JOURNEYS END QUOTES AQA- A LEVEL ENGLISH LITERATURE

• Structure: Every act, another scene is added


  - Replicates the feeling of time and waiting as it feels like the days are getting longer the closer the men get to the raid
• The opening stage directions and description of setting - 1.1.9


  - Feels like an introduction to a Greek tragedy

  
  

  - AO3: Aristotle's rules in Greek tragedies were to have one setting, to be set during a short time period and have only one plot that includes no sub plots
• "I wonder what it is they put in the water" - Osborne 1.1.10

  - The unnecessary topic of conversation in Osborne's duologue with Hardy is structurally placed at the beginning of the play, where the dialogue should be more eventful, to highlight the boring wait the men feel in the trenches
• "You are a fussy old man" - Hardy 1.1.12


  AO4: 'The Bohemians' by Ivor Gurney exhibits the concept that no matter what kind of person you are, all the soldiers are the same in the army - Hardy and Osborne are purposefully shown to be contrasting characters in this scene but because of their situation they are forced to get along.

  
  

  - This comparison is more specifically shown after Hardy's exit, when Osborne starts singing the song that the play opened with Hardy singing
• "How is the dear young boy? Drinking like a fish, as usual?" - Hardy 1.1.12


  - Hardy's character traits are shown in the satirical questions he asks Osborne, being insensitive about Stanhope's situation
• "He's a long way the best company commander we've got." - Osborne 1.1.12


  - In contrast to Hardy, Osborne's loyal and optimistic character traits are seen here as he is very defensive of Stanhope

  
  

  - It also highlights other characteristics Osborne has of being morally genuine and having parental instincts as he cares for vulnerable people. Conversely, he is displayed as having an irritation to people who are unthinking, careless and insensitive
• "I love that fellow" - Osborne 1.1.14


  - Not only does it display Osborne's positive character traits but it also exhibits the typical theme displayed in WW1 literature of camaraderie
• "Oh, you sweet, sentimental old darling!" - Hardy 1.1.14

  - WW1 soldiers are often displayed as having a heightened awareness of masculinity, meaning that Hardy picks out typically feminine traits in Osborne and makes them negative by obtaining a mocking tone
• "Yes. I should get quite a fright if I were a German and met you coming round a corner." - Osborne 1.1.14


  - Despite the friction between the two characters in this scene, the comic manner that the soldiers adopt, in the long wait within the trenches, is demonstrated

  
  

  - AO5: However, it might show more about Osborne's character by suggesting that he is able to subtly and cleverly mock Hardy without having to ignorantly insult him
• "Well, if you want to get the best pace out of an earwig, dip it in whisky - makes 'em go like hell!" - Hardy 1.1.15

  - The imagery is an obvious metaphor for the men fighting in WW1. It represents the way that the men have adopted the same way of thinking that the authority have, of treating them all as if they were animals.

  
  

  - It perhaps more specifically is a metaphor for Stanhope because of the reference to how alcohol is used as a coping mechanism to the horrors of war
• "Hardy goes up the narrow steps into the trench above, singing softly and happily to himself" - Stage directions 1.1.15


  - Hardy is shown through his actions to have a sense of schadenfreude (satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune). Consequently, it emphasises and foreshadows the scale to the misfortune he is leaving
• The close proximity of the entrance/exits; as Hardy goes, Mason enters - Stage directions 1.1.15


  - It emphasises the sense of claustrophobia in the small setting

  
  

  - It also symbolises an atmosphere of unknowing and instability in the trenches due to the constant changing and the mood is made to feel unsettled because of it
• "[Stanhope] looked splendid!" - Raleigh 1.1.18


  - The praising adjective, linked with the exclamation mark highlights a sense of hero worshiping in Raleigh's relationship with Stanhope
• "Oh, I know old Dennis's temper! I remember once at school he caught some chaps in a study with a bottle of whisky. Lord! the roof nearly blew off" - Raleigh 1.1.19


  - Since the audience have already established that Stanhope is a keen drinker, this statement becomes a form of dramatic irony

  
  

  - It also creates a sense of naivety and innocence in Raleigh's character as he ignores the obvious hints from Osborne. Raleigh is blinded by his own hero worshipping
• "It's - it's a big strain on a man." - Osborne 1.1.19


  - Describing the effects of war using the phrase 'big strain' decreases the reality of war

  
  

  - Osborne's character traits of being caring to Raleigh's vulnerable nature, and not wanting to face the reality of war might have affected his manner of saying this
• "after puffing at his pipe in silence for a while" - Stage directions 1.1.21


  - Because of the stage directions, the audience will be able to see Osborne's parental instincts in not just his language, but also his actions (due to it creating a homely/fatherly scene)
• In response to Osborne's "That sounds like the captain coming now.", the stage directions instruct Mason as "hastening away" - Osborne and stage directions 1.1.22

  
  

  Later he is instructed to bring food and drink in "precariously" - Stage directions 1.1.23


  - Instructing Mason to react in this way would suggest that Sheriff intends Stanhope's character to seem initially frightening and threatening
• "no more than a boy" - Stage directions 1.1.22


  - In contrast to the rumours surrounding Stanhope and the way in which people react to him, the stage directions describe him as being just as young, innocent and vulnerable as Raleigh
• "His dark hair is carefully brushed; his uniform though old and war-stained, is well cut and cared for" - Stage directions 1.1.22


  - The way that Stanhope is presented, and the way he looks suggests that he is an organised character who likes structure and control
• "Stanhope stares at Raleigh as though dazed" - Stage directions 1.1.23


  - It would suggest throughout the play that one of the reasons Stanhope uses drink as a coping mechanism is so that he can forget

  - However the adjective that describes Stanhope shows the type of reaction he has when he is forced to remember memories from home he wants to forget.
• "His face is red, fat and round" - Stage directions 1.1.22

  
  

  "He puts the box on its side and sits on it. It is too low... he puts it on its end. It is then too high..." - Stage directions 1.1.24

  
  

  "That's because you never stop eating" - Stanhope 1.1.27


  - Although Stanhope and Trotter entered together, the stage directions that describe each other create a great contrast between the characters

  
  

  - The stage directions and speech surrounding Trotter often have comic potential within the actions
• "Then I advise you never to leave it to anyone else again - unless you want to rejoin your platoon out there." - Stanhope 1.1.25


  - Not only do Stanhope's words prove the authority he has over the other characters but it also displays the aggressive manner in which he presents it
• "Hibbert can do from two till four, and I'll go on from then till stand-to. That'll be at six" - Stanhope 1.1.26


  - Although Stanhope's authority is seen to be more agressive, his language goes on to prove that he is professional, organised and obeyed with it.
• "Aye, aye, sir. You don't want me to go out and look at that blinkin' ruin?" - Trotter 1.1.28

  "I'll see to that" - Stanhope 1.1.28


  - Where Trotter's character is almost implied to be too lazy, Stanhope's character is proven to take too much responsibility where perhaps he should rest
• "Another little worm trying to wriggle home." - Stanhope 1.1.29


  - Stanhope's cynical approach suggests that this is a common occurance

  
  

  - AO3: Hibbert is arguably one of the less sympathetic characters in the play, this suggests that Sherriff did not consider himself to be heroic in any way. However, it is ironic that Sherriff shares a lot in common with Hibbert, further suggesting that he used Hibbert as a means of distancing himself from it
• "No man of mine's going sick before the attack. They're going to take an equal chance - together" - Stanhope 1.1.29

  - Although Stanhope demonstrates the theme of camaraderie here, it is proven to not be used as pro-war propaganda, as it is often used

  
  

  - AO4: 'In Flander's Fields' by John McCrae explores the same concept of camaraderie not being linked to pro-war propaganda
• "Stanhope is lounging at the table... Osborne, sitting on the right-hand bed, begins to puff clouds of smoke" - Stage directions 1.1.30


  - The verbs that provide the actions to what the two men do in each other's company create a larger atmosphere of comfort than before
• "She doesn't know that if I went up those steps into the front line - without being doped with whisky - I'd go mad with fright." - Stanhope 1.1.31


  - The fact that Stanhope feels comfortable enough to offload his most personal feelings to Osborne says a lot about both their characters and the platonic relationship they have

  
  

  - In Osborne's company, Stanhope is seen to put himself down rather than being as confident as he is when providing the role of authority with the other men
• "You know, Uncle, I'm an awful fool. I'm captain of this company. What's that bloody little prig of a boy matter?" - Stanhope 1.1.33


  - Sherriff cleverly writes Stanhope's speech so that it sounds like the ramblings of a drunk man through the use of punctuation, italics that stress particular words and rhetorical questions
• "[Osborne] takes out form his tunic pocket a large, old-fashioned watch" - Stage directions 1.1.35

  - The final actions of the act create a poignant emphasis on the theme of time; the monotonous existence of waiting and time passing
• "They would if you pressed a bit of moss round them - " - Osborne 2.1.39

  
  

  " - to make 'em feel at 'ome, eh?" - Trotter 2.1.39

  - The phrase is similar to the earwig metaphor from act 1 scene 1 as it symbolises what the men have to go through

  
  

  - The implication with this metaphor is that just like flowers being moved, the men have to surround themselves with things that feel more like home to comfort themselves
• "I'd rather 'ave a bang or two than this damn quiet." - Trotter 2.1.40


  - Although said in a humorous manner, Trotter's statement emphasises the seriousness to how waiting for an inevitable death affects the men's minds
• "[to Raleigh] I expect Stanhope'll let you go on duty alone now." - Osborne 2.1.40


  - AO4: In the 2017 film adaption, this scene appears as if Osborne is mentoring Raleigh which highlights his father-like characteristics
• "Did you play rugger?" - Raleigh 2.1.40


  - As soon as a new topic is introduced, Raleigh is shown to be keen to change the subject completely away from the topic of war

  
  

  - Shows, like the previous metaphor about flowers, that he finds comfort in discussing his hobbies from home
• "playing in front of a huge crowd - all shouting and cheering - " - Raleigh 2.1.41

  
  

  "You don't notice it when the game begins." - Osborne 2.1.41


  - The punctuation in the duologue that makes it feel as if Osborne is interrupting Raleigh displays his sensitivity with war

  
  

  - The noise Raleigh describes can be likened to some of the horrifying conditions of war, a feeling that Osborne is quick to escape from
• "Trotter's plan to make time pass quickly. One hundred and forty-four little circles - one for each hour of six days." - Osborne 2.1.41


  - Although the idea seems juvenile, the simple coping mechanism Trotter uses to combat the feeling of time passing demonstrates how calm-minded he is
• "It all seems rather - silly, doesn't it?" - Raleigh 2.1.42


  - Displays the theme of futility often presented in WW1 literature

  
  

  - A04: 'The Target' by Ivor Gurney explores the same feeling of questioning the purpose of fighting when the German's seem "really quite decent" (Raleigh 2.1.42)
• "coming slowly down the steps", "goes into his dugout", "appearing", "He goes again", "Mason has come in" and "He goes out" - Stage directions 2.1.42-43


  - The entrances and exits in close succession heighten the unsettling atmosphere in this sequence

  
  

  -The fact that these interruptions happen while Stanhope is talking orderly and professionally shows how the theme is directly linked the war
• "We'll wire ourselves right in" - Stanhope 2.1.43

  - The phrase acts as a metaphor to the claustrophobic environment the men have to face
• During the duologue between Stanhope and Osborne (2.1.43) they mention 5 references to time when discussing the raid


  - It lays emphasis on the date of the attack, a date that would have been immediately recognised by an audience of the time which creates irony as many knew the horrifying casualties

  
  

  - AO3: the attack was called Operation Michael, and was a major German military offensive during the First World War - the particular battle that starts at the end of the play was the Battle of St. Quentin