Explore the Ways Sherriff Uses the Horrors of War in ‘Journey’s End’ for Dramatic Effect. Compare This to the Ways Barker Uses the Horrors of War in ‘Regeneration’

434 Words2 Pages
Throughout ‘Journey’s End’ we see Stanhope battling on, and learn that he has spent 3 years on the front line, which was considered a very long time for an Officer to survive on the frontline. However we also see that it has taken its toll on Stanhope. He has to drink in order to be able to get through each day without going crazy. “I never did see a youngster put away whisky the way he does” it later goes on to say that he has a reputation for drinking. He sees going home a broken man is showing a weakness, he also feels that it is his duty to carry on and going home would be the cheat’s way out. Similarly we see that Sassoon saw his stay in Craiglockheart hospital as a weakness. He also fought for a long time in the war, and felt he should be with his soldiers, leading them forward instead of been stuck in a mental hospital. We see that it has played on Sassoon’s mind and eventually he does go back to the front line. I feel this is due to the fact that he doesn’t want to be seen as a weak man, just because he doesn’t agree with the principles of war, doesn’t mean he wants to go home and feel as though he has lost his pride. There are also Differences between the way Barker and Sherriff have presented the horrors of war. Throughout ‘Regeneration’ we see the officers having to talk about their experiences in order to put them behind them. In comparison, the Officers in ‘Journey’s End’ choose not to talk about the horrors. An example of this is after Osbourne’s death, the men sit around eating chicken, smoking cigars and drinking champagne, apart from Raleigh. “And yet you can sit there and drink champagne and smoke cigars….” “To forget you little fool – to forget! D’you understand? To forget! You think there’s no limit to what a man can bear” This shows that the men have become hardened to lose friends and fellow Officers. They still feel the loss of the Officer,

More about Explore the Ways Sherriff Uses the Horrors of War in ‘Journey’s End’ for Dramatic Effect. Compare This to the Ways Barker Uses the Horrors of War in ‘Regeneration’

Open Document