I always find stories about slavery and racism interesting. To me it is mind-blowing how people used to treat each other based off the color of their skin! It's absolutely ridiculous. Why did people judge each other on skin color and not eye color? I wonder what the United States would be like today if people back then discriminated each other based on eye color?

Any ways, this narrative astounded me and I couldn't believe some of the things that had happened to this guy. I would have been scared to do anything or get a job anywhere if I were him. It really shows how much strengths and resilience they had to have to keep going back to the same job. Or even finding a new job after being run of a job like he was at the optical company. If I were in his situation I would be so scared to go to work wondering what fears the day will bring. I now have much more respect for the African American people of this time. This article made me realize all the horrible things that could occur at any point and time! And they had to go through this for years so they could provide for their family. I couldn't imagine doing that, but they did and never gave up. Fortunately, things are changed for the better now. Even though racism may not be totally resolved, it is nothing like the Jim Crow Laws that used to be in place.

First of all, these two essays really took me by surprise. The section these essays were in, "Talk of the Town", seemed to happy to be about 9/11. But as I started reading I understood the meaning of that. It seems like "Talk of the Town" may be an understatement when referring to 9/11. The title, Talk of the Nation, seems more fitting for such a subject. I really enjoyed these essays and the vocabulary they used. I was able to get a start on the vocabulary assignment for the summer by looking up what some of the words meant in the essay to help me understand what the author was trying to convey. I vaguely remember watching the events of 9/11 unfold on the T.V. with my mom. At that age I wasn't able to comprehend what had happened and how much of an impact this would have on our country. These essays gave two different perspectives on one large event. The essay by John Updike was more about the city and how it affected everyone. The other essay by Susan Sontag took a more political side regarding 9/11 and how our leaders and media handled it. 

John Updike's essay started off by witnessing the horrific event, then talked about the survivors and those on the plane. What interested me most about the essay was when he mentioned that America "has taken a hit". He also noted "American freedom of motion", meaning that before 9/11 anyone was able to go through the airport and fly across the country. We didn't have strict security in our airports but that has definitely changed. One of the suspects in 9/11 was quoted in the essay, "I can go anywhere I want to, and they can't stop me". This quote is essentially true still today. Of course you still have to go through the advanced security and other requirements but in my opinion if someone is going to complete an air born terrorist attack they are going to find a way to do it. Even though we try as hard as we can to protect our flights in the air there is no sure promise. As an example, we still have no clue what occurred on Flight 370. I'm not saying that terrorists were involved in Flight 370 but, even with all of our technology there is no sure way to protect a flight. But even after all of this being said we still continue to fly and we are all able to because of the price of freedom.

The last essay by Susan Sontag had a more political point of view than Updike's. She reflected on  the word choice used by those reporting the news, Bush telling us everything is okay, and those in public office consoling us. One of the first things that grabbed my attention was Sontag's emphasis on courage and how it was used. I am no expert what so ever on wars and what has all occurred in our countries history with wars. But I would have to agree strongly with Sontag that the doers of the attack are not cowards. Another good point I agree with is when the author mentions that  all our leaders and news commentators are just giving us a rhetoric version of what is happening. If we have a democracy where everyone has a say in the way our country is run then shouldn't we know the full truth?

Keeping these two articles in mind when it comes time for me to be able to vote, I will remember to look into the events going on in our country instead of just being fed only part of the truth by our leaders.