CBSE Class 12 English Vistas The Enemy Pearl S Buck Assignment Set D

Short Answer Type Questions

Question. Why did the author say that Dr. Sadao was also famous as a scientist?
Answer: Dr. Sadao was also famous as a scientist because he had perfected a discovery which could render wounds entirely clean.

Question. Who was the person they saw while standing in the verandah? What had happened to him?
Answer: Sadao and his wife were standing in the verandah when they saw a man who had been flung up out of the ocean by a wave. At first they thought him to be a fisherman but on looking closely they realised that it was a white man with long yellow hair. His young face had a rough yellow beard. He was an American prisoner of war who had escaped. He was injured badly, was unconscious and was bleeding profusely.

Question. Why were they afraid of taking him to their house?
Answer: Dr. Sadao and his wife Hana were afraid of taking him to their house because of the servants who would refuse to work for them for the fear of getting into trouble themselves. They were afraid of harboring a prisoner of war and knew that the servants would talk.

Question. What did Dr. Sadao say when the soldier asked him what he was going to do with him?
Answer: Dr. Sadao answered by confessing that he himself didn’t know what he would do with him. He thought perhaps he would hand him over to the police as he was a prisoner of war.

Question. What did the letter of Dr. Sadao mean?
Answer: Dr.Sadao had led the prisoner on the road to recovery. One day he went to his office and typed a letter to the chief of police reporting the whole matter. He just mentioned that he had found the escaped prisoner in front of his house on the 21st of February. He could not bring himself to complete this confession and so, left it in his drawer. He was a law abiding citizen.

Question. What were the two foreign elements the General wanted Dr. Sadao to combine?
Answer: The General wanted Dr. Sadao to combine the German ruthlessness with the American sentimentality. Then only he would be able to turn over the prisoner for execution and yet not murder the General while he was being operated. His unusual sense of humor made him say this to Sadao.

Question. What did Sadao do to get rid of the American soldier?
Answer: Sadao decided to help the American soldier to escape to safety. He told him to go to an island nearby and wait for a Korean fishing boat to pass by. He even gave him a boat, some food and bottled water. He kept two quilts for him and gave him clear instructions so that this plan would not fail.

Question. The General wanted to reward Sadao. But Sadao had another reward. What was that reward?
Answer: The General had wanted to reward Sadao for his loyalty but at the same time Sadao knew that he had the general in the palm of his hand, for the latter too, had shown dereliction of duty. Sadao was rewarded in a different way by destiny. His prisoner was able to escape to safety on the very first night. All his efforts had borne fruit.

Question. What did Sadao learn about the white man’s wound?
Answer: The young prisoner of war was unconscious. There was a gun-wound that had been reopened on the right side of his lower back. The flesh was blackened with powder. The man had been shot recently and in his attempt to escape, a rock had struck the wound and reopened it. Later Sadao felt the bullet in the wound. The bleeding was not superficial and the young man had lot a lot of blood. The bullet was near the kidney.

Question. Why does Sadao wonder why he could not kill the young enemy?
Answer: Sadao found it strange that he had spared his enemy. The Americans were full of prejudice and he found it bitter to live there. The white people were repulsive even in their kindness. Yet he had operated upon the enemy and let him escape. As a trained medical practitioner, Sadao had risen above narrow prejudices to save the enemy’s life.

Question. What did the doctor do on seeing him in dreadful state?
Answer: Sadao tried to staunch the fearful bleeding. He packed the wound with the sea moss that was lying near by on the beach. After seeing the miserable condition of the injured man, he in consultation with his wife decided to take him home.

Question. Why did they not put him back into the sea?
Answer: They were not able to bring themselves to drop him back into the sea because of their compassionate and humane nature. Moreover, Sadao, being a doctor himself knew how to save lives and thought it unethical to let the soldier die if he could prevent it.

Question. What did the General suggest to get rid of the American?
Answer: The General suggested that the prisoner could be quietly killed by his own private assassins. He would send two of them to Sadao’s house and all he had to do was to leave the outer partition of the white man’s room open while he was sleeping. He even offered to have the body removed quietly.

Question. Why were, according to the servants, Dr. Sadao and his wife saving the American?
Answer: The cook of Dr. Sadao declared that the young master was so proud of his skill as a doctor that he would save any life. Yumi even told Hana that they would not stay if they would continue to hide the man. She accused Sadao and Hana of having a soft corner for Americans after staying in America and having forgotten to think their own country first.

Question. Why was Sadao not able to ask the General about the assassins?
Answer: Sadao did not ask the General about the assassins because he knew that they had never come. He had operated upon the General and had not been sure if he would live. But the General himself confessed that he was so pre-occupied with his own health that he had forgotten his promise to have the prisoner killed by assassins.

Question. What forced Dr. Sadao to be impatient and irritable with his patient?
Answer: Hana had never seen an operation and went outside to throw up. Sado heard Hana retching in the garden and said that it would be better for her to empty her stomach. Her distress and his inability to go to her at once made him impatient and irritable with the American prisoner of war.

Question. What was the dilemma for them?
Answer: The dilemma they faced was that if they sheltered the white man, they would be arrested and if they turned him over as a prisoner he would certainly die. He had lost a lot of blood due to a bullet injury. He required immediate surgery. The man belonged to the enemy’s army and they were contemplating whether to save him.

Question. Why did Hana remember such men as General Takima?
Answer: Hana was looking at the recovering young soldier when she remembered General Takima whose triumphs on the battlefield were not worth remembering in comparison to the cruel treatment he gave to his wife. If a man like the General could be cruel to his wife, he would be very harsh to an escaped soldier like this American.

Question. How did Hana feel when she saw a messenger in official uniform?
Answer: Her hands went weak and she could not draw her breath. She thought the servants had already told the police about the young prisoner they were harboring. She ran to Sadao gasping and unable to utter a word. They were relieved to know that the messenger had come to deliver a message from the general.

Question. How did the American behave while departing?
Answer: The young man first tried to understand all the instructions given to him by Sadao and then dressed in the Japanese clothes Sadao had given him, he shook his hand warmly and left for the island from which he had to escape.

Question. How did Hana wash the wounded man?
Answer: First, Hana untied the knotted rugs that kept the young American covered. She dipped a small clean towel into the steaming hot water and washed his face. She continued washing him until the upper body was clean. She cleaned him but refrained from turning him over for fear of the wound.

Question. How did Hana help Sadao during the operation?
Answer: As the young American began to stir he had to be administed the anaesthetic. She took the bottle and some cotton in her hand. Sadao instructed her to saturate the cotton with anaesthetic and hold it near the man’s nostrils. She had to move it away a little when he breathed badly.

Question. How did Hana come into the life of Sadao?
Answer: Sadao had met Hana at his professor’s house in America. She had also gone there to study. He had liked her but they had both fallen in love with each other after making sure that they belonged to the same background and that they were ‘pure’ Japanese. Sadao married her with the approval of his father.

Question. What did the cook say about his master?
Answer: The cook said with some contempt that the young master was so proud of his skill to save lives that he saves any life even if it was an enemy in this case.

Question. Why was the general not in favor of Sadao’s arrest?
Answer: Sadao’s skill at operating on the prisoner with success, made the general believe only more firmly that he was indispensable to him. He did not want to have him arrested because Sadao was the only person who could save him if he had another of his attacks and required an operation.

Question. Did Dr. Sadao take Hana into confidence in the matter of the plan? Why or why not?
Answer: Dr Sadao did not tell Hana about the plan of the General to send his private assassins to kill the young prisoner and dispose off his body. He did this because he knew she was timid and would feel very frightened while the plan was being executed.

Question. How does the writer indicate that Dr. Sadao’s father was a very traditional and conventional man?
Answer: Even though Sadao’s father had sent his son to America at the age of twenty-two to learn all that could be learned in surgery and medicine, he loved the Japanese race, customs and manners. Sadao married Hana only after confirming that she was a Japanese, as his father would not have received her unless she had been pure in her race.

Question. How did they come to know him as an American?
Answer: They examined his battered cap closely and realized that he was a sailor from an American warship. The words ‘U.S Navy’ were written on the cap in almost faint lettering. They realized that he was an escaped prisoner of war.

Question. What did the gardener say about his master?
Answer: The gardener who had worked with flowers in Sadao’s house all his life, said that the old master’s son knew very well what he ought to do. He said that the master shouldn’t have saved the enemy but let him bleed when the young man was so near death.

Question. What measures did Sadao take for the safety of the American?
Answer: He gave the American a stout boat, put food, bottled water and two quilts in it. He returned to the prisoner’s room, checked his temperature, the condition of his wound, his heart and his pulse. He decided to even give him his flashlight after a bit of hesitation. He told him how to catch fish and then use the flashlight to signal to him if he needed food etc.

Question. What did Sadao’s old American professor of Anatomy tell him?
Answer: Sadao’s old American professor of Anatomy told his students that ignorance of the human body was the surgeon’s cardinal sin. He would impress upon them to have as complete knowledge of the body as if they had made it. To operate with anything less than that meant murder.

Question. Why was Dr. Sadao not sent abroad with the troops?
Answer: He was not sent abroad for two reasons. He had perfected a discovery which would render wounds entirely clean. Moreover, the General was in some sort of danger and might have needed an operation and Dr. Sadao was the most skilled doctor available.

Question. How did Yumi react when Hana asked her to obey the command of her master?
Answer: Yumi had refused to wash the white man saying that she had never done such a thing before and would not do it now especially for this man who was so dirty. But when Hana asked her to obey the master, there was a fierce look of resistance upon her face. She said she would have nothing to do with him and that it was not her business to clean him.

Question. What happened on the seventh day after Dr. Sadao had typed the letter?
Answer: Two things happened on the day the letter was typed. The cook, the gardener and Yumi had packed up their belongings and left together. Though the servants cried, Hana put up a brave front. The second thing that happened was the arrival of a messenger to tell Sadao that he had been called to the palace as the general was in pain again.

Question. Did the plan to kill the American succeed? Why or why not?
Answer: For three consecutive nights Sadao kept awake, feeling a little disturbed but all the three nights no assassins came and the young prisoner was still there. Later the General confessed to Sadao that he had forgotten his promise of having the prisoner killed because he was preoccupied with his own sufferings. The plan did not succeed.

Question. Hana told Yumi to wash the soldier. How did Yumi react? What did Hana do?
Answer: Hana told Yumi to fetch hot water. Yumi put down the wooden bucket, but refused to wash the dirty white man. Yumi said that she had never washed a white man and she would not wash a dirty one. Yumi added that she was a poor person and did not want to associate with the man. The fierce look of resistance upon Yumi’s dull face made Hana afraid. Under these circumstances, Hana had no option but to wash the white man herself.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question. Dr. Sadao’s character is an amalgamation of right and wrong. Discuss.
Answer: The Enemy’, by Pearl S. Buck portrays the character of an American trained Japanese surgeon, Dr. Sadao Hoki. Through his character, the author has shown a conflict of ethics between duty towards the country and compassion towards mankind.
Dr. Sadao, being a skilled surgeon saved the life of an escaped American prisoner of war who was wounded seriously and had been washed ashore. Torn between his duty and his integrity as a doctor, he chooses to save his life first and then hand him over to the police. His inner conflict and professional ethics makes him choose the first option. His servants too, desert him for fear of getting into trouble. He is fully aware of the fact that harbouring a prisoner of war would endanger his own life as well.
Dr. Sadao had been a victim of racial prejudice during his stay in America. He was wellknown for his skill as a surgeon, in his own country so much so, that he had not been sent with the troops during war. His character, as the story unfolds, depicts an amalgamation of right and wrong. He ignores the ‘wrong’ but assumes the role of a compassionate human being and takes the ‘right’ decision of saving the soldier’s life. All through his effort, he has the undaunted support of his wife Hana.
The General gave him assurance to get rid of the prisoner but forgot his promise. Eventually, Sadao helps him to escape. He goes to the extent of calling him ‘my friend’. He rose above narrow prejudices and political enmity, disregarded the lurking dangers and open defiance of his loyal servants to help the ‘enemy’ escape. He has transcended racial/ political hatred and had heard the voice of his conscience.

Question. Good human values are far above any other value system. How did Dr. Sadao succeed as a doctor as well as a patriot?
Answer: Fate put Sadao in a trying situation — to uphold his duty to his country or prove his professional loyalty. With his intelligence and dedication he managed to prove that he could uphold both. Dr Sadao had given a new lease of life to the American prisoner of war. He didn’t want to throw him into the jaws of death again. He asked the young soldier to take his private boat at night. He should row in the cover of darkness to a little deserted island nearby. The young American could live there until he saw a Korean fishing boat pass by. Food, bottled water and two quilts were put inside the boat. If the food ran out, he could signal two flashes.
He had apprised the General of his harbouring the enemy at his home. The General chose to overlook it. But we shouldn’t forget that Sadao was a doctor. And for a doctor saving a dying man is the foremost priority. It doesn’t matter if the dying man is an enemy.

Question. While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during war time, what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices?
Answer: ‘The Enemy’ by Pearl S. Buck raises a few important issues. Call of duty towards nation versus call of duty towards one’s profession, is the major issue in the story. Dr. Sadao rescued a wounded prisoner of war who was washed ashore. The prisoner, in a dying state, according to his call of duty, should have been handed over to the police yet his profession and his humanitarianism prevented him from doing so. He resolved to treat him first and then hand him over. However, the patient needed immediate surgery and despite all odds against him, Dr. Sadao went ahead and operated upon him, thus saving his life yet being a traitor to his own country.
His domestic servants deserted him out of fear but he rose above narrow prejudices to save the wounded American soldier. Not only that, he helped the soldier to escape to freedom after having nurtured him to good health. He proved, in the end, that emotions, prejudices and hatred are man-made but love, compassion for human beings was instinctive. One needs to do one’s duty towards fellow human beings before anything else.

Question. To choose between professional loyalty and patriotism was a dilemma for Dr. Sadao.
How did he succeed in betraying neither?
Answer: Fate put Sadao in a trying situation- to uphold his duty to his country or prove his professional loyalty. With his intelligence and dedication he managed to prove that he could upold both. Dr Sadao had given a new lease of life to the American prisoner of war. He didn’t want to throw him into the jaws of death again. He asked the young soldier to take his private boat at night. He should row in the cover of darkness to a little deserted island nearby. The young American could live there until he saw a Korean fishing boat pass by. Food, bottled water and two quilts were put inside the boat. Moreover if the food ran out, he could signal two flashes.
He had apprised the General of his harbouring the enemy at his home .The general chose to overlook it but we shouldn’t forget that Sadao was a doctor. And for a doctor saving a dying man is foremost priority. It doesn’t matter if the dying man is an enemy

Question. What did Dr. Sadao do to get rid of his enemy?
Answer: Sadao’s first reaction on seeing the young wounded prisoner of war was to search for the wound and pack it with sea moss. He then told Hana that the best thing that they could do was to put him back in the sea. But since he was wounded, Sadao felt they should not throw him back to the sea. He operated on the man successfully.
During his meeting with the General, Dr. Sadao told him about the prisoner of war. The General promised to send his private assassins to kill the man silently and would even remove the body. Sadao had left the outer partition of the white man’s room open. He waited for three nights and then Sadao grew restless.
He devised the plan of letting the man escape to the nearest uninhabited island. He first made sure that the young man, Tom, was completely healed. He offered to put his boat on the shore that night. It would have food and extra clothing in it. Tom might be able to row to the island not far from the coast. He could live there till he saw a Korean fishing boat pass by. The island was not fortified. He gave the man his flashlight. He helped the enemy escape from Japan and also got rid of him.