Before this class, I didn't really know anything about the Enola Gay Controversy. After reading a few articles, I was able to understand the basic story and what the big deal was surrounding the Enola Gay. The Smithsonian was planning an exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. The exhibit was to feature the Enola Gay, the plane used to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. The Air Force Association and the American Legion (among others) wanted the exhibit to be cancelled because they felt the exhibit script was biased and didn't put the American veterans in a favorable light regarding the dropping of the bomb on Japan. The huge battle was whether the exhibit should promote heritage or history.
I think it was unfortunate that the exhibit was cancelled and instead the Enola Gay was displayed with little information or interpretation. While I understand veterans were upset that the exhibit was going to show the effects of the atomic bomb through pictures and artifacts that would have elicited a strong emotional response from the public, I don't think that part of the story could have been ignored or scaled back. It would be hard talking about the atomic bomb without mentioning its disastrous effects. The public should have been able to see the original exhibit. History is about exploring all sides of a story.
Showing posts with label World War II. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World War II. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The War
Today in class we watched a segment of Episode 5, "FUBAR" from the series The War. This episode focuses on some of the disasters of World War II that most people don't often hear about, such as the Battle of Peleliu or Operation Market Garden. Before this class, I had never seen any of this series by Ken Burns. From what we watched in class, I am very interested in watching more of the episodes in the series.
The film is geared towards the American public as it focuses on 4 towns in the United States and the people that lived there. The towns could represent any place in America that was affected by the war. Burns uses photos, video clips, interviews, documents, narrators etc. to portray what the war was like for everyday people. People are pulled into the film because they can make a connection to the people that are being presented. I found that I wanted to know what happened to these various people because I was given so much information about their experiences, something that isn't always portrayed in a war movie. This film leaves out the leaders that most people hear about during this time period. FDR and Churchill were never mentioned in the segment we watched. The use of big time actors, such as Tom Hanks and Josh Lucas, as narrators also draw people into this film. Recognizing their voices allows you to make a connection with what is being presented to you.
The one thing that stuck out the most to me while watching this film was the use of photos and clips when talking about a specific event during the war. I didn't know if the photos and clips were from the actual events being described in the film. The question was raised whether this was history or not? I'm not sure about this because the footage used was authentic, but it might have been used for something it doesn't represent. This is definitely something to think about and raise with my future students in History.
The film is geared towards the American public as it focuses on 4 towns in the United States and the people that lived there. The towns could represent any place in America that was affected by the war. Burns uses photos, video clips, interviews, documents, narrators etc. to portray what the war was like for everyday people. People are pulled into the film because they can make a connection to the people that are being presented. I found that I wanted to know what happened to these various people because I was given so much information about their experiences, something that isn't always portrayed in a war movie. This film leaves out the leaders that most people hear about during this time period. FDR and Churchill were never mentioned in the segment we watched. The use of big time actors, such as Tom Hanks and Josh Lucas, as narrators also draw people into this film. Recognizing their voices allows you to make a connection with what is being presented to you.
The one thing that stuck out the most to me while watching this film was the use of photos and clips when talking about a specific event during the war. I didn't know if the photos and clips were from the actual events being described in the film. The question was raised whether this was history or not? I'm not sure about this because the footage used was authentic, but it might have been used for something it doesn't represent. This is definitely something to think about and raise with my future students in History.
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