Critical Analysis of Zaabalawi by Naguib Mahfouz Essay Example
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science
Vol. 1 No. 20; December 2011
The Battle between Responsibility and Manipulation in Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People” Noorbakhsh Hooti Assistant Professor Department of English Language and Literature Faculty of Arts Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. Amin Davoodi EFL Instructor The Adults' Department of the Iran Language Institute, Kermanshah branch Kermanshah, Iran. Abstract
Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People” centers on two important concepts: “Responsibility” and “Manipulation”. Sense of responsibility is portrayed in Dr. Stockmann’s character and the ability to manipulate the truth is vivid in the Mayor’s character. The whole play is like a battle between the two concepts. No one stops fighting. “Responsibility” and “Manipulation” are the real protagonists and the antagonists of the play. This study is an attempt to bring into picture the nature of responsibility and manipulation and their ceaseless battle, which leads to un-called for and untoward repercussions in the play in hand.
Key Words: truth, manipulation, protagonist, responsibility. 1. Introduction
Throughout the history “responsibility” has been a challenging concept. Almost everyone believes that he has a kind of responsibility toward his family, his society, his employer and so on. There are different connotations of “responsibility” under different contexts. Kanunguo (2001) defines social responsibility as the “belief of moral obligation to help others without personal considerations” (quoted in Avon, 2007, p. 49). Various definitions or interpretations of “responsibility” are not the problems of people in the 21st century because most of the available ones are acceptable. The chief problem lies in how much people care to do justice with their entrusted responsibilities. Theoretically speaking, everybody shows his passion for “responsibility”. However, he/she may never put the principles of “responsibility” into practice.
Vol. 1 No. 20; December 2011
The Battle between Responsibility and Manipulation in Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People” Noorbakhsh Hooti Assistant Professor Department of English Language and Literature Faculty of Arts Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. Amin Davoodi EFL Instructor The Adults' Department of the Iran Language Institute, Kermanshah branch Kermanshah, Iran. Abstract
Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People” centers on two important concepts: “Responsibility” and “Manipulation”. Sense of responsibility is portrayed in Dr. Stockmann’s character and the ability to manipulate the truth is vivid in the Mayor’s character. The whole play is like a battle between the two concepts. No one stops fighting. “Responsibility” and “Manipulation” are the real protagonists and the antagonists of the play. This study is an attempt to bring into picture the nature of responsibility and manipulation and their ceaseless battle, which leads to un-called for and untoward repercussions in the play in hand.
Key Words: truth, manipulation, protagonist, responsibility. 1. Introduction
Throughout the history “responsibility” has been a challenging concept. Almost everyone believes that he has a kind of responsibility toward his family, his society, his employer and so on. There are different connotations of “responsibility” under different contexts. Kanunguo (2001) defines social responsibility as the “belief of moral obligation to help others without personal considerations” (quoted in Avon, 2007, p. 49). Various definitions or interpretations of “responsibility” are not the problems of people in the 21st century because most of the available ones are acceptable. The chief problem lies in how much people care to do justice with their entrusted responsibilities. Theoretically speaking, everybody shows his passion for “responsibility”. However, he/she may never put the principles of “responsibility” into practice.