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Handwritten account of the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, by a Japanese survivor, Haruo Shimizu

Informational Text: The Power of Personal Narrative

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This post is by Michael Apfeldorf of the Library of Congress.

Less than a year after the bombing of Hiroshima, Haruo Shimizu wrote a riveting, first hand-account of the event and delivered it to U.S. serviceman Willard C. Floyd. In his narrative – available in the Library’s new Informational Text Primary Source Set – Shimizu describes scenes of horror and devastation that he saw as he traveled through the city to the house of a friend. He describes a walking procession of badly burned and injured citizens:

“Some walked along, some were carried on other’s shoulders, some were led by hands, and some were carried on a board or stretcher.  There was no house good enough to give them any shelter; all were destroyed. I saw many who were dying and asking for water to drink. To give them water, in such a condition, is just to help them to die, so nobody dared to give them a drink. Some of them crept to the side of a muddy stream trying to get a drink and were crushed down, being unable to get up anymore. To have tried to get a drink, that was his last effort in this world.”

Elsewhere, he conveys a range of emotions, from sudden anger and resentment at a passing U.S. plane to gratitude that he had lost only the “trifle” of his worldly possessions.

Analyzing such non-fiction personal narratives can provide students with the opportunity to read informational texts critically, identify multiple perspectives and build empathy, and reflect on unique aspects of the narrative form.

Ask students to read all or part of Shimizu’s account, prompting analysis with questions such as:

  • What sequence of events does the narrator describe?
  • What challenges does he encounter, and how does he respond?
  • What details and descriptions does the narrator share? How do these details impact your understanding of the event?
  • What larger insights can be gained from reading the narrative?

Encourage students to support their responses using evidence from the text. Challenge them to consider both what they learn about historical events through the narrative, and how the narrative form itself uniquely conveys information. For instance: What difference does it make when history is communicated in the form of a personal account, told by a narrator who has chosen to include specific details from his or her own experience?

Non-fiction personal narratives might also pair well with fiction your students read, for example, a novel describing a protagonist’s personal journey to overcome a challenge or difficult situation.

Detail from interview with Philip Marcus on his life as a newsboy, 1939

Students can compare and contrast such texts for larger or deeper insights. They can also use personal narratives as models for their own writing.

The Informational Text Primary Source Set contains additional personal narratives that also may interest your students:

The set’s teacher guide points to select related resources that can help students find additional items, but for more even more personal narratives, browse these collections. For more diaries, browse these collections.

Let us know which ones your students relate to!

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