9/11 Memorial Research Paper

The National September 11 Memorial, or “Reflecting Absence," is a eulogy built in loving memory of the thousands of American lives that were lost on September 11th, 2001 due to a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center near Shanksville, Pa., and at the Pentagon, as well as the six people killed in the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993. The construction of the memorial began on March 2006, and the doors to the memorial opened on September 11th, 2011, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the attack. The memorial is located at the site of the 9/11 tragedy on the former World Trade Center structure and takes up approximately half of the 16-acre ground. What everyone had known as Ground Zero for ten years had finally become an outstanding memorial to honor all the loss and pain endured by the country and its citizens. The design for the memorial was chosen by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation after carefully reviewing over 5,000 entries that were submitted in a cosmopolitan competition held in 2003. The winner of this competition …show more content…
The pools are built on the footprints of the fallen twin towers and have the names of every person that died on the 2001 and 1993 attacks. Their names are engraved in 76 bronze plates that are attached to the 30-foot deep black granite walls. The use of bronze is common in the US and symbolizes patriotism towards the fallen, and the granite is a symbol of rigidity and timelessness. The same way the American people will not forget their loss and pain they will be united through it just as the bronze plates are united to the apparent infinite waterfall walls. The granite will be sturdy through time. Also, the waterfalls are surrounded by a variety of trees which make the memorial a green rooftop to the memorial museum, the subway station, and other establishments 70 feet below street