Pearl Jam

The United States of America became affected in the Second World War after the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbour in 1941. Even though the society had had anti-war attitude since the First World War, Roosevelt recognised the needs for intervention. This vital decision has significantly changed the lives of every citizen. Whether it was abroad or on the home front, each American individual was urged by the government to contribute to the war effort. Because of the protracted war most of the young…

John W Dower, Japanese history professor at the University of San Diego, examines the relationship between the Japanese and the United States during the Pacific War. After the Pearl Harbour attack the American people reacted in panic and rage towards their Japanese enemies by producing slanderous and racist propaganda often depicting them as apes, vermin and rapists. During this time the Japanese became the dominant power in Asia, their goal was to ‘advance south’ which challenged not only…

China Night (1940) is a wartime propaganda film made by Osamu Fushimizu. Widely-known as one of the three “continental goodwill films”, China Night features “a romance between a Japanese man and a young Chinese woman played by Li Xianglan” in an attempt to show “how…cultural differences and misunderstandings between different ethnicities and languages could be overcome” (Li, p. 83). This response will examine the tropes of romance and marriage in China Night to highlight how its depiction of an…

Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Nationalism in Japan’ is an analysis of the concept of the ‘nation’ and ‘nationalism’. Through this beautiful piece of writing, he has cautioned India and other nations that they must not thoughtlessly adopt the Western notion of Nationalism without first realizing the extent to which it can influence their non-Western culture and the cost that may come with it; “Therefore, you cannot with a light heart accept the modern civilization with all its tendencies, methods and…

Pacific during World War II, Franklin Delano Roosevelt created an embargo that cut off Japan’s oil supply. The Japanese felt that a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was the best response to Roosevelt’s embargo, as they believed that they needed oil and other resources which were cut off by the U.S. navy. In the aftermath of the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, Americans mourned the loss of their brothers and sisters while the Japanese rejoiced. The Japanese viewed the attack as a victory, one…

Case Study 2: WTO Shrimp Turtle Case The growing struggle between international trade and environmental protection in the United States became very apparent in the 1990’s with the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) ruling in the Shrimp/Turtle case. Besides the Asian countries and the United States, the two main parties involved in this case seem to be the conflict between the environmentalist and the free trade advocates. The environmentalists push for products that limit damage done to the…

Tojo had troops simulate their attack on Pearl Harbor a month before the attack, to better prepare for all the destruction they hoped for. The United Stated demanded Japan to leave China, which Japan rejected and set sail for the attack. On December 4th 1941 a radio broadcaster said the words “East Wind Rain” which meant the attack was going to happen. On December 7th 1941 the attack on Pearl Harbor was started with two waves of a 350 plane fleet. These planes would…

“But when we came out of camp, that's when I first realized that being in camp, that being Japanese-American, was something shameful”(Takei). When the Emperor Was Divine a novel written by Julie Otsuka. The author tells a story of when a Japanese-American family was sent to a desert internment camp on the orders of the President. Living the American Dream is not possible for all nationalities as exemplified in When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka, shown from before, during, and after the…

3. Racial Prejudice 3.1 Result of Pearl Harbour Evidence suggests racial prejudices played a part in Truman’s decision as well. The event of Pearl Harbour on December 7th, 1941, had led many Americans to be bloodthirsty and bitter for revenge. The Japanese were not viewed as human compared to the white race as a result of racial prejudice, and many Americans agreed with these thoughts. Although in American society there were references to Germans as “krauts,” and Italians as “tonies” or…

Delivered on June 4, 1940, Winston Churchill’s speech “We Shall Fight on the Beaches” is one of the most recognized speeches during World War II. Churchill, who at the time was the prime minister of the United Kingdom did not actually broadcast this speech to the citizens of the United Kingdom, rather to the House of Commons. In fact, it was not until 1949 that people were able to listen to his own voice delivering the speech after Churchill was persuaded to record it for the benefit of younger…