Discussion Question #1
Why do you think Harry Gold provided sensitive information to the Russians? Could there be spies in Crawford County collecting sensitive information for another country's benefit?
Why do you think Harry Gold provided sensitive information to the Russians? Could there be spies in Crawford County collecting sensitive information for another country's benefit?
Discussion Question #2
The chapter, “Quiet Fellow,” ends with the following statement: “It was a decision that would haunt him for the rest of his life.” What is the meaning of the word haunt as it is used in the previous sentence? Why do you think Sheinkin used this statement at this point in the book? What could he be telling his audience?
Discussion Question #3
On page 113, we learn that twenty-six Norwegian civilians were killed when Knut Haukelid and his commandos sank the ferry carrying the German heavy water. What are your thoughts and feelings about loss of innocent lives during any war?
Discussion Question #4
Why is it important that you understand the different perspectives regarding the use of weapons of mass destruction?
Blog #1 Group #6
ReplyDeleteDonnie, Landon, Aurora, and I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy day to discuss the book, Bomb: The Race to Build-and Steal- The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon with us. We appreciate you helping us.
Question #1.
Harry Gold provided such sensitive information to the Russians because he needed the money for him and for his family during The Great Depression; the family was desperate. The author, Steve Sheinkin, explicitly stated on page twenty-three, “It all began one snowy night in February 1933, in the depths of the Great Depression. Like millions of Americans, Gold had been laid off from his job. His family was way behind on rent and facing eviction from their apartment.” Sheinkin also stated on page twenty-three, “He was proud to be supporting his family and didn’t mind the hard work.” And last, Sheinkin stated on the same page, “Gold’s mother leaped up and started stuffing her son’s clothes into a cardboard suitcase.” All this textual evidence backs up our claim by proving how desperate people were for money during The Great Depression because jobs were lacking and because people lived from paycheck to paycheck. Aurora, Landon, Donnie, and I assume that is why Gold’s mother rushed as she did as in an effort to push her son out the door and get to work as quickly as possible. Although it was a difficult time financially and emotionally during this time in history, our group feels that Harry Gold cheated the U.S. by spying for the Russians and did not think of the consequences. We understand that the economy was poor, and that “Desperate times call for desperate measures”, but Gold was wrong doing what he did! Gold never should have sold out his country; there are always other options. What do you think?
Question #2
Spies... in Crawford County? There could potentially be spies here in Crawford County. There were spies in Chicago in the early 1900’s so there could be in Crawford County today in 2019. We have large industries such as Marathon Petroleum Corporation, Flying S, Inc. and Hershey. In the book, Bomb: The Race to Build-and Steal- The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin, he explicitly stated on page twenty- three, “ He is the kind of guy who seemed to blend in with the background, who could come and go from a room without being noticed.” This textual evidence backs up our claim by describing how the person you least expect could be a spy. We can infer that spies could be lurking in the large industries because large products equals large amounts of money. The industry we have here could also produce products that can be used against us. Why else do companies like these spend the money on security? Therefore, common sense tells us that spies could be wandering in our neck of the woods.
Aurora, Landon, Donnie, and I look forward to your responses. Have a great day!
Good morning! I enjoyed reading your first responses to the questions provided by your teachers.
ReplyDelete#1 I agree with your group that finding work and means to support his family during the Great Depression would have been a major concern for Harry Gold. His "luck" in finding a job that allowed him to send $20 from each paycheck to his family definitely would have been a blessing in such a hard time. However, I feel that his primary reason for providing sensitive information to the Russians was born from his sense of appreciation to Tom Black for providing him with employment. People will do many, many things that they shouldn't do when they feel obligated to repay a debt of some sort, and that was what the job opportunity was--a debt that Tom Black intended for Harry Gold to repay.
I do agree that Harry didn't think of the consequences of his actions. On page 25 in the book, the author writes that "Gold had what he described as 'an almost puppy-like eagerness to please.'" This eagerness to please resulted in Harry's illegal activity snowballing into something he could no longer control.
#2 I am not sure if I believe there could be spies in Crawford County. People do say that anything is possible, but the types of industry and technology that we have in Crawford County are quite commonplace in today's world, therefore I am not sure that spying in this area would be fruitful for other countries. If there were one business in Crawford County that may have potential spies lurking about, I would have to say that it would be Flying S.
Good job on your first set of responses! I look forward to the next set.
Mrs. Ferris
Aurora, Donnie, Landon, and I are so excited that you agreed with us! We look forward to your response for blog #2.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteBlog #2 Group #6
‘Haunt’ as used in the following sentence, “ It was decision that would haunt him for the rest of his life” means Oppenheimer’s decision would hangover his head for the rest of his life. In fact, this decision could ruin his incredible science career. Steve Sheinkin, the author of the book, Bomb: The Race to Build - and Steal - The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon, stated on page sixty- five, “ Oppenheimer chose not to tell General Groves that he’d been approached by the Soviets.” He also stated on page thirty, “ Watching from down the block were two agents of the FBI. The agents knew that Chevalier was a member of the Communist party. They knew he hosted political discussion groups. It wasn't illegal to be a Communist. But it seemed likely that American Communists might feel allegiance to the Soviet Union. Could a citizen be a Communist and a loyal American at the same time? This textual evidence backs up our claim by proving that Oppenheimer was right not to tell Chevalier, but wrong not to tell Groves. We can infer that Sheinkin was trying to foreshadow what was going to happen to Oppenheimer’s career and the rest of his life. And, Sheinkin did this because he wanted his readers to know something negative will happen to Oppenheimer. Aurora, Landon, Donnie, and I can assume Oppenheimer’s decision will destroy his career and therefore what he lives for which is science. It seems as though there will be a depressing ending for Oppenheimer.
Good morning, y'all! I agree that Oppenheimer's decision not to tell Groves that he had been approached by the Russians was one that would adversely effect the rest of his life. You are right that it was right not to give information about the bomb project to Chevalier and the Russians and wrong to keep such important developments from Groves.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that Sheinkin used the last sentence on the chapter "The Quiet Man" as foreshadowing. There are many possibilities concerning what could happen to Oppenheimer and none of those things are likely to be good. What do you think will happen to him?
Landon, Donnie, Aurora, and I think Oppenheimer will have a horrific reputation, and lose his science career. Thank you for your opinion and response on our blog. We look forward to blogging with you on our next question. We can hardly wait for your next response.
ReplyDeleteGroup #6 Blog #3
ReplyDeleteAurora, Donnie, and I learned that twenty-six Norwegian civilians were killed when Knut Haukelid and his commandos sank the ferry carrying the German heavy water. After reading about the Hydro, we feel that innocent lives should not be taken because they did not sign up for their lives to be taken. In the book, Bomb: The Race To Build -And Steal- The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon, Steve Sheinkin, explicitly stated on page 110, “ Haukelid relayed the details to British intelligence in London, saying the job would be tricky and might result in the loss of civilian lives.” This textual evidence backs up our claim by proving how thoughtful Haukelid was of other people’s lives. One can infer that if one’s family was on the ferry boat at that point in time, he/she would not want that to happen to his/her family. Would you? Common sense says that nobody would want his/her friends or loved ones to be killed for something he/she was not involved in.
On the other hand, Landon thinks that the loss of innocent lives in any war is necessary in order to save thousands or even millions of lives. In the documentary, “United 93” directed by Paul Greengrass, he explicitly stated, “People were willing to risk their lives for others at the time. I mean who knew where that plane was going at that time. That was a courageous moment of that day.” This evidence backs up Landon’s claim by showing that taking the innocent lives on Flight 93 was better than thousands burning alive either in the White House or the Capitol building. Landon infers that Sheinkin was trying to bring things about 9/11 in the book, Bomb. Common sense says that even though twenty-six lives were taken, it was a lot better than thousands. What are your thoughts?
Blog #4 Group 6
ReplyDeleteIt is important that we understand the different perspectives regarding the use of weapons of mass destruction so we can better understand how those involved were affected. In the book, Bomb; The Race To Build-And Steal- The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon, Steve Sheinkin explains the following perspectives: scientific, military, political, and the Japanese civilians.
To begin, many scientists had mixed feelings about the use of the atomic bomb. At first, the scientists were happy and proud of the creation and success of the atomic bomb. Those feelings turned into almost immediate regret and sadness because they realized that their creation was going to kill human beings. Sheinkin explicitly states on page 185, “We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent.” This textual evidence backs up our claim by proving how the scientist wished they could take back what they had done. One can infer that the scientists felt bad because out of their love of science, a weapon was created to cause harm, and possibly death, to people. Common sense shows us that the scientists were passionate and dedicated to their careers and science, and it also shows us that they were compassionate human beings.
Next, the military felt that the building of the atomic bomb was necessary in order to win the war. Sheinkin explicitly states on page 188, “And yet Japan refused to surrender.” and “ As a next step American troops were preparing for an all out invasion of Japan.” This evidence backs up our claim by describing that the military had one mission, and they would accomplish that mission by doing whatever means were necessary. Groves, as well as all United States military, were fiercely loyal to the United States. All in all, we should understand this perspective because it shows that the military make difficult decisions daily. We appreciate their dedication to our country.
Not only that, the political perspective was almost identical to that of the military. Sheinkin explicitly states on page 199, “”I have an announcement to make. We have just dropped a new bomb on Japan which has more power than twenty-thousand tons of TNT. It has been an overwhelming success!’Truman said.” This textual evidence backs up our claim by showing that Truman was excited and pleased by attacking Japan. We can infer that Truman’s decision was made in order to protect its citizens. Common sense tells us that Truman felt a sense of pride and loyalty to his country. No doubt this decision was one of great magnitude. We need to understand that whoever is president has an awesome responsibility so when we vote one day, we need to vote for someone who shares our opinions on weapons of mass destruction.
Most powerful of all, the Japanese civilians felt horror and devastation after the bomb had hit. Would you want your family in that situation? Sheinkin explicitly states on page 196, “Together they ran to the street. Hachiya tripped over something, looked down, and saw it was the body of a soldier, crushed under a fallen gate. Then he looked out at the neighborhood- and knew this had been no ordinary bomb. Everywhere houses were swaying and falling, flames rising from the ruins.” This textual evidence backs up our claim by proving how crushed these innocent civilians were during this time in history. We can infer that Japanese civilians would never forget the horror and devastation caused by the atomic bomb. Common sense tells us that the Japanese civilians were victims of this weapon of mass destruction.
Overall, Sheinkin wanted his readers to know all different perspectives so we can better understand all sides of the story, and why people did what they did. It is also imperative that we understand all sides of an issue before making a decision. The decisions regarding weapons of mass destruction are still here today, and we must be educated.
ReplyDeleteThe summary in the book, Bomb: The Race To Build -And Steal- The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon, means that the atomic bomb/mass destruction will always be in our lives no matter how hard you try to get out of it. On page 236, Steve Sheinkin explicitly states, “Humans created a weapon capable of wiping our species off the planet. It’s a story with no end in sight. And your in it.” This textual evidence backs up our claim by telling how we are always going to be in the line of fire, and we will never be completely safe from other countries use of weapons of mass destruction. We can infer that the United States needs to be aware of what is happening in other countries because we could be affected by what they do. All in all, Sheinkin knows that his readers will become voters soon so he wants us to choose leaders wisely. Because these leaders will be the ones to make the decisions for our country.