This photograph represents the rescuers of September 11. There were thousands of rescuers that worked nonstop for months to clean up the devastation and to find life and death. Rescuers had the best and worst jobs. They represented hope to those of us watching in disbelief.
Eli Reed photographed this emergency worker surrounded by devastation (Magnum Photographers, 104-105). The photograph looks surreal. It is beautiful. The buildings in the background look foggy because of all the smoke and debris in the air. In the nearby buildings, there are windows and other parts that were blown away. Yet the buildings stand strong.
The emergency worker is surrounded by enormous piles of rubble. And yet he works with a small hammer. One would expect him to be holding something larger like a sledge hammer or an ax to get through the debris. But there he is working vigorously, pounding away with the hammer.
The worker is in a shadow so we cannot see his face. All we see is the hard hat on his head and hammer that he holds tightly in his right hand. He seems to be on a long beam or platform. This emergency worker represents the goodness and kindness in people. This man volunteered his time and effort. And although the situation that surrounds him seems hopeless and terrible, the worker represents the spirit that Americans had. It is the spirit to never give up and to always find the good in every situation.
The rubble from the twin towers in the bottom right of the photograph is a familiar sight. Americans came to know this rubble as "Ground Zero," a term that we would forever remember. That rubble is all that remains from the 110 story buildings that once stood there. There is still smoke coming from the rubble.