外国でも平和を話し合うために

アダム・ベック

米国イリノイ州出身。ニューヨークの大学と、サンフランシスコの大学院で演劇を勉強。大学院生のときに「ピースコール」というボランティアとして、ヨーロッパのチェコで英語の先生をした。広島市東区在住。

English Challenge

前回の課題（被爆者の証言を聞いたことがありますか？）への応募の中に、家族や親せきが被爆している人がいました。広島市南区のジャックさんは被爆した祖母についてすてきな長文を寄せてくれました。中区のyukki―さんの義父は当時小学生でした。奇跡的に助かったそうです。「I'll convey his story to my son（義父の話を息子に伝える）」と記しています。

ヒロシマを次世代へ継承するには、とにかく被爆者の話を伝えることが大切です。同区のalpacaさんは広島出身ではありません。しかし「I think that I should tell the event to the next generation（あったことを次世代に話さないといけない）」と訴えます。

本やテレビ番組を通じて被爆者の証言を伝える大切さを指摘する人もいました。岡山市南区のSowiloさんは「I knew the atomic bomb because I had read a certain picture book（私は絵本で原爆を知った）」と書いています。

私のエッセーにあるように、被爆者の話を世界中で継承していくのは大変です。しかし、少しずつでも他の人に伝えるようにすれば、ヒロシマや核兵器の恐ろしさの認識が高まると思います。

今回の課題へジャンプ

　　前回の日本語訳

Have you heard an A-bomb survivor speak about his or her experience of the atomic bombing, either in person or in a film or TV program? What were your impressions?

被爆者の証言を聞いたことがありますか？直接でも映画やテレビ番組を通してでも構いません。その時の感想を教えてください

I have lived in Hiroshima for almost 14 years and I've heard many A-bomb survivors speak about their experiences, both in person and in films and TV programs. My main impression is always the same: If more people in the world could hear the horrific stories of A-bomb survivors, the momentum to abolish nuclear weapons would surely grow stronger. However, communicating the A-bomb experience to the world so that people truly understand the terrible danger of these weapons is an enormous challenge. The world is a very big place, with so many people, and so many different languages. How can the stories of A-bomb survivors be heard across the world? How can each new generation be warned about what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? How can the voices of A-bomb survivors continue to be conveyed in the future? These are difficult questions and they have no easy answers.

私は広島に住んで約１４年になります。被爆者の体験談を直接のほか映画、テレビ番組で何度も聞きました。もっと多くの人たちが被爆者の悲惨な話を聞けば、核兵器を廃絶しようという機運が高まるのに、といつも思います。しかし、被爆体験を世界に広め、核兵器の恐ろしさについて人々に分かってもらうのは、壮大な挑戦と言えるでしょう。広大な世界に、多様な言語を持った多くの人々がいるからです。どうすれば、被爆者の体験を世界中の人に聞いてもらえるでしょうか？広島や長崎で起きた事について、どうやって若い世代に警鐘を鳴らせるでしょうか？被爆者の声を未来に伝え続けるにはどうすればいいのでしょうか？答えはすぐに見つかりません。

ベックさんのコメント

Mr.SOS男 :	Thank you for your touching and well-written essay. I appreciate you sharing the story of your wife's sister and I'm so sorry for her suffering. War, indeed, is utterly inhuman and I hope that one day human beings can somehow grow beyond their tendency to resort to violence in an attempt to resolve disagreements.
Ms. Sowilo :	I agree that picture books can help educate children about nuclear weapons and war and other problems. In fact, I'm writing a picture book now, in English, about the Aogiri tree that survived the atomic bombing. I hope the book will prompt children around the world to think more deeply about peace.
Mr. alpaca :	You wrote a good essay--thank you for your thoughts. Yes, it's true that many Americans view the atomic bombing differently than the Japanese. However, one reason for this is because most Americans don't really know the terrible details of what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I think one of our challenges is to tell people about the horrific reality of nuclear weapons. We can do this by sharing the story of the A-bombed cities.
Ms. yukki- :	Thank you for sharing the story of your husband's father. It sounds like he was very lucky to survive the bombing. I'm glad to hear that you will pass on his story to your son. Conveying the atomic bombing to future generations is a large challenge. Anyway, I was pleased to receive your essay and I hope you'll write again.
Ms. vine eggs :	Yes, I'm often impressed by the strength and courage of the hibakusha, too. They have endured such enormous difficulties in their lives and yet many of them continue to speak out about their experiences for the benefit of the world. They understand how terrible nuclear weapons truly are and they want the rest of the human family to understand this, too. I have great respect for their efforts.
Ms. MURATA :	Thank you for your essay. I agree, it's shocking to hear the stories of the bombing from the A-bomb survivors. If people everywhere could hear these stories, I think human beings would take stronger action to eliminate nuclear weapons from the earth. But conveying the survivors' account to the world is a big challenge.
Mr. track :	I liked your essay--thanks for telling me your thoughts. For young people like you, I think the important thing is to share the the stories of the A-bomb survivors and the reality of the atomic bombing with others, especially people in other countries. Keep studying English hard and you can help do this. Good luck!
Ms. Bear :	I imagine it must be a shock to listen to an A-bomb survivor for the first time when in junior high school. I was already in my early 20s when I realized, by reading a book, how destructive nuclear weapons are. Before that, I didn't really think about it deeply. And that's the problem, in my opinion: Most people in the world haven't really thought about nuclear weapons deeply.
Ms. ジャック :	Thank you for your submission. You wrote an excellent essay and I was very impressed by both your thoughts and your English ability. I believe young people like you, particularly because you're from Hiroshima and now studying in the United States, have an important role to play in conveying the truth of the atomic bombings to Americans. The problem is, most Americans don't really understand the extent of the devastation wrought by the atomic bombs. If they did, I think their feelings about nuclear weapons would change. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck in the United States and I look forward to your next essay.
Ms. S.O :	Yes, I think it's important that we hand down the survivors' stories to the next generation. To do this, it's important that young people like you speak out and tell others about the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Keep studying English hard! You can do it!
Mr. Kurosuke :	Like you said, the number of A-bomb survivors is decreasing. This is why other people, not just the survivors, must do their best to convey the A-bomb experience to the world. Because you have learned about the bombings of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and listened to an A-bomb survivor, you can help speak out about the danger of nuclear weapons.

さて、今回の課題は「ひろしま国」の特集に関連し、子どものころ描いた絵を教えてください。戦争や平和に関する絵を描いたことはありますか？エッセーをお待ちしています！絵を送ってくださっても結構です！

What sort of pictures did you draw when you were a child?
Did you ever draw a picture somehow connected to war or peace?

I loved to draw when I was a child. And because I loved animals, I often drew pictures of dogs and cats and other creatures. In fact, I still have some of the pictures I drew long ago. One is a picture of a colorful bird on a branch with a crown on its head. I think I called it "The Bird King." Because I grew up in a small town in the United States, and I had no experience of war, I don't recall creating any pictures on the theme of war or peace. However, my daughter was born in Hiroshima and, although she's only six, she has clearly been influenced by living here. When she was four years old, she painted a picture in black and red. I asked her, "What's that?" She answered, to my surprise, "The A-bomb Dome."


絵はクリックで拡大します。

＜Vocabulary＞
creature＝生き　crown＝冠　clearly＝はっきり　branch＝枝　recall＝思い出す　influence＝影響

　※締め切りは８月８日（必着）です。

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外国でも平和を話し合うために

前回の日本語訳

ベックさんのコメント

What sort of pictures did you draw when you were a child?Did you ever draw a picture somehow connected to war or peace?

　　前回の日本語訳

What sort of pictures did you draw when you were a child?
Did you ever draw a picture somehow connected to war or peace?