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The Effects of Nuclear Testing

I usually don’t like talking about my religion, but after reading and discussing “The Clan of One-Breasted Women,” I was excited that we were reading something that I could relate to.  I belong to the group of Christians called Mormons.  My entire family is Mormon.  On my father’s side, his family has been Mormon and resided in Utah since the 1840s.  As Williams states in paragraph 5, “Mormons have a low rate of cancer,” (Williams 928) is very true.  We do not drink coffee, tea, alcohol, or chew tobacco, so one would think that we would not get cancer.  My own grandmother got breast and skin cancer, not even ten years ago.  The effects of the nuclear testing that the government was doing over fifty years ago did not even hit her until 2010.  Her father also had prostate and bone cancer that ended up killing him before my father was even born, which can be traced back to the government’s coverup of the testing.  They also lived on a farm faraway from Salt Lake City, (where the nuclear testing could have been near).  Williams states that “living in Utah may be the greatest hazard of all,” (Williams 928) which is something I very much agree with.  I have never lived in Utah, just visited a couple of times, but I can testify for my grandmother that on account of the government, my family will be forever affected by their actions.  This incident is not specific for my family, and it was not specific for Williams either.  The nuclear testing of the government has affected so many other families and individuals, and mustn’t be ignored.

Comments

  1. Megan CaoFebruary 23, 2020 at 4:36 PM

    Wow, Julia, that's so interesting that your family is Mormon. It's really crazy about how the nuclear testing was being subjected to innocent Americans. Did your family know about this before they moved here to Michigan, or was it completely random that you guys moved?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kenny GuFebruary 23, 2020 at 4:51 PM

    Loved how you gave another perspective to the story we read in class. I never thought that these terrible events would have affected people that I know, but your writing has definitely changed the way that I see the essay. Thanks for sharing this!

    ReplyDelete

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