Atomic Bomb

When asked, many people can think of an event that changed their lives instantly. For example, a near death experience may lead a person to see that life is fragile and that it should be lived to the fullest. Unfortunately, sometimes these events require the loss of innocent lives. In 1945, the United States dropped nuclear bombs on the japanese cites of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in retaliation for the attack on Pearl Harbor. In the years following the attack, many writings have been published in order to capture the horrid nature of this event. The two that we will look at are “Hatsuyo Nakamura” by John Hersey, and “Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki Told by Flight Member” by William Laurence. Hersey’s Story chronicles life after the bombing for one of the survivors while Laurence tells the story of the attack through the eyes of one of the crew members aboard one of the bomber planes. Both readings focus on the drastic events of Hiroshima and Nagasaki through the utilization of differ...