A. TEXTUAL ANSWERS SOLVED :
1. There are moments in life when we have to make hard choices between our roles as private individuals and as citizens with a sense of national loyalty ? Discuss with reference to the story you have just read ?
Ans - A conflict of interest arises in a situation when someone in a position of trust , such as a doctor, has completing interests . Such competing interests can create an appearance of impropriety , like in the story when a white American soldier falls into the hands of a Japanese physician , in enemy territory during the Second World War . The Japanese physician , Sadao , dislikes whites and struggles with issues of loyalty . Duty , wartime medicine and racism . As a Japanese national , it was his duty to fiend over the escaped prisoner to the police while as a doctor , it was his duty to save his life . Sadao risks his safety and saves an enemy . A doctor never considers whether the affected person is an enemy or a friend . He is taught to save the life of a dying man . Thus, professional loyalty comes in conflict with a sense of national loyalty . His servants leave and the maid servant Yumi revolts . He fears the consequences of harbouring an enemy . Not only this , he , for the moment , overcomes his dislike for Americans and addresses the soldier as 'my friend ' . He , then , helps the soldier escape . He put his life in danger . As the milk of humanity is flowing in his blood so he saves the enemy and helps him in escaping to freedom .
2. Dr. Sadao was compelled by duty as a doctor to help the enemy soldier . What made Hana , his wife , sympathetic to him in the face of open defiance from the domestic staff ?
Ans - When Sadao and Hana saw the prisoner of war , they were confronted with a dilemma for a moment but the doctor in Sadao surfaced spontaneously . Dr. Sadao Hoki was a dutiful and an humanitarian doctor . He was much compelled by his duties to help the enemy soldier . He did not pay any heed to the fact whether the patient was an enemy or a friend . On the otherhand Hana , Dr. Sadao's wife , was a very faithful , loyal and well-wisher of her husband as well . Hana, too, knew that if they left the American there , he would certainly die . She could not put him back into the sea . When Sadao asked if she could put him into the sea, she said , 'But if you can do it alone ...' clearly indicating her unwillingness . Dr . Sadao and his wife Hana knew that their humanitarian act of saving the wounded enemy soldier was a serious crime by law and would be questioned by everyone . Dr Sadao did it because of his sense of duty as a doctor but his wife Hana did it because she respected her husband and a sense of duty towards him . In the bedroom Hana covered him with a flowered silk quilt and also washed him when Yumi refused . She could not be easily provoked and had to face the open defiance of her domestic staff . She helped Sadao to operate as he was afraid yet her ' anger ' at Yumi gave her courage . When the soldier regained consciousness , he was terrified . Hana apologized , served and reassured him . Her pride and self respect held her back from the servants as they decided to leave them or giving in to their pressure . Perhaps, as the servants felt , their stay in America had changed their attitude and they were not as parochial as the rest . It could also be that they were educated and sensitive human beings unlike the servants , who viewed the situation as either good or bad .
3. How would you explain the reluctance of the soldier to leave the shelter of the doctor's home even when he knew he couldn't stay there without risk to the doctor and himself ?
Ans - The enemy soldier was given shelter, medical treatment and lease of life by Dr. Sadao and his wife though there was stiff and stern objection by the domestic staff of the house . He was on the verge of death but Dr. Sadao operated him to save his life . Soon he knew that he was out of out danger . But he was reluctant to leave the doctor's noise since he was out of danger . On the third day after the operation , the young man asked Dr. Sadao what he was going to do with him and if he was going to hand him over to the police as he was a prisoner of war.
The young man saw that Dr. Sadao and his wife Hana were different from other Japanese . They spoke English well , looked after him and served him food . Seven days after the operation of the man , Dr Sadao was called to the palace to see the General . Hana thought that the police had come to arrest Dr. Sadao confined to the General and he (General ) promised to send his personal assassins to kill the man and remove his body . Dr. Sadao waited for three nights but nothing happened . Then he decided to let the prisoner escape . He told Tom the young American , about it. The young man stared at him and asked if he had to leave it seemed he was reluctant to leave .
Dr. Sadao told him that he should understand everything clearly . It was not hidden that he was there and this situation was full of risk for himself as well as for the doctor and his family . Thus it is quite clear that the reluctance of the soldier was caused by the single motive of self-preservation . He knew from the treatment he had received from the couple that they would save him .
The enemy soldier was aware of his position there in the house as his presence was posing a severe danger to the doctor as well as himself . He could be arrested and put to death at any point of time . Being quite unknown to the spot , he did know what to do and where to escape . So he was lucky enough to leave himself at the mercy of a very obliging servants but Dr. Sadao's and the cooperation of his wife made home in his mind not to leave the house . In such hard conditions, Dr. Sadao saved the prisoner and helped him escape .
4. What explains the attitude of the ruthless General in the matter of the enemy soldier ? Was it human consideration , lack of national loyalty , dereliction of duty , or simply self- absorption ?
Ans- General is a strange and distinctive fellow . He is much too preoccupied with himself -his being a General , his illness and his fear of death . He seems to have been a very ruthless and cruel army officer who has his private assassins to eliminate his enemies and rebels . The General was a highly self- absorbed man. The General knows that Dr. Sadao is a skilled doctor perfect in the art of surgery . He has himself to be operated the next day . So his death will be a personal loss to his life . He had kept the doctor in the country primarily because he needed medical attention . For the doctor, he decided to get rid of the soldier . When Sadao told him about the succesful operation of the American , the General was happy because that was a reassurance of Sadao's professional skill and that was what made Sadao 'even more important ' as he would be requiring his help. His self absorption comes to the forefront again when he asked what would happen if Sadao were condemend to death and the next day , he had to operated upon . It is evident that the General had no human consideration in this matter . For him an enemy must be wiped out . He wanted the man to be eliminated silently to save the doctor from being arrested . It was neither lack of national loyalty nor dereliction of duty that guided and inspired his decisions. It was simply his sense of self- absorption . He wanted to keep Dr. Sadao safe only for his own sake. He had no faith in other Germany trained doctors . He might have to be operated upon anytime when he had another attack and he had full faith in the skill and loyalty of Dr. Sadao only . This fact is further corroborated by the General 's remarks to Dr. Sadao , one week after the emergency operation upon the General Dr. Sadao informed him that the man had escaped . The General asked whether he had not promised Sadao that he would kill the soldier for him . Dr. Sadao replied that he had done nothing . The General admitted that he had forgotten his promise as he had been suffering a great deal and he thought of nothing but himself . He revealed the truth . He admitted that it was not lack of patriotism of duty on his part .
5. While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable , especially during wartime , what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices . Answer with reference to ' The Enemy '?
Ans - The feeling of hatred for enemy country is created by the system / government . People are made to hate each other . It is considered to be patriotic / nationalistic . Personally knowing or not knowing has no meaning in such cases . There are people who rise above such petty thoughts . Like doctor Sadao - for him saving the patient was not important . As a doctor that was his first duty - the sick , injured needed attention and the country to which the patient belongs did not matter to him . Sadao rose above narrow prejudice because : Professional ethics , humanitarian consideration , sensitivity . Having been himself subjected to hatred and indifference in America , he does not want to follow a 'tit for tat policy '.
Sadao had grown up believing that the Japanese were a superior race . He also disliked Americans as his own experience in America had not been pleasant . He bad faced racial bias. He thought Americans were full of prejudice . Despite this , he couldn't let the young American soldier bleed to death . During the operation he called Tom 'my friend ' , while his logical and reasoning mind revolted against it , his inherent humanity came to the forefront . The reason was simple : love and compassion are the basis of our consciousness , we thrive when we let them come to the forefront . There is within each of us a potential for goodness beyond our imagining .
6. Do you think that the doctors final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances ?
Ans - Yes , I think the doctor's final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances . Initially , the doctor as well as his wife thought that the best as well as kindest thing would be to put him back into the sea . But neither of them as able to put him back to the sea . He was duty bound as a doctor to save lives . Political enemies are not personal enemies . Tom was a young soldier who was merely doing his duty . Compassion is a natural instinct . The foremost duty is towards one's motherland . The soldier would have recovered and continued his job of killing people. Harbouring an enemy soldier is an offence . Sadao also explained that if the man was whole he could turn him over to the police without difficulty , but since he was wounded , he doctor could not throw him back to the sea . He could not kill the man who he had saved from the jaws of death .
The General promised to send his private assassins to kill the man and remove his dead body . Sadao waited for three night for their arrival , but they never came as the General being preoccupied with his own suffering , forgot everything else .
Meanwhile the fear of Hana , the doctor's wife , that he would be arrested on the charge of harbouring an enemy kept on mounting . Dr. Sadao made up his mind to get rid of the man as it was not only inconvenient but also dangerous for them to have him there any longer . It was indeed the best solution to the problem as in this way te American could finally escape the Japanese at whose hands he had already suffered , the Doctor could assuage his conscience which could have bothered him had the General's lan of having the American murdered , been carried out and his wife , Hana , could feel relieved at the enemy's departure .
As soon as the enemy left , the servants returned and life became normal once again . Dr. Sadao informed the General that ' the man ' had escaped . The General admitted that he had forgotten his promise as he thought of nothing but himself as he was suffering a great deal . He confessed that it was careless of him but it was not his lack of patriotism or dereliction of duty . In short , the doctor's strategy to let the prisoner escape was the best possible solution to let the prisoner escape was the best possible solution to the problem under the prevailing circumstances .
7. Does the story reminds you of 'Birth ' by A.J. Cronin that you read in the Snapshots last year ? What are the similarities ?
Ans - The Enemy's is about an American- trained Japanese surgeon working in Japan during Second World War , who saves an American POW first by operating on him and then , helping him escape . Sadao realized that the white man in the US navy uniform had a bullet wound . He was in a dilemma for a moment but the doctor in him surfaced spontaneously and he started working to stop the bleeding . In 'Birth' A.J. Cronin deals with medical ethics through the protagonist , Andrew Manson . it brings out that medicine is not merely a business whose goal is to enrich its practitioners materially and that the essence of being a doctor is the use of one's senses , knowledge, and experience to reduce suffering and improve
people's lives . Manson overlooks the disappointment caused to him by his relationship , and seeks tremendous satisfaction in saving a doctor's responsibility to the patient is most important . In light of this, both Sadao and Andrew are true to their profession and duty as doctors .
Both the stories revolves around the protagonist who is a doctor . Both of the stories revolve around the protagonist who is a doctor . Both of them focus on the doctor's devotion and dedication to his duty and his concern for the well-being of the patient . The doctor sacrifices his own comfort and rest while attending to the patient . If the doctor brings a 'still born' baby back to life in the story ' Birth' , Dr. Sadao Hoki performs no less than a miracle . He saves an almost dying man from the jaws of death by skillfully extracting the bullet from his body and giving him medicines and injections for quick relief . Dr. Sadao runs a greater risk than Dr. Andrew Mason . While the former could be arrested on the charge of the harbouring an enemy and condemned to death , the latter (Dr. Andrew ) was foregoing rest and staking his reputation as a medical practitioner . He had a disappointing evening wiht the girl he loves but he forgets his personal feelings and concentrates on the safe delivery of child and then of reviving the middle aged mother and the stillborn baby . To conclude , we may say that the zeal , dedication and efforts of both the doctors are similar . There is difference of degree in the risk factor , but their devotion to suffering humanity is undoubtedky of the same kind .
8. Is there any film you have seen or novel you have read with a similar theme ?
Ans - I remember an old Hindi film "Dr. Kotnis ki Amar Kahani " that deals with a similar theme . The eminent doctor gives up his practice and goes to the war front to look after the wounded and ailing soldiers and render them medical help . He spares no pain in performing his duties . He ignores the demands of his body that is sleep , rest and comfort . Service to suffering humanity is his sole motivation and in his zeal to restore the maximum number of victims back to health , the doctor suffers from physical and mental exhaustion and ultimately dies . The film was based on the life of Florence Nightingale , the lady with the lamp , also profession . It is through her sheer hard work and dedication to duty that Florence Nightingale raises the job of a nurse to a high pedestal .
B. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS SOLVED :
1. Who was Dr. Sadao Hoki ?
Ans - A Japanese doctor , who studied medicine in America and later returned to Japan .
2. Who was Hana ?
Ans - Hana was Dr. Sadao's wife , Japanese . They two met in America , became friends and married there legally . It is unlikely that Hana was a medical student .
3. Who was Sadao's father ?
Ans - A true , die-hard Japanese , blindly patriotic . He did not allow any foreign articles at home.
4. Who was the old General ?
Ans - Japan's army General was Sadao's patient . He was a cruel man in his prime years .
5. Who was Tom ?
Ans - An American soldier who got ashore near Sadao's house following a serious injury . Tom was treated by Sadao .
