




The United States has been a country based on pride and relying on strength, unity, and love. This country has been through many trials and tribulations but it has always withstood the test of time. Even in her darkest of hours, lady liberty still manages to put a smile on her face through any situation. Perseverance is one of the many qualities that we share as Americans. Just when you think I cannot, I do. There is no other way to put it, we are the home of the free and most importantly: the land of the brave. 

September 9th, 2001 will live as a day to remember for generations. Nineteen al-Qaeda members hijacked four planes and used them as weapons to take innocent life. As a country, we were at the lowest point in our history. The level of chaos and fear was at an all-time high. Three thousand people lost their lives in a tragic act of hatred from a distinguished group of people. As time went on after the impact of the planes, the towers of the World Trade Center collapsed. Many people, police, and firefighters were still in the buildings and the collapse also caused a huge dispersal of dust throughout the city. The remaining firefighters that were the city went out and attempted a search and rescue. Through the cleaning/moving of the debris, three firefighters raised and planted the American flag. This picture is very historic as it shows that even when America is at its weakest point, The United States still manages to show pride and strength. 

I chose my image because it is very symbolic. To me, it depicts a country’s will to show the world that absolutely nothing can break it down. These men are covered in dust, rubble, blood and are dealing with the worst crisis in American history and their main priority is to put up their country’s flag. One thing that grabs my attention is the look of focus on their faces. All their eyes are focused on the flag. It seems as if they would give their lives just to make sure that the flag was raised. This picture was taken for all to see. I believe it proves that everyone in America will lay their lives on the line for their fellow countrymen. One thing that also grabs my attention is how dirty the flag is. It is covered in filth and yet, it is still being put up. To me that says, “No matter how battered and bruised up I am, I WILL STAND!” 

This picture brings out a very patriotic side of me. It makes me think that I can get through any situation no matter how low the chances are. This picture can speak to many different people in different ways. There are a bunch of items that could be interpreted in this photograph. You could look at the dirty flag, the rubble in the background, the look of determination on the firefighters’ faces, etc. One should see the picture and get one's own interpretation from it. It is a very historical picture but can be seen in many different ways. I conjure up many emotions when I see this picture. I feel sadness because of the events that took place on this horrific day. I feel a sensation of happiness that I cannot articulate or explain. I feel pride because my country’s flag is in the picture. I do not really get too emotional by just looking at this image. I have to think long and hard about the events of 9/11 and realize the good thing that this picture represents. After that, then I can feel emotions coming from this image. 

9/11 brought a country to its lowest point and tried to break us. What started out as a beautiful day, ended in a terrible nightmare that made the country stand still. I do not recall 9/11 because I was only four years old. Somehow I can still feel the pain of that day even though I was not truly a witness. The turmoil of that day must have gotten the world thinking, “Is the U.S. as strong as we thought it was?” or “Will they ever recover from this?” That is why I love my image. It answers all questions. It speaks out proudly and promptly sates, “I will never give up. I will not be stepped on. I will not fear my enemies and I will rise above ALL adversity.” One thing that I do notice is that my image is not very colorful. It has a very dull tint to it. The colors are the only thing that cannot be analyzed well for this image. The colors of the picture do not help nor harm the analyzation of the image. I chose this picture because it was something that I think anyone could relate to. Even people from other nations know this image pretty well. One last thing I noticed is that there is no sense of fear in this picture. The firefighters do not look scared at all. This day was absolutely chaotic and a total nightmare. The firefighters show poise, containment, and dignity. As I said earlier, it looks as if their only focus is the flag.

My image was tough to analyze because not much is in motion to digest. It is literally three males hanging a flag up. You have to really dissect the image to understand it. You have to look at the dull colors, the debris in the background, the rubble and dirt covering everything, etc. This image is one that will never be forgotten. Solely because of what happened prior to it and the amount of pride we showed rather than fear. The U.S. showed strength and unity and told the world it could never break. The U.S. showed that it was a family rather than a group of people. The pledge of allegiance states, “One nation under GOD, indivisible by liberty and justice for all.” That is what I see when I look at this picture. “One nation” and “indivisible” are the words I resonate with me. I believe this image shows that The United States of America is here to stay and will never go away. 