Non-Fictional Prose Course

 The 9/11 Report served as a tool of understanding for me. Prior to reading this adaptation, I had little knowledge of the people involved in the attacks. I now understand that there are many instances that led up to that day. This left me thinking about the times I have traveled and wondered why there are so many airplane restrictions. This also left me wary of our systems of security and how little was done to prevent the attacks despite the warnings that were given. With this understanding, I am happy that we will be reading Path to Paradise because this report demonized the terrorists and gave little background about why they were against America other than their religious differences. 

 My overall impression of the 9/11 Report the Graphic Adaptation is that the graphic part of the report removed the sense of formality and seriousness of the issue. I felt that the graphic adaptation was simplified which made me want to read the commission report to get the whole picture.

I was not sure what to get from the color contrast and overall color change of the people. In other words, I was wondering about the choice of color in representing the story of 9/11 and if the color changes would affect the way a reader looks at the narrative.

 Although we agreed in class that the graphic adaptation of the 9/11 Report is not comprehensive, I think that a large part of the writers’ purposes were to simplify the report enough that the average person could read and digest it. If this was the case, it was done well. I was able to better understand the events leading up to 9/11. I think that the images attached more meaning to the event than the Official Commission Report is able to. The anguished faces of the trapped survivors and the devastated stance of the fireman on the cover of the graphic edition both convey an emotional depth that the original commission report is not able to, both because of its medium, and because its sole purpose is to convey information.

This page struck me for many reasons. The back and forth question and answer structure of the page really conveyed the power of the interview that was going on between Bin Ladin and the ABC person. It also appalled me that the US was given such a warning about the threat to civilian lives, which they subsequently ignored (i.e. Bin Ladin drove out the Soviets and he would do the same thing to the Americans.) In addition, the last picture on the page of just Bin Ladin’s eye was very dramatic. It reminded me of a close-up shot in a movie, a shot that a director would include in a scene to convey intensity. The backdrop of the page is a clock- maybe to convey how time before an attack is running out?  

 If the 9/11 Commission Report does nothing else it should teach its readers that in order to better combat ourselves against terrorism abroad and in the United States we as a people have to become better educated and informed about who the terrorist are, and in what ways we as a people encourage stereotypes that create environments that are ideal for terrorists to be formed.  I feel that the Official 9/11 Commission Report accomplishes this goal, and after having read selections of the report I felt that I had a better grasp of the backstory to 9/11 and an idea of what the United States could do going forward to prevent another catastrophe.

Considerations for class discussion

-time management

-was the conversation about whether or not Arne Naess was a nazi effective/useful?

Ideas on Serendip Posts:

-topic in class that was left unfinished

-didn’t get to say in class

-evaluation of the reading

-something people can respond to

-Rant about something that you wouldn’t say in class

Topics Covered in Serendip Posts

Narratives, use-value, reality

-uncertainty in etymology

            -look for “senses” of words, not definitions

 The first chapter of the graphic representation of the 9/11 report struck me the hardest. Even though it wasn't constructed to elicit emotion (because it seemed to try to focus on the facts and not their emotional implications), I still found myself caught reliving the emotions of that day. I had a neighbor who worked in one of the twin towers; I was good friends (at the time) with his daughter, who is my age. I remember getting the news that he was lost, and I remember getting the news some days later that his torso had been found, wedding band still wrapped around his finger. Maybe the power of these first few pages is found in the fact that they are factual rather than anecdotal or personal or emotional.

The original 9/11 report faulted inter-agency communication and personnel failures in US intelligence agencies such as the CIA, FBI, NSA. I remember reading numerous articles detailing the bureaucratic mishaps in Washington, but I never quite understood what was really meant by the highly technical and often redundant language used to describe government security functions. However, the graphic adaptation of the 9/11 report was able to crystallize and sharpen my muddled understanding of 'interagency miscommunications' by laying out scenarios, such as the panel on page 40 in which one of the agents agents says "I can't make heads or tails of this" and an FBI agent is shielding documents from the agent from the Justice Department.

...I can't help but think about the way in which this narrative, despite being of a very fact-based report and tragically factual day, is *still* a constructed piece of non-fiction. Unsurprisingly there is no definition or justification given around terms like, oh, say, terrorist. Obviously the understanding and slant of those who craft the 9/11 report is clear and there is no need for the report to be an unbiased look at what terrorism is because its irrelevant to 9/11's direct issues and impact. That being said, it was hard for me to NOT read this as an anthropology major and say--"to these men, they are fighting for freedom and liberation and justice. What is the line where terrorism ends and freedom fighting begins? " How do we know what REAL terrorism is?