A short but poignant journey (Journey's End - R C Sherriff)

Member Name: perfectly-p

Product:	Journey's End - R C Sherriff
Date:	06/05/08 (3016 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Ideal study aid for the GCSE student

Disadvantages: None

I read this book because my daughter is studying Journey's End for her GCSE English Literature exam this summer. I had never read it before, nor seen the play, so I thought it would be good idea to read it for myself so I could then discuss some of it with her. I should point out that Journey's End is actually a play and not a novel and it is the play that is being studied at GCSE, not this book in particular. Also, when reading Journey's End you need to keep in mind that it is written for actors with the intention of it being performed to an audience and so comes complete with stage directions.

I am reviewing the Heinemann book edition that is produced with the GCSE student in mind. Heinemann produce books, software and online resources specifically for schools, colleges and their students. Details of their learning resources can be found at www.heinemann.co.uk. This book is directed at the GCSE student, those studying for higher levels will probably find the 'extras' too basic. It comes in a handy A5 size with a plastic coated hard cover which should make it reasonably resilient to being taken in and out of most school bags.

As well as reproducing the play this book comes with many extras which I will deal with first.

At the beginning of the book is a seven page introduction. This firstly covers, although rather briefly, some details about the author R C Sherriff. I think it is important to keep in mind, when reading and trying to understand this play, that the author was an officer during WW1 and was wounded in the battle of Passchendaele in 1917. This play is therefore based upon real life experiences that he lived and fought through. It was written in 1928, after the initial post 1918 optimism had turned into disillusionment and people were (slightly) more ready to face some of the harsher truths about war.

Next we move onto some background detail of the First World War which I guess is useful to students who have not studied this period of time in history. I rather naively thought this should come under the heading of general knowledge but apparently not... at least so far as the national curriculum is concerned. Facts aside, when Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914 there was a general mood of optimism. Most assumed the war would be over by Christmas as millions of young men responded to the call to arms and enlisted. Instead, by March 1918, when this play is set, many thousands of young men were dug into trenches in France either side of no mans land in an effort to make the all important breakthrough. As we now know the consequences were nothing less than tragic with thousands of young men, on both sides, dying with very little territory gained by either side.

The Heinemann book now moves onto details of other WW1 literature written at a similar time and facts about the play's first performance. To pick one example from the list of contemporary literature I will remind you of Enrich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front. A classic in its own right. The first stage performance of Journey's End was in December1928 by the Incorporated Stage Society with a 21 year old Laurence Olivier playing Stanhope, one of the main characters. It had been previously been rejected by most theatre managers on the grounds that the public did not want to see a play about war. The play has since been translated into every European language and performed all over the world.

In this book, we proceed to a reproduction of the play (more about this in a moment) and this is followed by a series of explorative questions to make the reader think in detail about the play they have just read. These questions highlight the more significant events which take place within each act. These questions encourage the student to develop and reinforce their thoughts about the characters and the themes of the pay, such as heroism, comradeship and of course the horror of war. There are examples of quotes from the text that a student could use to illustrate certain points and questions to test knowledge of the text - although it does not supply any model answers to these questions.

There is a page of suggestions for further reading. Here we have lists of both novels set during WW1 and background non fiction reading. To be honest I don't think many 16 year olds would follow up on any of these suggestions but they would probably be of interest to the more mature reader.

Finally, there is a glossary of terms used in the book. This is quite helpful as some of the language is rather old fashioned compared to the reading of most youngsters today and I have to admit there were a couple of things I didn't know. Whilst I did already know that 'bully beef' was army rations of tinned meat and that 'trench fever' was an illness caused by living in damp and insanitary conditions; I didn't know that Minnies were a German gun more properly called a Minenwerfer or that 'Very Lights' were illuminating flares fired into no mans land.

This brings us onto the play itself. The cast of this play is quite small, there is the Company Commander Stanhope, four officers - Osborne, Trotter, Hibbert and Raleigh, the officers cook called Mason, the Company Sergeant Major, the Colonel and a couple of minor characters. As you can see the cast is, not surprisingly, all male.

The play is divided into three acts. Each act and scene is prefaced with some stage direction as to lighting, background sounds or props. These stage directions also pop up occasionally during the dialogue. I will try to outline the main story lines although there is much much more; to truly understand and enjoy (if that is the right word) the ethos of the play you do have to read every word for yourself. I am going to see this play with my daughter in a couple of weeks time (also as part of GCSE revision) so I shall be interested to see if it portrays the time and place how I imagine it in my minds eye. As this play was written some 80 years ago now I hope my summary below will not be considered as spoiling it to anyone who has not seen the play, the film of the play or read the book.

Act 1 covers the evening of Monday 18th March 1918. The play opens in a dugout in the British trenches in France not too far from Ypres which is referred to by way of English translation as Wipers. Stanhope's company is taking over from another one and although they are only due to be on duty for six days it appears a major German attack is imminent. Discussion of this attack and preparations for this event form the back drop to the play.

We are introduced to the main characters. We learn that Stanhope has been at the front for three years and is a great inspiration to his men but he deals with the stresses of war the help of a tot or two of whisky. He is exhausted and has been promoted beyond his experience and years; probably due to the high mortality rate at the front. Osborne who has also been at the front for over a year is the 'uncle' figure. Rayleigh is young and inexperienced and has been posted straight from leaving school. He was at school with Stanhope, although a few years his junior, and hero-worshipped him while there. Hibbert is first seen entering the dugout complaining of neuralgia, hoping this may be his ticket back home. Trotter is the only officer who has obviously not been to public school. He is middle aged which makes him older then others more senior to him. He has an interest in gardening and is something of a father figure. Mason is the officers cook and the source of most of the humour. He is also a fighting soldier. He is obviously hard working and serves as a reminder that normal activities have to continue despite the war.


Act two is divided into two scenes of Tuesday morning and Tuesday afternoon. This act opens with breakfast in the dugout. Concern is voiced about Stanhope's drinking and we learn more about what the men did before the war. Stanhope is concerned that Raleigh will write home with details of his drinking and is determined, as senior officer, to censor the letter. There is a discussion and struggle and the letter is relinquished. Stanhope is ashamed later to discover it only contains praise.

The colonel arrives and instructs Stanhope to organise a raiding party for the following day. Hibbert is still complaining of neuralgia and Stanhope refuses to send him for a medical help. Stanhope knows that he is pretending to be ill because of fear and threatens to shoot him 'by accident' if he should try to leave. Desertion is not mentioned by name but it is obviously on the minds of both men. Osborne and Trotter with their experience of the front are concerned at the timing of the raid although Raleigh is excited at the prospect.

Act three is divided into three scenes - Wednesday afternoon, Wednesday night and Thursday, towards dawn. The act opens with the colonel giving last minute instructions and words of encouragement for the raiding party. Noise and gunfire are heard off stage and then Stanhope and the colonel re-appear with a captured German soldier. Osborne and six men have been killed.

At the evening meal it becomes obvious that each character deals with the death of their friend in different ways.

Early the following morning the German attack begins and the men all have to go to the front line. Raleigh is badly hurt although it is clear he does not understand the severity of his injuries. He is brought back to the dugout and Stanhope comforts him and gives him water but he soon dies. The play ends with stage directions for the sounds of heavy shelling and the candle being extinguished followed by the dull rattle of machine guns and splatter of rifle fire. Here the play ends. I felt we are to assume the whole company have met with their deaths.

This is, in my opinion, a classic anti-war play. Although it is only just over 100 pages of reading, it succinctly and graphically illustrates the horrific conditions of the trenches, eating and sleeping in rat infested mud with the constant fear of death all around. It highlights the futility of war and the senseless sacrifice of many. There may be only a handful of characters but nevertheless Sherriff manages to include some humour, albeit often black humour, the classic flawed hero (i.e. Stanhope), a sense of futility, of loss, of bravery and of comradeship. The issues of cowardice and desertion are alluded to, although not fully developed. We are introduced to the idea of class differences between the officer class and the other ranks. This, I think, is quite a difficult concept to understand by children today as it is quite plain in the text of the play that the officers thought of themselves as quite different to 'the men'.

The language is slightly old fashioned and the overall pace may be thought by some to be slow when compared to our modern day fare of action-packed movies with the need to show all the gory detail and of course the essential female love interest; but this is no criticism of the play, the tension I thought was at times absolutely palpable which is credit to the quality of writing.


So to conclude. The book reproduces the play accurately as written by Sherriff eighty years ago. It includes many study aids suitable for the GCSE student although not for those studying at a higher level. The play itself is timeless and presents a realistic picture of life in the trenches and a graphic portrayal of the horrors and futility of war. The art of warfare may have changed in the last 80 years, but the human consequences remain the same.

ISBN 0435232908
Heinemann, 126 pages in A5 format, rrp £7.25

If you have got to the end of this review, then thank you for reading.

©perfectly-p 2008 (aka perfectlypolished)

Summary: A faithful reproduction of the play with study aides for GCSE students.