Journey s End By RC Sheriff. Quick Revision Notes. irevise.com Journey s End GCSE Revision Notes Quick Notes English Literature.

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1 Journey s End By RC Sheriff Quick Revision Notes irevise.com Journey s End GCSE Revision Notes Quick Notes English Literature.

2 irevise.com All revision notes have been produced by mockness ltd for irevise.com. Copyrighted material. All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, reprinting, or otherwise without either the prior written permission of irevise.com or a license permitting copying in the United Kingdom issued by the copyright licensing Agency. 2 Journey s End GCSE Revision Notes Quick Notes English Literature.

3 Table of Contents Context... 4 RC Sherriff... 5 The context of the first audiences... 5 Summary... 5 Act Act 2: Scene Act 2: Scene Act 3: Scene Act 3: Scene Act 3: Scene Characters... 7 Stanhope... 7 Osborne... 7 Raleigh... 8 Trotter... 8 Hibbert... 8 The Colonel... 8 Hardy... 8 Mason... 9 Language... 9 Important quotations analysed... 9 Dramatic Effect... 9 Verisimilitude naturalistic drama... 9 Dramatic irony... 9 Contrast... 9 Coincidence Journey s End GCSE Revision Notes Quick Notes English Literature.

4 Register for free today to get access to more GCSE English revision notes. Click here for the full list of notes available. Get Free Account Why register with irevise.com? Access unlimited revision Quick Notes created by top class teachers and subject experts. Access revision content across a wide range of subjects. Access Online Multiple Choice Questions across multiple subjects to help you learn, remember, and test yourself. Access Exam Creator, to create custom tailored exam papers to get extra revision help. Access revision notes any time anywhere and on your mobile device. "I used irevise.com during my GCSE exams last year and it really helped me so much! Their revision notes, sample answers, and maths tutorials made me feel so much confident throughout the year and in my exams. Got the grades I wanted thanks to them!" Sarah Hopkins, Hull Get Free Account 4 Journey s End GCSE Revision Notes Quick Notes English Literature.

5 Context RC Sherriff Robert 'RC' Sherriff was born in 1896 to a middle class family who lived in a village close to London. He went to Kingston Grammar School and then, in 1914, began work as an insurance clerk. On August 12th of that same year, Britain declared war on Germany and the First World War began. The context of the first audiences Sherriff wrote Journey s End in 1928, ten years after the end of World War I. His first audiences would have either fought in the war or lost someone close. Their interpretation of the play would, therefore, be quite different from our own. Summary Act 1 Captain Hardy is about to be relieved by a Captain Stanhope. He tells us that "the big German attack s expected any day now". Hardy is rude about Stanhope s drinking, but he also says he is "a long way the best company commander we ve got". Unknown to Stanhope, Raleigh has managed to get himself placed under his command in C company. Osborne tries to hint to Raleigh that Stanhope is a changed man having suffered the psychological effects of war, but Raleigh fails to understand and seems to have a boyish picture of Stanhope as a "mythical hero figure". Stanhope tells Osborne that he fears Raleigh will write home and inform Madge of his whisky addiction and, against Osborne s advice, he threatens to censor Raleigh s letters. Stanhope tells Osborne why he felt forced to turn to whisky to cope with trench life because of the battle called Vimy Ridge, (a terrible WWI battle where surviving men had to shelter under the dying bodies of their comrades). Act 2: Scene 1 Osborne and Raleigh discuss life outside of the war and realise that Germans are just ordinary people, highlighting a theme of the idiocy of war: "The Germans are really quite decent, aren t they? I mean, outside the newspapers?" They discuss, too, how slowly time passes. Osborne describes the sheer madness of war telling a story of how a man was shot trying to cross "No Man s Land" but how the German commander then allowed his comrades to carry him back to safety. Stanhope tells the company that a captured German soldier has revealed that an attack is only two days away. The tension increases. 5 Journey s End GCSE Revision Notes Quick Notes English Literature.

6 In this war, all soldier s letters were checked and if needed, censored. But the officer s letters were usually allowed through unchecked. However, Stanhope confiscates Raleigh s letter home. Stanhope is sure that Raleigh will have revealed his alcoholism to his sister. In desperation, Stanhope asks Osborne s to read the letter. However, it only reveals that Raleigh still has nothing but the highest praise for Stanhope, telling Madge that he is "the finest officer in the battalion, and the men simply love him". Act 2: Scene 2 A plan is made to capture a German soldier who might provide useful information. Against Stanhope s wishes, it is decided that Raleigh will join Osborne to make the raid, "It s rotten to send a fellow who s only just arrived." Hibbert tells Stanhope that he can no longer cope with his "neuralgia"; he seems to be faking. Stanhope threatens to have him shot for desertion and will not allow him to leave before the raid. Hibbert breaks down but eventually Stanhope convinces him that the two feel similarly. Mason arrives offering a cup of tea to Stanhope who accepts even though "it s a bit oniony"; the tenseness of the scene is defused. Osborne accepts his fate calmly, "That s all right, old chap" but he and Trotter make it clear that they feel this to be an absurd and dangerous action, agreeing not to tell Raleigh too much about it as it s his first time in battle, "There s no need to tell him it s murder ". The audience are left wondering whether those in charge of the war care too much about the men who are fighting it. Raleigh is unaware of the extreme danger, seeing it boyishly only as "frightfully exciting". Act 3: Scene 1 Stanhope makes it clear to the colonel that he thinks the daylight raid is madness; but the colonel is adamant, telling Stanhope "It s no good getting depressed. After all, it s only sixty yards." Osborne accepts his fate. Stanhope insists unconvincingly all will be well. In the moments before going over the top, Osborne and Raleigh try hard to keep calm, "Just time for a small pipe"; but the nerves set in with "an empty feeling inside". The two men read from a Lewis Carroll s story. The raid goes ahead and a young German soldier is captured but only four of the ten soldiers in the raid have returned. Osborne is killed and Raleigh is wounded. Stanhope is angry when he realises the colonel s interest is in the information the German soldier might reveal, not for the killed and injured men. 6 Journey s End GCSE Revision Notes Quick Notes English Literature.

7 Act 3: Scene 2 It is late evening on the same day. Raleigh has not joined his fellow officers for the evening meal. Hibbert gets drunk and is told to go to bed by Stanhope, but Hibbert tells Stanhope that he ought to be the one going to bed. This makes Stanhope angry. "Little worm gets on my nerves Doesn t his repulsive little mind make you sick?" Stanhope then gets angry with Raleigh. But Raleigh explains he is grieving for Osborne "Osborne s lying out there " Stanhope, thinking that Raleigh is suggesting he doesn t care about Osborne, the one man I could talk to as man to man who understood everything", finally yells at Raleigh, "Oh, get out! For God s sake, get out!" Act 3: Scene 3 It is morning and the scene is in contrast to the previous scene: it is dark and there are no candles burning. Hibbert s fears resurface and he is reluctant to leave the dugout but with kind encouragement from Stanhope and, importantly, Private Mason, he leaves to fight. The battle begins. The Sergeant Major arrives to tell Stanhope that Raleigh has been badly injured, "it s broke 'is spine, sir". He is brought down and Stanhope comforts him. Raleigh is dying, "Could we have a light? It s it s so frightfully dark and cold" and is comforted "like a child in [Stanhope s] huge arms". Stanhope tries to chat to Raleigh but there is no reply. He is called to leave as the battle worsens. As he goes, "The whine of a shell rises to a shriek and bursts on the dugout roof. The shock stabs out the candle-flame". The dugout collapses on Raleigh s dead body and becomes his tomb. Characters Stanhope He is described in the stage directions as, "no more than a boy". His bravery has gained him the MC medal (Military Cross). We're told that he survived one of the war s most deadly battles at Vimy Ridge thus building up the hero image in the audience s mind. He is presented as a "natural leader". In three years, he has never gone home on leave fearful that his inability to cope without whisky will become apparent and shock his parents and girlfriend. Despite his heroism, he is presented as being very human, even something of "child" at heart, enjoying "Uncle" Osborne tucking him in to bed at night. Osborne The stage directions describe him as "physically as hard as nails" He was a publicschool teacher who had once played rugby for England. Osborne is contrasted with Hardy, his humour is less rude, for example, so we come to like and trust him immediately. 7 Journey s End GCSE Revision Notes Quick Notes English Literature.

8 He is Stanhope s second in command and at 45, presented as a father figure. Because of his age, he wouldn't have been recruited he would have volunteered. This increases the first audience's respect for him. Stanhope and the others call him "Uncle". Sherriff uses Osborne to help show Stanhope s softer side. Raleigh Presented as boyish, naïve, innocent and eager to please, yet also as resilient, physically tough and capable. Describes the war as, "silly" and as childish as this comment is, the audience begin to agree with him and see the terrifying "silliness" of the war. Represents the naive believer in the kind of glorious war put forward in the propaganda at home used to recruit soldiers. A family and school friend of Stanhope s whom he glorifies as a "hero figure". Trotter He presents a humorous contrast to Stanhope: he is described as "short and fat" compared with Stanhope's "tall and slim broad shouldered" hero-like physique. He is middle-aged like Osborne, but, from a lower social class and doesn t speak like the others. He draws "one hundred and forty-four little circles" to mark off the hours until the battle highlighting the tenseness of the long wait. Hibbert He is young and frightened. He lacks inner strength. He is a contrast to both Stanhope and Raleigh, allowing a deeper insight into Stanhope s character. He is rather stereotypically described as a "small, slightly built man". The Colonel He acts in control but lacks sensitivity. He speaks with a far more upper class accent to differentiate him even from the other officers. He speaks as if he views war more as a game, "It s all a damn nuisance; but, after all it s necessary." Hardy He is an officer, about to be relieved by Stanhope. He provides a contrast to Stanhope, showing Stanhope as a superior officer. For example, he is messy and disorganised so he offers a contrast to Stanhope who has high standards and likes the dugout to be kept clean, neat and tidy. When we meet him, he is singing "One and Two two girls more". This acts to separate him from Stanhope as well as, later, to highlight the more crude nature of Hibbert whose jokes are less funny and far ruder about women. 8 Journey s End GCSE Revision Notes Quick Notes English Literature.

9 Mason A less well educated working man who acts as "batman" to Stanhope, an army officer s servant. He speaks with a working-class accent, " ot tea sambridges"; someone the audience can laugh with and at. But he is hard working and keen to serve his officers as well as brave. Language Important quotations analysed Because he's stuck it till his nerves have got battered to bits, he's called a drunkard"; this quote shows how much Osborne cares about Stanhope and also how much he respects him. "You'll find the other officers call me uncle"; shows how kind and dependable Osborne can be. "Drinking like a fish as usual?" (says Hardy); this quote just backs up the fact that Stanhope is an alcoholic. "You know you mustn't expect to find him quite the same"; Osborne kindly warns Raleigh so he doesn't get a shock when he meets Stanhope. "How frightfully quiet it is" Raleigh says; this shows how strange the atmosphere must have been in the front line. Dramatic Effect Verisimilitude naturalistic drama This is a stage technique in which the setting is made to mimic real life. Sherriff s stage directions are detailed. For example, in the first act the stage directions note the gloominess of the dug-out but add that there are "a few tattered magazine pictures pinned to the wall of girls in flimsy costumes." Dramatic irony Dramatic irony is created when the audience learn something interesting from one character that another character doesn t know about. In this play there are many examples but the most striking is when Hibbert complains to Stanhope of his "neuralgia", the audience is already half aware of what Stanhope s response will be. Contrast A key dramatic effect is contrast. Sherriff uses this technique to guide the audience s response to characters and actions. For example, when the tall and slim Stanhope first appears on set, he is with chubby red-faced Trotter. This emphasises the heroic physical attributes of Stanhope and helps us to understand the boyish love Raleigh has for him. 9 Journey s End GCSE Revision Notes Quick Notes English Literature.

10 Coincidence One example is the way that Osborne, Stanhope and Raleigh all come from the same town and school. This is a useful plot device, yet it is created in ways that the audience is barely aware of the unlikely coincidence. Register for free today to get access to more GCSE English revision notes. Click here for the full list of notes available. Get Free Account Why register with irevise.com? Access unlimited revision Quick Notes created by top class teachers and subject experts. Access revision content across a wide range of subjects. Access Online Multiple Choice Questions across multiple subjects to help you learn, remember, and test yourself. Access Exam Creator, to create custom tailored exam papers to get extra revision help. Access revision notes any time anywhere and on your mobile device. "I used irevise.com during my GCSE exams last year and it really helped me so much! Their revision notes, sample answers, and maths tutorials made me feel so much confident throughout the year and in my exams. Got the grades I wanted thanks to them!" Sarah Hopkins, Hull Get Free Account 10 Journey s End GCSE Revision Notes Quick Notes English Literature.