The Second Sun
by Rashard Lee, Class of 2026

The rising sun is always known as a sign of hope, beauty, and peace. While what we perceive as monsters -- the Kaiju -- are depicted as the feared mythical creature named Godzilla. Though the rising sun is supposed to symbolize the would-be heroes coming to save the day which always results in the untimely defeat or death of the villain. This was not the case on August 6, 1945 when the sun rose for a second time. Weeks after General Curtis LeMay's firebombs torched the civilians of Japan, Godzilla lit Hiroshima ablaze as the Japanese watched on helplessly, spectators, at least those who lived. As if the ashes of the innocent and the massacres weren't already enough, the U.S., like Godzilla, went nuclear.