World Trade Center "Dust Man"

This photo was taken the morning of September 11th, 2001. The business man seen here had just evacuated the North Tower of the World Trade Center after it had been struck. As he walked away from the site, the South Tower had collapsed, flooding the area with dust and debris. 

There is an odd feeling that this photo evokes. It portrays how the country’s daily routine had been interrupted tremendously. The clock in the background says 10:14 A.M. which allows us to relate to the man as we can all remember the morning of 9-11, where we were, and what we were doing. We get a sense of the confusion and disbelief that took place that morning. He doesn’t take on any drastic reaction, instead, still holds his briefcase at his side as if it was a typical day. 

His bright red face and mouth covered by a napkin gives us an indication of his inner struggle to comprehend all that is taking place. We can imagine that sensation he must be experiencing, where you suddenly enter a state of being where all sound and feeling is wiped away, and you only focus on the mental processing of what you see.

The photo strikes such a chord in us all because we had not been, nor are we now, accustomed to terror attacks of this magnitude on American territory. It gives Americans a whole new perception of terror. It can be very surreal watching people of catastrophes in foreign parts of the world and with so many new images circulating through the media daily we tend to become desensitized. Yet, now having a personal experience of terror so close to home, it gave us a stronger and more relatable connection with other humans across the world who witness these very real and widely impacting occurrences.