The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11

Using textual evidence from Chapter 29, “The First Casualty,” and Chapter 51, “At Ground Zero,” explore the role of religious faith in helping survivors come to terms with their losses and their survival.

Consider the radio response of Captain Paddy Brown when he was told to leave the North Tower: “I refuse the order. I’m on the 44th floor. I got too many burned people here. I’m not leaving them” (455). Was his response incredibly selfless and brave, a needless waste of life, or both? Why?

Survivor Pasquale Buzzelli reflects on his struggles after 9/11:

I remember not being able to sleep at night, getting nightmares. You would fight this battle inside of you and you say: “Hey, asshole, you’re alive, you should be happy.” Then you are happy for a second and you say to yourself: “Hey, asshole, you’re happy and someone else is dead—you’re happy you’re alive, what does that say about you?” Then you don’t feel happy (794-95).

Based on Pasquale Buzzelli’s experience, explore why survivor’s guilt is especially prevalent in 9/11 survivors.

Describe how the Members of Congress singing “God Bless America” on the steps of the Capitol Building was a defiant and inspiring moment.

Unlike other chapters, which feature the voices of witnesses, survivors, bystanders, or policymakers, Chapter 53, “The 9/11 Generation,” features the accounts of people who were children at the time of the attacks. Why did Graff include this chapter? Using textual evidence, evaluate the chapter’s effectiveness in characterizing the attacks’ impact on public consciousness.

How does the fact that the hijackers’ knives did not raise suspicion at airport security characterize the extent to which this event irrevocably changed national and international security, particularly as associated with air travel?

The WTC bombing in 1993 both helped and hindered evacuation on 9/11, as that event had resulted in evacuation upgrades and changes but also made some employees feel initially nonchalant about the plane hitting the North Tower, which on some floors was interpreted as a bomb in another part of the building. Using textual evidence, examine the extent to which the previous terrorist attack had a mostly positive or negative effect on the WTC North Tower evacuation on 9/11.

How do the postapocalyptic scenes in lower Manhattan after the WTC buildings collapsed symbolize the unprecedented, shocking, and horrific nature of the attacks more generally? Use textual evidence in examining this question.