Creative Nonfiction Essay – Al Qaeda Attack in the United States

Creative Nonfiction Essay – Al Qaeda Attack in the United States

The events of September 11, 2001, etched on my mind unforgettable memories that I still think about to date. I was in the State of New York when the events surrounding this day happened. I was in a classroom as a seventh-grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Becket, was in front of the classroom teaching math. However, in the middle of the lesson, the deputy principal, Mr. Grant, stormed into the classroom with a mesmerized look on his face. He whispered something into the math teacher’s ear, and her look changed immediately, indicating that she had not received good news. The deputy principal left the class, rushing to other classes to transmit the same message. Everyone in the class was anxious and ready to hear what the deputy principal had said to the teacher. Still, with a look of despair and anxiety, the math teacher did not speak but turned on the TV, and we saw the news as it unfolded in front of our eyes. The news media outlets reported that two planes had been flown over into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, and another plane had hit the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Everyone was shaking to the bone; the teachers and staff strategically got the students out of the school premises. Parents were showing up to get their children away from school.

My mum and dad came to pick me up from school, and on our way back home, we encountered numerous police cars, firefighters, and ambulances heading to the World Trade Center, where the crash had happened. The hooting, the sirens, and the chaos that were heard were deafening, and one could think that the world was coming to an end. Everyone was busy, either going to their homes for safety or finding refuge in any place they could. On arriving home, everyone was silent, watching the TV and following the events that led to the plane crash. The images that were being shown during the attack were terrifying. Clouds of smoke stretching miles could be seen. Injured people were being rushed to the hospital while the deceased was taken to the morgue. People’s wails and cries filled the air as the attempt to control the situation became more challenging. It turned out that, on that fateful day, about 20 militants associated with the extremist Islamic group Al Qaeda had hijacked four airplanes and executed suicide bombings in three different locations in the United States. On that day, we lost more than 3,000 United States citizens to the terrorists. As a result of the terrorist attack, lives were lost, and families were affected adversely. No attack with that number of casualties had ever been experienced in the United States. My friends and neighbors were all shaken by the news, and everyone was worried that there might be another attack.

The attack on the Twin Towers had severe impacts on the livelihoods of thousands of people and a significant impact on the country’s economy. Never in my life was the news channel every hour, and the news was not exciting at all. We get breaking news every hour. For instance, on the first day of the attacks, the stock market fell by about 7%, and the most affected economy was New York City. On the same day, New York City lost more than $3 billion in wages (Huang et al. 120). In the first three months after the attack, hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost in the city. Among those who lost their jobs was my father, who, most of the time, buried his face in his hands when told about the 9/11 terrorist attack. Finance and air transportation reported the heaviest losses and accounted for about 60% of the lost jobs. My father worked at an airline, and that is why he lost his job. I can remember how devasted he was after the terrorist attack shook the nation.

The United States government responded to these attacks by forming the Department of Homeland Security, whose role was to ensure that no such events grace the country again. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 was also created to address the many concerns and security fears raised by the terrorist attack. However, around the time of the attack, someone raised more fears among the people as letters containing anthrax were mailed to different people. Two people were killed, and 17 others were infected with the disease. People were so scared of their mailboxes for a while, and I remember my parents telling me to avoid them by all means. Nevertheless, I saw in the news that Homeland Security’s work was to ensure that no such attacks occur again in the United States.

All in all, the Al Qaeda Attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon was an event that shook not only me and my family but the world country and possibly the world. Many people lost their lives, and many more were injured. People within the vicinity and first responders were also exposed to toxic fumes that had adverse effects on their health. Despite this, the world was brought together as one as people from around the world held vigils to honor those who lost their lives in the attack. Additionally, a site was opened on September 11, 2011, to commemorate the people who lost their lives in the 9/11 terror attack. The experience that I had on that day will always remain in my mind as I have never experienced something similar or close to that.

Work Cited

Huang, D., et al. “The impact of job loss on posttraumatic stress disorder among Asian Americans: 11–12 years after the World Trade Center attack.” Traumatology, vol. 26, no. 1, 2020, pp. 117-126.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

Create a 3 to 4-page, double-spaced, creative nonfiction essay based on a historical event of any era that provides a compelling account of the event using descriptive vocabulary, vivid imagery, and simile and metaphor that engage the reader.

Al Qaeda Attack in the United States

Write it as if you were there; 1st-person should be used.

Requirements:

MLA format
3 to 4 double-spaced pages
Must be based on an actual event
To get started, you should review the list of what one website considers to be “The 100 Most Important Events in Human History,” linked below.

https://beckchris.com/history/the-55-most-important-events-in-human-history/