[DONE BY: LEE HUI QI, KAYE 2014 ] 1 An Enemy of the People (EOTP) Do note that the points taken down are purely from my own perspective and views on different parts of the book, as well as from what was taken down in lessons. This is after all analyses of a book and in lit opinions vary so do explore beyond what is given here!! The notes aren’t very extensive so think further!! It is also highly recommended to read the book thoroughly before attempting any essay questions because you’ll need the quotes and examples. All the best J ♦
Issues :
1. Man against masses
•
Lone man against the majority. Will the majority always be right?
2. Duplicity/hypocrisy
•
Hypocrisy: the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which
one’s own behavior does not conform
3. Power play/Politics
•
Power play: tactics exhibiting or intended to increase a person’s power or
influence. Mayor Stockmann’s method of appealing to people’s interests and
way of persuasion. Example of smear campaign in his speech in pg89.
4. Role of press (media): profits; personal interests
5. Interest of self VS interest for others and community
6. Idealism VS pragmatism VS naivety (difference)
•
Idealism: the practice of forming or pursuing ideals, esp. Tom Stockmann’s
persistence in defending and fighting for the truth. Was it practical? Will it help
him in anyway? Was he being unrealistic?
•
Pragmatism: an approach that assesses the truth of meaning of theories or
beliefs in terms of the success of their practical application. Mayor Stockmann
weighs out the consequences of actions and how much reconstruction of the
springs would cost, pg52: “I don’t suppose you have taken the trouble to consider
what your proposed changes would cost?”
7. Leadership
•
•
What defines an effective leader? Or what defines an ineffective leader? Note:
effective leader=/= good leader. In essay, must show how effective the leader is,
not just focusing on him being a good leader. Effective meaning can reach his
purpose/goals.
Balance competing demands
•
•
•
Compromise best solution to conflict?
How can a leader persuade the truth?
How should decisions be made?
8. Truth
•
•
•
•
What is the truth? Truth will be different in each person’s eyes
Is the truth always beneficial?
How important is it for leaders to speak the truth?
Should we push for the truth?
9. Democracy
•
•
•
Freedom of speech
Rights to choose
Is democracy simply the “tyranny of the majority?
o Tyranny: cruel and oppressive government or rule.
•
Thomas Jefferson: “A democracy is nothing more than mob rule where 51% of the
people may take away the rights of the other 49%.”
♦ Themes:
1. Corruption
•
•
•
•
•
Major component in the play
Evoked through depictions of workings of officials, the council and press
Eg. The way Mayor manipulates the press into going against cleaning up of the
springs (stopped them from publishing Doctor’s papers); also demonstrated in
how mayor wants to sacrifice health and wealth of people just for his greed and
reputation
Power and authority of council and officials used to handle situation
Pollution of Kirsten Springs symbol of corrupting effects of capitalism and power
2. Failings of Democracy
•
•
Lack of freedom of speech: Aslaksen kept Doctor from speaking by going on to a
vote by the public, and tried to limit doctor’s chances of speaking, giving advantages
to mayor during the speech part of the book. (Aslaksen’s change in stand)
Fear of public opinion and criticism:
o Hovstad and Aslaksen refused to publish the doctor’s article, fearing that it would
affect and influence how people might view the paper and the newspaper
company. With company’s interests at heart only; not revealing truth;
ethnic?
o Petra, Horster and doctor are sacked, as their employees do not want to be seen
as supporting doctor and going against the majority. People watching each
other; fear of majority; the herd mentality
[DONE BY: LEE HUI QI, KAYE 2014 ] 3 o
o
Public opinion: threat and dangerous when someone decided to speak up for
own belief, which opposes what public/majority, believes.
Power of majority: doctor found himself alone (not literally, but just few
supporters) in a crowd in his belief in standing up for truth
§ Doctor wants revolution, but on political ground, you need to compromise to
workout, but revolution does not come out from compromising
§ Plus, doctor is stubborn and persistent, hard to waver and move from his
stand
3. Courage
Takes immense courage to go against majority, to face the ostracism and hatred
from so many
• Moral courage from standing up for the truth, perseverance to defend your
stand
• Sticking to principles no matter the cost; fierce dedication stands out in a sharp
contrast to many of the play’s characters who compromise their supposed beliefs
->Billing
♦ Being alone in defending for the truth and standing up for yourself makes you strong.
Why? How does being alone make you strong?
o Build resilience?
o Doctor was already attacked at his house, people already throwing stones at his
house, people stopped supporting him one by one, and yet he did not want to
escape all of these, and decided to defend the truth because he felt that this is
right
o Doctor Stockmann: You are fighting for the truth, and that’s why you’re alone.
And that makes you strong. We’re the strongest people in the world…
•
♦ Quotes:
Act 1:
•
•
•
Stage direction: Hovstad, perhaps he is dangerous because he wants more than
anything to belong, and in a radical that is a withering wish, no easily to be borne
(pg20)
o Desire to fit in and being non-opinionated-> changed his stand and no longer
supported doctor. Does he even have his own opinion….?
Peter Stockmann: every performer goes for the audience that applauds him the most
(pg20)
o Astute leader in democracy must know how to ponder the crowd
o What does this say about him: crowd pleaser, only does things to appease the
target audience to achieve what he wants, may even go to the extend of hiding
the truth as shown in EOTP
Stage direction (on doctor): And for all this most people will not like him—he will not
compromise for less than God’s own share of the world while they have settled for
less than Man’s (pg23)
o People cannot tolerate his ambitious character
•
•
•
•
•
•
o Not easily satisfied with what he has
o Does not appreciate living
Quote on authority: Peter Stockmann: The individual really must subordinate
himself to the over-all or to the authorities who are in charge of the general welfare
(pg27)
o People need to follow instructions of leaders and mayor believes that people
should follow instructions of their leader rather than take action themselves (a
perspective of leadership to take note of)
Billing: Society is like a ship –every man should do something to help navigate the
ship
o Does not walk his talk and changed his mind subsequently to support mayor
Quote on authority: Dr. Stockmann: I told them not to build it there! But who am I, a
mere scientist, to tell politicians where to build a health institute! (Pg36)
o Decisions made by the authorities overwrite others and subordinates
o Status
Aslaksen: But for a good solid citizen to express his calm, frank and free opinion is
something nobody can deny (Pg48)
o Aslaksen supported Doctor for being honest
o Relate to how he stops doctor from speaking something during the speech—
change in stand
Peter Stockmann: The public is much better off with old ideas (Pg55)
o Does not like to improve and follows old conventions
o Prefers old ideas; does not support change
o Quite a versatile quote
Quote on authority and/or democracy: Mrs Stockmann: Without power, what good
is the truth? (Pg59)
o Authority and power overwrites democracy and the truth
Act 2:
•
•
•
Billing: Give a man a little property and the truth can go to hell! (Pg67)
o Materialistic people
o Bribery; silencing of people
Peter Stockmann: less wealthy can always be prevailed upon to demand a spirit of
sacrifice for the public good
o (As a mayor) By having a majority to go against the doctor, it is doing the public
good (only in terms of economy)
o (Reality) it isn’t because he is lying and betraying the people’s trust in the health
benefits of the springs, since the springs can harm their health instead after
contamination
o Only to prevent sacrifice for stock holders
Quote on democracy: Dr. Stockmann: anyone may wear this hat in a democracy,
and that a free citizen is not afraid to touch it. And as for the baton of command, it
can pass from hand to hand. (Pg79)
o Quite an important quote to use
o In the act of democracy, anyone has the right to lead and has freedom
o No discrimination
[DONE BY: LEE HUI QI, KAYE 2014 ] 5 •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Stage direction: platform faces audience at an angle, thus giving speakers the
chance to speak straight out front and creating the illusion of a large crowd by
addressing “people” in the audience // As the curtain rises the room is empty
o Giving and illusion of an audience, gives speakers a sense of loneliness when no
audience was present
o Sense of emptiness
o Literally alone
o No support for doctor, everyone is outside waiting for mayor
Stage direction: Peter Stockmann enters but pretends to be unconnected with people
o Portray himself as neutral and did not garner all those support before his speech
o Portraying himself as a “good brother” in front of his relatives
Mayor’s speech: assuring people of fine carriages and homes
o To appeal to people’s interests, which is wealth
o Pull wool over people’s eyes
o Divert their attention from the polluted springs and dragging them to his side, so
that no reconstruction of springs would happen
Mayor’s speech: “Here’s the issue: Doctor Stockmann, my brother –and believe me,
it is not easy to say this –has decided to destroy Kirsten Springs, our Health Institute
–”
o By stressing the fact that doctor is his brother, mayor is trying to portray himself
as a neutral person and garner audience’s sympathy
o Playing with people’s emotions, wanting show that he is nice person
o “Not easy to condemn his brother”
o Portray extreme image of doctor in public’s eyes, contrast with himself (peace)
In Mayor’s speech: Nation’s have crisis, and so do towns
o To show that the issue is small in front of the citizens
o Comfort people and to build a contrast between the good (mayor) and bad
(doctor) guy.
o Simplified outlook of pollution of springs
o Pulling wool over people’s eyes
Aslaksen giving mayor the right of leading the speech, and mayor’s move to not get
doctor to present his speech
o Power overwrites freedom of speech
o The failure of democracy in a sense that mayor’s used his high position in town
to stop his brother from presenting his point and outrightly removing doctor’s
freedom of speech
In contrast to mayor’s speech, doctor’s speech tone:
o Extreme, condescending, insulting, demeaning the people and the constant
usage of pronouns (me, myself, I)
o Self-centred, and forget about the target audience
o Not very convincing and persuasive to get support from the audience
o Result as shown when many citizens wanted him to get out
Dr. Stockmann: The majority is never right until it does right (Pg95)
o The usage of absolutes: firm and very sure
o In EOTP the audience is the majority, by criticising the audience in his speech,
he is already losing support
Dr. Stockmann: Isn’t it clear that this man must have the right to warn the majority, to
fight with the majority, if he believes he has the truth? (Pg95)
o Human rights for freedom and speech
o
Believes in truth
Act 3:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Mrs Stockmann: People don't like to be pointed out (pg100)
o Herd mentality
o Fear of public opinion
o People watching each other, people can’t act as they want because they are
afraid of being targeted and hated like the doctor and his family
o They fear of getting implicated
Dr. Stockmann: When a man goes out to fight for the truth he should never wear his
best pants (pg101)
o Relates back to moral courage. Despite knowing the harm and hatred he would
receive, he still wanted to push on for the truth
Dr. Stockmann: A word can be like a needle sticking in your heart (pg104)
o Doctor wavered
o Bitterness when dealing with emotions and disheartened when people turn
against him
o Shows that he is still human and will still be affected by the hatred he received
Dr. Stockmann: A party is like a sausage grinder: it mashes up clearheads,
longheads, fat heads, blockheads –and what comes out? Meatheads!
o In a bad party, you can lose your own individuality and own thoughts, and
changed to be as bad as others in the party…Something along those lines
Dr. Stockmann: A piece of solid majority is liable to open up your skull
o The majority can manipulate your thoughts and actions
Morten Kiil: you’re stripping the skin off your family’s back!
o Trying to convince doctor to change his opinions
o Moral reasoning (guilt-trip)
Ø Make it look like doctor is causing his family to suffer
Ø Makes it look that if doctor does not change his report, he would be causing
his family more hardships as they would be poor
Hovstad: Because a man who who’ll drag his family through a lifetime of disgrace is
a demon in his heart!
o Portraying doctor’s idealistic and naïve side, a good summary of his character
Dr Stockmann: We are all alone. And there’ll be a long night before it’s day
o Cost to pay for fighting for the truth
o Tough and dark moment before all is well
o Moral courage comes in again because doctor knows of the negative
consequences (specify) fighting for the truth would bring and yet he wanted to
persevere through because he felt that after the dark times there will be a good
outcome out of defending the truth
Ø Sort of like “after every storm comes a rainbow”
Dr. Stockmann: You are fighting for the truth, and that’s why you're alone
o Alone not as in literally by himself, but in contrast with the large majority by the
mayor’s side
o He felt that few people are honest, since you are the only one fighting for the
truth
o Many people in society think of what personal benefits their actions might bring
($$)
[DONE BY: LEE HUI QI, KAYE 2014 ] 7 •
(Cont. from previous quote): And that’s what makes you strong. We’re the strongest
people in the world
o How does fighting the truth alone make one strong? Build resilience
o How does doctor’s resilience show in EOTP? Staying back despite the violence
and harm that was targeted to him
o Stand up for yourself