Reaction to Hiroshima Lecture 9/12/08

I thought this lecture on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima was pretty interesting. The information about atomic bombs was something new to me and hearing the story of Mr. Inoye gave great insight to what it was really like for someone that lived there during the bombing. The presentation was definitely geared towards college level thinkers. For younger kids, this lecture would have been completely boring and not understandable. A PowerPoint was used to show the main points of the atomic bomb information but it was not creative by any means.
I really liked how Mr. Inoye talked about education. He had to leave school to work in military factories when he was in eighth grade, and after the war he wasn’t really sure if he wanted to continue his education. His father encouraged him to go back to school; to make a better life for him in the future. Mr. Inoye loved to read and had a book collection that he was devastated to lose in the bombing. Education was so important for his family that he had to walk three miles, take the train, take a streetcar, and then walk another mile before he reached the makeshift school. The building was so rundown that when it rained the students had to hold umbrellas above their heads while sitting at their desks. To me, this shows just how important education was to Mr. Inoye and that he didn’t take it for granted. I just wish that younger middle school and high school students could have been at this lecture to hear his story so they realized how well off they are.