Rising out of the Shadows Using History to Teach Empathy 2019/20

Rising Out of the Shadows Using History to Teach Empathy 2019/20

PEAC Institute | Peace Education & Art Communication

For further questions visit us online at: http://education.peacinstitute.org Guide Email us at: [email protected] 2

Contents ROOTS Overview 3 Lesson Overview 4 Day 1 | History & Narratives 5 Day 2 | Creative Expression 6 Day 3 | Shadow Art 7 Word Bank 8 Suggestions 10 Assessment 11 Appendix 12

Handouts Core Standards 14 Writing Rubric 16 Shadow Art Rubric 18 Critical Thinking Rubric 19 Scoring Sheet 20 Selection from Hiroshima 21 Photographic & Film Details 22 Character List 26 Notes on Dada Artist & Alex Webb 32

Rising Out Of The Shadows Guide 3

ROOTS OVERVIEW Lesson Overview Rising Out Of The Shadows, ROOTS, was inspired by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The shadow people were created by the heat and light of the bombs which left printed shadows on streets, bridges and granite steps. In this program students will look at Shadow Art stories of survivors and then write narratives from one of the survivor’s perspectives. Then they will choose a moment from their narratives and create a Shadow Art collage. Learning Objectives Students will be able to: • Discuss visual media and write a descriptive narrative using sensory details. Materials • Identify what life was like leading up to the atomic bombings, • Clips from That Day and Hiroshima speculate what life was like Revealed directly following the bombings • 5 x 8-inch cards and what life is like now. • Student Handout: Photographic & • Explore empathetic learning Film Details Original Shadows through writing journal entries from the perspective of a survivor. • Examples of art created by past participants • Solidify the empathetic journey by making a work of creative • Hiroshima by John Hersey (The expression (Shadow Art) from the New Yorker, August 31, 1946) perspective of another. (optional) A pre-packaged, powerful lesson which is already • Glue • Paper linked to the Common Core State Standards and comes • Drawing materials (markers, pens, complete with examples & assessment/scoring rubrics. crayons, etc.) Students will learn about war & peace in an empathetic way. Give your students a chance to travel to Japan and/ or get involved with an international community of young thought-leaders. 4 Rising Out of the Shadows Using History to Teach Empathy

LESSON PLAN

Grades: Junior High and High School (6–12) Subjects: Language Arts, Visual Arts, History, Social Science, Humanities Time Required: 3-4 class periods plus independent research (based on 50min class periods)

Lesson Overview Lesson Steps: Students will write narratives from the Days 1 and 2 perspective of atomic bomb survivors depicted in rare photographs and 1. Show the film multimedia biographical information. clips and display the They will then engage in creative photographs included expression (a collage) depicting a with this lesson plan. moment from their narratives. Have students take the time to look closely at the photographs. Learning Objectives Then ask them the following questions: Students will be able to: • What do you see? • Discuss visual media and write a descriptive narrative using sensory • What do you notice about these details. people? What else? • Identify the events leading up to the • What are these people wearing/not atomic bombings and speculate what wearing? life was like directly following the • What else do you notice? bombings and what life is like now. • Look closely at the background. What • Write journal entries from the can you identify? perspective of a survivor. • What is on the ground? How do you • Create a collage in response to a know this? moment from their narratives. Materials MEDIA ASSETS • Media clips & photographs Link • 1 5x8-inch cards per student • Glue, paper, drawing materials PHOTO ASSETS • Student handouts: Link • Photographic & film details • Character list from Hiroshima, by John Hersey HANDOUTS • Hiroshima by John Hersey (The New Link Yorker, August 31, 1946) (optional) Rising Out of the Shadows Using History to Teach Empathy 5

2. Distribute 5 x 8-inch cards and ask students to write a paragraph that describes the film and photographs which includes a minimum of five sensory details. Instruct students to consider what they could see, hear, smell, taste, or touch if they were in the photographs. Next have students select a single figure from the film or photographs. Pass out the handout Photographic & Film Details. Instruct students to look closely at all the details about the person they choose to focus on, and then answer the questions in the handout. Discuss responses as a class. 3. Instruct students to identify the events leading up to the atomic bombings. The following Web resources might be helpful: “HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI REMEMBERED” on the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Remembered website: http://www.hiroshima-remembered.com 4. Distribute the character list from John Hersey’s Hiroshima. Explain that these people, like most of the stories of what happened directly following the atomic bombing, were almost invisible in U.S. history. Additionally, you could have students orally recite one of the character synopses. You may want to take a look at “Hiroshima” on The New Yorker‘s Website: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1946/08/31/hiroshima 5. Have students select one person from the videos, photographs, or book and write five (5) to ten (10) journal entries from the perspective of that individual. Explain that they will create journals in a biographical narrative format. Further explain that all information surrounding the bombing was censored by both the US & Japanese governments.

Possible journal topics could include the following: • Type of work they did before the bomb • Details about their family • The day the bomb was dropped • Their day-to-day life after the bomb • A dramatic moment • How they felt 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, 50 years after Remind students to include many sensory details in their writings. The journal entries should span the years of the individual‘s life from right before/right after the bomb to now. Students can conduct research with Web resources like “Hiroshima” on The New Yorker‘s Website: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1946/08/31/hiroshima

6. Tell students to select a moment from their journals and develop a collage that illustrates the moment. Show students an example of such artwork from the past workshops: https://youtu.be/yLtD06_hjWA

HOMEWORK CORNER | DAY 1 Have students finish their journal entries and begin to think about what they will do for their collages. 6

CREATIVE EXPRESSION

Materials journals or a reaction to the Paper, crayons, markers, survivors’ story from which watercolors, paint, they will create their collage. contemporary magazines, 4. Have the students choose 3 scissors and provided to 5 words or symbols from images. the word bank and 3 to 5 images for their collages. Lesson Steps: (Students are welcome to Days 2 through 4 add their own images or words.) 1. Show students examples 5. Have the students begin from the Dada Collage’s & manipulating the images Alex Webb’s photographs. by cutting them and (See the image bank and rearranging them. Ask them descriptions of the Dada to find two different ways movement and Alex Webb’s of arranging them. Have photographs) the students think about 2. Ask the students what the meaning they want to they believe the artist was portray and how to combine trying to say through their the images, words and color art. Have them break into to get their point across. groups and discuss. 6. *Bonus - Ask the students if 3. Tell students to select a they can make the opposite dramatic moment in their meaning with the same 7

images and words. final discussion: 7. Before the student’s finalize • What are shadow people? their collages, by gluing • Are their any shadow them down, have them pair people in your life? up and ask the following • What current events are questions: happening now that involve • What feelings or emotions shadow people? come up when you look at • If you were a world the collage? leader what would you • Where do your eyes go? change now that you have • What do you focus on? learned more about what 8. Have the students finalize happened in Hiroshima & their collages by gluing Nagasaki? down the images and words. • Are there things in your Have them add color to schools that you don’t like? make their statements How can you change them? stronger. • Was dropping the bomb an 9. Here are some questions extreme form of bullying? you can ask for a

HOMEWORK CORNER | DAY 2-3 Final journal entry: Imagine you are one of the US leaders or bombardiers, what would you say to the character you chose? 8

Collage Process

Step 1 Step 3 Step 5 Choose the words, Think of the meaning you Before finalizing the symbols and images collage get into pairs you will work with. We wish to portray and how to combine the images, and ask the following recommend 3 to 5 words questions: Where did your and symbols and 3 to words, and color to best get your point across. eyes go? On what did 5 images. Students are you focus? What feeling/ welcome to use their own. emotion came up for you?

Step 2 Step 4 Step 6 Play with the images. Cut them and move Can you use the same Glue down your images them around. Find images, words and and words. Add color to two different ways of colors to make the make your statement arranging the images. Opposite meaning? stronger. 9 WORD BANK 10 Rising Out of the Shadows Using History to Teach Empathy

Suggestion:

Give added value to the art-creation process by reading an excerpt about shadow people from John Hersey’s Hiroshima.

From p. 72 of Hiroshima by John Hersey released in 1989-

“The scientists noticed that the flash of the bomb had discoloured concrete to a light reddish tint, had scaled off the surface of granite, and had scorched other types of building material, and that consequently the bomb had in some places, left prints of the shadows that had been cast by its light . The experts found, for instance, a permanent shadow thrown on the roof of the Chamber of Commerce Building (220 yards from the rough center) by the structure’s rectangular tower; several others in the lookout post on top of the Hypothec Bank (2,050 yards); another in the tower of the Chugoku Electric Supply Building (800 yards); another projected by the handle of a gas pump (2,630 yards); and several on granite tomb stones in the Gokoku Shrine (385 yards). By triangulating these and other shadows with the objects that formed them, the scientists determined that the exact center was a spot a hundred and fifty yards south of the torii and a few yards southeast of the pile of ruins that had once been the Shima Hospital. (A few vague human silhouettes were found, and these gave rise to stories that eventually included fancy and precise details. One story told how a painter on a ladder was monumentalized in a kind of bas-relief on the stone facade of a bank building on which he was at work, in the act of dipping his paint brush into his paint can; another, how a man and his cart on the bridge near the Museum of Science and Industry, almost under the center of the explosion, were cast down in an embossed shadow which made it clear that the man was about to whip his horse.)” Rising Out of the Shadows Using History to Teach Empathy 11

Students will be assessed on their participation in group discussions and their ability to provide five (5) to ten (10) journal entries with sensory Assessment details from the perspective of the individual they selected. Students’ Shadow Art should reflect a moment from their journal entries. Click here Are there for the rubric that will help you assess the journal entries. All resources can shadow also be found in the appendix or on people in your the Handout Page. neighbourhood? Apply to PEAC’s 2020 75th 2020 Memorial Hiroshima Tour

Conclusion What tools can At the end of the class ask students to share we use to make their Shadow Art, what the experience has positive change? meant to them and what it makes them feel. Ask the students what Shadow Art means to them. Encourage students to upload pictures of their Shadow Art to http://education.peacinstitute. org/workshop to share what they made with an What’s one international audience and apply to PeaceBoat’s thing you can 2019 75th Memorial Hiroshima & Nagaskai Tour. do everyday to make change? Upload work here: http://education.peacinstitute.org/workshop 10 11

Appendix

Core Standards Handouts: Writing Rubric Shadow Art Rubric Critical Thinking Rubric Scoring Sheet Selection from Hiroshima Photographic & Film Details Character List Notes on Dada Artist & Alex Webb 14 Rising Out of the Shadows Using History to Teach Empathy

COMMON CORE EDUCATION STANDARDS

COMMON CORE EDUCATION STANDARDS ADDRESSED

Standards for English Language Arts:

SPEAKING AND LISTENING WRITING Comprehension and Collaboration Production and Distribution of Writing (Grade 6-8) (Grade 6-8) 1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a 4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which range of conversations and collaborations with the development, organization, and style are diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. expressing their own clearly and persuasively. (Grade 6-12) 2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, 3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined quantitatively, and orally. experiences or events using effective technique, well chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. RESEARCH 9. Draw evidence from literary or informational Research to Build and Present Knowledge texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. (Grade 6-8) 1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a 11. Develop personal, cultural, textual, and range of conversations and collaborations with thematic connections within and across genres as diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and they respond to texts through written, digital, and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. oral presentations, employing a variety of media and genres. 2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, READING quantitatively, and orally. 7. Conduct short as well as more sustained Comprehension and Drawing Reactions research projects based on focused questions, and/or Conclusions demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. (Grade 6-12) 8. Gather relevant information from multiple 10. Read and comprehend complex literary print and digital sources, assess the credibility and informational texts independently and and accuracy of each source, and integrate the proficiently. information while avoiding plagiarism. 9. Draw evidence from literary or informational 11. Respond to literature by employing knowledge texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. of literary language, textual features, and forms to read and comprehend, reflect upon, and interpret literary texts from a variety of genres and a wide spectrum of American and world cultures. Rising Out of the Shadows Using History to Teach Empathy 15

Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies Science, and Technical Subjects: READING (Grades 6–8) 8. Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (Grades 11–12) 7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

WRITING (Grades 6-12) 2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.

Standards for Visual and Performing Arts Grades 9–12 (Proficient) 2.0 Creative Expression 2.6 Create a two or three-dimensional work of art that addresses a social issue.

Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. HS Advanced 1.1.III Visualize and hypothesize to generate plans for ideas and directions for creating art and design that can affect social change. eriments, or technical processes.

Standards for Media Arts

Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. HS Proficient 1.1.I Use identified generative methods to formulate multiple ideas, develop artistic goals, and problem solve in media arts creation processes. HS Accomplished 1.1.II Strategically utilize generative methods to formulate multiple ideas, refine artistic goals, and increase the originality of approaches in media arts creation processes. HS Advanced 1.1.III Integrate aesthetic principles with a variety of generative methods to fluently form original ideas, solutions, and innovations in media arts creation processes. 16 Rising Out of the Shadows Using History to Teach Empathy Handout | 1 Excels in responding to assignment. Interesting, demonstrates sophistication of thought. Central idea is clearly communicated, worth developing; limited enough to be manageable. Recognizes some complexity of its central idea: may acknowledge its contradictions, qualifications, or limits and follow out their logical implications. Understands and critically evaluates its sources, appropriately limits and defines terms. Uses a logical structure appropriate to subject, purpose, and audience. Sophisticated transitional sentences often develop one idea from the previous or identify their logical relations. It guides the reader through the chain of reasoning or progression of ideas. Mastering - Score: 5 | 6 Less effective at coherently responding to Less effective the assignment. Presents a general central idea, often depending on platitudes or clich é s. Usually does not acknowledge other views. Shows basic comprehension of sources, perhaps with lapses in When defining terms, often understanding. it depends on dictionary definitions. Responds appropriately to the assignment. Clearly states a central idea, but has minor Acknowledges the lapses in development. complexity of a central idea and the Shows possibility of other points view. careful understanding of sources, but may Attempts to not evaluate them critically. define terms, not always successfully. Lists or arrange ideas randomly rather than using any evident logical structure. are present, but they likely Transitions to be sequential (first, second, third) rather than logical. Each paragraph may relate to a central idea, logic is not always clear. Paragraphs have topic sentences but may be overly general, and arrangement of sentences within paragraphs may lack coherence. Shows a logical progression of ideas and uses fairly sophisticated transitional devices; e.g., may move from least to more important idea. Some logical links may be but each paragraph clearly relates to faulty, central idea. Developing - Score: 3 | 4 Does not respond to the assignment, lacks central idea, and may neglect to use sources where necessary. Does not have a clear central idea or does not respond appropriately to the assignment. May be too vague or obvious May to be developed effectively. misunderstand sources. lacks No appreciable organization; transitions and coherence. lacking May have random organization, internal paragraph coherence and using few or inappropriate transitions. Paragraphs may lack topic sentences or main ideas, or may be too general Paragraphs may specific to be effective. not all relate to central ideas. Emerging - Score: 1 | 2 Ideas Organization & coherence Writing Rubric Writing Writing Rubric Mechanics Style Support Rising Out of the Shadows Using History to Teach Empathy 17 Emerging - Score: 1 | 2 see connections between thoughts. the reader's understanding and ability to errors or a few important that block Usually contains either many mechanical sentence. follow the thinking from sentence to errors that it is impossible for the reader to Usually contains so many mechanical monotonous. sentences; sentence structure is simple or several awkward or ungrammatical personal and specific. Usually contains May be too vague and abstract, or very inappropriate language. sentences, misuses words, and employs Usually contains many awkward narrative. kind. May be an essay rather than personal for support, or offers little evidence of any Depends on clich é s or overgeneralization evidence entirely. May be unduly brief. Uses irrelevant details or lacks supporting Developing - Score: 3 | 4 understanding. annoy the reader but not impede May contain a few errors, which may understanding. reader but not impede the overall errors, which may temporarily confuse the Usually contains several mechanical be awkward or ineffective. structured, and focused, though some may general. Sentences generally clear, well effectively, but may sometimes be too Generally uses words accurately and repetitive, or confusing. sentences may be wordy, unfocused, Sentence structure generally correct, but may use some inappropriate language. Uses relatively vague and general words, relevance. and main ideas. Its examples bear some and explain connections between evidence evidence. Begins to interpret the evidence points, perhaps using varied kinds of Begins to offer reasons to support its lapses in logic may be present. to the point being discussed. Frequent speaks for itself and needs no application experience, or assumes that evidence on unsupported opinion or personal too obvious or not relevant. Often depends points. May use examples, but they may be Often uses generalizations to support its Mastering - Score: 5 | 6 punctuation, and grammatical errors. Almost entirely free of spelling, and rambling. structured and carefully focused, not long purpose. Sentences are varied, yet clearly Sentence style fits narrative’s audience and and uses an appropriate level of specificity. Chooses words for their precise meaning and explanation to convince. effectively, providing sufficient evidence Uses evidence appropriately and Handout | 1 18 Rising Out of the Shadows Using History to Teach Empathy Handout | 2 Mastering - Score: 5 | 6 Able to discuss with vivid detail the visual media and identify the events leading up to the atomic bombings. Shows ability to speculate what life was like directly following the bombings and what life is like now for the survivors. Feels confident discus sing responses in a group/class setting. The written descriptive narrative uses sensory details that is visible or heard in the Shadow Art. Art Successfully created a piece of Shadow depicting a moment from their 5 - 10 journal entries. Developing - Score: 3 | 4 Able to discuss with adequate detail the visual media and appropriately but routine ly identifies the events leading up to the atomic bombings. Selectively speculates what life was like directly following the bombings and what life is like now for the survivors. Feels somewhat confident discussing responses in a group/class setting. The written descriptive narrative only uses vague sensory details and/or is loosely be Art. seen or heard in the Shadow Appropriate, but with inconsistencies in the creation of a piece thematically, Art depicting a moment from their Shadow 5 - 10 journal entries. Not able to discuss with detail the visual media and inappropriately identifies the events leading up to the atomic bombings. Speculation on what life was like directly following the bombings and now for survivors is simplistic, inappropriate or not related to topic. Does not feel confident discussing responses in a group/class setting. The written descriptive narrative fails to use sensory details and/or cannot be seen Art. or heard in the Shadow Style is inconsistent or inappropriate. is unfocused and poorly organized; Work lacks logical connection of ideas. Format is absent, inconsistent or distracting in the Art piece depicting creation of the Shadow a moment from their 5 - 10 journal entries. Emerging - Score: 1 | 2 Analysis Interpretation Application Shadow Art Rubric Critical Thinking Rubric Critical Thinking effectively Communicates consequences implications, and conclusions, Assesses and evidence supporting data Analyzes Rising Out of the Shadows Using History to Teach Empathy 19 Emerging - Score: 1 | 2 Few sources are cited or used correctly. is absent, inconsistent or distracting. lacks logical connection of ideas. Format Work is unfocused and poorly organized; inappropriate. of proofreading. Style is inconsistent or are distracting or repeated. Little evidence meaning. Grammar, syntax, or other errors In many places, language obscures external authority. absolute, and may attribute conclusion to simplistic summary. Conclusions are and consequences, or conclusion is a Fails to identify conclusions, implications, topic. simplistic, inappropriate or not related to between fact and opinion. Evidence is without justification. Does not distinguish without question or dismisses evidence evaluation skills. Repeats information No evidence of selection or source Developing - Score: 3 | 4 sources are cited and used correctly. although at times inconsistent. Most mechanical. Format is appropriate connect ideas, although they may be Basic organization is apparent; transitions more difficult aspects of style and voice. although there may be some problems with Errors are not distracting or frequent, with communication. In general, language does not interfere vague reference to conclusions. consequences. Implications may include conclusions as only loosely related to impact other people or issues. Presents issue. Presents implications that may consequences extending beyond a single Conclusions consider evidence of exploration is routine. Appropriate evidence is provided although fact from opinion and may recognize bias. need. Use of evidence is selective, discerns and evaluating sources to meet information Demonstrates adequate skill in selecting Mastering - Score: 5 | 6 with the use of information. economic, legal, and social issues involved correctly, demonstrating understanding or presentation. All sources are cited and used problems with other components of Consistent use of appropriate format. Few between ideas enhance presentation. audience. Organization is clear; transitions Errors are minimal. Style is appropriate for nuanced and eloquent. communicates ideas. May at times be Language clearly and effectively are developed and consider ambiguities. are considered and integrated. Implications Qualifies own assertions. Consequences context, assumptions, and evidence. implications, and consequences. Considers Identifies and discusses conclusions, impact. of ideas, subordinating for importance and of presentation reflects clear organization and relevance. Recognizes bias. Sequence Examines evidence and questions accuracy Evidence of source evaluation skills. Handout | 3 20 Rising Out of the Shadows Using History to Teach Empathy Ha ndout | 4 Total /30 Total /18 Total Total /18 Total Total /66 Total Rubric Scoring Sheet Total Total Total Total Grade as Percentage Score: 1 | 2 3 4 5 6 Score: 1 | 2 3 4 5 6 Score: 1 | 2 3 4 5 6 Writing Rubric Writing Shadow Art Rubric Ideas Organization & coherence Support Style Mechanics Analysis Interpretation Application Writing Score Writing Personal Expresion Score Critical Thinking Score Overall Assessment Critical Thinking Rubric Analyzes supporting data and evidence Assess conclusions, implications, and consequences Communicates effectively Rising Out of the Shadows Selection from Hiroshima

From p. 72 of Hiroshima by John Hersey released in 1989-

HandoutHandout | |5 8 Photographic & Film Details Rising Out of the Shadows Program Pilot 2015/16

Tricycle of a young child found Jacket of a young child found Pocket watch which stopped at the within 1 mile of the Hiroshima within 1 mile of the Hiroshima time of the Hiroshima bombing. bombing. Aug 6th, 1945. bombing. Aug 6th, 1945. Aug 6th, 1945.

The US Army surveying the Near the epicenter of the A young boy shows his keloid damage of the first atomic bomb. Hiroshima atomic blast. scars following the healing of Hiroshima. Aug 6th, 1945. burns caused by the atomic bomb.

A Japanese family living in wreck- A young woman shows her ke- Survivors are sheltered at the age following the atomic bombing loid scars following the healing of Hiroshima Second Military of Nagasaki in 1945. burns caused by the atomic bomb. Hospital’s tent.

Handout | 6 Handout | 5 Photographic & Film Details Rising Out of the Shadows Program Pilot 2015/16

Rising Out of the Shadows Using History to Teach Empathy 23

Hatsuyo Nakamura Terufumi Sasaki Wilhelm Kleinsorge

Toshiko Sasaki Masakazu Fujii Kiyoshi Tanimoto

Teruko’s Story at Red Cross Mito’s Story at Her Home Yuko Ono’s story of What She Saw Hospital

Koko’s Story On The River Handout | 6 Handout | 5 Photographic & Film Details Rising Out of the Shadows Program Pilot 2015/16

Raoul Hausmann Raoul Hausmann Hannah Höch “The Art Critic” “ABCD” “Dompteuse Tamer”

Hannah Höch Hannah Höch Hannah Höch “Untitled” “The Beautiful Girl” “Love”

Hannah Höch Hannah Höch David Plunkert “Indian Dancer” “Cut With the Kitchen Knife” “Brainy Beautiful”

Handout | 6 Handout | 5 Photographic & Film Details Rising Out of the Shadows Program Pilot 2015/16

Rising Out of the Shadows Using History to Teach Empathy 25

Alex Webb Alex Webb Alex Webb Tehuantepec, Mexico Etroits, La Gonave, Haiti Thessaloniki, Greece

Alex Webb Alex Webb Alex Webb Nuevo Laredo, Mexico Haiti Istanbul, Turkey

Alex Webb Alex Webb Alex Webb Tijuana Baja California Havana, Cuba Dallas, Texas

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Character List from Hiroshima, by John Hersey

Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura

A tailor’s widow raising three young children on her own, Mrs. Nakamura is caring and resourceful, as well as a dedicated citizen. As Hersey puts it, she “had long had a habit of doing as she was told.” She and her children survive the explosion without any external physical harm, but she and her daughter, Myeko, later come down with radiation sickness and suffer with it for years.

Of the six people proﬁled in Hiroshima, Mrs. Nakamura is the only one in charge of a family—although some of the male characters are married, their wives and children are not present in the narrative—and the only person who struggles with poverty as a direct result of the war. Perhaps because she is busy caring for herself and her children after the bombing, as opposed to being involved with the larger community, she never emerges as a clearly deﬁned character. We get a glimpse into her psyche when, in Chapter Four, Hersey says that after hearing that they poisoned the city, she begins to hate America even more than she did during the war. When this rumor is later dispelled, however, she returns to an attitude of general passivity, summing up her position regarding the war with the expression “Shikata ga nai,” or “It can’t be helped.”

Mrs. Nakamura’s role in the narrative seems to be that of an ordinary victim of an extraordinary event. She suffers from -radiation sickness and, consequently, extreme poverty, for many years—yet she does not harbor hatred or resentment about her predicament. She eventually manages to get a good job, and when we last see her she is ﬁnancially well off and content. Mrs. Nakamura shows us that even after being unwilling guinea pigs in the worst act of war in history, many citizens of Hiroshima simply continued on with their lives as best as they could.

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Dr. Terufumi Sasaki

A twenty-ﬁve-year-old surgeon at the Red Cross Hospital in Hiroshima, Dr. Sasaki is hardworking, idealistic, and ambitious. We learn the extent of his selﬂessness early, when Hersey describes how he risks penalties by treating sick patients in the suburbs without a permit. As the only physician at the hospital who is unharmed in the explosion, he treats thousands of the dying and wounded people of Hiroshima. Dr. Sasaki contributes to important medical advances in the analysis and treatment of radiation sickness after the bombing, and for years he spends most of his time trying to remove keloids—the red, rubbery scars that grow over severe burns—only to discover that much of his work caused more damage than good. He later leaves the city to set up a private clinic, distance himself from his gruesome memories, and make a clean start.

We are kept at more of an emotional distance from Dr. Sasaki than from any other character. This distance emphasizes how Dr. Sasaki does not seek recognition or praise for his hard work. Thus, it is a bit shocking when he expresses his anger by saying that those responsible for the bomb should be hanged, but at the same time we see how he was deeply traumatized by his experiences after the bombing. While other characters attempt to simply continue on with their lives, Dr. Sasaki makes a break with the past by leaving the hospital. This drastic action suggests a deep level of suffering and a desperate need to forget what he experienced. Hersey illustrates Dr. Sasaki’s emotional disengagement from the bomb victims with a memorable turn of phrase: “He lived enclosed in the present tense.”

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Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge

A German Jesuit priest living in Hiroshima, Father Kleinsorge selﬂessly comforts many of the dying and wounded in the immediate aftermath of the bombing, as well as in the years following. While he is not seriously injured by the bombing, he falls prey to radiation sickness and becomes weak and tired, often requiring lengthy -hospital stays.

Father Kleinsorge is the only non-Japanese person proﬁled in the narrative. Although before the bombing he often felt that he was under suspicion as a foreigner living in Japan, his experiences afterward are not very different from those of the other victims. His experiences demonstrate how the bomb served as an equalizer: all people affected by it suffered and came together to help, regardless of their background. At the same time, Father Kleinsorge gives the readers a distinct, non-Japanese view of some signiﬁcant events, such as his amazement at how the majority of Japanese victims suffer silently and with dignity.

Father Kleinsorge’s life does not drastically change after the bombing—when we ﬁrst meet him, he is already physically weak from the wartime diet—but he does become so enamored with the Japanese that he decides to become a citizen himself, taking the name Father Makoto Takakura. This unexpected gesture reﬂects positively on the Japanese people, and also symbolizes the community strength and dedication that came about in response to the bombing.

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Toshiko Sasaki

Miss Sasaki is a twenty-year-old clerk who works hard to take care of her siblings and parents. The bomb collapses the factory where she works, and she becomes pinned underneath a bookcase that crushes her leg. For weeks she receives no real medical care for her badly fractured and infected leg, and she remains crippled for the rest of her life. After the war she suffers greatly as a bomb victim and a cripple. Her ﬁancé abandons her, and she is scarred emotionally as well as physically. After Father Kleinsorge encourages her to convert to Christianity and become a nun, she has a distinguished career, travels around the world, and becomes optimistic about her future.

Miss Sasaki comes closest to representing the many nameless, wounded survivors of the bomb. Several doctors treat her callously; because her injury is severe but not mortal or mysterious, she garners very little sympathy from anyone. She is completely immobilized, so she does not become involved in the communal efforts that most of the other characters take part in. As a result, she suffers mostly in isolation.

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Dr. Masakazu Fujii

A successful physician, Dr. Fujii owns a small, private medical clinic and has a wife who lives in Osaka. When the bomb strikes, his entire clinic topples into the water. Dr. Fujii rebuilds his Hiroshima clinic in 1948 and has a successful career mainly treating and socializing with members of the American occupation. He drinks, plays golf, and studies languages.

Dr. Fujii’s life changes very little as a result of the bombing. His injuries heal and he is able to continue his profession comfortably and lucratively. Of all the characters, however, his life ends under the worst circumstances. He dies after being in a coma for eleven years, with his family in discord. Hersey notes that his wife and son squabble over his inheritance after his death, leading to a lawsuit.

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Reverend Mr. Kiyoshi Tanimoto

A thoughtful and kind Methodist pastor, Mr. Tanimoto works endlessly to help bring many of the nameless dying and wounded to safety. He is unhurt by the bomb and feels ashamed to be healthy while surrounded by so much human misery; so he spends more time and energy than any other character helping the wounded. He is later affected by radiation sickness and he loses much of his vitality and energy. After the war, he travels to America to give speeches and raise money for a peace center in Japan. He lavishes praise on the American people and government, calling them generous and “the greatest civilization in human history.” His newfound popularity ends up backﬁring, as many in both Japan and America consider him a publicity seeker. Nevertheless, Kiyoshi Tanimoto never gave up acting for people and especially raising money for his parish in the USA and a project called "the Hibakusha Maidens project”. The focal point of the Hibakusha Maidens project was the treatment of about sixty young girls who had been disﬁgured or crippled by the bombing. Kiyoshi Tanimoto became their crusader and benefactor. He brought them together, gave them things to do, individually and collectively, and provided focus for their lives. He also joined forces with his US connections to have them receive surgery in the US.

Of the six people proﬁled in Hiroshima, Mr. Tanimoto comes across as the most complex and difﬁcult to understand. With his dedicated hard work in the days after the bombing, he seems to embody the personal humility and group-consciousness characteristic of Japanese culture. Yet at the same time, his actions seem very self-conscious because he, of all the characters, feels the strongest ties to America, ties that he knows cause suspicion. The pressure he feels to prove his loyalty to Japan reveals an important cultural dynamic at the time: Japanese citizens with foreign ties were even more suspect than actual foreigners such as Father Kleinsorge. As a Japanese man with ties to America, Mr. Tanimoto feels a constant guilt and drive to prove his loyalty. Despite all his hard work, however, Mr. Tanimoto fails to achieve the respect he craves from the Japanese.

Of all the characters, Mr. Tanimoto undergoes the most drastic postwar lifestyle changes, constantly traveling around the U.S., appearing on television, and striving in order to have his Peace Center be successful. Hersey spends more time writing about him than about anyone else, and he ends the narrative with a description of an aging Mr. Tanimoto in his comfortable, modern home. Mr. Tanimoto’s life could serve as a twentieth-century political allegory of what happens when good intentions are coupled with miscalculated methods and an exaggerated need to please. Handout | 7 Handout | 7 32 Rising Out of the Shadows Using History to Teach Empathy

Notes Dada Artist & Alex Webb

DADA (C.1916-1922)

Dada was not a style of art like Fauvism or Cubism. It was a form of artistic anarchy born out of disgust for the social, political and cultural establishment of the time which it held responsible for Europe's descent into World War.

The Dada movement started in Zurich and spread as far as New York.

• Dada was a form of artistic anarchy that challenged the social, political and cultural values of the time. Dada embraced elements of art, music, poetry, theatre, dance and politics. • Dada aimed to create a climate in which art was unrestricted by established values. • Dada was anti-establishment and anti-art. • The name 'Dada' means 'hobbyhorse' or the exclamation “Yes-Yes". • The Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich was the birthplace of Dada. • After the war the Dadaists relocated to Berlin, Cologne, Hanover and New York. • Dada was a form of artistic anarchy that challenged the social, political and cultural values of the time. • Dada embraced elements of art, music, poetry, theatre, dance and politics. • Dada aimed to create a climate in which art was unrestricted by established values. • Dada was anti-establishment and anti-art. The name 'Dada' means 'hobbyhorse' or the exclamation "Yes-Yes". The Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich was the birthplace of Dada. After the war the Dadaists relocated to Berlin, Cologne, Hanover and New York.

Hannah Höch’s, a DADA artist, strategies to keep in mind: • Draw what you can’t ﬁnd • Use paint & found materials • Construction paper & empty space are your friend • Using the human body was a crucial part of Höch’s art and expression • She used odd combinations to reveal the absurdities of sexism & racism • Abstractions can speak of fractures and text can help guide people to your message • Large photos can be used as backgrounds • Have fun, ask questions and answer them with your creation, create a dialogue with your art

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Notes Dada Artist & Alex Webb

Alex Webb: Philosophy

“Colors are the deeds and suﬀering of light.” – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

“I only know how to approach a place by walking. For what does a street photographer do but walk and watch and wait and talk, and then watch and wait some more, trying to remain conﬁdent that the unexpected, the unknown, or the secret heart of the known awaits just around the corner.” – Alex Webb

A simple way to be more inspired with your photography is to walk more. It is important to photograph things that fascinate (and scared) you. By harnessing this curiosity and raw emotion — we can dig deep and make powerful photographs. - Eric Kim

“That first three-week trip to Haiti transformed me— both as a photographer and as a human being. I photographed a kind of world I had never experienced before, a world of emotional vibrancy and intensity: raw, disjointed, often tragic. I began to explore other places— in the Caribbean, along the U.S.-Mexico border— places, like Haiti, where life seemed to be lived on the stoop and in the street. Three years after my first trip to Haiti, I realized there was another emotional note that had to be reckoned with: the intense, vibrant color of these worlds. Searing light and intense color seemed somehow embedded in the cultures that I had begun working in, so utterly different than the gray-brown reticence of my New England background. Since then, I have worked predominantly in color.” - Alex Webb

“Over the years, my way of seeing in color, which ﬁrst emerged in the tropics, has expanded into various projects, leading me not just to other parts of Latin America and to Africa, but also to Florida and to Istanbul. I have been consistently drawn to places of cultural and often political uncertainty— borders, islands, edges of societies— where cultures merge, sometimes clashing, sometimes fusing.” - Alex Webb

“It’s not just that that and that exists. It’s that that, that, that, and that all exist in the same frame. I’m always looking for something more. You take in too much; perhaps it becomes total chaos. I’m always playing along that line: adding something more, yet keeping it short of chaos.” - Alex Webb

To make more interesting and engaging photos— don’t explain your photos to your subject. Don’t make them too simple and easily understandable. Make them mysterious— open- ended, and open to interpretation.

When you have a photo that is open-ended, it becomes much more interesting because the viewer becomes an active participant, rather than just a passive on-looker. The viewer makes his/her own stories of the photographs— and let their imaginations ﬂourish. They become part of the image, and it becomes a much more personal experience for them. - Eric Kim

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“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Our Deepest Fear By Marianne Williamson Rising Out of the Shadows Using History to Teach Empathy 35 Rising Out Of The Shadows Guide

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