On September 11, 2001, two hijacked planes crashed into the Twin

Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing thousands

of innocent people. Th ose who claimed responsibility said that the two

buildings were targeted because they were well known around the world

for being symbols of Capitalism and free trade. In other words, they

were symbols of some of the values of the United States of America.

But how can a building be a symbol of a country? How important

can the architecture of a country be in representing the values of a na-

tion? From the very fi rst monuments ever built, to the rise of cities in

human history, architecture has played an extremely important role

in shaping how diff erent people think about themselves, express their

religion and honor their fallen heroes. Th e style of a building and its

location can say a lot about a whole culture’s values.

If you want to know what is valued most in the United States, simply

look at the size and shape of the buildings in its capital, Washington D.C.

Th e neoclassical style of the White House, the Capitol Building, the Supreme Court, many of the monuments

in the capital mall, as well as many of the museums and other surrounding buildings speaks to the infl uences of

the Greeks and Romans, on whom the United States has based its form of democracy.

Despite a very diverse culture, the majority of Americans share a common belief that through a unifi ed

strength, they can overcome adversity. Th ough the events of September 11th, 2001 were tragic, shortly aft er the

rubble of the Twin Towers was cleared away, plans were made to create a single building that would rise from

the ashes and show that Americans were unifi ed in a fi ght to preserve and maintain their way of life. Th e result is the One World Trade Center building, also known as Freedom Tower,

that is currently the tallest building in New York City and overlooks an

enormous memorial to the victims of the explosions.

Once again, architecture is sending a message about the resilience

of the American people and their unity in defying those who would use

terror to try to break a country. Th e new building stands 104 storeys

tall and reaches for the sky as if to say that nothing will keep the United

States down. At the same time, its mirrored surface refl ects the heavens

and the prayers for the people who died when the Twin Towers fell.


1. Answer the following questions.

a. Why were the World Trade Center towers attacked in particular?

b. Can monuments be a form of architecture?

c. Can churches, synagogues and mosques be a form of architecture?

d. What does the style of many of the buildings in Washington, D.

C. say about the values of the U.S.?

e. What was built in the place where the World Trade Center towers

stood?

f. What values does the One World Trade Center suggest?

2. Give synonyms from the text for the words below:

a. blameless d. climb g. system of belief j. huge

b. aimed at e. resisting h. fl oors k. misfortune

c. deceased f. destroy i. prized l. the sky​