Thursday, February 23, 2017
Reading Response #4: Atomic Bomb Literature
Compared with the Holocaust, little has been written about the devastation wrought by the atomic bomb. For this reading response, I want you to choose either one of the poems or the short story and pick out the literary devices that the author chooses to express what many have described as inexpressible horror. What does the writer choose to focus on, or draw the reader's attention to? What literary strategies does he or she use to make an impression of the consequences of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? This response is due by class time on Tuesday, February 28.
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“The Crazy Iris” by Masuji Ibuse describes the condition of Japan in WWII, especially the effect of the bombing of Hiroshima. It’s should be understable enough that war causes a lot of suffering and death. However, to this day many debate the degree to which the usage of atomic bombs or other such weapons will be necessary in future circumstances, as if some people are not capable of understanding how such weapons lead to the destruction of a nation. In the case of Hiroshima, the U.S did what they assumed was right in order to stop the war as quickly as possible without really considering the effects of their actions.
ReplyDeleteThe story in “The Crazy Iris” begins ironically. It's starts with people who are frustrated hearing that all the trains that are going to Hiroshima have stopped running. During the war, Japan ordered its citizens from different towns to take the train to Hiroshima, where they would be safer. It must have been shocking to learn that the place which they thought was safe was no longer there for them, which helps us to understand how they lost their only hope. Mr. Kiuchi says,“There’s all the difference in the world, you know, between the iris in your story and the flower down there in the pond. They belong to completely different periods” (35). The iris continues to bloom despite the brokenness. In this story, the iris represents ongoing beauty that can be found in such horrible events of life. However, the usage of nuclear weapons causes us to further appreciate the beautiful things such as irises when there is darkness.
Another symbolic image in the story is the precious water jar. The narrator desires to buy the precious water jar from the owner and bring it to a safe place, but the owner refuses the narrator's offer. At the end when the narrator goes to see what has happened to the water jar, he sees that the water jar is broken in two pieces. The narrator says that “The water jar which we discussed the other day is broken clean in two. May I now take it to my house for safekeeping? If you prefer, I shall buy it from you for the sum I mentioned. In any case, I am sure you will not want to leave it as it is” (26). It is interesting how the narrator brings the water jar to be part of the story in order to explain such horror. Perhaps he wants to bring our attention to the fact that people’s lives are precious like water jars. In the event of Hiroshima no power on earth can undo the evil that was brought into many Japanese citizen lives. The water jar that previously had been broken into only two pieces, fell into bricks and debris as time went on, just like the long lasting trauma of Japan.
ReplyDeleteIn the short story, and poems we were assigned to read for class all had elements of devastation and fear. In the poem August 6, author Sankichi Toge expressed vivid imagery, profound diction, and somber tone.
This poem reflects on the devastating time when the atomic bomb was dispatched at Hiroshima. The author is giving us insight on what is was like to be there in the actual moment among the shrieks, and cries of the fearful and confused people. Unlike people reading about the atomic bomb in school, this poem gives readers a taste of the scars that the bomb left on the people in Hiroshima.
Through the use of imagery, diction and word choice, and tone, the author gives readers a sense of the horror that the people of Japan experienced. The line, “a line of naked bodies walking in groups, crying with skin hanging down like rags”, tugs at the heartstrings of readers. The author makes us feel and empathize with the people who have been struck. That is why he includes such descriptive detail and leaves no room for imagination, but gives us clear as day what the people looked like after they were affected by the bomb. Another example of the vivid imagery written was, “stamping on crumbled brain matter, burnt clothing cover hips”. It feels as though the author is telling readers straight up how it is. He isn’t sugar coating anything, but isn’t being harsh. It seems like he wants to leave an impression on readers by unveiling some of the gruesome sights that were witnessed by the people of Hiroshima, as if seeing people like that was normal to them. That is pretty scary.
The diction in the poem is very powerful. At the beginning of the poem the author mentions that “30,000 in the streets disappeared”, and “in the crushed depths of darkness the shrieks of 50,000 died out”. I was a little shaken by the fact that in a glimpse of a second, 30,000 vanished by the nuclear power of the bomb; they were incinerated. And the rest that remained were affected by the aftermath of the bomb, whether they were burned, scared, or amputated, the “shrieks” of the people “died out”. The line “on the banks of the river, lying one on top of the another” reminds me of the Holocaust when the dead bodies were casually piled up on top of each other. Just like the Holocaust, the killing of many people has an affect on the psychological, and takes an emotional toll on the persons well being.
This somber poem gives off a gloomy and not so happy essence. It is dark and dull because of the content and the message it is trying to get across. The author intended it to be this way because the Hiroshima bombing is not a time of rejoice because the U.S won the war, but because of the humanity and life that was destroyed in the process. Sankichi Toge was a Japanese poet, activist, and survivor of the atomic bomb, and his eye witness account of the situation depicts horror and distress in Japan during this time.
By reading the poem “Let Us Be Midwives! An Untold Story of the Atomic Bombing” about the Holocaust, two literary devices really stood out to me; imagery and repetition.
ReplyDeleteFirst, just by looking at the title, we can see that the author is illustrating the power and hope rising in the midst of the chaos. The author uses many descriptive imageries such as “the smell of fresh blood, the stench of death, the closeness of sweaty people, the moans”, to allow readers to experience the gruesome pain many were going through. Using such literary device in the author’s writings, it gives us all a more realistic experience into reminiscing this brutal event. With that being said, the author shows the readers that even though such hopeless and painful events are occurring, people are coming together as one because of it. They are not being discouraged or beaten down. Rather, they are picking themselves back up, and working together to survive.
Not only that, the author uses repetition to repeat the title “Let us be midwives”, to emphasize on the unity that these women developed even as they were going through such an unbearable time of their lives. The author uses that to speak to the reader. It sends a powerful message to those reading, that points out the power and strength these midwives have. Though they were being trapped in a dark basement, sweaty, bloody, and in pain, one of the midwife saw the need of a young woman going through labor, and placed the need of others before herself. Though she herself was bleeding, she sacrificed her life for a newborn. Which reminded me of what Jesus has done for all of us on the cross. The midwife placing her life for the lives of others reflects her selflessness. Just like how Jesus sacrificed his life for ours.
Through this brief and concise poem about the atomic bombing, it places the readers into the shoes of one of these women suffering. It also showers how brave these women are living at this time period. The author brings out characters that have been overlooked by society, and prove to us all that women are powerful, strong, and brave. The literary devices selected in this poem emphasized on hope of humanity. That even in such a hopeless time of people’s lives, there are still people of love that are able to see the light in the tunnel of darkness.
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ReplyDeleteIn the poem August 6th, TŌGE Sankichi expresses his reaction to Hiroshima with a great deal of Imagery which causes the reader to be present at least imaginatively, if not emotionally as well. Through his phrasing of the events, you are forced to deal with Hiroshima, not hide from it or ignore its presence. The poem begins with a rhetorical question, “can we forget that flash?” Sankichi clearly wants the reader to understand two things; you can’t forget the bombing of Hiroshima, and you furthermore you shouldn’t. Suddenly, you are met with imagery of “crushed depths of darkness” and “shrieks of 50,000.” This serves as only the beginning of the destruction that is laid out to ensure that we do not forget.
The next couple of stanzas put on display the destructive power of the bomb through various images. We get images of naked bodies, corpses and crumbled brain matter! This is alarming to say the least and very humbling and painful to read. In this poem we also see the contrast between normality of our lives and the reality that the bomb put people in. For example, flames pierced through what to us would be a beautiful skyline, families are being burned alive, and high school girls are lying on the ground with crushed eyes, swollen bellies, raw flesh, and ripped skin. As unimaginable as these things may be to us now, that was the reality of the Hiroshima. Its destructive nature tore away everything in its path. Those who led normal lives from all levels and platforms were reduced to rubble. Reality was truly distorted and death flourished. There was no escaping it then, and I believe Sankichi didn’t want his audience escaping that reality as well.
The last stanza circles back to rhetorical language asking in closing, “can it be forgotten?!” We as readers must now respond with a sense of humility and responsibility. We have now been given the opportunity to understand a small portion of the destructive nature of the Hiroshima atom bomb and we now know that we cannot forget it. And we shouldn’t. When destruction on that level is enacted upon humanity of any kind, it is our moral obligation to never forget it. It is through this poem that Sankichi really expresses the desire for the audience to remember at all costs.
ReplyDeleteWhen the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945, it had a huge impact on Japan that rippled throughout the world. The atrocities and consequences that resulted from this bomb are devastating. Sometimes, it is difficult for people to understand the intensity of the problems of the bomb. Throughout the poem August 6 written by TOGE Sankicki and translated by Karen Thornber, literary devices are utilized to describe what occurred during the bombing of Hiroshima, in order to help the audience understand more about what occurred. These literary strategies are used to demonstrate the consequences of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and how that affected people.
The first literary device that is used is rhetorical questioning. The poem says “Can we forget that flash?”, “Can we forget that silence?”, and “Can we forget that silence?”. This use of asking the reader questions helps to get the audience connected to what occurred. It is extremely hard for an audience to understand what is going on in situations like the bombing since they were not present, however, the use of these personal questions to the reader helps with the connection.
Next, the author of this poem uses the literary device of appealing to the reader’s senses to further connect them with the horrifying events that took place during the bombings. The appeal to smell is seen when the author says, “all had stopped moving in a stagnant, offensive smell”. He then goes on to appeal to sound “the only sound the wings of flies buzzing around metal basins” and to sight “in the crushed depths of darkness” and “can we forget that flash?”. The writer focuses a lot on these senses in order to draw the reader’s attention to how this affected people. As a reader, we feel as though we were in Hiroshima staring at the aftermath and seeing the flash in the air, smelling the stench, and hearing that utter silence.
Another device used by the author is appeal to pathos. There are specific points throughout the poem that pull at the emotions of the reader. When the poem says, “half their bodies raw flesh with skin ripped off, hairless, impossible to tell who was who” it makes whoever is reading the poem feel sorry for the victims of the bombing. This part of the poem shows the dehumanization of the bomb and forces the reader to realize how the bombing made people no longer feel or look like humans.
The last major literally device that can be seen in this poem is imagery. From the line “when the swirling yellow smoke thinned” to “a line of naked bodies walking in groups, crying with skin hanging down like rags”, the imagery that is found in the poem is very vivid. This again helps the audience feel like they were there when everything happened. The author spends a great amount of time in descriptions of what occurred and does so with the use of vivid imagery. It is this imagery that appeals to our very senses and emotions and forces us as the reader to try to understand and imagine the horrors that occurred on August 6th. Therefore, the majority of literary elements used in this poem make the reader relate to what happened and puts them in the situation.
The poem “Let Us Be Midwives!” by Sadako Kurihara, is a poem that takes place after the bombing of Hiroshima. Kurihara describes an experience she had in a shelter in the aftermath of the bombing. She describes how a woman went into labor in the dark, cramped, and smelly basement. Nobody can even see her because it is so dark, yet a woman still tells everyone that she is a midwife and can help to deliver the baby. Kurihara points out that this was the same woman who had just been moaning in pain. The woman was able to deliver the baby, but at a cost. The woman died and was not able to see the baby she selflessly delivered. Kurihara ends the poem by exclaiming, “Let us be midwives! Let us be midwives! Even if we lay down our lives to do so.”
ReplyDeleteThis is a very powerful poem with a lot of meaning packed in. Kurihara makes sure to point out just how miserable the conditions were for everyone in the shelter. However, in the midst of all of the pain and suffering, a bit of hope shines through in the form of life coming into the world. It would have been very easy for the midwife to not speak up and help the woman since she was already dealing with her own pain. However, the midwife selflessly puts aside her own self-interest and helps the pregnant woman. When Kurihara calls the reader to be midwives, she does not actually mean we should become midwives; this is merely an example of a figure of speech. Instead, she is calling the reader to become just as selfless as the midwife in the story. She is calling us to put others first and think about others before ourselves. Kurihara seems to have put so much emphasis on this story because often times in American education we are taught that the Atomic bomb was something that had to be done and that it accomplished its goal. However, most of the time, people are not told about stories like this one, where selfless, compassionate remained true to themselves despite the unfortunate circumstances.
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ReplyDeleteThe dropping of the Atomic Bomb on the city of Hiroshima was and forever will be an event that is full of impact and horror. The devastation from the immense destruction put upon the Japanese from the American bomb was overwhelming and has been talked about very little. The insight that a poem such as August 6th by TOGE Sankichi gives to an audience about intense pain and death is almost unprecedented in other works about this event. This poem uses graphic visual imagery, a desperate tone, as well as a small use of statistics to communicate the damage the bomb had on the citizens not only physically, but psychologically. Additionally, it provides the audience with new ways of thinking about the intensity of this event and allows a deeper perspective into the aftermath.
ReplyDeleteSankichi uses harsh images to drive home the theme of destruction in his poem that describes his survival of the bombing. He utilizes phrases such as “crying with skin hanging down like rags”, “stamping on crumbled brain matter”, “half their bodies raw flesh with skin ripped off” and many more graphic terms. This type of rich, illustrative language paints an explicit, life-like portrayal of this event that is so difficult to describe in the first place. It offers us a snapshot of the horror experienced by him and so many others and not only makes for good poetry, but important history to remember. When vivid pictures of tragedy are presented in such a way as this, it becomes a reality and forces us to understand the gravity of situations such as these and may act as a bridge towards fixing trouble areas before they become major problems such as this one.
In this poem, there is a consistent tone of desperation. He begins by presenting a question, “can we forget that flash?”, continues with sentences such as “engulfed in flames”, and finishes with more questions, “can we forget that silence?” and “can it be forgotten?!”. This continual anxiety towards the remembrance of the atomic bomb destroying their lives is stark here and is communicated well through the ending use of the double question mark and exclamation point, too. These questions offer a thinking point for the readers and challenges them to question their own stance in this, especially if they previously took none due to lack of participation or experience. It allows for the reader to understand the emotional trauma that ensued as an outcome.
Finally, Sankichi offers numbers of the people affected or killed, perhaps in order to attribute legitimacy to his work. The numbers (30,000 and 50,000) are high and thus add to the historical and factual importance of this occurrence. Typically, this element would not be utilized in poetry, but because this is a historical event, it may be necessary to communicate the overall impact of the bomb. These numbers are staggering and add a deep sense of mortality to the lines.
Overall, this is a gripping narrative of the horrors witnessed at the scene of Hiroshima, post atomic bomb. It gives us an insight to what cannot be described so easily and allows us to walk amongst the fallen and downtrodden.
-Clare Mulvihill
The four poems and short stories about the atomic bomb and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki all have different elements that make the reader feel differently about each poem. To me, the first poem, “August 6” by TOGE Sankichi shows the most realistic image of the aftermath.
ReplyDeleteIn this poem, the author uses several phrases such as “the shrieks of 50,000 died out” to show that not only was it just men or women, but it was also children and grandparents from all different places around the world. When the bomb went off, the author described it as a “flash”. He also keeps repeating a rhetorical question, “Can it be forgotten?”. In asking this question at the beginning of the poem, he allows the reader to see that not only is he trying to get them to see the picture from the Japanese’s point of view but he is also trying to get the rest of the world to not forget this event. Later on in the poem, we get images that could disturb the strongest of us. Ones such as burning bodies, brain matter and even that of raw flesh. This poem is a really vivid image of what happens when something devastating goes off in the world.
The poem ends up coming back to the rhetorical question which allows the reader to see that he is stuck on the history of this event. That he also wants the readers and the word to spread from the readers to raise awareness of this event. It is almost as if the author is stuck in the time when this event happened and doesn’t want the reader to escape it with him. By bringing the poem back full circle, it allows the reader to contemplate the question on a much deeper level, now that they have experienced the imagery that the author had in store for them after first asking the question.
In the end, the author showed us the terrible things that can happen in this world and that not only are these things not easily forgotten by the people they happen to but that they are also not easily remembered by those who it did not affect. Remembering is important, it keeps it from happening again.