On September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked by Al-Qaeda terrorists who hijacked four planes in mid-flight.  Two planes crashed into the twin towers, two of the tallest skyscrapers at the World Trade Center in New York City, causing them to catch on fire and collapse, leading to several deaths.  The third plane crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, the U.S. military headquarters.  The last plane crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  In total, nearly 3,000 people were killed during the 9/11 attacks. (Scholastic News).

9/11 was a horrific tragedy that severely impacted the American nation as a whole. Several cartoons and videos have been created in an attempt to explain these effects.  One cartoon that helps explain the enormous impact of 9/11 in America and how it impacted the way Americans have perceived each other is located on the last page of the essay.  This cartoon shows readers how 9/11 made Americans stronger by making them see each other as one whole group united together against evil and how it also positively impacted them by bonding them together.  It contrasts the general attitudes between Americans before 9/11 and after 9/11, as the characters in the left image (before the attack) are arguing, fighting and placing labels on each other, while the characters in the right image (after the attack) are holding flags showing their unity and acceptance of each other.

The cartoon shows the readers how 9/11 strengthened Americans by bonding them together.  When a major tragedy that impacts an enormous amount of people strikes, groups of people tend to become closer to each other than to distance themselves from each other.  This is due to increasing emotions and fear amongst people.  People tend to become more accepting and caring following horrific events than to become angrier and more hostile toward each other.  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.  These words were often used to degrade one another.  This labeling further portrays the lack of tolerance and acceptance amongst Americans over different groups of people and different beliefs.  The image also showing Americans arguing depicts the tension and hostility 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 tragedy hit America hard and the fear and panic caused by it brought Americans closer together.  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.”  The previous labels aren’t of concern to Americans in the immediate aftermath as their immediate concern is on fighting terrorism together.  All the Americans in that image are holding flags and are unified.  

The motif of this cartoon are the Americans arguing, being hostile and labeling each other according to their race, political ideology or demographic before 9/11, and the Americans holding flags and calling themselves Americans 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.  In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, labels such as race, political ideology or demographic were not of concern.  The only label used were Americans.  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.

This cartoon appeals to readers’ emotions.  It depicts two contrasting moods.  The left side depicting Americans before the attack shows them arguing and has a negative connotation of anger to it.  It is full of negativity, tension and intolerance.  The right side depicting Americans after the attack shows them holding American flags together and standing united and strong.  It is full of unity, positivity and tolerance.  This has a positive connotation and makes readers feel more patriotic about this nation.  

9/11 was a major disaster for the United States of America and affected many Americans.  The chaos and fear following this tragedy caused Americans to feel more patriotic about their nation as it began fighting their war against terrorism.  Following this tragedy, Americans began to feel more united, tolerant of others and less judgmental.  This is evident in the cartoon as Americans go from arguing and labeling each other according to their race, origin and political beliefs in the left image (before the attack) to holding American flags and calling only labeling themselves as Americans.  Tragic events like this has made Americans stronger, more tolerant, accepting and patriotic as a nation.
