Osborne

Question 1

Nature of War

Answer 1

• Osborne, reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland p63: ‘How cheerfully (the crocodile) seems to grin’ as he ‘welcomes little fishes in/ With gently smiling jaws’
• Tells Raleigh about how the Germans stopped firing to enable a dying man to be removed from the battle field, then ‘ The next day we blew each other’s trenches to blazes.’ Agrees with Raleigh that this sounds ‘silly’.
• When Stanhope tells Osborne about the raid he doesn’t object, simply saying, ‘Oh? When?’,
  ‘Oh.’ ,’ I see’ and then proceeds to ask about what he has to do and what the raid will consist of.
• Osborne asks Stanhope, ‘I say, don’t think I’m being morbid, or anything like that, but would you mind taking these?’ and after Osborne takes his wedding ring off.
• Stanhope asks if the men are having their rum and Osborne replies, ‘Yes. Just as
  we left. It gives it a quarter of an hour to soak in.’
• Osborne talks about how he used to get wildflowers from the woods and tried to grow them in his garden. Trotter doesn’t believe they would grow and Osborne says,‘ they would if you press the bit of moss around them’ and Trotter finishes saying – ‘to make ‘em feel at ‘ome, eh?’

Question 2

Coping mechanism

Answer 2

• ‘…. [Pause.] Your coffee sweet enough’, ‘Quick - let’s talk about pigs.’
• ‘You must always think of it like that if you can. Think of it all as – as romantic. It helps’
• ## ‘Two minutes. Then we must go up. I wish we had a good hot bath waiting for us when we get back.’

Question 3

R/Ship with Stanhope

Answer 3

• Hardy is an irresponsible soldier and makes flippant remarks about Stanhope of which Osborne responds with defensive and hostile language yet still in a mature manner, ‘It rather reminds you of bear-baiting – or cock-fighting – to sit and watch a boy drink himself unconscious,’
• Stanhope shows Osborne Madge’s picture which he keeps in his breast pocket.
• Osborne tells Stanhope, ‘The colonel would have sent you down long ago, only … only he can’t spare you.’
• ‘You’re coming back old man. Damn it! what on earth should I do without you?’
• ‘Righto. Now come and lie down. You’ve had a hard day of it.’
• ‘Shall I glance through it - for you?’

Question 4

Masculinity

Answer 4

• When Hardy tells Osborne, ‘then he-sort of-came to-and cried- ‘ and Osborne replies with ‘I know.’
• ‘young Stanhope goes on striking it, month in, month out.’
• ‘I’ve got a sort of empty feeling inside.’
• ‘I say, I- I never realised-you’ve played for England?’

Question 5

R/ship with Raleigh

Answer 5

• Tells Raleigh: ‘You must always think of it like that if you can. Think of it all as – as romantic. It helps’
• ‘I’ve got a sort of empty feeling inside’- O to R before raid
• When talking about the raid with Trotter Osborne tells Trotter ‘there’s no need to tell him (Raleigh) it’s murder’ .
• Osborne attempts to warn Raleigh saying, ‘You know, Raleigh, you mustn’t expect to find him - quite the same.’
• ‘Quick, lets talk about pigs!’