Monday, December 8, 2008

Please post your responses for Chapter 3

66 comments:

Frank 9B said...

Even though the bombing in Hiroshima was over, there were still many people that were wounded or dead. More people were dying each day because of radiation and poor health care. The doctors believed in treating the less wounded in order to save more rather than treating the more wounded. Everybody was still in the state of chaos, not knowing what to do but wait for help. Many of the people were excited that a medical ship was going to come and help them, but it never came. Also, even after Japan released reports about how the bomb worked, they were still confused about it and didn’t care about it much. However, Japanese scientist knew what they were dealing with and had started to investigate. Japanese people are very respectful of the dead, even at a time like this; they still cremated the bodies and put them in envelopes with the dead person’s name on it. It’s interesting how in Japanese tradition that decent disposal of the dead is more important than caring for the living.

Kevin Lin said...

Finally, on the morning of August 15, Emperor Tenno speaks over the radio that Japan has surrendered. Even though most of the people are disappointed, they are also happy because it means that there will be no more injured people and casualties.
This chapter mainly talks about Mr. Tanimoto's actions of saving the people and how things are starting to get better (for example, at the Red Cross Hospital). This chapter also talks about the spread of the news of the atomic bomb. People in Hiroshima now knows that the city was destroyed "by the energy released when atoms were somehow split in two".

Richard Sun said...

There is a lot of confusion going on in this chapter. Nobody in the city knows what has happened and what they are supposed to do next. Despite the radio informing that a new type of bomb was used, most citizens in Hiroshima don't know anything about it. The citizens of Hiroshima cannot imagine the extensive damage caused by just one atomic bomb. Their simple assumption that the U.S. dropped a “Molotov flower basket” or spraying oil on the roofs is in contrast with the true power and horror of just one atomic bomb. Hershey's narrative shows us the witness to some of the most devastating effects of the bomb, with places such as when Mr. Tanimoto tries to help a woman and gets a handful of her burnt flesh, and when Father Kleinsorge comes across the soldiers with melted eyes.

Robert 9b said...

In this chapter, we see more awful effects of the bomb. What frightened me the most was when the young girl Mr. Tanimoto rescued died. I wondered what caused her to die… I think this chapter really emphasizes the horrifying experiences of the characters. When Mr. Tanimoto was bringing the naked men and women across the river, he said, “These are human beings” repetitively (45). I cannot imagine how distorted their face is that makes them look like monsters. I think Hersey does a good job describing the situation and makes it seem real. I agree with the doctor in the East Parade Ground that said that there is “no hope for the heavily wounded, they will die.” (50) I think Mr. Tanimoto is wasting his time saving the people that are going to die. He could’ve saved others that were only slightly wounded. In a time when there is not enough doctors, I think saving the people that have more chance of survival is more important than the other. At the end of this chapter, the Emperor announced that the war was over. I wondered what would’ve happened if Japan haven’t surrendered?

Kimberly Hsieh said...

In this chapter, Mr. Tanimoto continues to help others, which shows more of his kind personality. However, the sad thing is, Miss Sasaki has been abandoned for forty-eight hours under the books; the good thing is that she is taken to a hospital eventually. Things start to get more tragic and heartbreaking in chapter three. The tempo is faster in this chapter compared to the first two chapters; I am just as confused as the characters in the novel. We see more human tradgedy in this chapter. John Hersey reveals many details that we might have never known about what happened to the people in Hiroshima after the bomb. Many of us just know that the Japanese suffered, but we don’t know how.

Diane Lee said...

When reading this chapter, I was frightened by several descriptions of the Japanese citizens, such as the men who had their eyes melted off. I'd seen a documentary-like thing on Discovery about the atomic bomb in Japan. The documentary's depiction of a man gave me nightmares for two nights straight - his face so burned that it was charred black, shapeless, noseless, with muddy holes for eyes and mouth. It did not look like a human.

My question: "Newspapers were being brought in from other cities, but they were still confining themselves to extremely general statements... Already, Japanese physicists had entered the city with Lauristen electroscopes and Neher electrometers; they understood the idea all too well" (61).
What does Hersey exactly mean here? That the physicists and the newspapers knew what had happened, and weren't telling the public? Or only that they (the physicists) knew the extent of the damage all too well?

Bess ku said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Shannon L said...

"In an emergency like this, the first task is to help as many as possible-to save as many lives as possible. There is no hope for the heavily wounded. They will die. There's no hope for them."
It sounds harsh, but the truth is harsh. Reality is harsh. You cannot go around like a fairy elf who goes around magically healing everyone of their injuries without dying of exhaustion or running out of time. It's no fairytale.

Bess ku said...

It's terrifying when Hersey described the wounds of the people had to suffer. The most horrifying image i had in my mind was when read to the part that there were these men whose eyes melted off.
I was shocked when one of the doctor refused to go to the Asano park where people were more seriously wounded. The doctor had said that they should be saving those that had a shot at living and not those whose chance of surviving was minimal. I dont think it was fair how the doctor could decide who should be saved and who shouldn't. Although it was wrong for the doctor to judge, he had probably been working nonstop to save all those people and was just cranky. There weren't a lot of available doctors and more than a thousand many people that needed medical care.

reuben wong said...

This is just a breathtaking chapter filled with spots of horrorific scenes of casualties. Many people were dying from loss of strength and the incredible heat! Some eyes had melted under this enormous heat and skin peeled. What made it even more horrific was the fact that some doctors chose not too come to the aid of those on the verge of death. Instead he chose too help those with minor wounds. This really angered me because those with minor wounds could survive longer and had time to be cured later on however those on the verge of death needed more attention and they too could be treated. The way this doctor worked really went against my morals and I don't think that this was the right choice.

If you were a doctor in a situation like this would you only help those with minor injuries?

Anonymous said...

In this chapter we read about the details of the wounds. We also hear about how the Japanese care for each other by trying their best to help others.

Hershey writes in a confusing way, because he didn't write in the order of the timeline. He would write about night and then go to "earlier that day."

It was glad to hear, from the last page, that Emperor Tenno speaks over the radio to announce the loss of Japan, but the news that the war is over.

Anonymous said...

Reuben: If I were in a situation like this, I would try to save as many people as possible, starting with the lightly injured, because I think the doctor (?) in the story made sense, and it was required to save AS MANY LIVES as possible, and the lightly injured ones are easier to save and takes less time, so it would be wiser to start with the less injured. :D

Ted L. said...

“In an emergency like this,” he said, as if he were reciting from a manual, “the first task is to help as many as possible—to save as many lives as possible. There is no hope for the heavily wounded. They will die. We can't bother with them.”

This quote made an extreme deep impression to me. If a sane and normal perosn is seeing someone in need, we will help them. But the way he rejected, or rather ignored their cries for help, for me, was horrific. Denying ones concsious is the worst thing a person can do. Without a concsious, a person can and will do anything. I think the point of desperationg that this group of people has reached is beyond what we can imagine. I think this is also a minor theme in this book, dehumanization.

Jennifer Tang said...

I found the title of chapter 3 “Details Are Being Investigated” very ironic because all the survivors had no access neither did they had time to think about official information, and their lives were a living hell of pain and suffering. Another irony in the title is that “The Details Being Investigated” has nothing to do with the survivors. The government did not make any effort to help the survivors or understand what they have been through. The government investigated the devastation instead of the victims. The ignorance of the Japanese about the devastation shows that America was a lot more advanced than Japan.
I thought it was a pity how the doctors could only save the lightly wounded victims who had more chances to survive. But thinking about the condition, where everywhere was corpses, the doctors were actually forced to choose because they had no time to waste. I started to notice in chapter 3 how the characters are slowly losing their personality and faith.

jasminechen said...

Why did people choose to bomb Hiroshima? Why not other cities in Japan? Was Hiroshima the heart of Japan, making Japan vulnerable without Hiroshima?

Jennifer Tang said...

Reuben: If i was under the chaos where everwhere was corpses, i would as a docotor be really stressed and curing patients that have more chances to survive because there was no time to waste. But on the other hand, it's not fair for the victims who might had the chance to survive.

Dawn Chen said...

"When they came to know the war was ended-that is, Japan was defeated, they, of course, wre deeply disappointed, but followed after their emperor's commandment in calm spirit, making whole-hearted sacrifice for the everlasting peace of the world-and Japan started her new way."-pg. 65

Why do the people seem to rally around the Emperor's words? As soon as he says everything will be fine despite what happened, they believe him. Despite the obvious fact that there is still a lot of damage, they are satisfied.

Anonymous said...

I think the atomic bomb is portrayed as something perhaps something too powerful beyond human grasps. It causes rain, fire, floods, contaminates the water and causes whirlwinds that knock down trees. Interestingly, they also called it the "Original Child Bomb" referring to the use of atoms (building blocks of all living things) in fission. However, in perhaps another section, it refers to flowers growing back again. This shows no matter what, nothing conquers nature completely. In the end, humans merely destroy each other but they can not destroy nature.

The other interesting thing is the sense of community and unity in Japanese society portrayed. This can be seen in the acts of Father Kleinsorge, Dr. Sasaki and Mr. Tanimoto as they help out selflessly and to the best extent they could. Despite their physical limits, they still did their best to help out. This was not duty but rather a natural urge to help the ones in your community. This effectively portrays the Japanese's unity as a nation and society.

However, another interesting question that arises is whether they were human. Dr. Sasaki was ordered to treat the lightly injured first for the severely injured were probably going to die. Nevertheless, it is interesting to ask aren't they human too? This is also demonstrated when Mr. Tanimoto helps several that almost drowned by the tides. However, when you look at it from another perspective, the people Mr. Tanimoto eventually died from the rising tide. So was it wiser to help intelligently rather than blindly disregarding ethics?

Silver Swordsman said...

The true horror of the atom bomb is only beginning to make itself known. Seemingly healthy people are suffering from unknown symptoms that are now identified as radiation sickness.

Hence, the nightmare of nuclear power is its long-lasting legacy. Even after the bombing, its effect is profound on the survivors, and it leaves a branding stigma upon them. The true horror is the curse which it inflicts on the inhabitants of Hiroshima--a curse which lasts for a lifetime.

Sandra said...

In chapter 3, Hersey describes the reality of how many people died from the atomic bomb, and how family members were killed. He describes the wounds and the damage the bomb caused. The part where the author mentions the melting eyeballs really scared me because it doesn't seem like something that would happen in real life. It sounds like something that would happen in a horror movie. It's sad how hospitals can only give treatment to the people who are lightly wounded because then other people basically don't have a chance of survival, even if they already survived the bomb. But they probably do this because it's the only way to save as many people as possible.

jasminechen said...

The doctor ignores helping the seriously injured people. On page 50, he said, "There is no hope for the heavily wounded. They will die. We can't bother with them." He believes that he should only help the people are slightly wounded. What is the significance of that quote? How do you apply it to life? If you were the doctor, what would you really do?

James Moh said...

In this chapter, the effects of the bomb are shown. But this also brings out the good of humans. There are many terrifying descriptions of dying people, who are burned. It gives me images which I can't really stop thinking about. But people like the Father and Mr. Tanimoto, show me that, even though the bomb was something completely evil, there was still good in society. People still tried to help each other, no matter how useless, or pointless it might have been. I think in this world, there isn't enough good, especially with all the conflicts going on. But people like these, show me, that there is hope.

Nick said...

In the beging of the chapter, it was pretty horrifying for me, a perfectly fine girl(onr the outside) just drops dead.

Unknown said...

Jasmine,
This quote shows how in times of war, "survival of the fittest" applies to everyone. The people who are injured severely are basically hopeless, so the doctor chooses to treat the people who aren't as hurt. I think "survival of the fittest" is one of the big themes in the book.
If I was in his shoes, I'd do the same thing the cynical doctor is doing. Although he is bring kind of selfish, he's also being practical. Right now, the people of Hiroshima are in a state of desperation. Thousands are wounded, dying, or dead. It's impossible to tend to everyone who needs help, so I might as well save the ones who aren't injured much. They have the highest possibility of survival, and I can work much faster if I tend to lightly hurt patients. Being practical is the key thing to the survival of the majority of the Japanese at this point in time.

Elissa Lee said...

I think there is more explanation in this, however confusing it may be. The news are broadcasting about the bomb, and at the last part, that the Japanese have surrendered in WWII. This is also by mark one of the only bits of the Japanese/Asian part of WWII I know about - the surrendering.
Although the people of Hiroshima are still rather confused, the news that were given out enlightened me as a reader as to vaguely what was going on (having read about WWII in the American point of view before.)
I don't feel like there's a lot of questions to ask. John Hersey explains everything in a lot of precise detail and (no offence) does not really, in my opinion, use the words for literature beauty and imagery but for clarity and preciseness of detail. There is no question about the straightforwardness and conciseness of each sentence and adjective, all is just to explain the situation and image more clearly as unbiased as possible.

Alice Chan said...

“In an emergency like this,” he said, as if he were reciting from a manual, “the first task is to help as many as possible—to save as many lives as possible. There is no hope for the heavily wounded. They will die. We can't bother with them.”

In this chapter, I think it’s mostly about survival and hopelessness to save so many injured people. Mr. Tanimoto says that it’s more important to save as many lives as possible instead of helping those who need more help and care from the doctors. But why does he think this way? I think it’s because they are losing hope that the ones who are heavily wounded will survive at all, Mr. Tanimoto probably thinks it is just a waste of time trying to help them. And why not save the ones who could survive?

Timothy said...

In this chapter, Mr. Tanimoto is a real hero. He tried to help the helpless although they were all badly hurt. The doctors in the hospitals didn’t care about the badly wounded and the ones that really needed care. Dr. Sasaki tried to save as many as possible. He seemed so different from the doctors in the city, as he worked so hard to halt the deaths. In this chapter, we experience sadness, as many of the character’s relatives die. This chapter, we receive another message. The war is over and Japan surrendered

Adam Jian said...

I think this chapter brings out the hopelessness of the situation. The people of Hiroshima are promised help from a medical ship, but the ship never came. Again, the details from the author prints pictures into the readers minds.

Doris Lin said...

Robert: I think Mr. Tanimoto is wasting his time saving the people that are going to die. He could’ve saved others that were only slightly wounded. In a time when there is not enough doctors, I think saving the people that have more chance of survival is more important than the other

I don’t agree with what the doctor in the book and Robert say; the whole point of healing wounded people is to save them, right? If one doesn’t even try, and just leaves the wounded for death to overtake them, it would be a waste of a doctor’s skills. There’s always the huge possibility that with a little time and effort, a wounded person could be kept alive until there’s more time to attend to him completely.

If people were only slightly wounded, what would be the point in wasting time to save them, anyways? They wouldn’t die from a small wound. Meanwhile, the time wasted on saving a life that doesn’t need saving could have saved another life that was in danger.

kimichen said...

I think this chapter is still terrifying, not only because of the condition and situation that they are in but also the fear about separation between family. For example, in this chapter I have read many parts about some children losing mother and family, they don't know where their parents and families are, and also the part where Dr. Sasaki thinking about his mother. Which I think it is a very frightening experience to have. Its just like you are lost and you can't find your family, maybe for a while or maybe forever.
On page 57, Father Kleinsorge was been wakened by a person, and it said: “he realized something and he laughed confusedly and went back to bed. He stayed there all day.” What does it mean by he laughed confusedly? Why is he confused?
Also in this chapter we can see the tiredness of the doctor and the people who are not hurt that much. First, the doctor in this chapter was always saving the people who are suffering from their pain, which they only slept for one hour, and it’s really painful and tough to them. Also the people who are not hurt that much or people who are watching the other people suffering, they must feel very uncomfortable and awful inside their heart. Those people didn't expect that much to happen, and they didn't expect that much people to die that fast and that many too. They just can’t stand that kind of feeling. If I was one of those people then I’d be chaotic and I would be lost, I wouldn't know what to do. It’s just too terrifying.
It also comes more about the hopelessness about this novel and story. Especially the part where the second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki. It gives the reader more of the feeling of hopelessness. I think more and more of chapters, it gradually increases the feeling of tragic and desperation.

Alice Chan said...

reuben:If you were a doctor in a situation like this would you only help those with minor injuries?

I don't know, but i think that the doctor made a good choice, it's better to try and save those who would survive, than saving those who will die anyways. It would be a waste of time, when they could save so many people's lives.

Andy Hsu said...

Kristen Wu said...
I can't do homework because I'm stuck at school practicing for a competition.

jasper luoh said...

I think that this chapter shows the good aspects of many of the characters. We see Mr. Tanimoto work endlessly in the park ferrying people across, which is definitely a tiring job. He has to paddle all the way across a river with a bunch of people, and then paddle back to get more. He also doesn't reject anyone. He tries to save everyone that needs his help. He helps the two young girls and also the people who were in danger of drowning, even though others advise him against it. We also see Dr. Sasaki's selfless character. He helps the thousands of victims without any breaks, continuously cleaning wounds and bandaging them. He works so much that he gets only one hour of sleep in three days. He only asks for relief when other doctors come and he knows that they will be able to take care of some of the wounded. He then sleeps for seventeen hours, showing the exhaustion that he managed to overcome to treat the thousands of wounded. Father Kleinsorge also helps many people. When he sees the people that had their eyes melted and their faces distorted, he still helps them, even though before, he would have been repulsed by them. He says that he used to be repulsed by anything worse than a cut on someone's finger, but now he can see these things and not be affected.

Kathy C. said...

After reading this chapter, I really felt that Mr. Tanimoto was the only one who really helped the wounded people. On page 44, Mr. Tanimoto wanted to help the people who were going to drown, but the priests were afraid that if they didn’t hurry, Father Schiffer would die. He was the only one who truly was unselfish in this chapter. And about Mr. Fukai, I thought he really loved his country because on page 55 he said, “Japan is dying. If there is real air raid here in Hiroshima, I want die with our country.” But what if he didn’t think this way, maybe he would had live though.

On page 50, Mr. Tanimoto says that they are supposed to take care of heavily wounded. But the doctor says, “‘The first duty,’ said the doctor, ‘is to take care of the slightly wounded.’” Mr. Tanimoto was about argue, but after he sees the many dead and those who were living, he changes his thinking. So my question is why didn’t argue about it anymore?

Haley Lan said...

The story now becomes sad. Even though the war was over, but there are still numorous number of people injured, dying, losing their family. Each day, the number of death increases. This chapter seems to me a chaos. Everybody is injured and hurt, and the city is in a mess.
I think Mr. Tanimoto is a true hero, he worked 3 days non stop to save people's life. Although he failed sometimes, but his spirit is approval.

angela chou said...

This chapter shows how confused, scared, and desperate the Japanese must have been during that time. With thousands of people pouring into the hospitals the doctors could not attend to everyone’s needs, so instead of trying to save everyone, they concentrated on healing the ones with mild to moderate injuries. I think they should have also tried to help those who were greatly wounded, because it’s true that miracles happen, and everyone deserved equal care. They didn’t have to immediately patch up those who were mildly injured, because they would have survived anyway.
How did the Japanese citizens feel about the immediate surrender? Did they think that thousands of them had died in vain?

Matthew Li said...

Doris: I agree with you. In fact, i believe that the people who are only slightly injured should stop whining about their injuries and help those that are on the brink of death. The time wasted on lightly wounded people could have saved a lot of other more seriously wounded people.

This chapter describes how hopeless the situation is for the people of Hiroshima. The soldiers were injured or dead, the civilians were injured or dead, and everybody was in some form of pain. The bomb, during the explosion, was just as lethal as after the detonation. Radiation and fires killed thousands more, and poor health care would soon take its share of human lives. Things are turning for the better (a little) and i hope it continues.

Anonymous said...

This chapter shows the worries and confusions of the people, they wonder what will going to happen the next things. I think that if they can't organize the disaster, probaly will have somthing worse going to happen.

Mr. Tanimoto can be said the main character in this chapter, because it mainly talks about him very much. He had gone to save people that didn't got to the park. Like when he swing his boat along the river, saving people beside the riverbank. He have showed that he loves his country nations, helping them.

liang said...

I think Chuni has a point because even though saving those people who were drowning was a humane thing to do, I don't think it was the best choice to make during that time. You might not be 100% sure that those people were bound to die but take a moment and look at them.

I think the Americans were smarter at differentiating the heavily wounded and the "save-able" wounded people. (at least it's so in Pearl Harbor, the movie) The nurses left the heavily injured alone first and went to tend the wounds for the people who had a greater chance or surviving.

Maybe the reason Mr. Tanimoto chose to save those people and the doctors and nurses did not was because of his lack of medical knowledge. I mean if I was in Mr. Tanimoto's place, I'd probably try to save everyone I see unless he/she was obviously going to die. Besides, if I didn't save him I think I wouldn't be able to forgive myself afterwards.

Helen said...

Even though after the bomb detonated, there were a lot of side affects. People were still suffering, many still heavily injured. I found the people stuck at the sandpit with their skin deteriorated, and how the women "skin slipped off in huge, glovelike pieces"( page 45) very disturbing. The radiation from the bomb must have mutated their skin. The men hidden in the underbrush; "their eye sockets were hollow" (pg 51) The way the bomb melted their eyes, must have been a painful. It's been almost a week and no one has come to give them medical aid.

Jerry Yeh said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jerry Yeh said...

I agree with Adam, in this chapter, things only lose but never gain, no matter talking about life, supplies, or any objects. This chapter perfectly brings out the atmosphere of he suffering and losing.

Jerry Yeh said...

Why don't the Japanese surrender right at the day when the atomic bomb was thrown upon Hiroshima? isn't it kind of late to surrender after so many days?
Is it not obvious that their headquarter is totally destroyed and filled with corpses? but they still want to fight for their dignity?

Ted Wu said...

This chapter splits into three sections: first of all the naval ship shows signs of hope for the wounded people in Asano Park. Secondly, we can see the main characters' moral aspects. Finally, this chapter ends with the Japanese surrender to the Allies. In this chapter, confusion and chaos dominated Japan, where people began to die, rot, and also burnt. I used to believe what I have perceived or listened. Before, when I watched the movie Pearl Harbor, I thought, "Whao, the Japanese are villians!" However after I read Hiroshima, the idea suddenly changed, "Whao, the Americans are so harsh!" I think this is how Hershey did to convey emotions for the readers to broadcast how war can affect a huge population of people.

Kathy C. said...

Jerry Yeh: Maybe because they were busying helping each other to not surrender. Or maybe the emperor had wanted to battle on, but realized that they were weak at the time with so many dead and injured people so then he had to surrender.

Amy Chan said...

In chapter 3, even though the bombs had stop crashing down on Hiroshima, the worst is not yet over. The people suffer severe injuries. Although able doctors and nurses are helping the wounded, they still believe that "In an emergency like this, the first task is to help as many as possible-to save as many lives as possible. There is no hope for the heavily wounded. They will die. There's no hope for them." I believe that they are somewhat right, but it may also seem very cruel to give less attention to those desperately in need.

Jasmine:If you were the doctor, what would you really do?

Jasmine, I agree with you since I wrote about that too. If I were the doctor, I probably wouldn't know what to do exactly. Maybe I'd just treat as many patients as possible. I wouldn't nesessarily care about who is more wounded than the other.

Johnathan Lin said...

This chapter continues to show how horrific the bomb was. Not just physically, but also mentally. Some of the victims were burned so badly that you couldn't tell if they were humans or not. Even though the navy came and told the Japanese that help was coming, I think it gave the people a sense of false hope. The navy didn't help them at all. They still had to suffer at the Asano park. I think Mr. Tanimato shouldn't haved tried the save the ones he did. They were so badly wounded that they barely had a chance of survival. They all just died in the end. I think he should have tried to take care of every wounded, even the lightly wounded ones. In this situation, it's quantity over quality.

Allen said...

In this chapter, chaos is the main element. People were dying by the day because of the side effects of the bomb. The doctors were trying to save the less wounded people in order to save more people.

Michael Wu said...

The residents of Hiroshima are still trying to figure out what happened and concentrating fully on staying alive and helping their fellow bomb victims. However, I think the Japanese government made a very irresponsible decision in deciding not to send a naval medical ship to assist them; it would have been the right thing to do and the first thing that should have been done. Instead, they waited six days to announce that they would surrender. Why didn't the Japanese govt. do anything before to help those scarred by the bombs that would not have been dropped had they not started a war against the Americans? I don't know if it was because they thought it useless, trivial, or that the situation was not that bad; but if I was in Hiroshima at that time, I would have felt outrage at the lack of govt. assistance and general aloofness that they seemed to show.

Jackie Yang said...

"In an emergency like this, the first task is to help as many as possible-to save as many lives as possible. There is no hope for the heavily wounded. They will die. There's no hope for them."

I find it difficult to decide what the "right" thing to do would be. While saving all those in peril, whether lightly wounded or heavily,
would truly seem like the right think to do, would it still be the right thing if the heavily wounded were dying shortly after operation anyways [which results in wasted time]? Then again, at least the doctor would be giving everyone a chance at survival. But, as the doctor suggests in the quote, to focus on the lightly wounded, the question: "Who gave doctors the right to play God?" is raised. Even though less time would be wasted and more victims would be given attention, is it fair to the ones who actually had a chance at survival?


Jerry Y: As discussed in class, the Japanese probably thought very highly of themselves, as a result of their victories. They might have believed they stood a chance against whatever else the Americans had to offer, but if they had thoughts like this, it was probably before they discovered the source of the epic explosion. Admitting defeat is a difficult thing to do when one is at the climax of their abilities, and seems to be something a proud person would want to delay until the latest possible moment.

Kristin Kiang said...

This chapter was really confusing, switching from character to character. What I really hated about the bomb was that it didn't kill everyone; it left the heavily wounded people alive; its what causes so much pain. It's either you make everyone die, or just leave them alone. Those are the best choices. However, if you wound them but keep them alive, its very cruel because they have to go through so much pain from their wounds.

In this chapter, I still noticed that some people still had love and gentelness left; for example, "she came to him and said in a kindly voice, 'these are tea leaves. Chew them, young man , and you won't feel thirsty'." Father Kleinsorge's heart was warmed by a few of kind words, and he even cried at such gentleness. Also another example: Mr. Tanimoto was still ferrying people across the water, and he was the one who thought about saving the people who were drowning in the growing tide. Mr. Tanimoto also saved the two girls up the river.

Another important point about this chapter is Hersey's use of imagery. The bodies he described are very grotesque; " The skin slipped off in huge, glovelike pieces...Their backs and breasts were clammy, and he remember uneasily what the great burns he ahd seen during the day ahd been like: yellow at first, then red and swollen, with the skin sloughed off, and finally in the evening, suppurated and smelly." Don't these sentences give you goosebumps?

Response to Shannon:
Yes it is true. People seek the truth, they look for it everywhere, but do they really want it? The truth hurts. Truth is reality. It is harsh to say "the first task is to help as many as possible-to save as many lives as possible" or "there is no hope for them" but its true; the strong live, and the weak die. Sometimes, there is not enough space to accomodate the weak ones.

QUESTION:
(1)Does the effects of a bomb last on a person's life/memories forever or just for a short/long period of time that eventually wears off?

Andy Hsu said...

I find this chapter quie sickening and somewhat disturbing due to the imagery the author used. Pain is expressed really well through the chapter too. For example when Mr. Tanimoto reached down and took a woman by the hands, the author wrote, "but her skin slipped off in huge, glovelike pieces." Another part that I found disturbing was when Father Kleinsorge encountered twenty men in the woods. The author described, "their faces were wholly burned, their eyesockets were hollow, the fluid from their melted eyes had run down their cheeks." As you can see, the author uses a lot of descriptive language in this chapter and creates a vivd scene.

Steven Chiang said...

“The woman‘s gentleness made Father Kleinsorge suddenly want to cry. For weeks, he had been feeling oppressed by the hatred of foreigners that the Japanese seemed increasingly to show, and he had been uneasy even with his Japanese friends.” (Hersey 53) I think this passage shows how much the Japanese hated the Americans. They would give you an uneasy feeling even if you looked American but was German. Yet Hersey also tells us that the Japanese are kind and even after the bombing help out foreign strangers. The Japanese military is less helpful than the civilians and civilian doctors when it was the civilians who suffered instead of the military. I saw this contrast when the soldier on the ship announced with the megaphone that there would be doctors coming to help those in Asano Park. The doctors the military promised never came. Doctors and civilians who suffered in the city helped out more than the military. Doctor Sasaki is an example, and so is the woman in the passage above.

Albert Liang said...

In this chapter, chaos is a fairly important. Many of the people there thought that the bomb was just a flower basket or Molotov flower basket. Some others thought that it was gasoline sprayed over the city and then some how set aflame by the rumors of parachute soldiers. Then a even more absurd theory came up that the bomb was not at all a bomb but was a powder sprayed by a plane that was passing by. By just one B-29 bomber. Apparently when the powder touched live wire, it would explode so that was why they bombed Hiroshima during the daytime when the trolleys and electric trains were up and running. So, at the end when they found out that is was by the splitting of two atoms, many did not believe and shredded this theory. I think the people were just unable to comprehend that a bomb this size was real and maybe the Japanese government was on purpose trying to conceal this horror.

demi said...

At first, when Hersey told us about the melted eyeball, I thought he meant it figuratively, because it sounded way too scary and unreal. I couldn't imagine a melted eyeball in my head. Now I understand the power of the bomb more than ever, even though I still can't imagine a melted eyeball.

jasminechen said...

Kathy: He didn't argue, because the doctor made a good point. Right now it's more important to save as many lives as possible. According to what the doctor said, the seriously injured people have no hope and are going to die soon. And also, the seriously injured people wouldn't want to live in pain--they would rather die than to suffer pain in life. The slightly injured people still have hope. They can get cured a lot more easily than the seriously injured people. The doctor said that it's better to save the slightly injured people, because saving more people, the better. Because the slightly injured people are being rescued, more people would be saved. And also, the job is done more efficiently.

Stanley Su said...

The author used wonderful diction to describe the wounds of the people of Hiroshima. For example, the soldier's eyes melted, their faces completely swelled up, the way Hersey describes these wounds gives me shivers. So many people are hurt form this bomb, so many horrible injuries.

Jasper Huang #8 9A (-Wolf) said...

Response 3 Jasper Huang #8 9A

“’What a wonderful blessing it is that Tenno himself call on us and we can hear his own voice in person. We are thoroughly satisfied in such a great sacrifice.’…” pg 65

The rest of the paragraph states the fact that the at first, Japanese were greatly saddened at their surrender of the war, but because of their emperor’s first words to them, they calmly accepted their fate and their sacrifice for the good of their country. This shows the power of the emperor to the normal people, how much they love, revere, and respect him, and that the Japanese act as one when it comes to the good of their country. They have absolute faith in the righteousness of their ruler’s decisions, and treats their loss as unimportant self-sacrifices that are needed for success in the long run.

Kristen Wu said...

I thought that when Hershey was being extremely sarcastic when he wrote about the Japanese radio broadcast on August 7th, “Hiroshima suffered considerable damage as the result of an attack by a few B-29s. It is believed that a new type of bomb was used. The details are being investigated.” (49). As he said, the wounded and injured had no access to the radio, and they probably wouldn’t be thinking about tuning in at the time. Hershey called the victims of the Hiroshima bombs “the first great experiment in the use of atomic power” (49). His tone also suggested that the people were just lab rats to the American scientists who helped make and develop the bomb.

Dawn Chen said...

Diane: I think the Japanese physicists probably had a better idea what was going on, but not completely. However, they realized the potential for the bomb, but didn't want to scare, so they kept it to themselves instead.

andrew said...

In this chapter, the emperor spoke to the people of Hiroshima, the reactions of these survivors surprised me. they were all wounded and hurt, they had seen the horror of the atomic bomb yet, they despise the idea of surrender they do not admit defeat, they still did not like the idea of surrendering even when it's obvious that they had lost.

Why is that?

Anthony said...

"The bomb was not a bomb at all; it was a kind of fine magnesium poder sprayed over the whole city by a single plane, and it exploded when it come into contact with the live wires of the city power system."

Above is the quote I had in mind. I just find it so funny, because it just shows how oblivious these people are (no offence Lyra). Honestly: magnesium powder? Wow, that is, like, hilarious; but still, I wonder what may have led to the "conclusion" that the bomb wasn't a bomb. I don't understand the logic behind the explaination, and I doubt powder would cause a shockwave that spread so far (as seen in Section 1).

hannah chu said...

In this chapter, I’ve noticed the way the author describe the scenes. He focuses mostly on the pain, miserable, suffering atmosphere. The way he describe the wound people have is more visualize in mind. I feel disgusted reading the wound they have after the bomb. The part when one of the priest trying to get a woman out of the water, when he pull her hand, the whole burn part of her skin fell out. This scene is very unpleasant and sick if I was there and seeing dead bodies everywhere. I would’ve barf and faint if I was there for just one day under that humid and the smell of those dead bodies. I am very surprised that Mr. Tanamoto could able to walk around and help people. I really wonder how he could still stand the way things are after the bomb. I think it’s amazing that he could go around and help people. If I was in his place, I would’ve fled away to somewhere that’s away from this ruin. All the same, I am unexpected to know the reaction of Mr. Tanamoto, and Mrs. Tanamoto. They both as if expected each other to be alive and that they go separate ways to help people around them. John Hershey is able to build up this hope and courage among these people.

Daisy Huang said...

In this chapter, many people were wounded and injured. There was alot of very disgusting details about how bad their wounds were. Also alot of people got a lot of radiation sicknesses.

Carol Chou said...

"Mr. Tanimoto found about twenty men and women on the sandspit. hedrove the boat onto the bank and urged them to get aboard. they did not move and he realized that they were too weak to lift themselves. he reached down and took a woman by the hands, but her skin slipped off in huge, glove like pieces." After the bomb exploded, this brought the citizens to encounter dehumanization. They don't even look like humans anymore. The tone here is disgusted, and Hersey describes the injuries of the victims really detailed.

Carol Chou said...

I agree with Daisy. Because of the explosion, it caused thousands of deaths and painful injuries. Hersey did describe the injuries very detailed to a point where we get disgusted.