Hiroshima, By John Hersey

The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were a turning point in WWII. They led to the surrender of the Japanese and the victory to the Allies. The day that the Japanese surrendered will forever be remembered. However, the destruction and casualties in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki cannot be forgotten. Hiroshima and Nagasaki experienced massive destruction, and it led to years of disease and misery for the Japanese people following the war. After WWII and the creation of the atomic bomb, the world lived in fear of a nuclear attack ("The Atomic Bombings"). George Orwell’s 1984 references to the atomic bomb and to the society and life after WWII. Nevertheless, one must fully know and understand the bombings and the destruction

Human life is precious in the sense that it is all about survival. There are qualities found in humans that make survival possible. In the book Hiroshima, by John Hersey, readers experience the core of humanity found in the six survivors during the days, months, and years following the atomic bomb. Through inspiration, perseverance, and a sense of community, the Japanese people demonstrated the strength of the human spirit.

The horror does not stop after the initial recognition of the boom. Minutes after the bomb fire is spreading, the smoke is so thick it's hard to see, and of course, there are severely burned and wounded people just about anywhere you look. Our survivors spend the rest of their day helping and caring for other survivors, with absolutely no time to recover from what just happened. Whether that be running provisions to them, helping them find loved ones, or attempting to uncover them from the ruble- all the jobs were all equally forlorn.

The non-fiction book Hiroshima by John Hersey is an engaging text with a powerful message in it. The book is a biographical text about lives of six people Miss Sasaki, Dr. Fujii, Mrs. Nakamura, Father Kleinsorge, Dr. Sasaki and Rev. Tanimoto in Hiroshima, Japan and how their lives completely changed at 8:15 on the 6th of August 1945 by the dropping of the first atomic bomb. The author, John Hersey, through his use of descriptive language the in book Hiroshima exposes the many horrors of a nuclear attack.

Mr. Tanimoto consciously repeated to himself “‘These are human beings’”(Hersey 1946), as he attempted to save paralyzed, dying men and women, in the book “Hiroshima” by John Hersey. This nonfiction book was published on August 31 1946, a year after the atomic bombing fell on Hiroshima, Japan. This publication was raw, uncensored, and truthful. John Hersey unapologetically revealed the gruesome damages done by the bombing, while also silencing those who believed that the atomic bomb was a justified attack. Hersey’s brilliant journalism and ability to write this story without bias, is why this book was selected. The author did not want those who died to be remembered as casualties, but as mothers, fathers and children. Hersey wrote this book about the the physical, and psychological impact this bomb had on both survivors and victims of the atomic bomb. There were many historical events that contributed to the cause and effect of the atomic attack; historical events such as industrialization, the trench wars, and militarism. This was not just a simple bomb, but a complex attack on humanity.

“We have to protect our Earth, so our children and grandchildren will never suffer like that,’ she said. And she looked ahead. ‘Maybe nuclear weapons won’t be abolished while I’m alive,’ she said. ‘But I will never give up.” (Hanley, NBC News). August 6, 1945 at 8:16 in the morning, the United States dropped the world's first atomic bomb on thousands of unsuspecting people in Hiroshima, Japan. Not only did this catastrophic event kill thousands of civilians, but it also resulted in other nations obtaining and learning how to create these deadly weapons, weapons that we still have today. In the book Hiroshima by John Hersey he gives readers a new look at that day, through the eyes of six victims who survived the horrific attack on Hiroshima, he shows how the entire city of Hiroshima suffered, and were left alone to fend for themselves.The book Hiroshima by John Hersey, sheds light on the immense dangers of nuclear warfare, and the government's responsibility for its people, affected by a war they aren’t fighting in.

Before John Hersey’s novel, Hiroshima, Americans viewed Japanese as cruel and heartless people. This warped perspective caused the majority of American citizens to feel complacent about the use of the atomic bomb against civilians. Americans, in many ways, were blinded by their own ignorance to notice the severity of the destruction suffered by not only the city of Hiroshima but, more importantly, the people who lived there. The six testimonies in Hiroshima illustrate the strength and optimistic attitude of the Japanese people. In this essay, I will discuss the feelings towards the ethics surrounding the use of the atomic bomb, next I will look at two testimonies and how their lives

Thank God for the Atomic Bomb by Paul Fussel is a provocative essay about the opposing views on the two atomic bombs that America dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan ending World War 2, the most defecating event to happen in history. Over a few million-innocent people died that day, and thousands of the survivors and their offspring have suffered or died since of the result of the chemicals used in the bomb. Fussel was a purple hearted second lieutenant military man frontline in the war. He writes about the difference of opinion of using the atomic bomb from two views: those with firsthand combat with the Japanese and those without firsthand combat experience with the Japanese. Paul Fussel’s essay has the primary aim of persuading the reader that the Atomic bomb was the best choice as a means to end the war and he uses the primary mode of evaluation to persuade. His secondary aim is referential, to inform and explain to those who had no firsthand experience in that war and he uses the secondary mode of description to do this, citing from those against the bomb and those with their hands in the daily blood.

Often, we find ourselves facing dramatic and even traumatic events in our lives that force us to re-think and redefine ourselves. These extraordinary circumstances test the human limits and push us into making life altering decisions. It is at times like these that the humanity in us, our personalities, either fall apart leaving us nothing but a hollow shell, or transforms into a stronger, evolved form gleaming with compassion and self sacrifice. Night written by Elie Wiesel and Hiroshima written by John Hersey portray how every day life might un-expectantly change, how frail life really is, and how these unexpected changes test what is inside us. Both books tell the tale of how lives of civilians were interrupted by the events of World War II, what tragedies these people had to undergo, and how the horrific circumstances of war were sometimes able to bring out the best in ordinary people.

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.

Of those in the book distraught by the massive explosion, the Reverend Kiyoshi Tanimoto seemed to be the one person most effected mentally and emotionally by the horrific sights and sounds of the turmoil. Mr. Tanimoto seemed, to himself, to be the one person not physically harmed by the blast, causing a great deal remorse, self-loathing, and shame for having been unharmed. During the aftermath of

It's been 72 years since the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, but it still has people questioning if we really had to kill so many. As journalist it's there job to inform the people the facts and have the people make there own opinion, not to write about what you and your beliefs are. This is what occurred in Hiroshima by John Hersey. John Hersey was sent to report and write about the events that happened in Hiroshima. Although he did his job he messed up with one thing.

Toshiko Saeki who, at the time of the bombing, was with her children at her

“Just how many Japs did we kill? I honestly have the feeling or groping for words to explain this or I might say my God, what have we done?” written by Captain Robert Lewis, co-pilot of Enola Gay over Hiroshima, Japan, presently after 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945. The too-large gust of wind, and the looming mushroom cloud rising over the blackened city were all vaguely mentioned in his captain’s log. A small sketch of the first ever nuclear warfare attack can be found hastily scribbled on the back of Lewis’s log that was later stowed away, the sight destined to plague his mind in the years to follow. Captain Lewis’ account of Hiroshima is only one of thousands who never spoke about whether it was right or wrong. Lewis was not thinking about

The author of Hiroshima, John Hersey, was born on June 17, 1914 in Tientsin, China. His parents, Roscoe M. and Grace, were American missionaries. Hersey spoke fluent Chinese and attended the British Grammar School as well as the American School. Also, according to “John Hersey”, Hersey said that when he thinks back to his childhood growing up in China, he lived a pretty “normal” childhood. When Hersey was about ten, his father became sick. His father had encephalitis, which means his brain had inflation, probably due to an infection or an allergic reaction. Hersey and his family had to come back to America and they settled down in Briarcliff Manor, New York. He attended Hotchkiss Preparatory School where he worked as a janitor as well as a waiter. Yale is where he was at when he was in undergraduate school for 1932 to 1936. After he graduated from Yale, he chose to keeping going and further his education on a Mellon Scholarship at Clare College, Cambridge University. There he focused on eighteenth century English literature. He did not just go to school though, he continued to work several different jobs like a waiter, librarian, tutor and lifeguard. He did not have a privileged life by any means. In “John Hersey”, it states that “jobs he held while attending college gave him sympathy for the “common man” that would later show up in his writings”.