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Home > English > Extension 1 > Module B: Texts and Ways of Thinking > Elective 1: After the Bomb > After the Bomb
http://www.flickr.com/photos/damian78/726830658/ 
Does not my heat astound you! And my light!
All by myself I am a huge camellia
Glowing and coming and going, flush on flush.
Sylvia Plath Fever 103
After The Bomb
Materials prepared by David Barbara, Farrer High School
A Shift in Global Consciousness
The Rubric
Introduction to Elective 1: After the Bomb
Dropping the bomb
Hiroshima by John Hersey
Poems from Ariel by Sylvia Plath
Absurdism, the peace movement and CATCH 22
Related texts
Creative writing concepts
A Shift in Global Consciousness
Events occur that move communities. Think of events that have transformed the way Australians think, such as the Bali bombing … or the terrible bushfires of Black Saturday. There are events that can lead to a shift in global consciousness. In our time, it has been September 11 and the War on Terror.
The dropping of Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki changed civiliation, catapulting humanity into the Atomic Age and the Cold War. For the first time, human extinction was not only conceivable, it was imminent. It was an era characterised by the clash of two great political ideologies, a massive arms race, nervous diplomacy and escalating anti-war sentiment.
In studying this elective, we are exploring perhaps the most profound historical shift in global consciousness.
Consider these quotes from thinkexist.com .
Martin Luther King, Jr.
The use of the atomic bomb, with its indiscriminate killing of women and children, revolts my soul .
Activity
Discuss each statement, considering the values and purpose of each speaker.
What do you think of the atomic bomb? Compose a statement that conveys your view.
The rubric
This module requires students to explore and evaluate a selection of texts relating to a particular historical period. It develops their understanding of the ways in which scientific, religious, philosophical or economic paradigms have shaped and are reflected in literature and other texts. (Reread English Stage 6 Syllabus , p 89.)
It is a good idea to define the term paradigms, go to the site below:
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=define%3A+paradigm&meta
Think about the dominant scientific, religious, philosophical and economic paradigms of our time. Compare these with what they might have been fifty years ago. Include some discussion of political ideolgies – this is especially important considering the Cold War context of the elective.
Introduction to Elective 1: After the Bomb
In this elective students explore texts which relate to the period from the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki up to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. A climate of Cold War anxiety permeates these texts in a number of ways. The texts may emerge from, respond to, critique, and shape our understanding of ways of thinking during this period. Many of these texts have a common focus on the personal and political ramifications of this era. They are often characterised by an intensified questioning of humanity and human beliefs and values. Experimentation with ideas and form may reflect or challenge ways of thinking during this period.
-English Stage 6 Prescriptions: Area of Study Electives and Texts 2009-2012
In studying the elective After the Bomb, we explore film and literature during the period 1945-1989; the focus is on how nuclear tensions and Cold War anxieties were reflected in texts during this period.
This isn’t a history elective, but it does help if you have a reasonably informed concept of Hiroshima and the subsequent Cold War. You should research events such as the Berlin airlift, The Korean war, conflict in Vietnam, the Cuban missile crisis, the doctrine of MAD and nuclear proliferation, the Kennedy assassinations and the Iron Curtain. This research will help you identify the scientific, religious, philosophical and economic paradigms that characterised the Cold War, and also the personal and political ramifications (costs and consequences) of these ways of thinking.
Activity
Research the key events and people of the Cold War. Create an annotated timeline representing the most ten significant events of the Cold War (beginning with the bombing of Hiroshima and concluding with the dismantling of the Berlin Wall).
Dropping the bomb
This is the crew of The Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima. What do you think was going through their minds as they prepared to undertake this most historic and controversial mission of human history?
Undoubtedly, dropping the bomb was the greatest moral question of the 20th century.
Consider these two contradictory views:
"Having found the bomb we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbour, against those who have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners of war, against those who have abandoned all pretence of obeying international laws of warfare. We have used it in order to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans. We will continue to use it until we completely destroy Japan's power to make war. Only a Japanese surrender will stop us. When you have to deal with a beast, you have to treat him as a beast. It is most regrettable but nevertheless true."
President Harry S Truman
"…when we didn't need to do it, and we knew we didn't need to do it, and they knew that we knew we didn't need to do it, we used them as an experiment for two atomic bombs."
Brigadier General Carter Clark quoted in Gar Alperovitz, The Decision To Use the Atomic Bomb, pg. 359.
Investigate this argument here: http://websupport1.citytech.cuny.edu/Faculty/pparides/sfc_talk.pdf
Activity
Perhaps the greatest moral question of the c20th century - would you have dropped the bomb? Justify your choice, Mr President.
Hiroshima by John Hersey
The brilliance of Hersey’s journalism is that it vividly personalises the atomic destruction of Hiroshima. When the temptation might have been to lapse into emotive superlatives and sensationalism, Hersey’s style is measured, understated and clinically objective. As the work is so character driven, detailed character analysis is a must. Divide the characters up and compose a profile based on the following sub-headings:
- Where was he/she when the bomb exploded?
- What happened to them in the minutes, hours and day after the explosion?
- What were your impressions of this character? What was their fate?
- Select at least two powerful quotes describing your character and analyse.)
Here’s a model profile on Dr Sasaki to get you started:
Where was he/she when the bomb exploded?
Dr Sasaki was working as a doctor at Hiroshima's modern Red Cross Hospital. He was taking a blood specimen to the third floor lab for a Wasserman test. As he started along the main corridor the light of the bomb was reflected 'like a giant photographic flash.' He was 1650 yards from the hypocentre.
What happened?
When the blast ripped through the hospital, Sasaki's glasses flew off his face and his slippers slipped out from under his feet - but he was otherwise unharmed. Dr Sasaki was the only doctor in the hospital who was unhurt. Immediately, droves of the injured and maimed appeared at the hospital for treatment.
Impressions?
Sasaki's story is an extraordinary feat of endurance, devotion and courage. As one of Hiroshima's few surviving doctors, Sasaki treated thousands of patients; the victims streamed relentlessly towards the Red Cross hospital. He worked for three straight days with only one hours sleep, existing at the very limits of human endurance. In time, he worked on the massive tasks of classifying the injured, while the hospital was swept clean of debris and the dead were removed. He then observed the onset of radiation sickness in his many patients.
Fate?
After leaving the Red Cross Hospital, Sasaki set up a private clinic, which proved highly successful. He was treated for lung cancer and had a lung removed, but this disease was not directly attributable to the bomb, as he was a smoker. He became very wealthy. He avoided the high society of the medical fraternity, and opted for a private, quiet life.
Quotes + Analysis:
'…he became an automaton, mechanically wiping, daubing, winding, wiping, daubing, winding.'
This metaphor describes the way in which Sasaki was completely overwhelmed in the hours after the bomb exploded, reduced to robotic movements and stripped of his humanity, highlighted by the repetitions of 'wiping' and 'winding'.
'…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 it will form a pile.'
Sasaki makes this speech to his staff at the medical clinic. It is a statement of his guiding philosophy, shaped by the violence, trauma and suffering of 6 August 1945. Life is symbolised as 'whirlwind', a maelstrom of chaos that briefly animates life before the 'leaves' (lives) are jettisoned and abandoned.
'…Dr Sasaki had come to live with his one bitter regret: that in the shambles of the Red Cross Hospital in those first days it had not been possible … to keep track of those … corpses … with the result that nameless souls might still … be hovering there, unattended and dissatisfied.'
This shows Sasaki to be a man both spiritual and humane. Hersey's spare, understated style evokes a mood of sadness, reflection and regret. The use of complex sentences, commas and colons slows the pace, highlighting the many years of Sasaki's grief and bitterness. The final images, of the ‘hovering’ dead, are poignant and haunting.
Activity
Write a half page or more answering for the following questions:
- What were the immediate and short term effects of the A-Bomb on Hiroshima?
- Comment on the style and structure of Hersey’s article.
- How were the Hibakusha treated in Japan and internationally?
- What are the values and purpose of Hersey’s work?
- In what ways is Heresy’s Hiroshima relevant today?
Writing Activity:
Why was it important that Hersey report to the world the details of images like these? (300-400 words)
There are some other sites that offer some excellent insight and analysis:
- http://www.herseyhiroshima.com/
- http://www.enotes.com/contemporary-literary-criticism/hiroshima-hersey-john/introduction
- http://education.yahoo.com/homework_help/cliffsnotes/hiroshima/
Poems from Ariel by Sylvia Plath
Plath stands in the shadows of Hiroshima and Auschwitz. Her poetry collection ‘Ariel’, with its nightmarish, fragmented images of oppression and entrapment, is iconic of a post-war generation suffering anxiety, uncertainty and paranoia – the psychological fallout of a genocidal war. Plath is a distinctive voice articulating widespread feelings about a world bled of meaning and purpose by the terrible imagery of WWII.
In reading through the poems the first time, it is a good idea to maintain a reading journal incorporating your reflections on the style and content of each poem. Here are some straightforward questions and some complementary web sites to augment your reflections in your journal as you finish your initial foray into each poem.
Daddy
- What are the themes of Daddy?
- Comment on Plath's use of imagery in Daddy.
- What do we learn about Plath's relationship with her father from reading Daddy? (research The Electra Complex)
Lady Lazarus
- Select any two metaphors from Lady Lazarus and comment on their purpose and effectiveness.
- What are the qualities/characteristics of the persona Lady Lazarus?
- What are the three ideas Plath unites in this poem?
- Comment on the ending of the poem.
Lazarus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazarus
Listen to Sylvia Plath recite this poem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esBLxyTFDxE
Analysis of the poem: http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/m_r/plath/lazarus.htm
The Applicant
- Who is the implied listener in 'The Applicant'?
- Who is Plath referring to in the opening stanza, when cataloguing images of medical deficiency and sexual perversion?
- What are the attributes of the 'living doll' on offer?
- What is Plath's tone in 'The Applicant'?
- Select two techniques from this poem and comment on their effectiveness.
- How does 'The Applicant' represent marriage? Is this view of marriage justified?
Analysis of Path’s late poetry: http://www.sylviaplath.de/plath/annas.html
Morning Song
Write a 100-200 word explication of the poem, with use of examples supporting your interpretation.
Words
Discuss Plath’s use of figurative language in Words. What are the characteristics of words as Plath perceives them? How might this poem relate to Cold War politics and diplomacy?
The Bee Box
- What does the Bee Box symbolize?
- Comment on the tone and atmosphere of this poem.
- Read the criticism listed on the following link - whose view do you most agree with and why?
Analysis of the poem: http://www.english.illinois.edu/Maps/poets/m_r/plath/arrival.htm
Fever 103
- What are the main themes and purpose of 'Fever 103'?
- Comment on the significance of the title.
- In what ways does the poem reference the destruction of Hiroshima?
Listen to Sylvia Plath recite this poem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfgtiDvvAR8
Having read the poetry and discussed Plath’s themes, style and tone you should relate her work to the elective.
- What are the personal ramifications of her work?
- What are the political ramifications of her work?
- In what ways does Plath’s work explore the contradictions of post-war society (the hope to rebuild a new world / the fear of imminent self-destruction)?
- How does Plath reflect the anxieties of the nuclear age?
- Is Plath a feminist? Is she critical of patriarchy?
- Comment on the most powerful images of Plath’s work – in what ways are these images connected?
- What is the overarching purpose of Plath’s poetry? Relate this to her broader Cold War context.
Absurdism, the peace movement and CATCH 22
Heller’s dark satire of the Fighting 256th, with its enigmatic, antiheroic protagonist, Yossarian, brilliantly exposes the institutionalised madness of war.
Although initially unpopular and receiving mixed reviews, Catch 22 quickly became a symbol of the 1960’s counter-culture, subverting and resisting systems of authority responsible for the perpetuation of war. In the same way that M.A.S.H was set in Korea, but was really a satire of Vietnam, Catch 22 (published in 1961) uses a WWII milieu to highlight and subvert the insane logic and hypocrisy of The Cold War.
Like Hersey’s Hiroshima, Catch 22 served to inspire the growing anti-war movement of the 1960s and 70s, galvanised by their opposition to the Vietnam War and the increasing spread and lethality of nuclear weapons. Stickers declaring ‘Yossarian Lives’ appeared among other anti-war slogans.
Informed by texts like Catch 22, protestors challenged the remorseless, cruel logic and sinister economic motives of the American military machine as the real enemy, bitterly dividing the United States and resulting in tragedies such as the massacre at Kent State University.
A revision of a few literary terms is recommended before entering the perilous language of Catch 22. Find the meanings of:
- absurdism
- existentialism
- satire
- irony
- paradox
- non-sequitur
- parody
- caricature.
Also, prior to reading, write down what you understand a Catch 22 situation to be. When and why have you heard this term used?
As the novel’s structure is fragmented and non-linear, a reading log is essential. As you read, maintain a record of your notes and observations. Use the following pro forma:
CHAPTER ____ SUMMARY:
INTRIGUING QUOTES:
FEATURES/TECHNIQUES:
QUERIES:
There are a number of useful web sites to facilitate your reading. A simple search by title should locate them.
When you finish reading the novel, consider this original Time Magazine review from 1962: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,873518,00.html?internalid=atb100
Catch 22’s critical reception is further explored here: http://pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/catch225.asp
Activity
Write at least a half a page answering the following questions:
- Is Yossarian insane? How is the question of madness treated in the novel?
- Explain the siginifcance of the the Syndicate.
- What is the effect of the novel’s non-linear, fragmented structure?
- In what ways does this novel challenge systems of authority and control?
- Describe the logic of ‘Catch 22’. How might this thinking be applicable to a Cold War context?
- Consider the ending of the novel – do you think it is pessimistic or optimistic?
- Catch 22 is commonly regarded as the most important novel of the c20th. Do you agree? Dicuss the relevance and significance of Catch 22.
Related texts
Texts should be drawn from a range of contexts and media, and should reflect the personal and political concerns of the post-war period.
Duck and Cover - 1951
It’s interesting to research the social and educational impact of the A-Bomb. The short film ‘Duck and Cover’ was created to educate school children how to survive an atomic explosion. It is often mocked as an example of naïve futility in the face of certain destruction It would make for an excellent related text and a great source for class discusion and debate. You can watch the film on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_and_Cover_(film )
Duck and Cover also exists as a downloadable file at http://www.archive.org/details/DuckandC1951
Casino Royale / From Russia with Love (Ian Fleming) – 1953+
Bond is a heroic construct of the Cold War era embodying the hopes of the West to defeat foreign threats with old fashioned British poise, class and sophistication.
http://www.mi6.co.uk/mi6.php3
The Crucible (Miller) - 1953
The Crucible is a stunning satire of McCarthyism and Cold War hysteria.
http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/home.html
Godzilla (Honda) – 1954
The monstrous Godzilla is a memorable analog of the Hydrogen Bomb – the original story was inspired by the accidental irradiation of a Japanese fishing trawler. The concept of Godzilla is well worth consideration as a related text.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla_(1954_film )
On the Beach (Shute) - 1957
For an Australian angle, read Neville Shute’s chilling post-apacalyptic novel (also adapted into film), in which Australia awaits the inevitable fallout of a nuclear exchange in the Northern Hemisphere.
http://www.amazon.com/Beach-Nevil-Shute/dp/0345311485
Red Alert (George) – 1958
If you can get your hands on it, this is the groundbreaking novel that inspired Dr Strangelove. Well worth the read.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Alert_(novel)
Fail-safe (Burdick & Wheeler) – 1962
Like Red Alert, this novel (and film) explored the possibility that military systems designed to ensure peace might fail and lead irrevocably to full-scale nuclear war.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fail-Safe_(novel)
The Manchurian Candidate (Frankenheimer) - 1962
This film is a powerful satire of Cold War paranioa and conspiracy. An American soldier is progammed under hypnosis to become a sleeper assassin, to be activated at some later date. Watch the excellent 1962 original for Frank Sinatra’s and Laurence Harvey’s outstanding performances.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056218/
Kennedy speeches - 1963
Ich bin ein Berliner is perhaps the definitive speech of the cold war. A speech by JFK would make a substantial related text.
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkberliner.html
http://www.famousquotes.me.uk/speeches/John_F_Kennedy/
http://www.famousquotes.me.uk/speeches/John_F_Kennedy/1.htm
Dr Strangelove or: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb (Stanley Kubrick) - 1964
A brilliant film, in which a psychotic American commander single-handely launches a nuclear strike against the Soviet Union.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/
Planet of the Apes (Schaffner) - 1968
Sci-fi extrapolating the possibilty of nuclear war and it conequences. The final twist of Planet of the Apes remains one of the most visually arresting and iconic from the period. Only consider the 1968 version.
http://www.theforbidden-zone.com/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063442/
M.A.S.H (Altman) - 1970
Roger Ebert wrote ‘Most comedies want us to laugh at things that aren't really funny; in this one we laugh precisely because they're not funny. We laugh, that we may not cry.’ This is a dark comic satire of the Korean War and it links very nicely with Catch 22. Episodes from the TV series might also be handy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MASH_(film)
http://www.mash4077.co.uk/index.php
Barefoot Gen (Nakazawa) - 1973
This semi-autobiographical graphic novel depicts the destruction of Hiroshima from the perspective of a boy. It is a personal and poignant reminder of the unimaginable horror of the A-Bomb.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barefoot_Gen
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/15_04/Bare154.shtml
Z for Zachariah (O’Brien) - 1975
A thought provoking YAF set in the future after a nuclear war. It is a telling alegory of madness of a nuclear arms race.
http://www.borism.net/zforz/reviews.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_For_Zachariah
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (Coerr) - 1977
This historical novel vividly represents the life and death of Sadako Sasaki, a victim of the atomic bomb at only two years of age, who later died from leukemia. You’ll also find a picture book of the same title that might prove useful.
http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/kids/KPSH_E/hiroshima_e/sadako_e/sadako_etop.html
When the Wind Blows (Briggs) - 1982
A confronting graphic novel in which two pensioners prepare for nuclear war. The clever juxtapositioning of the naive protagonists with their impending doom brilliantly highlights human helplessness in the face of these devastating weapons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_the_Wind_Blows_(graphic_novel)
War Games (John Badham) – 1983
When a teen hacker discovers a military game called ‘Thermonuclear Warfare’ he thinks he has discovered the coolest recreational activity of all time … Little does he know that he has broken into the supercomputer responsible for managing the US nuclear arsenal! This is a terrific film and a smart treatment of MAD.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086567/
Red Storm Rising / The Hunt for Red October (Tom Clancy) - 1984
Clancy’s right wing military fantasies highlight the technological ascendency of the United States over a mendacious, desperate Soviet Union.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Storm_Rising
Threads (Hines) – 1984
This BBC docudrama is a highly realistic depiction of a nuclear attack on the United Kingdom and its aftermath. Far superior to the American soap film The Day After. You can watch it on the net or download it free for your ipod.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2023790698427111488
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threads
The Fourth Protocol (Forsyth) - 1984
The title is a reference to the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty, which prohibited the non-conventional delivery of nuclear weapons. An entertaining spy thriller, in which a Soviet agent sets out to construct a nuclear weapon on British soil. It highlights many of the anxieties faced by the West and its paranoid treatment of ‘The Red Menace’.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fourth_Protocol
Watchmen (Alan Moore) - 1986
Alan Moore’s graphic novel is set in an alternate ultra-violent United States in the 1980’s, in which Richard Nixon is still President and America has won the Vietnam War. I can think of no better symbol for nuclear power and deterrance than the otherwordly Dr Manhattan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen
Grave of the Fireflies (Takahata) - 1988
This Japanese anime, based on the firebombing of Kobe, is generally considered to be one of the most powerful ant-war films ever made.
http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/grave/
http://www.geocities.com/ronin_tigris/
The Iron Giant (Bird) -1999
This work does fall outside the temporal parameters of the elective, but it is based on Ted Hughes’ children book of 1968, The Iron Man. An astounding animated children’s film that can be enjoyed on many levels. For the purposes of this unit, it serves as a sophisticated satire of McCarthyism and the futility of violence.
http://www.warnervideo.com/irongiantdvd/
http://www.mediacircus.net/irongiant.html
Creative writing concepts
At the same time that you are researching related texts, you need to make some decisions about your creative writing. You should think select a genre or setting to use as the basis for further development. Some options might include:
- military or historical fiction
- spy or political thriller
- alternate History set during Cold War
- sci-fi, such as post-apocalyptic fiction
- domestic tragedy
- absurdist satire.
Obviously, detailed research and planning needs to happen before composition can commence.
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