How does 'Regeneration' and 'Journey's End' explore the horrors of war?

One horror men are faced with which is mostly apparent in R but also

in Journey's End: how men fear their masculinity being challenged or even being

emasculated. For example in R it's the 'shame' of being sent to Craiglockhart:

" Prior had said he wanted nothing more than to get back to France as soon

as possible to get away from what he called the shame"

Prior is feeling 'shame' because of the ideologies the social matrix has

Indoctrinated him with (into thinking to be a real man you have to stay at war until you have been sent home due to physical wounds or were killed in battle.) In Journey's End Hibbert is scared of going up and in Stanhope's eyes this is cowardice:

" Better [to] die of pain than be shot for deserting

A way Barker makes Regeneration more realistic (for example opening the novel with Sassoon's declaration) it makes the horror seem more realistic by using sensory description because straight away the reader realises they are

reading a novel that is about real people who really experienced the horrors: for example: Prior:

"Like somebody selecting a particularly choice morsel from a plate...His fingers touched the smooth surface and slid before they managed to get hold"

Barker uses a sensory description to convey to the audience how horrific Prior's experience was because the reader will be able to relate easily to sensory description.

Sheriff makes horror horrific by lulling his audience into a false sense of security and by feeding the audience with images of home so we think of the soldiers as brothers, fathers and sons rather then a military figure:

"Quote about Trotters garden."

Then Sheriff strikes the audience down by bringing them back to a harsh reality with Osbourne's death, but Stanhope is forced to repress his emotions about Osbourne's death:

" And yet you can sit there and drink champagne and smoke cigars"

"...To forget, you little fool-to forget."

The drinking and smoking of cigars suggests celebration and this is how Stanhope is repressed by being forced to celebrate and not to dwell on his emotions.

This is a contrast to Regeneration where they are encouraged to therapeutic conversation a method River's believes aids the healing process. A prime example of this is River's and Prior's tension during their sessions. Journey's End doesn't describe the soldier's feelings about the war whereas in Regeneration it's the main topic of discussion. In Journey's End the soldiers find other topics to discuss for example:

"'Olly 'ock it was at least 5ft tall...I have a picture would you like to see it?"

Regeneration presents the horror whereas Journey's End explains to the modern reader how death was the horror in their war:

" A hand grenade- while he was waiting for Raleigh"

The horror here (from Journey's End) is in the death of a friend whereas Regeneration celebrates life and tries to regenerate the soldiers back to a normal sense of being. The horror is explored through the soldier's memories.

Death is used to create horror throughout the play Journey's End an example of this is the way in which Sheriff portrays with the use of implicit devices. One example of this is Trotter's chart of circles; it's used to count down the hours until they can go back to a support trench. In order to make time go faster Trotter draws up this chart however in reality it becomes a count down to the attack and consequently death.

Barker uses Burns as her implicit device:

"Quote about burns vomiting in the canteen"

Burns is a non-fictional character who Barker uses to embodies the horrors of war via his lack of consumption:

"Quote about him slowly dying"

Whereas in Journey's Ed there's Stanhope's excessive consumption on alcohol and cigarettes:

" Earwig in whiskey quote"

This is a metaphor for Stanhope and how when he is under the influence of alcohol he is able to function as an Officer but not as a human being.

Relationships also play a part in R and JE. In JE Osborne and Stanhope have a paternal type of relationship and this could be seen to be parallel in R by Sassoon and River's:

"Quote about O and S"

"Quote about R and S"

Many parallels can be drawn from both relationships. Both Sassoon and Osborne have a 'flawed hero' aspect to them.

An example of Osborne acting as a parental figure to Stanhope:

"Kiss me Uncle!

"Kiss you be blowed, you go to sleep."

This quotation uses a humorous tone to show the parental role that Osborne plays to Stanhope.