The Path to Nanking Summary and Analysis

The author begins by explaining the history of the Japanese identity. According to Chang, the identity of the people stems from ancient warriors known as samurai, who believed that to die for their lord was to die with honor. She believes the kamikaze missions of World War II, where soldiers committed suicide by crashing planes into enemy targets, is proof of this. Chang also points out that the isolation of the country as a whole, beginning with the rule of the Tokugawa clan in the late fifteenth century, also helped shape the nation. For 250 years, the Japanese military failed to advance, and were therefore stunned by the power of the American military in 1852 as Commodore Matthew Perry and his fleet of ships arrived, demanding meetings. From that point forward, Japan vowed to seek revenge for...