--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The second anniversary opened an internal…" description: "\"“The second anniversary opened an internal crack in Sonia, a fissure through which she released the explosive feeling that had horrified her for two ye..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/siri-hustvedt-860_9-11_the-second-anniversary-opened-an-interna_1798057.jpg" --- # The second anniversary opened an internal crack in Sonia… ![“The second anniversary opened an internal crack in Sonia, a fissure through which she released the explosive feeling that had horrified her for two years. The conflagration that had burned so many, that had pushed people into the open air, onto the ledges from which they jumped, some of them on…” quote by Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/siri-hustvedt-860_9-11_the-second-anniversary-opened-an-interna_1798057.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/siri-hustvedt-860_9-11_the-second-anniversary-opened-an-interna_1798057.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/siri-hustvedt-860_9-11_the-second-anniversary-opened-an-interna_1798057.jpg) > ““The second anniversary opened an internal crack in Sonia, a fissure through which she released the explosive feeling that had horrified her for two years. The conflagration that had burned so many, that had pushed people into the open air, onto the ledges from which they jumped, some of them on fire, had left its unspeakable images inside my niece. ...Sonia didn't want a world in which buildings fell down and wars were fought for no reason.”” [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Trauma creates cracks that reveal deep horror; the desire for peace opposes destructive war. **In simple terms:** War leaves scars; peace is desired. Key Takeaway Seek peace, reject senseless conflict. Themes war trauma peace humanity memory Mood somber reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal healing - peace activism - war reporting - education Key Concepts psychology conflict studies memory Questions to Reflect On - What personal cracks can lead to broader peace? - How to transform trauma into advocacy? A Different Perspective Peace may be idealistic without structural change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [9-11](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-9-11-1114/) [Anniversary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anniversary/) [Horrified Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horrified-years-2006484/) [Niece Sonia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/niece-sonia-2006480/) [Second Anniversary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-anniversary-2006482/) [Sonia Fissure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sonia-fissure-2006483/) [Two years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-years/) [Years Conflagration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-conflagration-2006481/) ## Related quotes > [What message, years of conflagration, have you: madness or hope? 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She did, but she didn’t get a flag. He went to Doha,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/in-korea-i-d-been-so-afraid-that-sami-would-lose-her-dad-she-did-but/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“A son for a flag is a lot of sacrifice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/a-son-for-a-flag-is-a-lot-of-sacrifice/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“I stood with my mom in the cemetery. She felt terrible pain. My grandmother is with God. My mom has to continue living. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/i-stood-with-my-mom-in-the-cemetery-she-felt-terrible-pain-my/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“Private-sector preparedness is not a luxury; it is a cost of doing business in the post-9/11 world. It is ignored at a tremendous potential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-9-11-commission-report/private-sector-preparedness-is-not-a-luxury-it-is-a-cost-of-doing/) [The 9 11 Commission Report](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-9-11-commission-report/) ## More by Siri Hustvedt > [I am married to a writer, and this - writing - is an odd enterprise. It's something we both support very strongly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-am-married-to-a-writer-and-this-writing-is-an-odd-enterprise-it-s/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [With almost no exceptions, art by men is much more expensive than art by women. Even great women artists, like Louise Bourgeois and Lee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/with-almost-no-exceptions-art-by-men-is-much-more-expensive-than-art/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I love the little garden in the back of my family's brownstone in Brooklyn. 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They go hand in hand. To one degree or another, we all invent our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-faculty-of-memory-cannot-be-separated-from-the-imagination-they/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“Looking is part of love, but what you see when you look is anybody's guess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/looking-is-part-of-love-but-what-you-see-when-you-look-is-anybody-s/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [Every sickness has an alien quality, a feeling of invasion and loss of control that is evident in the language we use about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/every-sickness-has-an-alien-quality-a-feeling-of-invasion-and-loss-of/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I have a tendency to face my bad fantasies in my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-have-a-tendency-to-face-my-bad-fantasies-in-my-books/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“The outside also becomes us. A human being is born an unfinished organism and as the person develops experience with others becomes a physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-outside-also-becomes-us-a-human-being-is-born-an-unfinished/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I am an American, but a sense of otherness was part of my growing up. I spoke Norwegian before I spoke English. My mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-am-an-american-but-a-sense-of-otherness-was-part-of-my-growing-up-i/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [When I was an impoverished graduate student, I would sometimes spend $20 or $30 on a T-shirt or accessory I didn't need or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/when-i-was-an-impoverished-graduate-student-i-would-sometimes-spend/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) [Explore all 330 Siri Hustvedt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) ## More 9-11 quotes > [“Private-sector preparedness is not a luxury; it is a cost of doing business in the post-9/11 world. It is ignored at a tremendous potential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-9-11-commission-report/private-sector-preparedness-is-not-a-luxury-it-is-a-cost-of-doing/) [The 9 11 Commission Report](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-9-11-commission-report/) > [“I stood with my mom in the cemetery. She felt terrible pain. My grandmother is with God. My mom has to continue living. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/i-stood-with-my-mom-in-the-cemetery-she-felt-terrible-pain-my/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“A son for a flag is a lot of sacrifice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/a-son-for-a-flag-is-a-lot-of-sacrifice/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“In Korea I’d been so afraid that Sami would lose her dad. She did, but she didn’t get a flag. He went to Doha,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/in-korea-i-d-been-so-afraid-that-sami-would-lose-her-dad-she-did-but/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“The sun appeared between the twin spires of the cathedral as its light reflected off the crescent and star that rose out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/the-sun-appeared-between-the-twin-spires-of-the-cathedral-as-its/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“The look of a smug teacher is priceless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/the-look-of-a-smug-teacher-is-priceless/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“I have this thought, it’s horrible, and it makes me sick, but it’s true: one day these students will grow up and have their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/i-have-this-thought-it-s-horrible-and-it-makes-me-sick-but-it-s-true/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“Many signs point to the fact that the youth of the Third World will no longer tolerate living in circumstances that give them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rom-o-dallaire/many-signs-point-to-the-fact-that-the-youth-of-the-third-world-will/) [Roméo Dallaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rom-o-dallaire/) > [“This is who I was, before I was dead. When I cared, when I was relentless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/this-is-who-i-was-before-i-was-dead-when-i-cared-when-i-was-relentless/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“It’d be easy to blame everything on 9/11 or the wars that came after. It’s really about the choices we made. By necessity we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/it-d-be-easy-to-blame-everything-on-9-11-or-the-wars-that-came-after/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“Honestly, I had no idea how to respond. My senior year of college I’d taken a seminar titled Public Education: Situations and Strategies. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/honestly-i-had-no-idea-how-to-respond-my-senior-year-of-college-i-d/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“And then, on September 11, the world fractured. 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