Summary:
This video can be viewed as a tribute to the people who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It begins with the assumption that all viewers already know of the event, and so it only briefly sets the stage. It gives the time, the date, and a sentence or two about the hijacking of the planes. It then transitions into a phone call from one of the attendants on one of the hijacked planes. Shortly afterward, viewers hear the voice of one of the terrorists threatening the passengers on the plane. This never before released audio of the highjacking is accompanied by the voice of Ben Sliney, head of air traffic control, who conveyed his state of confusion when he was forced to react to the 9/11 crisis his first day on the job.
Source/Author:
The narrator of the video is Adam Brookes, a reporter from BBC News. BBC News is considered by most a reputable site. From the tone and perspective of the narrator, you can tell that they were pro-America though, which lends itself to its biased perspective. The video looks at the video from an American perspective and neglects to consider why this happened or the motives of the terrorists.
Context:
This video was released just days before the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which definitely impacted or, perhaps, prompted its release.
Purpose:
As mentioned in the summary, I feel as though this video served as a tribute to the victims of 9/11. The video didn't attempt to inform readers about any aspect of 9/11 or persuade them to think a certain way about it; the video simply introduced a new means of retelling what their audience already knows. The fact that the voices were those of the victims also seems to establish this commemorative/nostalgic tone.
Audience:
The title and content of the video suggest that the video was intended for Americans who already know of this event.
Rhetorical Elements:
The use of the words "bafflement and disbelief" helped to create the 'chilling' effect discussed in the title of the video. The cadence, sentence structure, and even the accent of the narrator also lend itself to the suspense and dramatic nature of the video. The narrator's voice possessed no hints of humor or excitement, just remorse and reflection.
Effectiveness:
If the intent of the narrator was to commemorate and convey the confoundment of the victims and respondents to the 9/11 crisis, it succeeded. This was definitely a serious and depressing video, as most commemorative pieces are. The tone, mood, and diction all work synonymously to create that effect.
From the description, I feel like this video would be very interesting to watch; however, it could also be disturbing or unnerving for the family of those on the plane because it creates images of what happened in the final minutes of the flight. I cannot even imagine what it must have felt like to be the person talking to the flight attendant. I would not be able to wrap my head around what was going on and decide what to do. I agree that the words bafflement and disbelief really would help the person get his point across about how scary that day was.
ReplyDeleteI think it was a good idea to have this video because it can not only help people remember 9/11, but it also gives the public a more complete image of what happened, which can bring about closure for those who were still wondering exactly what the passengers of those hijacked planes had to go through.