Q1 |
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: |
The story is revolves around the thought of moral and human values and the responsibility as a Japanese. Dr. Sadao, the protagonist is in a dilemma. He chose to act as a doctor whose moral and ethical responsibility is to save the soldier no matter he was a enemy. But as a normal Japanese he should have got him arrested so that he cannot be called as a traitor.
But as a doctor and a human his first duty was to help and cure the enemy. So he put his life in risk and helped him. Also he showed his patriotism as well as nationalism by informing the general but the general didn’t did anything so he again helped him and made him escaped from the country. |
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Q2 |
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? |
Ans: |
Dr. Sadao and Hana helped the enemy in curing him after knowing that they would be questioned by everyone but they did their duty. Dr. Sadao helped him due to his profession but Hana did helped him for supporting his husband and performing her duty towards her husband and for the humankind, so this duty towards her husband made her sympathetic towards the enemy. She was kind hearted because when their staff refused to help the enemy so Hana cleaned his wound and helped the enemy for his recovering. |
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Q3 |
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: |
When the white man got his consciousness he saw that he was saved by a Japanese family and he knew that later he would be handed to the army, but when he saw the concern and care for him from the Dr. Sadao and Hana he was sure that he was in safe hands but he also knows that being there would be a threat to Dr. Sadao’s family and he did not wanted them to be in threat who did so much help for him therefore he followed according and accompanied in Dr. Sadao’s plan of escaping. |
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Q4 |
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 whole scenario shows that the general was in self absorption and also he was a patient of Dr. Sadao and he thought that the Dr. Sadao was executed for treachery. He promised Dr. Sadao that he will send his assassins and kill the enemy in his sleep but he forgot to send his assassins. And it was not at all a human consideration. |
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Q5 |
While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during wartime, what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices? |
Ans: |
In the present time people are more concern about their life and family then their country. Whenever we read information regarding war in newspaper we feel hatred against the enemy side. And in the case of Dr. Sadao the man was his country’s enemy he also had hatred against him but instead this he helped the injured man and did his duty towards his profession. It was definitely the humanity, sympathy and compassion which makes a man raise above all the hatred. And due these emotions Dr. Sadao helped his enemy. |
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Q6 |
Do you think the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances? |
Ans: |
Yes, I think the doctor’s final solution was the best possible one. He did hid duty of a doctor by curing him and also the duty towards his nation by telling the truth to the general and general promised him to kill the enemy in his sleep but that didn’t happened so he realized that by killing him will not be beneficial for the country but only to save their lives so he decided to help him escape and he did right in my opinion. |
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Q7 |
Does the story remind you of ‘Birth’ by A. J. Cronin that you read in Snapshots last year? What are the similarities? |
Ans: |
The story definitely reminds us about ‘Birth’ by A. J. Cronin in which Dr. Andrew made lot efforts to save the life of new born infant and in this story Dr. Sadao saved the life of enemy in war time. So in both the stories Doctors showed their humanity and responsibility towards their profession. |
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Q8 |
Is there any film you have seen or novel you have read with a similar theme? |
Ans: |
No, I have not seen any movie or read novel with a similar theme. |
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