Trench life

• Gallows Humour used for men in both Regen and WT -

  • Psychological Survival – Joking about death and suffering made realities less overwhelming, helping soldiers process their trauma without directly confronting it.
  • Collective Bonding – Sharing dark humour fostered camaraderie among soldiers, reinforcES idea that they were in it together and reducing feelings of isolation.
  • Defiance Against Fear – Laughing in the face of danger was a way to assert resilience, showing that even under horrific conditions, soldiers could still maintain their humanity.
• PAGE 71: Trench life full of disoriented privilege: 'Prior adopted the strangled version of the public school accent 'The pride of Britsh Army requires that absolute dominance must be maintained in No Man's Land' - Satirical mimicry and use of stereotypes to make authority seem foolish. 'strangled' plays into Prior's initial selective mutism. He still suffers from the constraints on his speech and his disliking of a privileged accent provokes an agitated version of speech to formulate.
• PAGE 71: 'Prior adopted the strangled version of the public school accent 'The pride of British Army requires absolute dominance must be maintained in No Man's Land' - "temporary gentleman" - soldier from a working-class background who is granted the status of an officer during wartime but does not belong to the traditional upper-class officer class. Highlights his identity conflict. The satirical mimicry expresses his shame of how he would often have to adopt this philosophy as a Lieutenant. Disassociates to remove his accountability.
• COMPARE PRIOR QUOTE TO: Trench life full of reassurance and camararderie: Hendo: Even Dodd sir? Roberts: (Patting Dodd on the shoulder) Especially Dodd! So here's to all you lads! The game has started! Keep the ball rolling - and remember the only good Hun is a dead Hun!' The men cheer. Huge finale to barrage. Prior's vulnerable identity indifference is exploited whereas Dodd's naivety is accepted and the Roberts commands a 'Forged in fire, bound by duty' atmosphere. Serves as a microcosm for standing together and falling together. Roberts serves as their benediction and supreme leader.
• "The game has started!" - Roberts adopts jingoistic approach to his speech. Relates to Jessie Pope's 'Who's for the game'. Stark parallels, Pope says 'Come along lads - But you'll come on all right!' Perhaps Roberts wants to underscore the tragic gap between myth and reality. All the while the soldiers have been satirising the conflict, Roberts gives his due diligence to the patriots who did preconceive that a major push up like such will occur, and Roberts hones in on this outlook to underscore the importance of their efforts here, and that they must stand together and perhaps fall together.
• AO5: To represent Burns and Prior as forgotten youths, Catherine Bernard suggests representation must “peer into the darkness” so Barker is forced to construct these scenes to give meaning to the cases to evoke a pathos amongst readers.