Brandon's Skin Tingled (Organic Imagery)
Upon reaching his father's restaurant at the top of the North Tower, Brandon rushes to the window: "A news helicopter flew by underneath him. Brandon’s skin tingled, and he felt dizzy as his brain struggled to reconcile standing so high up with being safe behind the glass." In this example of organic imagery, Gratz immerses the reader in Brandon's personal experience by relating the sensation of skin tingling that comes over him when he takes in the incomprehensible view.
Smelled Like It Was Burning (Olfactory Imagery)
After the first plane hits the Twin Towers, Brandon struggles to make sense of the scent of burning chemicals that travels down the building's elevator shafts. Gratz writes: "Something smelled like it was burning, but not like a kitchen fire. It had a chemical tinge to it, like when you squirted lighter fluid on the burning charcoal in a grill." In this example of olfactory imagery, Gratz brings the reader into Brandon's sensory experience by likening the peculiar scent of burning jet fuel to the familiar smell of lighter fluid on a barbecue.
SHANG! and THUMP (Auditory Imagery)
Upon reaching the ground floor of the North Tower, Brandon glances outside to see bodies and debris lying on the plaza. Gratz writes: "While Brandon watched, a piece of metal crashed into the plaza—SHANG!—and Brandon flinched. The big beam was immediately followed by something white and blue and brown plummeting down from above, and it hit the ground with a sickening THUMP." In this example of auditory imagery, Gratz complements the grim visuals Brandon sees with the startling sounds made when a piece of plane and then a body hurtle to the ground.
Smell of Hair and Hand Stuff (Olfactory Imagery)
When Brandon is in the underground mall beneath the North Tower, the South Tower collapses, knocking everyone to the floor. Unable to see in the dark, Brandon scrambles to find other survivors, then leads the group by the hand. Gratz writes: "Without his sight, Brandon focused on his other senses. … He used his nose too. What was that smell? Something made him think of bananas and pink grapefruit, and he frowned. What in the mall would smell like that? He ran through the shop directory in his head. … ‘Smell that? Bananas and pink grapefruit? We’re near the Body Shop! That’s the smell of hair and hand stuff!’” In this example of olfactory imagery, Brandon determines that the fruity scent he has picked up on must be body products from the Body Shop. After realizing this, he knows the group needs to walk in the opposite direction to reach the exit.
