Hiroshima

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The history of destruction dates back as far as mankind has existed. The constant wars, battles, and death have left an imprint that will forever be engrained into our past. When disastrous events occur, our world begins to change in some way. We often read about the great destruction of World War I, but it’s very difficult to know the true feelings and opinions of what was happening during that time. This is one small example in the history of destruction. World War II followed suit when it turned out to be a prime example of human nature reaching the greatest heights of destruction. World War II was ending and the Japanese unexpectingly attacked the U.S. at Pearl Harbor. The U.S. would in turn bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After the events that unfolded at the very end of this war, many writings came up regarding the weapons and techniques used during the war, often being very opinionated. A book that does a very good job of giving an outlook to the actual emotions and feelings of the people devastated is “Hiroshima” by John Hersey. Hersey does an amazing job of writing more as a mediator, writing in such a calm and dry manner, that the actual stories of the people involved bring out the true emotions during that dreadful day and their stories speak for themselves. His book was so wonderful that it was published in The New Yorker. The article was based on interviews with atomic bomb survivors and tells their experiences the morning of the blast and for the next few days and weeks. Even after the usage of the atomic bomb, it was necessary and in their best interest for the U.S. to take this action to assure ourselves as a strong and powerful country.
On August 6, 1945 at exactly 8:15 am, the worst of mankind rang free. The United States had for a few years been working on a new weapon of mass destruction called the atomic bomb. Little was known about it in the world, and nothing was known about the amount of destruction it could create. The United States was an allied power and was feeling the pressure of the Japanese military, and knew that they had to resort quickly and powerfully in order to keep control of the war. United States had lost nearly 75,000 soldiers in battles at Okinawa and Iwo Jima. That’s when President Truman gave the go ahead on the dropping of the first Atomic Bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy.” In the moments t...

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...ences in such a harsh way. John Hersey gives us a true account of the feelings and end results that six Japanese people experienced. The movie Pearl Harbor by Michael Bay shows us the American side of things. The bombing had to be done and the nations of the world have learned a valuable lesson from the events that happened between the U.S. and Japan.

Hersey, John. “Hiroshima.” Random House, Inc.: 1985. p. 92.

Rothman, Steve. “The Publication of “Hiroshima” in the New Yorker.” January 8,
1987. Date accessed 11/19/04

Sanders, David. (New Haven, Conn: Twayne, 1967) p. 41. The Truman Library. “Atomic Bomb-Truman Press Release – August 6, 1945.”
Date accessed: 12/8/03.

Bay Michael. “Pear Harbor” Movie: Released May 25, 2001.

Szilard Leo. “President Truman Did Not Understand” in the U.S. News & World Report.” August 15, 1960. < http://www.peak.org/~danneng/decision/usnews.html>

Oppenheimer J.R.. U.S. National Archives “Recommendations on the Immediate Use of Nuclear Weapons, by the Scientific Panel of the Interim Committee on Nuclear Power- June 16, 1945.” < http://www.dannen.com/decision/scipanel.html> Date accessed 12/8/04.

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