Falling Man

Interpretation of “The Falling Man”

September 11th reminds us of a tragic day that happened in America, where many people were taken away from their loved ones at the World Trade Center. The plane hit the towers which caused thousands of people to be trapped inside the burning buildings, leaving them with the decision if they should stay trapped or jump through the windows. Richard Drew, a photographer for the Associated Press, was fortunate enough to capture one of the pictures that America argues most about; some people don’t agree that this picture should be posted all over the media. Families said that’s a sign of disrespect to them and their lost ones, while others believed it’s to show a mark in history.

The Falling man was about a picture of man who jumped out of the burning Twin Towers. This picture wasn’t like the others; it was so different because “His arms are by his side, only slightly outriggered. His left leg is bent at the knee almost casually. His white shirt, or jacket, or frock, is billowing free of his black pants. His black high-tops are still on his feet” (Junod 69), almost as he was falling peacefully from the sky. The purpose for Junod’s essay was to get people to look back at history and remember what happened on September 11th, 2001. Junod wants his readers to remember what happened on 9/11 and to realize that it affected everyone in their own way. He writes about different interviews trying to figure out who the falling man was. Junod also continues to talk about Peter Chenny, who was assigned the task of finding who the man was. Chenny enlarged the photo which then appeared to him that the man was most likely Latino with a goatee that had worked in a restaurant and later believed the man was Norberto Hernandez. He tried to interview the family but they refused, until he showed up to his funeral and Hernandez’s daughter denied that that was her father. Most families like the Hernandez family found it hard to believe that someone...