The morning of September 11th 2001 started off as any other day. People went to work and school like the usual, everyday routine, thousands of Americans did together. That all changed starting at 8:46 a.m. when five hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the northern front of the World Trade Center's North Tower. This was followed at 9:03 a.m. as another five hijackers crashed United Airlines Flight 175 into the southern front of the South Tower. The last fatal attack was done by five hijackers who flew American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. Ask anyone about where they were during the events of 9/11 and they can give you a very descriptive story. The reason for this was because of how big of an effect the attacks were on not only the people in New York but in the United States as a whole. The promising outlook for the future can be seen in the visual elements color, lighting, and angle in the Raising the Flag at Ground Zero picture by Thomas E. Franklin. The meaning behind the picture gave and continues to give Americans hope that no group of people can damage the pride and honor of the American people.

When talking about The United States of America the first thing that comes to mind is the colors of the flag. The colors red, white, and blue, hold a very significant meaning in our country`s history. Throughout the background of the picture one can only see destruction in dark grey, depicting the gloomy, depressing day. The firefighters in the center of the picture are filled with color to show a promising future filled with hope. Their color helps draw attention towards them and what is next for the country. It takes the focus away from all the destruction, not allowing the people who caused the disaster to receive even more recognition. The flag is in the center of the men, who are lifting it, showing off its vibrant colors. The red, white, and blue are still shinning through, undamaged, even with the major wreckage shown behind it. People will be able to see the flag fly and realize the colors of America are still flying high, giving everyone who sees it the ability to believe they can come out of this horrible event. The goal is to come out even better than they were before. As you go up from the rubble towards the flag there is less debris on the men. This shows as you get closer to the flag, a symbol of The United States, one can tell everything will be ok because of the American spirit and pride. Seeing the colors of the flag and the firemen being lit up, gives an uplifting feeling that there is good that can come out of something as unbelievable as the attacks.

The day of 9/11 ended up turning into a dark, smoke filled event that no one thought would end. The picture shows the small amount of light that broke through onto the wreckage which gives way to shadows on the sides of buildings. There is a shadow on the buildings of the flag being lifted up by the fire men. The silhouette of the flag allows for it to be seen by an entire city, to show the effects of the attacks are everlasting and world wide. The flag comes out as a hero and a figure of perseverance that depicts a message that America cannot be trashed on. All of the subjects in the picture are centered and up- close. You cannot see the darkened sky and the full amount of destruction, but even so the audience can tell there is some amount of light shinning through. The firefighters are lit up by the sun continuing to show there is hope after such devastation. Having some form of light allows people to believe that the the light at the end of the tunnel resembles hope. People saw the ruins as darkness the attackers were trying to place over the city. Having the sun shine through allows for people to see our nation`s patriotism break through, above all else. The appearance of light helps breakup the gloominess that came with the enormous amount of damage.

Even with the center focus of the photo being the raising of the flag viewers can realize how much devastation there actually was. The angle of the photo allows for an overall view of the destruction piled up in the background. It gives the audience a more actual depiction of the amount of damages that occurred. Also, the photo was taken straight forward where everyone in the city is on the same level. Each person, no matter a company CEO or store clerk, was affected by the events of that day. They all went through the same pain and had to rebuild from it together, with everyone`s help. Financial and social status were no longer dividing factors among the citizens after such a horrific event. The angle of the firefighters looking up towards the flag is also a symbolism of looking towards a brighter future. Having faith and patriotism that things will get better always flies above anyone else that tries to beat those values down into the rubble. The photographer took the photo with the main attention being on the men and flag. He did not crop any part around the main focus, leaving the little details around it. This helps to show how in the moment the day was for everyone. Nothing like this had happened before, so everyone had to do their best and work through all of the unknown. Every small detail helps give an exact representation of what happened. Many pictures from that historic day are shown to help retell a day in history that changed many things for not only our country but across the world.

9/11 is a part of everyone`s life, no matter if they were old enough to witness it happen or not. Every single person knows one person who had someone in the towers, or know of a person in the towers, the day they were hit. Every September 11th is a bittersweet day where we remember loved ones who were lost while also having to relive the horrifying events that caused them to be taken from us. The picture, Raising the Flag at Ground Zero, by Thomas E. Franklin is one of many unforgettable photos taken of that day. This picture is special in the way that it`s main focus was not on the devastation but on the courage of other people, the promise of making it out of this, and the hope for everything to be alright. All of the elements shown in the picture perfectly teach that to anyone who looks at. As unspeakable as that day was our country has become stronger coming out of it. The pride Americans have for their country has been tested many times before, on September 11th, and will continue to be tested in the future. The citizens now know they can make it out of anything because they are strong enough.

