Article of the Week 1: U.S. safer 10 years after 9/11, but at what cost?

After reading this article, I wondered whether the terrorists won. The article states many policies have been enacted limiting the freedom of citizens since 9/11. This stemmed from the fear of terrorists still living within Americans. The article then describes good effects since 9/11, such as the growth of security and how this has somewhat lessened recent fear of attacks.

Daniel Trotta of Reuters wrote this article in a timely fashion; it references the 9/11 terrorist attacks only a few days before the 10th anniversary. This article aims to explore how this event has changed people's lives and beliefs. While anyone could read this article, it is most likely aimed at the Americans who were alive when this event occurred, especially those old enough to note the change in US policy since 9/11/01.

The rhetoric used is different from my expectations of the article. There were few appeals to pathos or ethos. Instead, it focused on logic and progression of events since that day. The two sections in the article ended with quotes of opinions on security since 9/11. These quotes negatively affected the article because they made the article feel choppy and not polished. While disappointing in style, the author was successful in content because he promoted serious thought.

So, did the terrorists win? Well, in a sense, they did. The constant fear of terrorism has prompted the government to limit personal freedom. The goal of terrorism is to create change through fear and many are still afraid.