War Horse: Context Flashcards
(21 cards)
What are the key themes of war horse?
Dignity and humanity
Futility of war
The bond between humans and animals
The horrors of war
Where is war horse based?
From rural Devon to the trenches of ww1
Who were the life-sized puppets created by?
South Africa’s Handspring Puppet company
Explain the plot of war horse
1) Devon farm: Joey is living on a Devon farm
2) Joey is sold to cavalry during the ww1 outbreak
3) Joey serves on both sides of the conflict before finding himself alone in No Man’s Land
4) Albert embarks on a mission to find Joey and bring him home
How many horses were taken to France and came back to Britain?
1M horses were taken to France from Britain
Only 62K were brought back
How many yards of barbed wire was to be removed?
448M
What style of theatre is war horse?
A family drama that uses physical theatre, puppetry and music to tell the story = considered epic theatre piece
What did morpurgo say about wanting to write war horse?
I was determined to tell the story, if i could, from all sides, the destruction and suffering and grieving and courage of all involved
What was the estimated amount of people who died during world war 1?
10M
World war 1 caused the disintegration of which 4 empires?
Austro-Hungarian
German
Ottoman
Russian
How many houses were destroyed in the area?
293,039
How many miles of road needed remaking?
33,000
When does Albert’s father buy joey in an auction?
1912
When does joey arrive in France with major nicholls?
November 1914
When does Albert arrive in France as a British soldier?
March 1915
When does joey wander into no mans land?
November 1918
When do joey and Albert reunite and head home to the village?
11th November 1918
Explain Michael morpurgo’s take on writing a story about heroism, cruelty, grief and loss
He’d used to play war games and ‘shoot’ Germans until he realised that in war there is suffering and loss on both sides
It is rare for war to solve anything and that we go to war as words, common sense and human kindness and mutual respect have failed us all
What is the form of war horse?
It is told through the form of theatrical storytelling and sophisticated puppetry
What style of theatre is war horse?
drama play
What is the structure of war horse?
A narrative told from the perspective of a cavalry horse joey
