Metaphor of Terror
Michel Vinaver uses the idea of fire as a metaphor for terror in his play 11 September 2001. The first instance we can see the use of this metaphor is in the fires that are created when the hijacked planes are crashed into the North Tower and the South Tower in New York City. This resulting impact created an inferno whose flames swept through the buildings, weakening them and causing them to collapse to the ground, killing hundreds. What we can see here is the fire depicted in the play acts as a metaphor for the terror that afflicts all the people at the scene. A second occurrence of this metaphor is when Dorene is dealing with the lady whose body is in flames. These flames are a metaphor for the terror that is spreading through the people in the offices where the airplanes struck.
Simile of a Boat
In a certain section of the script we can see a simile written into the dialogue. We see it when the character John Paul is describing his experience of being in the middle of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He was simply working in his office building that fateful morning when the plane crashed into his building in New York City. As he describes it, "a roll like a boat on the open sea," is what his building felt like. This simile of a boat in a rocking sea storm is a comparison used to help the audience visualize the physical effects of the attacks.
Metaphor of America
The Twin Towers and the World Trade Center acted as a metaphor for the entire nation. These buildings in New York City, New York represented the United States of America and its people. They were not only the economic and financial heart of the nation, but a place near and dear to a large metropolitan populace. For this reason, the attacks of 9/11 were so startlingly significant. They were able to pierce the very heart of the United States and essentially the entire nation itself. The connection between the Twin Towers as the metaphor of America is what leads to the creation of this play.
Simile of Chaos
Another important simile in Michel Vinaver's piece of theatre 11 September 2001 is the one used by Dorene. When the building she is in is crumbling from the impact of the hijacked planes, she begins to deal with the people around her, trying to comfort and bring solace to the people in her proximity. This includes "a woman whose hair and clothes were on fire." As Dorene helps take her down the stairs and out of the building to safety, she wraps a sweater around the waist of the woman to help hold on to her while she is burning. Dorene describes the air like the smell of grilled wool, a simile which represents the chaos present in the room. A seemingly innocent comparison, this idea of something grilling actually represents how atypical and abnormal the environment around them is, and how chaotic it is.
Metaphor of Hope
On that horrific day on 9/11, there was a fourth plane that was hijacked by terrorists. Thanks to some of the bravest people this nation has ever seen, that plane never reached its target to decimate yet another American structure, because the passengers and crew fought back against the hijackers, sacrificing their own well-being to save others. This event was depicted in the play as well, with special emphasis on this flight, Flight 93. At first glance, it may seem as if the people inside that plane are a beacon of bravery. While that is certainly true, their is something more to their heroic plight. Their fight back against the terrorists acts as a metaphor for hope. Hope that they can save their friends, families, and loved ones. Hope that they can stop the murderous hijackers. And hope that they can help create a safer, stronger America by giving themselves up.
