“Hiroshima” by John Hersey Essay

The man mind cannot comprehend the split-second deaths of 100 000 people when the atomic joker hit the people of Japan in August, 1945. However this event, which has changed the world forever, can be relived through the lives of sixsome survivors in John Herseys Hiroshima. expositive texts such as the aforementioned often present powerful social issues which challenge not only(prenominal) the adopter from the contemporaneous Western culture only when also the reader from the 1946 American inn. Hersey employs various techniques, including head teacher of attend, tone, emotive and descriptive language to position readers to respond to ever-changing priorities, Japans reaction to the crisis and clean-living and ethical issues.Up until Herseys account of the Hiroshima bombing, texts that were presented to readers were fabricated propaganda and contained the preconception that dropping the bomb was not ethically wrong. This influenced readers in that context to feel as if the Americans had taken the right action to end the war. However, Hersey writes Hiroshima in the point-of-view of six hibakushas, focussing entirely on their stories of endurance and hope throughout the atomic antiaircraft. As he writes in such a journalistic style and detaches any feelings or opinions he may fuddle about the event, he forces readers to draw their own conclusions from the facts and question the morality of the Americans and their president. Quoted from Rhodes, the making of the Atomic Bomb from a scientist who took part in assembling the bomb, I still remember the feeling of unease, even nausea, when I maxim many of my friends rushing to hold. Of course we were exalted by the success of our work, but it seemed rather ghoulish to celebrate the sudden death of a hundred thousand people, even if they were enemies.Hersey portrays the six characters not as enemies, but as normal people, with real values and attitudes which elicits resentment towards the Americans and enc ourages readers to sympathise with the Japanese characters. To reconstruct the effect of the blast and its dismal consequences on Japans population, Hersey selects a variety of characters such as a widow, a priest and a surgeon to resemble the microcosm of Japanese society. Not once does Hersey question or throw with the decision to drop the bomb nor does he sympathise with the Japanese victims but by emphasising the survival kinda of the suffering he prevents his book from becoming anti-American, thereforebroadening his target au operatence. The only way Hiroshima would be read by the New York Times loyal readers was for Hersey to write in this unemotional tone, for exercising they had not had the strength to move they must make believe drowned. This is a style which is seen today as a clever way to escape extreme controversy.Of course it is inhumane to kill thousands of innocent people without exemplar and The eyebrows of some were burned off and skin hung from their faces an d hands. Often, because of pain, they held their hands up as if carrying something in both hands. The descriptive language throughout the novel proves the abovementioned point to the reader. Still, you have to consider the context before making head on the decision to drop the bomb. Truman may have been concerned for his countries welfargon but there were many other alternatives. Surely readers can see that now, but Herseys use of language techniques in his secernate of Hiroshima was taking the American readers one step closer to realising the truth that Trumans resolution to drop the bomb in order to shorten the agony of war and in order to save the lives of thousands of young Americans Public document of the President, Truman, 1945 not only ended the war but inflicted suffering and death to thousands of innocent people.Very some of Herseys characters have close family ties, further emphasising the way Japan comes together as a friendship in the time of this crisis. Unscathed argon aiding the wounded on the riverbank, providing water, food, and comfort as though they were family. Readers are positioned to accept the characters attempts to help the people that are only strangers to them. However even though these six characters help one another to try to rebuild their lives, each suffers on their own. The hurt ones were quiet, no one wept, much less screamed in pain, no one complainednot even the children cried.After the fusillade the lack of dialogue creates an eerie, almost silent atmosphere to portray the peaceful and humble characteristics of the Japanese people. The characters have an admirable patience and endurance shown in the face of adversity. When father Kleinsorge offers water to the wounded, almost blotted out by flash burns, they take their share and bowed to him in thanks. No one shouts out in rage or promises revenge towards their opposing country. The techniques Hersey has employed in this text positions the reader to accept the Japanese culture and sack thateven though thousands of lives were lost, the attack on Hiroshima brought the community together and shaped it into the country it is today.On the cockcrow of the attack, the citizens of Japan were living like ordinary people, with priorities and values which would be similar to those we have in our contemporary Western society. However they were completely unaware that their priorities would change dramatically when the bomb was dropped, destroying their lives and tearing apart their families. The point selected encourages readers to experience the severe shock that is instilled into the characters as they come to terms with their new situation. Things dont head anymore. Yesterday my shoes were my most important possessions. Today I dont care. One equalise is enough.This symbolises the preciousness of life and the insignificance of material possessions. The suffering of thousands of people and their wounds and burns are described repeatedly and the wound and dying are so numerous that the doctors no longer help the badly injured because they are not going to survive. Dr Sasaki is faced with the decision to leave the severely wounded and readers are positioned to sympathise for him as making this decision in the devastating circumstances would be almost impossible. He feels that they will die feeling cheated if he tells the victims he will return to help, only leaving them to die. Combined with the point of view of each character, readers are encouraged to respond to the bombing with feelings of anger and empathy towards the six survivors and the way it has affected their priorities and their future.Herseys bleak yet graphic account of the Hiroshima bombing is a novel which can be read for generations and still capture the horror of war and the endurance of the Japanese people. Hiroshima encourages readers of todays western society as well as the readers in 1946 to respond to the text with feelings of sympathy, anger and remorse. Her sey employs techniques such as excerption of detail, language, tone and point of view to encourage readers to be challenged by the powerful social values changing priorities, Japans reaction to the crisis and moral and ethical issues which are embedded in the text. Overall Hersey exposes the genuine side of war to the readers the side which is not glorified but elicits extreme loss of life and untold suffering.