Remembering September 11th

       After our class held their presentations on songs remembering September 11th on Thursday, I decided to write about the varying affects and impacts that each song held in general and to me personally. My group decided to present the song "The Rising", by Bruce Springsteen, as our choice.        The song begins by taking the point of view of a fireman climbing the towers during the attacks on September 11th. While this point of view is taken, Springsteen references the chaos and confusion among those inside the towers, as emergency crews marched upwards, despite being blinded by the smoke and smog. Springsteen also references the weight, both physically and mental., that the firefighters carried, especially on that day. While the firefighters climbed stairwell after stairwell upwards, gear loaded on their back, they also carried the weight of the peoples whose lives were in danger of being lost. 

       The second half of the song leaves the prior point of view and switches to a more somber, remembering theme. In the second half of the song, the concept of the afterlife and remembering those lost becomes the main idea of the music. Within this, Springsteen references the sky full of lights at night, which correlates to the stars watching over their loved ones, who lost their lives and now watch their families from Heaven above. He also references the blood lost on that day, stating that it will not be forgotten or lost in vain. 

       After researching my song and listening to other groups present their songs, I believe that there are many important takeaways that can be made. I believe that it is important that after such tragedies happen, we must move forward as one unified group and not let ourselves be defined as something beating us. At the same time, it is also important to always remember those who were lost on September 11, 2001, and that their loss should never be put in the past as being defeated, but instead, leading us from their own defeat.