questionthe module 4 soundscape features one H u m a n i t i e s

– Respond to the following question

– 400 words for this question

The Module 4 soundscape features one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s most famous speeches: his request that Congress declare war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. You are an American listening to the speech on the radio. You’re scared, angry, and worried in the aftermath of the attack. How would you have reacted to the president’s speech?

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– Respond and give your take on the two answers

– 200 words each answer

– Respond to them separately

– No special format needed

Answer 1: As I was listening to President Roosevelt’s speech, I couldn’t help but keep saying, “I can’t imagine being alive during this time”. War in general is a terrible and terrifying thing but for some reason WW2 really scares me to my core, even to this day. I think had I been alive and listening to this speech, I firstly would have felt extremely scared and worried of what this war would look like for our country. How would this affect my family, would my husband be going to war, would Japan start bombing more of the United States? Knowing myself, I know I would have a million questions and fears.

Secondly, I would feel anger. I feel anger today for what happened in Pearl Harbor and I imagine I would feel the same, ten fold. To have another country planning an attack that was very intentional to a country that was neutral due to the neutrality acts that were put into place.

Third, I would feel really sad for all the lives that were lost on that tragic day. And for all the lives that would be lost fighting in the war to come.

Answer 2: This speech reminds me of 9/11 in a way. I was only nine years old when I saw the news about the planes crashing into the two towers, and the thought of war scared me. I can somewhat imagine what the families went through in 1941 during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s speech. The main difference between now and then is that the American military wasn’t nearly as powerful at that point in history. I believe America’s military was the 13th largest in the world before joining the war. On top of all that, this was World War II and Germany was technologically more advanced than us by far and the Japanese were ruthless and sacrificed anything and everything to win the war. Recently i saw a documentary on the war and saw the numbers of American deaths at the beginning of the war. America had lost many battles before we could win the war. Our understanding and motives of war was nothing compared to those who seeked to conquer and destroy. Parents with kids that were old enough to join the war must have been the ones who opposed our country going to war. As a parent myself, I can understand the distress they went through.

Overall I agree with Roosevelt. As much as the idea of war bothers me, I can see in some circumstances, our country needs to defend itself and its citizens and help those who cannot fight back. WWII was a fight that we needed to participate in. Even Winston Churchill said that the war would be lost without the aid of Americans. Even though our military wasn’t that powerful yet, our contribution in aiding with supplies turned the tides of war.