Ground Zero

“Ground Zero” Response Questions

1. What do you think Berne means when she says that as her eyes adjust to what she is seeing,

“nothing” becomes something more potent, “which is absence”?

·         Berne means that she is realizing that the absence is that of a landmark and of the fact that any more lives will be found. Only people’s remains can be found at the time at which she visits ground zero. The amount of light that is allowed into ground zero takes her by surprise. Light reflects off of the Hudson River and makes the scene look like a plaza but she knows that this is not a plaza and that very little light shown here while the towers were up.

2. According to Berne, how were the televised images of ground zero different from the actual

experience of seeing it?

·         Televised images of ground zero included the towers collapsing, workers running, and black smoke coming from them. By this time there were hardly any remains of the towers left. Shattered windows much of the actual building remains are covered with black plastic.

3. What scene is most crucial to the essay—where/when does she slow down and re-create the

events taking place?

• The most crucial scene is when she enters the deli and orders a sandwich. She goes to the second floor where they publicized a view of the World Trade Center. This is when the workers at the World Trade Center site find remains of a body. At this point every movement in the restaurant stops while they watch the body pulled out. Slowly things return to normal but people stop what they are doing to pay their respects.

4. In paragraph 3, Berne says that ground zero at first looks like “nothing”; in paragraph 4, she

says it looks like a construction site. Then, in paragraph 7, she describes ground zero as “a great

bowl of light.” And finally, in her conclusion, she refers to it as a pit.  Why do you think Berne

describes ground zero in so many ways?

• Berne describes ground zero in all of these ways because this is how she feels it looks in every situation. She is trying to describe it the best way she can and each description is a way that she felt it looked to her.

5. This piece is sometimes printed under the title “My Ticket to the Disaster”; how do these very

different titles affect your understanding of Berne’s reason for writing? How would your

perception of her purpose for writing this essay change if it were called “My Ticket to the

Disaster”?

• “Ground Zero” is how the site is most commonly described. It is out of respect to the individuals who lost their lives that this is what the site is called. “My Ticket to the Disaster” seems to portray the scene as a place not to pay tribute to the individuals who have passed but as an attraction.
• If the essay were called “My Ticket to the Disaster” I would have thought that the woman had no compassion for the individuals or their families. These people have been through an immense amount of pain and should be considered when articles are written about the subject.

6. What do you think Berne means in her conclusion when she says that with so many visitors

coming to see ground zero, a form of “repopulation” is taking place?

• The previous individuals that would order sandwiches in the deli across the street from the towers are no longer going to be doing these daily activities, however with individuals coming to view the site the community is still thriving off of their presence. The new population is that of people paying their respects and condolences to the victims and their families.