This was probably my favorite of the readings we've had to do so far. I think it was very well written, and had an extremely interesting subject matter. I liked how William Laurence wrote about it, because he did not confuse the reader by going to far into the scientific aspect of it, but wrote in a way that we could all understand the power of the bomb. It was also entertaining because I’ve learned about it a lot at school, but have never heard an inside account of it. It was kind of funny reading it and knowing the outcome when the writer in that moment didn’t. However I didn’t get a grasp of how many people the bomb had killed in Nagasaki just by reading it, because he didn’t focus too much on its destructive nature.
Throughout the article, Laurence never really states his opinion. When Sergeant Curry asks him if he thinks this bomb will stop the war, he says “There is a very good chance that this one may do the trick. But if not, then the next one or two surely will. Its power is such that no nation can stand up against it very long.” This was not his opinion, but merely him regurgitating everyone else’s thoughts. He also stated later that this view was not overly optimistic to those who had seen the first bomb. I personally thought it sounded optimistic because he was saying it probably will end the war, maybe it was because the first bomb was so devastating but didn’t end the war. He also mentions that most people don’t feel pity for the Japanese after Pearl Harbor and the Death March on Bataan. Laurence does not include himself in on this statement, and probably does not have the same “eye for an eye” mentality that most people have when it comes to war. Laurence probably has a less aggressive opinion when it comes to war.
My favorite part was the description of the mushroom at the end. He described it all so vividly, and let readers know how horrible it was. I liked how this article was well-written, had an interesting subject, and was descriptive without going over the top or boring the readers.
You see things so optimistically.
ReplyDeleteThis was definately not one of my favorite readings - If you read Hatsuo Nakamura by John Hersey first, like I did- The after effects of a bombing like that definately changes your feelings regardless of the hatred for the Japanese. So many innocents were effected by our Country.
I like that point you made in the first paragraph explaining how the author didnt center his writing on the bomb's effects (like i thought the story would be about) but rather on the process of preparing it and the arrangements that were needed to bring the mission to a conclusion. His goal in writing the passage was not to voice any opinion, but to share his impartial observations.
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