Explain how much of the emotion in the play comes from the relationship between Raleigh and Stanhope, both of whom have the sympathy of the audience. What makes the barrier between them so poignant and how is it removed at the end?
Journey's End - R.C. Sherriff Explain how much of the emotion in the play comes from the relationship between Raleigh and Stanhope, both of whom have the sympathy of the audience. What makes the barrier between them so poignant and how is it removed at the end? Journey's end is a play set in the final year of the First World War. The action takes place entirely in one location. This location is A dug-out in the British trenches before St. Quentin. The play opens on the evening of Monday, the 18^th march 1918. On stage the audience can see the inside of a dimly lit dug-out, a table, wooden boxes serving as stools as well as bottles holding candles. This glum scene is the setting for the majority of the play. The play opens with a meeting between lieutenant Osbourne, who is second in command to Captain Stanhope and Captain Hardy whose company Stanhope's men are relieving from their spell of duty in the front line. Captain Hardy is quite a useless commander is the image that is portrayed at the beginning of the play. Lieutenant Osbourne appears to be annoyed by Captain Hardy's lack of efficiency. This is shown when Hardy tells Osbourne about the trench stores, the rifle grenades in particular (Hardy) "Besides, they are rusty, in any case' Also when Hardy says there are '34 gum boots' Osbourne replies (Osbourne) "That's seventeen pairs -" (Hardy) "Oh, no;
How do the 3 Composers Faulcher, Leunig and Dawe use the idea of 'the Journey' to comment on the unexceptional nature of life's journey?
How do the 3 Composers Faulcher, Leunig and Dawe use the idea of 'the Journey' to comment on the unexceptional nature of life's journey? In describing life's journey, a somewhat cynical perspective is to focus on the isolation and detachment that one inevitably will experience. The three composers, John Faulcher, Michael Leunig and Bruce Dawe all take this stance and use many different stylistic techniques, especially metaphors, to convey this idea of the impersonal nature of life's journey. The seclusion of one from the rest of the world is a common element in all three texts. This is shown in the cartoon by having every character drawn separately looking through his own window of the car. Although some of these characters are in the same car as each other, there is this feeling of isolation as they are the only one in their space. So as the many cars head towards the 'grave' they are all seen alone. Furthermore, Faulcher presents the idea of ones separation from others in life's journey in his use of simile. "...cars clutter on the highway like abacus beads" Firstly, the cars can be interpreted as a symbol for transporting oneself from one place to a next. By having the cars cluttered, it creates the feeling of indistinctiveness and how common life's journey is. In referring to the abacus, the image of one bead stuck behind the other, without being able to move in
Explore the ways that Osborne is presented as a likeable character in Act One
English Essay – Journeys End Explore the ways that Osborne is presented as a likeable character in Act One? There are many ways in which Osborne is presented as a likeable character in Act One. One of Osborne’s admirable qualities is his loyalty. We can first see this loyalty in Act One, Scene One, when he is having a conversation with Hardy (a commander of another company). They are talking about Stanhope (in first command of the company). Hardy talks about Stanhope’s drinking problem and that Osborne should be commanding the company not Stanhope. Osborne shows his loyalty when he says that “there isn’t a man to touch him as a commander of the men,” this shows that Osborne is sticking up for Stanhope by saying that he is meant to be and is more than worthy if the role, humbly saying that he doesn’t deserve such a role, that Stanhope deserves it more. He also to a certain extent says that Stanhope is invincible and untouchable being a commanding officer, A second way is the way that Osborne shows a family relationship in Act One and that he gets on well with the men in the company. This can be seen clearly by the fact that he is called “Uncle” by other men. This is very informal and shows that he is seen as the older and more experienced one in the company. In addition, it connotes that he is a ‘father like figure,’ caring, thoughtful, kind and
Explore Raleigh and Stanhopes relationship and compare their characters
Explore Raleigh and Stanhope’s relationship and compare their characters Stanhope and Raleigh’s relationship went through many phases during Journey’s End there was their relationship before the war, comradeship and conflict between them. A reason of why their relationship was straightforward is that Sherriff made both their characters very different from each other in all aspects. Stanhope‘s character was a captain and had seen the realities of the war a lot more when compared Raleigh’s character. Stanhope at points seemed to be losing his mind and was constantly paranoid and drunk. Stanhope’s actions and behaviour can be justified as it can be said that his character has been through a lot more and he has a right to act the way he is as war did have this impact on a lot of the men. Before the war, Raleigh and Stanhope’s relationship was not as rough as it was during the war and they were really good friends. As Stanhope was a senior at Raleigh’s school it is reasonable for Raleigh to hero-worship Stanhope since Stanhope did look out for him as their fathers were friends and spent their holidays together. This justifies Stanhope’s relationship with Raleigh as he might feel responsible for Raleigh during the war too, making him more hostile and paranoid. When Raleigh first came he told Osborne of his relationship with Stanhope “in the holidays we were
Explore the ways in which Sherriff makes this such a dramatic opening and introduces some of the main issues of the play.
Example answer Explore the ways in which Sherriff makes this such a dramatic opening and introduces some of the main issues of the play. Sherriff creates a dramatic opening through his use of language, themes, motifs, character portrayal and irony, building tension and suspense through the use of metaphor, similes and dramatic irony. Sherriff uses stage directions to set the scene, introducing a romantic tone through the use of moonlight and candle light; “A pale glimmer of moonlight shines down…Warm yellow candle-flames light the other corner”. The way Sherriff uses light in this way ironically juxtaposes this romantic tone with the real horrors of trench life explored as the scene progresses. We learn of Hardy’s need to dry his sock over a candle flame due to the lack of heating in the dug-out. We know that it was dangerous for soldiers to wear wet clothing due to the treat of trench-foot; a condition brought about by the skin on their feet not having the chance to dry off. This often resulted in amputation through the skin rotting away. Sherriff also hints at the risk of being bitten by rats in the trenches within this scene as we are told that Hardy’s “right foot, which is naked, is held above the damp floor”. Sherriff’s use of irony in Hardy’s advice to Osborne not to add too much water to his whisky is telling. The overpowering taste of the
How does Sherriff introduce the characters of Raleigh, Stanhope and Osborne in Act I of Journeys End?
Alvin Nelson 9V1 Mrs Fletcher 27/6/12 How does Sherriff introduce the characters of Raleigh, Stanhope and Osborne in Act I of Journey’s End? Journey’s End was a drama first performed in 1928. It became increasingly popular and was very successful. It had all the ingredients to make it a dramatic success but the primary one was the introduction of clear characters in Act I. We hear about Stanhope’s character for the first time in the conversation between Hardy and Stanhope. Hardy makes a reference to his alcoholism by stating: “Drinking like a fish”. This simile shows how much Stanhope and gives the audience a primary insight into Stanhope’s character. This dialogue develops his character further, as Hardy jokes about Stanhope’s behaviour; Osborne defends him, saying he’s the “best company commander we’ve got”. This shows us the character of Stanhope – a heavy drinker but also a good company commander. We also pick up a few details about the character of Stanhope - he has never rested, his nerves “have got battered to bits” and he is finicky over the state of the trenches. This shows us the nature of Stanhope – he is determined and favours a neat and tidy regime but his spirit has evidently shattered. Also, it is important to note that there are different and conflicting views about Stanhope which makes his character more mysterious and
How does Sherriff make Osborne seem like a likeable and engaging character in Journeys End?
H/WCoursework5/3/14 How does Sherriff make Osborne seem like a likeable and engaging character in ‘Journey’s End’? Osborne is a very experienced member of the company who enjoys making his comrades feel content. He is a very avuncular character as he is extremely kind to the less experienced, such as Raleigh. He is also like a confidant to Stanhope, which makes him generous. Sherriff makes him a likeable and charming character because he helps his comrades out by taking their mind off the war and he is slightly bizarre because he likes to read children’s books such as Alice in Wonderland. Osborne is also very affectionate, as he knows how his friends feel living in the war’s dreadful conditions, and wants to comfort them. As the play progresses we see that Osborne becomes ever kinder and more of the characters start to be fond of him, which makes Osborne an even more trustworthy character of the play. Firstly, Osborne is made a very pleasant character by Sherriff due to his loyalty to the leader of the company, Stanhope. This faithfulness makes him very pleasing, as it shows his friends that he will not betray them. Osborne would even ‘go to hell with him’ because of how much he means to him. The noun ‘hell’ shows how devoted he is to Stanhope and he would even go to a place where he would be eternally tortured just for him. In addition, Sherriff uses a
Journeys End
Jonathan Carver 11Na Mrs Swift English Journeys End is set in the First World War. It is written by R C Sheriff who was a soldier in the war. He was wounded in the battle of Passchendale in 1917 so knows what it is like being in the army in the middle of a war. There are not many characters in this play but almost all have a large part in the play. The play 'Journeys End' was first performed on stage in 1928 with Laurence Olivier acting the role of the Commander, Stanhope. It was such a success that by 1929 there were fourteen companies performing the play. This was just in England! The play starts off with the C Company commanded by Stanhope getting ready to face an onslaught by the German army. There are five officers in the trench who are getting ready to face the biggest battle of their lives. They are Mason, Raleigh, Osborne, Trotter Hibbert and Hardy. This play tells us about many things that happen to people when they are at war. During this play you can see the differences in the characters start to grow especially Raleigh. However, this is only because he just came into the army. He is the youngest and the least experienced. The others had already been the army for a while before the story started. The play starts with Hardy sounding really cheery. He is singing a song, obviously trying to get his mind off the events happening and the constant
Journeys End Coursework
In what way does R.C. Sheriff re-create for his audience the tremendous stress & fear suffered by the men on the front line? The first world war was the biggest war to even break out. Approximately 20 million people died as a result of the battles between The Triple Entente (France, Britain & Russia) and The Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy). A vast majority of these battles took place in trenches set up in France and Belgium. They were just narrow strips of path dug into the ground, so naturally they weren't in the best conditions. When it rained, the trenches flooded and sometimes began to collapse. These trenches were filled with rats and diseases such as trench foot were common. The smell wasn't wonderful either. Considering the average age of a solider was just 25, living in these such conditions would have been very hard. R.C. Sheriff himself played a part in World War One as captain of the east Surrey regiment. What strikes you straight away is that Stanhope is also captain of a regiment, giving the instant impression the author writes from experience. He interprets Stanhope as a alcoholic as he copes with the stresses of the war. Drinking is his way of forgetting about the war, and gives him the strength to go out on the front line to fight. In a discussion between Osborne and Hardy in Act One, Scene One, Osborne describes Stanhope's drinking as
Journey's End
Connor Gallagher Heysham High School Centre No: 46127 October 08 GCSE English Literature Drama Text: Journey's End How does the playwright, R. C. Sherriff, attempt to convey the reality of the Great War and its effect on the men who fought in it, in the drama "Journey's End"? Life in 1918 was very different to the life we lead now. When a war occurs today we are fully updated by news reporters via media devices such as television and the internet. We know what is occurring in war zones day and night. However, during the Great War, only selected information was ever given to the general public. It was a war of propaganda. Only positive news about Britain's participation in the war was ever given to the indigenous society. Playwright R.C. Sherriff thought he should write about his real-life experiences in the war. He was an ex-soldier who was wounded in the battle of Passchendaele. He wanted the public to understand what the war was really like. How he and his comrades lived and fought in the war. It was a metaphorical mirror to his time throughout the war. The play "Journey's End" was first produced by the Incorporated Stage Society at the Apollo Theatre, London, on 9th December 1928. It was turned down by most theatre managers in London for the reason that they thought the public didn't want to hear about the war or they felt a play without women wouldn't be popular.