Talk of the Town Essays

Having been barely eight years old at the time of the tragedy of 9/11, I can attest more to its aftermath than the event itself.  This being said, John Updike’s and Susan Sontag’s Talk of the Town essays give great insight to a horrendous scar still felt today.

After reading the first sentence of John Updike’s essay, I was hooked by his great use of foreshadow.  He went on to describe the events that unfolded with riveting detail and emotion.  “Amid the glittering impassivity of the many buildings across the East River, an empty spot had appeared, as if by electronic command, beneath the sky that, but for the sulfurous cloud streaming south toward the ocean, was pure blue, rendered uncannily pristine by the absence of jet trails.” This sentence, long enough to be considered a paragraph by some, completely defines Updike’s eloquent writing style.  Nearing the end of the essay, Updike poses the question that possibly our great pride of American “freedom” could be what is allowing such murderous violence. Nevertheless, Updike ends the essay fully confident in America and her strength to keep thundering ahead.

Sontag’s essay, although well written, did not appeal to me. Her superfluous use of large, complex words became annoying as the essay dragged on. I agreed with the submission that some of our leaders and the decisions they made were rushed and not fully thought through; however, I believe she allowed her essay to become the “self-righteous drivel” she herself was trying to hammer.  Yes, the American public is naive and often taken advantage of but so were the colonies before they rebelled from Great Britain.  Before ending the essay, Sontag did put forth an interesting question,” Who doubts that America is strong? But that’s not all America has to be.”  This ending seemed to be the cooling point of woman on her soap box, starting with deceptive politicians and a “robotic President” and ending by assuring us of America’s strength with a need for intelligence.