Highlight the character of the pressmen and show how it has impacted on Dr. Stockmann’s mission.

Introduction:
In an enemy of the people, the men of the press include Hovstad, Billing and Aslaksen who run .  the people’s Messenger.  Dr. Stockman is a medical officer who discovers that the town’s water supply is contaminated hence is on a mission to correct the situation.  However, the pressman prove to be a stumbling block to the doctor due to their negative character.

i)    Hypocritical/Liars;
In the beginning, all three congratulate the doctor on his discovery.  They even toast to his health Pg. 20.  They pledge their support pg 48 and Aslaksen and Billing call Dr. Stokmann a friend of the people.  Aslaksen assures him of the support of the Householders’ association.
They press refuse to publish Dr. Stockmann’s article and instead publishes the mayor’s. The effect is that the doctor loses his arsenal, the people’s Messenger, and the compact majority.  He is denied a venue for the meeting and is branded an enemy of the people
.
ii)    Opportunistic/selfish
Hovstad uses Petra to translate the English story for his own selfish interests.  Billing thinks of approaching Dr.  Stockman to finance the paper because he’s bound to come by money from Morten Kiil Pg. 50. Aslaksen and Hovstad return to convince the Dr. to take over The people’s Messenger because they think he now has money from the Bath’s shares.  Give that Hovstad correctly observes that the press is supposed to liberate the masses; this selfish/opportunistic nature hinders the doctor’s mission.  They do not believe in his mission and are ready to jump ship as long as it suits them.

iii)    Cowards/fearful
Aslaksen hides under his principle of moderation when in actual fact he fears the authorities. Hovstad lies to the Mayor that he knows nothing about the bath report and behaves in a fearful manner when he sees the Mayor pg. 55. Dr.Stockmann says Hovstad has never had the courage to admit in public that he is a free thinker.  This trait in the pressman inhibits the doctor’s mission.  They know the truth but chose to kill it due to their fear of the Mayor.  Hovstad refuses to back the doctor yet he’s a freethinker lie Dr. Stockman. The result is that the baths are not fixed due to cowardice.

iv)    Ruthless/callous/unreliable
These three are frequent visitors to the doctor’s house.  When the play opens, Billing is seen having roast beef.  Pg. 1 Hovstad too pg.5 Aslaksen comes to pledge his support for the doctor having heard from billing that the Dr. would bring about a new water supply.  Their true nature however is soon revealed.  The three quickly side with the Mayor without verifying the fact of the time to e take and the costs involved.  Consequently the doctor is barred from addressing the issue of the baths at the meeting.  It is Aslaksen who proposes that the meeting declare Dr. Decree Stockmann an enemy of the people.  Billing’s lies about the doctor pg. 85. Further turn the people away from Dr. Stockmann.  This culminates in the doctor being roughed up and his house. Stoned.

Conclusion
The press has the important function of disseminating information to the public. The press should never be partisan or take sides.  They therefore have a duty/obligation to inform the public about the baths but they fail due to their negative character of hypocrisy, opportunism, cowardice and cruelty. The doctor is denied an opportunity to correct a health issue due to a negative press.

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  Drawing your illustrations from Henrik Ibsen’s ‘An Enemy of the people’ write a  composition outlining how Dr. Stockmann’s good intentions to purify his society are frustrated.
              Introduction
Dr. Stockmann is the protagonist in the play whose sole purpose is to cleanse a society which is riddled with so many evils among them corruption, betrayal, hypocrisy etc. He single handedly tries to fight this though he faces a lot of opposition.
-    Peter Stockmann does not want to hear anything about the discovery. Though the doctor had carefully conducted his research, he asks him to falsity his report failure to which he would be sacked pg 34-41.
-    The press had volunteered to help in sensitizing the citizens about the issue of the baths. However after a visit from Peter Stockmann and after he convinces them that they had to pay for the repairs of the baths, they turn their back on him and will not even print his findings for a fee pg 65.
-    Dr. Stockmann is denied access to the public halls to make his report known to the public. He holds a meeting in captain Horster’s house. The town officials gate crash into his meeting and go ahead to more a motion to ensure that he does not discuss the baths pg 72-73.
-    To push him out of the town, the compact majority is manipulated into declaring him an enemy of
      the people. They went on to destroy his property with a hope that he’ll leave town.
-    Morten kill uses the money meant for Katherines’ inheritance to buy shares from the baths. This is done with an intention of intimidating the doctor to change his mind. Failure to do so, the proceeds from his sales to be given to charity.

in conclusion, though his efforts are trampled on, Dr. Stockmann does not give up. He swears to fight on to the bitter end.

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Using Henrik Ibsen's 'An Enemy of the People", Write an essay showing how leaders conspire to hide the truth from the people.
Introduction: Comment on the conspiracy by leaders to deny people the truth abort the reports of the Baths.
Say why they fear.
A sign of dishonesty
Point of interpretation

• The Mayor is the lead person in the conspiracy. Threatens the press men/influence them to refuse publish the document.

• The pressmen (Hovstad) had readily agreed to publish the article but on mayor’s demand they changed their attitude and turned against the Doctor.

• Aslaksen talks like one who is ready to insist of moderation in fear of reprisals from the government or mayor. He also fears to spend a lot of money in correcting the mess in the Baths.

• Leaders deny the doctor access to any Hall in the town. When he gets a hall at Capt Horster’s place. People are told not to allow him to talk about the Baths.

• He is harassed. His children leave school. His daughter is sacked and his horse stoned.

• The Doctor is incriminated by the leaders and they incite the people against him and declares him ‘An enemy of the People’ despite his efforts to enlighten the public.

Make use of outdated beliefs that majority are always right.

Conclusion – The leaders are driven by dishonesty and fear to offend the masses.

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“Scandals on corruption are common in most societies” Basing your illustrations on Henrik Ibsen’s play, “ An Enemy of the People,” write an essay showing how it is difficult to fight corruption.

corruption means dishonest or illegal behaviour by officials or people in a position of power.

• How difficult it is to fight corruption. Most societies find it difficult to fight corruption because corrupt officials always tend to fight back. In an Enemy of The People, Dr. Stockmann who tries to fight corruption is warned by Peter Stockmann, the mayor, that he will be ruthless with him. That the doctor should deny his rumours about his publicity findings.

    - That the doctor should agree to make an expression of his confidence in the committees’ leadership which will put him to a disadvantage.
    - That he should carry out a fictitious investigation and conclude that the matter is not as dangerous as he (Dr. Stockmann) had imagined in his first report.
    - He is told that as a member of the Baths committee he does not own an opinion of his own since he is a subordinate employee.

• Corruption is not easy to fight since it mostly involves officials or people in position or power whose views admit the existence of corruption. For example:

    - Peter Stockmann denies that the water baths are contaminated. He tells Dr. Stockmann that the contamination is the doctor’s own imagination and not true as charged.
    That the doctor is merely displaying his usual recklessness and seeking an outlet to his combativeness by picking a quarrel with his superiors (the town leaders)

• Fighting corruption is not easy since the citizens are sometimes gullible for they can decide to fall easily into the trap of praising and defend the corrupt leaders /officials.

-|Vote against the incorruptible members of the society i.e. they vote against Dr. Stockmann and participate in declaring him an enemy of the people.
- They become wild and stone Dr. Stockmann’s house.

• The press is sometimes manipulated by the officials in power to perpetrate corruption and ends up becoming an accomplice in corruption e.g.

    - Billing, Aslaksen and Hovstad aid the mayor in defeating justice.
    - Are easily manipulated to go along with the Peter Stockmann’s version of the truth
        The process of fighting corruption faces a lot of challenges. It requires efforts from each individual in the society. One man cannot achieve anything as demonstrated of Dr. Stockmann in the play An Enemy of The People.

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"Fear of public opinion is the driving force behind major decisions in society”
Public opinion is the view embraced by the majority/a large number of people in society. In an enemy of the people many characters take certain decisions due to fear of what people will say. Such characters include Aslaksen, Hovstad, Mr.Vik, Mrs. Busk among others.

• Aslaksen, Billing and Hovstad (the people’s messenger) cannot print Dr. Stockmann’s article on the contamination of the Baths, for fear of public opinion   

    - Aslaksen says it is public opinion – the enlightened public – that controls the newspapers, and they don’t want to ruin their paper. (p.64)
    - Aslaksen adds ‘it would be flying in the face of public opinion’ pg 65. see also p.72.

• Due to fear of public opinion nobody can give Dr. Stockmann a room to hold his meeting

- Peter stockman says, ‘no public body in the town will allow you ‘to use their hall for such a purpose’ pg 65
        - Aslaksen says not a single one, Iam certain pg.65
        NB: It is only captain Horster who comes to his aid after missing a room from the other owners, but not without a backlash from his employer Mr.Vik

• Dr.Stockmann’s landlord gives him a notice to quit his premises. This happens after Dr. Stockmann is declared an enemy of the people

    - He has been such a nice man but he doesn’t do otherwise on account of his fellow Citizens
    - He can’t do it out of regard for public opinion and dares not offend certain influential men. (pg .89)

• Mrs. Busk gives Petra a notice of dismissal from her school due to fear of public opinion.

    - It hurts her to do it but she didn’t dare do otherwise
    - Mrs.Busk’s own views are tolerably emancipated---------------but now that this report about me is being spread, she dare not keep me any longer” (pg 91)

• Mr. Vik, the shipower, dismisses captain Horster because he offered Dr.Stockmann a house to hold his meeting.

    - Mr. Vik didn’t dare do otherwise because he is a party man; he feared what the people would say if he kept him on (pg 86, 94)

• The Baths committee, spearheaded by Peter Stockmann dismisses Dr.Stockmann for fear of Public opinion

    - Peter says, “It gives us pain to do it; but to speak frankly, we dared not do otherwise on account of public opinion. (pg 95)
    - The householders Association makes people sign to ensure that they stop consulting Dr.Stockmann. (p.96)

• Mr.Rorland suspends Mortein and Ejlif from school for fear of public opinion

    - He sends away the boys over Flimsy reasons, he says they had better stay away (home) for a few days…….. (pg 108)
    In conclusion, public opinion is clearly the driving force behind the major dismissals and other decisions in society.

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“The greatest threat to the publishing of Doctor Stockmann’s article is the destruction of the mayor’s     political ands social standing.” Drawing illustrations from “An Enemy of the People,” discuss this     statement.
  
The publishing of Dr. Stockmann’s article will destroy the mayor’s social and political standing, hence the mayor is totally opposed to it.
Areas to consider

• The article would give rise to more articles that would bring down the “old house”
• Every enlightened man will be behind the doctor after the article is read
• The middle class would turn their back  on him
• The mayor will fall out with the whole crowd
• The public will be enlightened on the mayors capability/incapability
• The move will lead to a revolution
• There would be a big fight in town
• The supporters will want to rest their town positions and control of municipal affairs on men with liberal ideas.
• The mayor is not willing to spend any money to make changes in the water system
• Accepting and publishing the report would mean the officials have failed
• Aslaksen is the chairman of householders association and the doctors plans would benefit householders and small businessmen.

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