Argue The Case That Journeys End Is

Argue The Case That ?Journey?s End? Is Still Worthy Of Being Staged Today. Essay, Research Paper ?Journey?s End? by R.C Sherriff is a play which gives a realistic picture of life in a First World War trench. Performed in 1928 when the bitter memories of war were still fresh, it made a profound impact on those who saw it. It was uncompromising and showed the awful truth to those who had been given the diluted version. Until then, the harsh reality had been hidden and a brave front of victory and triumph put on, masking the truth about the suffering of the soldiers. They had also had a stretch of momentum, enjoying the victory of the War and a peaceful land, and by 1928 they were ready to know the truth. For those who see it today, however, it would not only teach them about

war and how our country came to be through the strength and spirit of those who fought and gave their lives, but it also provides the audience with moments of high drama, light hearted humour and deep poignancy. These are often not found in the commonly staged plays of today such as ?Grease? and ?Joseph? whose only meanings are to teach the youngsters of today that they should dream about love and fame, things not relevant in such a difficult world. The youngsters of today too are becoming more and more desensitised by watching violent films and TV programmes and seeing emotive images of starving children and eventually they become deadened to such things and they have no effect. This leads to children of today becoming complacent and less sympathetic. By watching the

perseverance and tragedy of the men in ?Journey?s End?, it will show them the hardships of those who fought for us and they will become more compassionate. The perceptions of war that children today have, are about lots of fighting and the glory of winning against Germany. This is because they are the first generation which has no direct experience of the war, without any fathers and perhaps grandfathers having fought in it, and have had no tales of bravery or integrity told to them personally. It is hard for them to picture what went on and to really understand what it meant to fight in the Great War and so can learn only from films and TV. By watching ?Journey?s End? they will gain an authentic understanding about war without the glorified and often romantic images some people

perceive. They will learn to have humanity to those who are less fortunate than themselves in the modern world today. ??????????? The different personalities and attitudes of the soldiers also indicate what sort of an effect war had on you as a person. The characters all have their own ways of dealing with war and the effects being away had on them as people. Osborne, who still seems unaffected and compassionate, warns Raleigh not to expect too much from Stanhope: ?You mustn?t expect to find him-quite the same?It- it tells on a man rather badly?. The strain has taken its toll on Stanhope and inside he is being eaten up so he turns to drink for comfort as his nerves ??have got battered to bits?. Raleigh is young and his ideas are all of the glory of war, of going away and fighting

for your country. He is very naÏve and starry eyed. Young men today will be able to relate to him as he is fresh out of school and has not had much experience of war, but is keen to do his duty for his country. Even those who show no obvious signs of the stresses and pressures of war, such as Trotter, are still suffering within themselves. Stanhope enquires to Trotter about his constant optimism: ?Nothing upsets you, does it? You?re always the same?; but Trotter reveals the real distress and misery, saying: ?How little you know?. This tells us that inside, Trotter was the same as all the other men. He was still enduring the same torment as the other soldiers yet he put on an unchanging front. An audience today would admire the strength of Trotter and his ability to show the