Chang writes in horrifying details about the Japanese invasion of Nanking in December 1937 and it’s aftermath. Chang states “The rape of Nanking should be perceived as a cautionary tell, an illustration of how easily human beings can be encouraged to allow their teenagers to be molded into efficient killing machines able to suppress their better natures.”
The beginning of the book overviews the rape of Nanking and then in subsequent chapters goes into details overviewed in the beginning of the book.
Chang relays first hand accounts of survivors of the Japanese brutality. She recounts the story of a man who left a safe hiding spot to see if the Japanese really looked like Chinese people. When he was spotted he tried to hide in a garbage bin with another man. The other man was killed and he was rounded up and taken to a pit where men were lined up and the Japanese soldiers had a competition to see who could behead the most prisoners.
He was knocked into the pit when the person next to him was beheaded and it went unnoticed by the soldiers. Bodies continued to pile up on him and the Japanese soldiers bayoneted the pile to ensure no one survived. That night his friends went to find his body and found him still alive. He was the only one who survived that encounter.
The book also outlines the story of John Rabe, the leader of the Nazi party in Nanking, and the role he played in saving an thousands of Chinese lives. Rape and murder were central to the occupation of Nanking.
Chang states “I would have to conclude that Japan’s behavior during World War II was less a product of dangerous people than of a dangerous government in a vulnerable culture in dangerous times able to sell dangerous rationalizations to those whose human instincts told them otherwise.”
Overall this is an important historical book to read. Some of the organization of the book could have been better. I rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Great literature should do more than entertain us. It should provide a roadmap to improving our lives.
In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens introduced readers to Sydney Carton, one of literature's most compelling and deeply flawed characters. Dickens also gives him an unusual title: the Jackal.
His struggles raise questions that remain relevant today.
Are we defined by our past mistakes? Can we overcome our weaknesses? What separates the people we are from the people we could become?
Lessons From the Jackal is a 25-day character study exploring these questions through Sydney Carton’s life, decisions, relationships, and personal development.
This is not a traditional course on A Tale of Two Cities. Our reading assignments will focus specifically on Carton, with sufficient background provided to understand his story. No previous knowledge of the novel is necessary.
Each day will feature selected readings, historical comparisons, reflection questions, discussions, and practical challenges ...
Lessons From the Jackal will return next week. Based on the first five days are there any thoughts you want to share? Are there any changes you would like to see? What do you like most about the course? What do you like least? Any feedback would be great as a finalize the next lessons in the series.
Five days ago, we began with a simple question: How do you measure potential?
Over the course of this week, Sydney Carton has challenged us to reconsider what potential really means.
We met a man whose careless appearance concealed remarkable intelligence. We watched him make observations that others overlooked, only to receive little recognition for his contributions.
We discovered a man who recognized in Charles Darnay a reflection of what he might have become, yet seemed unwilling or unable to pursue that possibility.
We examined his relationship with Mr. Stryver and considered what it means to become a jackal: someone who possesses the ability to contribute to another person’s success while neglecting the pursuit of his own.
Finally, we learned that Carton’s habits began long before his professional career. Even as a schoolboy, he devoted his abilities to completing the work of others while neglecting his own.
Carton attributes some of his disappointments to bad luck. Perhaps circumstances have indeed worked ...
