Elliott 1 Stacey Elliott Mrs.

Elliott English 111 9 October 2013 The Truth Behind the Kamikaze Wings of Defeat is a documentary film that is aimed at educating people about the Kamikaze pilots during World War II. It uses logical and emotional appeals to convey the message that the Kamikaze were not insane. Kamikaze pilots were following orders from their God (Wings of Defeat). The film, Wings of Defeat, is produced by Risa Morimoto and Linda Hoaglund and tells us about the lives of the Kamikaze during World War II. According to Morimoto, the term Kamikaze is often associated with terrorists attacks, in America. Members of the Tokkotai and the Kamikaze were people who voluntarily went off to die. Everything about the lives of the Kamikaze was rejected after the war. Kamikaze attacks were painful for the pilots, but they were orders that had to be followed. The Kamikaze strategy was very successful at first but then turned out to be ineffective. All of the men were tormented and had to die because of the Showa Emperor. Former pilots referred to themselves as Tokkotai, which were special attack forces and were not suicidal mad men or human bombs. It is unbelievable that the country accepted this kind of sacrifice. Public opinion about the Kamikaze was manipulated. Japan attempted to take over China, Korea, and Taiwan and referred to their hostile occupation as protection. The Japanese goal was to go after resources and use them to fuel the wars. Morimoto pointed out, the victories depicted in Japanese parades and special field trips encouraged young boys to join the

Elliott 2 Kamikaze. The character of the country was focused on risking lives to protect Japan. Eventually, students were forced to join the military. The nation came first, and the people served it. Japan did not have any natural resources, and everyone knew it would be impossible for Japan to win the war. There was a giant gap between America and Japan in terms of war material and performance of equipment. It was impossible for the Japanese to hold back the American fleet. Kamikaze were referred to as Gods and would help save Japan. There was a labor shortage, so girls had to take over the labor field. America used fire bombs to bomb the Japanese cities, which burned to the ground. The Japanese Naval Fleet was demolished. According to Morimoto, Kamikaze attacks had become the country's central military strategy. Local families served as hosts to pilots on their days off. Special dolls were made and carried the message take me along (Wings of Defeat). Wings of Defeat is a film aimed at educating uninformed Americans about the truth behind the Kamikaze. Public opinion about the Kamikaze was influenced by propaganda. Wings of Defeat argues that the Kamikaze were normal human beings who had to follow an order. Kamikaze pilots were not crazy; they were men doing what the Emperor told them to do. Like many uninformed people, the narrator associated the Kamikaze with words that were often associated with "terrorist attack". Through the narrators interviews with former Kamikaze pilots, we learn that the Kamikaze were not suicidal mad men or human bombs. They were men who were following the Emperors order and voluntarily going off to die for their country (Wings of Defeat).

Elliott 3 Interviews with former Kamikaze pilots, sound effects, and images work together throughout the film to create a logical and an emotional appeal. Interviews with former Kamikaze pilots created a logical appeal. The information seemed very meaningful because it was coming directly from the former Kamikaze pilots. Interviews with former Kamikaze pilots made it easier to visualize and realize what it was like to be a Kamikaze and have to wait for their day to go off and die for their country. Former Kamikaze pilots said the Kamikaze training was brutal and they were treated like "wastepaper". The Kamikaze attacks were painful for the pilots, but they were orders that had to be followed. If the Kamikaze were not bleeding during training, they were collectively punished. The background music throughout the film fit the theme really well and created an emotional appeal. The music itself effected the tone and mood of film. At the beginning of the film and during attacks, the music created a feeling of suspense. During the interviews with former Kamikaze pilots and when the Kamikaze pilots were leaving Japan, the music created a feeling of sadness. Seeing images of the battles made it easier to visualize what the Kamikaze pilots had to go through. Images of the battles showed that the Kamikaze pilots were inexperienced and did not know how to fly in formation. Seeing the Japanese cities after they were fire bombed by America created a feeling of devastation. Innocent people living in Japan had to suffer and experience their homes being bombed first hand because of the Emperor. If the Emperor would have ended the war sooner or not started it, many Japanese lives would not have been lost. Dialogue throughout the film created an emotional appeal, also. Former Kamikaze pilots compared the cockpit of the plane they were flying to their casket. They knew they were going to die before they even left Japan (Wings of Defeat).

Elliott 4 The film writer seems like she is well-informed about the Kamikaze and that she is a person of goodwill. She wants people to know what it was like to be a Kamikaze. Also, she wants people to realize that the Kamikaze were Gods saving Japan from a crisis, not insane men going off to commit suicide for their country. The narrator presents herself as a person who wants to find out the truth behind the Kamikaze. The narrator showed how propaganda could easily change a person's opinion about the Kamikaze. Pictures of the Kamikaze pilots in the United States were very different from the pictures of the Kamikaze pilots in Japan. From the United States, it looked like the Kamikaze pilots were happy about being human bombs and suicidal mad men, but as one can see from the film that is definitely not true. From Japan, one could easily see that Kamikaze pilots were being forced to become human war machines even though they did not want to (Wings of Defeat). In my opinion, Wings of Defeat is an accurate documentary. It shows what Kamikaze pilots had to live through, and that they were lucky to make it back to Japan alive. I learned that the Kamikaze were normal human beings while watching this film. They did not want to go out and become human war machines, but they were forced to do so by the Emperor. I learned that the Kamikaze were only following orders from their God.

Elliott 5 Work Cited Wings of Defeat. Dir. Risa Morimoto and Linda Hoaglund. Edgewood Pictures Inc., 2007. DVD.