Introduction

Today, I will be exploring the global issue of how propaganda and

misinformation influence public beliefs and prevent societies from
recognizing the truth. This issue is highly significant today because both
historically and in modern contexts, societies can be misled by selective,
exaggerated, or manipulated information, and the consequences of
believing misinformation can be harmful or even deadly. To explore this
issue, I will analyze an extract from Act 1 of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of
the People, where Dr. Stockmann enters with a letter and announces what
he calls “a great discovery”. The specific lines I will focus on include
Stockmann’s repeated assertion that it is “a discovery of mine” and his
description of the Baths as the “main artery of the town’s life-blood.” I will
compare this with Umair Haque’s article, “COVID is America’s Hiroshima”,
which discusses how modern media and political communication use
emotionally charged and selective language to influence public
perception. Both texts reveal how the way information is presented can
manipulate public beliefs, sometimes to the detriment of society. My
thesis is that both texts demonstrate that the framing of information,
whether through language, tone, or authority, has a powerful effect on
shaping public perception, highlighting the ongoing impact of propaganda
and misinformation.

Analysis – Literary Text (Extract)

In the extract from An Enemy of the People, Dr. Stockmann enters the
scene waving a letter, immediately creating a sense of excitement and
anticipation. He announces “a great discovery” and repeatedly
emphasizes that it is “a discovery of mine,” which frames him as both the
authority and the hero who has uncovered a crucial truth. This use of
repetition and self-reference not only highlights Stockmann’s pride but
also demonstrates how language can be used to persuade and influence
the audience — in this case, the townspeople who are about to learn the
news. Additionally, Stockmann describes the Baths as the “main artery of
the town’s life-blood.” This metaphor gives a symbolic and almost sacred
quality to the Baths, portraying them as vital to the community. Ironically,
this dramatic imagery masks the dangerous truth that the Baths are
contaminated. Ibsen’s choice of metaphor and dramatic emphasis shows
how information, even when factual, can be framed in a way that either
exaggerates or obscures reality, influencing public perception before the
truth is fully understood.

Analysis – Literary Text (Whole Play)

When looking at the play as a whole, these opening lines foreshadow the
later conflict in which Stockmann becomes an “enemy of the people.”
Despite having evidence of contamination, the townspeople resist
accepting his findings because it threatens their economic interests and
social pride. The authorities manipulate the narrative to protect
themselves, portraying Stockmann as dangerous rather than
acknowledging the truth. This demonstrates a central theme of the play:
the battle between truth and public belief, and how those in positions of
power can use selective information and emotional framing to influence a
community. Ibsen highlights how public perception is shaped not only by
the facts themselves but also by the way information is presented and
interpreted, showing that propaganda is not always overt — it can be
subtle, persuasive, and reinforced by social dynamics.

Analysis – Non-Literary Text (Extract)

In Umair Haque’s article, a similar pattern emerges in a modern context.

He describes the U.S. government’s handling of COVID-19 and highlights
how political leaders and media narratives manipulated public perception.
Through the use of emotive and dramatic language, Haque frames the
pandemic as a man-made catastrophe comparable to Hiroshima, with
phrases like “exploding like a nuclear bomb” and references to “mass
death” to evoke shock and urgency. By emphasizing scale and using
historical analogies, Haque shows how language shapes the audience’s
understanding of events, similar to how Stockmann’s dramatic phrasing
frames the Baths as vital to the town. Both texts reveal that how
information is presented, not just the information itself, has a profound
impact on beliefs and decision-making, illustrating the power of framing in
shaping public opinion.
Analysis – Non-Literary Text (Whole Article)

Throughout the full article, Haque consistently highlights how selective

communication, exaggeration, and the emotional framing of facts can
influence public understanding of the pandemic. He critiques political
leaders for negligence and the media for sensationalizing certain
narratives, showing that misinformation can spread both intentionally and
through societal bias. Like the townspeople in Ibsen’s play, the public may
accept comforting or simplified narratives rather than engage with
complex truths, demonstrating a timeless pattern of human behavior.
Haque’s focus on statistics, historical analogies, and emotionally charged
language mirrors Stockmann’s use of metaphor and repetition, illustrating
that the mechanisms for shaping public beliefs remain remarkably similar
across time and medium.

Comparison

Both Ibsen and Haque demonstrate that public beliefs can be manipulated
through language, repetition, and selective framing of information. In the
play, Stockmann’s exaggerated phrasing and metaphors influence how
the town perceives both him and the Baths, while in the article, Haque
shows that modern media and political messaging can amplify or distort
facts to shape public understanding. A key similarity is the reliance on
authority: in the play, Stockmann’s role as a scientist lends credibility to
his statements, whereas in the article, political leaders and media outlets
hold authority that guides public perception. A difference lies in the
immediacy of consequences: in Ibsen, the impact is social and economic,
while in Haque’s context, misinformation leads to preventable deaths on a
massive scale. Despite this, both texts reveal the enduring vulnerability of
societies to persuasive and emotionally framed narratives.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both An Enemy of the People and Umair Haque’s article

illustrate the profound influence of propaganda and misinformation on
public beliefs. Through Stockmann’s repeated phrases and dramatic
metaphors, Ibsen demonstrates how language can shape perception and
foreshadow societal resistance to truth. Haque’s use of emotive language,
historical analogy, and critique of political messaging shows the same
effect in contemporary society, where misinformation can have life-or-
death consequences. Together, the texts reveal that the presentation of
information is as important as its factual content and that societies must
critically evaluate both to recognize the truth and avoid the dangers of
manipulated beliefs.

Q1. Why did you choose this global issue?

I chose it because misinformation is shaping many societies today. Seeing

how it appears in both a 19th-century play and modern journalism shows
how universal the issue is.

Q2. Why did you choose this extract?

Because these lines are the first moment where language starts to shape
how the town will interpret the truth. It is the beginning of the propaganda
battle in the play.

Q3. How does the metaphor “life-blood” develop the global issue?

It shows how symbolic language can make something appear essential

and perfect, even when it hides real danger. It demonstrates how
language can mislead.

Q4. Are Stockmann’s words misinformation?

Not exactly — but his exaggerated framing shows how even truthful
discoveries can be packaged in dramatic ways that influence public belief.

Q5. What is one key difference between the article and the play?
The play shows misinformation spreading gradually through community
pressure, while the article focuses on large-scale media manipulation. But
both show the same mechanism.

⭐ 5 Discussion Questions + Fully Expanded 5-Minute Answers

Q1. Why did you choose this global issue?

I chose this global issue because misinformation and propaganda affect

almost every part of society today, from public health to politics to social
media. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, we saw how false
information spread very quickly, sometimes faster than the truth. But
what really made me choose this issue is that when I studied An Enemy of
the People, I realized that the exact same patterns were happening in the
19th century. People rejected scientific evidence, they relied on emotional
arguments, and authorities twisted facts for their own benefit. When I
then read Umair Haque’s article, it felt like history repeating itself on a
much larger scale. So the global issue became interesting to me because
it shows that even as societies advance technologically, the human mind
still falls for the same techniques of persuasion and manipulation. It also
felt personally important, because as students, we constantly receive
information from so many sources, and learning how to recognize biased
or manipulated narratives is crucial for forming our own beliefs.

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Q2. Why did you choose this specific extract?

I selected this extract because it marks the exact moment where the
conflict between truth and public belief begins. Stockmann enters with
this excitement and pride about his “great discovery,” and the way he
frames the Baths using exaggerated and symbolic language sets the tone
for everything that follows. This is the moment where language starts
shaping the audience’s expectations — both the characters in the play
and us as readers. The extract shows that even before anyone responds to
Stockmann, he is already influencing how the news will be interpreted
through repetition, metaphors, and emotional emphasis. Since my global
issue focuses on how information is framed, this scene is ideal because
the framing starts right here. It also creates dramatic irony: the audience
knows his discovery will threaten the town’s reputation, but the characters
don't yet realize how the language he uses will become part of a larger
conflict about truth. So choosing this extract allows me to show how the
global issue is built from the very beginning of the play.

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Q3. How does the metaphor “the main artery of the town’s life-blood” help
develop the global issue?

This metaphor is extremely powerful because it does more than describe

the Baths — it elevates them to something almost sacred. By calling the
Baths the “main artery,” Stockmann suggests that the town cannot
survive without them, comparing them to a human body that depends on
blood flow. This symbolic language emotionally manipulates the audience
by making the Baths seem essential, healthy, and life-giving. Later, when
Stockmann reveals that the Baths are actually contaminated, this earlier
metaphor becomes important because it shows how deeply people’s
minds have been shaped by positive, idealized language. Even though the
truth is dangerous and scientifically proven, the townspeople resist
believing it because the earlier framing made the Baths feel too important
to question. This reflects the global issue because it shows how
persuasive language influences what a society wants to believe, even
when facts contradict their beliefs. The metaphor demonstrates that
misinformation does not always start with lies — sometimes it begins with
emotional exaggerations that make people attached to an idea.

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Q4. Would you consider Stockmann’s language to be misinformation? Why

or why not?
I would say it’s not misinformation in the sense of being deliberately false,
but it still demonstrates how information can be shaped in a persuasive or
dramatic way that affects public interpretation. Stockmann’s discovery
itself is scientifically accurate, but the way he presents it — with
emotional excitement, repetition, and heroic framing — influences how
others will perceive both the Baths and his role as the doctor who
uncovered the truth. His exaggerated metaphors and emphasis on being
the sole discoverer already create a narrative that makes him look like a
savior, even before the conflict begins. This is an important distinction:
misinformation isn't only about lying. It can also be about framing facts in
ways that guide people toward certain emotional reactions. This nuance
connects strongly to the article by Umair Haque, because he argues that
leaders during COVID did something similar — they sometimes used
emotional, nationalistic, or overly simplified narratives that influenced
public beliefs, even when the facts were technically mentioned
somewhere. So Stockmann’s language helps me show that framing is part
of the global issue, not just accuracy.

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Q5. What is one key difference between the article and the play in how
misinformation spreads?

One important difference is the scale and speed of how misinformation

spreads. In the play, the spread of false or misleading information
happens gradually, through conversations, town meetings, and personal
relationships. It’s a small community, so the conflict develops slowly as
people start choosing between truth and convenience. The mechanisms of
persuasion are more personal — the mayor gives speeches, newspapers
influence public perception, and individual biases play a large role. In
contrast, Umair Haque’s article shows a modern society where
misinformation spreads almost instantly through mass media, political
messaging, and digital platforms. The influence is national rather than
local, and the consequences are far more severe, affecting millions of
people during a global pandemic. Another difference is that in Ibsen’s
play, misinformation is used mainly to protect economic interests, while in
the article, misinformation is framed as a result of political negligence and
a failure of leadership. However, despite these differences, both texts
reveal a shared pattern: people often believe what is easiest, most
comforting, or most beneficial to those in power. This connects them back
to the same global issue.