Bikeman: Closure

            I truly enjoyed reading Bikeman, which has opened my eyes to a new perspective of the September 11^th attacks. At first, I was skeptical about reading another detailed explanation about the World Trade Center disaster, but I am thankful that I chose to read this book. The art of storytelling is something that is very difficult to do well, but the author, Tom Flynn, uses poetry to his advantage. Although, I have never read a story in the form of a poem, I think that it was very effective and allowed me to feel what he was feeling at the time of the attack. Tom Flynn tells an amazing story and ventures into a new lane of storytelling through poetry. I think that the issue of September 11^th is one that will never cease to exist and will forever remain a topic for debate and discussion. The information available on the topic of September 11^th is so vast and my thoughts about Bikeman are so detailed, that I do not have enough space on this blog, so due to this realization I will end on that note. 

Bikeman: #5

Tom Flynn’s journey slowly ends as the second tower is crumbling down. Before this moment, Tom Flynn feels as though it cannot get any worse, but to his amazement, more lives are taken. He explains, “The pain will come later for all who are here. The pain will come later for all” (68). His surroundings do not feel real and as time progresses, more events occur that create a feeling of shock. Mr. Flynn is unable to fully experience the emotions that he should be feeling because he is shocked at what has happened. Most people who were informed about the terrorist attacks were extremely shocked, but as time elapsed people began to realize the enormity of what had occurred and the pain set in. The feelings that Americans shared forced us to become united as a nation and become stronger than ever. This tragedy allowed conversation for some and a chance to help for others. Tom noticed that “we are one now, we must look out for each other, care for each other. We are one now, fellow citizens in a city crushed by anguish and agony. We are one now” (73). The attacks caused the United States to unite with the common interest of helping others and seeking revenge against the terrorists.  Many people in America were supportive of the war because people felt as though we needed to fight the terrorists back in order for everything to be okay. This overall feeling of revenge may not be the best option because it can cause more harm than good. The war in Iraq has proven this because we have lost innocent lives and we have lost an endless amount of money funding the war. Many conspirators believe that the United States Government orchestrated the September 11th attacks in order to have a reason to go to war. This clearly gave the United States a reason to go to war and definitely caused more American citizens to support the idea of war. The general public will never know the underlying intentions of the United States government. The impact that the attacks have on people will not change and the effects on Tom Flynn will be eternal. 

Bikeman: #4

As Tom Flynn continues his ride, he is faced with the aftermath of the towers falling and the struggles of human survival. Along with many other people, he feels as though his previous life is over and that a new chapter lies ahead of him. At times he believes he is going to die, and at others, he wonders how this experience will affect him in the future. He explains, “What will I feel? Who will I be, when I regain my life? Or will the great doors of life having closed once, not a slow creaking closing but the sudden slam shutting ever reopen” (56)? This feeling of not knowing what lies ahead is something that he feels throughout the story and is something that he is very afraid of. He does not understand what his future will be and he does not know how he will feel. He is unable to understand that he is a witness to the biggest terrorist attack in United States history.  At that time, he is unable to realize the effects that this incident will have on himself and on the country as a whole. The September 11^th attacks caused a nation who felt secure to suddenly feel as though anywhere they walked, they could potentially be in danger. The fear that this attack caused on the people of America overpowered their ability to think and operate normally. Through this book, I am able to understand the feelings that someone had while experiencing the incident with their own eyes. I can only imagine the effect that the attack had on a person because just by hearing about it through other sources I find myself greatly affected by the tragedy. As Tom attempts to escape death, he senses death in the air and everywhere he goes. He explains walking through the streets like being “on a blanket of death in mortal silence” (66). 

Bikeman: #3

The story continues, as the first tower collapses. Tom Flynn explains, “I am momentarily struck deaf. I do not hear the awful final roar of the tower in death. My mind blocks out the last sounds of the powerful collapse, the ripping, renting, relentless break up raining down. But with all the growling and gnashing of its dentilations, I do not recall the cruel noise. I am deaf, as deaf as I was, to those voices crying vainly for help” (38). The author uses the literary device, imagery, as a tool to create a scene for the reader and as a method to portray the images of the attacks through words. Not only does this story create an image or picture for the reader, but also creates a feeling in the minds of the reader.  This book has impacted my understanding of the attacks much more than actual pictures or videos. This form of journalism provides a picture for the reader along with words that explain the feelings that surrounded people in New York City. I found it to be very interesting how he compared the sound of the tower crashing to the screams and cries for help. As deaf as he was to the towers crashing, he was just as deaf to the pleas for help. He could hear the cries for help but he could not do anything about it. That feeling alone is something that an outside viewer cannot understand but can only be told. He watched the lives of so many vanish within moments and as a witness could not do anything about it. As he was running from the dark cloud of debris that was coming his way he explains, “an ambulance man runs with me. He is there to assist the hurt, the wounded, but finds none. They are not hurt this September morning. They die or they live. The ambulance man has no job to do” (40). Even people, whose job it was to help, could not do anything about it because there was nothing that anyone could do to help these people. The mere fact that these people were helpless affected Tom Flynn and others very strongly. The idea of help for others was no longer an idea because people were forced to be focused on helping themselves and protecting their own lives. He describes the black cloud approaching him as “thousands of horses and millions of soldiers are stampeding across a desert, threatening clouds rise at their hooves and heels, pushing the frightened air ahead” (42). This image is stuck in my head as I continue to read the story. 

Bikeman: #2

            Bikeman begins, as Tom is in his home not knowing that the September 11^th attacks will no longer be his future but soon become his present. Tom explains the emotion of the unknown. I thought that this first poem was very interesting because it explains his feelings right before he was informed about the attacks. This feeling of the unknown is a very scary concept because it forces you to realize that something that life altering can happen within a matter of seconds.  You can be doing one thing such as reading a book and within a minute, your entire life can be changed along with the lives of millions of other people. The story continues with Tom Flynn recounting his feeling of curiosity. He says, “Curiosity is a fearless companion. If this coming event were a mythical beast breathing fire from its nostrils, grasping at me with sharpened claws, my muse would not counsel caution nor guide me to a protected place but push me closer to the flames. My muse cannot see a difference between good fortune or ill. So without care or caution, we ride into this latest of life’s unanswered questions” (9). This feeling of curiosity overwhelms him and causes him to proceed towards the danger but not away from it. His curiosity overpowers his feelings of fear because every person seeks information and knowledge. Tom Flynn is curious about the unknown and dives into ground zero, as others would more commonly run away. As he approaches the towers, he explains what he sees such as papers falling from the sky as well as people. He compares the business documents falling from the sky as useless as dandruff dusting down. As he sees people falling, he mentions one woman who he watched fall from the towers. He explains his feelings towards his vision and he feels like “I am a witness to this and embarrassed. I am an intruder on the most private moment of her life: her death” (15).  This idea and perspective jumped out at me because it allows you to understand the circumstances of the attacks. He felt embarrassed because her death is not something that he should have seen, but something that should have happened much differently. This perspective causes the reader to contemplate those things that only a person who witnessed it with their own eyes would ever think about. 

Bikeman: #1

For my outside reading assignment, I have chosen to read the book Bikeman. Tom Flynn, a reporter and former employee of CBS News, describes his eyewitness account to the September 11th attacks. Through the use of poetry in many forms such as songs and verses he tells his story. I chose to read this book for numerous reasons. Although, I have never read a book that tells a story through poetry, I think that this method is very effective because it causes the author to only include the important details that are essential to the story. I am also very interested in the September 11^th attacks and I enjoy hearing first hand accounts of the tragedy. This allows me to get the best perspective of the incident since I did not witness the attack myself. The September 11^th attacks are very controversial and have been a major issue in our country since it occurred. There are many questions and concerns that surround the September 11^th attacks, which is why it is a major topic in the United States. A consistent issue is whether or not the United States had prior knowledge to the impending terrorism and could have prevented the disaster. Tom Flynn is considered not only a journalist, but also a participant, observer, and survivor of these attacks. This story is told through someone who “did not live through it” but “just did not die”. His perspective truly reveals the struggles of the many surviving victims because it explains it through the eyes of someone who escaped death. Mr. Flynn does not see his survival as something that he overcame but as something that he escaped. Bikeman is the story of one man and his journey on a bike to the World Trade Center towers. On his journey, he experiences the devastation that faced New York City, and the United States of America.