The events and services conducted on November 11th in Canada are designed to tug on your heartstrings so that the horror of war will impact people to strive for peace. The remembrance we observe each year elicits an emotional response to the pageantry, messages, and images of lost soldiers and terrible destruction. Remembrance Day is useful to keep the awfulness of armed conflicts in our memories, lest we forget.
We recently visited the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan. It was established in 1954 dedicated to the memory of the first city in the world to suffer a nuclear attack and to the direct and indirect victims of the atomic bomb. Located within the 29 acres set aside for the park and displays is a museum. The museum conveys to the world the horrors and inhumane nature of nuclear weapons. It spreads the message of “No More Hiroshimas.” Visitors’ heartstrings are pulled through viewing belongings left by the victims, A-bombed artifacts, and testimonies of survivors. The display of items and stories dealing with children are especially designed to stir one’s emotions, to tug at one’s heartstrings.
The word heartstrings mean the deepest emotions or affections. It has been used since the 16th century to designate strong feelings, associated with matters of the heart, traditionally referred to as the seat of emotions. The images of children in poverty used in TV ads to solicit monetary donations are designed to tug on your heartstrings, to get the maximum emotional response leading to sending in money.
In the 15th century people believed that nerves or tendons connected to the skeletal structure of the human body supported the heart within the chest cavity. They were called heartstrings. As the study of human anatomy advanced physicians realized that there were no heartstrings keeping the heart in place. But the term was then used to convey things that would move people on a deep emotional level, as the heart continued to be regarded as a source of extreme emotion. Thus, we have the heart symbol as a major icon for St. Valentine’s Day and the connection to the emotion of love.
It is a smart marketing technique to tug at heartstrings when attempting to motivate people to get involved in social issues or donate money to societal causes to aid others. This does not have to be viewed as a manipulative process, although it can seem that way. Given the human propensity for selfishness, we often need a yank on the heartstrings to encourage action.
Addendum: The Hiroshima Peace Park Museum was upgraded in 1994 to include displays of the history of Hiroshima prior to the dropping of the bomb and then more information on the damage caused by the bomb. In 2014 interactive displays were added, unfortunately not accessible recently because of COVID protocols. Projection mapping of the radius of the bomb blast and radiation poisoning are available. Plus, a new section was introduced entitled The Danger of Nuclear Weapons. You can access the website at https://hpmmuseum.jp/?lang=eng.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to wordwisdom2021@gmail.com . Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
