The Rape of Nanking

1027 Words3 Pages

Throughout The Rape of Nanking, the brutal massacre of thousands of innocent Chinese citizens is brought forth through the invasion of this ancient city taken over by the Imperial Japanese army. Iris Chang illustrates the graphic details of the murder and rape of these victims through the perspectives of different sides of the attack. Chang; furthermore, ties in the mass genocide and destruction displayed throughout the book with the example of the Japanese government’s desperate attempt to cover up the incident and the reluctance of the survivors to discuss it. In addition, the horrifying events of The Rape of Nanking only further motivated an uncontrollable desire for aggression, violence, and imperialism in the Asian community evidently leading to the impending destruction caused by World War II. Due to the brutality of the crimes committed in this time frame, many people still to this day stray away from the discussion of The Rape of Nanking. The book itself, suggests that the biggest factor drifting people away from this topic is the fear of retaliation from those who do not believe it occurred, or those who want it kept from the public eye. Overall, Chang’s depiction of the massacre and genocide associated with the invasion of Nanking discusses the events that took place prior to World War II, and the anger that was triggered towards it, as a result; while also examining the notion that many people, still do not have knowledge of the severity of the Raping, and even refuse to believe it even took place at all. The six weeks of carnage began in December of 1937 when the Japanese Imperial Army marched into China’s capital city of Nanking and murdered 300,000 out of 600,000 civilians and soldiers in the city. Therefore, the ter... ... middle of paper ... ...ese government, and the fear instilled in some survivors, this event has been made to essentially disappear. It is through the descriptions of Chang, that the reader is fully able to visualize the pain, terror, and suffering experienced in this time period. Overall, the depiction of this book portrays a story so horrifying, detailed, and brilliant, that it makes it essentially impossible for the reader to ever forget. Works Cited Chang, Iris. The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II. New York: Basic Books, 1997. Print. Fogel, Joshua A. Rev. of The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II, Iris Chang. The Association for Asian Studies 57.3 (1998): 818-820. Print. Zagoria, Donald. “Asia and the Pacific.” Rev. of The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II, Iris Chang. Foreign Affairs 77.2 (1998): 163. Print.

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