Journeys End

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Explore the ways in which Sherriff makes the ending of Journeys End dramatic and moving

Journeys End is a naturalistic play written by R.C Sherriff which portrays a realistic picture of life in the trenches during the First World War. The play is set in the trenches of Saint Quentin in France, 1918 towards the end of the war. Sherriff was once himself an officer during the war and some of the events within the play are subsequently based on his real life experiences. As he has endured living within the trenches, his re-enactment of the tremendous stress and fear of war can be seen as authentic. He wrote this play to illustrate the reality of war and its devastating effect on the people involved. Although he did not intend it to be an anti war play, but with its dramatic and poignant ending people perceived it as one. As a result of the play the audience would begin to realise the brutality and suffering that men go through during war as it’s all just a waiting game, showing the injustice of men being killed.

Sherriff's uses of characterisation within the play helps the audience to identify more closely with them. Raleigh is a young and keen new comer; his thoughts are of the glory of war and going away to fight for his country, he is naïve and starry eyed. Sherriff uses his character to show the audience how young men were tricked into joining the war by propaganda. They were unaware of the conditions and loss of human life.  His characterisation of Raleigh makes his death at the end of the play create pathos and tragedy for the audience as his innocence and youth is accentuated and the audience soon realise the futility of war. Sherriff foregrounds Raleigh's youth and innocence as he states that he got ‘kicked in the same place at rugger’ emphasising his youth and characterising his innocence as rugger is the only thing he can talk about, reflecting his limited life experience. The gentility of Raleigh's spirit is pronounced when he tries to get up, suggesting to Stanhope that ‘I’ll be better if I get up and walk about’ revealing that even when he’s nearly dying he still wants to carry on and help other people. Sherriff uses this to show the audience the effects of propaganda as Raleigh wants to be known as a hero, but he’s killing himself by doing so. This makes the ending of the play more moving as the audience feel moved by his determination.

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Stanhope is the company leader whose three years at the front line have turned him into a hard, cynical man who drinks heavily. His drinking has left him nervous and exhausted, dramatising the stresses of war. Sherriff focuses on Stanhope's character to show the effect war has on people and how it can change them. At the end of the play Stanhope's character is seen as completely defeated as ‘the solitary candle flame throws up the lines on his pale face...as he stares listlessly at Raleigh's body’ such an image the effects war has as it has completely defeated ...

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