English 11 Literature #26 Mr. Rinka John Hersey Hiroshima

John Hersey John Hersey

Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the Allies of World War II conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons

in war to date. Following a firebombing campaign that destroyed many Japanese cities, the Allies prepared for a costly invasion of Japan. The war in Europe ended when Nazi Germany signed its instrument of surrender on May 8, but the Pacific War continued. Together with

the United Kingdom and the Republic of China, the United States called for a surrender of Japan in the Potsdam Declaration on July 26, 1945, threatening Japan with "prompt and utter destruction". The Japanese government ignored this ultimatum, and two nuclear weapons developed by the

Manhattan Project were deployed. Little Boy was dropped on the city of Hiroshima on August 6,1945, followed by the Fat Man over Nagasaki on August 9. Within the first two to four months of the bombings, the acute effects killed 90,000–166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000–80,000 in

Nagasaki, with roughly half of the deaths in each city occurring on the first day. The Hiroshima prefecture health department estimated that, of the people who died on the day of the explosion, 60% died from flash or flame burns, 30% from falling debris and 10% from other causes. During the following

months, large numbers died from the effect of burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries, compounded by illness. In a U.S. estimate of the total immediate and short term cause of death, 15–20% died from radiation sickness, 20– 30% from burns, and 50–60% from other injuries, compounded by

illness. In both cities, most of the dead were civilians, although Hiroshima had a sizeable garrison. On August 15, six days after the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan announced its surrender to the Allies, signing the Instrument of Surrender on September 2, officially ending World War II. The bombings

led, in part, to post-war Japan's adopting Three Non-Nuclear Principles, forbidding the nation from nuclear armament. The role of the bombings in Japan's surrender and their ethical justification are still debated.

Hiroshima shima035082mbp/hiroshima mbp_djvu.txt saki

Hiroshima Discussion How does Hersey’s writing style make this such an effective piece? Hersey reports from a factual point of view, thus he eliminates opinion and emotions and shows the reader what occurs. By simply describing

the everyday activities of these survivors prior to the bombing, Hersey connects the reader directly to these characters. The reader easily associates with these people who live as most people do. By presenting non-military, innocent civilians, Hersey also gives a different face to the people

Americans viewed as their enemy. Without stating an opinion on the justification for the bombing, Hersey humanizes the victims and draws attention to the fact that real people suffered consequences of this historic event. If such a bombing had to occur, Americans can not disregard the human toil taken.

What purpose could this article serve? The awesome power unleashed by atomic bombs was new to the world. This piece enlightened everyone to this overwhelming destructive force and the need to consider how the use of this weapon should be controlled.

With the advent of the Atomic Age, how was history changed forever. Atomic weapons set man on a new course of potential destruction that could end life on earth as we know it. With the advantage a country might have with such a weapon, many other countries would feel compelled to obtain this power.

Controlling the growth and use of such weapons would be a constant challenge. Once the Soviet Union acquired nuclear weapons, the Cold War began, and the world would be affected by the relationship between the worlds two super- powers, the USA and the USSR.

There is still a debate as to whether or not the Americans should have dropped the bomb. What do you think the pro’s and con’s of this debate are? Pro’s: 1. The bombing would end the war and save many more American lives.

2. The Japanese would continue fighting the war unless they realized there was no chance of victory. The bomb proved that. 3. The Japanese had been given the chance to surrender but refused.

Con’s: 1. Many innocent people would die because of the bombing. The six people who appear in Hiroshima illustrate that ordinary people by the tens of thousands lost their lives or faced horrific suffering for years. 2. No one was sure of the ultimate effects of dropping these bombs.

The destructive power of the explosion and the aftermath of the bombings were a mystery because such a weapon had never been used before. 3. The defeat of Japan was inevitable and the bombs were not needed.

Discussion In a Socratic Seminar explore this topic: Do you think nuclear weapons will ever be used again? Why or why not?

Additional Assignment #1 Read this article from the New York Times describing the bombing of Nagasaki three days after Hiroshima. eneral/onthisday/big/0809.html#arti cle

Additional Assignment #2 Read about the Anti-nuclear movement. Anti-nuclear Movement

English 11 Literature #26 Mr. Rinka John Hersey Hiroshima