"What I Said"

"What I Said"
Norman Stock

Questions about the text: What was "the terror"? What caused the sudden change in mood at the end? Why is the author questioning things so much, what exactly happened? Why does the author want to kill them?

Personal Response: This poem made me think about the attack on September 11, 2001 because of the emotions that were conveyed throughout this poem. Many Americans on this day were filled with the emotions that are displayed in the authors words. Many of them did not know how to react, they were questioning everything that they had once knew, everything changed in a matter of seconds. Yet, once the overwhelming thoughts and thinking slowed down, many Americans just wanted revenge which is exactly what the author is alluding to.

Overall thoughts: I thought this poem showed alot of patriotism through the wording. The word choice that was used in this poem was very to the point and very emotional. There were many times that the words that were used to talk about the "terror" made me really believe that the author was speaking of September 11. I just felt like this poem was very patriotic because there were many times when the reader was faced with the trials that happened to America and was reacting in a "I will protect America" sort of way.