After viewing the first three episodes of Oliver Stone's The Untold History of the United States, I'm curious to know what your thoughts and feelings are about the following... Please respond in short-answer format of at least three sentences or more per prompt. This journal will be due by Thursday, 12/20/18.
1. Analyse Stone's ethos. How does he build his credibility within the documentary? Where does he fall short in establishing trustworthiness as an orator and as a historian? You may wish to recall the opening soliloquy which he provided his audience as a springboard to your reply to this first prompt.
2. Identify and describe the most shocking thing or series of things which you gleaned from watching this compelling, and even frightening, retelling of European, Asian, and certainly American history.
3. Why is it, in your informed opinion, that so much of the "truth" of World War Two has been lost to history here in the West? Recall that those nations in the East, namely Russia, arguably are the reason that Germany's and Japan's military machines were finally stopped. Why then, does the United States teach its citizens falsehoods about the Russian's saving involvement and terrible sacrifice during the war? What purpose does this omission of the historical facts serve within our society? How have these ideas made themselves manifest elsewhere in the world and in what way(s)?
4. Give an honest, open-minded, and heartfelt response to witnessing images of the Trinity atomic bomb test at Alamogordo, New Mexico. Taking this one step further... what were your emotive responses to see actual footage of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
5. Do you feel that America, or certain Americans, should be responsible for the "war crimes" committed during World War II. Who? How should these individuals be punished? What reparations need be made?
1. Stone began his documentary dedicating it to his son. With that in mind, her never provided his own credentials as a historian and while watching the documentary, one could see that it is biased. However, he provides plenty of evidence to back up his points and claims. Stone never proposes a claim without sourced evidence. In this way, he builds up his ethos.
ReplyDelete2. The most frightening thing is the depth of information concealed from the American public. Stone paints a historical narrative completely different from what typical history books describe. From the frightening truths behind the atomic bombs in Japan to Russia's contributions in the War, Stone unearths a plethora of information with the potential to reshape how Americans view themselves and their place in the world.
3. Underplaying Russian involvement in WWII made it much easier to both stage a cold war and to establish the US as a world power. If America had declared that Russia won the war, they would not have been able to seize such power in the UN and in the world sphere. Furthermore, there would have been more backlash from the American citizens over waging a cold war if they knew of the sacrifice that Russia made for the war efforts. Not acknowledging Russian efforts was the best quickest road to more power, and so the US took it.
4. When you learn about the bomb in history, the pictures, if there are pictures, only show a mushroom cloud descending over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Japanese people are presented as abstract casualties, necessary for wining the war. When watching the documentary and seeing the raw footage of hundreds and thousands of people dead, dying, and suffering, I was shocked. It was a level that no textbook had ever covered and it made me feel disgusted and made me wonder what drives a person to drop a deadly weapon on so many innocent people.
5. The military leaders and Truman should have been held responsible for the deaths in Japan. Although it was far from the level of the Holocaust, Truman should have been held as responsible as the Nazi officials were following the end of WWII. Although the US provided Japan would economic help to rebuild Tokyo and other demolished cities, it would never be enough to help those who died. Yet at the end of the day, history is written by the winners and the American victory ensured that Truman would never be held accountable for his deplorable actions.
1. Stone builds his ethos as a lone truth-teller among a sea of people who will be dishonest about the facts of American history. He begins the documentary by describing his shock and horror that his children were receiving a subpar and untrue retelling of history at school. He promises the audience that he, unlike other American historians and teachers, will tell the truth about history.
ReplyDelete2. Many historical figures that are commonly revered were morally corrupt. Learning some of the things that Winston Churchill was responsible for seems to completely negate his high standing in history. It makes me wonder how cultural and historical icons are generally agreed upon or if they are.
3. To posit the Soviet Union as a looming villain for its entire existence by default presents the United States as a heroic protagonist. By giving people a common enemy, it is easier to unite them as Americans. Conversely, it is also easier to condemn critics of America as foreign and evil.
4. It is abominable that one person should have the ability to kill and harm so many. If the resources gone into war and weapons was concentrated in another area, we might live in a much better world today. The unnecessary suffering on such massive scales is horrifying, and it’s even more horrifying that it is avoidable.
5. Yes. Truman and many of his cabinet, who gave the orders or encouraged the orders for the bombs to be dropped on Japan, should have been tried in an international court for the murder of innocents. Anyone who gave orders to kill civilians should have been tried and jailed, including for casualties in colonized nations.
Oliver Stone is an American writer who served in Vietnam, which shows that he is both capable of expressing ideas about America professionally and he is familiar with war. Stone expresses his personal experiences with misinformation about history which makes it clear to the audience that he intends to tell the truth for the purpose of truth. Consistent use of film and quotes from the time period reassures viewers that Stone is indeed telling an untold history of the United States.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the most shocking thing in the film was the motivations of Truman and US leaders when they made decisions pertaining to the world war. The main examples being the refusal to communicate with and respect Russian allies as well as the unnecessary use of atomic weaponry. The basis of these decisions appear to stem from emotional rage and efforts to maintain a masculine image in the presidency. Such motivations do not belong in foreign policy or in government in general. Yet, the themes repeat.
Revising the historical perception of Russia in World War II bolsters the image of the US as a benevolent world leader. Not only does it give the US credit for victory, but it is also used as a justification for terrible acts such as mistreatment of American-Japanese Citizens and the destruction of cities. If America has credit for the victory, then the events can be distorted from atrocities to necessary evils in the public eye.
The bombs sent to Japan are difficult to fully grasp. I tend to want to leave the room when it comes up as a natural human reaction and I find myself trying to distract myself with other things, like hobbies, to avoid empathizing with the loss to an extent that it interferes with my well being. I find it influencing my decisions, art projects in subtle ways, but I can get incredibly sad addressing it directly (like while writing this).
I believe Truman should not have had access to atomic weapons and I’m inclined to see him and other military figures punished for its misuse, for misinforming the public, and general mishandling of foreign affairs. I especially believe that the US should be punished for use of Japanese internment camps. I am aware that federal money was sent for reparations to the families, but that was under the terms of the US and wasn’t sufficient. If these systems are not punished, they will continue to redisplay the same behavior.