THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary-December 29, 2016- Topic 2
Conspicuous gestures of reconciliation between nations to
heal the deep emotional wounds of wars will have connotations that go beyond
the symbolic. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, through his visit to Pearl
Harbour this week, and U.S. President Barack Obama, with his homage at the
peace memorial at Hiroshima earlier in May, have undertaken this bold and
difficult journey on behalf of their peoples more than 70 years after
atrocities were committed against each other during World War II. That so much time
should have been lost in both instances to put the painful past behind them
only speaks to the powerful presence of nationalist sensibilities that
invariably distort the moral force of reconciliation. That this should have
occurred only now, despite the enduring economic engagement of several decades
between Washington and Tokyo, merely underscores their ticklish nature and the
strong political overtones involved. In the case of Japan, the conservatives
have long regarded any attempt to own up the slaughter of hundreds of U.S.
marines at Pearl Harbour in 1941 as nothing but a betrayal of the national
interest. In fact, in comparison, earlier visits to the naval base by Japanese
leaders were relatively low-key affairs.
As for Washington, veterans of the war have seen little
justification in the claim that the devastation caused by the twin nuclear
bombings had to be condoled. In their view, the horror in Hiroshima and
Nagasaki brought the war to a close sooner than it might otherwise have been.
They have also sought to repudiate the narrative that the dropping of the atom
bomb was a calculated demonstration of U.S. and western military superiority in
a Cold War scenario. These competing nationalistic accounts have possibly
helped the current generation in the two countries to see such views with a
healthy dose of scepticism. Messrs Abe and Obama have displayed a statesmanlike
readiness to rise above partisan accounts, emphasising instead the need to
bridge the gulf that neither history nor geography could have narrowed.
President-elect Donald Trump’s pre-election rhetoric painted a picture of Japan
as a nation that ought to be prepared to invest more in its own defence. The
favourable public opinion in both countries towards each other will possibly
prove critical in consolidating upon the current strengths in the economic
partnership and weathering the uncertainties of the future. Prime Minister Abe
and President Obama have shown how history can be revisited in a realistic
manner. It remains for countries grappling with their own complex pasts to draw
the right lessons from this.
Vocabulary
Conspicuous: standing out so as to be clearly visible.
Example: He was very thin, with a conspicuous Adam's apple
Reconciliation: the restoration of friendly relations.
Example: His reconciliation with your uncle
Synonyms: reuniting, reunion, bringing together
again, conciliation
Connotations: an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or
primary meaning.
Example: The word “discipline” has unhappy connotations of punishment and repression
Synonyms: overtone, undertone, undercurrent, implication, hidden
meaning
Atrocities: an extremely wicked or cruel act, typically one involving physical violence
or injury.
Example: War atrocities
Synonyms: abomination, cruelty, enormity, outrage, horror, monstrosity
Invariably: in every case or on every occasion; always.
Example: The meals here are invariably big and hearty
Synonyms: always, on every occasion, at all times, without
fail, without exception
Distort: pull or twist out of shape.
Example: A grimace distorted her fine mouth
Condoled: express sympathy for someone; grieve with.
Example: The priest came to condole with Madeleine
Scepticism: a skeptical attitude; doubt as to the truth of something.
Example: These claims were treated with skepticism
Synonyms: doubt, doubtfulness, a pinch of
salt, disbelief, cynicism, distrust