SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 (Analysis)

This is a poem analysis that I made with my classmate for our group assignment in poetry class. It's just a simple poem analysis :)

The sun rose to illuminate a normal day,

Though with horror it set in the west.

Americans living in Freedom,

Went to work to achieve their best.

The nightmare began in the mid-morning,

As crazed terrorists worked out their plan.

Promised to sit in glory with Allah,

It’s with Satan tonight that they stand.

What better way to spread terror,

Than steal airlines filled with innocents.

And fly them into New York’s tall buildings,

Killing all in their path as they went.

Our nation’s Capital was targeted next,

As evil spread its dark cloud.

Our Pentagon was next in line,

To be covered by evil’s dark shroud.

Another aircraft full of innocents,

Was crashed for no cause at all.

Other than for the sake of pure murder,

For terror to spread its dark pall.

Let us mourn for the dead martyrs,

But rejoice for them as well.

By the thousands they stand with God tonight,

While their murderers languish in hell.

Pray for the poor souls they left behind,

Their families and loved ones bereaved.

Life must go on and our Country stay strong,

For no victory by evil will be achieved.

God will see that our martyrs are avenged,

By His mighty hand or our own.

The acts of evil committed today,

Are something he will not condone.

We must learn from this day and be stronger,

To honor the innocent dead.

We must go on with life with dignity,

And show evil that we have no dread.

- RANDY LEE MERRELL

ANALYSIS

I.         SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 is a close form poem; it deals with stanza.

It consists of nine stanzas. Each stanza has four lines, it is called

as quatrain.

             

II.  RHYME SCHEME

• The rhyme scheme of first stanza is a b c b because ‘west’ rhymes with ‘best’.

• The rhyme scheme of second stanza is d e f e because ‘plan’ rhymes with ‘stand’.

• The rhyme scheme of third stanza  is g h h i because ‘innocents’ rhymes with ‘buildings’.

• The rhyme scheme of fourth stanza is j k l k because ‘cloud’ rhymes with ‘shroud’.

III.  The theme is violence over innocents.

IV.  The point of view in this poem is first-person narrator. Because this poem use first person plural (possesive). as we can see below :

                        “Our nation’s Capital was targeted next”

                        “Life must go on and our country stay strong”

                         The first person plural is American(s) who speak in the poem (speaker).

           

V. TONE

1.      Tone of disappointed (line 7 and 8)

The speaker shows her/his disappointed feeling for the terrorists who believe in their Allah but what they did on September 11, 2001 was something against their Allah’s will.

2.      Tone of fear (line 13-16)

The speaker gives the feeling of fear because American nation’s capital and Pentagon were targeted by the terrorists also. It means the speaker was worried that there will be more dead people.

3.      Tone of sorrow  (21-28)

The voice in the poem mourns for the dead martyrs and for their families and loved ones they left.

4.      Tone of resolute ( last stanza)

Eventhough the speaker shows her/his sorrow and fear of the tragedy, but he/she still has the feeling of resolute . As we can see in the last stanza, in the mourning moment the speaker try to persuade Americans together learn from the tragedy and keep being stronger to show their dignity, in order to make the terrorists know that they have no dread to face them.

VI. Colors are found in (line 1 and 14):

            1. The sun rose to illuminate a normal day.

            2. As evil spread its dark cloud.

•      The color of sun rose yellow to red.

•      The color of dark cloud is black.

VII.  Symbols are found in (line 14 and 16) :

            1. As evil spread its dark cloud.

            2. To be covered by evil’s dark shroud.

            3. For terror to spread its dark pall

            Dark cloud,dark shroud, and dark pall are the symbols of death.

VIII. Imageries that we found in the poem :

1. Sun (visual imagery)
2. Airlines (visual and tactile)
3. New York’s tall buildings (visual and tactile)
4. Dark cloud (visual)
5. Pentagon (visual and tactile)
6. Aircraft (visual and tactile)

 

IX. Who is Allah (line 7) and  God (line 23) ?

           1.  Allah (line 7) refers to the one whom the terrorists worship.

           2. God (line 23) is the one whom the speaker, American worship.