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Obama’s Hiroshima Speech Critiqued by Japanese 9th Graders – SEOYEON

Tags

Hiroshima, MUSIC, Obama, view from Japan, WAR

This is one of seven papers written by my 9th grade students describing how they feel about President Obama’s visit to Hiroshima and the words he spoke there.  I will be posting the remaining six over the weekend.  This Independence Day weekend is an excellent time to post these kids’ thoughts — to remind us that America can find greatness not in making war, but in working for peace.  

President Obama’s speech in Hiroshima was very meaningful for two reasons. Firstly, he showed the feeling of mourning for the victims who were killed by atomic bombs during World War Two. Secondly, he talked about the contradiction in mankind that makes people destroy each other and how morality has not advanced along with technological advancement. He gave the three examples of religions, nations and science.

He told us that “Every great religion promises a pathway to love and peace and righteousness,” but then he says that some people use their religion as a reason to fight wars. He gave the example of how, “Nations are telling a story that binds people together…,” but people go to war for national pride. And, finally he explained how “Science allows us to communicate across the seas and fly above the clouds,” but technology is also used to make weapons of war.

But while people were developing these things they only thought about standing at the top of the world, and they forgot their moral mind and because of this, so many people have been killed. I wish a moral revolution had occurred side by side with the scientific revolution. People should not be tempted by immediate fortunes or profits and we should not be selfish and we shouldn’t lose our moral mind.

SEOYEON L. (15) – Adachi Ward, Tokyo

Obama’s Hiroshima Speech Critiqued by Japanese 9th Graders – CHIKA

Tags

Hiroshima, Independence Day, Obama, view from Japan, WAR

This is one of seven papers written by my 9th grade students describing how they feel about President Obama’s visit to Hiroshima and the words he spoke there.  I will be posting the remaining six over the weekend.  This Independence Day weekend is an excellent time to post these kids’ thoughts — to remind us that America can find greatness not in making war, but in working for peace.  

President Obama’s visit to Hiroshima became a big topic in Japan. I think it was an important sign of the mutual understanding between America and Japan. I can tell you the reasons for my opinion of his speech.

The biggest point was that it was the first time an American president visited either of the two cities that were destroyed by atom bombs. Also, in the very first part of his speech he expressed his condolence to the people who died there. He didn’t actually say any apologies about the nuclear attack, but I felt his sympathy.

He also spoke of specific examples of hibakusha (atomic bomb victims). I think he tried to show us his thoughtfulness and create a close feeling with those people. I guess it must be difficult for an American president to interact with Japanese hibakusha, I was impressed by his amicable gesture.

President Obama came to Hiroshima and he prayed for peace all over the world. We mustn’t forget this meaningful occurrence. I want to always keep his words in my heart.

CHIKA M. (14) – Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo

 

Obama’s Hiroshima Speech Critiqued by Japanese 9th Graders – KAKINE

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Diane Reeves, Hiroshima, MUSIC, Obama, WAR

This is one of seven papers written by my 9th grade students describing how they feel about President Obama’s visit to Hiroshima and the words he spoke there.  I will be posting the remaining six over the weekend.  This Independence Day weekend is an excellent time to post these kids’ thoughts — to remind us that America can find greatness not in making war, but in working for peace.  

When I first heard this speech, I remembered the words my great-grandmother once told me; “War is the worst thing to ever happen between humans.” She survived WWII, and I was surprised that President Obama said about the same thing even though he has never experienced war. So, I was reminded how important peace is.

I used to live in Norway and I had a chance to go to the Nobel Peace Prize Museum in Oslo. There were a lot of exhibits of peace prize winners, talking about peace, but each in different way; one wanted peace for children’s education, another for women’s rights, and others for different reasons. There was a display of President Obama there, saying nuclear weapons are a great threat to peace. Nevertheless, even though so many people talk about peace, war does not end. Actually, weapons even worse than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima have been invented.

I think what we must do is to keep on saying what my great grand-mother said to me and what President Obama said to the world. It may seem common, but I’m sure that it is a key step for keeping peace in the world.

KAKINE H. (14) – Taito Ward, Tokyo

Obama’s Hiroshima Speech Critiqued by Japanese 9th Graders – ANJU

Tags

Hiroshima, Obama, WAR

This is one of seven papers written by my 9th grade students describing how they feel about President Obama’s visit to Hiroshima and the words he spoke there.  I will be posting the remaining six over the weekend.  This Independence Day weekend is an excellent time to post these kids’ thoughts — to remind us that America can find greatness not in making war, but in working for peace.  

I was so surprised to hear the news that President Obama visited Hiroshima.

For 71 years, successive American presidents avoided coming to Hiroshima during their term. Maybe they wanted to come but they were not able to because many Americans think it was a natural choice to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So, I thought President Obama had courage to decide to be the first.

Actually I didn’t expect this event. He won the Nobel prize for peace in 2009 for the speech he made in Prague about reducing nuclear weapons. When I heard that speech I thought he was only speaking ‘formally’ and did not really mean what he said. When I heard his Hiroshima speech, I realized my thinking was actually wrong, he really does care about ending nuclear weapons.

I hope President Obama will come to Hiroshima or Nagasaki again and tell future generations of Americans what a horrible thing happened to those two poor cities.

ANJU S. (14) – Ryogoku, Tokyo

Obama’s Hiroshima Speech Critiqued by Japanese 9th Graders – KAHO

Tags

Hakuo, Hiroshima, MUSIC, Obama, WAR

This is one of seven papers written by my 9th grade students describing how they feel about President Obama’s visit to Hiroshima and the words he spoke there.  I will be posting the remaining six over the weekend.  This Independence Day weekend is an excellent time to post these kids’ thoughts — to remind us that America can find greatness not in making war, but in working for peace.  

 

 

I don’t know why President Obama came to Hiroshima. Some people said it is a wonderful thing, but I don’t think so. He came now, 71 years after the end of World War Two. His visit will not change anything.

One high school student said, “He is just kidding us.” He made some folded paper cranes for symbols of peace, but they are just origami and they can’t do anything. The dead of the war can never come back. Their families’ sadness can never end.

I don’t want President Obama to say I’m sorry because it’s useless and it’s too late. I want a real plan to make the world peaceful. No war any more! I thought that, of course, he had a plan, but I never heard that kind of thing. (Is it just my problem?) I think this is very regrettable.

I don’t know how the war was. Even a lot of adults don’t know about war. If Donald Trump becomes the next American president, maybe there will be another world war. No one I know wants war; we want to live safely and peacefully.

I think we all must learn more about war from many different angles and we must stop any new wars from happening. That is what we should do now and what I want President Obama to do. Nothing will change by just visiting Hiroshima, so I hope that President Obama will do more to show us the right path. One thing his visit taught me is that we have to learn more about war if we want to have peace in the future.

KAHO I. (15) Toshima Ward, Tokyo

 

Watergate complaint? Sound out of date? You tell me….

“How long America, before the consequences of:
Keeping the schools segregated,
Allowing the press to be intimidated,
Watching the price of everything soar,
And hearing complaints because the rich want more?

It seems that MacBeth, and not his lady, went mad.
We’ve let ‘em eliminate the whole middle class.
The dollar’s the only thing we can’t inflate,
While the poor go on without a minimum wage.”

Gil Scott Heron & Brian Jackson –
For the above quote, jump to 4:06
from Winter in America 1974

BE GOOD

I was driving to a class this morning when I heard an oddly alluring black voice singing a very pleasant melody.  I stopped the car and listened, mesmerized. When it came to an end, I strained to hear the Japanese announcer, hoping I to understand his pronunciation. I clearly heard him say, “Be Good”.  I Googled it tonight when I got home and found the video is as surprising and charming as the music.  So, very much for your listening and viewing pleasure, I am happy to pass on Gregory Porter performing “Be Good”.

http://youtu.be/9HvpIgHBSdo

RETURN TO SENDER 竹島? 독도?

Tags

Dokdo, East Sea, Lee Myung Bak, Sea of Japan, Takeshima, Yoshihiko Noda

It seems like every summer Japan and South Korea get into some kind of nasty squabble. This summer’s hot topic is an on-again, off-again territorial dispute over a couple of rocks in the sea that separates America’s two East Asian allies. These guys can’t even agree on what they’re fighting over; for the Japanese it’s the Takeshima Islands in the Sea of Japan and for the South Koreans it’s the Dokto Islands in the East Sea. Same sea, same islands.

Well, things got sillier than ever last week when President Lee refused to receive a letter from Prime Minister Noda. His personal courier was turned away from the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo when he tried to return the letter in person. Korea then announced that they would send the unopened letter back special delivery.

Click for Jiji Press Article: Japan Refuses to Accept Letter Returned by Seoul

All the time I was reading about this I couldn’t stop hearing a constant replay of an old Elvis song, Return to Sender

This is a photo from a fashion show on nearby Ulleung island to promote South Korean sovereignty over the Liancourt Islands (Takeshima/Dokto) on Aug. 10, 2012.