Explain the following statements with reference to the context. (a) And then, once the ring is broken, we’ll get
Explain the following statements with reference to the context.
(a) And then, once the ring is broken, we’ll get to work and show the public every day just how incompetent the Mayor is!
(b) From now on The Herald shall be my artillery.
(c) You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
(d) Because your father can’t do without my help.
(e) And it’s by no means the small sacrifice the town will have to make.
1 Answers
(a) When both Hovstad and Billing read Dr. Stockmann’s article, they were shocked to know that the article would bring a revolution in the city. Hovstad was ready to publish that article the next day in ‘People’s Messenger’. Billing thought that if the Mayor didn’t like it then it would be a great trouble for them. But Hovstad was ready to take the risk as the problem was acute.
The Mayor would be in trouble from either by the small tradesmen and the householders’ association or by the shareholders in the bath. Anyhow the ring would be a broken and they would get a chance everyday to expose the Mayor through the newspaper and the entire government would go in the hands of the liberals.
(b) Billing, Aslaksen, Hovstad and Dr. Stockmann were discussing about the article. Hovstad was ready to publish the article in the ‘People’s Messenger’ on the next day only. Seeing this Aslaksen agreed with Hovstad to print whatever he wished to print. Dr. Stockmann was of the opinion that it would disrupt on the entire system.
Dr. Stockmann told them that the Mayor and his cronies tried to persuade him by all means but he was determined to publish the article at any cost. Now, Dr. Stockmann considered ‘People’s Messenger’ as his sheet-anchor (additional support)to use it as an artillery to attack on the Mayor with one article after another.
(c) Petra visited Hovstad and she told him that she could not translate the novel he had given her. Hovstad asked the reason why she could not translate that book. She answered that the book was unrealistic and she didn’t find it to be read by the common men. At that time, Petra came to know Hovstad’s original intention not printing her father’s article revealing the truth. She thought him as a loyal person but he turned a traitor. So she said that he ought to be ashamed of himself.
(d) Petra did not wish to translate the book as it was unrealistic. When she asked Hovstad about her father’s article, Hovstad told her that he was not going to print the article. She sensed the intention of Hovstad and his behaviour. She did not like his way of looking at the truth. She got upset when Hovstad told her that she was fighting against it as it was only a matter of her father. She became furious as she heard his remarks that her father couldn’t do anything without his help. She got to know the attitude of Hovstad to support the Mayor in the issue.
(e) The Mayor tried hard to persuade Aslaksen and Hovstad that they should not support Dr. Stockmann in his attempts to publish the article as it was not in favour of the small tradesmen and the householders. If the Mayor would go for the extensive alteration of the baths, the town would have to sacrifice. It would incur great expenditure on the municipal.
As a result, they would have to put extra burden of taxes over the tradesmen and commoners. In addition, the baths would be shut down for two years. In such condition, the householders would have to suffer a lot. Eventually, the city would have to be ready to make the sacrifice but Aslaksen was in no mood to put the additional burden over the tradesmen and householders.