Hiroshima.

 

A single word that brings such powerful emotion and conjures unimaginable devastation and suffering.

First, we watch the videos of the story from numerous perspectives. Then the questions come. First about the science.

  • How can we go there now, isn’t radiation still there?
  • How much stronger are nuclear bombs today? (hint: over 500x stronger)
  • Why can we go to Hiroshima now, but not Chernobyl?
  • What’s a thyroid?
  • What is black rain?
  • What exactly does radiation do to you?
  • What’s a half-life and how is it calculated?

As data was mentioned in the documentary, they then calculate: If the bomb took 43 seconds to reach the detonation point at 300 meters above the city of Hiroshima, exactly how far above the Earth was the plane flying?

And then the children’s big questions come over the course of days.

  • How do countries become friends again?
  • How long does that take?
  • Why do we bother going to war in the first place?
  • Who was right?
  • Is this true? Is this what really happened, or was this just one sides view?
  • Did the people know about the warnings the US sent to the Japanese government? 
  • Were the people ever able to love or trust again?

It’s very spooky arriving in Hiroshima on many levels. In a world of confusion, of this I am certain:

It’s not the people. Country governments and their leaders that use religions, ideologies, economics, and synthetic constructs as excuses to fight wars are pathetic. Every country should be ashamed for the long list of excuses for war, the lies, the fabrications, the atrocities committed, the wasted resources, and most of all, the eternal grief rained upon mothers of the fallen throughout history. That alone should be enough to put a stop to it.

For a different view of events, mandatory reading should include, (courtesy of Bill the Baker)

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/150809-atomic-bomb-hiroshima-nagasaki-radiation-world-war-II-n

Untold Stories of the United States, Edition 3 by Oliver Stone

Nicholas: “So I guess the victors really do get to write the story?”

More to come. Be safe.

Here are the titles of the Newsela that the boys read in class:
Famous Speeches: Truman Announce Dropping of Atomic bomb on Hiroshima
The Hiroshima Bombing: What you need to know about the nuclear attack
Explainer: The difference between radiation and radioactivity
Great cities: How Hiroshima rose from the ashes of nuclear destruction
Opinion: Obama at Hiroshima

 

Two thoughtful views of race relations in America

Every so often pieces come along that impart enlighten, but few with the eloquence and impact of this author, Ta-nehisi Coates. Kids, in a world of general nonsense, this is a voice worth considering.

https://www.theatlantic.com/author/ta-nehisi-coates/

A favorite…

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/09/fear-of-a-black-president/309064/

And a dissenting voice…

An Open Letter to Ta-Nehisi Coates