Sadako and the Thousand Paper Crans

Sadako was written in very easy English that I'd like to recommend to whom wants to study English through reading stories. In fact, though the story was meaningful, since Japan have done inhumane to my country, Korea, it was full of contradictions. While reading the book, two emotional thoughts ran across in my mind; 1) how wars destroyed our lives though wars were over, and 2) how Japan was able to relief only its own sorrow with accepting its historical cruel annihilation done to neighbor countries. However, reading the book helped me to think about the meaning of family and friend, where the real hope comes from. 

We all know that Human beings are never able to live alone. They were made to live together for survival. They instinctively form the community such as family, town, and nation because they need to find the way to allow them to survive and continue their own species. Through living together, human beings are able to survive not only physically, but also mentally, and there are two main forms of community: family and friend. 

Family is the word for the blood-related relationship including husbands and wives, which is the basic unit for the community. In the story of Sadako, there was a character named "Kenji" who showed the comparison with the main character, Sadako. Kenji's parents died, and his aunts came to hospital just once a week; however, Sadako's parents came more often and through the story, the author fully showed the intimacy of the family. Kenji was hopeless and accepted death waiting for him, which would take him soon, since Sadako kept folding the paper cranes to keep herself not to give up. Sadako had a family who helped her to get rid of negativity and fear, but Kenji had none. For Kenji, there was no one supporting him to keep himself up. 

However, by living and thinking egoistically in the competitive reality, we sometimes forget how important friends are. We are described as one of animals under the food chain, and others as one whom we must win. Friends are the second important element for the community formation and fulfill the lack of what family is not able to afford emotionally. In Sadako, Chizuko, her best friend, told Sadako to make paper cranes even though her family worried about her health and how painful she would be.. She suggested the way to keep her desire to live. It was the solution that only friends could give. Sometimes in the life, friends give unrealistic and unexpected answers that were actually needed because they are still the third party. 

Usually, family worries and friends make laugh since both supply the comfort and happiness of life. To survive on earth as human beings, balancing the importance between family and friends are the key. When you get the healthy thoughts, you can easily find the encouragement and hope for life and physical strength because mind controls the body.