A Symbol of Unity

On September 11, 2001, two hijacked planes crashed into the Twin
Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing thousands
of innocent people. Th ose who claimed responsibility said that the two
buildings were targeted because they were well known around the world
for being symbols of Capitalism and free trade. In other words, they
were symbols of some of the values of the United States of America.
But how can a building be a symbol of a country? How important
can the architecture of a country be in representing the values of a nation? From
the very fi rst monuments ever built, to the rise of cities in
human history, architecture has played an extremely important role
in shaping how diff erent people think about themselves, express their
religion and honor their fallen heroes. Th e style of a building and its
location can say a lot about a whole culture�s values.
If you want to know what is valued most in the United States, simply
look at the size and shape of the buildings in its capital, Washington D.C.
Th e neoclassical style of the White House, the Capitol Building, the Supreme
Court, many of the monuments
in the capital mall, as well as many of the museums and other surrounding buildings
speaks to the infl uences of
the Greeks and Romans, on whom the United States has based its form of democracy.
Despite a very diverse culture, the majority of Americans share a common belief
that through a unifi ed
strength, they can overcome adversity. Th ough the events of September 11th, 2001
were tragic, shortly aft er the
rubble of the Twin Towers was cleared away, plans were made to create a single
building that would rise from
the ashes and show that Americans were unifi ed in a fi ght to preserve and
maintain their way of life. The result is the One World Trade Center building, also
known as Freedom Tower,
that is currently the tallest building in New York City and overlooks an
enormous memorial to the victims of the explosions.
Once again, architecture is sending a message about the resilience
of the American people and their unity in defying those who would use
terror to try to break a country. Th e new building stands 104 storeys
tall and reaches for the sky as if to say that nothing will keep the United
States down. At the same time, its mirrored surface refl ects the heavens
and the prayers for the people who died when the Twin Towers fell.