Please note that the due date coincides with the merit trip. No additional time will be granted to complete the assignment, so please complete the work early or be prepared to take a penalty (only 10% off if you complete it over the 6th or 7th, however - after that it will not be accepted for credit).
We began our discussion of World War II this last week by considering the horrific evil that was perpetrated by the Third Reich. The famous quote is “all it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.” That is not the story of the Second World War, however. Good people did much – and they literally saved the world from the kind of fear and suffering not seen on earth since the days of Genghis Khan – but this time on a much wider scale. From the underground organizations such as the White Rose to individuals hiding Jews from the Nazis, people took the initiative to do what they could to stop the spread of Nazism, and for thousands the ultimate result was death without ever knowing the outcome. Without the organized efforts of the US and our allies, however, Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo would have been successful. Americans gave sacrificially – their sons (over 400,000 American soldiers died), their efforts, and their finances. Even Hollywood got in on the act, producing one patriotic film after another.
Studs Terkel, an American author, captured the experiences of hundreds of people who participated in World War II and compiled their stories in an awesome book entitled “The Good War”. It is obvious what his title insinuates: this was a war worth fighting. It was good versus evil, with human freedom on the line for all humanity. For us, that seems a little unbelievable – after all, no one’s ever taken our freedom. However, in other societies where freedom has been lost, oftentimes generations, even centuries, go by before authoritarianism is defeated and human rights restored.
Now, I love to read, but few books have ever captured my attention like “The Good War”. While print versions aren’t available online because of copyright restrictions, numerous sound recordings are available through the Studs Terkel website - http://www.studsterkel.org/gwar.php. If you are able to access these sound recordings (I have been unable to open them, but you might have better luck) listen to one and report your findings. Summarize and evaluate the person’s experience in World War II.
If you are unable to access the sound recordings, go to http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afcphhtml/afcphhome.html and do your research there. (This is the Library of Congress website, and the interviews are also in audio format, but transcripts are available. Because they are unedited, they are inferior to the Terkel interviews). Click on “name” or “subject” and randomly choose an individual to research and report on. The requirements for this assignment are exactly like all the others that have preceded it.
The time has come as well to discuss your 3rd quarter bonus opportunity. Like last quarter, you may use this as a “test pass” or, more wisely, an opportunity to drop your lowest test grade of the quarter. Here’s the assignment: since we are studying World War II and will soon cover Korea and Vietnam, I would like you to interview an American vet who participated in a foreign war (World War II up to the current conflicts, any is acceptable).
You must submit your video log to this website (I’ll create a specific post) and give me a list of questions you plan on asking in advance of the interview. The interview should be about ten minutes long. If you don’t have a family member who participated in a war, ask around for friends or members of your church who can help. Your questions should focus on the individuals experience (his/her job, location, memorable events) and the lasting impact of the war on the individual. PLEASE take time to carefully plan your interview, make an appointment with the vet, be courteous and respectful. (Be sure to send a thank-you card afterwards). The best of these interviews will be made available for wider viewing, so make sure the individual knows that this video will be viewed publicly.
If anyone wants to listen to the recordings you need to download RealPlayer. Google it. It's free and safe. I found it much easier to understand the tone of the people and it helped me write the essay better than if I simply read it.
ReplyDeletePaul Martin is interviewing Mike Fox, a sophomore of Indiana University, about his reaction to Japan bombing Pearl Harbor and is asking him a few other war related questions. There are also a few other interviewers with Mr. Martin.
Mike says that he is mad and had a “feeling of fury and anger that we had been betrayed”. As the go on the interviewer asks Mike his opinion on the foreign policy before the war and if the bombing has changed it. Mike responds saying that he is a “cooperationist” and believes that we [the US] should work together with other nations, especially helping England and Russia, and that not joining the League of Nations was a bad decision.
The began to start talking about were are troops should be going. Mike Fox believes it would be better to send all our troops to Japan and take them out quickly. However, another one of the interviewers points out that “that is exactly what Hitler wants us to do”. He says Hitler wants us to divert all our troops and goods to Japan instead of a sending some to Japan and continuing to support England and Russia because if we send all our troops to Japan, all our supplies must be sent there to and then Hitler will take out the weaker England and Russia
As they continue, more discussion ensues and they began to talk about the idea that the US needs to declare war on Germany and take them out as quickly as possible because they are ultimately the base of the whole Axis powers. Paul Martin asks if Mike Fox agrees with this action and he responds “Absolutely!”.
They further discuss Germany's stand in the war as well as the fact that there is no common battlefield to meet Germany on unlike Japan were we can fight in the sea. Mike believes that eventually and AEF will have to be sent in to defeat Germany. They all come to the conclusion that they believe the defeat of the Axis powers must happen in order to achieve peace.
I am reporting on a letter a girl named Ivy Trail wrote to the president.
ReplyDeleteI'm probably just going to end up paraphrasing it, but i'll try.
She starts her letter with "Dear Mr President", which i think is a great way to start a letter. She goes on to tell about where she lives in arkansas, and says that she is a real mountaineer, because she was born and had always lived in arkansas, the same as her parents had. She says that on of her ancestors was Samuel Myers,(whoever that is) so she also is an american.
She says that they hear a lot about the war, and there are a lot of men who want to go to war but can't, because the have a sickness or disability. She says that the men over at war have good doctors, so they don't get sick as much. She then goes on to tell about how hard it is to find a doctor, with them living way out in the mountains, and how, if you got a doctor, he would overcharge you. She said that one doctor charged a family 30 dollars for a visit, which was about as much as one of those people would make in a year.
The main point of the letter was to tell the president about the situation, and to suggest to him that if they had better doctors, they could have healthier boys back home, and they could raise healthier soldiers for the war.
ThIs was very enlightning to me. I never thought about something like that from that perspective. It makes sence not to send all your doctors out to war, because then you have sick people back at home. And when all the soldiers at war die, the new ones to replace them are sick, or unhealthy.
I'm sorry i didn't write very much. I don't think i understood the assingment very well.
My essay is going to have to be split into two parts. Bare with me here...
ReplyDeleteAs Colby stated, you need to download Realplayer to do listen to the clips, then you're good to go. In contrast to him, I found listening to the 6 part audio cumbersome and frustrating. Yes, it does give a more personal, vivid take on the matter, but it isn't as clear cut or simple as just reading the text. But no one asked my opinion...
They are interviewing a man by the name of R. B. Sledge. He was a marine infantryman station in the pacific during WWII. They start off by elaborating on Sledge’s military career, reading plaque from his marine division. In his home life, he was a professor at a university. Sledge is a biology, comparative anatomy, evolution, and ornithology teacher. He grew up in Mobile, Alabama. Apparently he also wrote a book about his experiences in World War II. They referred to it several times during the interview.
Sledge said that he, along with most American soldiers, was not known violent people. Sledge himself was an avid bird watcher, yet here he was, being asked to kill the Axis Powers. He said, “We were just a bunch of scared kids over there… we only did what we were suppose to do because that was the way we had been trained…things were much different than the Hollywood stereotype.”
When asked about his “scared boys” comment, Sledge stated that 80% of his regiment was under the age of 21. I don’t know if we are allowed to make commentary on the clips or not, but to me, this really hits home. He was only 19, 4 years older than I am today.
He said that the journalists gave a much different view than the replacement troops viewed. As media typically does, they only focused on the dramatic, most hopeless situations from the war.
Sledge went on to say that “The most important thing, we thought, was to never let your buddy down, never let another marine down. You can’t lose your fellow marine’s respect.” When the interviewer asked if this was even more of a motivator than the flag and country mentality, Sledge said “Yes, without a doubt.” He also talked about how friendship was
the real driving factor for the men.
ReplyDelete“When you got down to it, many men enlisted because of patriotism, but by the time they got there, it was a matter of survival… we never took prisoners unless the officers forced us to, the hatred was that strong,” said Sledge. “If you were try to help a wounded Japanese, he would most likely detonate a grenade and kill you both… they had no mercy on us, and we had no mercy on them.”
When he was asked if killing traumatized him, “When I was a greenhorn, I was horrified to see the veterans looting the Japanese bodies, dragging them down like they were animals, but after awhile, I like everyone else got used to it.”
Sledge, responding to the question “Was the war as strenuous as reported?” said this: “People say they like to hunt, or play sports, because of the adrenaline rush. Well war was the same way, you were over there, and for the first seven days or so you with that adrenaline pumping, you became physiologically exhausted.”
“Now the hatred of the Japanese wasn’t some macho attitude that we got from the veterans, it was natural… many of my friends would remove the gold teeth from the Japanese wounded, carried them around in a sock is what they did. You might ask yourself, ‘how could some American boy do that?’ Everyone was reduced to almost savages. You did that to survive.” Sledge told how one time even he went to rip the gold tooth from fallen Japanese, and how a medic talked him out of it. “It was another step towards, as you might say, that went to abandoning the entire concept of decency.”
“Many of the things we went through were not written about.” He said.
When the interviewer asked what the hardest part of the war to endure, Sledge said that coming home to find protestors that were against the war effort was absolutely unnerving.
The focus of the interview was mainly on how these were just boys fighting overseas.
That was the jest of the interview Sledge describes the war in great detail, and says in great detail how he felt that writers did not fully capture the horror and stress of the situation. “They went to the front lines, recorded what they saw, then left as soon as possible he said.”
I think this interview really personalizes the war. It was very shocking for me to comprehend that these were guys not much older than me, yet they were fighting for their countries and taking lives in another country.
I tried to submit the essay several times, but the website kept freaking out and I lost everything. I finally just did it on Word then pasted it onto here. It looks like some of the letters got jumbled, but overall I think it's still readable.
ReplyDeleteNow for the comments.
Colby,
I really enjoyed reading your essay. Mike seemed like an interesting individual and he had some very strong, and interesting political views. I especially liked it when he said that he was a "Cooperatist," meaning that he thought the countries in the world should work together. While, to my knowlege, it isn't a real word, it still gets his point across. Also, he really hits home when he states that for the United States not to joint the League of Nations (a foundation that Wilson, the President of the United States, had established) was a major mistake. It really shows volurablity and ununity as a nation when things like that happen.
It's obvious you put forth a lot of effort, good essay.
Xalo,
ReplyDeleteI also liked your essay. The letter was very innocent, as it was clearly written from the perspective of a little girl. I think it's pretty cool how she referes to soliders 'over at the war' like it is a specific location on the map. Even though she was young, she still drove home a strong point and exposed some of the evils that monopolies (even in the medical field) could/have cause(d). Her point in very effectively convayed.
Good essay, and good job parapharsing.
Before I get into what I found through the videos, I want to comment on something that came to mind while I was watching them. We listen to some accounts of people who lived through WWII and the Holocaust, and some of them were young. Many were only 2 or three when everything was going on, and when I hear these people talk about it, it makes me think about my own experiences. I do not want to be the one who looks back on my life and cannot remember the details of what went on. I want to be able to accurately and vividly pass down what I have seen first-hand in my own lifetime. Our generation has been through some historically significant times and later on I want to have the ability to tell what happened. These individuals who lived through WWII when they were young are able to describe feelings and emotions from that long ago. It made me realize that I need to know as much as I can about what is going on around me.
ReplyDeleteNow for the videos…
I listened to Nora Watson give her account of the earlier part of her life. Though she goes on to talk about her generation (etc.) I want to focus on the first few years of her life. She was about two in 1945 and she remembers parts of her life during this war. When asked about the image that comes to her head when she hears “World War II”, and she answers radio. We see how important the radio was because her family would listen to the radio during dinner. That is how she heard of the war and POW’s. This is what she remembers as a young girl. In a poor mining town in Pennsylvania that didn’t have anything, she didn’t have a lot of resources. As a young girl, her parents didn’t allow her to be exposed to all of the despair in the war. Her father was a pastor so religion was a very important thing to her family. Her exposure to the “sin” of the world at large was very limited. While they listened to the radio, her father would make them turn it off when the commercials for liquor or cigarettes would come on.
She really describes the government involvement in the lives of these people. The government came into her town which was extremely poor and built her school. Everything in it was new. Her father had to get government food. It was during such a poor time for her family.
The Holocaust was a great impact on her life. She was not fully aware of the entire situation of the Holocaust. When she was about thirteen, she was in the library of her new school. While looking through books, she saw pictures of the Holocaust. She talked about how these pictures first would looked like stacked logs, but when looking closer you realize they are stacked bodies.
The war impacted the lives of the entire country. It could not be kept from the children no matter how much the parents tried. She talked about how the war made people realize. It was amazing how she saw the manual labor involved. She talks about how you can read about bombs and how to make them, but through this war she sees that it took manual killing. It wasn’t just a bomb that killed, but it took actual people doing it manually. It changed the world forever.
Chesterfield White was a man that was writing the president before he went to war. In his letter Mr. White asks the question “What am I fighting for?”. his answer is a simple one, one that I’m sure many gave, or would give, if questioned. “I am fighting to help preserve democracy and to beat the Axis power. The American way of life is so dear to me and to every American freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and a representative form of government.”
ReplyDeleteI am currently reading a book about World War II. In the book there is a prisoner of war camp and some of towns people are filing requests to get help on their ranches because of the lack of young men. Now to me this sounds like a reasonable idea. But to most in the town it is considered betrayal. This too is understandable, considering the fact that many had family in the war. But the thing that gets me is that many people referred to the Germans as, just that, Germans or Nazis. They didn’t think of them as people, rather they were thought of as the enemy.
In the book there is only a few that realize that the “enemy” were in the same boat as their sons, fathers, husbands, and brothers. Some of them weren’t even sure why they were there. Some of these boys were younger than I am now. While I know that this is true for both sides, people tend to view ALL Germens as the enemy when talking about the war.
I’m one of those people that wants to think the best of people until they give reason for me to not like them. I will say that this book that I keep referring to is a historical fiction, but I think it does a good job telling about the emotions and feelings toward the Germans. Only after you get to know someone, your view of them usually changes, hopefully for good.
I’m right in the middle of the book so I don’t know how it will turn out, but I hope it’s good.
I am going to discuss the letter a man named George Sietsma sent to President Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt on January 8th, 1942. He lived in Bloomingtion, Indiana.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Sietsma is by no means a rich man. He makes his living by running a filling station (In other words a gas station, and he was also the mechanic.) in Bloomington, Indiana. He has run this filling station for 9 years, and has seen his businesss increase each year. People return to him because he is dependable and keeps their cars running. He had a family and had a pretty great life.
Then the war started, and his responsibility for his customers went way up. As you all know, during wartime, the American people had to make HUGE sacrifices. Not only sending their loved ones away to fight the war, but rations on food, gasoline, metals, and other products. One of these products that was rationed is mechanical parts. There were hundreds of thousands of vehicles in Europe and the Pacific, and every part was being shipped over for them to continue to operate. Back home in America, if your car broke down, you basically were going to be without a car for a long time. This is where men like George Sietsma come in.
Mr. Sietsma was the man that many citizens in Bloomingtion, Indiana trusted to fix and repair their cars. And he didn't charge an outrageous amount for these repairs. So he kept many citizens in their cars and off of the streets walking.
George Sietsma really is the perfect example of a Statesman. He realized that with the war going on, he needed to step in and use his profession to help the war effort! He didn't complain or bicker when his workload increased, he simply continued working. He knew that parts and supplies were low, so Mr. Sietsma just buckled down and worked. He truly embodies the American spirit.
Emily, I enjoyed reading your essay about Nora Watson. It's interesting to know that she remembers listening to the radio from so long ago! We truly don't value the radio as much today, but back then it really was the news line of the country. EVERYTHING was discussed on the radio. Things like Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt's Fireside Chat's were what kept the country "in the loop".
ReplyDeleteGreat Essay Emily.
Sam, I’m glad someone found what they were looking for. You wrote a good essay. I looked all over both of the web sites that Akers gave us and couldn’t find anything, except letters that were, at the most, only one paragraph.
ReplyDeleteI liked what you said about Mr. Sietsma doing all that extra work. It had to be hard. As you said Mr. Setsma was a good worker and people depended on him to fix their cars when they broke down.
In the book that I’m reading there is a man that works on cars. Well, he did before he went to war. When he came back, half of his face was one big scar from an explosion, and he no longer has a right arm. I know that this man wasn’t real, but imagine that he was, he had to put up with all kinds of stuff: people staring, thoughts of suicide, the fact that he looked nothing like that man his wife married, and on top of that his won daughter was terrified of him. This man had to learn how to live aging, and I think that because he was so well known and loved before the war, his garage helped him reconnect with his community. I also think that God had a had in it too. For the guy that you picked, it sounds like his work kept him connected.
When I first tried to do this assignment, after I finished downloading RealPlayer, I tried to listen to one of the interviews. It was extremely hard to follow, mostly because I couldn't hear the interviewer enough to make out what he was saying. So, I went to the other website, chose a random name, and this is what the letter I found was about
ReplyDeleteIt is a letter written from Edward S. Bordon to the president. The dude is a psychologist in Minnesota. He is writing about his thoughts relating to the present emergency of the war. He writes about those thoughts related to his profession and thoughts about that relating to his citizenship. In the first paragraph of his letter, He wrote about how his profession in psychology could help. He writes that he hopes it could contribute to the mobilization of human resources. He also writes that he is concerned about how it could help the morale of the country. In his second paragraph, he mentions that he concerned about how people with jobs as musicians are contributing to national morale. He writes that they don't really give much of a message to the American people, unlike music in some other countries. The final paragraph of the letter is difficult to understand, because it has several parts in it that aren't accessible. He seems to be writing about the war, particularly on young people's view on subjects of war, fighting, and peace.
I read Bob Barker's letter written on January or February of 1942 to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
ReplyDeleteHe states that the attack on Pearl Harbor really rattled his community of Hood County in Texas, but because of that he and his community are supporting President Roosevelt a hundred percent. The boys from around the community are joining the military as fast as possible. Even his own son is going to college and has enlisted in the Naval Reserve which will allow him to go to school before he has to go off to war. Then when he finishes school and gets his degree he can go into training and then become an officer in the fleet.
He then starts talking about the ranchers and the farmers and how they don't amount to much, but they are doing their very best to help the great war effort. Many people in the area are saving what little bit of money they have to buy stamps and bonds. He also stated to President Roosevelt that when America declared war on Japan that Hood County declared war on Japan. Then he finishes out by saying that he hopes that all of the other states support President Roosevelt the way that Texas has, that he wishes good health to the President, and that the Allies will win the war.
World War II impacted many American's lives in a way that could not be described. Many people like Bob Barker from Texas supported the President as much as possible in hopes of helping their country and the Allies win the war.
Jake Anderson, you had an incredibly long essay, but I found some of the points in your essay very interesting. For example what R. B. Sledge said, “We were just a bunch of scared kids over there… we only did what we were suppose to do because that was the way we had been trained…things were much different than the Hollywood stereotype.” That statement was amazing because you get it from someone that was actually fighting in the war. It was also the truth because as you said most of the men in his regiment were under 21 and that many of the men in World War II had never been farther than 100 miles from where they lived. Then all of the men leave their homes and are put through training and then sent to a place that they know nothing about. This is what amazed many of the American soldiers when they were sent to war. In the end, you had a great essay, Jake.
ReplyDeleteSam Wier, it is very true that people like George Sietsma are a prime example of the American spirit. He did not crook the people by charging outrageous prices on car parts, but yet he sold them at a normal price and helped keep the people on the road instead of walking. I think that more Americans should learn from him. Good essay, Sam.
ReplyDeleteTed Austen
ReplyDelete“Dear Mr. President, my name is Ted Austen, 2012 Two-and-a-half Street, South. Yes, I have two sons in the army age. I am very interested in this war, hoping it would be over before my sons would need to be called. But this war we must win regardless of what our sacrifice may be.”
This was the entirety of what I found about Ted Austen on this website given to us by Mr. Akers. Maybe I’m stupid and didn’t know how to work it, who knows? However, after reading through many interviews and “Dear Mr. Presidents”, I found not one that impacted me more than this one.
Mr. Austen starts out here saying he has two sons that could be called at any moment to go fight, so stop for a moment and ponder over this statement. Can you imagine the father’s fear here? Sure, he may not be writing a long sappy emotional letter, but look at what comes next. “…hoping it would be over before my sons would need to be called.” Ted Austen could potentially lose his sons whenever, maybe forever, and not really have a say in the matter. It may be hard to for us to imagine losing a child, but what about someone you love? Think about the person (or people) you love and care for most. What if tomorrow, they were called off to go fight in Iraq?
Now, the part that got me the most is this final line: “But this war we must win regardless of what our sacrifice may be.” I am just inferring here, but it seems to me, Mr. Austen saw the whole picture. Not just a piece of it. He realizes, even though his own sons could lose their lives and he may never see them again, that the Americans must win this war. He understands the outcome if the U.S. doesn’t win. He recognizes many people are going to die, innocent victims, women and children, are going to be tortured, killed, and slaughtered, but it will only be worse if the U.S. does not win.
I think that’s an attitude many people today do not possess; they get so caught up in peace and protesting all this war, that they forget what could happen if our country was not fighting. You either fight the Iraqi War over there, or you fight it here, in America. Ted Austen seemed to have a good understanding of it all; as he says we have to win, regardless of the cost. Our country must be defended.
"Dear Mr. President", Austin, Texas, January or February 1942"
ReplyDeletei was forced to go to the library of congress website and viewed a interview of a man who reflected on the attack on pearl harbor. being my birthday is on December seventh i took an intrest in this interview. in the interview of P. H. Bullry. he expressed his suport of the president and said that he and the majority of other americans where behing the president and would fight to the death for the freedoms that we have.
what i found very interesting within this interview and the others i read and listened to was that many of these people being interviewed expressed their individual weakness and how they need things but that they thought America as a whole would rise up and sustain itself, it was interesting to see how even then there were obvious differences in politics. however, what amazed me was how these people with diferent views came together to be a part of something bigger and fight for the American freedom they loved and had always known. overall the interviews were very good, tho sometimes very vague, they always gave some insight into American philosophy and how people were willing to fight and die in most cases so that American freedom would endure.
In the transcript chose, an unidentified man narrates, saying that we will be hearing from four different Pittsburg natives on how they feel about war and wartime government. They were lengthy, so I'll just be focusing on two.
ReplyDeleteThe first, Mrs. Houghton, is a housewife and mother of two small children. She begins by saying that her husband is a worker in a liquor store and she's greatly appreciative to government for repealing the 18th amendment so her husband has this opportunity. She also says that her family currently lives in government housing, "a much better condition than we could have secured privately," and that her husband has just finished a government-ran defense course which will enable him to procure a better position. She goes on to say that she understands that these are trying times and she is willing to do whatever she can to help her nation because they have done whatever they could to help her.
The next interviewee is a Mr. Clark Kelly, a newspaper representative. He explains that from a newsman’s perspective there is complete unity in agreement that the US should go to war. He continues by commenting that many letters are coming in to his office by pro-war advocates and that he has seen very little anti-war.
Blake: similar in manner to my essay, your interviewee talked about the massive amount of support for the war and Franklin Roosevelt's decisions. I think this is a really interesting dynamic, because I, as a 16 year old, have never came close to experiencing unanimity in whether to or to not enter a war. I actually have quite a hard time believing that it really was almost unanimous. In our day and age and in the midst of the war that we are currently in, there are lots of respectable and logical viewpoints as to whether we should or should not be at war right now, but, in the case of World War 2, this was not the case. After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and their continuing threat to our nation’s wellbeing, we came to conclude that we must enter war… surprisingly enough, scarily close to a unanimous decision..
ReplyDeleteI guess I’ll just read off this random interview. On December 9, 1941, in Austin, Texas, John H. Faulk is interviewing a carpenter named Joe Jirosik. Faulk asked if Jirosik believed that Japan’s actions at Pearl Harbor were wrong. Jirosik obviously said yes like any good, loyal American would. He thought that Japan had no justification, even though he said Hitler instigated it. Faulk asked if Mr. Jirosik believed that the United States should have declared war on Japan. He said yes, which shows that he was behind President Roosevelt’s decision to go to war with our attackers. Faulk questioned him about Russia, and Jirosik said that he thought the Soviets didn’t influence Japan to turn on us, even though he partially blamed Germany. However, Jirosik also stated that he didn’t trust Russia at that point, anyway. When Faulk asked him, Jirosik made it clear that he did not think Japan was prepared for war. He said that they wouldn’t last more than two years. Jirosik added that the Japanese may think they are ready to fight us, but they are not. I thought it was interesting that he said that, because after Pearl Harbor, that Japanese admiral or whatever (maybe his name was like Nagumo) said that he feared that all they had done was wake up a sleeping giant.
ReplyDeleteAfter that, they started talking about labor. Jirosik said that he believed FDR was a laboring man’s friend and all. Well, there you have it. That interview was kind of interesting, I think.
Hearing first-hand what it was like after the bombing of Pearl harbor and people’s opinions who actually remember what it was like is something that should be of high value to us who were not. I choose to read about Mike Stephens, although there were other’s thoughts and opinions in those transcripts as well. The first interview was on December 9,1941 in Dallas, Texas. John Lennox was interviewing a man by the name of Edward Crane, who basically stated that he’d never had a very high opinion of the Japanese in the first place, and now that they had lowered his opinion of them even more. This man was very bold and straight-forward, and stated that we ought to exterminate both the Germans and the Japanese completely-that there was no place for either races in this world if we wanted peace. The next man interviewed, Dr. James Terril, basically said that he was very surprised on the Day of Infamy, and that war wasn’t always the best way to settle things, but in cases like these he was all for it. Finally, the last man interviewed was Mike Stephens. I admired this man probably the most, because he said that after thinking about it a lot and reading into it, he said going into war would be a hard thing to do because of our friendships with distant countries but that’s all we can do- and pray for strength from God to endure it. What was interesting to me was that all three of these men seemed to agree that America should go into war- full force.
ReplyDeleteI am reporting on Dellie Steward and her reminiscences of World War II and post-World War II life. She first talked about how her home life was before World War II, and how it changed when the war came around and the trials it caused. She remembered it all very vividly. When the war came, her husband was drafted and she doubted he would come home alive. This upset her for a little while but she learned to get along without him. Anyway, she currently had a job at the Louisville slugger factory, and when the war came the government required the factory to produce gun stocks instead of baseball bats. However, World War II battles found themselves fighting in factories and guns and other battles like D-day. Ok, in case you haven’t noticed there wasn’t a Dellie Steward on the site and everything said so far has been made up. I’m curious as to whether or not Akers actually reads these assignments, so I’m willing to risk one homework grade to find out. Let’s see what I get for this assignment. So, how about some more rambling? World War II thoughts fighting for planes, soldiers ate their own foots before the atomic bomb. Japan then planned to attack Switzerland even though they were a neutral country, and this made many mad. Dellie Steward had agreed with the interviewer that the World War II experience had changed her for the better.
ReplyDeleteFor my essay I choose “"Dear Mr. President", Detroit, Michigan, January 13, 1942.” Unfortunately, the interview taker is unknown, all the interviewees are known. They include: Fortier, Delores; Graham, Robert Bruce; Gromkovski, Nicholas S.; McCall, Henry; Ozure, Elaine; Pinsky, Dorthey; Porier, Estelle; Roth, Ann; Rust, Glen; Wozjek, Daniel; and Clark, Robert. This interview was done as part of a radio broadcast.
ReplyDeleteAfter Pearl Harbor, people were shocked, but soon after the US declared war, that mood changed from more of a shock to a patriotic “WE have to win!” Originally people thought we should not have to get evolved, but after the attack they realized we didn’t have a choice. People began to fill a responsibility to serve their country for how their country served them. More people began to enlist and became willing to go and fight. Emigrants were thankful for their new country and showed their support. People began donating to the Red Cross and people who were drafted were more willing to go. People began to show more support for the military. They believed that war was evil and was the most evil crime against mankind, but they realized how unavoidable it can be. Great Britain attempted peace but Hitler turned around and said, “What reason do I have to stop now?”
Just one day after Pearl Harbor Alan Lomax, the assistant in charge of the now Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, asked ten different places in the U.S. to interview random people on their thoughts about the Pearl Harbor bombings. These types of interviews are called “man-on-the-street” interviews. The ten locations chosen were Washington, D.C; Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana; Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee; New York, New York; Burlington, North Carolina; Austin, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Buffalo, New York; and the location I chose to look at Madison, Wisconsin. These interviews help to give you a clear perspective of the people of the area.
ReplyDeleteThe people interviewed in Madison varied greatly from an “unmarried secretary” to a college student, but one thing I noticed they all had in common was the general thought that, -to quote the “unmarried secretary”- “…we have (had) been kicked into doing a thing that we should have done long, long ago…” Also, two out of the three women interviewed commented that they were upset that Jeannette Rankin, the “Lady of the House” and the first and only female (at that time) in Congress, had been the only person to vote against entering World War II.
On the other hand, the two men interviewed focused on different things. One man, the director of a private business school, spoke mainly about America’s beliefs and what we stand for. He said, “We believe in tolerance, equality, and freedom for all.” Later, he emphasized that we need to stop Japan and Germany because they don’t believe the same. He also mentioned something I hadn’t heard of, which was even before the war much of the Japanese community in California claimed Japan was going to conquer California. The other man who was a former professor focused on the debate of war and politics. He said the attack had brought the debate to enter the war or not to a close quickly, but he said he wished the debate would’ve ended another way. He said he wished his active interventionism, which he says wasn’t active enough, would’ve solved the debate. Later in his interview he said spoke about idealism and how connected the world and each country was.
The announcer interviewed two college students who were both boys. The first was a speech major and the second was a pre-med student. The main thing that caught my attention about these interviews was both the college students talked about being upset that the, “…invulnerable base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was so easily attacked,” and that, “The heads of Pearl Harbor have some tall explaining to do.”
Really though, there were two things almost everyone talked about. The first, we should go into war. It was pretty unanimous. Only two of the interviewees didn’t explicitly say we should declare war, and neither of the two said we shouldn’t. Secondly, idealism has to go. I think that one is better explained in their quotes.
“It's high time we put idealism in our pockets and start dealing with vandal nations in the way they have invited us to do.” –unmarried music teacher
“We are now agreed on two things: that idealism is not enough and that national and international affairs are vitally related. There is but one world and we are in it.” - former college professor of literature
“The American way of life is at issue between this country and Japan. We believe in tolerance, equality, and freedom for all. We believe these ideals should be followed in national and international relations. So, for over a hundred and fifty years we have acted closer to these ideals than any other nation with similar military and naval power. Japan and Germany do not believe in our way.” - Business School Director
I chose to do my essay on the letter that Jack Holliday from Middlebury, Vermont wrote to the President of the United States in January/February of 1942.
ReplyDeleteAnd this is what it said:
“The treacherous attack upon Pearl Harbor has convinced every thinking American that we must fight for our democratic way of life, if it is to survive. There has been no more formidable challenge to all those finer and higher qualities of civilization for a thousand years. For we must fight not only powerful armies and mechanized might, but also against the powers of darkness, against an enemy who sees the resources of the larger part of Europe organized with all the technique of modern science and hurled them against us with a deceit, treachery, cruelty, and an absolute contempt for all the rules of morality. But we are confident that the vigor and vitality of our democracy will overcome this challenge. I, Jack Holliday, a student at Middlebury College am reading this for Allan Kline, professor of American History at Middlebury, College. Professor Kline was unable to speak due to illness.”
As we have studied the two World Wars I have been amazed at the cruelty and lack of respect for human life. I myself could not imagine being able to throw poisonous mustard gasses onto the field knowing that a cruel death awaited whomever was greeted with the noxious fumes. But it was kill or be killed and that most certainly plays out in the number of deaths seen in these wars.
In one way these wars allowed us to see who were the major threats in the world, who would stand up for justice, and who would sit on the side lines in complacency. In some of the quotes I read they thought it was a “good war”, but others thought that though it may help the world they wouldn’t want to loose a son in it. Like this man,” This neighbor told me that what we needed was a --- good war, and we'd solve our agricultural problems. And I said, 'Yes, but I'd hate to pay for it with my son. Which we did.' He weeps. 'It's too much of a price to pay.'"
I agree that the loss of 400,000 American soldiers was a large price to pay, but I also believe that the sacrifice of these men’s lives have given the world a better today. Just imagine if we hadn’t gotten involved, we would have cruel dictatorships controlling the continents of Europe and Asia. So I believe that though many people died they died for a great cause, Thank the Lord for the men and women that sacrifice their lives everyday for the betterment of tomorrow.
I'm writing about two entirely different Americans. One man born in Philadelphia, is an American Indian. The second an established lady, Ann Johnson from Nashville Tenn.
ReplyDeleteThe American Indian talks about how he was born outside of Philadelphia to a French Canadian mother and father that was from the American yellow tribe.
I love how the heart of who he is comes out in his plea from Americans to unite. He says, "I am glad and happy to say that I am an American amongst our fellow brothers. We are all brothers and let us remain brothers. Let us remain brothers, no matter what creed or color or where you come from." He goes on to state, "We are all American, let us go on to fight for Americans. If we have to go on the battlefield, let's die American. Our foremothers and fathers died and we must do the same to keep our freedom and liberty."
He speaks the rest in broken English, but you feel the passion for the country he loves.
Ann Johnson is a grandmother from Nashville. She is a District Chairman in the Civilian Defense Program for Nashville. She talks about what she did in World War I. She talks about the sacrifice that her men are doing for World War II. She says, she hopes that a "New World will evolve out of this present chaos. A saner and safer place to live."
Maxwell, I like how you wrote about Hood County, Texas. It sounds a lot like the people of Kentucky. Normal common sense average Americans, who were doing what they could to the best of their ability when American faced a crises. You state "He then starts talking about the ranchers and the farmers and how they don't amount to much, but they are doing their very best to help the great war effort." I think this is what America is about.
ReplyDeleteXalo, I find the story you wrote very interesting. It makes you wonder about the state of people's health in the Appalachians. I find her perspective very interesting concerning her views on the health of doctors and soldiers in the Army. I honestly don't think she realized that they must pass a physical examination before being excepted into the Army, or yet maybe she did.
I wonder if the men in her life really were sick or they used the excuse of having poor doctors that took advantage of them in order for them to not have to go to war.
My essay is about John Talley talking to Frank Dobie. This letter was wrote to the president in Fletcher county, Texas in January or February of 1942. The fist thing that frank Dobie asks Mr. Talley is that if he thinks that we will win the war. He responds by saying that he believes that we will win the war, and he also states that we have to win the war. Frank said he also agreed that he thinks he will win the war also. John also stated that he thinks we (the united states) are doing everything right to win the war at the moment, and ‘if it wasn’t for President Roosevelt that we would be having our own revolution here at home.” Mr. Talley says that he is hearing that the nation is not awake for this war, but he believes that “we are very much awake, maybe just as awake as the officials in Washington.” Mr. Frank said that he doesn’t know what to believe or what to say. And he definitely does not know what to advise FDR either. But he does state that “this war is going to be like another war.” “Paid by the poor people and fought by the poor people.” And that was basically their views that had anything to do with the war. The rest was just about random thing like Mexico and things like that.
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ReplyDeleteI chose an interview from Paul Martin to Mike Fox on December 10th, 1941 just three days after the U.S. was attacked by armed forces of the Japenese Empire on December 7th. The interview started off with Paul Martin asking Mike Fox what the thought about Japan declaring war on us and the attack on Pearl Harbor. Mike Fox replied and said that he was shocked and had a hard time believing it at first. Paul then asked what he felt like after those feelings had passes. Mike said that he felt like we had been betrayed and anger.
ReplyDeleteLater on in the interview Mike was asked if his attitude had changed by the bombing. Mike said that he was a cooperationist before it and that he didn't believe in isolation and never had. Paul asked what ta cooperationist was. Mike then explained and said that he thought we should work together with other democratic nation. And that the difficulty with the U.S. was that we dropped out of it after the idea of the League of Nations. He also said the since 1939, when the war began, that we should give England and Russia every assistance out of war. And he also said that he still feels the same way.
As the interview went along they started discussing the was with Germay. Mike said that he felt we must defeat Germany before we could see any peace. He was asked what he thought needed to happen in order for that to happen. He said that Japan would drop out first because of internal weakness and then we could completely focus on defeating Germany. Paul asked if he thought that the force sent to Europe to fight Germany was a need. Mike said, "Eventually, yes."
I got the voice recordings to work. I chose Richard M.(Red)Prendergast a very interesting man. He was in the 106th division which was completely destroyed in the Battle of the Bulge. He enlisted when he was 17 and he was making airplane wings. Then they decided to take him in and he was sent to be trained for combat. Then they were all shipped out as infantrymen. He was stationed in Ft. Benning. He was shipped to Camp Aderbury where he was put into 106th division. They were then shipped to Europe. After a few battles they were sent to a "quiet sector". It felt like every tank in the army came towards them. They were running and surrounded. With no food no vehicles barely any ammo with them running with guys in front and back of them. They dumped the heavy weapons that didn't have ammo. They somehow came in contact with a large group and they were told to attack this village. It then turned out that they were shooting at each other! They were finally completely out of food. They were then encircled lying in the snow being shot at with 20mm and 40mm cannons there were about 200 or 250 men surrounded by Germans. So they are up on this hill Germans came up to them he says to them in perfect English. They were threatened by Germans to surrender. They then were forced to march. His overshoes were taken by the Germans and he was forced to walk a very long time. He now has frostbite to this day but he didn't lose and of his toes. They were captured by the Germans. Amazingly the Germans didn't mistreat them when an American soldier fell or couldn't go farther they would pick him up and help him continue. I truly thought that was amazing. The army sent them a carton of cigarettes per soldier. Most of them didn't smoke though. They then proceeded to fill their pockets and trousers with cigarettes. They were then taken to a place called the Stalingrad. They then sold cigarettes there and they all made a lot of money. There were now five of them good friends. After the long march they were put in trains and they put sixty men in there with a bag of crackers and cheese. For all of them that was all they had for the whole train ride. This train ride lasted 7 days with almost no food for sixty men. The cold was terrible and there was a stove in the train car and took the benches in the car and burned them in the stove. He was sent into a room with his platoon that had about sixty shower heads and the moment they got in there they thought they were going to be gassed and killed. It actually turned out to be a hot shower. The Germans as he said was very hospitable or as hospitable as it can be in war. I have listened to three playbacks on this one person and there are three more but this is very interesting and i very much enjoyed this assignment and I would love another assignment like this one. This man was a great big man and he used heavy weapons he carried 42 pounds on his shoulder. Without adding in the weight of the other things on his person.
ReplyDeleteThere were quite a few options for this assignment, so it was a hard choice. However, I have chosen to report on Joseph Small, a black member of the Navy in and around 1943. Mr. Small was the son of a farmer-carpenter and lived in Somerset, New Jersey at the time of his interview with Mr. Terkel. His family lived in New Brunswick when he was a child, where he learned the ways of carpentry and several related trades.
ReplyDeleteWhen Mr. Smalls decided to join the military, the war had already been on for about a year or so, and he and his close friend went together for their physical. Afterward, they were informed that they couldn’t go into the same branch of the military, much less the same platoon. (He cites the reasoning for this as being the fact that there had recently been a story in the news of seven brothers who were all killed and the government was reevaluating sending those who were close to each other together.) So, his friend ended up in the Army and Joseph Smalls went into the Navy.
After boot camp, he was stationed in Port Chicago, California at a Naval Ammunition Depot. This establishment was very segregated and no one above 3rd Class Petty Officer was black. Joseph’s job was to load ammunition off railroad box cars and into Navy ships. He says that he loaded everything from .30 caliber shells to 500 lb. bombs. This was an extremely dangerous job, but he says that whenever he complained of the danger, he was told simply, “If it explodes, you won’t know anything about it.” Comforting, eh?
To be honest, there were several different recordings and the interview between Mr. Terkel and Mr. Smalls was a lengthy one and I did not listen to them all, because I realized, I couldn’t write about it all! Personally, I am amazed that I can go way over my word limit with just the beginning of the story. It’s evidence that there is a whole plethora of interesting information to be obtained about these times and these peoples lives. To have seen the things they saw and done the things they did, I am amazed and appreciative that they shared their experiences with Mr. Terkel. As for Mr. Smalls, he had much more to say about his dangerous job. Not to mention…an explosion. It’s worth checking out and it’s an interesting story. That’s all folks, for me anyway.
Sam, I enjoyed reading your essay. It is great to hear of someone who does not find ways to be against the war, but just go with what he knows he has to do. Everybody had that choice to make. Many chose to complain, protest, and find any possible way to make everyone know their stand on the war. I am not saying standing up for what you believe in is bad, it is actually the opposite, but there are times when people need to see what they need to do. When men like George Sietsma acknowledged reality, they not only demonstrated tolerance but the patience that benefitted American moral.
ReplyDeleteAlex, you brought out a very important topic. During the war, African-Americans did fight, but during a time when racism was still around. We hate to think that our military would deprive a soldier of protection just of his skin color, but it did happen. We can look back now and see how far we have come from where we have been.
ReplyDeleteJarred, you had a good essay.
ReplyDeleteThe first paragraph about Mrs. Houghton was really interesting. I thought it was sweet that she wanted to help her country during the war times because they had done so much that had benefited her and her family…
In the second paragraph you talked about Mr. Clark Kelly. He was a newspaper representative. I personally thought that the amount of letters against war would have been more prominent, but I believe that because of the attack at Pearl Harbor made people realize that we need to be involved in this war for the betterment of tomorrow…
Michael, you had a good essay.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the quote from the American Indian that you wrote about I couldn’t help but love it. I thought that the sentence that said” Let us remain brothers, no matter what creed or color or where you come from." was amazing. In my mind he was saying that he would fight beside his “fellow brothers” because he was happy to be an American. And that’s pretty much what he said in the rest of his quote...
Alex, you were right about racism being wrong. Just because someone is a different color than you doesn’t mean that they are any less of a person than you. The fact that people were, and still are, not liked because of their color makes me sick.
ReplyDeleteIf people didn’t know that me and my sister were really sisters, then they would have a hard time trying to figure it out because of the difference in our skin colors. No, I don’t like the fast that she got the tan skin and I didn’t, but that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t like her over it. Having darker skin than me isn’t hard, but I don’t care. The world has this weird mind set that says the American woman should have tan skin. Let me take this moment to remind you that the prefect tan could cause skin cancer.
God made every man/woman a different color and we should except that instead of letting it cause problems.
Sam, your essay was very easy to read and very interesting. In our minds, we often skip over people like George Sietsma who sacrificed much in order to contribute in any way they could when war came along. And even just after the Great Depression finally came to an end, the fact that there were no complaints or grumbling from him what with having a heavier workload and all. It’s very admirable that he didn’t charge any more of people for car parts that became rationed. You also mentioned that he wasn’t rich by any means, which is yet another reason why his sacrifices for when war came were so huge. More people should be that hard-working and that dedicated to their country and willing to sacrifice so greatly.
ReplyDeleteBlake, you wrote a good essay. I guess what stood out to me the most was what you said about the farmers and ranchers not thinking that they amounted to much, but they would help out in any way they could with war effort. That’s one thing I really take pride in about our country, that when rough times come we stick together and do what we can to help and get through. The fact that boys were so eager to join the military as quickly as they could amazes me. Also, when you mentioned that many people like Bob Barker supported the president very strongly, it made me think of the lack of support we give our president now. Sure, some of us may not agree on anything he decides, but in the past (like during World War11) people pulled together and supported the president and we made it through. We don’t always have to agree with any authority above us, but we should have a certain amount of respect for them. Not pointing any fingers at anyone, I just needed something to ramble about.
ReplyDeleteChuck, I read your post. I thought it was interesting. It was a really cool story about Richard Prendergast's experience in the war, and it does give us some insight about what participating in the war might have been like. Man, being surrounded by the Germans, completely helpless like that, would have really scared me. I would be thankful that after I was captured they did not mistreat or torture me like you hear about in some war stories. Richard Prendergast sounds like a pretty strong man to me, and I thought that your post was very interesting, Charlie.
ReplyDeleteAshley, I thought your post was cool. Those interviews from back then are pretty interesting, and it is pretty neat to see the experiences, thoughts and opinions from people who were involved in the war. I thought Mike Fox seemed like a cool person, and i thought that it was interesting reading about what he had to say.
ReplyDeleteAlex, I thought the letter you brought out was pretty interesting. It’s hard to imagine that the army used to be segregated like that. It is pretty frustrating to think that someone wasn’t allowed to be armed or protected just because they are not white. They had this insane mindset that black people were like wild animals that would turn on you if you armed them and turned your back. It’s ridiculous. lkjlkjlkjlkjlkjlkjlkjlkjlklkjllkjlkjlkjlklkjlpoipoipoipoipoi
ReplyDeleteI think Rick sounds like a cool guy, Charlie. His story is very interesting. I can’t fathom being captured and riding a train for 7 days with hardly any food and frostbitten feet. I also thought it was interesting how the Germans would help a struggling American up on the march. When you think about the Japanese, they would sometimes just kill an American prisoner-of-war that fell down or whatever. I thought it was cool how they believed they were going to be gassed, but it was actually just a hot shower. Stories like this are always fascinating.
ReplyDeleteSam, I liked your essay on George Sietsma. I like how we was a faithful and hardworking man before the war came and then after it started he was still faithful to his customers and still worked as hard as he could with no complaints. You don't find to many of those people around so I am sure Bloomington, Indiana enjoyed his company.
ReplyDeleteMaxwell, I really like that Bob Barker fellow in your essay. He really sounds like a true American Patriot! The way him and his friends supported the president and the war effort 100% was great. His friends and even his son were enlisting as soon as they could to go fight over seas. They have some real guts for sure and we need as many of those kind of people today, although we do have a lot of patriots today as well!
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ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading what Emily Cox wrote. It is important to record by any means what we don’t want to forget. The brain is a marvelous creation but it does were out and we forget things with age. I actually can barely remember the seventh grade. Emily noted that the Germans were more personally killing the Jews. What I mean by personally is that they would kill them directly and more involved in it than just blowing them up with a bomb or something else that is deadly from far away.
ReplyDeleteI liked what josh said. If the jappenes had never bombed us, we most likely would have never have went to war with them, and perhaps Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo would have succeed in their goals. Perhaps Europe and Asia would have just consist of the Nazi Empire, the New Roman Empire, the Japanese Empire, and a small Soviet Union.
ReplyDeleteMadyson,
ReplyDeleteI really loved your essay and the insight you gave on Ted Austen's letter. It is so true that often a short, incredibly sincere few sentences can speak so much more than novels written in cold hard fact. If a picture is worth a thousand words then this short sentiment of concern from a patriotic father is worth a thousand pictures. To be completely honest, in the world we live in today, it is increasingly rare to come across good people who have a little thing called priorities. This man is an example of a dying breed, a man who knows that a nation’s vitality depends upon the hard work and sacrifice of it’s citizens, even if those citizens are his own sons. He understands that in order to protect the country and freedom his children and grandchildren will live in, risks must be taken. Thank you for choosing this letter. I was edified by it.
Anna,
Interesting report. For one, it’s quite intriguing to see the different opinions and also the racism that can be born out of something like this. There are so many acts of violence that are committed each day by white Americans upon white Americans, yet most people would not group me in with Timothy McVeigh. This ethnocentric attitude is sad. Whether Japanese in the 1940’s or Arab today, we should judge a person on their own actions. No matter how much progress is made against racism or how desensitized we become to it, whenever you stop and think about even the slightest hint of distaste for another race, it’s disgusting, ridiculous, and quite honestly I don’t understand it. All in all though, awesome essay. Thanks for posting! It got me to thinking.
Michael Harrell,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your essay and especially liked the comment the American Indian made about "if we are Americans, let us fight as Americans, win as Americans etc.etc." That is such a truth that many people don't remember. It doesn't matter your skin color, or race, or what you look like, or how you got here; if you truly are an American, you'll fight for America, no matter the cost.
Alex,
Your essay was amazing. A soldier fighting in the war and not being allowed to have a gun, that's crazy. And I also loved the way in which the woman handled it. I personally would have been rude and mad and, if I had the chance, slapped the President in the face. (No offense) To know someone she loved was in harm's way, with no gun to defend himself, and to be so polite and kind about it, is incredible.
Jake, your essay really stuck out. First, because it was huge; and second, because it hits home with lots of us. Kids were forced to go to war and kill, and it was something I think was totally necessary. Things like looting bodies and literally hating the enemy are hard for me to comprehend, but I think, though, that most anybody would enter that state-of-mind during a war like that. Anyway good essay, Jake.
ReplyDeleteAlex, all the cool kids are commenting on your essay so I'll join in. I can see why everyone commented on your essay, though. The fact that they put soldiers in a position with a chane to die, I'm assuming many were also drafted, without a gun is ridiculous. This is one of those things, in my mind, that seems like it would've caused a lot of problems back home. I think it should've been a big issue when the Civil Rights Movement began ten years after the war. Great topic to bring up, Alex.
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ReplyDeleteWHO DAT say they gonna beat dem Saints? Who dat! Who dat!
Zach, I really liked your essay. It was very good and quite interesting. I think it's pretty cool to see how all these different people felt. Like whatthat one guy said "if it wasn't for President Roosevelt that we would be having our own revolution here at home." And also what Mr. Talley said, that he was hearing that the nation was not awakenfor this war but he believed that " we are very much awaks, maybe just as awake as the officials in Washington." It's just so neat to see how these people felt like. Good essay Zach.
ReplyDeleteMadyson, you had a great essay. What you said about loved ones going off to war got me thinking. I know how it feels to have a loved one over there and it is very scary. The thought of something happening to him scares me to death. He was practically like a big brother to me when we were little. I can't imagine how I'd feel or even worse how his family would feel if something were to happen. We need to think about our troops and pray for them more often. We need to be thankful for them and not take them for granted (I'm talking to myself here too). Anyways, great essay Madyson.
Colby,
ReplyDeleteYour essay was well worth the lengthy read. Your in depth descussion of the Mike Fox interview was very interesting. He brought up some good points. Some of these included him thinking that the U.S. should have joined the League of Nations. Part of me agrees with him, buut part of me says no because I don’t think that UN has worked out so well either. One thing I do agree on, is that he brought up a good point, maybe we should have attacked Japan with all of our troops at once and end it quickly.
Xalo,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I like the use of some humor at th ebeginning of your essay, “which I think is a great way to start a letter” is pretty good seeing whereas all she said was “Dear Mr. President.” But your description of her letter was as little fuzzy but I got the picture. No doctors at home mean unhealthy new soldiers when old soldiers die due to all doctors being at the war. It’s a tough road to tred on, send more doctors to war or keep more her to maintain good health? Tough choice.
Mr. Akers, first off I am sorry that this homework is late. I Have excuses but I know it doesn’t match up to my responsibility. And second I can’t get the sound for the first part so I chose just to do the second part which where I found even more problems. I would click on a name and nothing would come up for that person, so I am just settling with commenting on other people’s essays.
ReplyDeleteXalo, Its ok that you did not write that much, you drove write to the point and had an open heart to what the girl was saying in the letter. And if you didn’t really understand then you understood a lot more of the assignment then I did. So good Job! And also it was very nicely written and smooth.
Emily Dearest, what you were saying at the beginning of your essay about how you want to know whats going on so you can pass that on to others so that they will know how it was first handedly. Well I agree completely. That is something that we all should take into account and just eat up so we can share what happened to us to generations to come. Without people doing this, there would be no history books and no one would know our lineage. I can still remember when I was at Oak Hill Elementary when 9/11 occurred. I was young but not young enough to know the pain of the others around me. Without our first hand experiences with hard tymes, no one would know the true facts and things we have been through.
Before people went to war, they often wrote the president to either: freak out, or encourage him. This was rare. But at least one person did. Chesterfield White. He wrote a rather bold question to the president: "What am I fighting for?" That's probably what everyone wants to kow when they are about to be shipped off to certain death. What the heck am I being sent away to fight? I belive this is actually a resonable question. Some might see it as a bit juvenile. You know, just eat your breakfast. But hey, I would ask until i got an official letter from the president himself. Anywho, not only did he ask the question, but he answered it himself. Ahh, there's the redemption. He said “I am fighting to help preserve democracy and to beat the Axis power. The American way of life is so dear to me and to every American freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and a representative form of government.”
ReplyDeleteThis man obviously cared a great deal for his life, and the lives of his fellow Americans. These are the people we should all want to be.
I’m doing my research on a young from Arkansas named Ivy Trail who wrote a letter to the President of the United States. She starts out her letter, "Dear Mr. President", and follows that with information about herself and her family from Arkansas. She continues on into the third paragraph and tells the President that in Arkansas they are hearing a lot about the war and how many of the boys are going off to war. She then continues on to say that many young boys from Arkansas would love to fight in the war but cant do to disabilities, and argues her claim by saying the young people in the war now had "good" doctors growing but with her young statesmen boys while living so far out in the mountains made it hard for them to even see a doctor after they were born. She also informed the President of a doctor who charged thirty dollars for a visit.
ReplyDeleteBut her main point for her letter was to inform the President of the situations faced by the young people of Arkansas, also telling him if the people of Arkansas had a better chance to become healthy as young people they would have better, healthier soldiers and be able to have the state of Arkansas more involved in the war.
This letter wrote by a young Arkansas girl whom I have never met opened my eyes. Just to think of the courage she had, how so many people are intimidated the President because of his authority. But she did not care she wanted her point to noted and heard and she was going to do any possible way she could. She was a very bold and courageous girl.
Alex…
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your essay on the African American woman consonered about the security and well being of her brother. She is an American citizen and deserves the right of every other American no matter the color of her skin of her religious choosing...this was a great essay that I would have never known about had I not read your essay...great job.
Zia Beth...
Your essay was a very informative one to read I never knew so many Americans wrote important letters to the President prior to this assignment...but I enjoyed how Allan Kline was so bold into what he had to say about the attacks on Pearl Harbor and on how we had to win this war no matter what. I thought he took a strong stand in what was write and was very bold on what he thought should be done and was willing to go to any length to have that acknowledged..