HIROSHIMA
John Hersey
The Final Blow By Jane Runyon
Name:
Japan was being soundly beaten by the Allies. More than 100,000 Japanese soldiers had been
killed on Okinawa. They held no air bases, naval bases, or supply depots in the Pacific Ocean.
The only goal they had left was to protect their home islands from invasion. Civilian leaders of
the country wanted to discuss a peace treaty with the United States and Europe. The military
vowed to fight until the last Japanese soldier was dead. The people of Japan didn't know what to
do. They were frightened by the thought of an invasion by Allied forces. They would be put in
the middle of a battle zone. Allied planes had been firebombing Japanese cities since February of
1945. Over 100,000 Japanese citizens had lost their lives in these bombings. They knew an
invasion would be long and cost many more civilian lives.
1
The Allied Forces, led by the United States, had to make a serious decision. They were also
aware of the high cost an invasion of the Japanese islands would bring. It would prolong the war
by perhaps another year. Battles and a blockade of materials and food brought into the islands could raise the Japanese
death toll to well over one million. They estimated that at least 100,000 more Allied soldiers could lose their lives. No one
wanted to see these possibilities take place.
2
There was one option open to the Allies that was almost unthinkable. The United States, with the help of the United
Kingdom and Canada, had been working on a secret project. This was called the Manhattan Project. They had created a
nuclear bomb. Nuclear energy is formed when atoms are split apart and the energy is released. When this is done is a very
scientific way, massive energy is released that is greater than any explosive that had ever been known before. No one was
quite sure what the consequences of exploding such would be. Some people feared that the heat would be so high that the
atmosphere might be set on fire. Some feared that the radiation released by the explosion might kill all living things on
earth. The atomic bomb was tested once. Scientists conducted this test in the desert in New Mexico.
3
A decision as to whether or not to use this weapon rested with one man. Franklin Delano Roosesvelt had been the
President of the United States during most of World War II. When he died suddenly in April of 1945, Vice President
Harry S. Truman had become the president. He was a store owner from Missouri. He had strong values. He was left with
one of the biggest decisions an American president ever had to make. His options were fairly clear. If he allowed the war
to go on as it was, the Allies would invade Japan. More soldiers would be killed. More civilians would be killed. The
Japanese talked about peace, but would they follow through? They had been talking about peace at the very time they had
attacked Pearl Harbor.
4
If President Truman ordered the use of atomic weapons, it would cause a devastating loss of life in Japan. Civilians
would be killed. There was a possibility that radiation would destroy the land for years. Atomic weapons had never been
used before. Would their use open up a whole new warfare that could eventually destroy the entire world?
5
President Truman was given an almost impossible choice to make. He used every bit of information he could get
before he finally gave the order. On the morning of August 6, 1945, three planes took off from a base about six hours
away from Japan. The Enola Gay was piloted by an American named Colonel Paul Tibbets. Navy Captain William
Parsons was on board to arm the bomb. At 8:15, an atomic bomb with the same explosive power as thirteen kilotons of
TNT was dropped over the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The bomb exploded about 2,000 feet above the city. The force of the
blast pushed downward toward the center of the city. The initial blast killed approximately 80,000 Japanese citizens.
Radiation poisoning and cancer caused by radiation brought that total to over 140,000 people by the end of 1945. The city
of Hiroshima had been wiped from the earth.
6
Sixteen hours after the first atomic bomb was dropped, President Truman announced to the world what had been done.
He also gave the Japanese an ultimatum. They would either surrender or the United States would do the same to another
Japanese city. A battle of words erupted between the Japanese military and the Japanese civilian leadership. The military
refused to give in to the American threat.
7
On August 9, 1945, another atomic bomb was dropped on the sea port city of Nagasaki. Nagasaki had not been the
original target. The plan was to drop the bomb on Kokura. Cloudy conditions had kept the Americans from dropping their
payload on that city. At two minutes past eleven that morning, an atomic bomb smaller than the one dropped on
Hiroshima leveled the city of Nagasaki. Over 75,000 of its residents were killed immediately. More than 100,000 died by
the end of the year.
8
The Japanese military wanted to fight on. The emperor of Japan, Hirohito, finally stepped in and declared a surrender
by his country. His people had had enough. Some civilian leaders even declared the bombings a good thing. They had
brought an end to a war some of them had wanted for quite some time.
9
10
Debate still rages as to whether such an extreme act was the right thing to do or not. What do you think?
1. The Allies were planning to invade China.
2. What were the military and civilian leadership of Japan
arguing about?
False
True
3. Who was the President of the United States when the
atomic bombs were dropped?
President Hirohito
President Truman
President Roosevelt
President Washington
4. Which city was hit by an atomic bomb first?
Nagasaki
Tokyo
Hiroshima
Kokura
5. What were people afraid might happen if an atomic
bomb were dropped?
6. From where does an atomic bomb get its energy?
From gasoline
From TNT
From splitting atoms
From the sun
7. Nagasaki was not the first choice of targets the day it
was bombed.
False
True
8. Why did President Truman choose to drop the atomic
bombs?
To shorten the war
To show the Japanese how powerful the United
States was
To see how it worked
To destroy Japan
How do wars end? Does someone always have to win?
Study Guide—Hiroshima, Ch. 1
Name:
1. What is “B-san,” or “Mr. B?”
2. Why was the Rev. Mr. Tanimoto moving items to the rayon man’s house?
3. Why did Mr. Tanaka accuse Mr. Tanimoto of being a “spy?” What excuse did he use to try to
discredit him?
4. The city of Hiroshima is described as being shaped like a _____________.
5. How did Mr. Tanimoto shield himself from the blast?
6. What was the profession of Mrs. Nakamura’s late husband?
7. Why did Mrs. Nakamura disregard the air raid warning?
8. How did Mrs. Nakamura support herself and her children?
9. During the flash of light, Mrs. Nakamura’s reflexes caused her to take a step toward
________________________.
10. How did Japanese hospitals differ from American hospitals?
11. Dr. Fujii’s hospital lay partly on land and partly over the _______________ river.
12. Describe or draw a picture of Dr. Fujii’s predicament right after the blast.
13. Father Kleinsorge’s nationality was _________________.
14. Why did Fr. Kleinsorge find his breakfast of coffee and ration bread repugnant?
15. Of what did the flash remind Fr. Kleinsorge?
16. What did Dr. Sasaki dream about the night before the bomb?
17. What would have happened if Dr. Sasaki had taken his usual train to work?
18. What was Dr. Sasaki carrying when the flash occurred?
19. What was Dr. Sasaki’s biggest problem after the blast?
20. What did Miss Sasaki need to do before going to work?
21. What was the reason for the memorial service at East Asia Tin Works?
22. What injury did Miss Sasaki suffer as a result of the blast?
23. What is ironic about the last sentence in Chapter One?
Hiroshima Vocabulary, Ch. 1: Write a sentence or draw a picture for each word.
abstinence: The act or practice of refraining from
indulging an appetite.
notorious: Having an exceedingly bad reputation.
colleague: A fellow member of a profession, staff, or
philanthropy: An activity performed with the goal of
academic faculty; an associate.
promoting the well-being of fellow man.
convivial: Fond of feasting, drinking, and good company;
prosperous: Having success; flourishing.
sociable.
diathermy: The production of heat in body tissues by
terminus: An end point on a transportation line or the
electric currents, for therapeutic purposes.
town in which it is located.
hedonistic: Devoted to pleasure.
tyranny: Extreme harshness or severity; rigor.
Select the correct word for each sentence.
philanthropy
hedonistic
notorious
convivial
terminus
prosperous
abstinence
diathermy
colleague
tyranny
_______________ 1. The farm was ____ because of good weather and planning.
_______________ 2. The ____ for the northbound bus is the intersection of 53rd Street and Elmwood Avenue.
_______________ 3. His ____ toward children's organizations was well known.
_______________ 4. Al Capone, the ____ mobster, was finally arrested for income tax fraud.
_______________ 5. Who wouldn't have had fun amoung such a ____ group of people.
_______________ 6. The coach's ____ was well known by all of the basketball players.
_______________ 7. Dr. Masakazu Fuijii, being prosperous, ____, and at the time not too busy, had been
allowing himself the pleasure of sleeping all day.
_______________ 8. She went to the doctor weekly for her ____ treatment.
_______________ 9. For an addict, it is important to slowly begin to practice ____.
_______________10. Susan's ____ was much more knowledgeable at performing the task than she was.
List the page number(s) where each vocab word can be found in the book:
abstinence
colleague
convivial
diathermy
hedonistic
notorious
philanthropy
prosperous
terminus
tyranny
Hiroshima-- Chapter 2 Study Guide
1. What did Mr. Tanimoto see from the hillock at the Rayon man’s house? 18
2. What two actions by Mrs. Nakamura showed that she was probably in shock? 19-20
3. Describe the “freak occurrences” that were discovered in Fr. Kleinsorge’s room. 22
4. What motivated Dr. Fujii to free himself from the timbers in the river? 23
5. How many doctors died in the initial blast? 24
6. Where did Dr. Sasaki finally find some glasses? 25
7. Describe what happens with Mr. Fukai. 27-29
8. How does Mr. Tanimoto respond when he finds his wife? 30
9. Who does Miss Sasaki have to share her shelter with? 33
10. What made Mrs. Nakamura and her children sick? 35
11. What does Mr. Tanimoto plan to do with the boat that he finds? 37
12. What happens to the people on the river bank when fire rips through Asano Park? 38
13. What destructive force follows the fire? 39
14. What surprise do Fr. Kleinsorge and Rev. Tanimoto discover in the garden? 40
15. Why does Mrs. Kamai hold onto the corpse of her dead baby? 41
16. Give two examples (with page numbers) of people becoming desensitized.
17. Give three examples (with page numbers) of injuries suffered by the victims of the blast.
18. Give two examples (with page numbers) of how Japanese culture is different from American culture.
Hiroshima Vocabulary, Ch. 2: Write a sentence or draw a picture for each word.
awry: Off the right course, gone haywire.
laceration: A torn ragged wound.
breviary: A book with the official order of worship in
miasma: Bad spelling vapor from rotting matter
church services.
conflagration: A very intense and uncontrolled fire.
strafe: To spray with gunfire at close range, especially
machine guns.
dilapidation: To bring or fall into a state of partial ruin,
turbulent: Violent, agitated, restless, and erratic.
decay, or disrepair.
hillock: A small natural hill.
vortex: A central point that seems to draw all that
surrounds it to the center.
Select the correct word for each sentence.
conflagration
laceration
breviary
vortex
miasma
dilapidation
turbulent
hillock
strafe
awry
_______________ 1. The bandage covered the ____ on Tommy's face.
_______________ 2. ____ targets could be seen around Pearl Harbor.
_______________ 3. The priest carried only his ____ to the altar.
_______________ 4. The ____ of the hurricane touched down on a deserted farm.
_______________ 5. The house's state of ____ caused the city to condemn it.
_______________ 6. The boat tossed in the ____ sea.
_______________ 7. The ____ consumed the entire apartment building.
_______________ 8. His face was all twisted ____ from crying and screaming so long.
_______________ 9. We climbed to the top of the ____ to see into the valley.
_______________10. The ____ of the marsh made all that passed through it extremely sick.
List the page number(s) where each vocab word can be found in the book:
awry
breviary
conflagration
dilapidation
hillock
laceration
miasma
strafe
turbulent
vortex
Hiroshima Chapter 3 Study Questions
1. What announcement does the young officer make? Is it true? 42
2. Why does Mr. Tanimoto become sickened in the sandspit? 45
3. What are Dr. Fujii’s injuries? 46
4. How long does Dr. Sasaki work? How much sleep does he get?
5. Why do officers draw their swords on Father Kleinsorge? 47
6. What does Miss Sasaki say to her companions? 48
7. What happened to the people Mr. Tanimoto put on the river bank? 49
8. According to the USA, how powerful was the bomb dropped on Hiroshima? 49
9. Why won’t the military doctors leave the East Parade ground and help people in Asano Park? 50
10. What gruesome discovery does Father Kleinsorge make while bringing people water? 51
11. Who are the Kataoka children?
12. Why does Father Kleinsorge feel the sudden urge to burst into tears? 53
13. When Miss Sasaki’s friends find her alive, what do they tell her? 54
14. What do the doctors in Inokuchi tell her? What does the doctor in Ninoshima tell her? 55
15. What strange discovery is made at the hospital? 56
16. Why is Mr. Tanimoto so uncomfortable while at Asano Park? 57
17. Where have the Nakamuras gone? 58
18. Where has Dr. Fujii gone? 59
19. According to the newspaper man that stopped by the Novitiate, what caused the damage? 59
20. What favor does Mr. Tanimoto do for Mr. Tanaka? Why is this act especially kind? 61
21. What does the doctor at the Goddess of Mercy Primary School tell Miss Sasaki? What does he do for
her? 61
22. What does genshi bakudan mean? 62
23. What does Mrs. Nakamura discover on her trip back into Hiroshima? 63
24. Describe the hospital operation that deals with the dead and the dying? 63
25. What is the announcement that the Emperor of Japan makes on August 15, 1945?
Hiroshima Vocabulary, Ch. 3: Write a sentence or draw a picture for each word.
benumbed: To dull the feelings or senses
inconsolable: Heartbroken; cannot be comforted
disarray: A disorganized mess
moribund: Being in a state of inactivity and/or dying:
approaching death
excruciating: Very painful; causing great suffering
putrid: Decomposed and foul-smelling; rotten.
gangrene: A serious infection leading to the death of
succinct: Clearly expressed in a few words; brief
body tissue
immolate: To kill someone as a sacrificial victim,
usually by fire
suppurate: To form or discharge pus.
Select the correct word for each sentence.
inconsolable
suppurate
moribund
gangrene
benumbed
excruciating
succinct
immolate
disarray
putrid
_______________ 1. ____ was found in the soldier's leg, so it had to be amputated.
_______________ 2. Dawn went through ____ pain after her surgery.
_______________ 3. The Aztecs would ____ common people in the name of the gods.
_______________ 4. Joe was ____ with sadness after the death of his dog.
_______________ 5. Don gave ____ instructions that were short and easy to understand.
_______________ 6. The meat had gone bad and had a ____ smell.
_______________ 7. My locker was in such a state of ____ that I could not find anything.
_______________ 8. Our plants seem to become ____ in the cold winters, but they perk up again in the spring.
_______________ 9. When he removed the bandage from his wound, he was relieved to see that it did not
____.
_______________10. Americans are now ____ to television violence.
List the page number(s) where each vocab word can be found in the book:
benumbed
disarray
excruciating
gangrene
immolate
inconsolable
moribund
putrid
succinct
suppurate
Hiroshima Chapter 4 Study Questions
1. How does Father Kleinsorge feel after going back into the city? 67
2. What strange thing has happened to Mrs. Nakamura’s hair? 68
3. Why does Miss Sasaki "get the creeps"? 69
4. What are petechiae? 70
5. Where is Dr. Fujii staying now? What happens to this man’s house? 71
SUMMARY OF 72-73: The people of Hiroshima fall sick a month after the bomb was dropped and rumors begin to
spread that the bomb deposited poison on the city. Furthermore, the rumor says that people will not be able to go
back for seven years. Scientists enter the city to perform tests and find that the bomb landed very close to the
Chugoku Regional Army Headquarters. Stories of people who vanished and left their shadows emerge. The scientists
discover that radiation levels are falling and the city will be safe to enter.
6. What happened to Mrs. Nakamura’s sewing machine? 74
7. What do the doctors in Tokyo say about Father Kleinsorge’s condition? 74
8. How does Mr. Tanimoto treat his fever? 76
9. What happens to radiation victims in Stage I of the disease? 76
10. What happens to radiation victims in Stage II of the disease? 77
11. What happens to radiation victims in Stage III of the disease? 77-78
12. Why does Dr. Fujii write his new sign in English? 78
13. What begins to happen to Miss Sasaki’s leg? 79
14. What has happened to Miss Sasaki’s fiancé? 79
15. What does Dr. Fujii say about Fr. Kleinsorge’s prescription "to be cautious"? 80
SUMMARY OF 80-83: People are beginning to re-inhabit Hiroshima but many are living in the outskirts. Most people
now live in flimsy Shanties that provide minimal shelter. Americans are planning the "New Hiroshima" which will have
no army. Statisticians publish numbers that 78,150 people were killed, 13,983 were missing, and 37,425 were injured.
After many more corpses are found in the ruins they speculate that over 100,000 people were killed. 25% died from
direct burns from the bomb, 50% from other injuries, and 25% from radiation effects. 75% of the city’s buildings were
damaged beyond repair. The air temperature reached 10,832 degrees Fahrenheit, a measurement which is
inconceivable. Americans tried to keep the fact that the bomb was atomic a secret but it was discovered that Little
Boy was a uranium bomb and Fat Man was a plutonium bomb. Scientists knew that a bomb ten-twenty times more
powerful could be created.
16. How does Father Kleinsorge react to Miss Sasaki’s claims about God? 83
17. Describe Mrs. Nakamura’s home and possessions. 84
18. What does Mr. Tanimoto notice about his energy level? 85
19. Why do the Jesuits commission a carpenter? 85
20. What does Miss Sasaki do when she gets out of the hospital? 86
21. How are each of our characters doing one year later?
Miss Sasaki-
Mrs. Nakamura-
Father Kleinsorge-
Dr. Sasaki-
Dr. Fujii-
Mr. Tanimoto-
22. How do each of the following characters feel about the dropping of the A-bomb?
Nakamura and Fujii-
Sasaki-
Father Kleinsorge
Hiroshima Vocabulary, Ch. 4: Write a sentence or draw a picture for each word.
cache: A hidden storage space
malaise: Tired, rundown feeling; mild sickness or
depression
capricious: Apt to change suddenly; unpredictable
remnant: A small part or portion that remains after the
main part no longer exists.
commission: To assign a task to someone
succumb: To give up or give in to; to yield.
emanation: Anything that spreads from a source
talismanic: Containing magic power or an ability to
ward off evil
liable: To take responsibility for, to be held accountable
verdancy: The quality of being green, or unripe in
experience or judgment.
Select the correct word for each sentence.
talismanic
commission
verdancy
remnant
liable
emanations
capricious
succumb
malaise
cache
_______________ 1. The doctor said my ____ was probably due to a poor diet and lack of sleep.
_______________ 2. Mrs. Dillard used a ____ of fabric from her curtains to make place mats.
_______________ 3. You are held legally ____ for any damage or harm your pets cause.
_______________ 4. When William received his ____ to write a book, he was very happy.
_______________ 5. Light and heat are ____ from the sun.
_______________ 6. The squirrels found the ____ of acorns.
_______________ 7. Her ____ attitude keeps everyone on their toes.
_______________ 8. If you ____ to your laziness and avoid studying, you will surely fail.
_______________ 9. The ____ ring was desired by all who wished to harness its powers.
_______________10. The ____ of the flowering garden immediately lifted my spirits.
List the page number(s) where each vocab word can be found in the book:
cache
capricious
commission
emanation
liable
malaise
remnant
succumb
talismanic
verdancy
Dr. Sasaki
Dr. Fujii
Disclaimer: These photos are NOT the actual characters in the book. They are being used to provide a visual.
Mrs. Nakamura
Miss Sasaki
Disclaimer: These photos are NOT the actual characters in the book. They are being used to provide a visual.
Rev. Tanimoto
Fr. Kleinsorge
Disclaimer: These photos are NOT the actual characters in the book. They are being used to provide a visual.
Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no haka, 1988)
1. Could what happened to Seita and Setsuko happen in our country today? Why or why not?
2. Who showed the children the most kindness? Who was the cruelest to them? Give reasons
for your answers.
3. What concepts that we discussed while reading Hiroshima are brought up in this film?
5. What is the theme of this film? What message is the director and writer trying to get across?
8. Could anything have been done to help the children? Who is responsible for them?
9. Did pride play a role in the fate of Seita and Setsuko? Why or why not?
Facts about Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no haka, 1988)
"Grave of the Fireflies
belongs on any list of the
greatest war films ever
made."
- Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun
Times
"Why do fireflies die so
young?"
Orphaned and homeless
from a fire-bomb attack on
their city, 14 year old Seita
and his 4 year old sister,
Setsuko, set out to survive
in the face of a society that
is no longer able to protect
them. Forced to live in an
abandoned bomb shelter
in the Japanese
countryside, they slowly
comes to realize that they
can never escape the
hardships of war, or even
find enough food to
survive.
http://www.centralparkmedia.com/gotf/
A live-action TV-movie based on Grave
of the Fireflies was broadcast in Japan
beginning Nov. 1, 2005.
Sakuma Drops have been a popular candy in Japan for
over 100 years. Because of the popularity of the
movie, a new tin was manufactured with Setsuko’s
picture.