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Underwood 1

Sydney Underwood

Ms. Caruso

English 1102-059

April 10 2012

Fireproof Flameproof

September 11th

, 2001 was a day that not only America, but the world will never forget. Its

tragic happenings left the nation devastated. The World Trade Centers being hit by hijacked

planes, was not what the nation was expecting at all. No one really knew how to take this

terrorist attack. Some turned from religion, while others strayed; some became more patriotic,

while others blamed the government; and families fell apart, while others were brought closer.

No matter what happened that day, we all look back and remember those that lost their lives,

gave their lives, the survivors, and what we could or could not have done differently. Regardless

of our personal feelings, as a country we came together and became stronger. There have been

countless documentaries, autobiographies, and interviews of survivors telling their story, but not

a novel like this one. This novel is different in the way that it depicts an all-American family

struggling and how the tragic event may temporally pull them apart but in the end, it pieces a

broken family back together, which is focused towards teenagers that are beginning to stray

away from their families and push away the ones they love the most, young couples who may be

struggling through a marriage that they are beginning to question, and even families that are

starting to fall apart unwillingly.

For John McWilliams and his family, this tragic day affected them in many ways. John

was a New York City firefighter, who worked long days and nights, to provide the best for his

high school sweetheart, their son, and daughter. John was raised in a strong Christian home and

Comment [US1]: Added this to cla

historical event quickly.

Comment [BC2]: Work to give qu

concrete details.

Comment [US3]: Added a little m

who this novel was written for earlie

the proposal

Comment [US4]: Combined these

sentences for a smoother flow.

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Underwood 2

wanted to instill these values into his own family. As the head of the household and the bread

winner, John continuously works long days to provide for his family. Because of his absence at

many of his childrens important functions, his children begin to react in a negative way and

show resentment towards their father. His wife is raising the kids practically by herself, and is

literally worn and burnt out. Tension begins to rise in the McWilliams household. Not only is

there tension between John and his wife, but also his children. His son starts to stray from the

Lord, and begins heading down the wrong path, by hanging out with the wrong crowd,

experimenting drugs, and using females for the wrong reasons. No matter how hard John tries to

be there for his son and lead him down the right road, his son only gets pushed further and

further away.

Johns family tensions dont stop there. His daughter begins to get involved with older

guys in negative ways to gain the male authority figure and attention that she isnt receiving from

home. All of this tension isreally putting a toll on the family.

As this All-American family is struggling behind closed doors, like many American

families, John is seen working hard each and every day to provide for his family. He continues to

work long hours at the fire department, devoting his time to give back to the community and

serve for a greater purpose.

September 11th, 2001, John is headed to work just like a normal workday. Around eight

in the morning he is called to the scene of the World Trade Centers. Upon his arrival, he realizes

that this is serious, and the biggest call he has ever arrived to, feeling very unprepared for what is

to come. At this moment, he puts all family issues aside to rescue these individuals, envisioning

them as his own children. One after one he is seen carrying bodies out of the building, saving life

Comment [BC5]: Informal.

Comment [US6]: Removed this w

more professionalism

Comment [BC7]: Informal.

Comment [US8]: Removed due to

informality

Comment [BC9]: Elaborate on the

importance of this.

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after life, and heads right back into the building without hesitation. About thirty minutes later,

Johns coworkers realize that he hasnt come back out after the last run in. They begin risking

their own lives to save one of their own. A few minutes later, after frantically searching, he is

found trapped in some debris. His coworkers struggle to free him immediately, but are

unsuccessful. They call for back up and an hour later, are able to free him from under the pile of

debris. He has third degree burns all over his body and unconscious. John is rushed to the

hospital and wakes up to his family by his side.

After the competition of that day and the several thereafter, John and his family continue

to live their life. But something seems different. September 11th

, 2001, was an eye opener for this

family. They saw how closely they came to losing the one they love most. John cut back his

hours at work to spend more quality time with his family. He began to focus on the little things

that the past few years, he was too busy to realize. John was able to first piece his marriage back

together, bring his son back to the Lord, and give his daughter the attention she longed for and

needed. This once All-American family now truly is All-American. They live each and every

day for the next and realize that anyone of them can be gone in a heartbeat.

This book is geared towards mainly teenagers, newlyweds, and families of all ages. The

reader will be able to relate to John and his familys lifestyle, struggles, and triumphs; realizing

that Johns family was fireproof. They will take with them that families shouldnt focus on the

money, material things, or wants; but focus on the irreplaceable things.

Comment [BC10]: Rather than jus

skimming over this section, give deta

the reader what it is that we can env

Comment [BC11]: Sydney,

You have a well-thought-out concep

and I certainly think that people wou

interested. I can also tell that you ha

worked hard on this paper, and it ha

As you look to revise, Id like you to

giving more of a focus to the events

Give description of what was happe

you dont seem to talk about the pu

the text. Work to give a clearer state

purpose so you can continually cont

your ideas within that purpose.

Also, I try giving the marketing ideas

paragraph other than the conclusion

your conclusion for concluding your

about the concept as a whole.

Im looking forward to seeing what y

revise in the portfolio!

-Ms. C