Hiroshima

Hiroshima - By John Hersey

P. 1036

1. Critical Viewing: How effectively do these remains of the sacred tree of a Hiroshima temple convey the physical and emotional devastation of the blast? Explain.

P. 1037

2. What happened on August 6th, 1945?

3. Build vocabulary: What is the definition of "evacuated." Use the word in a sentence.

4. How many people were killed by the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima?

5. Reading Strategy: What underlying meaning can you draw from these details about the survivors?

6. What did the Japanese nickname "Mr. B"?

7. Build Vocabulary: What is the definition of "rendezvous"?

8. Critical Thinking: Why do you think the author chose these 6 survivors as his focus?

P. 1038

9. Where was the college that Mr. Tanimoto attended located? Why had he been questioned by the police in Japan?

10. Critical Viewing: You may have seen photographs like the one on page 1038 that show the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing. How does this story change the way you view such pictures?

P. 1039

11. Build Vocabulary: What is the definition of "philanthropies"?

12. When the atomic bomb was dropped, how far away were Mr. Tanimoto and Mr. Matsuo from the explosion?

P. 1040

13. According to footnote #1, what does it mean where it says Japan has a "prefectural government"?

14. Literary Focus: How does the author's characterization of Mrs. Nakamura hint at an implied theme related to the strength of the human spirit?

P. 1041

15. Critical Viewing: Look at the photograph on page 1041. There are no people shown in the photograph-nor in many others-depicting the devastation wrought by the Hiroshima bomb. Does the lack of humanity lessen or intensify the impact of the image?

16. According to footnote #3, what is the definition of "hedonistic"?

P. 1042

17. Why had Dr. Fujii been turning patients away as of late?

18. Why did Dr. Fujii like to read the newspaper from Osaka?

19. Literary Terms: According to the author, Dr. Fujii was "squeezed tightly by two long timbers in a V across his chest, like a morsel suspended between two huge chopsticks." What literary term is this an example of? Why?

Check Your Comprehension

20. Describe the city of Hiroshima in the hours and days preceding the explosion of the atomic bomb.

21. What factors determined whether certain individuals in Hiroshima survived or perished when the bomb exploded.

22. Describe the roles of the following people in this story: Miss Toshiko Sasaki, Dr. Masakazu Fujii, and Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura.

Critical Thinking

23. Why does the author spend so much time describing details of the hours preceding the bomb?

24. What is the effect of the author returning to the moment of the actual explosion in his account of each individual's experience?

25. What does this selection reveal to you about nuclear war in general?