9/11 was a horrific tragedy that impacted several Americans.  Several cartoons and videos have been created in an attempt to explain these effects.  Two cartoons that help explain the enormous impact of 9/11 in America and how it impacted the way Americans have perceived each other are located on the last page of the essay.  The first cartoon shows readers how 9/11 made Americans stronger by making them see each other as one whole group united together against evil.  The second cartoon shows the effects of 9/11 on Muslims and how it caused them to become stereotyped and discriminated against by a large portion of the American population.  The two contrasting cartoons depict how 9/11 not only negatively impacted Americans by causing Muslims to become stereotyped and discriminated against, but how it also positively impacted them by bonding them together.

The first cartoon shows the readers how 9/11 strengthened Americans by bonding them together.  The image on the left of the comic shows how Americans labeled each other before 9/11 and the second image shows how they labeled each other post 9/11.  Before 9/11, as shown in the image on the left, Americans labeled each other by their race, political ideologies, and demographics.  Words like “black” or “white,” “conservative” or “liberal,” and “Yankee” or “Southern” were normally thrown around prior to 9/11.  The image also showing Americans arguing depicts the tension between Americans pre-9/11.  The contrasting image on the right, however, shows how 9/11 caused Americans to unite and view themselves as one.  The image depicts Americans labeling each other primarily as Americans.  The labels previously used in the left image have all been replaced by the label “American.”  All the Americans in that image are holding flags and are unified.  The motif of this cartoon are the Americans labeling each other before 9/11 and after 9/11.  The theme of this cartoon is that 9/11 caused Americans to become more united and view each other as a whole instead of labeling each other according to race, political ideologies, and demographics.  The people in the comic are in the foreground and the labels pointing to the people are in the background.  The comic uses long shot to show all of the people from before 9/11 and after 9/11.  The use of long shot is critical in this comic because it shows the readers the general view most Americans had of each other in pre and post-911.  The motif was not specific and thus it made sense for the comic to not use a close-up shot.  The gaze in this comic is reciprocal attention because it shows the characters focusing their attention on labeling each other.

The second cartoon shows the negative impact of 9/11 on Muslims.  After 9/11, as shown in the comic, Muslims were often prejudiced and discriminated against.  The comic portrays the discrimination by showing readers how Muslims had their own check-in at airports separate from first class and the economy class, and the extra security at their check-in, such as police, the military and bomb squad.  The comic also portrays Muslims looking at the check-in with fear.  The motif of this comic is the Muslim check-in and the extra security they have compared to the economy class check in and first class check in.  The foreground are the Muslims, the midground is the ground, and the background are the separate check-ins and the security in the Muslim check-in.  The comic uses established shot to set the mood of the visual motif.  The use of security such as bomb squad and officers in the Muslim check-in and the Muslims looking at the check-in with fear instantly puts us in the perspective of Muslims in the aftermath of 9/11 and what they had to go through.  The attention in the comic is shifted to the security in the Muslim check-in.  The gaze is reciprocal by showing how the Muslim passengers and the rest of the passengers are both looking at different check-ins.  The Muslim passengers are looking at the Muslim check-in with fear, while the rest of the Passengers are looking at the economy and first class check-ins with excitement.

Both cartoons appeal to readers’ emotions.  The first cartoon depicts two different moods.  The left side depicting Americans before the attack shows them arguing and has a negative connotation of anger to it.  The right side depicting Americans after the attack shows them holding American flags together and standing united and strong.  This has a positive connotation and makes readers feel patriotic about this nation.  The second cartoon has a very negative connotation to it.  It inflicts moods such as sadness and fear as we can empathize with the Muslims shown in fear and anxiety as they anticipate the heavily secured check-in line.  The discrimination shown in this cartoon is similar to the discrimination and segregation African Americans went through in America during the Civil Rights Era.  Blacks would normally have to drink from a separate water fountain than whites and they would often feel degraded.  Similarly, Muslims would often feel degraded by the discrimination they faced after 9/11.

9/11 was a major disaster for the United States of America and affected many Americans.  The chaos following this tragedy caused Americans to feel more united against terrorism.  It also caused many Americans to blame Muslims for 9/11 leading to them being prejudiced and discriminated.  These cartoons help explain what 9/11 did to Americans and how it changed our nation as a whole.