Values and Technology in Ibsen's An Enemy of the People and Beckett's Waiting for Godot
Literature has been an outlet for authors to express the importance of human values to the literate public. However, even before a good majority of the general public was literate, there were people who learned various stories either from the bible, historical stories, etc. This gave the public a chance to see a story and take the different lessons out of the play. The public could decide whether or not to utilize the lessons in their daily lives. In two different plays ("An Enemy of the People" and "Waiting for Godot"), both authors develop very different societies that display different human values, different situations that one could face in his or her own life, and how technology has helped or hindered the new developing society of today.
In Arthur Miller's adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's play "An Enemy of the People," the Stockman Family is faced with many different difficult decisions to make. Dr. Stockman tests the water at a local therapeutic spa; however, when he gets the results back, no one cares to hear the truth. Dr. Stockman represents the importance of honesty in a job. Dr. Stockman has a wealth of knowledge about the chemistry and the bacteria that is causing illness to all of the people that visit this healing place. In contrast to Dr. Stockman, Peter Stockman, his brother, shows the possible corruption that can occur in positions of power. Peter Stockman ultimately shows disloyalty to his brother and is responsible for Dr. Stockman and his family's outcast and downfall. Peter Stockman is obsessed with how he is viewed in the townspeople's eyes, his re-election. This decision to betray his brother led to his nephews fighting at school, rocks being thrown into his family member's home, and possibly the death, even though it is not specifically stated in the play, of his own family members. Where is the line drawn for personal gain and happiness when it interferes with other people happiness and well being? Ibsen shows what can happen to someone (Dr. Stockman) if he is not aware of the opposing forces that are out in the world in many different forms (Peter Stockman). Ibsen shows the importance of compromise, honesty, teamwork, knowledge, and intelligence.
This whole play by Arthur Miller shows how our community will turn on each other to save ourselves no matter if it’s right or wrong and it’s true in our society today. It also shows how a good man regained his happiness and holiness by standing up for what’s right against the lies and sacrificed himself for the truth.
Exploring connections between texts is to heighten understanding of humanity’s progressive values and the underlying relevant themes that continue to engage societies regardless of context. William Shakespeare’s King Richard III (1592) (RIII) and Al Pacino’s docudrama Looking for Richard (1996) (LFR) demonstrate how opinion is created through comparative study, both exploring the struggle for power within differing contexts to determine the duplicity of humanity. Ultimately, despite the divergent eras of composition and textual form, these connections expose the relevant social commentaries of their composers, highlighting innately human values, which remain constant.
One of the key factors that all living organisms share is the ability to adapt and respond to their environment. Of course, humans are no exception to this. People are easily influenced by the things surrounding them. Think of a child raised in a harsh area compared to one raised in a wealthy household- their lifestyles are likely to be different. This rule can be applied to literature, too. In Passing, Romeo and Juliet, and The Book Thief, the characters discussed are shaped by their social environments.
Literature; it has compelled us, entertained us, educated us, and drove us to madness. It has served as life instruction, by using the characters as the lesson plan. It is sometimes blunt, sometimes ugly, and in Truman Capote’s case, is so gruesome that we do not dare forget it.
To conclude, reading the plays of Shakespeare is not only about an entertainment, there is more about learning manhood and the importance of the role that morality plays in everyday life. That is the reason of Shakespeare’s plays are so popular because through his work, he illustrates that: life is a play, which is performed on the earth stage, and his world stage will continue influences the past, modern and further.
Through the reading of background historical information and the novel of the same time period, one can see that literature is the reflection of the time period about which it was written. Historical data and fictitious characters are woven together to produce a realistic result.
4. Meyer, Michael. Ibsen's on file. London and New York : Methuen London Ltd., 1985.
Durbach, Errol. A. A Doll's House: Ibsen's Myth of Transformation. Boston: Twayne, 1991.
The play An Enemy of the People focuses on the truth and how different characters reveal their feelings about it. Each character is motivated by different things so act in a certain way. Therefore they end up in conflicts due to their opposing views about the truth of the Baths. For example, the Mayor acts the way he does because he’s motivated by money. Doctor Stockmann tries to expose the truth because of his concern of the public’s health and because he believes he’s doing the right thing. Katherine supports Doctor Stockmann because she’s motivated by family and loyalty towards her husband. As you can see, everyone’s motivated by different things that are important to them.
Literature is an outlet for imagination without restrictions, a platform for expression, and a form of art that outlives its author. Most importantly, it can be a way to help one truly discover themselves. As audiences are exposed to more literature throughout their lives, they not only learn about their true potential, but are also made aware of their flaws and faults in character. Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird and Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton are both remarkable characters, but from various events that reveal their shortcomings, the audience receives the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.
Henrik Ibsen's works Dollhouse and An Enemy of the People can be shown to have both been written by Ibsen not only through characteristic technique such as blocking and character exposition, but also the similarity in the decay of the social persona of characters from the norm and the main character's heightening stalwart. The later of that statement proves the works to be Ibsen's writing more effectively because such a commonality is a more direct link between works than such subtlies as character exposition.
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen is a realistic drama that explores how the imbalanced treatment of women can dictate who they become. Nora Helmer embodies the need for evolution in regards to women and their roles within the family. The importance of this play, which was written in 1879, is still relevant in the modern world. This play helps to bring attention to the characters people play as a result of their circumstances.
It is common in today's media-driven society to reach into the past for inspiration and ideas. A trend has developed where original works are transformed into other mediums. For example: books are turned into movies and/or plays, movies are turned into weekly sitcoms, and cartoons will spawn empires (Disney). These things happen so often that an audience rarely stops to question the level of authenticity that remains after these conversions. Perhaps it is only when a project is not well received that people begin to think of the difficulties involved with changing a work's genre. Using Gulliver's Travels as an example, discrepancies and additions in the movie can be contrasted with Jonathan Swift's original text.
Literature is an essential part of society in the present day and enables the communication between multiple parties in a written form. Texts can provide a vast knowledge on subjects dependent on content whereas novels are often seen as being purely for leisure and enjoyment. However it can often be seen that prose
Literature has had a major impact on society, and, also our history. Literature has reformed and shaped civilizations, changed political systems, and has exposed injustices (3). Our literature has changed and developed as we have, keeping up with our society. “...literature is crucial for the advancement of society (3).” With literary works, we can convince others to view things a certain way, share our opinions, and more. Literature is greatly intertwined with our society and everyday lives, and they would not be the same without it. Literature plays an irreplaceable role in our