Berger's "Hiroshima"

Summary:
John Berger's essay "Hiroshima" is written in response to a collection of artwork entitled Unforgettable Fire. The book consists of drawings, sketches, and memories that document the bombing of Hiroshima by its survivors. While the collection claims that the drawings are being left "for posterity," Berger finds something more important at work here (qtd in Berger 576). Instead he argues that it is through personal narrative (and art) that latter generations can truly comprehend the horror of this action (and others like it). He likens the images to "hell" and labels the action as one of terrorism--one that can never be justified no matter what political side one supports or what aims one hopes to accomplish.
Response:
Based on the types of readings I have assigned for this class, I don't think it should be any surprise that I believe in the power of the personal narrative. So, on this point, I completely agree with Berger. Reading the number of those who died in the Holocaust, or lost their loved ones in Pearl Harbor, or fell with the Towers on 9/11 has a power on its own. But it is too easy to become immune to numbers. A personal narrative prevents an audience from de-humanizing an issue, and hopefully focus on what is truly important.
Rhetorical Analysis:
Berger makes two rhetorical choices that are especially effective. The first is that he interweaves excerpts of personal narratives into his own essay. While these narratives support his point, he does not refer to them or explicate them in any way. Instead he lets them speak for themselves. Since his point is that the personal narrative brings history into "living consciousness," this move highlights his thesis (575). Second, he uses language that polarizes his readers. By using terms like "hell" and "terrorism" he is not allowing his readers to take a middle path. While this may turn some readers away, this type of rhetoric again supports his point. He closes his essay by saying that only when someone looks away can acts like these be justified (581). This type of language prevents an audience from "looking away."

Example of Reading Response Blog

I wrote this last year in response to the This I Believe essay "Are You With Us?" I'll be posting another one soon based on a personal narrative from World War II.

ENG 101 Reading Response
The This I Believe essay "Are You with Us? Are You with Us?" (written by an author only known as Roya) emphasizes the belief that any American, and possibly any world citizen, can belong to many worlds and be both part of "us" and "them." The title of this essay comes from many of those in the Bush administration after the attacks of 9/11. The attack on terrorism was presented as "you are either with us or you're against us." You're either "us" or "them." Roya is in a difficult position, being an Iranian American. He claims that due to many Americans' ignorance of world cultures, he can only be viewed as Iranian, or part of "them." In fact, he stresses the point that until a major catastrophe occurs, or America engages an area of the world in military conflict, most Americans have little to no knowledge of that part of the world. He provides Kabul, Baghdad, and Darfur as examples of this (which many of us now know of only through the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the major humanitarian conflict in the Sudan).

I have had personal experience with many of the points that Roya makes. I remember watching the events of 9/11, and sadly becoming one of those people that became consumed by the disaster. And, yet, when Bush made his proclamation of "us and them," I died a little bit inside. I knew where this idea was going. If you don't agree with the actions of the U.S. government, then you support terrorism. And while I abhor what occurred on 9/11, I don't believe our war in Afghanistan has been handled properly and I don't believe it supported a war on Iraq at all. So the "us and them" issue affects all American citizens, not just those who may be viewed as "them" based on their ethnicity.

I also taught 7th grade for many years, and the teaching of Islam is part of the social studies curriculum. Before the 2001-2002 school year, virtually none of my students had any knowledge about Islam or the Muslim areas of the world at all. From September 11, 2001 on, all my students "knew" about Islam was that it "was related to terrorism." I'm not sure which situation was worse: total ignorance or prejudice based on ignorance.Iran seems to be becoming "the new threat" to our democracy, at least as it is presented by our government and the media. But I agree with Roya: Does it make me "unpatriotic to try to understand and allow room for knowledge and tolerance so that I can effectively take part in spreading freedom and democracy?"

Example of Countering

Countering:
Based on the personal narratives of those who lived through World War II, it is my contention that war can never be justified. John Berger says as much in his essay "Hiroshima," in which he argues that in order to learn from history, personal accounts must be the central focus, not statistics (581). Berger's text brings the artwork and words produced by the survivors of Hiroshima to the forefront, while arguing that the attack should never have taken place. He writes, "The two bombs dropped on Japan were terrorist actions. The calculation was terrorist. The indiscriminacy was terrorist. The small groups of terrorists operating today are, by comparison, humane killers" (580). Note that Berger uses the word "terrorist" three times within as many sentences, while also alluding to the terrorist threat that the United States currently faces. This combined effect jars the readers, prompting them to rethink their positions not only on the atomic bombings of Japan, but also on war itself. However, this type of language is inflammatory, and therefore could have the opposite effect than that intended by Berger. Hence, I propose that instead of resorting to the type of rhetoric seen in Berger's essay, historians should focus on the personal narratives he offers--for it is the personal account that is far more able to effect change.

Forwarding a text

Forwarding Night
It seems to be a characteristic of human behavior that when faced with a difficult time in life, one often turns to religion for comfort. Elie Weisel’s Night, an autobiography documenting his experiences during World War II in a concentration camp, supports this idea. Weisel writes, “Why did I pray? A strange question. Why did I live? Why did I breathe?” (2) In this passage the young Weisel correlates his need for religion with his need to live and breathe. Religion is as essential to him as life itself. Interestingly, the young Weisel and his Jewish neighbors turn to religion in the exact moment that they are being persecuted for their religious beliefs. Yet, religion is exactly what gets them through this terrible moment in history.


Make a general statement.
Introduce the text.
Quote from the text.
Explain the quote.
Tie the quote to the general statement.

This I Believe Rough Draft

I Believe in the Comfort of a Good Book

With the knowledge that this may make me sound like a geek, some of my best friends have been books. First, there was Little Women. It was the first book that was actually mine. Before Jo, Amy, and Beth (I never liked Meg), I always had to return my friends to the library after two weeks. But from the first crease in the velvet-coated cover, these three stayed with me. I wanted to be as sweet as Beth, as pretty as Amy, and as independent and accomplished as Jo.
By the time I was carrying a copy of Catcher in the Rye in my backpack, I had met a lot of friends through the pages of well-worn books. When I discovered in 10th grade that two well-known murderers also carried the Salinger book with them at all times, I realized my identification with Holden Caulfield might not be such a great thing. So I looked to other authors for friends that could lead me down less violent paths.
There was Plath's autobiographical sketch in The Bell Jar. Okay, she was crazy and suicidal, but she was also insanely funny and eventually overcomes her depression. She was a beacon of hope to me; she survives even though Plath succumbs to her mental illness. Taming of the Shrew's Katarina was the naughty friend your parents wouldn't let you hang out with, but I got to hang out with her anytime I wanted. Margaret Atwood's version of the girl everyone wants to be is Cordelia from Cat's Eye. Come to think of it, she's a little off-kilter too.
Which friends had a good influence on me? Hamlet taught me to use my words with care (and slip in a pun or two in veiled insults). The mothers and daughters of Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club reminded me that the distance between my mother and myself was not as far as it often seemed. Charlotte taught me the importance of words, while Wilbur spurred on the unwavering belief of hope. Ender inspired me to self-reflect and make amends. Scout spoke her mind about injustices in the world, as only a child can see them. The six friends from A Secret History were the most intellectual, heart-warming murderers I ever encountered. Hussein's Kite Runner allowed me to see the world through another's eyes, and that, yes, you can go back again to make things right.
I met friends in the yellowed-pages of trashy paperbacks and in the gilded cloth of "high literature." And, yet, the book that is my best friend was long neglected.
I first encountered A Circle of Friends many years ago. My grandmother was the quintessential bibliophile and brought me my love of books. Probably the only book I ever "stole" from her is the story of overweight Benny and abandoned Eve. It is set in Ireland, the roots of my family, and is about as harmless a narrative as was ever told. There is not a single swear word, no violence, and sex scenes that could be shown on the Disney Channel. But for many years, it was my comforting friend. Home sick with a cold? Wrap up in a warm blanket and skip to the part in the middle where Benny meets Jack Foley. Tired from cramming for exams? Start at the beginning and you'll be asleep in no time (as if my grandmother was reading the story to me herself). Had a fight with your boyfriend? Frantically skim the section in which Eve almost stabs Nan.
Missing your grandmother? Just holding the book will bring her back.
The lovely, soft woman who raised me contracted abdominal lymphoma a year ago in June. Her decline was rapid, and by July she was permanently hospitalized. Chemo and radiation only sped up the shutting-down of her body. On August 22nd, we decided as a family that she would come home to die in peace. We planned Christmas, knowing it would be her last. I rearranged the furniture in my grandparents' living room so that she would be "where the action was," not relegated to the bedroom as if she was sick. She would come home on the 24th after she had built up some strength.
On the 23rd, Granny was very tired. Her eyes closed unwillingly, and her words were muffled and strained.
When I arrived at the hospital on the 24th, it was evident that she was not coming home that day. I had brought Circle of Friends with me on the morning. Not having read it in years, I knew it would be a joy to read it to my grandmother just as she had read it with me all those years ago. She was tired, but she could listen to one of her favorite stories and hear my voice.
"Benny was large and square, but she wouldn't look like that in the pink velvet dress. She would be just like the fairy dancers they had seen on the stage." These were the last words my grandmother heard that night. They are marked in my old tattered copy, the one that I had inadvertently taken from my grandmother all those years ago.
Feeling lonely? Turn to page 4 and start with the starred passage. I am immediately surrounded by all of my old friends. Holden. Jo. Katarina. Benny.
Granny.

Current Events Blog 9/27

One story that I have noticed is receiving little if no coverage of the last week is the protesting of the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh. An example of the incomplete coverage can be found in an article posted on The New York Times website: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/world/27protest.html. In this article, published 9/26/09, Colin Moynihan focuses on three distinct sets of protests. The first that he discusses occurred Friday night after the closing of the summit. 110 people were arrested during this protest and the writer calls it an "angry" "disturbance." While Moynihan does interview some of the protesters, especially in regards to the way they were treated by the police, he does not indicate why they were protesting. The glaring omission also hinders his reporting of the march that took place on Friday and the protests from Thursday. Although he highlights that some protesters ignited a dumpster (creating a very vivid picture for the reader), he doesn't account for the majority of protesters who were peaceful nor does he give voice to their concerns. The only time Moynihan comes close to discussing why the protesters were at the G20 Summit was in discussing the myriad of organized groups (like Code Pink and Iraq Veterans against the War) and their individual causes. But what he leaves out, and I think this is crucial and indicates a bias in the reporting, is what exactly G20 does and why these groups feel that the summit is not addressing their concerns. So, while I appreciate that The New York Times at least reported on this story, I am disappointed that the paper treated the protests as a separate entity from the G20 Summit. After all, there is a reason (whether we agree with it or not) that thousands chose to protest this event. Unbiased journalism would have allowed for a full account of not only the protests and the police's reaction to them, but also to the connection between the protests and the topics of the Summit.

Media's Presentation of Palin's Remarks

I found an interesting discrepancy in this morning's news. Much criticism has been aimed at Palin in the last few days, with many McCain supporters (and workers) leveling accusations at the running-mate that blame her for the loss of the presidential bid. If you haven't heard, these range from her apparently not understanding that Africa was a continent, which I have a very hard time believing, to being unprofessional with staff. She has finally begun speaking out against the accusations.

The Associated Press (AP) headline for this story is "Palin Denounces Anonymous Critics as 'Cowardly'" (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26500628/). However, the New York Times (NYT) is entitled "Palin Calls Critics among McCain Aides 'Jerks'" (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27602873/). What is interesting to me here is that both articles quote both lines. Yet, each author chose to emphasize one of the words in the headline.

The AP's choice of highlighting the word "cowardly" does not make Palin look like she is on the defensive. It is a much more neutral portrayal of the former VP candidate than the NYT's. Their choice to highlight her use of the word "jerk" does make Palin look bad. It is unstatesmanly to use this type of word and possibly highlights one of the reasons many felt Palin was unprepared for the job.

So when we look for bias in our research, it is important to notice not just which details are presented, because if we notice here, most of the details are the same in the two articles. Instead, we should also pay attention to which details are highlighted, in bigger type, towards the top of the article, included in captions, etc. That emphasis often will reveal an author's perspective.