robert pinsky, who was poet laureate of the united states from 1997 to 2000. he has written about the events of september 11. and lauren french, a junior at the george washington university and editor-in-chief of the school's newpaper, "the hatchet." her home town is jupiter, florida. we ask you three because you do come from different experiences. robert pinsky i'm going to begin with you. what has osama bin laden meant to americans? what has he represented? >> interesting to think about representation. he was represented in what turned out to be his own propaganda films as being sort of in a rustic setting with rocks around him. our cartoons put him in that cave. he turns out to have been true to his origins as an heir of a very, very very rich family. he was living in a compound in the city. how we will remember him has changed drastically. i was very moved by something i read in the local paper where somebody in boston who lost his brother said this is in a sense fulfilling. it's justice. and there's some gratification or satisfaction of the justice. but i

. >> woodruff: and jeffrey brown profiles former poet laureate robert pinsky, looking back at a career of writing about american life. about to write about is culture almost too fancy a word. it's what americans make jokes about, are afraid of,. >> lehrer: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> i mean, where would we be without small businesses? >> we need small businesses. >> they're the ones that help drive growth. >> like electricians, mechanics, carpenters. >> they strengthen our communities. >> every year, chevron spends billions with small businesses. that goes right to the heart of local communities, providing jobs, keeping people at work. they depend on us. >> the economy depends on them. >> and we depend on them. >> i want to know what the universe... >> looks like. >> feels like. >> from deep space. >> to a microbe. >> i can contribute to the world by pursuing my passion for science. >> it really is the key to the future. >> i want to design... >> a better solar cell. >> i want to know what's really possible. >> i w