In what ways does R.C.Sherriff re-create for his audience the tremendous stress and fear suffered by men at the front line

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In what ways does R.C.Sherriff re-create for his audience the tremendous stress and fear suffered by men at the front line in World War I?

World war I broke out in 1914 and lasted until 1918 when the armistice was signed. Throughout this period great destruction was suffered across the world and in particular in 1918 when the German army was preparing a massive attack against the allies.

'Journey's End' was written by R.C.Sherriff in 1928. It is set in the British trenches a few days before the expected attack and Sherriff re-creates the moments leading up to it. This drama is based upon Sherriff's real-life experiences as he himself was a captain of the East-Surrey regiment and played a part in the First World War. Sherriff's understanding of the relationships between men and the morale of soldiers living in the confines of the trenches are portrayed through the characters features in the play.

Sherriff's purpose when writing the play may have been to celebrate the ten year anniversary as there were floods of memoirs, poems and reminiscences coming out around this time, however he may have more importantly wanted to ensure that war doesn't break out again by illustrating the pain and hopelessness he endured at was to convince his audience.

'Journey's End' gives the reader/audience a clear insight into the reality of life at war and explores the harsh conditions experienced by the men/officers at the front line.

Despite Sherriff's ability to re-create the soldiers lives, staging the play is a main difficulty in which many things would need to be considered before-hand such as the audience he is targeting, sound, lighting and props. It is vital that what happens on stage is realistic to the audience so that their interpretations of trench conditions is genuine. He would also need to make things realistic as he may well find that ex soldiers are watching the production and know what it was like to live in the murky midst of the dug outs. Although there are obstacles there are also many things that can be done to achieve the treacherous effect of the trenches-the atmosphere being one of these. We would expect it to be intensely dark, cramped and intimidating so a confined area, candles and faint lighting would be used. In real-life this would also give the soldiers a confused sense of time as the trench would be continually dim but in the audience itself a feeling of isolation would be created thus involving them on a higher level. The audience would also need to be convinced that a battle is in progress so occasional loud bangs to represent gun shots and grenades, plus the lingering odour of smoke to add to the effect would be essential.

The play begins on a dreary march evening in which the first character seen, Hardy -an officer of another regiment-is shown intently drying a moist sock over a yellow candle flame. This futile image highlights the day to day drudgery of warfare in which soldiers appear to have a limited amount of clothing and a frustrating solitary existence. Not only does this striking image convey the deprivation of war but it clearly shows the boredom endured by the soldiers. This extremely powerful opening sets the mood for the rest of the play.

We then acquaint ourselves with an officer of the company known to us as Osborne and to the men as "Uncle". He has arrived to relieve Hardy of his role. They become involved in a conversation about the duration of their stay at the front line and the circumstances they're expected to adapt to e.g. state of trenches.

"Mustn't hang your legs too low, or the

rats gnaw your boots"

From their discussion we interpret many differences between the two contrasting individuals and the opposed ways they take to deal with the bitter reality of war.

Firstly we perceive hardy as an amusing character, this is shown by the apology to Osborne for drying his sock and the remarks made about it

"…guaranteed to keep the feet dry.

Trouble is it gets so wet doing it."

This humour may be light relief to him but apologising for a sock and mindless talk about it seems insignificant if the situation they are in is considered.

Hardy's comical side also appears to be a care-less feature to his character. Sherriff emphasises this when hardy mimics the noise that the rifle grenades and minnies make.

"Swish-swish-swish-swish-BANG!"

From Osborne's hurried response,

"All right-all right-I know"

we can presume that he doesn't want to be reminded about the terrors of war although his character can accept the harsh actuality of it. This is a distinct comparison of the two differentiating personalities as Hardy is eager to leave and hand over command as rapidly as possible,

"I really am glad you've come. I'm not

simply being polite."

it becomes clear to the audience at this point that Osborne is dedicated to his career as an officer and is willing to fight to the best of his ability for his country, whereas Hardy is merely complacent with abandoning his duty at the front line and taking a back seat position to his fellow officers. Sherriff includes this negative attitude of hardy to portray to the audience that morale of soldiers was low and many off them wished they weren't at war. Although we may feel compassion towards Hardy, the audience is more likely to be shocked by his manner as we wouldn't normally expect a pessimistic attitude from an officer as he is in command and should be committed.

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Within the conversation between the two men it becomes strikingly obvious that talk of casualties is non-existent. When the previous unexpected attack had taken place the mention of injuries was not brought up but "dirt in the men's tea" was a focal point. We can gather that deaths would only dampen the morale of soldiers so meaningless pieces of information are elaborated on.

"Do much damage?"

"A dug-out got blown up and came down

in the men's tea"

The main comparison between Hardy and Osborne is their attitude to their lifestyle within the bleak, somber and deprived dug-out. Osborne is ...

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