A Book For You (No.2)

When I close my eyes, I dream of peace

Unicef

This book describes children's earnest wish to eliminate every war in the world by means of drawings and writings by children involved in war in former Yugoslavia.

Children suffered from the disaster of war directly have injury not only in their bodies but also in their minds. It is reported that it is effective for children who is in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to draw pictures or write compositions. But it would take quite long time to cure injury of mind.
We should not make innocent children have too hard experience. And I strongly feel we should consider seriously how to eliminate wars from the world.

"When I close my eyes, I dream of peace", said Alexander, 14 years old, in a hospital in Sarajevo. What are they seeing when they open their eyes ? And how can we, grown-ups, look at their innocent eyes ?

Animal Farm

George Orwell

In the Manor Firm, animals who are the governed rebel against man who is the governor to create ideal Animal Farm in the policy of equality. But, as the revolution goes on, gradually Napoleon of a pig is ruling the farm. The seven commandments, such as "Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy" or "All animals are equal", is changed for sake of pigs who are the privileged class. For instance, "all animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others."
And finally Napoleon rules all the animals who are obedient, diligent and innocent, tramples on animals and changes the name of the farm to "The Manor Farm". Sad to say, animals have no suspicion and no interests regarding Napoleon's deeds.

This book makes us recognize that we should not be indifferent to politics.
It is a book of warning; Even though one is obedient, diligent and innocent, if he/she is indifferent to things around, he/she would not be happy even if the situation is changed. For a dictator symbolized by Napoleon of a pig, ( some feel he must be Stalin and some feel he must be Hitler. ) it is a prerequisite for his dictatorship that people is not bright, is indifferent to politics and has no courage to resist dictatorship.

By the way, Pink Floyd released an album called "Animals".
They flied huge pink balloon of a pig of 16m long to the sky of London for the promotion. According to the notes of the album, (written by a Japanese music critic) a pig indicates a capitalist, a dog does an intellectual and a sheep does a citizen. It is said that Orwell severely criticized the communism in Soviet in the book. Some may feel that a pig is a politician and a dog is a secret state police in Pink Floyd's "Animals".

America Women are changing

Yoko Horn Kawashima

This book was released in 1988. After World War II women's liberation movement occurred again as well as civil rights movement. Women in the movement changed the traditional sense that staying at home they ought to support men. Then women frequently have been promoted even to top management of companies, even though they were used to be thought as unsuitable for business. They have achieved equal relationship between man and woman in home and society. The author admires their achievement and effort of both business and works in house. They coped with overworking or transferring in business and bringing up children or housework. She also pays attention to social issues like family disorder, racial discrimination, extreme individualism, which have been occurring during those achievements. She is expecting American society would solve these issues before long.
(This book is available only in Japanese, I guess.)

Our Stolen Future

Theo Colborn
Dianne Dumanoski
John Peterson Myers

When I was a university student, I was shocked by a title of a book, "Is there a future for mankind ?". "Our Stolen Future" is driving me to a despair wondering there could be a future in mankind. Environmental hormone is likely related to not only crisis of species like feminizing of males or abandoning of bringing up offsprings, but also children's emotional instability or learning disorder, etc. This book is alerting what we should do in order to prevent hand-me-down poisons to be inherited to our descendant.

The Silent Spring

Rachel Carson

This book was written long before "Our Stolen Future". Although this did not refer to Environmental Hormone, danger of DDT, thought as miracle material, was alerted in this book for the first time. And the spirit of this book was inherited to "Our Stolen Future".

DE DAG DAT TOMMY DRIE WERD
(The Day When Tommy Became Three Years Old)

Written	: Mies Bouhuys
Illustration	: Bejurif Fritta
	(I'm not sure the spelling
	of the first name.)
Translation	: Kazuko Yokoyama
Publisher	: Holp Shuppan

This book is based on paintings which a Jewish painter drew for his three year old kid, Tommy, in the concentration camp in Theresienstadt. People were once gathered in this camp before they were sent to Auschwitz camp where the holocaust was carried out.
Tommy lived there from one year old to three years old. The place was isolated, even drinking water was not enough and people lived with fear. In order to give Tommy relief, his father kept drawing pictures of things that were not in the camp, cakes, fruits, soup, mirror, ships, shining sun and children in the peace world. It was prohibited to draw pictures in the camp. Because international public opinion would condemn Germany if the situation of the camp was disclosed by those pictures. He kept drawing to show the light of hope to Tommy at the risk of his life. But later they found that he drew pictures and sent him to Auschwitz. And Tommy's mother died in a cell. After the release, father's friend who were also a painter adopted Tommy.
Even after people left the concentration camp, they kept the fear and had mental defect more or less. It made his foster mother abuse Tommy. And Tommy had also hardly adapted himself to social life. He got frightened at the bark of dogs. He kept shivering with fear at the sound of the key to a door. He never felt relaxed with people.

I heard an experiment as follows;
Pick up three baby monkeys. Have first monkey live with his mother. Give second one a dummy mother that is wrapped with soft blanket and has device to feed milk. Give third one a dummy mother that is made of steel wire and also has device to feed milk.
Monkeys have social life as human. As baby monkeys do not know the rule in the society, they eat or do things in the wrong way. Then grown-up monkeys beat them and give them fear and mental stress. The purpose of this experiment is to identify the difference of social accommodation between three type of baby monkeys. When feeling a fear, looking at mother's eyes makes the first one relieved. Soon his fear is removed. He learns how to live social life after many mistakes. He grows up as a member of the society.
Second one holds a dummy mother when he receives a fear. He touches soft blanket, then he stops to shiver several minutes later. It takes longer time to learn the rule of society than ordinary monkeys. But finally he grows up as a member of society.
When third one holds a dummy mother, he can not be relieved. Shivering does not stop by lasting fear. He makes same mistakes again and again. Then the accumulated fear makes him lean. Finally he starves to death.

It is quite natural that people also get exhausted by facing fear all the time. It cannot be helped that for a long time Tommy has not realized the messages of Tommy's father and mother, that they wanted him to be a man working for peace of the world and for hope of life. This is sad fact.

Even if we accuse Hitler and his followers who persecuted the Jews, nothing would not be solved. Actually many ethnic dispute has been carried out after the World War II. Even now many children are in the same hard situation as Tommy.
"A Lie becomes truth when we repeat it one hundred times," said Goebbels who were the spokes man of Hitler.
They say Hitler first disturbed Jews to work for official profession. He had deprived Jews of the right little by little but effectively. He utilized mass media. He practiced Goebbels' word, "A Lie becomes truth when we repeat it one hundred times". People overlooked the situation. When people realized it, they could no longer return. And even "ordinary people" joined the persecution. This is not event that passed away and disappeared. "Ordinary people" is us. It is us who unconsciously obey the authority, are representative of individualism generation and easily accept things around us.
In this book, "The day when Tommy became three years old", I strongly feel a sincere message to people all over the world as well as a hope for Tommy's peaceful growth.

I have heard about a book that contains paintings by children in Theresienstadt. I have not read it yet. If you have already read the book, please let me know your impression.

"Little Painters in Theresienstadt"
written by Michiko Nomura
published by Kaisei-sha
1,400Yen
(This information is about the book published in Japan.)

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