THE ENEMY NCERT SOLUTIONS -CLASS XII ENGLISH CBSE

NCERT QUESTIONS

Q1. Who was Dr Sadao? Where was his house?

Ans. Dr Sadao was a famous Japanese surgeon and scientist. He was a sympathetic man who remained loyal to his profession even in adverse situations. He lived in his ancestral square stone house in Japan which was built upon rocks, above a narrow beach, on the Japanese coast.

Q2. 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 without risk to the doctor & himself?

Ans. The soldier was reluctant to leave the doctor’s home because after facing near death outside he felt safe & secure in the Hoki's house. More than the medical treatment, it was the gentle touch of the doctor & his wife that turned the Japanese household into a sanctuary. He had suffered at the hands of Japanese and the scars on his neck were the evidence of the torture he had undergone. He was afraid that if he left their house he would be discovered and might face further more torture.

Q3. What explains the attitude of the General in the matter of the enemy soldier? Was it human consideration, lack of national loyalty, dereliction of duty or simply self-absorption?

Ans. The General promised to send his private assassins to kill the enemy soldier which he promptly forgot about. The story reveals the general as a self-centered man obsessed with his well-being. He, infact ,confesses to Dr. Sadao that it was plain carelessness absorption that made him forget his promise.

 

Q4. Dr Sadao was compelled by his 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? (All India 2011)

Answer. As a doctor, it was Dr Sadao’s moral responsibility to save Tom, the American prisoner of war, but Hana was under no such compulsion. In spite of this, she abided by her husband’s decisions because Hana, being a kind hearted and compassionate human being could not see a wounded person being left in the lurch. She adorned the role of a life-giver and a preserver. That is why she cleaned the prisoner when her maid was unwilling to do so. Secondly, she was a dutiful wife who pledged to support her husband even through the most difficult times. She also assisted her husband in the operation on the American, despite the fact that she could not stand the blood, and started vomiting when she saw it. She was thus a dutiful and supportive wife, and a compassionate human being.

 

Q5.Do you think the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances?

Dr. Sadao had saved the life of an American prisoner of war due to his professional and humanitarian duty. But he was loyal to his country too. He told the General about the presence of white man in his house and the General promised to send his private assassins to kill him. But due to his self absorption in his illness, the General forgot to send them. Thus, finally, Dr. Sadao decided to help the soldier escape from there. He gave him a boat, flashlight food and water and asked him to go to a nearby unguarded island. He could look for a Korean boat and escape.

This could be the best solution in the prevailing circumstances. Dr. Sadao was in danger of being caught as a traitor for harbouring the enemy. So, in order to save his reputation and the life of the white man, there could be no better way than what he did.

 

Q6  There are moments in life when we have to make hard choice between our role as private individuals & as citizens with a sense of national loyalty. Discuss with reference to the story.

Suggested Answer / Value Points- Dr. Sadao encounters with the dilemma-to live as private individual whose & moral ethical responsibility is to save the soldier & second is a Japanese to make the soldier arrest.

So as a doctor and as an individual his first job is to save man-takes ethical responsibility, he risks his life, fame & social status- takes him to his house and makes efforts to save him.

But his other side-sense of patriotism & nationalism also involves a report to police, takes the general in confidence, & plans to make him killed but later on again helps the soldier in escaping off. Thus Dr. Sadao personality is displayed. 

 

Q7  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.

• 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 most 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.

Sadaos rose above narrow prejudice because: Professional ethics , humanitarian considerations  ,sensitivity

-Having been himself subjected to hatred and indifference in America, he does not want to follow a ‘tit for tat policy’.