 September 11, 2001 is one day that will haunt the memories of millions of Americans. Terrorists hijacked planes and crashed into the twin towers in New York.  A day that started out with clear skies ended with thousands being killed.  The 9/11 memorial is a tribute to remember the thousands killed in the terrorist attack it was built in 2011.  The memorial is two thirty-foot reflecting fountains where the twin towers were. Engraved are all the names of everyone who died that day on the edges of the fountains.  The use of colors, objects, background and line in the picture help depict how beautiful and important the 9/11 memorial is to the viewer.

One of the most powerful elements of this picture is the American flag and the red flowers on the stone. Since they are in the center of the photograph, it is what we look to first. The engravement at the top says “first responders” and stuck in one of the engravements is the American flag. The American flag symbolizes unity and pride for the country.  This is showing the pride of Americans.  The red flowers symbolize love for the ones who died that day.  Also another element is the yellow light coming from the fountain and from the street lights livens up the memorial since it is such a horrific thing to remember.  The yellow is such a bright color that draws your eye to it. Yellow is the color of happiness and sunshine.

The angle of this photograph directs our eyes to the direction of the people near the end on the right corner.  The stone that the names are engraved on is black, and black represents gloom and misery. The people in the corner are remembering ones that have passed and admiring the memorial. There is negative space in middle of the fountain, which draws emphasis the main subject of the American flag, flowers and names on the edge of the fountain.

Life still goes on even though this horrific terrorist attack happened. The background is of people walking through New York City.  This is saying that even though this sad day happened, everyone goes on with their lives.  It is just a normal day and people are going on with their busy schedules. The day is probably ending because the street lights are on. They designed this to be reflecting fountain symbolizing what people are reflecting on.  The water rushing down in the fountain represents purity and healing of their loved ones.  The trees around the fountains are swap white oaks.  These trees are known for growing up to sixty feet. They chose these trees because they will never be the same height and their leaves change all different colors. These trees represent the people that died that day, all different heights, and appearances.

This picture is a reminder of the terrorist attack. The memorial is a mediating space for people to admire and remember this day in history.  The colors, objects, and background help resemble the importance of September 11, 2001.
