Compare and Contrast the ways in which Sherriff and Whelan present Stanhopes and Tom Hackfords attitudes to and perception of the war.
Compare and Contrast the ways in which Sherriff and Whelan present Stanhope’s and Tom Hackford’s attitudes to, and perception of, the war. To what extent would you agree that the characterization of Stanhope’s attitudes and perception are more credible than those of Tom Hackford? Both R.C Sherriff and Peter Whelan in `Journey’s End` and `The Accrington Pals` use the characters Stanhope and Hackford to present the way war is perceived on stage through the perceptions of other characters and of stage through the perception of the audience. Stanhope and Hackford are also used to affect the way the audience perceives the Great War. The main themes that are presented in both plays through Stanhope and Hackford concern the devaluation of the lives of the soldiers serving in the frontline. Whelan and Sherriff use Stanhope and Hackford to present anti-heroism. Stanhope’s character is more credible than Hackford’s. This is because Stanhope’s character is far more authentic than Hackford’s. Hackford is a naïve young man who believes that The Great War is beneficial for the needs of society to become more cooperative although Hackford is unaware of the cost the Great War will bring; the death of many. On the other hand Stanhope is an officer who is renowned for his experience on the frontline. Stanhope knows of the costs this war brings to the other soldiers around him
In Ishmael Beahs life story, A Long Way Gone, he writes about the events leading up to and becoming a boy soldier.
A Long Way Gone: Becoming a Boy Soldier In Ishmael Beah’s life story, A Long Way Gone, he writes about the events leading up to and becoming a boy soldier. He writes of his innocence and fear as a child, and how his separation from his family and his search for safety are the reasons he is captured and recruited by the army. Once he joins the army he is brainwashed into wanting vengeance on the rebels, and he becomes a killing machine. The events in Ishmael’s life during the war made him destined to become a boy soldier At the beginning of the story Ishmael is an innocent child who only wants to rap. Before the rebels attack his hometown he leaves to Mattru Jong with his brother Junior and his friends. They have been practicing the dances to songs and memorizing the lyrics to perform at a talent show. “I loved the dance, and particularly enjoyed learning the lyrics, because they were poetic and it improved my vocabulary.”(6) He shows his innocence and ignorance of the war when he plays a trick on his brother and friends when he takes their clothes from them, “At one river that had a bridge across it, we heard a passenger vehicle in the distance and decided to get out of the water and see if we could catch a free ride. I got out before Junior and Talloi, and ran across the bridge with their clothes. They thought they could catch up with me before the vehicle reached
Explore Sherriffs presentation of class in Journeys End and compare this with Barkers treatment of it in Regeneration.
Explore Sherriff’s presentation of class in Journey’s End and compare this with Barker’s treatment of it in Regeneration. In 1914 class distinctions were only too apparent within the British military, its structure mirroring the British class system – only the war’s vast death toll required class boundaries to mix as the need for more officers arose; temporary commissioning bestowed the title ‘temporary gentlemen’. The devices Sherriff and Barker use to present class are numerous, their respective genres creating some discrepancy. Journey’s End is set solely in an officers’ dug-out where somewhat caricatured characterisation depicts clear division between classes; more fascinating is his depiction of division within the officer ranks which may reflect Sherriff’s experience as a serving officer. Barker, too, encourages reflection on ‘temporary gentlemen’ which makes us suspect the true focus of both works is that class is a negative and superficial construct – it does not prevent death. However, Barker’s sub-textual perspective, based on eighty years of hindsight, merges real and fictional characters to give us only a glimpse of class; her focus appears more on the psychological aftermath of those who have survived. Journey's End is set in the officers’ dug-out, an indication of division which the opening conversation of talk of ‘fellows’