Assignment 4- Katy

Sickening. Horrifying. Distressing.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, this picture is worth a thousand and one shocking adjectives. On  the morning of December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese air force, killing thousands of innocent lives. This moment is still remembered as a very sad, tragic day in history, and will always be remembered for the lives lost. This picture shows just how devastating the surprise attack was, and can project how horrifying it was once the smoke cleared. Bodies scattered, fire building, debris as far as the eye could see, those who survived this had an awful view.
Just before this picture was taken, the naval base was running smoothly. America had not yet entered the second world war, and all was fine in Pearl Harbor. Although you can't see any people in this photo, one can infer that there are plenty of innocent lives being taken away in the explosion. It takes hundreds of men to run a naval base, and a lot of their lives were taken that day. Those whose lives were not taken and were merely spared with injuries are most likely feeling panicked and desperate for help. This was a complete surprise to everyone in America. Outside of the frame of this picture there are planes flying around, dropping bombs. Once their bombs are gone those planes are diving towards the ships and causing more destruction and loss of life.
When I look at this picture my heart aches for those innocent men and women who died and were injured. I imagine them just going about their daily business. Maybe they were in a meeting in a stuffy room with an oval table and old coffee, discussing some tactics. Perhaps some were outside, walking around, not knowing that the beautiful morning would turn deadly in the blink of an eye. None of them knew what was going to happen next. At the moment of this picture, everyone knew. Everyone knew that they were under attack and it would be hard to escape with their lives. This picture shows how catastrophic the loss of lives is.