The Ethics of Representing Trauma
The attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001 sparked many works of art by painters, photographers, songwriters, musicians, and other artists. Songs were written. Paintings were painted. Poems were recited. Photos and videos were taken. There is, however, a controversy in this. Some people believe that a lot of these works of art are distorting the real history and the real facts. Others think that art is a way to deal with trauma and to get all of the feelings onto the paper. Overall, the latter is the better claim. When one is speaking, they may not mean what they are saying, but through art, the true feelings are brought forward. This essay will explain how art is a good way of revealing the truth of 9/11 and the real feelings of people about it.
The artists were the people who responded first. Songs, photos, and paintings about 9/11 started showing up within the first couple months after the attacks. Jeffrey Melnick, author of 9/11 Culture, says the first responses were "a part of a larger wave that developed in the first few months following 9/11, a 'snapshot culture'" (Melnick 64). This "snapshot culture" brings out these artists true feelings about the events. There is no reason for the first responders to create biased or untruthful artwork. There were a lot of things said in response to 9/11, however, one's true feelings are expressed through their art. These artistic claims are things people needed to explore in order to understand the events that occurred on 9/11. Without these works of art, there would be no way anyone would be able to come close to fully understanding the attacks. Although one single work of art does not tell the full story, many works must be explored and pondered to understand in a way that is unbiased and truthful.
Suzanne Silverstein, president and co-founder of the Psychological Trauma Center at Cedars-Sinai, talks about how people tend to say things that they do not mean, but when they draw, "they put it all out on the paper" (Silverstein 1). This is a perfect example of art portraying the truth. Silverstein had been conducting a study in which they encouraged children to draw and they were asked questions about their art. It was found that the children draw about the part of the trauma they do not understand. By revealing the true feelings, there is no way that art in response to the trauma of 9/11 can distort the facts of what happened that day.
The attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001 sparked many works of art by painters, photographers, songwriters, musicians, and other artists. Songs were written. Paintings were painted. Poems were recited. Photos and videos were taken. There is, however, a controversy in this. Some people believe that a lot of these works of art are distorting the real history and the real facts. Others think that art is a way to deal with trauma and to get all of the feelings onto the paper. Overall, the latter is the better claim. When one is speaking, they may not mean what they are saying, but through art, the true feelings are brought forward. This essay will explain how art is a good way of revealing the truth of 9/11 and the real feelings of people about it.
The artists were the people who responded first. Songs, photos, and paintings about 9/11 started showing up within the first couple months after the attacks. Jeffrey Melnick, author of 9/11 Culture, says the first responses were "a part of a larger wave that developed in the first few months following 9/11, a 'snapshot culture'" (Melnick 64). This "snapshot culture" brings out these artists true feelings about the events. There is no reason for the first responders to create biased or untruthful artwork. There were a lot of things said in response to 9/11, however, one's true feelings are expressed through their art. These artistic claims are things people needed to explore in order to understand the events that occurred on 9/11. Without these works of art, there would be no way anyone would be able to come close to fully understanding the attacks. Although one single work of art does not tell the full story, many works must be explored and pondered to understand in a way that is unbiased and truthful.
Suzanne Silverstein, president and co-founder of the Psychological Trauma Center at Cedars-Sinai, talks about how people tend to say things that they do not mean, but when they draw, "they put it all out on the paper" (Silverstein 1). This is a perfect example of art portraying the truth. Silverstein had been conducting a study in which they encouraged children to draw and they were asked questions about their art. It was found that the children draw about the part of the trauma they do not understand. By revealing the true feelings, there is no way that art in response to the trauma of 9/11 can distort the facts of what happened that day.
