The Atomic Bomb Human Beings and Nature With the surrender of Germany on May 1, 1945, the United States and its allies were well on their way to winning World War II and resuming peace in Europe. Japan was the only country still in their path. American forces soon began capturing islands off the coast of Japan including Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Since the Japanese refused to surrender, the United States began planning a ground attack on Japan's mainland. Many casualties for both sides were predicted; therefore, the United States constructed an alternate plan to end the war. Enricho Fermi and Leo Szilard worked on creating an atomic bomb for the United States in the 1930s. This manipulation of nature changed the relationship between human beings and nature forever. Humans were now capable of ending the world if they so desired. Nature was quickly fading into the background of life. The creation and employment of the atomic bomb affected many aspects of human existence. On August 6, 1945, President Harry S. Truman announced to the United States and to the world, sixteen hours ago an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima, Japan and destroyed its usefulness to the enemy.(1) After bombing Nagasaki on August 8, Japan surrendered to the United States, ending World War II. The debate about the morality of dropping the bomb is still an issue today. Although the employment of these bombs caused about 200,000 casualties and destroyed over 5.5 square acres of land, the atomic bomb was needed to terminate the war.(2) Despite the major loss of human lives in Japan, using the atomic bomb was the ethically correct decision for the United States. It ultimately saved many American lives through the swift endi... ... middle of paper ... ... http://www.dannen.com/decision/scipanel.tml> (28 February 1999). 16. Rogers, 385. 17. Rogers, 385. 18. Rogers, 384. 19. Rogers, 440. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Additional Source - John Connor, "The US Was Right," and Gar Alperovitz, "The US Was Wrong," in Current Issues and Endearing Questions, eds. Sylvan Barnett and Hugo Bedau (Boston: Bedford Books, 1993), 282-85. These two articles provide opposite opinions and arguments about the morality of dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima Japan. The authors argue the question "Hiroshima: Was the bombing immoral?" The articles discuss the physical damage in Japan not only to humans physically and mentally but also to nature. Both authors present reasonable and well supported evidence for either side of the issue.
Father Kleinsorge, Dr. Sasaki, and Rev. Tanimoto, in Hiroshima, Japan. It speaks of these aforementioned individuals’ lives, following the dropping of the world’s first atomic bomb on 06 Aug 1945, and how it radically changed them, forever. John Hersey, the author of “Hiroshima,” attempts to expose the monstrosity of the atomic bomb, through his use of outstanding rhetoric, descriptive language, and accounts of survivors. He also attempts to correlate the Japanese civilians of Hiroshima to the American
Human Beings and Their Control Over Nature in the Twentieth Century Throughout the history of western civilization, the human race has had a continuing relationship with nature and the environment. Progress has improved the way in which human beings use natural resources and the ways in which they work together to improve the quality of life. Developments in science and technology of the twentieth-century have greatly improved the way that humans interact. As the technological advancements
In 1945, the war against Japan is in the stage of an end. The American army is still debating whether to use the atomic bomb to force Japanese Army to surrender. Taking into account the views of commanders and public opinion, I think it is necessary to use the atomic bomb to bring the war to an early end. Some people believe that atomic bombs should not be dropped. According to the strategy summary report and the naval commander's prediction, Japan will surrender under the heavy pressure of conventional
The Atomic Bomb The aftermath: Humanity, the Earth, Nature Some people often hear the word "Atomic Bomb" or hear about the cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki and picture a war torn city and a bomb that killed many. While they are right in connecting the two, the aftermath of the atomic bomb goes much deeper than that. By simply stating that it killed and injured thousands of people is an understatement. The damage from the bomb ranged from high temperature fires that scorched the land to the
to keep him on track to continue to impose a strict goal made by his military officers. Despite the possibility of executing the bomb for the sole desire to intimidate Russia, Truman stuck to his justification. The men in uniform were the ones that convinced him to take immediate action instead of watching the rising threat of Russia The thought of communism as being the world evil began to convince the United States that they were the ones who had the power to stop it. After the bombing, the US
American Responsibility for the Bombing of Hiroshima The decision to inaugurate the nuclear age by dropping an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima was one of the most momentous acts of the twentieth century. To this day the wisdom of that decision is still a subject of controversy.1 The bomb was developed in great secrecy. This momentous decision that affected the entire planet was made by only a select few. In America, with its democratic government, the whole country finds itself responsible
suffering, without suffering we would never learn from our mistakes. To make it right, pain and suffering is the key to windows, without it, there is no way of life.” On August 6, 1945 the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a small city whose death toll rises to 90,000-166,000. On August 9th, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, 60,000–80,000 . In total, 15 million people lost their lives during the duration of the Second World War. In John Hersey's book, Hiroshima, he provides a detailed account
Cat’s Cradle is an apocalyptic woe meant to highlight the hamartias of human nature and the susceptibility mankind has to self-destruction and the dangers of man’s free will. This comically tragic satire explores the consequences of humanity's scientific and technological progress, and explores the notion that science and knowledge could potentially lead to the eradication of the human species though nuclear war. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. employs unusual and off-beat protagonist, Jonah, along with extensive
involvement with the creation of the atomic bomb, he became a large advocate for international control of atomic energy. He made several attempts to make international control a reality. His most notable attempt being the The Report on the Control of Atomic Energy, conceived and largely written by Oppenheimer. The primary message of The Report on the Control of Atomic Energy, or the Acheson-Lilienthal Report as it would soon be known, was that the control of atomic energy through inspections and policing
only been two atomic bombs released onto mankind. The results of those two bombs proved to be catastrophic and resulted in the agreement that such a powerful tool should not be used against mankind again. In the year 1950, ray bradbury, who had lived through the creation and distribution of both atomic bombs, was all too aware that such fate was upon the world when he wrote, "there will come soft rains". This short story centers around a house as the main character, after the humans residing there
character as something that was more comical and less meaningful, being that it was created simply just for the entertainment of the audience. However, after viewing it in class, I come to realize that the film had a serious and deep underlying message behind it that greatly resonated with the catastrophic events that had taken place in Japan; during and post-World War II. Furthermore, I believe the central theme and conflict that is being portrayed in Godzilla is man versus technology, and that Godzilla
science, and humanity. Question: Develop an argument about how humans deal with their fear of death through the use of one or more monsters (zombies, vampires, etc.…) Monsters like Godzilla are important for humans who are coping with a fear of death. The use of monsters is to lessen the fear of that pending imminent threat and or distress of waiting for a catastrophe to happen. The symbolism in these films shows how humans see other humans as monstrous. They have no other way to represent that so
political development. After the creation of the first atomic bomb, the United States and other leading countries in the world began to make leaps and bounds with the development of bigger, better nuclear weapons. The first atomic bombs were built with the purpose of ending the war against Germany in Europe, but in the end they were just used to end the war against the Japanese in the Pacific (Gordon and Johnson 3). However, the first atomic bombs acted as a monumental stepping stone that allowed technology
of the human body. His passion to discover the invisible enabled him to fall in love with Opal. Fos informed Opal of all things science and their importance to life. When his family had to move from their house, the government recruited him to work at the Oak Ridge Facility as a photographer to keep track of progress throughout the stages of creating the Atomic Bomb (Wiggins 6-320). Throughout his experiences with science, he witnessed the positives
Told from the perspective of sentient grass, Carl Sandburg’s poem brings forth an almost eerie feeling of the perseverance of nature. Whilst humanity has been battling out wars ever since the dawn of time, rapidly increasing in both strength and resulting casualties, a subject further proven by the second poem, William E. Stafford’s At the Bomb Testing Site. How great of an impact has the presence of mankind had on a planet, otherwise so rich in life? Will we ultimately end up victims of our own