Entry 5

This play is a good read with a great theme, but for a mature audience.

Entry 4

This play is called An Enemy of the People because at the meeting, Mr. Aslaksen, the appointed chairman of the meeting, declared that Dr. Stockmann was an enemy of the people, since he was trying to "destroy" the baths, thereby destroying the town, which makes him the enemy. Dr. Stockmann accepted the name since he knew he was right in saying the water was poisoned and stood by his belief.

The play ends when an angry mob is approaching the Doctor's house, and he is standing by the window waiting for them. It doesn't tell you if the baths are ever fixed and if the Doctor and his family survive the mob- you just to let your imagination finish it for you.

Entry 3

After reading about the meeting, I thought it was very unfair. The Doctor had set up this meeting for him to speak, yet he was mostly denied this. The Mayor, his own brother, spoke first; he attacked the Doctor, speaking of how he was wrong, trying to destroy the baths, the Health Institute, and the town. After the attacks, the crowd would not let the Doctor plead his case. He was only allowed to speak for a moment and the baths could not be mentioned, which is what the point of the Doctor’s meeting had been. His only supporters were Captain Horster and a drunk, and soon the crowd became violent. The next day he and his family woke up to smashed windows, and rocks scattered around the living room. The glazier was to afraid to fix the windows and a petition went around town saying that whoever signed vowed not to call the Doctor if they became sick. The Captain was kicked off his ship, Petra was fired, and the boys were jumped at school. They were also evicted of their house. Despite all of this, they did not flee to America; they stayed strong to defend themselves against the angry mob approaching their house. I admire their bravery, for I do not think I could stay in such a town, fighting for the truth, in terrible conditions such as these.

Entry 2

Parts of the story are easier to understand once you learn more about each of the characters in the story. Yet, I feel I'm still missing parts to the story. For example, in Act II, Petra goes to the editorial office to talk to Hovstad about the English novel he wanted her to translate. They talk about what the book means; it says, "If you're good there's a supernatural force that'll fix it so you end up happy. And if you're bad you'll be punished." Then they start talking about principles and how the world doesn't work that way and how they don't believe in that. I don't understand what they believe in, and why this part was even to be included.

Entry 1

This play, An Enemy of the People, adapted by Arthur Miller, is somewhat confusing play concerned with the local politics of the town in the late nineteenth century. I understand majority of it, but most of my questions begin with why?
I understand that so far the Doctor, Dr. Stockmann, had people over at his house when his daughter, Petra, hands him a letter. He reads his letter which states that he has made a discovery about the town's bath water; it is polluted. The baths are crucial to the town's economy, and were supposed to be healing the sick, but since the source of the water was built near a tannery factory it contains a large quantity of bacteria that the Doctor states is infecting the town. He tells is brother, Mayor Peter Stockmann, of his discoveries. The Mayor is outraged that Dr. Stockmann would conduct an investigation without him, and then create such accusations. Plus, the repairs that would have to be made would be take two years and be too expensive. Dr. Stockmann writes a manuscript about his discovery that he intends to be put in the local paper. The editors of the paper decide not to publish it out of fear that the paper will be boycotted if the townspeople do not agree with the Doctor. So he decides to call a meeting at Captain Horster's house.
It breify mentions that the townspeople had differing reactions to the news; but I did not read what their reactions were or why they reacted such a way. I assume that the townspeople were skeptical, and did not agree with the Doctor.