1.
All of the characters in Hiroshima are very
significant, and I wish I could hold on to all of them. However, if I had to
pick two, I would pick Dr. Sasaki, and Father Kleinsorge. I liked Dr. Sasaki
because he was just so strategic in what he did, and he used his ambition,
money and skills to help the sick instead of giving himself a rich lifestyle.
He was not a doctor for the money, he was a doctor for the people, and that to
me was very meaningful. He used his money to build hospitals and other places
for those in need. What I liked the most about him, was that he never gave up.
Even after his diseases and weariness from the bombing, the awful memories, and
even the death of his wife, Dr. Sasaki never let anything get in the way of
pursuing his goals. Another character I liked was Father Kleinsorge. Just like
Dr. Sasaki, Father Kleinsorge never gave up. Despite his own health issues, he
persisted on comforting the hibakusha, and helping convert souls. As John Hersey
quoted, “they thought he might literally kill himself with kindness to others”.
And in fact, he did die because constantly moving around helping others caused
his health to worsen.
2.
I don’t want to forget the sorrow I felt for
these people. Reading this book was rough, I actually felt very sad in some
parts. These were real human beings just like us, and to be able to know in
detail what their experiences were like shocked me. We hear about war and
tragedies on the news all the time, but we don’t always get a first-hand at
what people are going through. Reading this made me thankful for my safety, for
my family, and for my health.
3. “When
Mr. Tanimoto, with his basin still in his hand reached the park, it was very
crowded, and to distinguish the living from the dead was not easy, for most of
the people lay still with their eyes open….the hurt ones were quiet no one
wept, much less creamed in pain”. P 36
This quote really stood out to me. It gave
a perfect picture of what the people killed in the bomb looked like. I can’t
imagine the horror I would go through if I was one of the survivors looking at
these images.
“Non
hibakusha employers developed a prejudice against the survivors as word got
around that they were prone to all sorts of ailments”. P 93
This quote made me angry and sad at the
same time. It was just so unfair that hibakusha could not get jobs because of
the prejudices held against them. They didn’t ask for what happened to them. I
wish people would have been more empathetic with them.
“The
bombing had been four decades ago. How far away it seemed! The sun blazed that
day”. P.100
In this part of the book, Hersey was
talking about the flower festival in Hiroshima, and when Nakamura-san was
dancing. I liked this quote a lot because after decades of the bombing, people
could be happy again. I could picture the flowers, the sunny and warm day, the
happy dancers, etc. It made me feel happy inside that people could enjoy their
life again, especially Nakamura-san and other survivors.
4.
There are several things we can do as
individuals to avoid these kinds of catastrophizes in the future. It would
however, require every individual playing their own part in the process. As individuals, we can inspire peace and
love. We can be kind to others, and less selfish. If people would put more
effort into being kind, we could prosper a unified community, and from there a
more unified nation, and a more unified world. Churches, the government, and
other groups could play major roles in helping create this type of
atmosphere.
Another thing we can do on the personal level
is to participate in our political system. We should voice our opinions, communicate
with our representatives, and vote for representatives of our community, state,
and nation who will do a better job of fostering peace and unity.
