Journal 8 from Mandy Lilly

I think that the main thing that should be taken away from Hiroshima are the dangers of nuclear weapons and the effects that come with using them in war. This story brings out real stories and shows what the people of Hiroshima went through after and during the atomic bomb. I believe what would be worth the effort to try to remember is what these people went through, and not to let the World forget this tragedy in order to not make the same mistake again.

Two characters that I will hold onto from Hiroshima would be Miss Sasaki and Mr. Tanimoto. I choose to hold onto Miss Sasaki because I believe that she lived through an incredible amount of pain and troubles, but still became a successful woman in the end, overcoming her obstacles. I also choose to hold onto Mr. Tanimoto because from the start, when the bomb dropped, he was one of the most helpful and inspiring characters. Through Miss Sasaki's experiences I've learned that no matter how low you are in life, you can always rise above and move forward. She went through great amounts of physical pain with her leg and waiting so many days for help, and even more amounts of mental and emotional pain from losing her family and her fiancé leaving her. After dealing with her depression and blaming God for what had happened, Miss Sasaki rose above and ended up building a professional life as a nursery-school teacher, and a good relationship with God. Miss Sasaki shows great character and strength which I will never forget. Through Mr. Tanimoto's experiences, I will not forget the bravery and selflessness that he acted with when the bomb first hit Hiroshima. He had spent hour upon hour helping people across the river to safety without resting or caring for himself. Tanimoto had actually felt ashamed for not being hurt or injured which shows such a humbling and great character, which I will not forget.

The reaction that Dr. Sasaki had when he was helping people in his hospital is one I do not want to forget. Dr. Sasaki was one of the only surgeons in the Red Cross hospital that was not injured. While he was helping people, he had to take action and had no time to break down emotionally. "Dr. Sasaki lost all sense of profession and stopped working as a skillful surgeon and a sympathetic man; he became an automaton, mechanically wiping, daubing, winding, wiping, daubing, winding." Dr. Sasaki took into account of how many people needed his assistants and he pushed aside his fear and emotions in order to help the injured. The reaction that Dr. Sasaki had was very brave and heroic which is not something that I want to forget.

One passage that I want to record is when Mr. Tanimoto was helping the injured, "The 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, glovelike pieces. He was so sickened by this that he had to sit down for a moment." (45) This passage is one I want to keep because it shows the brutality in which people suffered. I couldn't imagine seeing something like this happen, let alone live it.
Another passage that I want to record is when Miss Sasaki was trapped under the bookcase after the bomb had dropped. "The man was gone a long time, and when he came back, he was ill-tempered, as if her plight were all her fault. "We have no men to help you!" he shouted in through the tunnel. "You'll have to get out by yourself." "That's impossible," she said. "My left leg..." The man went away." (32) I couldn't imagine being in the situation that she was in at these moments. Feeling helpless, trapped and alone would be completely terrifying and what opens my eyes most about this passage is that she was not the only one that suffered like this. Many people died under rubble while fire was coming to their houses without help, or unable to be helped. It would be unbearable.
My last passage that I want to record is when Father Kleinsorge/Takakura was going about his morning on the day that the bomb had dropped. "After an alarm, Father Kleinsorge always went out and scanned the sky, and in this instance, when he stepped outside, he was glad to see only the single weather plane that flew over Hiroshima each day about this time. Satisfied that nothing would happen, he went in and breakfasted with the other Fathers on substitute coffee and ration bread, which, under the circumstances, was especially repugnant to him." (12) This passage shows that the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima was just an ordinary day for people. I want to remember this passage because it proves that we should never take our days or lives for granted, for we never know what is going to happen.

I believe that a lesson everyone can take from this book is that nuclear welfare is not the right answer for war, and that we should do everything in our power to not let this happen to any country again. Also that we should live each day to the fullest because we are never sure of what will happen, or when our time will come!