Stress in R.C. Sherriffs Journeys End Essay -- Journeys End Essays

World war I broke start in 1914 and lasted until 1918 when the armisticewas signed. Throughout this gunpoint great destruction was sufferedacross the world and in particular in 1918 when the German army waspreparing a massive attack against the allies.Journeys End was written by R.C.Sherriff in 1928. It is set in theBritish trenches a few days before the expected attack and Sherriffre-creates the moments leading up to it. This drama is based uponSherriffs real-life experiences as he himself was a captain of theEast-Surrey regiment and played a part in the First World War.Sherriffs understanding of the relationships between men and themorale of soldiers living in the confines of the trenches areportrayed through the characters features in the play.Sherriffs purpose when writing the play may have been to celebratethe ten year anniversary as there were floods of memoirs, poems andreminiscences coming out around this time, and he may have moreimportantly wanted to ensure that war doe snt break out again byillustrating the pain and hopelessness he endured at was to convincehis audience.Journeys End gives the reader/audience a clear insight into thereality of life at war and explores the harsh conditions experiencedby the men/officers at the front line.Despite Sherriffs ability to re-create the soldiers lives, stagingthe play is a main fuss in which many things would need to beconsidered before-hand such as the audience he is targeting, sound,lighting and props. It is vital that what happens on stage isrealistic to the audience so that their interpretations of trenchconditions is genuine. He would also need to make things realistic ashe may well find that ex s... ...ers died when thetrench collapsed including Raleigh however we are still unsure aboutwhat happened to Stanhope, Hibbert or trotter. The death of Raleighscharacter symbolises the appalling waste of lives during World War 1but it also has an needlelike moving effect on the audience. We hadwarmed to him at the beginning of the play because of his eagernessand excitement however he never realised the full cessation of war untilthe raid. I think that Sherriffs message was to show people theeffects of war on soldiers minds. Stanhopes character was a primeexample of this as he was psychologically damaged by the effects ofwar. I also feel that Sherriff had a hidden message of wanting toconvey the full scale repulsion of war, both physically and mentally. Asmall disagreement between two countries or two opposing sides canresult in a massive loss of life.