NCERT Solutions for Class 12

English
Chapter 4 -The Enemy
Read and Find Out
1. Who was Dr. Sadao? Where was his house?
Ans: Dr. Sadao Hoki was a famous yet sympathetic and loyal Japanese scientist
and surgeon. He was a grounded man and lived in an ancestral stone house in
Japan built above a narrow beach on the coast, outlined by narrow pine trees.
He spent about eight years in America to improve his skill and learn everything
possible about medicine and surgery. When the chapter begins, we are
introduced to his scientific research to discover a drug that would render the
wound entirely clean.

Question:
1. Will Dr. Sadao be arrested on the charge of harbouring an enemy?
Ans: Dr. Sadao stayed loyal to the vows of the medical profession. He saved
the injured man, who was washed off on the shore near his home irrespective
of him being American. He was aware of the fact that his country and America
had political tensions and this step would put the whole family in danger. Still,
he went ahead with his duty as a doctor and a human and saved the enemy. So,
if we see from a humanitarian perspective, he should not be punished for this,
since he did what his profession taught him, and doctors should help humanity
irrespective of country and political issues.

Question:
1. Will Hana help the wounded man and wash him herself?
Ans: Hana will help the wounded man. Though it is difficult for her since she
is not medically trained and afraid of him since he was an American, she would
try her best. Hana and Sadao are husband and wife. I believe they would share
common values and moral values. Both would want to serve and help humanity
in one way or the other possible. She tries her best to contribute as much as
possible to the noble cause alongside her husband. Even though her act was so
impulsive after her servant Yumi defied her orders, she still did it with utmost
sincerity.

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Question:
1. What will Dr Sadao and his wife do with the man?
Ans: Dr. Sadao and his wife would help the man. The man was unconscious
and a prisoner of war. He was a great threat to the family but even then, decided
to treat and operate on him. It was his responsibility as a doctor to serve
humanity and adhere to the vows of his profession. Hana helped to clean the
man after Yumi defied to follow the orders to do the same. They fed him and
tried their best to create an escape path for him. Even though they knew they
would have to hand him over to the army sooner or later, they still provided
him the best possible.

Question:
1. Will Dr. Sadao be arrested on the charge of harbouring an enemy?
Ans: Dr. Sadao could be arrested if someone complained about the family
harbouring an enemy in their home. The servants were even worried too when
they realized that their master was helping an enemy which would lead them
all to prison. They were against this and left the work immediately to save their
lives, Hana and Sadao even then, though half-heartedly, still helped the enemy
to recover. On humanitarian grounds, the cat was well justified but it was
against the political setup of the country. Sadao was close with the General and
was treating him for the heart ailment. The chances were slim that the General
would risk his own life at the jeopardy of the country’s safety.

Question:
1. What will Dr. Sadao do to get rid of the man?
Ans: With the American patient's health gradually improving by the continued
efforts of Hana and Sadao, he further planned an escape for him since he was
sentimentally attached with him. It was too brutal for Dr. Sadao to hand over
the man to the army since they would kill him. Hana was getting impatient
about keeping him at home as he caused them a lot of trouble and was a
potential threat for the family too. His primary plan of letting the General know
about him and sending assassins to kill him never succeeded since they never
came. So, next, he planned to set him off on a boat on a nearby island, with
enough supplies of food and water along with clothes, a blanket, and a
flashlight. He asked him to board a Korean ship from the island which would
sail him safely and save him.

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Questions:
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: One might come across such crossroads in life when they need to make a
choice between their roles as private individuals and as citizens with a sense of
national loyalty. In the story, Dr. Sadao had to decide either to let the man die
on the shore since he was an American and his country was not on good
political terms with them or take him home and save his life. Dr. Sadao went
with the desire of his heart and went against his country to serve humanity. He
would have got arrested for this cause but still preferred to risk himself to save
him. As a doctor, he fulfilled his responsibility and raised himself above the
masses. He did not lose his sense of patriotism too as he went to the General to
inform him about the American. His sense of humanity kindles a sense of trust
towards humanity and human values.

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: Since Dr. Sadao and Hana were a couple, they shared similar values and
supported each other through every decision they made. Hana was a
sympathetic human being. Seeing a man almost dead her inner conscience
would have forced her to help him. She was not well versed with the details of
the medical field but did everything that was possible. She cleaned the soldier
when the servant refused to touch him since he was an American. She helped
Dr. Sadao during the operation even though it made her puckish. When the
house staff warned her against this and left the home, she still stood beside him.
She washed and fed the patient when he was extremely sick. It was because of
her care that he recovered faster. Though she forced him to ask the patient to
leave as soon as possible as he was a potential threat from the family, she still
cared for the man.

3.How would you explain the reluctance of the soldier to leave the shelter
of the doctor’s home even when he knew he could not stay there without
risk to the doctor and himself?
Ans: The chances of survival of the American patient were very slim. But
because of the continuous efforts of Dr. Sadao and his wife, the patient

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survives. When he gained consciousness, he realized that he was saved by a
Japanese family. Since America and Japan had political tensions between them
and were in a war, he felt he would be soon handed over to the army. But the
concern of the family and the way he was treated made him believe the opposite
and he hoped he would survive. He felt attached to the family who risked their
lives to save him. While leaving his heart was filled with gratitude for the
family and he forced himself to leave so that the danger that hovered over the
family would subside.

4.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 was self-obsessed. He only cared about himself, and the
country was his second priority. He got himself treated by the expert hands of
Dr. Sadao did not trust anyone except him. When Dr. Sadao went on to explain
to him about the American at his home, instead of arresting him from treachery
against the country he promised to send his personal assassins and get him
killed. It was a promise which was left unfulfilled and saved the life of the
patient. He hence was a self-absorbed man and had a lack of humanity and
loyalty towards everyone.

5.While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable,

especially during wartime, what makes a human being rise above narrow
prejudices?
Ans: Hating individuals of one race just because of political disturbances
between the countries is certainly not justified. The countries are at war mostly
because of the political tensions between them and not because of the citizens
that live there. It is a sheer lack of empathy and humanity. What makes you
more human is when you rise above these pity issues and focus more on
yourself and your duties than going with what the flock is doing. Dr. Sadao
certainly sets an example for us all about how a human being should conduct
himself in such situations. He risked his and his loved one's life just to save the
patient who was God sent to him by nature. He was gravely injured but because
of his efforts and skills, he survived. He raised himself above these pity issues
and gave him a new life.

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6.Do you think the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best
possible one in the circumstances?
Ans: After the American was healed, Dr. Sadao was required to find a possible
solution to send him off. Yes, I believe his final solution to the problem was
the best possible one under the given circumstances. He planned to send him
off to the nearby island with enough supplies and goods for his survival on the
island. He asked him to board a Korean ship from there which would land him
safely to his destination. It not only saved the soldier's life but also saved the
doctor from the potential threat of him and his family being in serious trouble
if someone would have reported his presence.

7.Does the story remind you of ‘Birth’ by A. J. Cronin that you read in
Snapshots last year? What are the similarities?
Ans: While reading the story, certain sections did remind me of the story
‘Birth’ by A.J. Cronin. Both the stories had doctors as their protagonists who
tried their best to save the lives of nearly dead individuals. In the ‘Birth,’ Dr.
Andrew with his efforts saved the life of a stillborn baby using all the skills and
effort he could put into it. He was drenched in sweat while trying to save the
life of the infant. In ‘The Enemy,’ Dr. Sadao saved the life of a prisoner of war
who was an American and a potential threat to his country. He went against the
political rules and served his responsibility as a doctor.

8.Is there any film you have seen or novel you have read with a similar
theme?
Ans: The story teaches its readers to be selfless and own their sense of duty and
righteousness. There are various stories and movies that are pillared on similar
themes. An example of such a movie is ‘My Name is Khan.’ The movie is
centered around the protagonist who has a sense of duty and generosity and
saves his friends when the city of Georgia gets flooded. He worked endlessly
to help everyone even without thinking twice about the potential threat and
danger that surrounded him.

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