The morning that changed America forever started out as any other morning in New York City. That was until two planes taken over by terrorists intentionally flew into the twin towers eventually forcing them to tumble down to the ground, sending debris to rain down covering everything in sight. Almost 3,000 people died, leaving many injured and emotionally scarred for the rest of their lives. It is hard to know exactly how the victims in the twin towers felt that day, but through photographs and videos many of the effects can be seen. The people who were caught in the rain of debris had to run for their lives so they would not get caught in the dust cloud. There were also many citizens who felt it was their duty to help, and voluntarily went into all of the chaos to assist people in need. One photograph from 9/11 depicts people leaving the scene of the fallen towers. In the picture, there are four people with their arms around each other. There also is couple fleeing and their hands are intertwined. In the right corner of the picture there is a man who is being handed a water bottle. There is so much emotion occurring in this picture. In the photograph of 9/11 by James Nachtwey, symbols and color show that although a horrible tragedy was occurring, that day the people of New York City did not give up and helped one another get to safety. 

Color in photographs is an indicator that can help people to understand what is happening and the emotions being displayed within it. The lady holding the man's hand in the photo has blood running down the front of her shirt. The amount of blood symbolizes serious injuries and a physical struggle. The red color of the blood evokes feelings of sadness and at the same time hopefulness for this lady, and the color red reminds people viewing this photo of the tragedy that occurred that day as well as the trauma that is caused. It evokes sadness because it is disheartening to see the large quantity of that blood and to be reminded of the deaths that people of New York City had to endure that day.  At the same time, it evokes hopefulness because it allows the audience to hope that she will be able to survive the injurie(s) she received, unlike many others that day. Red is a color that can represent many feelings. Often, red is a color that represents passion. The lady held her companions hand throughout this tough time to provide emotional and physical support and give back as much as she possibly can given the circumstances. The color red also symbolizes danger and love. She was in physical danger from her injuries, yet she shows her love by holding the man's hand. Red is a very powerful color. This lady is clearly suffering with wounds and is dripping in blood, yet she fights through and does not give up. Although blood is only on the lady's shirt and does not take up a lot of space in the photo, it represents a lot more than one would realize before analyzing this photo. Everyone is going through a struggle, and the red proves how many different emotions are occurring at once as well as the chaotic environment that was present during this day. 

There are two main colors that stand out in this photo; red and gray. The majority of the photograph is covered in gray debris. This color is spread throughout the whole photo, on the people, and in the air. Gray typically represents sadness and depression. Gray also portrays chaos, because the color can be considered as the impure version of white. It symbolizes how impure the physical air was, the debris that took over this area, and the attacks of 9/11. The people of New York City are covered with gray dust because of all the debris flying everywhere. For hours to come after the planes hit, people inhaled dust and filth that surrounded ground zero and had to strive to catch a single breath of air and survive. Sadness is represented throughout the entire photo because instead of the background being taken over by a rainbow of colors, it is completely gray. Even though all of the gray debris was everywhere, the people did not give up. They held onto each other, struggled, and did not stop fighting until the end.

There were many firefighters and other volunteers who helped the victims make it out alive, and they did everything possible to contribute. In this photo there is a man with a glove on handing a water bottle to a victim covered in debris. This victim is clearly affected by the terror attacks, and other citizens are doing everything in their power to send her back home and help her emotionally deal with the situation. The small act of handing a bottle of water to someone in dire need is one out of thousands of ways that people were helping each other to recover and to make the best of what they can from the situation. By helping each other and providing support, they are staying strong no matter what.

The man and lady in this photograph are holding hands. Together they are staying strong and fighting through all of the difficulties associated with day the twin towers were attacked, even though the circumstances are not ideal. Whether these two citizens are a couple or two citizens helping each other, it portrays unity in the victims and represents how they all strived to support each other on this day. The intertwining of the hands shows that the people are physically and emotionally staying strong together and helping each other. Physical touch can help a person calm down, and by the two of the victims holding hands they are showing the other that they are unified together.

The day of 9/11 will forever affect The United States of America. Victims of the terrorist attacks will always be remembered and respected. The survivors put up such a strong fight and set an example for the rest of the country to show that it is important to never give up no matter what circumstances they are under. Photographers captured so many crucial moments that help depict the tragedy that occurred on that day. The photograph taken by James Nachtwey has symbols and a color scheme that shows citizens never gave up hope and stuck together.

