Sadako and the Thousand Cranes
In the book Sadako
and the Thousand Paper Cranes depicts the hope and suffering that Sadako
and her family (along with those that died from the atom bomb) encounter.
Sadako who is suffering
from the disease Luekemia has suffered in
many ways. Her friend gives her hope that she might live through
this terrible experience by telling her the story of the thousand cranes
and how luck comes from them. Sadako with her new hopes first made
a gold crane and she believed it to be the luckiest one.
The thousand cranes gave
Sadako hope when she found out that she had leukemia, know to be cause
by the radiation of the atom bomb. Sadako believed in good luck.
It was considered good luck if a person made a thousand cranes. In
return the gods would grant one wish that would give a person good luck.
Sadako tried to achieve this goal of the thousand cranes so that she will
be could to return to school and accomplish her dreams of being on the
seventh grade track team.
When ths book opens
up Sadako, born two years before the atom bomb dropped on August 6, 1945,
excitedly gets ready for Peace Day. On Peace Day family members of
those killed by the atom bomb dropping remembered them. As Sadako’s
family takes their time, Sadako becomes impatient and excited, her mother
scolds her for forgetting the purpose of the day.
Sadako and the Thousand
Cranes is also a representation of dreams. Sadako’s love for running
pushed her classmates to elect her to run in the race on field day at her
school. Sadako did paricipate in the field day event, but because
of the luekemia it was not for sure that she would be able to participate
in on the 7th grade track team. The thousand cranes gave her strength
and hope.
Sadako’s friend gave
her the idea of the thousand cranes, even though her friend never before
believed in the good luck signs. Even with the cranes for hope, she
still felt the suffering her family felt and the suffering that those before
her went through because of leukemia, the atom bomb disease. She
lost some hope when a little boy she met, Kenji. Kenji told her that
he might die soon, which made Sadako realize that she too could die.
Although she knew
that she could die she strived to achieve her goal of the thousand cranes.
Her health at first started to improve, but as the leukemia and her goal
of making the thousand cranes progressed her health started to deteriorate
and she became weaker. Sadako also began to realize the pain her
family suffered. Sadako decided to keep up hope. Sadako had
a golden crane that she thought to be her lucky one. She always touched
the golden crane when she woke up, which made her forget her sadness.
Sadako’s goal of a thousand cranes progressed to 644. She never made
another crane. On October 25, 1955 Sadako died of the atom bomb disease,
leukemia.
Sadako’s family and
her golden crane gave her hope to strive for the thousand crane that would
hopefully allow her to do the activities she dreamt of such as running.
Since Sadako's death many people from all over the world have sent a thousand
cranes to Hiroshima in memory of her hope and dreams. These cranes
that gave Sadako so much hope are a representation of faith to others that
may be suffering from any disease whether it be leukemia or any other disease.
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