We can describe war as the state of conflict between nations, tribes or societies. It is usually summed up by use of destruction of property, aggression, use of force and mortality. World War Two is an example of a war that started from 1939 and came to a halt in 1945 (Chakman, 2001). This war involved over one hundred million people in over thirty countries. In most cases, war arises because of the changing variables which may include; technology, weather, psychic, social behavior or intellect. It is difficult to point out a single cause of war because there are many reasons. In World War II, many things that took place, for example, peace, debt, death, love, loneliness, confusion, sadness and loss among others according to (Dudley, 2002).
According to Wiesel (2006), there are so many troubling issues that affected the people during the war. Terror is one of the problems that affected every individual involved in the war. They realized that even if the rules put down were followed, there was no guarantee that one would stay alive. Death is inevitable in any war as Frischauer (1991) states. All the readings indicate loss of lives in very high volumes and different incidences. In Iris (1991) separate rates of death are brought forward especially when the women are gang raped to death. Soldiers who were trained to protect civilians end up being brutal and they exercise their training on innocent women and young girls who cannot fight for themselves in any way.
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Wiesel (2006) writes that public hangings happened on a daily basis, and the prisoners were put in line to view the hanged body to teach them a lesson. They were subjected to a public hanging to show the other prisoners a lesson. Starvation is another troubling issue which is explained in the readings where all the prisoners were fed with very little or no food. In some instances, they were given soup after three days of starving and, if a person were not strong enough to fight back, the other prisoners would help themselves with their food. According to Wiesel (2006), there was one incident that is devastating where a starving man, who had not eaten anything in ten days, dies with his face in the soup.
Humiliation is part of the war and this case was not an exemption during World War Two (Maga, 2001). Men and women were all put in the same prisons or transported from one place to another piled up in the same means of transport. There are instances described where individuals were stripped and lashed in public for everyone to see. There was no gender recognition they were all treated in humiliating ways. The people who were humiliated could not fight back because it could cost their lives or those of their loved ones. As stated by Wiesel (2006), he refused to celebrate the religious holidays (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) because he questioned God’s Justice without ever doubting God’s existence. In this case, we see an individual who is troubled by his own religious belief. They either gravitated towards their religious beliefs or drifted further from it.
All the readings elaborate physical torture as a troubling issue. The prisoners were subjected to run for miles on end without resting, eating or drinking any water. Some were beaten mercilessly for no apparent reason. The women and girls were gang-raped, and this exposed them to physical torture (Nardo, 2005). Ouchterlony (2004) states that rape was also an issue that comes up in the war error. The Japanese Soldiers kidnapped women and used them as sex slaves. Women were considered as sex objects since they could be placed anywhere else in the war. Many of the young girls and women found themselves in situations where they were brutally murdered after being put through pain, fear, anguish and, rape. It is easy to describe these acts as an orgy of brutality since the soldiers picked on individuals who would not fight for themselves.
In most cases, war comes with a lot of confusion and most of us are not able to comprehend the main reason behind its cause (Stromberg, Scott, Blackstone Audio, Inc., & Knowledge Products, 2012). The readings give rationalization and explanations as to why the war might have started and why it continued for a very long time. It is evident that the war took away many things from individuals and most people would want to understand the reason why life, property, and freedom were cut short. According to Yoneyama (2016), one of the reasons that contributed to the war was an unchecked government. When there is no force opposing the government, in most cases the government does whatever it pleases. In this case, the government made many decisions that would favor its proceedings without anyone challenging the decisions being made. This fueled the war and, it also contributed to how long it lasted.
Greed is also another factor that may have caused the start of World War Two. It is evident to see that different nations wanted to attain something from the war. For example, America’s GDP per capita doubled during and after the World War Two. This greed explains how some countries added to the war because they understood that once there was chaos between they stood a better chance to benefit in all ways. The race is also another factor as Dower (2006) elaborates. In this reading, American’s concepts and, perceptions of the race towards the Japanese were based on their complexion, height and, facial traits. The Japanese ideas of the race towards Americans include purity, ethnic homogeneity and the belief of superiority (Dower, 2006). The race factors drove nations further apart because they did not share the same physical appearance, opinions or way of life.
The authors explain in detail how the cruelties in question occurred. A clear mental picture is issued to the reader as it tries to elaborate the actions that happened during the war. Since these incidences happened to the authors on a personal level, narration from parents as well as through research. The authors are filled with pain and confusion since they did not understand why they are victims of the war. According to Wiesel (2006), he questioned God’s judgment because to was impossible for him to comprehend why God allowed people to suffer under other human beings.
The writer’s background plays a significant role as to how they write because they experienced the war at different stages in their lives as well as various continents. Wiesel (2006) narrates that at a very young age he wanted to study Jewish mysticism bearing in mind that his father was a leader in the Jewish community. For this reason, he had a clear understanding of God and that he accepted religion as part of him. This experience contributes to how he approaches his topic about the war. Concerning the war, Chang (1991) indicates that having come from a Chinese-American background the story about the war in Nanking was first narrated to her by her immigrant parents. This knowledge affects how this author approaches her topic in that; the underlying story was described to her, she took action to seek information from primary sources which include; diaries, newspapers, government documents and interviews with the survivors.
These readings show passion on this subject because she gives a balanced account. She does not condemn the Japanese people for what happened during the war but, she has an issued with Japan’s effort to deny and cover up the truth. She claims that it is a fact that men, women and, children were beheaded, ran over by tanks, burned and buried alive. She is vocal about these incidences being covered up by modern-day Japan. Gathering data from the media, songs, propaganda news, here-say, slogans, soldiers, archived documents and, movies opens another point of view that the war was a race war which happened between the Japanese and the Americans. He states that two cultures with very minimal contact viewed other with so many stereotypes, emphasizing superiority over the other. The author indicates that leaders from both sides used their most persuasive techniques and analogies to increase the level of prejudice and to promote further misunderstanding.
To be able to come up with comprehensive research, John had to take a couple of years gathering information from both the victims and victors of the war. He allowed himself to view both sides of the story without being against one group and supporting the other. This research issued a transparent and fair judgment while compiling the incidences that took place during World War Two. This clarity gives the reader a clear understanding as to what took place, and this offers an opportunity for the reader to make a conclusion based on the facts presented. The author’s backgrounds affect the way they narrate their stories as well as their conclusions. Wiesel (2006) indicates that witnessing all these cruelties happen to him and other people opened his eyes to a deeper understanding of how war can handicap nations. He can see that human beings can turn against each other for a selfish reason. He can elaborate how numbing it is to see people get burnt, buried alive, raped, starved, and publicly hanged for no specific reason.
In his book, Wiesel (2006) states that, when his father died, he felt ashamed that he felt relieved to be free of him since he took care of him most of the time during the war. This experience made him realize that in different circumstances even a family can become a burden as opposed to the usual statement of “family above everything." He states that right before being liberated from the war people in the prison camps were confused because the Jews thought they would be shot but to their relief, they were evacuated from the field in thousands on a daily basis. Instead of thinking about the freedom they had attained, all the prisoners could think about was food and it is evident to see that life was more important than freedom.
The disturbing factor about the sack of Nanking was not a taboo. This horror happened for close to eight weeks. This reading is also a story about courage, where a small community of foreign residents created a Nanking Safety Zone that contributed to rescuing over a hundred thousand individuals. This author brings to light the horrible episode that happened during the war. John Dower divides his book into different sections which include; the patterns of a race war, war as seen by the Western eyes, war as seen by Japanese eyes and an epilogue (Dower, 2006). He states that the two cultures attempt to justify the reason behind the destruction that was actively and skillfully done. He gives the different scenarios of two cultures that fight each other due to misunderstandings, misinterpretation and, the misconception (Dower, 2006).
Eventually, Dower (2006) states that the reason why the war caused by race came to a halt is that the stereotypes about the Japanese and the Americans were not true. People realized that the Americans were not barbarians and the Japanese were not monkeylike beings. Another reason why the war stopped is that the Japanese admitted that they made an error by challenging the power of established nations. They were willing to come to terms with their place in the society. In conclusion, World War Two brought such a huge realization to the world. Nations can easily form against each other and, this could cause chaos in the lives of men, women and, children. The acts that happened during the war cannot be erased in history because they will always remain to be brutal acts and episodes that were caused by human beings. With this in mind, nations should take this war as a lesson and ensure that the world never goes back to chaos again.
References
Wiesel, E. (2006). Night: Insight text guide . St Kilda, Victoria: Insight.
Dower, J. W. (2006). War without mercy: Race and power in Pacific War . New York: Pantheon Books.
Chang, I. (1991). The Rape of Nanking . (Films on Demand).
Hayder, M. (2014). The devil of Nanking . New York: Grove.
Maga, T. P. (2001). Judgment at Tokyo: The Japanese war crimes trials .
Nardo, D. (2005). World War II . Detroit: Greenhaven Press.
Ouchterlony, J. (2004). The Chinese war: An account of all the operations of the British forces.
Stromberg, J., Scott, G. C., Blackstone Audio, Inc, & Knowledge Products. (2012). World War II . Ashland, Or.: Blackstone Audio.
Yoneyama, L. (2016). Cold War ruins: Transpacific critique of American justice and Japanese war crimes . Durham: Duke University Press.
Dudley, W. (2002). The Nazis . San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press.
