Hiroshima, By John Hersey - 996 Words

Hersey, John. Hiroshima. New York: n.p., 1946. Print. 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†¦show more content†¦Total war is the idea that there are no restrictions on weapons used, territory or people involved, and the laws of war are generally disregarded. In total war, â€Å"there [is] no difference between civilian and s oldiers† (118). Many people believed that since, â€Å"It was war and we had to expect it† (117) and by it they meant the worst. Hiroshima covers the lives of six survivors of the atomic bomb in detail but right now we are going to focus on how Mrs. Nakamura and Mr. Tanimoto initially reacted to the bomb and how their lives were effected afterwards. Mrs. Nakamura is a widow and a mother of three children. Her and her family are left homeless and jobless after the bomb destroyed her house. While neither her nor her children suffer any immediate harm following the bomb, both Mrs. Nakamura and her daughter, Myeko, contract radiation poising later on as a side effect of prolonged exposure to large amounts of radiation. Mrs. Nakamura will suffer from radiation poison which will take away her ability to work. With no work or money, her and her family will fall into extreme poverty. Eventually, Mrs. Nakamura is employed and becomes finically stable. While it was no easy task, she, like many other Japanese citizens, started a new life for themselves and families. Mr. Tanimoto underwent the most drastic lifestyle chan ge from before the bomb went off to his life afterwards by far. Mr. Tanimoto is a Methodist pastor and initiallyShow MoreRelatedHiroshima, By John Hersey Essay1413 Words   |  6 PagesMr. Tanimoto consciously repeated to himself â€Å"‘These are human beings’†(Hersey 1946), as he attempted to save paralyzed, dying men and women, in the book â€Å"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 justifiedRead MoreHiroshima, By John Hersey1718 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Hiroshima† was published in late 1946 and written by John Hersey. Hersey was employed by The New Yorker to Japan to explore the aftermath of the first atomic bombing done by the US. On August 6, 19 45, the American bomber B-29 dropped the atomic bomb â€Å"Little Boy† over Hiroshima, Japan during WWII. He was able to examine nuclear warfare, the short-term and long-term effects, and the testing of humanity. Hersey’s intent in writing this book was to expose the lives of several survivors of the atomicRead MoreHiroshima, By John Hersey1496 Words   |  6 PagesJohn Hersey once said, â€Å"What has kept the world safe from the bomb since 1945 has not been deterrence, in the sense of fear of specific weapons, so much as it s been memory. The memory of what happened at Hiroshima†. Early morning on August the 6th 1945, the United Sates dropped atomic bombs into the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The â€Å"Little Boy† bomb which was equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT, destroyed most of the city and killed about 130,000 people. There were few people who survived after thisRead MoreHiroshima, By John Hersey1021 Words   |  5 PagesOn August 6, 1945, the tragedy struck Hiroshima, Japan. At exactly 8:15 a.m. an atomic bomb had been dropped and ruined the lives of millions. In a book called, â€Å"Hiroshima†, written by John Hersey. Mr. Hersey was born on June 17, 1914 in Tientsin, China. He was a prize-winning journalist and writer. Keep in mind one of the earliest practitioners of the New Journalism, in which storytelling methods of fiction are immuned to realist reportage. He won three awards, The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Anisfield-WolfRead MoreHiroshima, By John Hersey1762 Words   |  8 PagesOn August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was unfortunate to be the first city of an atomic attack by the United States. Thousands of people were not so lucky to survive and tell their story of the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing. In the book Hiroshima, by John Hersey, he writes about the tragic experience of six lucky survivors, on the day of the bombing in Hiroshima. Hersey wrote Hiroshima to give an insight about the experience of pain, hopeles sness, and difficult time for many people of what used to beRead MoreHiroshima, By John Hersey2074 Words   |  9 PagesIn his book Hiroshima, written and published in 1946, Pulitzer Prize-winning American writer and journalist John Hersey argues that people should pay more close attention to the horrors of nuclear weapons that are still a major part of life today, as citizens – especially those in Hiroshima – still continue to suffer from the aftereffects of the atomic bomb set in motion in 1945. Although he never clearly states this argument, it is seen throughout his narrative that nuclear escalation continuesRead MoreHiroshima, By John Hersey1074 Words   |  5 PagesHuman 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. T hrough inspiration, perseverance, and a sense of community, the Japanese people demonstrated the strength of the human spirit. These six individuals were inspired and came up with clever ideas to surviveRead MoreEssay on Hiroshima, by John Hersey 942 Words   |  4 PagesTanimoto â€Å"†¦ Found a good-sized pleasure punt drawn up on the bank†¦ five dead men, nearly naked, badly burned†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hersey, 37) near it, he â€Å"†¦ lifted the men away from the boat†¦ he experienced such horror at disturbing the dead†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (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 theirRead MoreEssay on Hiroshima by John Hersey1446 Words   |  6 PagesHiroshima by John Hersey 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 exposesRead MoreAnalysis Of Hiroshima By John Hersey734 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"Hiroshima†, written by author John Hersey is based on the real life events that occurred on August 6, 1945, in Hiroshima, Japan. During these final stages of World War II, the U.S. dropped the first atomic bombs on the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Hersey captures the experience of six survivors, and the events of that day. Nearly four decades later he travels back to the city in search of the survivors and tells of their present li ves, post-war. The purpose of the novel was to connect others