Jouney's End Flashcards

Question

Analyse act 2 part 2

Answer 1

Raleigh - “I feel like I’ve been here ages”(p37) – shows the grinding effect of boredom Raleigh and osborne’s conversation draws attention to the divide between the men at the front and the politicians whose war they are fighting – Raleigh – “the germans are really quite decent”(p39) – they do not willingly kill the germans because they want to, or because they are ‘evil’, simply because the politicians told them to. Sherriff demonstrates the futility of war when Osborne goes on to describe how, despite the enemy soldier’s compassion, “next day we blew each other’s trenches to blazes”(p39), Raleigh describes that as “silly”. The talk of rugby symbolises the life these men had outside of war, where the games they played were not those of politicians but sport. Raleigh’s inexperience is once again demonstrated – suggests that Osborne should share his experience of having played for England, but does not recognise that “it doesn’t make much difference out here”(p38). The “natural”(p39) rules which Raleigh still follows no longer applies(similar to previous part) Dramatic irony – Raleigh refers to writing a letter just as Stanhope enters – foreshadows the later quarrel between the two. Unnatural aspect of war – world is “frightfully quiet and uncanny”(p37), natural laws dissolve, and time takes a new dimension “and yet I’ve only been here twelve hours”(p37) – the soldiers are forced the endure this world

Answer 2

Stanhope demonstrates his leadership and strategic abilities – talk about “strong position”(p41) Osborne reacts with an understated “oh well” after knowing they will be attacked clearly shows tension in the silence that follows Osborne – “well, I’m glad it’s coming at last. I’m sick of waiting”(p41) – reminds us of the torturous effect of time, perhaps they would rather fight and die than continue this Stanhope’s reaction to trotter’s chart – he envies trotter for his lack of imagination as it keeps him sane, something which Stanhope is not Their discussion about worms – worms are found in dirt and earth and this is where they may soon end up, dead, being eaten by worms. Worm’s lack of direction is a parallel with their own feelings of hopelessness. “all churned up like a sea that’s got muddier and muddier till it’s so stiff that it can’t move”(p43) – creates a vivid image of a chaotic world swallowing all in its path, and has reached a point where there is no way out. Developed in the end scene when the falling shells are likened to “an angry sea”(p103)

Answer 3

Raleigh’s embarrassment and nervousness gain sympathy from the audience who are aware of stanhope’s state of mind and now see his uncontrollable behaviour, this along with osborne’s exclamation at Stanhope portrays Raleigh as the innocent victim in the conflict. Stanhope also becomes embarrassed and ashamed of his own behaviour – “oh god! I don’t want to read the blasted thing!”(p47). He then also ashamed at his underestimation of Raleigh after hearing the letter – e.g. sits with lowered head, heavy movements, murmuring Sherriff has built us up to believe that Raleigh will have told his sister about Stanhope being a drunkard – e.g. his embarrassment and laughter, his desire to not send the letter after finding out, his reluctance to hand it over The shining sun at the end of this scene is symbolic of the light of knowledge that the letter brings for all of us.

Answer 4

From colonel’s speech we find out that the attack is confirmed to be on Thursday, a sure sign that there is no escape for the men, foreshadowing the coming tragedy. Stanhope about Raleigh “its rotten to send a fellow who’s just arrived”(p53) – shows the responsibility he still feels towards Raleigh Could be read as criticism of the way absent politicians and high ranking soldiers sent men to their deaths – the general, who is not present, wants the raid to happen in daylight – suicide

Answer 5

We know that stanhopes mood is irritable due to just receiving the news of the impending raid and attack, we also know that earlier tin the play Stanhope had made clear his views on hibbert and his supposed illness – due to these we know that Stanhope is unlikely to view hibbert favourably, expecting conflict Stanhope’s complete lack of sympathy towards hibbert may lead us to question his tactics and his personality – e.g. silent threat to shoot hibbert as “he takes out his revolver and stands casually examining it”(p55), and his later spoken threat – makes the audience feel less sympathetic towards him. But his ability to win hibbert over later is a testament to his qualities as a leader – through changing his tactic, confiding in him in a way we have previously only seen him confide in Osborne “we all feel like you do sometimes”(p57), making hibbert feel he is not alone, even offering to “see if we can stick it together”(p57) Tension is built up in this section through pauses, silences, Stanhope looking silently at hibbert and undoing his revolver holster threat of death, the countdown of seconds, the emotional outbursts and exclamations. Sherriff uses hibbert to represent the image of a man who has been psychologically damaged by war – complete despair shown in his hysterical outbursts, complete disregard for his life when Stanhope threatens to shoot him – prefer to know when he is going to die and be “ready”(p56) than face the endless waiting, not knowing when or how his death will come.

Answer 6

Osborne responds with “oh”(p60) and repeated “I see”(p60) – demonstrates his shock and recognition of danger – he has resigned to his fate. Stanhope’s apology “im damn sorry”(p60) makes clear to us that he knows the raid will not be without its casualties. But the fact that he can still recruit volunteers shows the heroism of the company and the loyalty Stanhope commands. Osborne’s controlled and understated treatment of the subject in his conversation with trotter highlight the way in which people’s lives are being treated as unimportant. Alice in wonderland – like the crocodile who “welcomes the little fishes in with gently smiling jaws!”(p64), the first world war enticed men to join up in the hope of glory, only for them to be used as cannon fodder Trotter “I don’t see no point in that” and Osborne responds “exactly. That’s just the point” – highlight the useless nature of war The senselessness of the world in alice in wonderland reflects the war and the world they live in. Scene and act ends with lasting images of war, all are routine activities – nothing changes even as they are all about to die – Osborne writing his last letter to his wife, Stanhope going on duty with hibbert, raleigh returning from duty with all the excitement of a new recruit hungry for glory

Answer 7

Stanhope’s nervousness is apparent in his pacing and his anxious look at his watch, indicating the importance of time. The red rags the enemies placed along the wire suggests the men’s death and blood. Repeated pauses – builds up tension, shows that Stanhope feels uncomfortable about the situation and is lingering Colonel tells them to empty their pockets – indicates the high chance of them being taken prisoner

Answer 8

Osborne, who is an experienced officer, recognises the dangers of the raid and passes on his belongings to Stanhope in preparation for the possibility of being killed – for the audience this signals the coming tragedy. His awkward laugh and stanhope’s pauses and later laughter suggests the tension of the scene Silences and pauses when Osborne talks to Raleigh once more indicate the fear and tension on stage Osborne recites a rhyme from alice in wonderland Raleigh’s repeated invitations to Osborne to visit “one day”(p73) are ironic given later events Raleigh keeps on wanting to talk about the raid while Osborne keeps changing the topic – shows the difference between experience and inexperience After this momentary relief of tension, Osborne looks at his watch, signalling the return to reality, Osborne leaving his watch behind shows that all the time as left him. When Raleigh notices Osborne’s ring on the table, Osborne lies about his reasons for leaving it – once again showing us Osborne’s role as a carer – he is protecting Raleigh from the knowledge of his true motives and worries

Answer 9

We see how little information is extracted and recognise how high a price has been paid for this when we find out Osborne has died Stanhope wants to see the men after the raid and leaves the colonel to carry out the questioning of the prisoner – his loyalty is to his company Raleigh’s behaviour and appearance suggests the trauma he has endured “heavy guns booming miles away” – war is still going on, what happens to the soldiers does not affect the state of the war, their life and death is insignificant

Answer 10

The feverish laughter and conversation acts as a stark contrast to the tension of the preceding scene The setting is like that of the last supper, with the men celebrating like jesus and his followers did before they die Stanhope asking for whisky on top of champagne is a reminder to us of the strain he is under Stanhope confides in trotter as he did previously in Osborne– talking about hibbert’s “repulsive little mind”(p87) Trotter “always the same am I? little you know”(p87) – gives us a brief insight into trotter’s character, suggesting that he too hides his own feelings. Still shows commitment to his duty and loyalty to Stanhope – “I won’t let you down”(p87)

Answer 11

Silence on stage and raleigh’s halting speech suggests tension. Stanhope “his hand trembles so violently that he can scarcely take the cigar”(p90) – shows how much strain he is under – Raleigh and the audience watch horrified he scene ends with the personified sounds of war – “the impatient grumble of gunfire that never dies away”(p91) – reminds us of the constant threat of attack that trench life brings – “impatient grumble” – like a dissatisfied person, a symbol of the enemy, but also of war itself, an attack that has been kept waiting for too long – end of the scene – suggests the waiting has ended, attack is imminent

Answer 12

Trotter is already awake before Stanhope and has woken the others – he is taking his role as second in command seriously – as he said he would previously Trotter sings about a long trail winding – referring to the uncertain path towards death. This singing and stanhope’s joke of giving him coins for it lightens the mood as shells sound outside, suggesting the impending attack Stanhope suggests to give all the men “a decent drop of rum”(p94) as encouragement – just like he did with Osborne and Raleigh before the raid – we expect of similar loss of lives Stanhope’s message to headquarter and requests that there is no reply demonstrate his own expectation of tragedy Stanhope’s whisky at an end – men’s lives and the play are drawing to an end too

Answer 13

Shells are falling steadily – attack is in full swing Hibbert’s appearance suggests that he is terrified We lose some sympathy for hibbert as he tries to delay his duty

Answer 14

Discussion over where to put sacualties shows that the facilities the soldiers had for dealing with the wounded were inadequate Stanhope commands that Raleigh to be brought down to the dugout suggests the responsibility he feels towards Raleigh, enough to make him contradict his own earlier order. Raleigh is carried “like a child in his huge arms”(p100) – this simile highlights his youth and makes the tragedy of his impending death all the more acute – sherriff uses him to represent the thousands of young soldiers who died in the first world war. Stanhope makes osborne’s bed ready for Raleigh – Stanhope views him as his best friend now and recognizes the imminence of his death – changed from earlier when Raleigh was told to get off osborne’s bed Stage direction as Raleigh dies – “the faint rosy glow of dawn is deepening to an angry red”(p102) – reflects the worsening of events, dawn is becoming tainted with the soldiers’ blood, Raleigh “it’s so frightfully dark and cold”(p102) – could be talking about the dugout or death itself. “red dawn”(p103) – symbolizes their lost blood There is a stillness and emptiness at the end of the scene like the cold and dark of death to which Raleigh refers – we recognize the futility of it all “dull rattle of machineguns”(p103) – symbolizes the continuing battle – the loss of one company is insignificant to the state of the war, soldiers’ lives are insignificant – also suggests there could by many other companies where such tragedies have occurred Sounds of war are personified – “whine” and “great fury” – implies that once started, war takes on a life of its own, and becomes an unnatural life form whose hunger can only be satisfied by death

Answer 15

Raleigh’s youthful enthusiasm and stanhope’s hardened cynicism were typical reactions to the war. The apparent complacency of the colonel and his lack of interest in those killed after the raid would have also been familiar to those who had been at the front line Osborne finds escape in reading alice in wonderland – a world where nothing seems to make sense – reflects the war Raleigh describes it as “so frightfully quiet” at the start of the play – still inexperienced at that point and shared the reaction that many new soldiers probably had Themes of waiting and nothing happening is repeated throughout the play Trotter’s circles counting down the hours reveals the tedious nature of war – it is a countdown until he can escape – each circle is the same – just like each hour is the same in the war, nothing happens

Answer 16

The constant threat of death and the men’s subsequent reliance on each other create this special bond. Stanhope draws on this bond when trying to persuade hibbert to stay – “shall we see if we can stick it together”(p57) But this comradeship also leads us to believe that all of them will die at the end of the play

Answer 17

Sherriff presents us with two sides – the heroism and its cost. Only after his experiences of the raid does he realise the true price of glory and the futility of the attack, but with this as well as osborne’s death as the cost, he becomes a hero. The death of Osborne and the others may seem pointless, but could also be seen as heroic sacrifices – sherriff recognizes and pays tribute to the heroism of the men of C Company - to him they represent all the men who died in the first world war At the end of the play, sherriff reminds us that the price paid for heroism is blood – “the red dawn glows through the jagged holes of the broken doorway”(p103)

Answer 18

The central focus on public school life, with talk of rugby, cricket and schoolmasters, acts as a bond between the men – allows them to view life at the front as an extension of school life – Osborne measures distances by relating them to rugby fields and Raleigh relates his fatal injury to one he suffered in rugby. Osborne can be seen as an old and wise housemaster, Stanhope a head boy and Raleigh a newcomer who needs to learn the rules of school life The only high ranking officer we see – the colonel – has a pronounced high class accent – acts as a huge contrast to the lowest ranking soldier we see, who is mason – suggests the influence of class in the appointing of rank – also reflected as the unsuitable hibbert and the inexperienced Raleigh is appointed a higher rank than the older and more competent sergeant major, but speaks in a working class accent At the start of the first world war, only men who have been to public school could become commissioned officers, but this was changed and at the end, anyone could gain a promotion – signified by trotter, who has not been to public school, being an officer, and eventually promoted to second in command

Answer 19

The heroic schoolboy Stanhope succumbs to the allures of whisky and turns in to a drunk The innocent schoolboy Raleigh is transformed into a confused, disorientated wreck Hibbert resorts to lying to escape the horrific scenes of war The play tells us how terrifying the war really was, and the fact that the soldiers weren’t prepared to face such trauma made the situation worse Helped the audience at that time understand why those few men who did come back were so different

Answer 20

The whole play takes place over four days – the confined timespan, the claustrophobic setting and the overwhelming feeling of doom help to create a sense of unity in the play The apparently disorganized nature of events is a reflection of the chaos of war where things do not follow a strict pattern

Answer 21

Has not taken proper leave in 3 years – indicates his attitude to duty and his strength of character Relies on alcohol to cope with the horrors of war – immediately introduced at the beginning of the play – “damn the soup! Bring some whisky!” – shouting also emphasises his desperation and dependence on it Has high military standards, and extreme distaste at those who are not responsible – “you never saw the blasted mess those fellows left the trenches in” Despite his experience in the war, he is still a young man – “kiss me uncle” and “tuck me up” His dismissive attitude towards hibbert’s claim of neuralgia and a start lack of sympathy for hibbert reveals his intolerance and anger for those who only cares about himself Has a love interest – allows the audience to feel some tenderness for a man who could otherwise have been seen as harsh and uncaring – also makes his death more dramatic Raleigh’s hero worship of him shows that Stanhope is a man worthy of admiration Can rely on volunteers for the raiding party, almost suicide – shows the loyalty he is able to command, despite drinking a lot Greatly affected by the loss of Osborne – “he stands with his face towards the wall, his shoulders heaving as he fights for breath” – the physical manifestations of his grief reveal the difficulty Stanhope has with coping with osborne’s death There are instances where stanhope’s strained nerves are evident, making us less sympathetic to him – e.g. mason fears punishment over a simply pineapple chunk error, Stanhope forces Raleigh to hand over the letter Always places duty and the good of the entire company above all else Refers to Raleigh as jimmy at the end of the play – caring for him as a close friend, not as an officer – this moving moment incorporates both the themes of horrors of war and reminiscence of home life – still resilient – manages to return to his duty after Stanhope’s drinking dramatizes the stresses pf war -suggests of a fatal flaw in the ethos of the officer class who led the british army

Answer 22

Presented as naïve, inexperienced, straight out of school, he is an idealist who views war as “romantic” Described as having a “boyish voice” and hesitant speech, which indicates his lack of experience. His youthful enthusiasm is evident thorugh his exclamations and expressions of awe – e.g. “she’ll be awfully glad I’m with him here” His eager anticipation of meeting his hero Stanhope and his expectations about the war show that he views it as a continuation of boarding school His enthusiasm at discovering that Osborne played for England as well as his earlier joy at the prospect of playing soccer shows his innocence – also underline his unrealistic expectations of life at the front, perhaps cause of the misleading government His pride when having been chosen to go on the raid is contrasted with osborne’s resigned acceptance of his fate – shown the contrast between wisdom and inexperience Represents the officers who have been lured into war by such means as propaganda and lies which were peddled to the population by the government Compares war to a game of rugby – emphasises his childishness and his lack of experiences After Osborne dies he dines with the soldiers – his coping mechanism could be being around those who have gone through a similar experience and share a sense of empathy – could also be the reason he asked to be assigned to stanhope’s battalion – they have been “through it all” during their school life Raleigh epitomises the young men who died in their hundreds of thousands in the great war Officers thought of themselves as different kinds of human beings from the men – Raleigh to Osborne when discussing the raid “ just you and me isn’t it – and ten men?” Raleigh died within one week at the front line

Answer 23

Only officer who has not been to public school – of a lower class than the other officers – seen clearly through the way he speaks – e.g.”bloomin’ ‘oles” Uses food and humour to relieve stress – has grown used to events that happen in the play – they don’t affect him as much – his coping mechanism is much simpler than the others – suits his simpler mind – he was the one who pounced on mason for not bringing pepper at the beginning of the play – the removal of his way of coping with the war created an internal difficulty, instigating his passionate respon Relationship with Stanhope is much more formal – shows loyalty and commitment when made second in command Promoted near the end of the play – shows how the use of a coping mechanism can help soldiers survive and thrive in the war

Answer 24

We do not feel as sympathetic towards him as we do towards everyone else – tries to escape home through claiming to have neuralgia, boasts about his exploits with women at the celebration dinner after the raid, at the end of the play he fails to perform his duty by deliberately wasting time. A clear contrast to Raleigh, who is willing to join his platoon at the front and eventually sacrificing his life.

Answer 25

Serves as a symbol of those complacent decision makers who show little regard for human life – views war as a game where all that matters is obeying orders – blamed for the loss of Osborne Shows little compassion when interrogating the german prisoner – even confiscates his personal letters A clear contrast to the hero figure of Stanhope – promotes the idea of “lions led by donkeys”

Answer 26

Provides a stark contrast to Stanhope – where Stanhope is calm, collected, organized and regimental, hardy is unorganized, brash and untidy Uses black humour in order to cope with the war – allows him to distance himself from the horrors of war and also rationalizes and diminishes the war’s brutality and danger to something which can be mocked

Answer 27

The oldest member, has a wife and 2 children, former school master Often referred to as “uncle” – makes clear to us his role as an adviser, party as an extension of his role as a schoolmaster, partly because of his age Modest and experienced– does not show off about his achievements Reads “alice in wonderland” – escapist literature suggests that he is trying to distract himself from the deadly raid – his coping mechanism is escapism – talks often of home life and reading escapist literature – the nature of the literature that he is portrayed to be reading has a classic “happily ever after” nature which could reflect that he still has hope in making out of the war and returning to a normal civilian life His death marks a turning point in the play – raleigh’s visons of war are altered – confused and moved, and Stanhope has lost his best friend

Answer 28

The soldier cook His concern over having got the wrong tin of fruit and his reaction to the mix-up over pepper show his loyalty to his company Serves as a reminder that normal activities still have to continue despite the war Speaks with a working class accent – showing his lower statues and rank Provides comic relief and a sense of normality to the play Could be proposed that mason wishes to serve with the other men rather than as a cook – only noticeable in the final scene – he cannot do that due to his lower class

Answer 29

All the characters deliberately use very controlled language – suggests the way that the men come to treat an abnormal situation in a normal way – the use of understatement shows how normal the war has become – situations which would surprise us no longer affects them Understatement also serves as a device to hide painful emotions, in the same way that humour and irony are used – e.g. “there’s nothing worse than dirt in your tea” – understatement and humour helps them deal with the horror of war

Answer 30

Stanhope move to shadows on stage when he wants to conceal himself because of sadness or shame The red lights used suggest danger or death

Jouney's End Flashcards

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