Hiroshima
Chapter 1 – A Noiseless Flash
The story starts out by a mini intro of the characters. Toshiko Sasaki, a clerk in the East Asia Tin Works, was sitting down talking to the girl of the next desk. Dr. Fuji was sitting down the Osaka Asahi on the porch of his private hospital. Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura, a tailor’s widow, stood by the window of her kitchen, watching a neighbor tear down his house. Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge, a German priest, reclined in his underwear on a cot on the top floor of his order’s mission house. Dr. Terufumi Sasaki, a young member of the surgical staff of the city’s Red Cross Hospital, walked along in the halls carrying a blood specimen. Reverend Mr. Kiyoshi Tanimoto, a pastor of the Hiroshima
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They reached home after about 30 minutes later (2:30). She turned on the radio, to her dismay, broadcasted a fresh warning. She did not want to move anymore (she has been for a very long time). So she set her children to sleep. She started to cook some rice and watched a neighbor tear down his house. Suddenly, everything flashed whiter than any white had ever seen. Mrs. Nakamura was about ¾ miles away from the center of the explosion. She seemed to fly into the next room over the raised sleeping platform, pursued by parts of her house. Her youngest daughter was buried and unable to move. Mrs. Nakamura frantically tried to claw her daughter out, not knowing of her other children.
Dr. Masakazu Fujii
Dr. Fujii was the proprietor of a peculiarly Japanese institution: a private, single doctor hospital. His hospital was next to the Kyo River, and next to the bridge at the same name, contained 30 rooms for the patients and their kinfolk. Dr. Fujii had only straw mats for his patients and not beds. He did have some modern equipment- an X-ray machine, diathermy apparatus, and a fine tiled laboratory. The structure rested 2/3 on the land, one-third on piles over the tidal waters of the Kyo. He now only had two patients, women from Yano, injured in the shoulder, and a young man of 25 recovering from burns from the steel factory. Dr. Fujii had six nurses to tend his patients. His wife and children
During the bombing of Hiroshima, casualty rates among medical personnel were in the range between 80 to 93 percent. Injuries resulting from the bombing often went untreated, and the survivors did not receive health care for some time. The book Hiroshima discusses this issue in great length, specifically why they were not given the necessary aid. The government of Hiroshima played a major role in this.
By nightfall of that day, 10,000 victims had invaded the Red Cross hospital and Dr. Sasaki was totally worn out. He had lost his glasses in the explosion and had taken a pair from a wounded nurse. Although these were not his prescription, he could see well enough to do some bandaging. He tried to bandage the ones that he thought had a chance of survival. He felt that he could not afford to spend time on those that he was sure would die despite his efforts.
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.
Although WW II ended over 50 years ago there is still much discussion as to the events which ended the War in the Pacific. The primary event which historians attribute to this end are the use of atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although the bombing of these cities did force the Japanese to surrender, many people today ask "Was the use of the atomic bomb necessary to end the war?" and more importantly "Why was the decision to use the bomb made?" Ronald Takaki examines these questions in his book Hiroshima.
Wilfred Burchett, an Australian journalist who visited Hiroshima just a month after the Hiroshima bombing. He provides evidence that he did not approve of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For example he stated that he saw people in hospitals dying mysteriously, ‘they lost their appetites, their hair fell out . . their flesh began rotting away from their bones.’ (Direct quote from source A). He also stated that ‘thousands of people came out of their shelters to watch the bomb descend by parachute’ they didn’t realise what was to come next.
While looking for a boat to carry the severely injured across the river, Mr Tanimoto “… Found a good-sized pleasure punt drawn up on the bank… five dead men, nearly naked, badly burned…” (Hersey, 37) near it, he “… lifted the men away from the boat… he experienced such horror at disturbing the dead…” (Hersey, 37). On August 6, 1945 the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to end the war between them. Hiroshima, by John Hersey is a book about six survivors of the first atomic bomb ever dropped on a city. The six survivors tell their stories of where they were before the bomb was dropped, what they did after the bomb was dropped, and what their life was like years after the bomb. The book also
The bombing of Hiroshima is one of the most controversial, and debated events in history, that is still contested today. During World War ll (1939-1946) in the year 1941, December 7th, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, thus Japan declared war on the United States (U.S.). The Japanese were eager to take control of Asia, but the U.S wouldn’t allow it. Over a year prior to the bombing the U.S. imposed an embargo on aviation gasoline and scrap iron. Instead of backing down Japan invaded other countries such as Dutch East Indies, China, Malaysia and various other pacific countries/islands. Japanese needed oil, hence they invaded surrounding countries. As a result of Japan’s destructive actions, the U.S. decided to expand its embargo, extending it to iron, copper, tools, steel and many other critical metals. With the decision to stop the Japanese expansion, Franklin D. Roosevelt (U.S president at the time) issued an order freezing all Japanese assets in the United States. Soon after Britain and Dutch joined the oil embargo on Japan. While Allied forces in Europe were closing in on Germany, Allied forcing in the Pacific were closing in on Japan. In March 1945 the U.S. Air Force began a series of heavy bombing campaigns against major Japanese cities. On July 16th, 1945, the United States successfully tested the atomic bomb in New Mexico. The project conducted by America, Canada and Britain was code-named the Manhattan Project. The Potsdam declaration was issued on July 26th,
In this paper, it will be discussed why the Atomic Bomb is the biggest method of destruction known to man. The paper will be discussing the results of the Atomic Bombs, along with the effects years after the initial explosion. People always wonder how many people actually died in the two Atomic Bombs which were dropped in Japan. This question will be answered, along with the method that citizens were actually killed by the bomb. Besides the initial blast winds that an Atomic Bomb gives off, people may be killed by several other things including heat rays, radiation and the implosion of their home.
The nuclear bombings of Japan are very controversial topic, and is highly discussed and researched by the scholars and the general public. The nuclear bombings are not just a small part in military history, but a lesson of reality and the destruction possible of man to achieve their goals; these bombings have raised a whole host of ethical issues and concerns, which must be taken into consideration. There are many reasons why the actions taken by the United States and specifically President Truman to drop the A-Bomb on Hiroshima were absolutely unnecessary. On the other hand there is an abundant amount of so called “justifications” as to why it was so imperative for the U.S. to distinguish the lives of sixty six thousand civilians in the
In the early morning hours on August 6, 1945 the world changed, as we know it. President Truman ordered American pilots to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima Japan. After years of secretly experimenting and creating the atomic bombs the day had come that the President of the United State thought it was necessary for bomb to be used. At last the Manhattan Project, which “was a government program that was originally formed to secretly build and test atomic bombs to counter Nazi Germany” (The Road to Hiroshima, 2005), was no longer a secret. Four years early in December of 1941 the United Stated enter World War II. On December 7, 1941 Japan bombed Pearl Harbor forcing the Untied States to declare war on Japan. A few days later Germany and Italy had declared war on the United States. During this time President Roosevelt sought that it was best to help aid England in defeating Germany before moving on to fight the Japanese in Asia.
President Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the direct cause for the end of World War II in the Pacific. The United States felt it was necessary to drop the atomic bombs on these two cities or it would suffer more casualties. Not only could the lives of many soldiers have been taken, but possibly the lives of many innocent Americans. The United States will always try to avoid the loss of American civilians at all costs, even if that means taking lives of another countries innocent civilians.
In August of 1945, both of the only two nuclear bombs ever used in warfare were dropped on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. These two bombs shaped much of the world today.
On August 6, 1945, a B-29 bomber named Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb, "little boy" on Hiroshima, Japan. Hiroshima had been almost eradicated with an estimated 70-80,000 people killed. Three days later, a second, more powerful bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, killing over 100,000 people. Since Japan was economically and militarily devastated by the late summer of 1945, the use of the atomic bombs on an already overcome Japan was unnecessary and unwarranted in bringing about a conclusion to the war in the Pacific.
Hiroshima was a horrific event in the world’s history that caused many after affects to thousands of people. On August 6, 1945 the “Little Boy”, the first atomic bomb, was dropped to annihilate Hiroshima, Japan, which did its exact purpose. Also August 9, 1945 the “Fat Man”, the second atomic bomb, hit Nagasaki, Japan, leaving Nagasaki in ruins. 283,508 people survived and 6,500 children were orphaned. Both of the bombs killed thousands of people, and left people, governments, and nations with beneficial and negative after affects as in health, economic, and political. The health effect is the biggest out of the three, because many people developed illnesses and defects. Economic is the second biggest effect, because the Japanese government had to spend millions of dollars to rebuild the two cities. Political is the third biggest effect, because it affected the campaigns of the Japanese and also the United States, and the Occupation Press Code was invented, helping handicap people that were affected by the two atomic bombs.
With the approval of American President Harry S. Truman, the fates of two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were sealed. This decision came with heavy hearts, as the United States attempted to end their involvement in World War II by using nuclear power against the nation of Japan. Truman’s primary goal in this form of attack was to discontinue the war as quickly as possible, while also sending a message to the enemy and establish the United States as the leader in atomic energy. Beginning as a secret operation labeled the Manhattan Project, atomic bombs became the new weapons of mass destruction. The evident frontrunner in nuclear technology, the United States was the first country to release atomic bombs on another nation for war