"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”?

    I think what Berne means when she says that what she saw was absence means that there is nothing there when there should be. When someone says they see nothing, or there is nothing there, that means to me that there is lack of, but absence means that something is missing.

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

experience of seeing it?

    Berne described the experience of seeing ground zero as unbelievable. She said that people would make comments about the experience, but they were unable to say what they were truly feeling because it went beyond anything they had ever seen before. Berne said that people would try to relate to the newspaper and television images of ground zero, but because they were not seeing it in person they did not get those same feelings.

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

events taking place?

    The scene that is most crucial is when she goes to a sandwich shop and she finds a clear view of ground zero. As she sits there and watches the movement happening, she sees that there is a body being carried up a ramp. Everyone in the deli rises from their seat, and there is a moment of silence. Maybe the sight of the body reminded everyone of the people that died there, and it made what they were seeing a little more real.

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?

    I think that Berne describes ground zero in so many different ways because as she moved around and had different views of ground zero, she experienced different emotions that made her feel differently about the experience. I think that a person can have many different descriptions about one thing, and especially when emotions are stirred; that person will think of that thing in a different way.

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”?

    I personally think that the title, “Ground Zero” has more of an effect than does the title, “My Ticket to the Disaster.” The second title does not make me think of the World Trade Center buildings, nor does it give it the respect it deserves. There is a sentence in the essay when Berne asks a security guard where she could purchase tickets to the disaster, and he just looks at her and repeats the question, almost a little offended and taken aback. Ground Zero commands respect and sensitivity and so I do not think that the title, “My Ticket to the Disaster” does it justice.

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?

    I think that what Berne meant is that before the incident, the World Trade Center was a place that was busy with people. There were so many people in this one area, and after the fact, even though a lot of these people are gone, new people due to their curiosity, are once again filling the space.