On September 11th 2001 there was a terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York City. There were many images captured that day, many of them showing the horrific nature of the attacks that took place. However, among these pictures of chaos and destruction there were pictures showing people pushing through the pain to help others. These images use colors, backgrounds, and facial/body expressions to show the theme of perseverance among the american people. 

The first image of the essay shows the two towers while they still stood. In the foreground stands the statue of liberty, which has always been a symbol of hope and of our freedom as a country. This picture has a very bright color scheme to it. The colors invoke thoughts of happiness or pride. Also the two towers cast a large shadow over the surrounding buildings. This shadow can be seen as foretelling of the dark events to come at the hand of the two buildings. But this picture also has a building in the very back that shines out among the other building that loom in the shadows. This building is a beacon of light in an otherwise dark world.    

The second picture is one that invokes an incredible amount of nationalism as well as perseverance. These firefighters are putting up an American flag in the midst of the rubble of what used to be the world trade center. They are showing here that even though someone attacks the U.S he/she cannot break the spirit of the american people. The darkness fading in from the corners represents how even though all around them there are terrible things taking place they are in a beam of light and hope while they raise the flag. The three men who are pictured here are all looking up at the flag almost as if it had a whole new meaning to them. Their faces make it seem as if they are almost surprised it’s there. The men are helping to raise the flag over all of the suffering and pain that is below them.   

The next picture shows two firefighters helping a man away from ground zero. The two men are carrying him through all of the rubble and ash. In the background you can see the dark ash and smoke, and it seems like it is creeping up behind them as they try to escape it. The two firefighters are not worried about the smoke behind them and they are looking forward. Everyone in this picture is facing forward instead of looking at the devastation behind them. They aren’t worried about what’s happening behind them they are looking forward to the future. The man on the right of the injured man is reaching outward toward the camera, almost as if he is asking for everyone to help him. It is like he needs the whole county to help him in overcoming this terrible event that has occurred.  

The next picture takes place nearly fourteen years after the events of September 11th 2001. This picture is of a memorial that is where one of the towers used to stand. All around the wall are names of those who fell during that day. The dull colors in this picture show the sad nature of the memorial. It shows that even though this memorial is a sign of overcoming the past it is still a sad and all to clear memory. The memorial shows that although we have come a long way since that day we have not forgotten the pain. The reflections on the edge of the wall stand out since everything else is so dark in the picture. These beams of light show that even in the memory of such a dark event there is still light to be seen.  

The last photo is of the Freedom Tower that now stands in the place of the old towers. This tower is even larger than the world trade center towers, which shows the resilience of the American people. Making the new tower larger was like saying if you are going to knock it down we will just build a new bigger better one. The photo itself is again a dark grey color scheme. The outside corners are dark showing the troubled past behind this tower. Near the top of the tower a cloud blocks the view. This unknown top is like the future, unknown and hidden to us. But although the future, like the top of the building, is hidden it can only go up from where it is now.    

This picture essay has shown the theme of perseverance with its use of colors, the backgrounds, and facial and body expression. This photo essay shows a variety of different photos including landscapes and photos of people. Even those are two different types of photo types they all show them same theme that is throughout the whole essay.  At the surface these picture only show the devastation and massive loss that was experienced that day and that still affects the country today, but after the picture is examined more closely it is easy to see the hope of a bright future that every picture holds. 
