9/11 : A Reason for Unity and a Reason for Fear

As we pass the eighth year since 9/11, Peggy Noonan comments in the Wall Street Journal on its widespread emotional attachment to one particular age group. "The Children of 9/11 Grow Up" provides the commonly accepted opinion that 9/11 has an emotional connection that is taken very seriously by all Americans who were old enough to interpret the severity of the situation. When we all think back to the day of September 11th, there are common emotions felt by the general body of America - shock, remorse, pain and most importantly, fear. The author uses the emotional attachment to this particular historical event to convince us that there is a current undertone of fear among our communities in America that we are never completely safe.

In this way, the author utilizes emotional appeals to persuade us of this theory. She recognizes a serious event which is a very sensitive subject for many and persuades us that there is a constant fear present among the Amrican people. She uses interviews with young adults to enhance her argument. The age group Noonan focuses on the children who were old enough to understand the situation, but still children caught in their childhood. Noonan states, "Before they were carefree, after they were careful... the protected bubble of their childhood 'popped,'" (par. 5).

Noonan effectively applies the subject to a specific audience. Even her title begged curiosity - that is what drew me into open up the article. However, she also demonstrates that there is a broad appeal or an even larger audience because she connects this current day age group who experienced 9/11 to the generation of Pearl Harbor. She mentions that both audiences experienced the same set of emotions that should be acknowledged - they both have experienced "their first moment of historical consciousness" (par. 4). By tying both generations together, she suggests that these critical events in history significantly impact coming of age and maturing into adults. In other words, these historical events assist children in becoming American citizens and a part of a unifed body. "It completely destroyed our sense of invincibility... It showed the world could be a dangerous place for my generation that was never the case. My generation had no Soviet Union, no war against facism, we never had any threats" (par. 9).

It is clear that through Noonan's opinionated article, she uses the pathos or emotional appeal of 9/11 to connect to specific age groups and generations. She states that 9/11 is a way for that particular age group to achieve historical consciousness. She effectively persuades her readers that generations can be tied together through the historical tragedies they have experienced. Although there may be an undertone of fear, Noonan successfully creates a sense of unity because of her persuasion of tying generations together through their emotional experiences.