Moments of Remembrance in the Midst of Reality

The terrorist attacks of September 11^th, 2001 took the lives of thousands of Americans and altered the view of many citizens towards the invincibility of their nation. One year later, on the first anniversary of the events, people around the country took time to remember the sadness and gravity of the incident in their own manner. Although schools and workplaces remained open, the normality of the day was affected by reflections on the previous year. For some, thoughts would wander to memories, while others would pray silently, observe the flag at half-mast, or attend vigils. The image above was taken at the University of Michigan on September 11^th, 2002 and is representative of the variety of reactions to the terrorist attacks after the passing of one year. The picture shows that the anniversary of September 11th was indistinguishable from any other day on campus, but it was also one that was interrupted, briefly, by the remembrance of a tragedy.

The image that accompanies this paper was taken to observe the approach the students of the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor took towards the anniversary. It is an overview from the steps of the Graduate Library that encompasses the actions of students on the Diag, an area that is a central gathering place for the university. The picture aims to document the complexity of the day for a large number of people and uses its wide span to accomplish this. As a result, students are shown engaged in a variety of activities, reflecting both the common behavior on a college campus and the observance of the former year's tragedy. Significantly, the image has been taken at a downward angle, intimating that it was intended to make individuals in the picture appear as part of a larger mass, subordinate to its location. This effect contributes to the interpretation of the picture as relating to an average day, where nothing is specifically focused on and made to seem more important as a result. Hence, the patriotic symbols in the image seem to be brief reflections on the anniversary rather than a center point. The distance of the viewer from the people and their indistinguishable faces also prevents a feeling of empathy with either the individuals or their feelings towards the anniversary. The construction of the image gives the impression that it is accurately portraying a typical day on campus, distinctive only in small indications of reflection about September 11th.

In order for its full impact as a representation of the anniversary to be appreciated, a specific audience is intended to relate to this image. The events of September 11^th are familiar to the international community at large, and it is therefore conceivable that this picture would be recognizable to a large part of the world. However, while the circumstances surrounding the day are well known, this picture is projected more specifically towards American citizens who have a substantial recollection of the terrorist attacks, and at times is particularly meant to relate to students of the University of Michigan. An American will be more likely to recognize and identify with the cultural symbols and traditions that are present in the image, including the symbolism of the American flag and the significance of the flowers that have been laid on the ground. There are also specific details in the image that relate to the student community and that only a member of the University could personally identify with. Without this firsthand knowledge, the importance of the image's location and the actions of the students in the picture would not be understood. The elements of the picture that can be recognized by an audience of both American citizens and Michigan students are critical to its portrayal of an ordinary day at the university that is interspersed with American symbols of memorial observance.

Coloring in the image is one technique that enhances the objects in the picture and attracts the eyes both to evidence of normal daily activity and to signs of recognition for the anniversary of September 11^th. The picture is black and white with slight variations of color added in specific places. The colors are subtle, they do not command the attention of the viewer, but rather serve as notification that these are important aspects of the presentation. In the sky, for instance, a slight tint of blue is present, which subtly contributes to the interpretation that the day is not a somber one; there are bright clouds in the sky and no presence of overcast weather. The brilliance of the sky is crucial to the impression that the day is average and cheerful and that the solemn mood has not been reflected by the weather itself. Certain people are also infused with color, which has the effect of calling attention to their actions and positioning as well as to the activities of the people situated near them. This corrects the tendency of the viewer to look at the cluster of people in the center. It also allows them to focus on individuals and groups who are engaged in ordinary activities or who are walking away from the patriotic symbols, having briefly directed their attention there and then moving on. In the far background, a crane and a construction barrier have also been tinted. These two objects are evidence of ongoing work during the anniversary and may not have been noticeable without coloring. The insertion of color into the image draws out many previously imperceptible aspects of picture that reflect the details of the day and their relation to the anniversary.

The location where the picture was taken, on the Diag of Central Campus, is used to relate to the students of the University of Michigan and to convey the comprehensiveness of the image in addition to its relevance as a representation of reactions towards September 11^th, 2002. The image has been taken in an area that is traditionally a central place for assembly; where students organize, come together, and also simply spend time between classes. Using this location conveys that the image is expressive of a large section of people and consequently would capture the most important and universally felt public moments of the day. To reach the maximum amount of people, all activities of importance would have taken place here. Therefore, the image is convincing as a portrayal of the memorial observances for the anniversary within the ongoing activity of campus life.

One of the most significant details about the picture is its use of cultural symbols to convey the observance of the anniversary. In particular, the American flag is seen as a dominant symbol for the significance of the day. The flag is near the center of the photograph, and is much taller than any other object in the picture. It commands attention not only because of its size, but also because of the brilliance of the red in its stripes against a dull background. The flag is at half-mast, a culturally significant position that Americans recognize as being reserved for specific and somber occasions, suggesting that it is commemorating sadness and death. Furthermore, rather than billowing proudly, the flag itself is facing downwards and is gathered towards the pole, intimating that it is wounded much as its country has been. What prevents the flag from giving the impression that the anniversary of September 11^th is overshadowing the day is that it is in the background of the daily activity and no attention is being given to it. No faces can be seen glancing upward towards it, and no hands are raised at heart level in tribute to it. The flag stands as a silent reminder that the terrorist attacks are being remembered even as students are focusing their attention in other directions.

Another cultural observance that can be seen in the image is the presence of flowers that have been laid to rest on the "M" in the lower center. The flowers are placed much as they would be on the grave of a loved one for the purpose of observing their memory. The anonymous placement of these flowers here, in a central gathering place on September 11^th, 2002, implies remembrance for the people who died on that tragic day a year before. It also suggests that long after the person who placed the flowers there has left the site of memory, there remains evidence that they took a moment of their time to reflect on the attacks. Another aspect of the flowers that is represented is the tendency of people to stay away from them, preserving the memory while also not focusing attention on it. They too are evidence that the anniversary is subtly present in the general movement of life captured in the image.

One of the important objects in the image that suggests both the observance of September 11^th and the incorporation of it into the normal activities of the day is the board in the center of the picture. The board distracts the viewer’s attention because a large mass of people is gathered around it, red stripes accent it, and the only words in the image, "Together We Fall. United We Stand" are written on it. The board is intended to serve as a random act of kindness display, where students remove the note cards that form a flag to reveal the names of victims from the terrorist attacks. Each note card has a small act of kindness that the student is asked to perform for a stranger, taking the memory of the tragedy and applying it both to their everyday life and to that of someone else. A unique feature of the board is that once the note cards were all removed, they were placed back on the board for others to take off. This element of the display allows people who visit it to reveal their memories and share them, while also covering them over for another person to discover after they leave the card, and symbolically the memory. The words on the board also invoke recognition of the relevance of the terrorist attacks; suggesting that as a simple mass of people we will fail, but united together we will stand strong. The random acts of kindness display implies that for those who visit it, a moment out of their day will be dedicated to remembering September 11^th through a simple act of consideration for someone else.

The action and positioning of the people in the picture supports the idea that the image captures a combination of the daily and ongoing process of college life as well as small indications of the anniversary of a tragedy. The image is able to portray the motion of the people on the Diag; they are stopped in mid-sentence and mid-step. The picture also shows them advancing in all directions, both towards and away from the center of the image, and engaging in many forms of activity. Although some students are occupied in observing the anniversary, others are focusing attention on other things and the direction of their heads supports this. One student is on a bike, peddling away from the action, and still more are walking away from the Diag without glancing in the direction of any memorial activities. Other students are positioned either behind or to the side of the random acts of kindness board and are not facing towards the direction of the flag or the flowers. Many of the people in the image have been stopped while in motion, which is apparent because legs are in stride and arms are raised in the process of a swinging motion. The on-going action implied by the students noticeably contrasts with the stillness of the objects of memoriam. This disparity seems to suggest that memories of the day are stationary, whereas the people around them are in motion: visiting and passing by while carrying out their routines.

The activities of the people in the picture also suggest that while some students are engaged in remembering September 11^th, a majority of them are going about their normal routines. Many people are sitting along benches or sprawled out on the grass doing homework. Other students are conversing with groups of friends, and the girl in the pale yellow on the right seems to be leaning back, enjoying the sun. Almost all of the people in the image have backpacks on, reaffirming their status as students who are preoccupied with attending classes and doing homework. There is also a crane and a construction sign in the background, suggesting that work too is still in progress. Looking closely to the left, the viewer can even see the chain-linked fence where the construction is taking place. While there is evidence that some students are participating in activities meant to reflect on the anniversary of the attacks, these seem to be brief pauses in the scope of an ordinary day.

The image taken from the steps of the Graduate Library is able to capture many aspects of the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11^th, 2001. In the same picture, signs of casual daily activity are intermingled with traditional symbols of memoriam from American culture. The image conveys that the day is much like any other on campus and has only momentarily been influenced by the attacks. The comprehensiveness of the depicted scene suggests that above all, September 11^th is day to be reflected on, but it has not altered the normality of American life.

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