Compare the presentation of the psychological effects of war on the individual in 'Regeneration' and 'Journey's End'.

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Amy Best

English Literature - Comparative Coursework

Compare the presentation of the psychological effects of war on the individual in 'Regeneration' and 'Journey's End'.

Journey's End by R.C. Sherriff, and Pat Barker's Regeneration show many interpretations of the psychological effects of war on the individual. The different genres of literature, the time the texts were written and the diverse styles created by each writer together provide a contrast, helping to show many different presentations of the effects of the First World War. Barker includes the disturbing nightmares that soldiers often had, recounting the horror of death so common in the war and shows how soldiers could even become psychosomatic, becoming paralysed through mental illness. She concentrates on Rivers' attempts to help soldiers psychologically, and through this shows many different characters, both real and imagined, suffering and coping with their own individual psychological effects of war. Sherriff portrays the alcoholism that effected many soldiers involved in the war, and the ways in which men 'coped' psychologically, focusing on trivial things to escape the reality of death. I will study the ways in which the two writers present these effects and how their styles and intentions differ or show similarities.

Throughout Journey's End, Sherriff shows the different methods used by the soldiers in war to cope with the horror, and the effect these atrocities had on different characters within the play. One 'coping method' mentioned by Sherriff is a chart made by the character Trotter, who crosses off circles to "make the time pass by". This reference shows the absence of the concept of time in the war, and the desperation of the soldiers for the fighting to end. Sherriff uses the aspect of food throughout the play, again through the character Trotter to create bathos, light-hearted relief against the true reality of death. Trotter's constant desire for food, "what a lovely smell of bacon!" and the humour created by this, "war's bad enough with pepper - but war without pepper it's- it's bloody awful" provides a contrast in the play, as it gives the audience a sense of normality, and shows a common way in which soldiers often escaped the horrors of the war.

Other ways in which the soldiers protected themselves psychologically that are presented in the play include trivial games such as earwig races, "if you want to get the best pace out of an earwig, dip it in whisky- makes 'em go like hell!" and through such references Sherriff shows that many men did cope psychologically, through such activities. These 'child-like' games are a suggestion made by Sherriff that many soldiers experienced a loss of youth or often reverted back to their childhood as a result of the war. This concept is seen in 'Regeneration' where Barker shows Burns, whose level of physical effects, 'his collar bones and ribs were clearly visible beneath the yellowish skin' and psychological problems, 'from every nightmare he awoke vomiting' provide a realistic and horrifying look into the way in which war and death affected young soldiers. Later in the novel, Burns invites Rivers to his home and 'looked like a child trying to remember what it was that grown-ups said to newly arrived guests.' Barker shows through this character how young men could often remain innocent and naive through the atrocities of war. However, she also discusses how Burns has been aged by war and in effect lost his youth, pressurised to mature quickly through becoming a captain at the age of 21. Looking back he questions his authority and involvement in the war, ' My God, did we really order men to attack against that?' and Barker shows how his psychological fear and worry while in command escalated, leading to his 'imminent breakdown'. She shows that the war often lead to a loss of normality in many soldier's lives, as Rivers suggests towards the end of the novel that Burns 'had missed his chance of being ordinary' as a consequence of the effects he experienced during the war.
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A clear contrast seen in the two texts is the degree of realism through the language used and the way in which the characters view and describe the war. 'Journey's End' shows characters attempting to think positively about the war, often using romantic imagery to escape from the true reality of the horrors involved, in an attempt to cope with the psychological scarring likely to occur through their experiences. Stanhope and Osbourne discuss the 'sunrise', and the positive language used 'gorgeous', 'splendid' provide a much more pleasant but, I would suggest, unrealistic view of war and the battles ...

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***** 5 stars. This is an outstanding essay. Beautifully written, well structured with topic sentences at the beginning of each paragraph. Shows knowledge and understanding of main themes of both texts. Excellent use of quotations throughout - maybe more language analysis is needed on quotes included but overall a thoughtful focused and insightful essay.