Tim+Lee


 * Rape of Nanking**

I just read the introduction of the book called Rape of Nanking, but I was able to learn many facts about the rape of Nanking. The introduction is only fifteen pages long, but this passage not only contained the author’s opinion on the Rape of Nanking, but also some shocking and horrible statistics that were very hard to believe. I have never known that the death toll during the Rape of Nanking exceeded the number of victims during the Nazi Holocaust or the number of death when two atomic bombs devastated Nagasaki and Hiroshima. I knew many women were raped during the Rape of Nanking, but I never expected the number to be as many as 20000 to 80000. The methods of raping used by the Japanese were as shocking as the statics.

Much more surprising fact was that this historical event was properly informed to the world just few years ago. According to the author, not many American textbooks on the World War 2 did not describe anything or mentioned only few sentences about this devastating massacre. Indeed, The American Heritage Picture History of World War 2 written in 1966 was one of the most popular textbooks in America, but did not contain even a single word describing the Rape of Nanking. Personally, this fact frustrated me very much because the case is very similar to the case of Korea comfort women. Japanese too invaded Korea during the World War 2, and forced many Korean women to become sex slaves, but, this issue is also not very well known to the world. So, I could feel myself become sympathetic toward the author of this book and become very interested in this book.


 * MacArthur Questions**

1. This reading is called "frustrations in Korea." Explaine why that is General MacArthur had to ask the government of the US if he wanted to do something, and for most of the time, his request was not accpeted.

2. What was MacArthur's position on China He thought that China has become very aggressive compared to fifty years ago.

3. Would the Koreans and their allies hae won the war if MAcARthur was allowed to go through with his attack plan? Why? I kind of agree that South Korea could have won if only the B - 29 airplanes bombed the bridge that lead Chinese soldiers to North Korea.

4. Why do you think Trumen did not allow it? The bombers could possibly damage Manchurdia while bombing, and Trumen could have thought that it is not a good idea to attack China's mainland.