Clint Eastwood's _Letters from Iwo Jima_ Essay

"Victory was never in doubt. Its cost was. What was in doubt was whether there would be any of us left to dedicate our cemetery at the end, or whether the last Marine would die knocking out the last Japanese gunner," Major General Graves Erskine, dedicating his 3rd Marine Division cemetery at Iwo Jima just after the battle.(Alexander 207)

There is one scene where the three flag raisers entered a crowded stadium before a football game which typified how an image of war can be so different to the reality of war. The flash photography, the cheering, the roar of the crowd all went to John Bradley’s head and he had flash backs of the fighting on Iwo Jima and the genuine heroes that he had left behind. This scene contrasts what the reality of war, were all the men are dug in and fighting for there life, and the images of war. Ira Hayes says “I know it’s a good thing, raising the money and that, ‘cause we need it. But, I can’t take them calling me a hero. All I did was try not to get shot. Some of the things I saw done, things I did, they weren’t things to be proud of, you know?” Clint Eastwood shows continuously, through his characters physiology shows how one single photo can be so different what really makes up the battle of Iwo Jima. The aim was to get war bonds; the minds of the three main characters through Clint Eastwood’s directing showed a strong insight to how the reality of a war and an image of war can be so contrasting.

There were 26,000 casualties and 6,800 dead Americans at Iwo Jima, with 20,000 casualties and 1083 dead Japanese. (1. "Battle for Iwo Jima, 1945." The Navy Department Library) At Okinawa there were 65,000 American casualties and 14,000 dead, while the Japanese lost 70,000 soldiers out of the 130,000 stationed on Okinawa. (2. "Battle of Okinawa." History.com) The bloodshed from these two battles gave the Americans a taste of the militaristic Japanese, and that a battle for the homeland of Japan would be astronomically worse. The Japanese were prepared to use any means necessary to stop the Americans because of “Yamato Damashii”, which was a virtue of the samurai that went hand in hand with the Bushido code, and it made the Japanese value the country and the emperor above all else, and that fighting to the death was greater than surrender. and it came in the form of Kamikaze attacks, suicide troops, and guerilla warfare. At Okinawa, 193 kamikaze attacks were launched at the Americans damaging 368 ships and destroying 36. (3. "The Battle of Okinawa." History Learning Site) The Japanese were prepared to sacrifice everything they had to destroy American ships and troops. The Japanese also used their own people to fight against the Americans.

In Pearl Harbor and the Coming of the Pacific War by Akira Iriye, the author explores the events and circumstances that ended in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, an American naval base. Iriye assembles a myriad of primary documents, such as proposals and imperial conferences, as well as essays that offer different perspectives of the Pacific War. Not only is the material in Pearl Harbor and the Coming of the Pacific War informative of the situation between Japan and the United States, but it also provides a global context that allows for the readers to interpret Pearl Harbor and the events leading up to it how they may. Ultimately, both Pearl Harbor and the subsequent Pacific War between

When the United States entered World War II in 1941, it was commonly believed that the war was “America’s golden age, a peak in the life of society when everything worked out and the good guys definitely got a happy ending” (2), which is a direct result from Hollywood’s glamorization of the war. During the war, the film industry began to boom, using the war as inspiration for making movies. Lifeboat (1944) and The Moon Is Down (1943) for example, makes it clear who the enemies were because the enemies were always “…cruel, devious, and unprincipled…” (11). It was also clear who the good guys and heroes were. The film industry even glamorized how people died in the war. In these movies whenever an American died their death was quick, painless, and clean. However, when the

3) Japanese strategy was for each Soldier to kill 10 Americans before they themselves are killed (The Battle – Japan’s Iwo Jima Strategy, n.d.). On top of that, Iwo Jima would have to be reinforced significantly if it were going to be held for any length of time, and preparations were made to send sizable numbers of men and quantities of materiel to that island.

This uprising of sudden Japanese and fellow foreign allies could easily be expressed as a form of nationalism, where war could’ve ended in such a different and possibly more deadly and exterminate way. American examples of this possibility could include how we had relations with some countries in the Allied powers, like Great Britain where we helped them out with the Destroyers for Bases and the Cash and Carry as well. The Japanese could have offered concessions or other advantages to obtain new alliances in order to continue the war despite the prior surrender of its Axis allies, Germany and Italy. America needed to end the war in such a horrific manner as to avoid any possibility of further Japanese resistance. As stated by Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, “The face of war is the face death; death is an inevitable part of every order that a wartime leader gives,” (Doc

On December 8, 1941, 32nd US president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, delivered what is considered to be of the most impactful speeches of all time to Congress. In his speech, Roosevelt declared that December 7, 1941 would be “a date which will live in infamy”, due to the deliberate Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor to hinder the Pacific Fleet’s defense against Japanese forces, that caused America to enter into WWII. Roosevelt relies immensely on the usage of Pathos, Ethos, Logos, and Kairos throughout his famous “Infamy Speech” to help persuade U.S. congressmen to declare war on Japan, and help convince and unite America to support its Allies in the war effort in defeating the Axis Powers (“Pearl Harbor, History.com”). Through the heavy use of these rhetorical devices, President Roosevelt successfully conveys why America should join in his efforts to go to war.

The reasons for the Japanese behaving as they did were complex. The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) indoctrinated its soldiers

The Japanese soldiers had no sense of remorse or sorrow for the prisoners instead they pushed them to their breaking point. Many prisoners collapsed which proved fatal because if you fell behind you became a practice dummy for the Japanese to sharpen their bayonet skills and techniques of killing on you. On one occasion, a prisoner was falling behind in the rear so tanks that followed lined themselves up to run over the victim and squish him into the pavement to make it look as if he were from a cartoon. Since the Japanese could

Although the Japanese believed it was dishonarable to surrender and probably thought they made the best decision, I am sure they didnt think about the lives they were putting in danger. The civilians that died were not to blame, and shouldnt have had to endure the devastions of the war but sadly they did live on a military port.

This disassociation allows for the whole sale slaughter of people with moral justification. The unforeseen byproduct of this disassociation, as Cameron points out, can be seen in the 1950’s and 1960’s, when many veterans consigned their wives to the kitchen. The intended product of this disassociation, however, was to kill Japanese soldiers. The Marines would reap the benefits of this first in the Guadalcanal campaign of 1942. With the U.S. Marines of First Division engaged in a life or death struggle against their Japanese opponents, the cartoonish portraits of four-eyed, slow Japanese soldiers burned into the American Marine’s mind kept them from thinking about the enemy as men who are carrying pictures of their families eerily similar to the pictures that were carried by Americans. Using the invasion of Peleliu as a backdrop for his analysis, Cameron expands upon his analysis of the individual Marine to the collective thought of the organization. The U.S. Marine self-image caused Marine units on Peleliu to charge head-first into the waiting Japanese defense with foolhardy, head on assaults which they stubbornly pressed. The Marine Corps, even through their hyper-masculine indoctrination, had not prepared their Marines any better than their U.S. Army counterparts on the island. Before Peleliu, the perception of combat had been that of a clean affair due to the romanticized images of World War I. After, due to Tom Lea’s reporting of events, the

The Japanese people are stoic patriotic people. They did come together as a community to assist each other but they suffered through their pain alone. They did not look for sympathy or a shoulder to cry on. Mr. Tanimoto wrote in a letter describing how some Japanese died without yelling out for help. He wrote, “They died in silence with no grudge, setting their teeth to bear it. All for the country (Hersey, p. 69)!” They were proud people for their country and didn’t want to appear weak. Mr. Tanimoto also wrote in his letter, “Look, I lost my home, my family, and at last bitterly injured. But now I have got my mind to dedicate what I have and to complete the war for our country’s sake (Hersey, p. 69).” Hersey also informs us of thirteen year old girls singing their national anthem while being crushed to death. Not concerned about their well-being but for the love of their beloved country. To know that you’re going to die yet sing something that means so much to you shows heroism. It is as if the thirteen year old girls died for

According to Okinawa survivor and native Kinya Taira, the Japanese, who controlled the island of Okinawa during World War II “lied to us about the fate that would be facing us if we surrendered to the Allies, so we were confused, utterly paranoid, and just wanted to survive and see our families. We were, essentially, being used by the Imperial Army as body shields, as puppets, forced to go into the most dangerous areas knowing we wouldn’t make it back alive.” (“Okinawans Remember”) Despite the effects of the Battle of Okinawa on the natives of the land and the Allied soldiers who fought in it, this battle was the most crucial in ending World War II efficiently, thus the claim that the Battle of Okinawa was the most important battle in the war against the Japanese during World War II.

As many consider these wounded men lost causes, Doss worked through the day and night to revive his fellow men. As dozens of wounded men rappel down the cliff, the units belows are shocked, and Doss’ courage inspired the American army to finish the battle which led to the surrender of the Japanese on the Island of Okinawa. The film flawlessly embodies two major themes of the AP United States History curriculum: (1) American and National Identity and (2) Culture and Society. Therefore, considering that the film takes into account the role of ideas, beliefs, social mores, and creative expression of Desmond Doss, the theme of Culture and Society is extremely applicable; In addition, the theme of American and National Identity embodies the movie because of the focus on the values that have developed, as well as on topics such as foreign policy, assimilation, and American