On The Black Hill.

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On The Black Hill.

Look again at the section of the book which describes events in the twins' lives during the First World War. How does Chatwin present different attitudes to the War in these chapters? You should look particularly at his portrayal of social class and its effects, and at his use of different kinds of language, especially in the various speeches which are made. Go on to compare Chatwin's novel with the poetry of the War, especially poems by Brooke, Owen and Sassooon. How far do you think Chatwin was influenced by having read these poems?

Chapter 19 starts to describe events in the twins' lives during the First World War. It states that there had been no real war since Waterloo, so really, at that time, there hadn't been a war for about a century and people really didn't know what to expect, they weren't experienced at all about wars.

Amos clearly thinks that the war is bought about by England as he glared at Herefordshire when he found out that Germans had marched into Belgium and rejected England's ultimatum. There is a very definite divide in Amos' mind between England and Wales, he blamed everything onto England and wanted nothing to do with it. Mary, like other people, hopes that the war will soon be over.

' Besides, it'll probably be over by Christmas, ' Mary said.

This is a kind of irony because we all know that it was a long war and many people died as a result of it. Mary wore her apron which was streaked with purple stains from pickling beetroot, this is giving an image of blood. This is like an omen; it has taken on another meaning of what might happen in the war, in that many people might die. Chatwin also brings in other details of surroundings to create atmosphere.

' The sky was deepening from crimson to gunmetal '

This again brings in the element of war. Crimson is dark red, the colour of blood, and he deliberately refers the colour grey as gunmetal to create more effects.

We begin to see the social divide between the rich and the poor when people were invited to go to the lantern lecture. Because people of high rank was going to be there, the Major and the Colonel travelled by limousines. It was parked in the lane with chauffeurs; the farm boys had never seen anything like those at such close distance before. There were fur rugs and leather upholstery in the limousines, which shows off their wealth and their high rank in society and symbolises luxury. Ironically, although the farm boys were wearing, to them, 'their Sunday best', these were nothing compared to the upper class.

Mr Gomer Davies, the congregational minister said that the war was a 'Crusade for Christ', so we do not just have the authority, telling young men what they should be doing, but also the religious people, the Church putting pressure on those poor men. The Major had lost his arm in the war that he'd been to before. This is as if trying to say how proud the Major is for fighting for his country although he lost his arm as a result and that he is not ashamed of it. It could also be implying to people that they could be like him, fighting for their country and be as high rank as he is. The language used by the high rank people was obviously very different than the lower class. Colonel Bickerton was 'having a jaw ' with a Boer War veteran. 'Having a jar ' is a very English upper class phrase. His silk hat is also a sign of wealth. The ministers pay respect for the squire, they're trying to be in the squire's good books, someone who has a higher social status than them. When the Colonel replied to the ministers, his language was very obviously a real contrast. He uttered every syllable to perfection. He uses very upper class and good language. Chatwin puts it so that we could almost hear his voice in the way he speaks :

' Thank you for looking after me so well. Pretty good turn-out, I see. Most encouraging, what? '

Miss Isobel was probably the highlight of that evening. All the boys in the lantern lecture wanted to please her. She symbolised softness, gentleness, somebody whom they could be emotional for but she's unattainable. Her 'silver fox-fur cape ' and her 'dainty hat which spurted a grey-pink glycerinated ostrich plume' showed how high in society she is, it makes her even more unattainable by the young men. Some young men ended up going to war for Miss Isobel and for what she stands for. The Colonel probably deliberately brought her along as a symbol of what the young men are fighting for.
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The clergyman's speech was not church - like at all, he portrayed violent images. He described the Germans as ' cancer ' that has to be 'ripped out of European society', and referred them as the 'alligator ' and told people to kill it. But we have the vicar giving the men a speech, someone who practically has nothing to do with the war, someone who has no personal knowledge of the war at all. When the slides were shown, it only showed pictures of happiness; it showed 'Tommies' basically having a good time and having fun. Some ...

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