Already a member? Truman was not being sly or coy whenhe insisted that the bomb was only another weapon. History, as Eliots Gerontion notes. The combat soldier, he says. Everybody in Japan was willing to die to for the war effort. Or simplified." Comment. , even, he would insist, to men as intelligent and sensitive as Glenn Gray, who missed seeing with his own eyes Sledges marine friends sliding under fire down a shell-pocked ridge slimy with mud and liquid dysentery shit into the maggoty Japanese and USMC corpses at the bottom, vomiting as the maggots burrowed into their own foul clothing. The editors of The New YorkReview gave the debate the tendentious title Was the Hiroshima Bomb Necessary? surely an unanswerable question (unlike Was It Effective?) and one precisely indicating the intellectual difficulties involved in imposing ex post facto a rational and even a genteel ethics on this event. His essay "Thank God for the Atom Bomb" tells us why the United States needed to drop the atomic bomb and provides quotes from people with experience from the war to back up his claim. Paul Fussell, "Thank God for the Atom Bomb," in Fussell, Thank God for the Atom Bomb and Other Essays (Summit Books, 1988) [22] Who is more convincing - Walzer or Fussell? The main argument of the essay is based around social class and personal experience. (The earlier landing on Kyushu was to be carried out by the 700,000 infantry already in the Pacific, those with whom James Jones has sympathized.) That is, few of those destinedto be blown to pieces if the main Japanese islands had been invaded went on to become our most effective men of letters or impressive ethical theorists or professors of contemporary history or of international law. In his paper "Thank God for Atom the Bomb", Paul has put forward several arguments against those who oppose his stance while providing justifications from the literature to support his argument. For someone of his experience, phrases like imperialist class forces come easily, and the issues look perfectly clear. Within seconds of reading you understand his claim that there was justification in dropping the atom bomb. I believe Dower used these sources to present a shocking and accurate assessment of why battles in the Pacific were often ones of extermination between the US and Japanese forces. Bottom Line Thank God for the Atom Bomb is my second collection of Paul Fussell essays. Fussell argues that an infantry assault on Japan would have been deadly and would have resulted in the loss of huge numbers of Allied troops. . and I never imagined anything or anyone could suffer so bitterly I screamed and cursed. In arguing the acceptability of the bomb, Alsop focuses on the power and fanaticism ofWar Minister Anami, who insisted that Japan fight to the bitter end, defending the main islands with the same techniques and tenacity employed at Iwoand Okinawa. Fussell argues vigorously and, to my mind, convincingly that the bombing was crucial in cutting short the war and preventing the much greater loss of life that would have occurred as a result of a full-fledged invasion. The japanese were nowhere near aware of what was going to happen that day, and they had no idea of how much pain and suffering it would inflict. What role does his own experience of history play in shaping his views as a historian? Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. A public opinion survey of Americans conducted in October 1945 found 85 percent favoring the bombs and 23 percent willing to drop more; Truman was an opinion-shaping leader, but he also reflected the wartime attitude of most Americans. asset . He states in the book that He did not want to violate the widely held American moral view that war should be fought against soldiers, not civilians. atomic bomb, also called atom bomb, weapon with great explosive power that results from the sudden release of energy upon the splitting, or fission, of the nuclei of a heavy element such as plutonium or uranium. We were in a staging area near Rheims, ready to be shipped back across the United States for refresher training at Fort Lewis, Washington, and then sent on for final preparation in the Philippines. Jane Runyon stated that some civilian leaders even declared the bombs a good thing. It was then republished under the title "Thank God for the Atom Bomb" in his essay collection Thank God for the Atom Bomb and Other Essays in 1988. Someone, please. As Samuel Johnson said of thesmothering of Desdemona, the innocent in another tragedy, It is not to be endured. Nor, it should be noticed, is an infantrymans account of having his arm blown off in the Arno Valley in Italy in 1944: I wanted to die and die fast. Fussell is angry. Many of those who were on the front lines were not elaborately educated people. . They did not know the horrors the soldiers went through. What does Fussell mean when he describes the bombing of Hiroshima as a tragedy rather . One kamikaze pilot, discouraged by his units failure to impede the Americans very much despite the bizarre casualties it caused, wrote before diving his plane onto an American ship I see the war situation becoming more desperate. Over the years, opinion has shifted sharply toward the position that dropping the bomb both incredibly cruel and totally unnecessary. Having read the two I count myself a fan of Paul Fussell. In general, the principle is, the farther from the scene of horror the easier the talk. With our Essay Lab, you can create a customized outline within seconds to get started on your essay right away. He will realize that such utterance can perform for the speaker a valuable double function. 28-30.] ". After the war he became a much-admired professor of philosophy at Colorado College and an esteemed editor of Heidegger. He begins his essay with a verse: "In life, experience is the great teacher. Thank God for the Atom Bomb and Other Essays. What is the material covered?" When its smell grew too offensive and Sledge urged him to get rid of it, he defended his possession of this trophy thus: How many Marines you reckon that hand pulled the trigger on? (Its hardly necessary to observe that a soldier in the ETO would probably not have dealt that way with a German or Italianthat is, a white persons hand.) He also argues that Japan was not close to surrender, and that although the devastation and casualties caused by the bombing were horrific, that opponents of the bomb neglect the equal or greater horrors suffered by the American soldiers, the Japanese civilians conscripted to fight against them, and the prisoners of war. . First, it can display the fineness of his moral weave. One young combat naval officer close to the action wrote home m the fall of 1943, just before the marines underwent the agony of Tarawa: When I read that we will fight the Japs for years if necessary and will sacrifice hundreds of thousands if we must, I always like to check from where hes talking: its seldom out here. That was Lieutenant (j.g.) So many dreams lost in the madness that had engulfed us. Whereas yellow was the color of illness and treason and the Japanese were usually referred to as yellow, the color white symbolized purity which stood for the American race. Fussell writes that the bombs were necessary to end the war and that they were not intended to punish the Japanese. The "we had no choice but to use the bomb" argument is most strongly presented in Paul Fussell's (in)famous essay, "Thank God for the Atom Bomb.". It would be not just stupid but would betray a lamentable want of human experience to expect soldiers to be very sensitive humanitarians. Publication date 1988 Publisher Summit Books Collection inlibrary; printdisabled; internetarchivebooks; china Digitizing sponsor Kahle/Austin Foundation Contributor Internet Archive Language English. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. On August sixth, 1945 during World War two, an American B-29 bomber dropped the world's first atomic bomb over the city of Hiroshima and three days later, on August ninth, 1945 the second bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki, which forced the Japanese army to surrender.. In the article by Paul Fussell "Thank God for the Atom Bomb," Fussell illustrates his views on the dropping of the atom bomb. He thinks the A-bombs were unnecessary and unjustified because the war was ending anyway. Enjoy eNotes ad-free and cancel anytime. Why did Fussel "thank god for the atom bomb? The title piece, a defense of Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, generated lively controversy when it first appeared in the New Republic; a spirited . The Japanese were determined to win this fight; they would mobilize every Japanese person to suceed. "I have two questions about Paul Fussell's essay, "Thank God for the Atom Bomb". An edition of Thank God for the atom bomb, and other essays (1988) Thank God for the atom bomb, and other essays by Paul Fussell 0 Ratings 1 Want to read 0 Currently reading 0 Have read Overview View 2 Editions Details Reviews Lists Related Books Publish Date 1988 Publisher Summit Books Language English Pages 298 Previews available in: English In short, I strongly disagree with the author because the bomb needed to be dropping in order to end the war. Indeed, unless they actually encountered the enemy during the war, most soldiers have very little idea what combat was like. Paul Fussell wrote an article called "Thank God for the Atom Bomb," seemed to be about how only certain people would understand why it happened while others are still debating if it happened because we wanted something cruel to happen or because that was an alternative to something less painful. If it is argued that the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima was necessary to shock the Japanese to surrender, how does one justify the hasty bombing of Nagasaki only would be a ghastly bloodletting. To intensify the shame Gray insists we feel, he seems willing to fiddle the facts. It's been for me a model of the short poem, and indeed I've come upon few short poems subsequently that exhibited more poetic talent. Dowers book, War without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific War, is an intelligently crafted review of the racial aspects that were integral to the incredible violence of the Pacific theater. Two weeks more means 14,000 more killed and wounded, three weeks more, 21,000. Steven Pinker Will ChatGPT Replace HumanWriters? They would have annihilated a lot of us Fussell. English assignment help 24447 ) Why does Fussell "thank God" for the atom bomb? We would have been murdered in the biggest massacre of the war. These bombs were thought to end the war between Japan and America before other countries could get involved. 1) Why does Fussell "thank God" for the atom bomb? It would seem even more crazy, he went on, if we were to have more casualties on our side to save the Japanese. One of the unpleasant facts for anyone in the ground armies during the war was that you had to become pro tern a subordinate of the very uncivilian George S. Patton and respond somehow to his unremitting insistence that you embrace his view of things. ) Why does Fussell "thank God" for the atom bomb? This is the basis of his argument, that those who did not experience . Thats a harder thing to do than Joravsky seems to think. Many years ago in New York I saw on the side of a bus a whiskey ad Ive remembered all this time. Hes not the only one to have forgotten, if he ever knew, the unspeakable savagery of the Pacific war. Someone, please help this child. Plenty of Japanese gold teeth were extractedsome from still living mouthswith Marine Corps Ka-Bar Knives, and one of E. B. Sledges fellow marines went around with a cut-off Japanese hand. The purpose of the bombs was not to punish people but to stop the war. All this is not to deny that like the Russian Revolution, the atom-bombing of Japan was a vast historical tragedy, and every passing year magnifies the dilemma into which it has lodged the contemporary world. In Geoffrey Shepherds Article he tires to support, connect and persuade his audience. In Scotch, Teacher's is the great experience.". And of course the brutality was not just on one side. Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the Enola Gay, drops the bomb named Little Boy on Hiroshima. Endowment Chairman Sheldon Hackney talked recently with Paul Fussell about the impact of World War I on the twentieth century. The war was over, the story goes, and the US just wanted to demonstrate its nuclear capacity to the world. To experience both sides, one might study the book Unforgettable Fire: Pictures Drawnby Atomic Bomb Survivors, which presents a number of amateur drawings and watercolors of the Hiroshima scene made by middle-aged and elderly survivors for a peace exhibition in 1975. The first was The Great War and Modern Memory . Again, the Japanese had no knowledge of the bombs, causing even more devastating casualties. It would shock the American public and the world. The bomb needed to be. 3 Pages. What did Paul Fussel feel towards the dropping of the Atomic Bomb? This event is known as the dropping of the atom bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan, the event that would begin and end the pain and suffering of millions. Bottom Line Thank God for the Atom Bomb is my second collection of Paul Fussell essays. In Paul Fussell's essay "Thank God for the Atom Bomb" , he argues the importance of experience when thinking about the use of the atom bomb. . And indeed the bombs were . Hiroshima--. His sources supplement his arguments, none more so than John Tolands The Rising Sun: the, Dennis Kucinich, a representative from Ohio, in the persuasive text titled We didnt need to drop the bomb, posted online in 2015, addresses the topic of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. He looked to be in great pain but there was nothing that I could do for him. Understanding the past requires pretending that you dont know the present. But for the atomic bombs, a British observer intimate with the Japanese defenses notes, I dont think we would have stood a cat in hells chance. A bloody woman holds a bloody child in the ruins of a house, and the artist remembers her calling, Please help this child! I believe that the idea of the atomic bomb as something the people would be thankful for is very challenging and yet Fussell, in my opinion, was able to gather all the main ideas behind his argument along with statistics and gave the people a new perspective for the ending of World War II. Paul Fussell is a smart man with an abundance of experience. He was president of the History of Education Society and member of the executive board of the American Educational Research Association. 209-230. (Pg.26) We all know that all war is cruel. This book is recommend to any fan of the essay. Kucinich supports the claim that the bomb was not needed to end the war, although some may disagree. These soldiers experienced the brutality and mostrosities of the war. On the tragic day of August 6, 1945, US Air Force deployed the first atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. He does agree that the dropping of the bomb was horrific and not morally right, but the bombs were necessary. The veterans in the outfit felt we had already run out of luck anyway. The underlying assumption is that the war was something somewhat savage to imagine: He notes; the experience I am discussing is coming to grasps, up close and personal . Fussell argues that an infantry assault on Japan would have been deadly and would have resulted in the loss of huge numbers of Allied troops. They heard about the end of the war. In the poem, Hiroshima Exit by Canadian Writer Joy Kogawa presents a flash back of these events that occurred during World War II. But whats at stake in an infantry assault is so entirely unthinkable to those without the experience of one, or several, or many, even if they possess very wide-ranging imaginations and warm sympathies, that experience is crucial in this case. To intensify the shame Gray insists we feel, he seems willing to fiddle the facts. He often used first person which connected the audience with the author. Fussell had written a guide to poetic form and an equally fine critical life of Samuel Johnson when, in 1975, he broke out as an intellectual celebrity with The Great War and Modern Memory, which. A senior US defense official said Tuesday that Iran could produce enough fissile material for one nuclear bomb in under two weeks. Of course few left. If only it could have been rushed into production faster and dropped at theright moment on the Reich Chancellery or Berchtesgaden or Hitlers military headquarters in East Prussia (where Colonel Stauffenbergs July 20 bomb didnt do the job because it wasnt big enough), much of the Nazi hierarchy could have been pulverized immediately, saving not just the embarrassment of the Nuremberg trials but the lives of around four million Jews, Poles, Slavs, and gypsies, not to mention the lives and limbs of millions of Allied and German soldiers. Aimed at the reconquest of Singapore, this operation was expected to last until about March 1946that is, seven more months of infantry fighting. In speaking thus of Galbraith and Sherry, Im aware of the offensive implications ad hominem. The dramatic postwar Japanese success at hustling and merchandising and tourism has (happily, in many ways) effaced for most people the vicious assault context in which the Hiroshima horror should be viewed. World War II not only exacerbated the racial tension within the American people, but also excused the racist actions taken by American government against the Japanese Americans, as the Americans then prided themselves for fighting in the good war. In it, Fussell judges the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as necessary evils. I think theres something to be learned about that war, as well as about the tendency of historical memory unwittingly to resolve ambiguity and generally clean up the premises, by considering the way testimonies emanating from real war experience tend to complicate attitudes about the most cruel ending of that most cruel war. Everyone blew everything out of proportion. 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