Journey's End Flashcards
(37 cards)
What is the frequency of changing squads?
6 days
“Drinking like a fish”
Hardy - Stanhope is an alcoholic, copes with immense amount of stress on the battlefield
“One hour and fourteen minutes”
Hardy - Stanhope’s stress is being taken as a game, finished a whole bottle in 1 hr 14 mins, people cheered and admire him for being an alcoholic, like a freak exhibit
“Nearly three years”
Osborne - Stanhope has not taken a rest over the three year period, been on the battlefield for this long. Osborne looks up to him and admire his bravery, determination and devotion, staunch, experienced
“It’s got a deep yellow flavour”
Osborne - gallows humour, how bad the rations are, do not know the ingredients, just the colour. War conditions are very bad
“That’s because you never stop eating”
Stanhope - Trotter’s coping mechanism, very used to people making fun of him for eating so much so didn’t even reply to the comment, war is a stressful environment
“Another little worm trying to wiggle home”
Stanhope - Hibbert is showing cowardice and faking the conditions of neuralgia, many soldiers have done this previously, war is a terrifying place. Stanhope looks down on this as he believes in resilience and despite cowardice, perhaps thinking he has made it this far and therefore they can do much better
“Small boys at school generally have their heroes”
Osborne - trying to calm Stanhope as Raleigh came to his company, and looks up to Stanhope, Stanhope cannot stand expectations as his former self has died due to the war. Raleigh was a boy at school and he was a senior, Stanhope thinks of Raleigh as an annoying little brother. Osborne tries to make situation better
“One thousand eight hundred companies…and, my God! He comes to mine”
Stanhope - infuriated by Raleigh coming into his company as he didn’t want to face anyone that knew him before the war, scared that Raleigh will get to know him now as he will think differently of him
“Without being doped with whiskey - I’d go mad with fright”
Stanhope - copes from shellshocked by drinking and trying to forget, without drinking he will collapse under stress and terror of the war
“He’d write and tell her I reek of whiskey all day”
Stanhope - horrified of Raleigh telling his sister Madge, who is Stanhope’s girlfriend, about his nerves being battered to pieces and hanging on by a string called alcohol. He is scared that Madge will no longer want to be with him and most importantly, he feels like he doesn’t deserve her in his state right now
“Breadth of a rugger field”
Osborne - was an old schoolmaster and played for The Harlequins and England in rugby, remember days without war
“It all seems rather silly”
Raleigh - heard Osborne’s story with the Germans helping out the English, naive and innocence, reflects a younger point of view on war, war is pointless
“A hundred and forty-four circles”
Osborne - Trotter attempts to make time pass faster by making a chart with each circle representing an hour of them on the battlefield until they can go off duty. Tense and dreading the battle that is coming up, nervous and stressed
“Millions of bullets lying in pouches”
Stanhope - imagining the horrors of war, of all the people fighting each other to death, contrasts greatly with Raleigh’s innocent view towards the war. Dread and stress vs excitement and inexperience
“I ask for advice when I want it”
Stanhope - rejected Osborne’s advice on treating Raleigh’s letter, not good leadership, as he is too hostile and did not treat Raleigh rightfully, blinded by anger and insecurity
“Dennis is the finest officer in the battalion, and the men simply love him”
Raleigh - all the soldiers look up to Stanhope as he works tirelessly even though he is stressed and have a lot on his shoulders, he still cheers the people on and give them motivation, everyone thinks he is a rightful leader and resilient
“I’m awfully proud to think he’s my friend”
Raleigh - hero-worship, very excited to be in his company and under his commands, reflects on the earlier treatments Stanhope gave to Raleigh, contrasts greatly with the Stanhope being described, Stanhope might have been filled with regret and shame on how he lashed out in front of someone that looks up to him so much
“Better die of the pain than be shot for deserting”
Stanhope - Hibbert is trying to be sent off the battlefield by faking neuralgia, Stanhope denied and despised his cowardice. Threatened him to be shot for his actions unless he stays on the battlefield. Stanhope truly values bravery in a soldier and hates those who cannot stick through the pain and be more determined. Further emphasises Hibbert being a coward and weak
“I hate and loath it all…pretend I was paralysed…just lie there till I died”
Stanhope - comforting Hibbert, good leadership, relates to Hibbert for comfort and to reveal personal weakness about himself of being stressed and terrified of the war environment, want to avoid war, shellshocked
“Shall we go together”
Stanhope - to Hibbert to encourage him to go onto the battlefield, good leadership and helps Hibbert overcome some of his fear, motivates him and give Hibbert a sense of support
“Tied bits o’red rag on each side of the ‘ole”
Trotter - the Germans are flaunting the British to come through the gap that they took days trying to blow open. This is an obvious trap that the Germans set up, however, the raid was told to carry on, signifying how cold and ruthless the commanders are
“No need to tell him it’s murder”
Osborne - trying to protect Raleigh from the truth of war and preserve his naïvety. The raid that they are about to carry out is dangerous and yet Raleigh is excited about the mission. He is innocent and Osborne is sensitive enough to understand how important it is to save his purity
When Osborne and Raleigh talk about the area they used to take walks in
The nature that they are describing seem like a paradise and a place out of reach compared to the conditions are situation they are in now. The forest juxtaposes with the war, paradise vs hell. They try to distract themselves from the raid and instead try to dream about life after war. So many men of all ages have given up their old lives and happiness for war (hell)
