Duck And Cover Film Analysis

The filmmakers’ main ideas are that the government misled and lied to the people of the U.S. so that they would believe that the atomic bomb would have no effect on their health and security, that we should question if the government should have lied to the American people, and to make us question whether or not the citizens of the U.S. would continue to be as naive as the people of the 1950’s.

They also have them writing over and over on the blackboard, “To talk without thinking is to shoot without aiming”. This is just another example of them being punished for what they said and how not thinking before they speak can have dangerous consequences. At the end they dust themselves off and pull their hair back symbolizing they refuse to hide anymore and are done being put

The USSR “perceived this as a serious threat” (Brezhkov), in comparison, Stalin's actions were viewed as threats to the West. With increased tensions between the two nations, the Cold War was soon to break out. Moving forward, in the year of 1952, the United States had successfully exploded a new hydrogen bomb “The detonation destroyed the island and sent up a three-mile-wide mushroom cloud” (Glider-Lehrman). Seeing the successful testing of a new bomb, that was supposedly stronger than an atomic one, would put any nation in a defensive state. Amidst the Cold War, the hydrogen bomb test of 1952 would result in the Soviets being constantly aware of the major threat the US has now imposed for many years to come.

During the Cold War, one of American citizen’s biggest fears was the possibility of a nuclear war. In the first season, which aired in the year 1959, there are at least 2 episodes that involve us bombing ourselves and the action of creation of the weapons. In episode 14, “Third From the Sun”, the whole episode revolves around the creation of an atomic bomb and how the government plans on using the bomb within 48 hours. In this episode the characters are very concerned about the damage it could create and seem very scared about the thought of releasing the bomb. Later in episode 20 titled “Elegy”, we discover that in 1985 there was atomic war which caused the destruction of our planet. Both of these episodes focus on the possibility of using an atomic bomb and

During the era, the federal government produced a number of educational films advising Americans about how to survive an atomic blast. School children, for example, were told to "duck and cover"--to get under their desks to avoid being struck with debris from the initial blast. Schools ran fallout drills, similar to fire drills, showing children how to find safety in the event of an atomic attack...

When the Soviet Union came into possession of a nuclear bomb, the realization that the horrific aftermath, much like the one in Hiroshima, could happen in America struck fear into Americans.

President Harry Truman’s use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan during the Second World War is the most controversial decision in history. While it was an undoubtedly difficult decision, it was indeed necessary in order to end this six-year war that had ravaged the world. While many critics argue that the bomb was used primarily as an act of vengeance toward Japan, simplifying such a crucial moment in human history downplays the very real risk invading Japan posed to the United States. While avoiding strained relations with the other Allied countries, Truman had to assess the possible danger of the Soviet Union in a post-war world. Furthermore, the possibility of an arms race, the moral implications of using this

As World War II was coming to an end during 1945, the creation of one of the most destructive weapons known to humanity occurred within the United States. This weapon, known as “the atomic bomb,” was used on the two Japanese cities: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, resulting in a death toll unprecedented by any military weapon used before and an immediate, unconditional surrender. Some historians believe President Truman decided to drop the atomic bomb in order to intimidate the Soviet Union whereas others believe it was a strictly military measure designed to force Japan’s unconditional surrender. In the Report of a Scientific Panel of nuclear physicists, some scientific colleagues believed the atomic bomb was a “purely technical

Little Boy shocked the world when it struck Hiroshima. It killed sixty thousand people instantly, according to Encyclopedia.com. The people close to ground-zero (where bomb was detonated) were completely vaporized, according to History.com. Furthermore because of nuclear radiation more than 200,000 Japanese people died, according to Encyclopedia.com. Thus the bombs spurned a nuclear race because nations across the world realized the possibility of nuclear weapons, and countries were terrified by the weapons and believe they this needed defense for their own. Nations around the world started constructing their nuclear weapons. The United States and the Soviet Union invested and built the largest and most nuclear weapons. The United States tested its first Hydrogen bomb, Castle Bravo, on 1 March 1954, which was the most powerful bomb the U.S. has ever tested (“Nuclear Testing 1945-Today”). The Soviet Union tested its most powerful bomb, Tsar Bomba, in 1961, which was twice as powerful as the United States` Castle Bravo (“Nuclear Testing 1945-Today”). Nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union eventually led to the Cuban Missile Crisis, in which both the Soviet Union and the United States had a nuclear stand-off, threatening one-another. The stand-off almost led to World War III, when the Soviet Union was moving missiles to Cuba; however, the Soviets turned back before Cuba and ended the nuclear war

Though people questioned why acts of war were committed, they found justification in rationalizing that it served the greater good. As time evolved, the world began to evolve in its thinking and view of the atomic bomb and war. In Hiroshima, John Hersey has a conversation with a survivor of the atomic bomb about the general nature of war. “She had firsthand knowledge of the cruelty of the atomic bomb, but she felt that more notice should be given to the causes than to the instruments of total war.” (Hersey, 122). In John Hersey’s book, many concepts are discussed. The most important concept for the reader to identify was how society viewed the use of the bomb. Many people, including survivors, have chosen to look past the bomb itself, into the deeper issues the bomb represents. The same should apply to us. Since WWII, we have set up many restrictions, protocols and preventions in the hope that we could spare our society from total nuclear war. The world has benefited in our perspective of the bomb because we learned, understand, and fear the use of atomic weapons.

Whenever the young children reached for the book, a loud noise would sound. If they went to reach for a flower, they would receive an electric shock and explosions would go off. They would do this so much that the memory of that happening would remind them for the rest of their lives not to touch a book nor a flower so they wouldn’t feel that pain again.

As the last shots of World War II were fired in Europe, the U.S. had a plan for their new advanced weapons of mass destruction. The atomic bombs were dropped on Japan in early August of 1946 (Kennedy). These bombs and their short-lived history have had a huge impact on modern warfare and the essence of power surrounding a country. The Manhattan Project began in a frantic effort to end World War II before the Germans got their hands on the technology. As a result of this project, countries could now interact differently in terms of warfare and how they handle hostile foreign affairs.

World War II will forever live in infamy as one of the longest, most grueling wars America has faced. This fact was well realized by leaders and civilians of the United States in the 1940s. So, they did something about it. They set out to create the most destructive weapon the world has ever seen; the atomic bomb. The bombs that would soon vaporize steel buildings and rip holes in the earth the size of a small lake. These bombs came as a result of the Manhattan Project. However, the Manhattan Project didn’t affect just World War II. Because of this research and development, the nuclear arms race began, alternative energy was introduced, and millions of people were affected by radiation.

Some regard the atomic bomb as “the thank God for the atom bomb”. This places God on the U.S. side and regards the bombs as our saving grace. This bomb forced the Japanese to surrender which in turn proved the U.S. to be the heroes who saved the American’s lives.1 The Americans intended on ending the war but did not expect to end it with such a large number of casualties. The results of the atomic bomb and how it effected the Japanese people both emotionally and physically will be addressed. “The bombs marked both an end and a beginning—the end of an appalling global conflagration in which more than 50 million people were killed and the beginning of the nuclear arms race and a new world in which

When President Truman authorized the use of two nuclear weapons in 1945 against the Japanese in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II, the nature of international security was changed irreversibly. At that time, the United States had what was said to have a monopoly of atomic bombs. Soon thereafter, the Soviet Union began working on atomic weaponry. In 1949, it had already detonated it first atomic bomb and tensions began to heat up between the two countries. With the information that the Soviets had tested their first bomb, the United States began work on more powerful weapons1, and a fight for nuclear superiority had begun.