How does "The Aftermath," which was added to Hiroshima in 1985, change your perceptions of the incident itself and the story? Does it enhance or detract from its drama? Be specific and relate the aftermath to your chosen character. Use at least 2 textual quotes with citations and write a minimum of 2 paragraphs.
Blog is due Thursday, December 9
Worm1212:
ReplyDeleteI think that "The Aftermath" shows you that every character, whether physically injured or not, was injured in one way or another. Even Mr. Tanimoto, who did not have any problems at first, encountered some later in life. "His memory, like the world's, was getting spotty" (152). He was slowly forgetting the sequence of events on what happened the day the bomb dropped.
The chapter also shows that every survivors life got worse after the bombing. The survivors had symptoms of "fever. diarrhea, wounds that would not heal, wildly fluctuating blood counts, and utter exhaustion" (110). Most survivors suffered from emotional or mental problems too.
I think that the final chapter enhances the drama because the book is dramatic right until the end when you find out what happened to the last survivor. It doesn't leave you wondering what happened to each survivor.
I feel like each character was affected dramatically by the incident. It definitely enhanced the drama because I imagined each of the characters and how they lived through this terrible incident. I think that the bomb was devastating and none of those people deserved to die or suffer. The after math has made me realize that this incident scarred people for life, literally. After the bombing, Father Kleinsorge was hospitalized for the second time. He suffered from fevers, diarrhea, a-bomb sickness and wounds that would not heal. After he was discharged from the hospital he went back to the Noborimachi chapel, that he helped build.
ReplyDeleteFather Kleinsorge “visited Sasaki-San and other Hibakusha who were sick and wounded, and he would even baby-sit for young mothers” (110). He was so kind to others and would visit people he knew to comfort them. Father Kleinsorge was more “concerned for others and not enough for himself” (111). He always put the wishes of others first, even right after the bombing. For example he walked when he could barely walk, to the nearest water faucet to get water for others in the park before himself. “They thought he might literally kill himself with kindness to others” (111). Father Kleinsorge suffered for the majority of his life after the war from high fevers, and syphilis. His poor health was what eventually ended his life.
I think that “The Aftermath” made me think of how much harder life was after the bomb. Everyone in Hiroshima was injured or got radiation sickness and many of them had died or seen others die around them. Also, it made me feel sorry for them because these were thousands of innocent people who were bombed and didn’t deserve it. For example, Mrs. Nakamura suffered for the rest of her life. She was “weak and destitute, began a courageous struggle, which would last for many years, to keep her children and herself alive” (91).
ReplyDeleteI think that “The Aftermath” absolutely had enhanced the drama. I think that if there wasn’t an aftermath, I would feel like I was left hanging, wondering what had happened to all of the characters after the bombing. Like, did they suffer the rest of their lives? Or maybe a couple of months they recovered and everything went back to the way it was and they rebuilt the entire city back.
I realized after reading the aftermath, that although many people died after the bomb, but the people who had survived, their lives I think had eventually gotten better. For instance, Mrs. Nakamura had to go to jobs and work until she was so weak she just couldn’t walk anymore, just so she can put food on the table. As I was reading I also found out that she had to sacrifice things just so she could stay with her family in a little hut; she sold her kimonos, “To pay the doctor, she was forced to sell her last valuable possession, her husband’s sewing machine,” (92) but later on, her life got better. She “. . . became eligible to move into a better house,” (94) all of her children grew up and gotten married, and “she began to receive a so-called health-protection allowance, she also received a pension, and a war widow’s pension” (99-100).
I think "The Aftermath" showed you what difficulties each character went throught after the bomb and how they were affected by it.Everyone in the story suffered no matter if they were injured or not. For example, Mr. Tanimoto had difficulties trying to rebuild his church. "He had no money. The building had been insured for a hundred and fifty yen, then less than five hundred dollars, but bank funds had been frozen by the conquerors"(135). Everyone went through some suffering after the bomb was dropped.
ReplyDeleteI think "The Aftermath" really enhanced the drama of the book. If their was never this chapter in the book, we would never know what happened to the characters. Also, i would never know what happened to the kids of the main characters. Koko, Mr. Tanimoto's daughter, had a growth stunt because of the radiation. "On the whole, her health had been all right, although, like many hibakusha who had been babies at the time of the bombing, her growth definitely stunted"(149). After finishing the book, I realized that the dropping of the bomb had a huge impact on all the characters' life.
The chapter "The Aftermath" had enhanced my view on the incident. It made me feel as though out of all this death, pain, and dreadfulness came a purpose. For a man named Kiyoshi Tanimoto he still preached for the few followers that were left. After the realization of knowing that he will not get money for a church since his was completely destroyed he set out for america. Over a span of 20 years he raised over $10,000 and visited over 300 churches.
ReplyDeleteIn the journey he convinced many to help the people in the city of Hiroshima and showed them the hardships. After a meeting with the senate in Washington D.C, Virgina's Senator said that he was "dumbfounded yet inspired that a man whom we tired to kill with an atomic bomb came to the Senate floor, offering up thanks to the same God we worship." (141) He also inspired people, one of which was named Shizue Masugi. She came from Tokyo to talk to Mr. Tanimoto and after asking him "what was most needed to be done for the women who were hibakusha? He suggested plastic surgery" (142) After hearing this she set out to get the women exactly this and she succeeded very well in doing so.
So I saw the last chapter as a chapter that did add much drama to the view of the bombing of Hiroshima and I see it as a reading of reconstruction and relief to my eyes.
I think that "The Aftermath" shows you how the bombing affected their lives. The person I feel was most affected was Mr. Tanimoto. It said that "he was slowing down a bit" and that "his moemory... was getting spotty" (152). You could definately tell that he was losing his memory of that day the bomb dropped.
ReplyDeleteFor the drama part, it seems that it detracts from the drama, talking about how each character's life is. it still has drama, yes, but it starts to lose it in the last chapter. It is good that they added an aftermath, so we know what happened to them later in their lives. I'm not saying that some of the stuff they went through wasn't saddening; its that to some people, it could be a little easing to know what has happened to them.
Take Tanimoto, for example. He has helped people feel better in their lives, like "Kiyoshi Tanimoto and four other Protestant ministers... sttod on a box and preached." (134-135). "The Aftermath" chapter does not change my perception of the book, which is that it describes the hardships that the 6 survivors had to go through after the bombing on Hiroshima.
Whether it was physical or in some other way, I feel each character was affected and or hurt in some way. That bomb was devastating. No one deserved to suffer and die in the manner they did. After reading Hiroshima I understand a lot more about this time in our history. The bombing of Hiroshima dramatically affected the outcome of many people’s lives. A man significantly affected was Father Kleinsorge.
ReplyDeleteAfter the bombing, Father Kleinsorge was hospitalized for the second time. He suffered from many things including fevers, diarrhea, a sickness that he got due to the bomb, and wounds that would never heal. His life was never the same after that fateful day!
Father Kleinsorge was kind and caring. In fact, his concern for others often clouded what should have been his concern for his own well-being. “Father Kleinsorge was more concerned for others and not enough for himself” (111). He always put others first. This quality was evident during and after the bombing. For example he helped others when he should have been helping himself. He moved when he could barely move to the nearest source of water to assist others in the park. “They thought he might literally kill himself with kindness to others” (111). Father Kleinsorge was an absolute model citizen throughout his entire life.
I believe that this Father Kleinsorge died a proud man. For him to experience such a devastating event and forge through the pain and suffering to not only survive himself, but to help others along the way is heroic. In my opinion, he deserve the title of Legend! Therefore in my eyes, Father Kleinsorge is a legend.
AJP14
ReplyDeleteEvery character in Hiroshima was affected by the atomic bomb, whether it was physically or emotionally. People were torn away from their families and suffered injuries we could not imagine. The ending to Hiroshima was a good follow up to the people's stories yet it showed some of their horrible outcomes.
"The Aftermath" definitely enhances it's drama. It tells the characters story of what happened after the bomb. "The Aftermath" really makes you think about the people of Hiroshima and about how horrible their situation actually was. The character that I focused on for blogs, Father Kleinsorge, never completely gets better and "his most disturbing complaint was a weird infection in his fingers, which had become bloated with pus and would not heal" (112). Towards the end of Father Kleinsorge's life, "he developed liver dysfunction, high blood pressure, back pains, chest pains" (116).
-Kaitlyn Wallace
ReplyDeleteThe "Aftermath" most definitely changed my opinion of the entire story. My character in this story proved that you can still live a somewhat good life, even if you were the victim of such a bad bombing. He continued on, and tried to forget what was now far in his past. He even lived past the age all hibakusha were expected to live till, which was 62, he was in his 70's. "Kiyoshi Tanimoto was over seventy now. The average age of all hibakusha was only sixty-two."(162) He even ended up leaving Japan, to travel all around the country of America.
Many people were surprised when he spoke in America. One man said "A man whom we tried to kill with an atomic bomb came to the Senate floor and, offering up thanks to the same God we worship, thanked Him for America's great spiritual heritage, and then asked God to bless every member of the Senate."(141) It shows just how much Mr. Tanimoto is willing to forget about the past, and continue doing what he needs, and wants to do. AFter reading the whole "Aftermath" my perspective was completely different.
The aftermath changes the perception of most of the characters. They were very affected by the bomb. Dr.Fujii who was hurt during the time of the bomb is now better in the beginning of the aftermath. He seemed very healthy”Dr.Fujii suffered from none of the effects of radiation overdose…” (128)
ReplyDeleteIn the end of his part Dr. becomes a vegetable. From what happened it does not seem to be from the affects of the bomb for instance, ”They found Dr.Fujji unconscious, with a gas heater at the head of his futon turned on but not burning”(132). You expect him to have problems later in life because he was near the bombing area but the aftermath section answers any farther questions. It helps the reader really understand how the characters went along and coped with what had happened.
bluesky
ReplyDeleteI believe that "The Aftermath" of this story could tell a story in its own. It show's great heroism, and how close they all became; sick or not they helped the injured and sick get better. This story creates a great picture in your mind of and daily problems the people of Hiroshima dealt with. Many families were injured and suffered of great loses. Such as, Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura’s family "weak and destitute, began a courageous struggle, which would last for many years, to keep her children and herself alive" (91). While trying to make a living and earning money where she could to put food in her children’s mouth; she grew sicker day by day. With swelling pain in her belly and diarrhea she was forced to stop working and figure out what was wrong. Only to find out that Mrs. Hatsuyo had ringworm and if they bite her intestine she would be dead.
I think “The Aftermath” enhanced the drama a lot. If it weren’t for this part of the book you wouldn’t know what happened to all the characters, and who the last surviving character was. Unlike most books, you didn’t have to read in between the lines and it didn’t leave you hanging; it covered every aspect of what happened after the atomic bombs destroyed Hiroshima.
Times got hard, people suffered serious illness, and horrible loses but Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura never let that get her down. She states firmly, “struggling to get from day to day, she had no time for attitudinizing about the bomb or anything else” (93). Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura is already sick and having trouble getting by day by day let alone having the worry about the bombing and anything else everyone seems to stress over. However he life turned around, and things started to get better; While her children grow older and move away, and get married. She finally lives a worry free, and comfortable life she always wished to have.
I think "The Aftermath" of Hiroshima showed just how effective the bomb was, even to those who were fine soon after the bomb was dropped. This did not change my perspective of the incident at all. Whether some people survived or not, there were still thousands of innocent lives lost due to the bomb. I think "The Aftermath" enhances the drama, because it lets us know that those few people who were fine after the bomb, still came across problems later in life.
ReplyDeleteFor my character, Father Kleinsorge, he becomes a Japanese citizen and takes the name Father Makoto Takakura. He never gets over his radiation sickness, and he "was briefly hospitalized in Tokyo twice more"(110) after being in there once before "suffering from fever, diarrhea, wounds that would not heal, wildy fluctuating blood counts, and utter exhaustion"(110). Father did all he could to still but his efforts into the community. But sadly, "on November 19, 1977, with a doctor, a priest, and Yoshiki-san at his side, this explosion-affected person took a deap breath and died"(118).
The Aftermath chapter indicates how each person continues their lives after the tragedy of the atmoic bomb. Each one of them were hurt one way or another, and each had to find different ways to cope with their new situations. "His memory, like the world's, was getting spotty" (152). They have to forget the past and move forward in life and try to be as happy as possible. I think the aftermath chapter enhances the book because its showing how they move on in life and how they help teach other about what has happened.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the aftermath chapter shows how selfless each charater is. They all do something to help others, either by preventing and teaching people about bombs, or helping the victims. “Father Kleinsorge was more concerned for others and not enough for himself” (111). He works himself to exhuastion but never stops trying to convert people and most importantly, he is always there to help build up their spirits. This proves to me that Father Kleinsorge is a true hero for all of his hard work and is truly an honorable man.
I think it detracts the drama. Most of the characters faced long term suffrage due to the bomb. One in particular being Mr. Tanimoto. "he was slowing down a bit" and that "his memory... was getting spotty" (152). Mr. Tanimoto along with many other survivors were not only faced with physical problems due to the bomb, but mental ones too. He was selfless during the after math of the bomb, he helped people at the park, and rescued the dying and wounded from the burning city when the bomb hit.
ReplyDeleteBecoming a peace activist and touring the United States giving speeches is something I'd expect Mr. Tanimoto to do. For certain characters the last chapter added to the drama because they faced surprising horrible or wonderful things. For other characters, it takes away from the drama because you no longer have to wonder about what happened to them or you could have inferred their future, Mr. Tanimoto is one of those characters.
fockey8
The last few chapters of Hiroshima really changed the way i felt about the bombing. I use to believe that the bomb was a right decision but after reading these last few chapters I believe it cause unnecessary pain to the people of Hiroshima. "It killed 99% per cent of the people within a half mile of the center, and many thousands who were farther away. The doctors realized in retrospect that even though most of these dead had also suffered from burns and blast effects, they had absorbed enough radiation to kill them"(76). The bomb just killed and destroyed things so inhuman that it completely changed my thoughts on the bomb.
ReplyDeleteThe "Aftermath" of the bomb really changed Mr. Tanimoto. He began to see the bomb as a way to achieve peace. He was one of the only people completely not harmed by the bomb and at the end of the book is says "His memory, like the world's. was getting spotty"(152). To me this made me feel like the bomb didn't harm him at all and he was starting to forget about that tragedy that happened in his younger years.
I definitely think that the chapter "The Aftermath" enhanced this book. Hiroshima on its own made for good reading, but adding "The Aftermath" made for great reading to give me a complete picture of what everyone experienced before, during and after the bombs were dropped. At first, it appeared that Dr. Fujii survived the bombing relatively unscathed. "Dr. Fujii suffered from none of the effects of radiation overdose"(128).
ReplyDeleteAfter reading "The Aftermath", I was able to verify that Dr. Fujii didn't make out as good as I thought he did and neither did many of the other characters in the book. Dr. Fujii did extremely well for some time, but unfortunately things did not end up well for him. "On January 25th, his stool was suddenly watery and bloody, and he became dehydrated and lost consciousness. For the next eleven years, he lived the life of a vegetable."(132) This was a horrible ending for someone who appeared to love life as much as Dr. Fujii. Adding the last chapter to the book made me realize how truly devastating the bombs affected so many people's lives for years after they were dropped. I would like to hope that these experiences have opened people's eyes so that no one in the future will ever have to experience anything like this in the future.
"The Aftermath" enhances the drama that the bombing of Hiroshima had caused. Not only in "Hiroshima" did the bomb kill people and destroy buildings, it also ruined the lives of many other people for years to come. People couldn't get jobs because the people were biased of the bomb survivors. People were experiencing violent symptoms of radiation exposure due to the bomb. People had died. Ms. Sasaki's marriage engagement was ruined. It all just created more drama.
ReplyDeleteMy character was Hatsuyo Nakamura who, before the bombing of Hiroshima, was having a hard time taking care of her family. "She had to take two days' rest for every three days she worked, and if she was obliged for some reason to work for a whole week, she had then to rest for three or four days. She earned barely enough for food." shows her predicament (91). She can't work for very long and has to take constant breaks. The work isn't even paying that much. Later, she is diagnosed with a worm and "to pay the doctor, she was forced to sell her last valuable possession, her husband's sewing machine." she goes on to say it was one of the lowest things she could do (92). Although things are bleak for a while, life starts to turn around. Hastuyo gets a new house. Her children grow up normally. She gets a new job that she enjoys. Her children all get married. When she retires she enjoys the rest of her life dancing. I'm happy for Nakamura-san that she has had a happy life, and I hope she is still living so she can continue to live a happy life.
dukefan04
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion everybody was impacted but "The Aftermath" in this story. Everybody was hurt in that bomb. They may have gooten injured or lost a family member. the drama was enhanced by "THe Aftermath" with every character. If the bomb didn't injure them when it went off then it was almost certain that they would have problems later in life.
"Dr, Fujii suffered from none of the effects of radiation overdose..." (128). He just suffered from the initial impact of the bomb when he got a broken collar bone. Once he was feeling a lo;t better he went out and treated people who were injured from the bomb. "... who did have radiation symptoms that they take a regular dose of alchohol" (128). I think that he knew the people with these symptoms didn't have a chance to live so he told them to drink so they feel better.
The Aftermath truley showed the horrors, within Hiroshima but to everyone around it. Many americans became sympathetic to helping the Japanese. "kieliod girls"(142) was one of the more shocking parts of the aftermath. The medical sugeries they tried to perform one these girls had good intentioins but eneded badly.
ReplyDeleteDr. Sasaki went on to live his life after the initiail weeks. He found a wife and married her. He continued working at the red cross hospital as the only surgeon for a really long time. He still had the borrowed glasses from the nurse. He eventually got his own again. Life went on and in The Aftermath you can see that.