How do RC Sherriff and Susan Hill explore the loss of youthfulness and innocence during war in Journeys End and Strange Meeting?

Lindsey Sherar How do RC Sherriff and Susan Hill explore the loss of youthfulness and innocence during war in Journey's End and Strange Meeting? The frontline battlefront and home line homefront of war held opposing attitudes especially regarding the effect on the soldiers' emotions. With propaganda and patriotism encouraging so many men to enlist, they entered the trench life naïve and unprepared for how war was going to change their lives. The families who were lucky enough to have their loved ones return home, had to welcome changed men. They left their homes as young boys proud to serve their country but returned with the emotional turmoil of dealing with the consequences of their experiences. RC Sherriff and Susan Hill both use specific treatments in their development of their central characters to build upon the theme of loss of youthfulness and innocence. In Journey's End, Stanhope is evidence of the transformation that men went through whilst at war. A once spirited and eager young man, he now cannot serve without being intoxicated with alcohol. Loss of youth is truly evident in this character. He will continue to battle with the addiction of drink, in order to cope with the horrific sights suffered, whilst serving. Although Journey's End is only based over four days, 18 March 1918 to 21 March 1918, in the trenches, Stanhope fluctuates between his unstable and

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Published in 1792, twenty-one years before Pride and Prejudice, Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Women is a radical argument for women's equality.

Roma Gandhi AP Literature and Composition Period 2 October 17, 2011 Class and Status of Women Central to any study of 18th century society is social class. At the top were the independently rich, next came the professionals, then the working class. At the bottom of the heap was and "underclass". It is commonly believed that all the wives were kept by husbands until the mid-20th century. It is true that women married to wealthy or professional men were usually supported by him, a symbol of status to which the 'upper' working class also aspired. Both Jane Austen and Mary Wollstonecraft have resembling thoughts in the status of women in the eighteenth century. Both authors believed women were not equal to men and believed education is an important factor in that. One of the central themes in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is the role of class in early nineteenth-century England. Austen is interested in how social class shapes individual experience as well as the interactions among people of different classes. To Jane Austen it is important to satirically acknowledge the social status of women so the gender differences are clear. While some feminist scholars openly blame society for women keeping quiet when men speak, Austen never challenges patriarchy for rendering women silent. However, from her novels we can infer that she lived in a society which rendered women

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Explore how Journeys End uses the character of Stanhope to show the hardship of the First World War

Explore how Journeys End uses the character of Stanhope to show the hardship of the First World War. Journeys end is about Stanhope and his friends fighting together after three years of fighting on the front line, Stanhope is nervous and exhausted. As all the soldiers wait for the great attack, the full horror and futility of trench warfare in the First World War unfolds. Journeys end is set in a dug out, in the front line of British trenches before St. Quentin. The date is the 18th March 1918, the last year of the First World War. The First World War was so difficult because the conditions in the trenches was horrendous and it was quite useless war, as they did not actually achieve anything, maybe a few millimetres each month. Stanhope is a devoted company captain in the army; he went to war at the age on 18 years and has been fighting for three years. All the other soldiers like him and he has built relationship with some of his heavy drinkers and he say's its just takes away his nerves. At the start of the play the audience admires Stanhope because he has been fighting for three years and all the soldiers admire him as well as they say: He's a long way the best company commander we've got' but they also think he is an alcoholic as he says:' damn the soup! Bring some whisky!' This quotation revels that he does like his drink but he also says:' She

  • Word count: 1622
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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By comparing the extracts from testament of youth, the ghost road and Binyon's for the fallen and referring to your wider reading examine how typical in both style and treatment of subject matter these writings are of literature from or about world war on

By comparing the extracts from testament of youth, the ghost road and Binyon's for the fallen and referring to your wider reading examine how typical in both style and treatment of subject matter these writings are of literature from or about world war one. Timing has a significant effect when war literature is written as does whether the source was a first hand account or a work written from others sources. Laurence Binyon wrote 'For the Fallen' in 1914 when war had just broke out and at this time people were joyous and glad of the excitement of war, Binyon reflects this view as he personifies England as a 'mother for her children' describing England as a caring character unwillingly sending her children to their deaths for 'the cause of the free'. This patriotism and duty seen by 'death august and royal' were wide spread, and although there were deaths the full extent of the trench warfare horrors had been censored, so was only experienced by those at the front. Binyon himself only visited the front at one point so perhaps did not experience horrors as did other writers such as owen, yet he had more first hand Pat barker's writing 'Ghost Road' in 1999. Despite this Pat Barker and Vera Britain's biography written n 1933 are able to have a wider perspective on the events and Vera Britain in particular is able to look back in hindsight in a way in which Binyon could not and

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Tim O'Brien's 'The Things They Carried' and Pat Barker's 'Regeneration'. Compare and contrast the ways in which both authors present the futility of war in their text

'If war is hell, what do we call hopelessness?[i]' Compare and contrast the ways in which both authors present the futility of war in their text. In his collection of short stories, 'The things they carried' Tim O'Brien attempts to explore the 'bloody eccentricity[ii]' of Vietnam- a war dominated by uncertainties and unlike any war which had gone before. The stories connect a group of fictional soldiers called the alpha company in their journey through the war. The Vietnam War divided America for ten years and lead to a confusing political and social split within the country. A generation was shaped in a country where business men 'could not agree on even the most fundamental matters of public policy[iii]'. When America lost the war in 1975 the blow was immense to the nation and caused an intense backlash against the patriotism and ideological complacency which had characterised their national 'superpower' identity. Vietnam became the forgotten war as 'Evil has no place... in our (American) national mythology.[iv]' In the other text, Pat Barker's 'Regeneration' the backdrop is another iconic war, the First World War. The First World War also had a remarkable effect on society and how war was viewed for a long time after its aftermath. The total destruction caused by the technological advances in warfare had never before been seen and there effects were devastating to a

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Air of pessimism present in Waiting for Godot and The Wasteland

Compare and contrast the way writers convey an air of pessimism in the openings of the texts - [The Wasteland and Waiting for Godot]. The two texts, 'The Waste Land' and 'Waiting for Godot' both convey an air of pessimism within their openings due to the modernist and existentialist views of both the writers. 'The Waste Land' - Eliot's vision of a contemporary predicament, one of natural erotic and spiritual aridity which seems to transcend the barriers of historical time, or natural and geographical boundaries does no depict just the sickness of the land itself; on the contrary it is a metaphor for something more powerful and complex - we are dealing with the human condition - which Eliot reveals lacks focus and has ironically dissolved into 'fragments' resulting in a 'heap of broken images'. T.S. Eliot was a modernist poet, who questioned contemporary literary values of life after the First World War. Modernism thrived in the periods between the two World Wars as it was a time of great difficulty since the conflict created many pessimistic beliefs amongst the civilians. There was not much optimism as to improvement of mankind and this resulted in the disintegration and alienation of the modern self through crisis. Similarly, the poem purports to open up cracks in culture, to show the underlying fault lines and its implications are also to unsettle the reader. Samuel

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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How does Faulks presentation of Death and its impact on soldiers influence your understanding of Birdsong?

How does Faulks presentation of Death and its impact on soldiers influence your understanding of Birdsong? Death throughout the First World War was constant and relentless for the soldiers. Initially, many held patriotic ideas and were excited at adventures offered and the prospect of fighting for King and country; however these ideas were hastily destroyed as men began to face the horrors of mechanized warfare. Faulks graphically describes the war scenes through third person perspectives and describes what men faced during different battles. He also presents to the reader later twentieth century perspectives of the war, emphasizing not only the immediate impact on soldiers, but the long term effects on individuals. Throughout the novel, Faulks graphically presents the horrors of war through the explicit description of the deaths of soldiers. Faulks violent presentation of death itself shows the horrors soldiers had to face which gives the reader insight into the reality of war. Violent descriptions such as, 'ragged edges from which the remains of his brain where drooping,' presents abhorrent imagery to the reader, and also makes the impact of death on soldiers clear. Faulks throughout presents death violently and horrifically; attempting to give the reader insight into the conditions endured by the soldiers of world war one. Faulks presents the difficulty in creating close

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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How are we made aware of the patrols attitudes towards the Japanese prisoner In act 1 of 'The Long, The Short and the Tall?

How are we made aware of the patrols attitudes towards the Japanese prisoner In act 1 of 'The Long, The Short and the Tall? We are made aware of the patrol's attitudes in Act one of 'The Long, The Short, and the Tall,' towards the Japanese prisoner from their speech, tone of voice and actions. Johnstone, member of the patrol, shows he has a harsh attitude towards the prisoner. We can see this, as when the prisoner enters the cabin, unaware of the waiting patrol, Johnstone is the first person to grab him. He calls to the others to kill the prisoner as he holds him still. He says 'Get him! Quick! Do for him! Give it hump! Will you just ram it in?' These are very short phrases and are said quickly and in a sharp tone of voice. He also uses allot of colloquial language and never actually says 'kill him.' This emphasises Johnstone's urgency and professionalism, but also shows that he has a hard image. Because Johnstone can say all this it proves to us that he has a harsh attitude towards the Japanese prisoner and just wants him out of the way. He says 'We should have done him when e first turned up.' In other parts of the act Johnstone's attitude stays the same. He still shows no respect for the prisoner or compassion. He still believes that the Japanese prisoner should be killed and doesn't trust him. He says ' You think that he'd have second thoughts about putting the mockers

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Translations and Things Fall Apart, examine how Friel and Achebe present the issue of linguistic imperialism and how successful they are.

"...a civilisation can be imprisoned in a linguistic contour which no longer matches the landscape of...fact." With reference to your independent research and critical opinion, examine how Friel and Achebe present the issue of linguistic imperialism and how successful they are. Linguistic imperialism can be defined as the enforcement or imposition of one language onto another; it tends to be a key tool of the colonialist seeking to mend the 'backward' societies that they find, generally to their own purpose. Thus, writers such as Friel and Achebe have sought to rectify the still ever present colonialist perceptions of the west by attacking the use of language in their societies, for example, Hiberno-English in Translations. Furthermore, it is necessary to analyse the form and structure of the primary texts, for instance, how Achebe and Friel both manage to structure their texts in such a way that it gives a distinctly 'foreign' aesthetic, whilst still creating a subtly intelligent and critical narrative. Also, it is important to look at the literary techniques and devices that are used within Translations and Things Fall Apart, for example, dramatic irony (e.g. the reference to the potato famine in Translations) or symbols like Mr. Brown in Things Fall Apart, who represent a could-have-been harmonious presence between two vastly different cultures. In addition, it is

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Presenation of childhood in Jane Eyre and Once in a House On Fire

Presentation of childhood in Jane Eyre and "Once in a House on Fire" Charlotte Bronte writes about the past life of Jane Eyre as a child in the household of the Reed family, she describes how Jane Eyre was alienated and oppressed by the Reed family. However, Andrea Ashworth, even though she does endure bullying and misery, has more numerous happy moments such as when she plays with her sister when they were "hopping about in the cold" and imagined "bombs whistling out of the sky", however the reader is shown that it was a restricted fun as they "took care to keep their voices down" which shows how afraid they are of annoying their stepfather. The entire book of "Jane Eyre" begins by the use of pathetic fallacy to reflect the situation and mood of the protagonist, Bronte writes "The cold winter wind and "a rain so penetrating", this detailed description of the harsh weather could mean that the protagonist is in a dire situation. This is then followed by irony as Bronte writes that Jane Eyre was "glad of it" as it gave her an unexpected holiday from the walks with the Reed family, even though her description of the weather was made so harsh through the use of visual imagery. This is in contrast to "Once in a House on Fire" which at the beginning of the book presents the reader with a number of facts which are presented by Ashworth in such a way that we do not feel sympathy

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  • Word count: 1740
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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