Remake of Hiroshima by John Hersey by Brayden Downing

Was the atomic bomb really different than all of the bombing raids that had come before in the war?

braydendowning — 2024-08-22 18:18:41 UTC

The atomic bomb was different than the bombing raids that had come before the war because of the way the bomb originally hit and all of the long-lasting effects of the bomb. One of the biggest things that was different from the other bombings was the radiation that came along with the atomic bomb. This was a brand new thing to the Japanese people and they were really confused when all of the symptoms started to sink in. In the novel, the doctors were so confused as to why people were getting sick randomly with all of the symptoms that didn't go along with anything.

People were getting used to the regular bombs coming in groups, but then this singular bomb came and did more damage to the land and people than the regular bombings.

It was also different because they did not know the bomb was coming. There were no planes that they recognized that came to drop the bomb, so it was different than what they were used to.

How does one deal with the stress of imminent danger (as in the beginning of the novel with preparing for devastation...p 2)? What effects does this have in the short term? In the long term?

braydendowning — 2024-08-22 18:18:41 UTC

As we see throughout the novel and through our society, people do not deal with the stress of imminent danger very well. When people know they are going to be in imminent danger, they immediately start freaking out and stressing over some of the smallest things possible. In the case of the novel, people did not know the atomic bomb was coming, because all of their bomb alerts shut off. The people of Hiroshima thought they were safe from getting bombed, but the next second they saw the big flash of light and the bomb herdling towards them. Many people were trying to save their belongings instead of getting somewhere it would be safe for them and their families.

In the short term, people are left with a lot of anxiety and stress over what is going to happen to them and the things they love. Some people get to the point where they are going crazy just because they are stressed about what is to come. People were also just all over the place, trying to move their stuff to areas that would be safe and splitting up their families so they could stay safe, like how Mr. T wanted to send his wife somewhere safe, but he went back into town to help people, knowing that he could get injured. Overall, just being insecure with their family plans.

In the long term, people are left with a lot of trauma regarding their stress and what the imminent danger was in their case. We could maybe see the survivors of Hiroshima not caring about their belongings anymore because caring about them in the first place got them into a lot of danger. Overall, people realized that the things that they did in the short term did not help them in the long run. These things were things that hurt their future. For example, one of the characters in the book put her sewing machine in a tank of water because she thought it would stay safe, but it actually rusted it out and she really could have used that sewing machine in the future.

What is a priest's duties? Are they steadfast in their vocation in this story? Can we fault them?

braydendowning — 2024-08-22 18:18:41 UTC

Priests' duties include serving the community they are stationed in, using many different tactics. Whether this help is teaching the community about their religion or serving by helping those people, they almost need to be steadfast in their vocation in life. They also have a really big role in giving blessings and people their holy rights, like the final rights when people pass.

In this story, I feel like it depends on which pastor/priest you are talking about. Father Kliegnsorge is very steadfast in his vocation as a pastor. You see this during the story as he is not as worried about his life as much as he is more worried about his church/mission and members of his church. He shows this by running back to help people in these locations. It is also shown in the Aftermath as he changed his name to Japanese as he was very honored to serve in many different ways, like his duties to god and the people around him during this tragedy.

We cannot fault them for not being steadfast during this time as they are going through a hard time. Just because they are priests doesn't mean they don't have the right to be scared. At the end of the day, they are humans too and they are also living through this terrible time.

What mental toll did the survivors face? Think of the effects of physical illness and the length of it.

braydendowning — 2024-08-22 18:18:41 UTC

The survivors were left with a very large, negative mental toll. Being the very few who survived the atomic bomb, they had many mental issues that affected their mental health as well as their physical health. One of the biggest effects it left the survivors with was a lot of thoughts of suicide. In the novel, a couple of times we see survivors trying to commit suicide, like the one man who was going to walk out of the top-level window before being saved by another man. He then ran away from the man who saved him and ran back into the fire and wreckage. Another big thing is that it left many people very depressed and sad. With the length of wreckage, radiation, and illness/injury people had a hard time seeing their city rebounding from this dramatic event. In the novel, one of the main characters had terrible depression because she was injured by the bomb and was considered a 'cripple' so her fiance did not want to even see her anymore. She was in the hospital for about a month and was very sad and depressed for most of it, so she had suicidal thoughts. People during this time were also just overall mentally exhausted. For example, Dr. Saaski was so mentally and physically exhausted from trying to help people after he injured himself. Survivors also had the mental toll of worrying about other friends/family who could have also died or been injured during the a-bomb drop. When they were stuck worrying about other people they cared about, they were not worrying about themselves and getting better, so they ended up going backward to worry about others.

Do you think the Japanese regretted the war? Did they regret their allegiance to the emperor?

braydendowning — 2024-08-22 18:18:41 UTC

I think that the Japanese did not regret the war. Many times throughout the novel, the main characters said they were mad at America for what they did (Dropping the atomic bomb), but later said that it had to be done. The characters understand the aspects and the consequences that come along with war. They knew that the bombing was coming, they just did not know that it would be the atomic bomb. Cities near them were already bombed so they knew it was going to be there sooner or later. The characters described it as something that came with war and that it was something that had to be done to win/end the war.

I feel like it is up to the individual if they regret their dedication to the emperor. Some people might not agree with all of the decisions that the emperor made, but others might feel that he made the right decision. The emperor may have gotten them into more trouble, but he was the one in the end who pulled them out after some of his country was left in ruins.

Page 90: "The crux of the matter is whether total war in its present form is justifiable, even when it serves a just purpose. Does it not have material and spiritual evil as its consequences which far exceed whatever good might result?"

braydendowning — 2024-08-22 18:18:41 UTC

I agree with this statement. Many aspects of war can be justified, like fighting on the battlefield, army vs. army, but slaughtering innocent members of a specific country for no right or wrong reason cannot be justified. In the case of this book, the material, and spiritual evil that came along with the atomic bomb greatly exceeded the good that came out of it. After reading this book and hearing about these innocent citizens and all they were put through during this time, it made me realize that dropping the bomb on Hiroshima to end the war was not a justifiable thing. All of the innocent citizens that were killed and injured in this attack were terrible. At the time, Americans did not think about all the damage they did to Japan as a country and the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, because they were too busy celebrating that they had gotten Japan to surrender. Once John Hersey published this book, they realized all the trouble they put these people through and realized that it could have been handled a different way.

Page 121: "These thoughts led her to an opinion that was unconventional for a hibakusha: that too much attention was paid to the power of the A-bomb, and not enough to the evil of war."

braydendowning — 2024-08-22 18:18:41 UTC

I agree with this statement. As reading this book, it talks a lot about what happened to Hiroshima as a result of the A-bomb and the craziness of the A-bomb itself, however, they never talk about how evil it was for America to do this to their country. They briefly mention that they were mad a America for doing such a thing, but they get over that within a couple of minutes, because they figured it had to be done to end the war. Sure, the A-bomb was powerful, but the evil of war, and this war specifically, was way worse. Maybe if people would have cared about the evil of war more, terrible things like the a-bomb would not have happened.

Was the bomb a war crime that America should have been accountable for?

braydendowning — 2024-08-22 18:18:41 UTC

I feel like the bomb was a war crime that America should have been responsible for, to an extent. Bombs were used in war before, but not an atomic bomb that would wipe out a whole region in the snap of a finger. At the time of this war and due to the fact that it was the first atomic bomb to be used, I feel like America should have been responsible for it and should have been treated like they committed a war crime. Nowadays, since nuclear and atomic weapons are being made and designed by more and more countries, using them would not be considered a war crime, but this is because they are seen more and being developed by all. At the time of World War II, countries besides the United States did not think that a weapon to this amount of destruction even existed. These countries were oblivious that this could happen to them so they didn't know how far they needed to go or where it would be safe to hide.

Describe the Japanese people after having read the book. Contrast those descriptive words with how we usually imagine the Japanese in the WWII time period.

braydendowning — 2024-08-22 18:18:41 UTC

After reading this book, my view of the Japanese people is completely different. All of my life, when going through all of my history classes, I perceived the Japanese people as terrible people that Americans fought against in a couple of wars. I never got to see the real side of their lives and all of the things that we have in common with them.

After reading about all of the things we have in common and all of the different struggles these people have had in their lives, I have so much more respect and relation to the Japanese.

As an American, I feel sad that we are the country that put these people through so much struggle in their lives. We are the people who ruined their terrain and gave them sickness and injuries that last a lifetime.

Compare and contrast the A-bomb with Pearl Harbor and 9/11

braydendowning — 2024-08-22 18:18:41 UTC

A-Bomb - Caused stress, trauma, and mental health issues

More long-lasting effects, like radiation, wipe out of a whole city/region, deaths, and injuries.

Not knowing that a bomb of this power was coming, thought it was a normal bombing

Killed lots

Damaged a very large region

Not much was no damaged

Not too many were not injured

Pearl Harbor/9/11 - Direct bombing/attack

Caused stress, trauma, mental health issues

Long-lasting effects, to an extent, like the destruction of ships, and buildings, and deaths.

Saw the Japanese planes coming, but didn't know right away what they were doing

9/11 killed lots

What did knowing the fate of the survivors in "Aftermath" do for you in terms of impact?

braydendowning — 2024-08-22 18:18:41 UTC

After reading The Aftermath, I had a very eye-opening experience as I truly saw how strong these Japanese people were, especially the a-bomb survivors. They went through a lot just trying to survive the A-bomb and everything thing that came from it, but they continued to help and volunteer in many ways, many years after the A-bomb. I viewed this part of the book as motivation for my life, that no matter what you go through in your life, it can always be worse. Also, you can always continue to give back and help out, even if you went through a rough time with no one helping you.

Overall, I would say that this last addition to the book helped me connect to the characters and made the impact of the book way stronger.

Without this last part of the book, I would have not connected and seen how strong these people were. It impacted me greatly seeing how these people went on and lived somewhat normal lives after being through this wretched experience. Being able to set these things to the side and move on with life is very motivational as it is very hard for me to get over the very little struggles in my life.

Could the world agree on things that are "off limits" during a war? Should we? Make a list - where do you stop? What qualifies as an "atrocity"?

braydendowning — 2024-08-22 18:18:41 UTC

I feel like the world could not agree to things that are off-limits during a war. Every country across the world has different cultures and expectations and these play a role in what they think is normal/ok. If the world as a whole would sit down and try to make a list of off-limits things, there would be a lot of arguments as people from different countries are used to different war tactics from their history. Things that happened to America during past wars are way different than things that happened to Japan during past wars. For example, the American people never had to go through an atomic bomb dropping on their country, so they would not think it was something that should be off-limits.

I am not saying that we shouldn't have a list of things off-limits, I am just saying that it would be very hard to get everyone to agree to a specific list. Having a list would make wars a lot less gruesome. But like I said before, making this list would be very difficult as it is hard to decide what is off-limits or ok. The experiences people had to go through make this very difficult as we ourselves have not had to go through some of these things.

An atrocity in my books is wiping out a whole region of a country or killing so many people. It is very hard to say what an atrocity is to me because I have never been through anything compared to what other people have gone through in history. I feel like this question really has to play with experiences that people have gone through.