The Rape of Nanking

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Brittney Rivas Professor Mc Mills English 101.0815 11/8/12 The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang When will mankind abandon the horrors of war in favor of the wisdom of peace? In the non-fiction work The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang, the author explored the savage invasion of China by Japanese troops in December 1937. Although Japan’s history and culture fueled its army’s brutality, China’s lack of awareness, preparedness and leadership contributed to Nanking’s overwhelming defeat. As John Stuart Mill once said, “War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.” In other words, war brings people to a disgraceful point where they lose their values of life. The Japanese cultural beliefs contributed to many of the brutal killings that occurred in Nanking and other parts of Asia. Japan’s primitive rituals promoted dedication and honor through reinforcement (Chang 20). The Japanese Army had cultural beliefs that were instilled in them because of the consequences that were implied if disobeyed. These unethical and inhumane dispositions were all they knew and practiced. There was no mercy for those who begged for it, pain was greatly condoned: “His teacher slammed his knuckles against the boy’s head and yelled, “Why are you crying about one lousy frog? When you grow up, you’ll have to kill one hundred, two hundred chinks!” (30). Mercy was not even available to young boys. The Japanese committed their lives to a strict code of conduct called the Bushido (“Way of the Warrior”), taught in warrior classes to help the soldiers prepare for battle and to acquire honor. To die in the service of one’s lord was the greatest honor a samurai warrior could achieve in his lifetime; such
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