists, offers a clear analysis of data from surveys Obtained after the occurrence, Compared To That from before the tragedy. The study and data collection Specifically That Focuses on findings speak about the reaction of the population in the United States, showing how long an in what ways the actions Affected Their behavior. Also it talks about the effect the media has Important on the people, for Which the piece of writing Intends to "monitor Changes in civic engagement in response to September 11" as a result of the data analysis Presented. I found the source by searching for pdfs acerca reaction 9/11.

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXcmc2AZ6ZE

This is a video of Jon Stewart His opening show "The Daily Show," first time on air after 9/11, talking in between tears. I have talks acerca how His opening speech will be repetitive With The subject as everyone has-been talking about the catastrophe. Stewart Explains how've considers it a privilege to Have the opportunity to be on a show in Which His job is to make people laugh. I mentions freedom of speech / character, freedom of "satire," and how it Reflects the American character. Reference is made to When Martin Luther King was shot as well as his "dream of recovery." The notion of "not judging people by the Color of Their skin but by the content of Their character" también está Mentioned. Jon Stewart saying Concludes That the Statue of Liberty Remains Being an undefeatable symbol of Their nation. The source was found by searching videos about TV shows That made reference to 9/11.

3. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-05/september-11-newspaper-front-pages/2870784

This is a link, 10 years after the catastrophe, from the Australian ABC That gathers a variety of newspapers / magazine covers published the following day of 9/11. Have All the covers graphic images and expressive titles. Many front pages acerca talk war and the Beginning of a new time period for the US. I found it by searching for 9/11 news from 2001.

4. http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/911/teachers/lesson_56.htm

This is a link from Scholastic Teacher Suggests That a lesson plan for grade 5-6 students, a year away from the destruction of the twin towers. It mentions and embraces the notion of "kid activism" and How They are the future of the nation, everyone's hope for a better future, as well as The Possibility of publishing the kids' reaction in newspapers (to expose the nation to the experiences of the young). I found it while searching for writings centered on the notion of Recovering from the tragedy

5. http://www.redbookmag.com/life/news/a20855/9-11-workers-say-they-were-haunted-by-female-ghost/

The article "9/11 Workers Say They Were Visited by Female Ghost While Sifting Through Debris" from 2015 briefly narrates how workers saw the ghost of a woman "dressed like a Red Cross worker," very close to the location of 9/11. It says HAD That several people commented before seeing what would acerca Have Been the same red cross woman. Such occurrence Due to the article comes to classify the place as a "holy ground," a cemetery without tombstones. "

Part 2

Reaction Reflections

Source #2 Reaction:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXcmc2AZ6ZE

I think that in general it is of great importance for public figures to give their ideas and perspective on subjects, even if it may get repetitive (comment made by Jon Stewart in his opening speech of his show after 9/11), because it is the general subject that becomes repetitive, not the ideas shared. Plus, even if it would become repetitive in different manners, reflection is important as there is always something to learn from tough situations.

In Jon Stewart’s speech, it is not just relevant that he is a TV personality, but more so that he is a comedian. There is an enormous contrast between laughter and tears coming from someone who people normally see to have a nice time. In a way, having a comedian in tears reinforces the seriousness of the subject as it shows how the event was capable of affecting Stewart’s joyful nature. At the same time, it helps the nation to become united, confronted to the vulnerability of a figure that many idolize.

Moving on, Stewart’s opening speech on “The Daily Show” is also of great value because of the ideas discussed. I feel like he does a great job reminding the audience about the origins of their country and the essence of their ideology. For instance, by making reference to Martin Luther King’s speech and to when he was shot, mentioning his “dream of recovery,” Stewart kind of traspasses a sense of responsibility that all citizens of the United States should feel about the importance of not letting themselves be defeated, setting the example of a past figure who fought for the common good of Americans.

John Stewart is also effective at reminding the people about what they still have and not about what they have lost, expressing a greater sense of positiveness, regardless of the tragedy. For example, he mentions how the Statue of Liberty is still standing, symbol of their free character that can’t be forgotten. Stewart refers to the situation in such a way that he manages to make the audience understand that the best and most effective way of fighting back the attacks and winning the “battle” is by recovering the entirety of the nation and allowing their free character remain intact.

In brief, I feel that Stewart had the ability of empowering the audience, trusting them and their capacity of resilience, expressing a sense of trust that they may not even find in themselves. The speech is clearly an important step in the nation’s process of recovery.

Source #4 Reaction: http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/911/teachers/lesson_56.htm

I found this source very interesting as it offers a suggested plan for teachers to follow, meant to help them recover and understand the tragedy. I found it interesting as it shows nationalism and its importance to improve as a whole nation. Also, regardless of how terrible 9/11 was, I feel like the source also shows how in the United States kids are taught to think about their country in a certain way. In this lesson plan, the students are expected, in part, to commemorate the dead, showing how the event will never (and shouldn’t) be forgotten and how it will be an important base in their thinking and ideologies.

Moving on, part of the lesson plan for the students was for them to write letters or other forms of writing to be later published. In my opinion, regardless of whether it is justified or not, it is a way of victimizing the nation, because it reiterates how “complete innocents” were affected by violence at such an early age. Such sense of victimization can be useful though, as an incentive for the country to fight for a common interest; the well-being of its people.

When critically analyzing the source, there is a lot to reflect about several general concepts, more than just 9/11 itself. The importance of education is definitely one of those aspects. As previously mentioned, the source shows a way in which students are taught to think, in which they are given a perspective to look at things. The United States, in this case, is just an example of how perspective can be so important.

Even as the lesson plan is meant to commemorate the dead as a form of respect, the continuous reminder of the event also serves as a way of reminding the country about their capability of overcoming obstacles, reinforcing their sense of nationalism and determined thinking.

In total, I feel like the lesson plan is truly a form of helping the adults and older ones recover and cope with everything happened in 9/11, even as it is directed for grade 5-6 students. This way, the United States’ adults learn to rest on the hope that the nation will experience a positive future.

Source #5 Reaction:

I found this source very interesting because it shows how 9/11 is greatly present in American’s lives years after the occurrence (published in 2015), and how it is still something they are strongly attached to. Still, it makes me think that it is of great value that 9/11 is still a big aspect of the American society, which doesn’t necessarily mean they haven’t been able to move past it. In fact, I think that Americans in general have greatly grown out of it, based on my research. It is important that 9/11 is commemorated even years after it occurred, because it is a reminder to the people about how their nation is one, and how they were once all affected for the same reason, but more importantly how they didn’t allow the nation to be defeated due to what every single person contributed to the issue. In other words, 9/11 serves as a memory about how they are one group of people that can overcome difficult times, despite the many difference that could/can exist between them.

More specifically, I also find it interesting how the source classifies the place located near to where 9/11 took place as a “holy ground” because it kind of sanctifies the place, making the people respect it. The female ghost that appeared represents how the dead aren’t forgotten, serving as a greater reason for citizens to find something that unites them. With this, the article strongly shows the importance of commemorating past events, as it has the power of bringing people together and setting differences aside. It helps to focus on everyone’s similarities rather than differences.

Overall Reaction:

To start with, when we first started watching the CNN footage, one of my first thoughts was about the necessity that humans have of findings answers, of explaining their reality and present situation. A lot of assumptions and inferences were made, by news reporters, about what had happened with the twin towers for them to be collapsing in such a way. There is a lot of questioning and reflecting that takes place in difficult situations, much of which is deeper than trying to understand the objective aspect of the situation, such as the concrete explanation of why the towers were collapsing for instance. A lot of questioning and reflection is done about the essence of human nature for instance. What can I do? What are we? Why us? Why the innocent?

In all the uncertainty people are absorbed in, I could see through my research the importance of the media. The media has a greater power than objectively informing about what is taking place. I noticed how the media also has the power of guiding people’s thinking which could either have a positive or negative effect. Based on my findings, I can conclude that in many ways the media helped citizens confront the difficulty of their reality at their given moment. It has the capability of presenting facts, while adding a perspective to it. There probably were as many articles, newspapers, books, interviews, and many other expressions of the media that did the opposite of contributing to help the nation, though I didn’t focus my research on that. Also, the perspective of the media would also vary on the country presenting the information.

While researching, I noticed how graphic the news were, especially considering that they were open to the general public, including children. This way, they are unconsciously shaped to see their country as a victim, whether it is entirely true or not. People were very exposed, and I feel like they didn’t have much control over choosing how to confront the situation as well as the influences received. In my opinion, there was much less control over the influence received by the media due to the fact that country in general shared a common opinion on the subject, meaning that within the country, the news were addressed with a very similar perspective.

Finally, I think that despite of how tragic 9/11 was, the sense of unity and nationalism brought by it could hardly be obtained from an event that didn’t have such magnitude. Since it is inevitable to go back in time and for the tragedy to not take place, it is important to accept things as they are in order to obtain as much positiveness out of it. It is also a huge learning opportunity that most countries around the world don’t get the benefit of experiencing. By overcoming such chaos in which many had lost hope, it is quite hard to let other things in life bring down the nation.

Part 3: Short Films Reaction

United Kingdom: Ken Loach Chile 1973 september 11

I find the video to be quite interesting as it uses 9/11, worldwide known date, as a connection between US and another country. 9/11 is a date that generally people relate to with what took place with the twin towers, so as the video progresses to where the viewer can realize that it is being used to refer to another catastrophe many are ignorant about, it shifts the attention from the US to the many who have suffered in silence.

Moving on, I find the short film to be quite cynical as it starts with a chilean man talking about how he can relate and understand the difficult condition of the US citizens affected by the terrorist attacks, due to his personal experience, when the real intention of the video, I feel, lies in criticizing the way Americans in general have publicly coped with the 2001 tragedy. Still, I find it extremely smart from the film director to rely on such date as a strategy to reinforce his stand on the matter, resulting to be very successful.

There is a very descriptive and emotional narration done by the protagonist regarding Tuesday September 11 ( chilean date) showing the viewer how it was a much more extensive time period through which chileans suffered, making the american September 11 look less significant in comparison to the chilean tragedy. Adding on, I think that what makes the this critic even stronger is the fact that the chilean narrator, one who suffered through the horror described, is shown to have be ability and sensitiveness to relate and understand the american situation, regardless of how the world didn't even come to know about their (chilean) cries.

India: September 11

In my opinion, this short film regarding 9/11, reflects the way humanity functions in many ways, such as the way we tend to react to death, as well as how stereotypes guide our thinking.

With this in mind, I think the one of the main messages of the short film is to show how death is, for many, a reason to consider the dead "saints," ignoring the many things a person did when alive (many things are forgotten and/or left aside when a death takes place). In the film, it was only once the woman's son was found dead that he was entirely looked at as a hero. Considering it is a film in reaction to 9/11, it is trying to show how americans in general were looked at as victims after the many deaths took place. It expressed how it takes one tragic event to be able to victimize a community, leaving aside everything that was done before it all took place.

As previously mentioned, the film also gives lots to reflect about on stereotypes. In the film, the woman's son was being classified as guilty simply for being muslim, as there was no indicator about him possibly being guilty other than having disappeared, as many others had.

Still, I don't feel like the film takes a side on the occurrence. Instead, it tries to make the viewer reflect on the complexity there was at the moment after 9/11 took place, with the intention of making us reflect on the way humans act.

Mexico: September 11

Based on my interpretation of the short film, Mexico majorly takes the US perspective on 9/11. The way the director decided to make a film in reaction to 9/11 is very unique as there is no made up content added. It just combines different recordings of the times as well as some images from the moment, making a short film out of it. That reinforces the idea of how real everything was. When watching it, I could sense chaos, uncertainty, dyscontrol over the situation, and I feel like that is what was intended for the viewer. The many different news reports are from all over the world, which is also a very significant point to comment on. Showing how 9/11 news came to be international express how big of an issue the terrorist attacks on the twin towers were, once again victimizing the country. Also, the fact that the news on the issue went worldwide, show the United States as a nation with worldwide importance. The previous reflects a bit of an egocentric character, regardless of weather it may be justified or not, since they consider themselves the center of the world and of everything occurring in it. There is a specific point in the film in which everything becomes silent, right after it is shown that the planes have crashed on the towers, expressing how everything must stop in respect for americans.

Focusing on the way the film got done, I think that the director's intentions were to set the viewer in the moment, between all the drama going on, as an innocent confused in the middle if everything (as many actually were). The short film mainly presents audio and very few images, though very graphic. With this, the viewer is called to sympathize with the people of the United States by setting him/her in the situation full of confusion and personal interpretations.


Group Project Reaction

Our presentation was centered on the disappearance of the 43 mexican students that took place on September 26, last year, in the state of Guerrero. It was later discovered, through various investigations, that the students were kidnapped, killed, and thrown into a river, with the help of the police. Also, it is relevant to mention that the disappearance took place that day, as the 43 were on their way to protest against the mayor’s wife at the moment, who had drug dealers in her family. Though we used the mexican tragedy (also known as the Ayotzinapa case) as our inciting event, we intended to focus on the theme of disappearance, the uncertainty that comes with it, as well as the role of authorities in such situations in which so much uncertainty is possible. Going back to the specifics of the events, it can be seen how it was all a result of corruption.

Focusing on the mexican tragedy, we tried to reflect upon the idea of memorial, the importance of remembering ones who once were with us, as in a way they are simply public victims of what the country as a whole is experiencing. In other words, the 43 kidnapped students serve as a representation of the corruption that the entirety of Mexico is experiencing.

In relation to this last idea, we chose the poem "Canto a su amor desaparecido" by chilean poet Raul Zurita. This piece of writing specifically alludes to the disappeared ones as the result of latin american dictatorships. At the same time, it has the deeper message of expressing how disappearance is a global phenomenon, present in many countries. Also, the poem shows the idea of how regardless of the many citizens that could possibly go missing (as they have in various situations) countries remain countries, keep functioning as a whole, strictly related to the occurrence in Mexico.

The other artistic reaction we chose was the architectural memorial designed by  american architect Peter Eisenman, for the many holocaust victims, who in a way disappeared from earth unjustly, similar to the idea of corruption. It is interesting though, how the artist left the construction, built in Berlin, Germany, for open interpretation as there is nothing indicating that it was done for the holocaust deaths, serving for many victims.

Taking all into account, we treated disappearance as our major theme with the use of the 43 students as our inciting event. The presentation intended to show how people respond to disappearance.

Reaction to 9-11 News

I think a lot can be said and discussed about the 9-11 news watched in class. There are many concepts that are suddently exposed when tragedies like such take place. The tragedy, the action, brings a reaction, the same way it would happen in any other situation. Focusing on this event specifically, it could be said that the concept of identity was very present. While everyone tries looking for answers as an immediate reaction, shown in this case by how the news reporter would make assumptions intending to clarify the viewers' and his personal doubts, there is a lot of questioning that takes place within individuals affected by the event. With this in mind, I think that the concept of identity gave lots to reflect upon to those either from the US or the middle east. It is a very tense moment. I can imagine that they all felt forced in one way or another to take sides regarding the event, but I dont think it is as simple as relying on your rational thinking when there is so much judgment that takes place simultaneously. With this I mean that being from the middle east and/or sharing some connection with the terrorists (religion for instance), you could completely be in disagreement with such action and the supposed reasons behind it. Still, I can imagine that there must be some anger and feeling of impotence knowing that people around you may be jumping to conclusions about who you are as a person, relating you with the terrorists for simply sharing the same/similar roots. At the same time, many are conscious about the unfair and erroneous treatment done to others ("brothers & sisters"). Taking this into account, it can't be that simple to stand on the side of those who incorrectly judge those under your same troublesome condition. It kind of becomes a challenge about fighting wrong stereotypes and personal views. So, by watching the news about 9-11, I come to wonder to what extent is it fine to stand with and support those who unfairly qualify the innocent and look down at them, but who at the same time share your opinion on the matter?