In “After 9/11,” Charles Martin, the author, relates to the emotion condition of man in a way that few other could. Though he does so many times throughout this work, a focus should be placed on one particular chosen pair of words. Midway through this poem, Martin describes the many awful types of deaths that he victims suffered, but he ends his description by relating these deaths to the memory of those who saw the events on that day. Particularly, Martin writes, “The fall that our imaginations trace.” The final two words, “imaginations trace,” seem to be at first strangely written; however, when further examined it can be seen that the choice of words by Martin could be no greater. These words are so powerful because they touch the readers
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Throughout the poem, Martin stresses the idea that many have fallen and bled on the very same soil that burned on the 11th of September, and time has healed the wounds of the mind. Yet, even though Martin claims that eventually the sky that was darkened by ash will turn blue again, his words do explain that the event still may seem unforgettable for the time being. In describing the ensuing days, Martin writes, “The fall that our imaginations trace/ Even today: those whom we most resembled,/ Whose images we still cannot erase….” Martin seems to be referring to the previous point of playing the fictional part of victim in our imaginations as the cause of these seemingly unforgettable memories. Once again, Martin predicts how the human mind will react to such an event. In the case of imagining the painful deaths of the victims, those who had lost no longer are simple viewers. Instead, these thoughts burn the pain felt by the victims into the viewers’ minds. This is where the solution of time absorbing the loss becomes a difficult task. Once one has imagined the pain and fear of the victim, it becomes seemingly impossible to simply let time absorb the memories. Martin is brilliant in noticing this because he sees that the event was felt on a personal level deeper than most could
Throughout the poem, Martin stresses the idea that many have fallen and bled on the very same soil that burned on the 11th of September, and time has healed the wounds of the mind. Yet, even though Martin claims that eventually the sky that was darkened by ash will turn blue again, his words do explain that the event still may seem unforgettable for the time being. In describing the ensuing days, Martin writes, “The fall that our imaginations trace/ Even today: those whom we most resembled,/ Whose images we still cannot erase….” Martin seems to be referring to the previous point of playing the fictional part of victim in our imaginations as the cause of these seemingly unforgettable memories. Once again, Martin predicts how the human mind will react to such an event. In the case of imagining the painful deaths of the victims, those who had lost no longer are simple viewers. Instead, these thoughts burn the pain felt by the victims into the viewers’ minds. This is where the solution of time absorbing the loss becomes a difficult task. Once one has imagined the pain and fear of the victim, it becomes seemingly impossible to simply let time absorb the memories. Martin is brilliant in noticing this because he sees that the event was felt on a personal level deeper than most could