Antonio - Reading, Writing, Wild Dreams

Part One:
My future reading goals are to actually keep reading, I used to read a lot but fell away from it over time. I also want to get back into reading and read books to my daughter in the hopes that she will take a liking to it. Writing goals would have to be getting my thoughts onto paper (or electronic document most likely). I have some ideas that I do not remember sometimes or would do better if recorded in order to be fleshed out. In order to continue education, even outside of college I continue to listen to podcasts, especially Dan Carlin's, but also do some research on my own about topics that resonate wit me.

For the two books that I want to read, one is titled Fingerprints of the Gods: The Evidence of Earth's Lost Civilization by Graham Hancock. This book goes deep into pre-history and suggests that even older civilizations than what we currently acknowledge could have existed. Ultimately we are unable to answer questions about the past, but creating theories with such a small amount of evidence to work with is a fascinating part of history, and even if this book is proved false, it is good to postulate new ways of thinking about our past. My other choice is to read Plato's Republic. I want to read this book because I have had it in my mind to read it for 2 years but never got around to it. It interests me because it is a book written so long ago but still holds value today.

Part Two:
My career goal, outside of a normal career, would be to create video games. I have played video games most of my life and recently got into game design and what makes a game "fun". This is something that I want to explore further to create my own game, or several, and would be rewarding. It requires creativity along with logical thinking if how to make it make sense in terms of rules. To do this just requires some more reading and dedication though!

Reading, Writing and Wild Dreams from Alli

Reading, Writing, and Wild Dreams

Part One:

For me, my future reading and writing goals is to always get better at it, to read more books and to better my writing. I always say that there is never a time that you can't improve and better yourself, there will always be lessons to learn. For me to improve and further my education I feel like it would be very beneficial to read more, when I was younger I would read all the time, to the point where if I had a book I would read it every single waking minute I had until I finished. I'm even the type of person to re-read books that I have read before, until recently. Once I started at Ohio State, I have only been reading course assigned material, and even though there are some good books assigned, I wasn't reading for myself and I feel like this hurt my want to read books at home or in my personal time. So my goal would be make myself read over the time, for me and not for any other reason. I also want to not limit myself to the typical fiction book, but to expand into other genres. So therefore, I would be reading some poetry or even non-fiction, that would be an adequate way to expand my reading abilities and thought process. So with that said the two books that I want to read over the summer are: 

1.)  Animal Farm by George Orwell (1945)

For me, I have always understood the importance of reading the classics, and this is one of them that I have yet to read. I have kept myself up to the classics with reading two of Shakespeare's (Romeo & Juliet, and Merchant of Venice), To Kill A Mockingbird, and A Tale of Two Cities. I feel like there is not enough stress to read these books that made such a big impact on our society!  

2.) The American Night: Volume Two by Jim Morrison

As I said before, I really want to be able to read and understand poetry, it was something that I always struggled with in high school and really want to improve on it. I feel like the best way to do this would be starting off with poetry that I'm interested in, and since I have a love for the Doors, Jim Morrison's poetry would be an awesome start. Coincidentally, I happened to buy this book out of curiously at Half Priced Books the other day, so it would be a perfect time to add this book to my summer reading!

Part Two: 

My wildest dream is something that I've wanted to do ever since my dad passed away and ever since that I've decided to be a teacher. My dream is to start a foundation for kids who have lost a parent, in this place I would provide them with support and healthy ways to express their grief. In this place I would love to offer services that will pay for families to go places that will help them with their grief, for example me and my dad and his side of the family would go to the Outer Banks every year, so my foundation would pay for the trip for a family to go and remember their loved one in a happy time. I feel like the best thing that I can do with the horrible and sudden loss of my dad is to make it as positive as possible and help people who have gone through the same thing as I did. It really helps to know that you're not the only one going through it, and it always helped me to remember my dad in many of ways that reminded me of him, whether it be creatively or verbally. This helped my grieving process more than I could imagine. This would be accomplishing something for myself and something for other people. 

Reading, Writing, and Wild Dreams: Last Blog Rebecca Aleshire

Part one:


My future reading and writing goals is that I want to become a better writer than I am. I also want to challenge myself to read more books than I do. Two books that I really want to read is Across the Universe and A Million Suns. The reason I want to read these books is because not only do they have romance in them but its about trying to get to another planet before running out of resources to survive.

Part Two:
I would love to be a model but it isn't something I would want to do for the rest of my life but if I
could I would definitely  think about going into the Air Force. I love heights and I would be something that I could be dedicated to.

Scott Price - Final Blog

My future reading and writing goals are not too incredibly wild, but they are pretty well defined. I want to be able to write a short story that is well written and enjoying to read. I have always loved reading science fiction and fantasy books, and although we did not cover anything in those genres this year, I think that the skills that I have learned this year will still help me to achieve that goal.

One book that I have planned to read for a long time now, but have not yet gotten to is 1984 by George Orwell. I have seen this book listed as an inspiration for many of the bands that I enjoy, and I have seen it used as a model of what technology and the growth of big government could lead to. I also enjoyed reading the book Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, which shares several similarities to this book.

The second book that I plan to read in the future is Tom Sawyer. I have already read Huckleberry Finn, and although I know Tom Sawyer comes before that book, I am still interested in reading it. This book is one that i usually see listed as classic American Literature, and I enjoyed the adventureous nature of Huckleberry Finn, so I think that this book would be enjoying to read as well.

My wildest dream for life is probably that I could make something that I am recognized for. I love music and technology, and I plan to keep those two passions close throughout my entire life. I don't plan on making music my primary goal in life, but it is something that I have always enjoyed being a part of. With technology, I hope to someday create something that can improve the world in some way. This goal may sound broad, but that's because I haven't yet figured out exactly what I want to create. It could be a new software, or piece of machinery, or a game or a hardware. Whatever it is, I want to be able to make something that I can feel proud of creating.

-Scott Price

Reading, Writing, and Wild Dreams - Randi Goney

Part One) My future reading/writing goals are first, to do my best in all future courses that include reading/writing. Then, second I would like to continue reading for enjoyment outside of the classroom. Of course all classes will involve some type of reading and most will involve writing as well. I just want to be able to incorporate everything I have learned thus far into any future essays I come across, along with any books I have to read. Considering outside of the classroom, I want to be able to keep reading any book that looks interesting to me. Improvements I can make is to stop procrastinating, especially if it concerns reading/writing. Although I feel like I have mastered the art of staying up until 4 a.m. to finish a book or to complete an essay, it is definitely not the best way to get my work done. I plan to have better time management in my future, and this will help me with all aspects not just reading/writing. The first book I would like to read in the future is the whole Harry Potter series. Believe it or not, I have never read them and would love to join in with some of the popular culture. I have only seen one of the movies, and so these would be a great read for me. Then when I finish them, I can have a Harry Potter marathon! The second book I would like to read is Brave New World. Some of the English classes at my high school are reading this currently. Listening to many of the students thoughts and conversation about it has intrigued me to read for myself someday.

 

Part Two) Ever since I was in elementary school I have wanted to become a veterinarian someday. As I got older and into high school, I realized how hard it was going to be and how much work I was going to need to put in to accomplish this dream. At one point during my junior year I decided to give up on my goal in fear of failing. Right now I am finishing up my senior year of high school and have changed my mind back. I have always loved animals and I am determined to work with them when I am older. I plan to major in Animal Sciences, and then hopefully go into Veterinarian Medicine as well. No matter how hard it gets, I will not give up this time.  

Last Post- Dillan

Part One:Well, I intend on finishing reading the A Song of Ice and Fire series, and I'd like to read more fantasy books, in general. I am kind of getting into that genre at the moment. When it comes to writing, I have no real idea what my goals are yet. Currently, I am writing an ongoing fantasy story with a couple friends of mine, and it has been pretty fun doing so. My girlfriend is constantly telling me that I ought to write a short story or a novel. She thinks I should try to get myself published, but I think that my ability to write is not quite at that level to be worthy of publication. In regards to my improvement, I think that I simply need to keep writing. If I want to get better at it then I just need to devote time to becoming better at it. My two future books to read would be Storm of Swords and The Wheel of Time. 

Wheel of Time Series

Part Two: Like I've previously stated, I've had the thought of becoming a published writer rolling through my head. Honestly, I think that our ability to write down our own thoughts to have people read and understand may be one of the most important aspects of our civilization. It's like having the super powers of telepathy and time travel in one, odd package. I've always liked telling stories and jokes, so writing has agreed with my personality quite well. I am a daydreamer who is constantly making up little stories when I have nothing better to do, so I might as well attempt to put those little fantasies to paper. Who knows, maybe someone might like the little stories I make.

Reading, Writing, and Wild Dreams Blog: Kristen

Part One: My future reading goals are to try and continue to read books and actually continue to finish them. I think this year was actually the first year in a long time that I finished every book that I started. For other English classes in the past I have skimmed some chapters just to get through them, but I didn't do that this semester and I found to actually enjoy the books more this way, so I would like to continue to do that. As for my writing goals, I would really just like to improve my writing skills when it comes to language and vocabulary. I think the one thing that I need to continue to work on to continue to improve my education is time management. I think I have improved on this a bit more this semester, but I still have a long way to go. I need to try to set aside specific time to do school work versus work work. Two books that I am interested in reading is one, The Grapes of Wrath, because I have heard how great it is and I have never even attempted to sit down and read it. Another book that I would like to read is, 1984 by George Orwell. The reason I want to try to read this book is because I have already read two of his books in the past and have enjoyed them both, so I think he is an author that I would like to stick with.
Part Two: I am a pretty practical person, so I don't think that I have ever thought about a wild dream for myself until now. If I had to choose something, I would probably say my wildest dream is to just pack my bags as soon as I graduate and move somewhere down south without anything pre-planned and to just try and start a life from scratch. I feel like it would give me a different perspective on life and take me outside of my comfort zone.

Devon Beck- The Final Blog

Part one - My major is English and I plan on minoring in Creative Writing and professional writing. I want to be able to explain things better . When I write I want people to want to read more of what I'm talking about.  I feel like words can make an impact in this world. I feel like depending on what you write or say you could change millions of lives.  As I go on in college I want to get a better understanding of the different ways that stories have impacted our lives and our history.  I would like to read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I feel like as a writer I could learn a lot by reading her.  She is a classic. I feel like if you want to go into writing and be a better writer you have to learn from the classics. You may even borrow their techniques. She is one of the most influential writers of all time. Another book I would like to read is To Kill a Mockingbird. I feel like this is a book that all people should read.  It was once censored and to me that shows that people didn't want to read what she was saying. I feel like this book spoke truth. and that is something that this world needs.


               
Part Two- One of my goals is to write a best selling novel. I want to be able to write a story that change lives like to Kill a Mockingbird did.  I want my books to be translated into different languages. I want my books to be taught.  I want them to be made into movies.  I want to leave behind something that says I was here.  I know that this will be hard. I know that I will have to practice my writing but its something that I want to do. I feel like sharing our stories makes a difference. Sometimes we feel alone and as though we are the only ones going through certain problems and I want to show people that they are not alone. I want to show people that it doesn't matter what you go through you can come out and achieve your dreams. I have so many different things that  I could write about and I hope that I can publish them one day.

My future writing goals are, I work in an environment of business and engineering. I would like to write in a business manner to be able to communicate with other engineers and vice presidents and presidents of Whirlpool. I want to sound more educated and mature. The book "Step up and Lead" wold be a good book to read for my field. I am in a semi-leadership role already and stepping up would be good for me.



Being a leader is a great thing as long as you dont abuse it. Learning how to be a great leader will only benefit me. Reading "5 Levels of Leadership" I think would help me with that.



I spent a long time at Whirlpool working on the main floor. I was stuck in the same rut for 22 years and it was a deep rut. I am now working a job, still at Whirlpool, that has opened so many doors for me. A Quality Engineering Tech is just a step away from Engineer. I love my job because I am presented with problems that the people on the floor have and I have to solve it for them. If it makes their job easier then we both benefit from it. I thought that when I was in the rut those doors of opportunity were closed and locked. But, by the will of God those doors were always open and open for me. He has blessed me with so much. I couldnt ask for anything more. Being a Quality Engineer helping the workers and the company I work for is what Im shooting for.

Matthew Hines final blog exercise

Part 1

One of my reading goals is to find more time to read more books. When I was younger I read a lot of books, but for the past couple of years, I haven't had very much time to read many books. One book that I want to read is "A Game of Thrones: A Feast for Crows," by George R.R. Martin. I read the first three books when I had more time to read, and I want to get caught up with the books so that I can watch the show. Another book that I want to read is "If at Birth You Don't Succeed, by Zach Anner. Anner is a young comedian with Cerebral Palsy. The book is his story of how he became successful and happy despite his condition. He also posts videos on YouTube, which is where I found him. I want to read this because I think it would be a very funny and inspirational story.






Part 2
I spend a lot of my free time watching YouTube. I really like that there is such a wide variety of content that you can find on YouTube. I've always thought it would be interesting to try YouTube. I don't know what I would make videos about, and I wouldn't expect very much success. I just think it would interesting to try to look at YouTube from a creator's point of view, rather than a viewers point of view.  

Reading, Writing, and Wild Dreams: Last Blog

Part One

I love to read so this summer I hope to catch up on some much missed reading. As far as writing goes, I have a more long term goal. I hope to someday be a successful fiction author, with my name going down in history with the best and most popular authors. I really want to read Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen because she is one of my favorite authors of all time, and I have read all of her other books. I would also like to read Jurassic Park because I love the movies and think the books are almost always better than movies.

Part Two

I love to act. It isn't my plan but from a young age I dreamed of making it big in acting. I would like the most to act in movies that were books first. I would love reading the books and studying for parts, really making the part a little bit of my own while also trying to make the character what the readers pictured in their heads. I would read the books over and over again, just to make sure I had the mannerisms and dialogue of a character down perfectly. I want to be the one that's so good that almost no viewers, be they fans of cinema or fans of the book, can be disappointed.

Final Writing Journal - Omar Shehadeh

Part one: My future reading and writing goals are to be able to comprehend most pieces of writing in a single reading session, particularly constitutional law. As for writing, I will work to become completely coherent in my thoughts and expressions, particularly articulating my ideas well. To continue upon these goals I will have to read more literature and attempt to write whenever possible to develop these skills. One book I want to read came up during my research, Refuting ISIS: A Rebuttal Of Its Religious And Ideological Foundations by Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi. It is an Imam's point of view on ISIS and how he logically refutes their falicies. I have become more centralized in my faith since my class projects regarding Islam and I want to continue my education of Islam so I can better explain it to others. Another book I want to read is the Bible. The Qur'an teaches that the people who follow God's holy scriptures are all his follower's, and this includes the Bible and the Torah. I want to read both of these books as well to better understand my faith and god.

Part two: My wildest dream is to be able to unite the people of Isreal and Palestine. The bloodshed is pointless and a detriment to both sides. Children are caught in the crossfire, elderly as well. If something is not done now, then it will end in the genocide of the Palestinian people. If I could only do one thing in my life it would be to bring together both people and end the conflict.

Final blog

My future reading and writing goals is to get in a class where I can sharpen my journalist skills even more. My favorite part of this class was making the Holding on profile. I loved going out and making something myself rather than just reading about it. I think the two books I really want to read right now is Let the trumpet sound (biography of Dr.King) and Grapes of Wraith because I've heard such good things about both those books.

I think my dream is to discover another piece of our history through fossils. As an anthropology major I really want to be one of the people to discover an entirely new species that adds a link to us and the line of animals leading up to us. Being in class and seeing how much there is we still don't know about our own origins really excites me because I see an opportunity to figure out some of the puzzle, even if only a little piece. 

In-class Thesis and MLA style Exercises. From Mike Lohre

Students, if you go to our handbook's website, you will find exercises to help sharpen your sense of thesis, and use of MLA style

Please sign in and create an account to do the exercises. You do not have to save the results for a grade, but rather learn from your mistakes as you complete the exercises.  You may work alone or with a partner.

Do Exercise 56-1 Thesis statements in MLA papers

and/or do another MLA exercise of your choice if that is helpful.

http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/rules7e/
or
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/rules7e/#t_669460____

Journal 8: Kristen

Part One: After finishing Hiroshima something that struck me as meaningful is how the survivors lead their lives years after the bombing. Not only that, but the reflections that come with it. "It would be impossible to say what horrors were embedded in the minds of the children who lived through the day of the bombing in Hiroshima. On the surface, their recollections, months after the disaster, were of an exhilarating adventure." (Hershey 90). This was just one of many meaningful quotes. Another thing that stood out to me was how everyone seemed to move on from the horrific bombing. "... to start a practice in his father's town but also to withdraw from Hiroshima and, in effect, from being a hibakusha. For the next four decades, he also never spoke to anyone about the hours and days after the bombing" (103). Dr. Sasaki not only moved on, but moved away and started a new life treating people at a clinic of his own. One thing I want to remember and takeaway from this book is all the terrible health outcomes that people had because of the bombing. It is truly horrific, but it also makes you realize why this event is so important. We need to learn from our past.

Part Two: The first bombing on London by Germany occurred during WWI on May 31, 1951. Germany hoped that they would instill so much fear into Britain that they would leave the war. The Blitz on London occurred on September 7, 1940 during WWII. Both attacks in WWI and WWII were strategic bombings implemented on London by Germany.
Click on the link below and it will show the bombings on London during WWI and casualties: https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~wgreen/ECDstratbombIge.html
Click the link below to see information on WWII bombings (Blitz):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blitz

St. Paul's Cathedral in London during 

The Blitz of WWII.

Journal 8 from Alli

Journal 8:

Part One - 

The most important thing that I took from the last couple of chapters of Hiroshima is just how people took the bombing, or how they comprehended what happened overall. Some were indifferent, some were very angry and some were able to find peace. I just think that really shows something, for the people who witnessed all of that, to be able to find peace with it later on. That goes to show something for humankind. It says in the book "One feeling they did seem to share, however, was a curious kind of elated community spirit, something like that of the Londoners after their blitz a pride in the way they and their fellow-survivors had stood up to a dreadful ordeal." (p.115) Even though the horrible things that came with the bomb, it is truly amazing just how something positive can come out of it. It says in the book "It would be impossible to say what horrors were embedded in the minds of the children who lived through the day of the bombing in Hiroshima." It's hard to imagine how something good could come of this. The questions that I had after reading is basically how these people are doing today, I always enjoy learning how they recovered from things like this or what they went on in life to do. One thing that I want to remember from the book is just the kindness and selflessness that I saw in many characters. I wish to take that from the book and use it in my everyday life. 

Part Two - 

Question: What are the effects on humans from nuclear bombs? Fallout?

Answer: While early studies aren't clear of the effects, they speculated early signs of leukemia in patients, and birth defects in babies being born. Of course, directly after the bomb many experienced severe burns that seemed to almost "melt" their skin. Patients severely burned often will still feel pain from that to this day due to extremely severe scaring and their loss of limbs after the bomb. Many vital organs can be damaged for life from the radiation, these body parts include your heart (radiation kills many nerves and blood vessels, this causes seizures and sometimes will be fatal), hair (loss of hair in large clumps occur in many patients), the brain (brain cells do not reproduce so this brings along many problems for patients), reproductive tract (many patients can become sterile after radiation exposure). One of the long term effects on patients would be their extreme risk to cancer and leukemia. Most not killed in the bombing, suffered many more problems afterwards that either killed them or put them in pain throughout the rest of the their life. We are still learning more to this day about the effects. It was worse at the time because we had no prior knowledge about how to treat the effects of nuclear bombing in the masses like there were after Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Example of effects on the human body

The bombing not only affected the people, but the land and their surroundings as well. Many places in Hiroshima and Nagasaki are still facing the effects of the nuclear bomb. Many places so radiated they can't be inhabited. The land has taken a beating because the soil is now radiated, which makes it hard for any life to sustain in these places, many have had to adapt but their health declines because of these conditions. The bomb left an everlasting effect, that many still have to endure today.

Research Link: http://www.atomicarchive.com/Effects/effects17.shtml
(Flip through the many pages! This is specific to the fallout, but if you go back there is information about what I talked about earlier, great website!)

Journal 8- Devon

One of the things that struck me was how strong the characters are and I grew a better appreciation for the survivors of Hiroshima. I also learned that even in the most awful situations life goes on. Toshiko Sasaki is one of the strongest women I've ever read about. I was amazed at her character and all that she did even though she was crippled. " She passed an examination that qualified her as a nursery school teacher" page 120. Even though she was disabled she still went on with her life. I think that she truly be someone that we all learn a lesson from. " By now . the society of helpers knew her strength , and it assigned her ,straight from the novitiate , to the post of director of a home for seventy old people near Kurosaki , on Kyushu , named the Garden of St Joseph (Pg 124).  She was so amazing that she was assigned director. I think that her story shows that anybody can make something of themselves regardless of their circumstances. 

Three hundred and thirty four bombs were dropped at about 500 feet. It created a huge bonfire.  When the fire bombs were dropped most of the people that tried to escape were unsuccessful. People could smell burning flesh in the air. People had to grab mask to prevent themselves from throwing up. Between 80,000 to 130,000 Japanese civilians died. Many of the citizens lived in wood frame buildings. It was known as a paper city.  There were many bodies. They all looked like charcoal.  They had fire bridges but they were very under trained. 

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/firebombing-of-tokyo

Victims of the firebomb. 

Journal 8 from Rebecca

Part One: The most important or meaningful thing in the last two chapters of Hiroshima was that there were only so few doctors to treat so many people.
Some takeaways the book left me with was could there have been any other way other than bombing to save the people who were innocent. If not could we have taken more actions to make it less horrifying and leaving people dead, wounded, and homeless.
The thing I would want remembered from this book is that we should try to solve things instead of just dropping a bomb.
Two quotes I had was "A living corpse because of you, my soul has been able to get through purgatory." "Is your whole life going to be like this, working so hard? Shouldn't you be married? Or, if you choose not to marry, shouldn't you become a nun?"

Part Two: Bombing of Guernica/Painting
In April 1937, Guernica was the first city to be deliberately targeted for aerial bombing. The region's resilient stand was punished by Franco when he allowed the unprotected city to be bombed by Hitler's airforce. It was said that Richthofen selected Guernica as a target. The city had a great importance to the Basques so it's bombing would send a clear message of military power of the Nalionalists to the republicans. The raid was also an experiment and Guernica had been untouched by the war up to April 1937. The famous Spanish painting was by artist Pablo Picasso. It was painted as a reaction to the aerial bombing of Guernica. The Spanish Republic, government of spain, appointed Picasso to paint a large mural about the bombing to display at the 1937 World's Fair in Paris. The oil painting that is 11 feet tall by 25.6 feet wide shows the catelysms of war as well as the anguish and destruction in inflicts upon people, especially innocent civilians.



Links: http://totallyhistory.com/guernical
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/spanish-civil-war/guernica

Journal 8 from Patience

Part 1

The most important thing about Hiroshima to me, was seeing the other side. We know what happened, and we know that we did it. However, most of us never have thought about the other side of the story, the other side of what happened. While what happened was probably for the best in some ways, it is still important to truly acknowledge what happened and what was lost when the bombs were dropped.

The book left me with a bad taste in the mouth, like when you take cough medicine. You know that taking it is for the best, but it still sucks. That's the same way with this topic. I understand that what happened saved a lot of lives in some ways, but it still is difficult to think about.

From the book I want to remember that while we may not like the way things were or happened in the past, we can't change it. All we can do is move forward and remember what happened, so the same mistakes aren't made in the future.


Part 2

Topic: Morale Bombing Versus Terror Bombing

Essentially, the main differences around morale bombing and terror bombing are the reasons the bombing takes place, and the opinion of those in charge. Morale bombing is thought to be done with less prejudice and more for the greater good, while terror bombing tends to be simply to hurt people or out of hatred. It is difficult to draw a line between the two, and most say the main difference is just in perspective, it depends on how you see it.

Journal 8 Omar Shehadeh

The thing that struck me as the most meaningful from the concluding two chapters of Hiroshima was the sheer amount of devastation that the Atomic bomb inflicted onto the people of Hiroshima and the toll WW2 has on the Japanese people. While Dr. Sasaki was able to prosper after the war he is a sharp contrast with the rest of the five survivors in our book. they each lost everything. But due to their different circumstances. Hershey put it eloquently in a quote from Dr. Sasaki's favorite lecture. "Our life is short, we don't live twice; the whirlwind will pick up the leaves and spin them, but then it will drop them and they will form a pile." While Dr. Sasaki's grew, everyone's own pile seemed to be permanently destroyed. One thing I think is really sad is the condition which the survivors were treated with. "Among his many other complaints, he had syphilis, which he had apparently caught from transfusions in one of his hospital stays; it was cured eventually." Conditions were so horrendous that Father Kleinsorge actually acquired syphilis from blood transfusion treatments meant to reduce his radiation sickness. So now he had to deal with a new disease on top of his destroyed immune system. This alone could have killed him, yet he clung to life and fought on. The thing I want to take away from this book and never forget is the determination and strength that these Hiroshima survivors had. Even after having a bomb dropped on top of them and everything they ever owned completely obliterated from the Earth, they continued to fight with everything they had to live, and the majority of them tried to help people along the way as much as they could. 

The League of Nations meeting in Geneva during 1936.

As I begun my research, I found out that the League of Nations was actually first proposed following the devastation that Europe had just went through at the conclusion of WW1 by Woodrow Wilson in a speech to congress on January 8, 1918. It was the conclusion of fourteen points that Wilson had for congress which "called for a “general association of nations…formed under specific covenants for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike.” Even though he proposed the idea, the United States never actually entered into the League of Nations which was one of the big reasons that it never was able to reach its full potential.  Wilson, along with many other politicians across the ocean and at home as well called for the formation of this League to ensure peace and the security of its members. Wilson actually attended the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, becoming the first president of the united states to travel overseas in an official capacity.  He argued with great fervor the formation of the league and eventually was able to push for its charter to become a part of the treaty of Versailles. The belief of Wilson was that the League would be able to ensure peace after the war and establish security and recognition of every power within it. The League would consist of five major chairs with four of those revolving, an international court of justice, an assembly for each of its members, and most importantly to Wilson, it would guarantee the territorial integrity and political independence of member states. Republicans believed that this would be an un-neccesary expensive and reduce the security of our nation so they lobbied heavily to block it from passing through congress. In congress, the treaty of Versailles was rejected with a 49-35 senate vote and later Warren Harding was elected as President with a strong campaign opposing the league. 




Source: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/league

Journal 8 - Dillan

Part One:
I remember some of the world history text books from my adolescence. The events of WWII always warranted at minimum one chapter, and the bombs that were dropped at Hiroshima and Nagasaki always had a few paragraphs dedicated to them. Honestly, I didn't know very much about Hiroshima prior to this book, and the information that I did know was very basic. I knew about Pearl Harbor and the state of the world as a whole during the 40's. I understood why the U.S. would think that dropping these bombs would end the war, but all this information was given to me in a very sterilized form. Everything was displayed very systematically without giving much detail to what happened to the victims or the aftermath left in the wake of these bombs.

Hershey hauntingly wrote, "[...] hundreds and hundreds [...] every one of them seemed to be hurt in some way. The eyebrows of some were burned off and skin hung from their faces and hands.[...] Some were vomiting as they walked. Many were naked or in shreds of clothing" (page 29).

I think the most meaningful thing that I found about the book is how unflinching John Hersey was with his depiction of the events before, during, and after the explosion. He took me from my sterilized, academic pedestal, and he brought me down to the dirty and devastating reality of the bomb. He showed me the wholly brutalized victims and the hopeless world the people surrounding Hiroshima found themselves in. He made it feel like all the of victims collectively closed their eyes for only a few seconds only to open them up to find themselves in a gruesome hell.  I can only hope that I never experience anything close to that, and I may never forget the description of these victims.

On a somewhat brighter note, I know I'll never forget the actions of Mr. Tanimoto. For me, he basically embodies all the men and women that tried there best to help those who were devastated and hurt from the explosion. Tanimoto simply stands out as a hero in my mind for staying in the thick of the situation when so many people ran away while openly leaving others to die. I am not saying these people were wrong for wanting to escape. I am just saying he was very brave and honorable for wanting to assist those who couldn't help themselves. Though Tanimoto missed the antinuclear and peace movements in Japan, which he originally envisioned being a part of, he was still a man of peace and he spent the rest of his life trying to help victims that still suffered in the aftermath. I was glad to read that his old age seemed to occur without any abnormalities when many of contemporaries were suffering the effects of being exposed to radiation, which made me glad to know he wasn't suffering.

Hershey states, " Kiyoshi Tanimoto was over seventy [...] he lived in a snug little house[...] He got up at six every morning and took an hour's walk with his small woolly dog, Chiko. He was slowing down a bit. His memory, like the world's, was getting spotty."

Part Two:
The subject that I chose to look into was Franklin D. Roosevelt's public and private position on the creation and use of atomic weapons. Now, from what I could find it seems that publically F.D.R. seemed to be very unconcerned with the advent of atomic weaponry. It seems as if he were attempting to feign ignorance or disinterest over the matter. Prior to our involvement in WWII, the United States was actually in a time of peace, so it would have raised the suspicions of the world to see the U.S. actively pursue research over the matter. Also, some could argue that if F.D.R. openly advocated this research that it could've been deemed an act of war, which would have only served to hasten the involvement of the United States at a time in which they were unwilling to do so.

Privately, he actually understood the power that would be generated from nuclear fission, and once he received a secret letter from Albert Einstein, which detailed Einstein's understanding of the potential   bomb that could be created based on nuclear fission and Germany's desire to create such a weapon, Roosevelt was convinced that the U.S. had to be the first country to harness this weaponry. From 1939-1946, the United States, with the help of the United Kingdom and Canada, tested the potency of nuclear fission, which ultimately led to the creation of the atomic bomb. This testing and bomb creation was all done in secrecy under the code name the Manhattan Project.

With the unofficial support of F.D.R., the Manhattan Project became one of the first government funded scientific research and development projects, which was unheard of during this time in history as most research projects were privately funded by investors or colleges. Once again, Roosevelt kept his support to this project a secret to avoid any concerns from enemy forces or complaints from the U.S. congress, and in this secrecy all talk about nuclear fission within our country was immediately silenced. Come 1945, when the bombs finally dropped on Japan the world, as a whole, became horribly aware of the relentless destruction these new bombs could create as the world was shoved into the Atomic Age.
http://www.nww2m.com/2011/10/fdr-approves-building-an-atomic-bomb-70th-anniversary-october-9-1941/

Einstein's first letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt



Journal 8 - Hiroshima & Logical Insanity - Antonio

Part One: What struck me about the final chapters was how some of the people described their dedication to their country. The book describes how before some were going to die, they felt holy because they were dying in service of their emperor. This was a time when the Japanese emperor was revered as a living god, and there was tremendous honor in giving their life in his defense. A quote that relates this is, "...Dr. Hiraiwa repeated, 'What a fortunate that we are Japanese! It was my first time I ever tasted such a beautiful spirit when I decided to die for our Emperor.'" (Hersey, 115). The take away that this book gave me is that there are always two sides to something. Looking at the bombing from a Japanese perspective teaches us about their culture and their own reaction to the bomb. The reactions ranged from apathetic to hatred, but apathy was the stranger reaction. This quote represents this attitude. "A surprising number of the people of Hiroshima remained more or less indifferent about the ethics of using the bomb. ...Mrs. Nakamura's conception of it... was typical. 'The atom bomb... I don't know how it works, but when the radium is put together, it explodes.' As for the use of the bomb, she would say, 'It was war and we had to expect it.' And then she would add, 'Shikata go nai,' a Japanese expression as common as, and corresponding to, the Russian word 'nichevo': 'It can't be helped. Oh, well. Too bad.'". (Hersey, 117). I most want to remember the individuals in this book. I want to remember that they were human and to appreciate them as human, and whether the bombings were justified or not (which will never be clear), these people that died deserve to be remembered for their sacrifice.

Part Two:

Winston Churchill's shifting positions on bomb use

Military bombing during the second World War was a major subject for leaders of that time. The discussions had two faces, one was their attitude when talking in public and to other political or military leaders, the other was more private and personal. Winston Churchill was more than in favor of using bombs against Germany at the time of this conflict, he fervently pursued the destruction of vast areas of Germany. This reaction was in response to Germany's bombings of Great Britain,  where as before Germany's bombing attacks, Churchill had misgivings on the effectiveness that "terror bombing" would have on the population. According to a quote by Churchill, "...We have seen the combative spirit of the people roused, and not quelled, by the German air raids." (Harmon, 4). This position did change though, because to allow the enemy to destroy your own cities without retaliation due to a moral dilemma the enemy lacks is the basis for "logical insanity".

Source:

"Are We Beasts", Christopher Harmon

https://www.winstonchurchill.org/images/pdfs/for_educators/Harmon__Are%20We%20Beasts___np1[1].pdf

Journal 8 Theo

After listening to the logical insanity podcast I wanted to know more about the neutron bomb, he mentioned the effects of it but didn't go into great detail about it. I looked it up and found a really good link that describes the history and creation of the bomb. http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/key-issues/nuclear-weapons/basics/neutron-bomb.htm , Iwas really suprised to find out that the neutron bomb was not created intentionally, it was made from the hydrogen bomb. Someone theorized that if you remove the uranium casing around the head, the it would allow radiation to be sent for miles while creating a minimal explosion. It's really scary to think about this bomb because, unlike other bombs, this one is purely constructed and intended on only killing people. The military use for this weapon is to take out ground forces such as tanks, without hurting the tank itself. By using this bomb we can send leathel amounts of radiation through even the thickest of steel in a tank and kill it's passangers. This bomb is really scary because you might not even see it explode and BAM your on the ground coughing up blood and in terrible pain till you eventually die a slow painful death. Why would any society find such a cruel device ok?

Journal 8 - Randi Goney

Part One) What struck me as important was seeing all the effects of the atomic bombs multiple years after they were dropped. Especially the years directly following the bomb, "It was the atomic bomb deposited some sort of poison on Hiroshima which would give off deadly emanations for seven years." Of the people that survived the bomb, they still had painful effects on their bodies from the explosion and radiation. I think it is just heart breaking to see these people survive, and then die later in life from effects of the bomb that had lingered with them. Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge for instance, he died because of bomb later in life, "On November 19th, 1977, with a doctor, a priest and Yoshiki-san at his side, this explosion-affected person took a deep breath and died." The book left me thinking about the other atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki. Was Nagasaki worst than Hiroshima? Who were the survivors from that explosion? Everything that was explained in Hiroshima, I would like to see and know about Nagasaki as well. I definitely want to remember to consider all the different perspectives of a topic before generating an opinion. Perspectives such as the United States at the time of the war or Japanese citizens at the same time. Although dropping the bombs seem very inhumane, in which they are, it was the correct decision at the time for the United States.

Part Two) For the research portion, I researched the fire bombings in Hamburg during World War II. Hamburg was the first place to encounter "fire" warfare in 1943. The goal of these bombings were to destroy large areas completely by wiping out the people and all buildings. The "window" tactic was used in the bombing of Hamburg. This includes dropping foil strips out the windows of the plane to confuse the Germans and their radar systems. The bombing of Hamburg occurred on July 24th, 1943 at approximately 9 o'clock PM. The bombs consisted of high explosives, incendiary, phosphorus and napalm. Due to the massive amount of explosives, some buildings went up in flames that reached over twenty feet high. Altogether, almost nine thousand tons of bombs were dropped on Hamburg that affected an area of about eight and a half square miles. As a result, about forty-five thousand civilians were killed along with about one thousand servicemen. After the bombings, the city never reached its full potential of population and output as it was before the destruction.

Birds eye view of the destruction in Hamburg as a result of the bombs.

The best link from my research was this, https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/courses/ww2/projects/firebombing/websitemenu.htm

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